Chapter 64: Nazha: You Understand Me Better Than I Do?

“Are you being polite?”

“Is my acting that poor?”

“Do you think I need you to teach me after graduating from the prestigious Central Academy of Drama!?”

“Do you really think playing a naive, sweet girl doesn’t require acting skills?”

”…”

Tang Yan was incensed by Zhang Yang’s comments, firing back with a barrage of questions.

Don’t assume we don’t see those online reviews she thought. Ever since my promotion to a top-tier celebrity, many have labeled me as the epitome of a naive, saccharine persona.

Zhang Yang pretended not to hear the first three retorts, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Hey, Sugar Sister, when you play that naive, sweet girl, aren’t you simply being yourself?”

”…” Tang Yan hung up the phone in a fit of anger.

“Just wait, once you’re part of the team, I won’t make things easy for you.”

She clenched the pillow tightly, imagining it to be Zhang Yang’s face, yet her gaze remained fixed on her cell phone.

Before long, her phone suddenly lit up and vibrated.

“Hmph, even if you apologize now, I won’t forgive or let you off the hook.” A smile crept across Tang Yan’s face as she reached for her phone.

However, upon seeing the caller ID, her smile froze. With a hint of confusion, she pressed the answer button. “What’s the matter?”

Tang Yan’s voice, usually so sweet, could not mask the cold detachment in her words this time.

On the other end, Qiu Ze was speechless.

That icy tone chipped away at his pride; he considered simply hanging up right then and there as a way to end things.

But remembering what his manager had told him about the benefits of linking himself with Tang Yan through gossip, he suppressed his emotions and asked, “Tangtang, want to go see a movie together?”

“Not interested. Our relationship isn’t close enough for that yet,” Tang Yan replied firmly.

Qiu Ze clenched his fists. “Didn’t your manager mention anything about generating gossip?”

“He did,” Tang Yan said, her elegant eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Her manager had indeed brought up the rumour of a love affair between her and Feng Shaofeng from the TV series Heir Apparent. This gossip had greatly benefited Yang Mi and Feng Shaofeng by increasing their exposure. The pairing between Qiu Ze and himself in Rich Girls and Young Masters was also popular among fans. With Love Awakening set to air in September, stirring up gossip could bring her much-needed attention at this early stage in her career as a top-tier actress.

As long as it wasn’t officially announced and cleared up after the show aired, her fans would likely accept it, believing it was all for publicity.

“I didn’t agree to it,” Tang Yan confessed openly. “Qiu Ze, I’m already nearly thirty. My family’s pushing me to find a boyfriend, ideally with marriage in mind. Gossip at this point could affect things, so I’d rather not.”

“Is that all you wanted to discuss?”

Qiu Ze fell silent…

He wanted to say that he was open to more than just pretend dates. But his pride, all that he had left, prevented him from voicing his true feelings.

“Let’s leave it at that then,” Qiu Ze said as he hung up the phone.

Tang Yan pursed her lips nonchalantly, glancing at her cell phone with evident displeasure. Moments later, she grabbed her pillow and started punching it: “How dare you not call me to beg for mercy! Just you wait!”

On the other side, Zhang Yang was incessantly scrolling through Weibo on his phone. Finally, he came across the content he had been anticipating:

“It seems she’s still ready to face it head-on,” Zhang Yang remarked as he put away his phone and started contemplating, chin resting on his finger.

In the original storyline, even without his interference, Yang Mi would have chosen to confront the issue directly. Her fans would have collectively denounced Ke Han City, forcing them to swiftly delete their post, admit defeat, and issue a subtle apology.

At first glance, Yang Mi would appear to have won the public relations battle. However, this victory would sow the seeds for many future complications. Moreover, Feng Shaofeng, another protagonist, would find his role in the drama drastically altered, leading to his premature exit. Shockingly, in the end, the female lead would unexpectedly end up with the male supporting character, leaving audiences bewildered by the abrupt conclusion.

“Now that I’ve provided that video, I wonder how things will change this time,” Zhang Yang mused with anticipation.

Two hours later, Zhang Yang returned to the hotel in Hengdian where he was staying with Nazha. He brought some food to share as he went to find her.

Nazha had just finished bathing and was standing by the sink applying skincare. Her damp hair draped down her shoulders, and she wore a nightgown that exposed her fair, jade-like legs to the open air, giving her an indescribably refreshing and ethereal appearance.

On the sofa in her room sat Xiaotao, Zhang Yang’s personal assistant. The two were discussing plans to watch horror films later and had even purchased quite a assortment of snacks.

Ding-dong.

Hearing the doorbell, Nazha walked out from the bathroom to the entrance. She saw Zhang Yang through the peephole and immediately unlocked the door. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”

“I did plan to return tomorrow, but didn’t I promise to bring you some good food?” Zhang Yang said, holding up the takeout bags as he stood in the doorway.

“Want to come in and sit down for a bit?” Nazha invited, her ears tinged with a hint of pink.

Zhang Yang was about to accept when he caught sight of Xiaotao sitting on the sofa through the narrow gap in the door. He quickly changed his tone: “Is this really a good time?”

“Shouldn’t you know better than I do if it’s a good time or not?” Nazha blurted out.

Zhang Yang was left speechless.

This woman is seriously clueless cute.

“I brought plenty of food. You can share it with Xiaotao; no need for one of you to eat everything and gain weight,” Zhang Yang said, taking the initiative to close the door.

Xiaotao?

Realizing there was an outsider present in her room, Nazha muttered to herself:

Seriously, why couldn’t he have texted me first before coming over? I wouldn’t have needed to call anyone.

However, as a girl, she had already gone beyond her comfort zone by inviting Zhang Yang casually just now.

There was no way she could dismiss Xiaotao and then ask Zhang Yang instead.

“When filming on Sword of Xuanyuan begins, it’ll be time to showcase my acting,” Zhang Yang said with a confident smile, his eyes gleaming with determination.

The next day…

Zhang Yang’s first action upon opening his eyes was to log into Weibo.

Top trending search: [Ke Hancheng truly is a director]

This was an intriguing hashtag.

With a tap, Zhang Yang read the pinned tweet:

As he scrolled down, Zhang Yang noticed many promotional accounts posting news articles that either indirectly hinted at or outright criticized Ke Hancheng, often with added emphasis. These posts were accompanied by a video clip featuring Yang Mi’s scene.

Public opinion was overwhelmingly one-sided.

Zhang Yang glanced at Weibo again, searching for updates from Feng Shaofeng.

The microblog post from yesterday had been deleted, but there was a new entry that morning:

So, he did admit his mistake.

Zhang Yang wasn’t surprised by the internet’s response, but he became more curious about whether Feng Shaofeng might still end the shoot early.

He closed Weibo, opened his text messages, and checked the bank transfer notification.

“One, ten, a hundred, a thousand… whistle.”

“Truly generous, just as expected from Big Mimi.”