Chapter 56: Liu Tianxian: What's There to Praise?

“Brother Yang!”

Nazha’s refined, fair face turned bright red, her eyes wide as she stared at Zhang Yang.

After over a month of living together and occasionally ’ mooching off him ’, she had become close friends with the naturally sociable Liu Yifei. So hearing Zhang Yang’s declaration that he was leaving, it was inevitable that she felt somewhat heartbroken.

Yet Zhang Yang accused her of being unable to resist food and even exposed her weight gain—like sticking his hand in a tiger’s mouth!

“You shouldn’t rub someone’s shortcoming like that,” Liu Yifei lightly smacked Zhang Yang, showing her solidarity with her friend.

To be honest, she’d been eating more lately too, and there seemed to be a little extra fat on her belly.

Why can’t these damned fat cells find their way to where they’re supposed to be?

“I apologize,” Zhang Yang lowered his head in repentance.

The two women were immediately taken aback.

This lightning-speed apology wasn’t from the Zhang Yang they knew.

Then came the familiar rhythm he’d been missing: “In accordance with Miss K’s instructions, I should guide Nazha—yet she has lost control over her diet, gaining several pounds. I am truly sinful, unforgiven, deserving of severe punishment, sin…”

“Stop!” Nazha clenched his fists. “I’ve only gained three pounds. Is that really something to make fun of?”

“I’m talking about myself.” Zhang Yang lifted his head slightly, tears welling in his eyes.

Seeing this, Liu Yifei couldn’t help but remark sarcastically, “We know you’re a great actor, no need to show off so much.”

Zhang Yang had been receiving high praise from Chen Jia Shang and others for his acting skills during this period, considering him to have the potential of a movie star.

Liu Yifei, who had always sought recognition for her acting abilities, was naturally quite envious.

“You were the one with issues in the first place,” Nazha retorted, shifting the blame. “Every meal, you always eat the most. Even me and Yifei-jiejie combined don’t match up to you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang swiftly changed his expression and said with a straight face, “I’m here because I’m famished, while you’re just tagging along for free food. How can you compare?”

He was indeed a smooth talker, constantly coaxing Liu Xiaoli into personally cooking extra meals, truly “famished” as he claimed.

Liu Yifei was left dumbfounded.

What is so praiseworthy about that?

“Besides,” Zhang Yang crossed his arms and looked at Nazha’s small belly, “I have to practice boxing every day, acting as decoys for two people, and I still have my own scenes from time to time. I can eat as much as I want without worrying about gaining weight.”

Nazha’s determination crumbled, and he instinctively clutched his belly. “I’ll be good and start a diet from now on. Without Aunt Liu’s cooking, I won’t overindulge either.”

Liu Xiaoli had been watching this scene with a smile. She was quite pleased that Liu Yifei had befriended some peers around her age, of course, provided they had decent character.

Nazha’s charming innocence and naivety were entirely trustworthy. Zhang Yang, on the other hand, possessed enough intelligence to understand and maintain boundaries, coupled with a pleasant personality.

“We don’t know when we’ll meet again. A-Yang dear, I brought you a little gift for your next performance.”

Liu Xiaoli instructed her assistant to fetch a bag for Zhang Yang’s personal assistant, Xiaotao. Inside were sausages made by hand during this period.

“If you feel like having a snack, cut a little piece and steam it to eat.”

Moved, Zhang Yang looked at Nazha. “Someone seems to have remembered their earlier words.”

The self-conscious Nazha could only reply with a sheepish silence.

“Aunt Liu, this is a small gift for you and Xiaoxiao from me.” Zhang Yang had Xiaotao present a box.

Upon opening it, Liu Xiaoli discovered it contained prepared medicinal patches.

“This herbal ointment is based on a secret formula passed down by my guru,” Zhang Yang explained knowingly. “It’s incredibly effective for treating bruises and healing damaged bones and muscles. I’ve used it since I was little when I got injured practicing martial arts—the good ingredients can be really hard to find, so I only managed to make some recently.”

“I remember when Nineja was filming Heroes of Mount Shu, she hurt her neck. This ointment would’ve been great for her—it’s even better if you use it long-term.”

“I’ve given some to Bo-Chao and the others too, but this is the largest batch here. Make sure you keep it safe.”

