Chapter 38: Even If The Heavenly King Himself Came, It Would Be In Vain

“Am I that unappealing?”

Watching Zhang Yang’s figure fade into the distance, Zhao Liying found herself sinking into self-doubt.

She couldn’t compare to those instantly striking beauties or ethereal goddesses who dominated the industry—those with faces and demeanors that seemed sculpted by fate itself. But she was still a beauty, wasn’t she? Surely there was nothing wrong with wanting to exchange contact information after such an encounter? Yet he had outright rejected her request.

This wasn’t some coy game of cat-and-mouse; they were strangers after all.

Either his standards are incredibly high, Zhao Liying mused, or he must be a truly good man.

Recalling Zhang Yang’s appearance, physique, and aura, she concluded it wouldn’t be surprising if his standards were indeed lofty. And yet, he had gone out of his way to help her escape embarrassment earlier, even encouraging her to pass on kindness to others—a clear sign of his goodness.

Ding!

Her phone suddenly vibrated, interrupting her thoughts. She glanced down at the message from Li Si, asking where she’d gotten to.

“Just bought some buns,” she replied swiftly. “Should arrive within fifteen minutes.”

With that sent, Zhao Liying pushed aside any further musings about Zhang Yang and headed off in a determined direction.

Ten days ago, the set of New Legend of Pearl—a popular historical drama series—had announced wrapping up their shoot. However, additional scenes now needed to be filmed for continuity purposes. As the actress playing Qing Gege, one of the lead roles, Zhao Liying had received notice from the production team to return for these补拍 (additional shoots).

Her agent He Ru had just secured her contract with Hairun Entertainment, and he wasn’t keen on returning for these additional shoots. After all, it was only a minor role with a handful of optional scenes.

However, Zhao Liying couldn’t help but reflect that if she hadn’t arrived alone at Hengdian Film Studio—bored and without engagements recently—she might have avoided this awkward situation altogether.

Little did Zhao Liying know, moments after her departure, Zhang Yang returned to the bun shop.

It would’ve been a joke—he’d barely finished half his breakfast!

“Um, I thought you weren’t going to eat anymore,” the middle-aged man seated next to him said apologetically. “I didn’t want food to go waste.”

Holding up a large meat bun from Zhang Yang’s plate, he continued hesitantly, “Should I buy another one for you?”

Zhang Yang smiled reassuringly at him, easing any guilt. “No need, really. I’m not hungry anymore; I came back just to grab some buns for my friend who wanted me to bring them home.”

His gesture seemed more like an accident than intentional freeloading—if anyone should be blamed, perhaps it was Zhao Xiaodao himself?

After purchasing several more buns, Zhang Yang set off towards his hotel room. His mind, however, remained preoccupied with thoughts of Opportunities in the Entertainment Industry, the mysterious handbook he possessed.

Oportunity Points increased, he noted internally. Seems my hunch wasn’t off base after all.

“As long as you seize opportunities mentioned in the guidebook, you can earn Oportunity Points—it doesn’t necessarily mean unlocking them just to copy answers verbatim.”

This latest opportunity was a deliberate experiment on his part—to determine whether seizing chances independently could still grant him those valuable points.

If not, he’d have to use Character Points even more sparingly, for they were limited while new opportunities refreshed daily.

The realization that relying solely on oneself to grasp opportunities also yielded Oportunity Points was undoubtedly good news. After all, these points allowed entry into dreams where one could randomly obtain character abilities, thereby enhancing their own power.

“Nevertheless,” Zhang Yang mused, “Character Points remain crucial.” He couldn’t help but recall the first two instances of opportunities he had faced.

Without purchasing “Buddhist Scripture Pavilion” beforehand, he would have been powerless to assist Liu Shishi despite appearing at her side precisely when needed; all he could do was watch helplessly from afar.

Similarly, if he hadn’t brought along his freshman textbooks ahead of time, there would have been no way for him to aid Huo Ba promptly, even with prior knowledge of her predicament.

Such were the uses of Character Points—they provided foresight into optimal solutions, allowing one to prepare adequately and capitalize on opportunities effectively.

This time, Zhao Liying had forgotten her money—such a simple oversight that could have been easily rectified with cash on hand.

If only there were more opportunities like this in my Opportunity Handbook, Zhang Yang mused. And I need to conserve Character Points; I’ll have to analyze situations myself more often.

A glint flickered in Zhang Yang’s pitch-black eyes as he pondered these thoughts.