Warmth filled Liu Xiaoli and Liu Yifei’s hearts. Despite his sometimes mischievous nature, Zhang Yang always paid attention to details, and those little touches always seemed to make a big impact.

“Xiao-Yang, why haven’t we seen your mother in a while?” Liu Xiaoli asked, having let the question she’d been holding back for a long time escape as she had Xiao Qin put away the ointment.

Back in the Sword and Fairy filming days, Zhang Yang’s mother had also been around the set, taking care of everyone. Liu Xiaoli had met her then, and the two had become quite close.

Over these past more than four weeks, she’d only heard Zhang Yang make the occasional phone call to his mother—she hadn’t seen her at all.

Zhang Yang hesitated briefly before answering honestly, “Aunt Liu, after my parents divorced and remarried separately, it’s just not practical for them to come visit me.”

This answer came as a surprise to both Liu Yifei and her mother, adding a new layer of complexity to their perception of Zhang Yang.

Liu Yifei found herself seeing more of herself in Zhang Yang, while Liu Xiaoli’s eyes flashed with a tender, protective emotion.

Growing up in a single-parent household was never easy, especially when both parents had remarried after their divorce.

“Aunt Liu, I’m doing well. My parents…” Zhang Yang briefly outlined his situation before ending with a carefree smile, “I was really lost for a while, but I’ve come to terms with it now. Their personalities just weren’t compatible. If it wasn’t for me, they would have split up long ago.”

“They gave me life, provided for my needs, and I can’t be selfish and expect them to always put me first.”

”…”

Having experienced rebirth once, Zhang Yang had indeed become very philosophical. So much so that he was now a staunch advocate against marriage.

Living in a lush forest, isn’t it better to enjoy the pleasures of a small pond?

“You’re a dear child,” Liu Xiaoli said, her heart aching as she gazed at Zhang Yang. “If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to call me or Xiaoxiao. As long as it’s not too troubling, I’ll do my best to help.”

“Thank you, Auntie,” Zhang Yang readily agreed.

After lunch, Zhang Yang made his way around to bid farewell to the Chen family, Gu Xianzhao, Deng Zhao, Zheng Zhongji, Zou Zhaolong, and others. He took the opportunity to exchange contact information with each of them.

“A-Yang, let’s collaborate again if there’s a chance.”

“Yangzai, if there’s suitable action work here, I’ll be sure to reach out to you.”

“Yangzai, when you’re in Xiangjiang, come find your bro. I’ll take you to the hottest bars around.”

The conversations continued in this manner.

Zhang Yang would have been disappointed had he left empty-handed. With everyone voluntarily giving him their personal phone numbers and having their assistants or managers exchange contact details with Mo Xiangwan, his efforts over the last few days had clearly paid off.

From now on, as long as he could maintain his rising star status, these connections would remain open and valid indefinitely.

With all the loose ends tied up, Zhang Yang and his small team headed towards Hengdian film set by car, arriving at the Slaying the Demons of the Western Journey production.

“Yangzai, your first scene shoots tomorrow morning,” a production coordinator informed Zhang Yang and Mo Xiangwan, as he shared the schedule.

Today was already May 3rd, and Zhang Yang had arrived a day late.

Zhou Xingchi didn’t say anything, but if Zhang Yang didn’t put in a good performance tomorrow, he would definitely be chewed out.

“Bro, I asked Xing Ye to expand on the character background when he had time. Do you think he’ll have time to write it?”

Zhang Yang gave Xiaotao a signal with his eyes, prompting her to hand over a pack of cigarettes.

“It’s done. I brought it for you.” The gaffer pulled out several sheets of paper and handed them over, his face beaming with a radiant smile, grateful that he had taken on this message-delivery task.

The entire crew knew that Zhang Yang was a person who could get things done. Although he wasn’t physically present on set, he frequently called Zhou Xingchi.

Given Zhou Xingchi’s personality, anyone else who bothered him so often would quickly be ignored.

But Zhang Yang was different. Not only did Zhou Xingchi not ignore him, but he even began calling Zhang Yang back himself.

A few days ago, Zhou Xingchi had even added “screenwriter” to Zhang Yang’s title in the credits.

Everyone was curious: How had Zhang Yang managed to pull this off?