By seizing chances through the opportunity guidebook, one didn’t merely earn Oportunity Points; they also gained real-world favor from those involved. When someone was grateful to you, it opened up various benefits and connections at your fingertips.

Thus, even if relying solely on oneself for such encounters yielded no Oportunity Points, he wouldn’t let them slip away unnoticed.

“I must conduct further experiments,” Zhang Yang resolved inwardly, eagerly anticipating when another suitable opportunity might arise.

Little did he expect that it would take six whole days before another chance presented itself:

[Time: March 25th, 8:13 PM
Location: Hengdian Film City - Qingming Shanghe Park…]

Guideline: (Locked/1 Character Point)

“Six days,” Zhang Yang muttered irritably, flipping open his Opportunity Handbook yet again—a gesture he’d repeated countless times today. “Do you know how I’ve spent these past six days?!” His voice carried a palpable resentment towards the seemingly endless wait.

Over the past six days, every opportunity that had refreshed was either too far away—leaving no time to capitalize on it—or presented surface information so cryptic that he couldn’t discern who needed help or how best to assist them.

Moreover, none of these opportunities seemed particularly enticing enough for him to expend character points towards acquiring them.

Today, at long last, another nearby opportunity arose—one he could walk over and investigate personally.

“Hey A-Yang,” Lin Feng approached Zhang Yang with a rare smile gracing his usually stern face. “Shooting went smoothly today. In just a few more days, you’ll be wrapping up your scenes here. Want to grab some late-night snacks together tonight?”

Whether in dramatic scenes or action sequences, both Zhang Yang and Nazha had proven themselves remarkably low-maintenance actors. Had Lin Feng been solely responsible as producer and financier of Prestige Imperial Concubine, he would have gladly elevated their roles to significant supporting characters. Their presence undoubtedly enhanced the overall quality of the series.

However, promoting them to leading actors wasn’t feasible; Zhang Yang and Nazha simply weren’t famous enough yet. The show wouldn’t fetch high prices without bigger stars in those roles.

“Brother Lin, I’ve got something else planned for tonight,” replied Zhang Yang apologetically. “Let’s do dinner sometime soon—I promise we will.”

Lin Feng’s words sent a jolt through Zhang Xiao’s heart as he firmly declined.

Six days had passed since his last opportunity—a chance he’d barely managed to secure after much waiting.

Dinner tonight? Not even if the Heavenly Emperor himself were to request it!

“What seems to be the matter?” Lin Feng asked warmly, ready to help. “Need my assistance?”

The situation arose too suddenly for Zhang Yang to conjure up an excuse on the spot.

Just then, Nazha approached from nearby and chimed in coyly, “Brother Yang, didn’t you say we’d watch New Shaolin Temple together? When are we leaving?”

New Shaolin Temple, released January 19th of that year, was a highly anticipated film starring popular actors Liu Dehua, Xie Tingfeng, Cheng Daoge, Fan Xiaobang, and others.

During the busy holiday season around New Year’s Day, Nazha hadn’t found time to see it. By the time she could, the movie had already left theaters. She showed no interest in pirated online versions; instead, she preferred waiting for the official high-definition release on streaming platforms.

Yesterday, while chatting casually with Zhang Yang, they mentioned this very film. He informed her that there was one private theater near Hengdian still screening it and offered to take her tonight.

It was during the era when cinemas were sprouting up like weeds, with regulatory oversight still in its infancy. Even some theater chains arranged their own film screenings for profit, let alone privately funded movie houses.

Zhang Yang remained silent.

The arrangement with Nazha had been made over dinner last night, just as his opportunity event refreshed at 8 PM sharp.

Since then, his mind had been consumed by this chance encounter, completely forgetting about treating her to a movie as promised.

One problem hadn’t even been resolved before another presented itself.

“Oh, so you have a date with a beauty tonight,” Lin Feng said with a knowing smile of someone who has experienced such things himself.

He understood the value of supporting others’ happiness.

Everyone on set could see that Nazha treated Zhang Yang differently—her demeanor suggested she might be falling deeply into character. The suspicion arose because it happened too quickly; they’d only filmed a brief scene together, covering minimal content.

“Well then, I’ll join Lao Wang and the guys for supper tonight instead of intruding on your romantic outing,” Lin Feng offered graciously, choosing to step back.

At the mention of “romantic outing,” two delicate blushes graced Nazha’s exquisite features. She lowered her head, gazing at her feet without uttering a word—a subtle admission of truth.

Zhang Yang remained speechless.

On one hand, he thought, I’ve managed to avoid one complication.

But now, refusing Nazha will be even more challenging than before.