Chapter 2: Effective Expressions of Affection?

“Ali, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Liu Shishi and Tang Yan came over arm in arm, with the former speaking softly in a voice that felt refreshingly cool.

Yang Mi paused her movements and turned to appraise the two women she had noticed as soon as she joined the crew.

The one on the left wore a flowing blue wide-sleeved dress, exuding an aura of serene elegance.

The one on the right donned a light purple gauzy gown, radiating a cold, ethereal beauty.

“The one on the left is Liu Shishi, the one on the right is Tang Yan. I wonder if they’ll reject me,” Yang Mi thought to herself.

Before joining the cast of “The Immortal Three,” her agent had told her it was an ensemble piece with three female leads and three male leads, though the roles varied in prominence.

The top male lead, Jing Tian, was played by Hu Ge—the number one male lead—who also portrayed Long Yang in a past life and a general in the celestial realm.

The second male lead, Xu Changqing, played by Zhang Li, who was brought into the production with funding, also took on previous incarnations as Gu Liufang and Lin Yeping.

The third male lead, the Demon Lord Zhong Lou, was portrayed by Huang Zhiwei, backed by Taiwanese investors favored by Tangren’s CEO Cai Yinong.

Jing Tian’s official partner was Xue Jian, and Fei Peng’s official partner was Xi Yao; both roles were played by the same actress, the first female lead.

Xu Changqing’s official partner was Zi Xuan, a descendant of the goddess Nuwa whom Zhong Lou loved—she was the second female lead.

The third female lead was Long Kui, the sister of Jing Tian’s past incarnation Long Yang and the spirit of a thousand-year-old demon sword.

Originally, the first female lead roles of Xue Jian and Xi Yao were to be played by Tang Yan, and the second female lead Zi Xuan by Liu Shishi.

But now, the first female lead role was forcibly given to Yang Mi by Cai Yinong, which pushed Tang Yan and Liu Shishi’s parts down, leaving room for resentment.

“Ali, help me introduce them,” Yang Mi sent a glance to Zhang Li.

She had planned to observe their personalities before approaching, but unexpectedly, they came over themselves.

Since that was the case, it was better to have a familiar face make the introductions.

“Leave it to me,” Zhang Li replied, having just tidied his hair after breaking free from Yang Mi’s embrace, returning her a meaningful look.

He then smiled at Liu Shishi and Tang Yan. “Shishi, Sister Tang Tang, this is Yang Mi, the new female lead recruited by K.”

Yang Mi thought: What do you mean ‘leave it to me’? You’re trying to get me into trouble.

“Sister Mi, this is Tang Yan, originally the first female lead, but thanks to you, she’s now second.”

“This is Liu Shishi, originally the second female lead, but again, thanks to you, she’s now third.”

Zhang Li had known Tang Yan for half a month and, through his deliberate efforts, they had become friends.

Liu Shishi was an old acquaintance from last year’s filming of “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” where they had become close friends.

So he spoke without restraint.

Liu Shishi and Tang Yan exchanged glances: who introduces people like this, as if courting chaos!

It was the truth, but couldn’t he see how awkward it made them?

Yet they underestimated Zhang Li.

“Mi, why don’t you kowtow to them first?”

After the introduction, Zhang Li gave Yang Mi a suggestive look.

“My fist is the size of a sandbag, see it?” Yang Mi clenched her fist and held it out before Zhang Li. “Believe it or not, I’ll make you kowtow to me first.”

Hearing this, Zhang Li immediately hid behind Tang Yan and Liu Shishi. “Sister Tang Tang, Shishi, you see this? She’s not a good person—go beat her up to vent your anger.”

The three women all wore expressions of speechless disbelief.

How could this man be so childish?

“I’m Yang Mi,” she said, ignoring Zhang Li and extending her hand warmly.

Tang Yan and Liu Shishi exchanged a glance and smiled before taking her hand and introducing themselves in turn.

“Don’t listen to Ali’s nonsense,” Tang Yan broke the awkwardness proactively. “K told me that many gaming fans hoped you’d join the cast. You even auditioned before but gave up because you had to shoot ‘Dream of the Red Chamber.’”

“I spent seven days on set trying to find the right feeling for Xue Jian but couldn’t, and playing Zi Xuan fits me well. I’m quite satisfied now.”

“Me too. Long Kui’s makeup suits me better,” Liu Shishi nodded.

Yang Mi was noncommittal to their words.

Though Tang Yan’s expression was cold and unreadable, Liu Shishi’s eyes clearly held a trace of hostility.

Despite their smiles, it was hard to say if they were anything more than polite on the surface.

Still, since they tolerated Zhang Li’s jokes, their personalities couldn’t be too bad.

With that thought, Yang Mi pulled the two women down to sit, showering them with compliments that cost nothing. “Tang Tang, that dress really shows off your figure. Were you a model before? Your figure is amazing.”

“Shishi, is that a wide-sleeved dress? It looks stunning on you and suits your temperament perfectly—so ethereal. When I wear such clothes, I can’t pull off that feeling. Do you dance? Your posture…”

Yang Mi was a genuine Beijing girl—outgoing, sweet-talking, and with eyes that sparkled with charm.

She was skilled at saying what others liked to hear.

Tang Yan and Liu Shishi couldn’t help but smile.

After chatting a while, the three seemed like lifelong friends.

However, their conversation was cut short when the director Li Guoli, who had been discussing scenes with Hu Ge, learned of Yang Mi’s arrival and immediately sent for a makeup artist.

Once Yang Mi left, Liu Shishi gave Zhang Li a meaningful glance while he munched on watermelon. “Ali, are you close with Yang Mi?”

“Yeah.” Zhang Li spat seeds onto a napkin and nodded. “We met during ‘The Condor Heroes’ filming. He played Guo Xiang; I played young Yang Guo. To put it simply, I’m the one she loved but couldn’t have.”

Tang Yan burst out laughing at his lowbrow joke. “You really have no shame. If Yang Mi hears that, she’ll ask if you want to get punched.”

Liu Shishi smiled faintly, lowering her eyes. “So you played my son, huh.”

Zhang Li met her gaze, amusement in his eyes. “It’s normal for the son to resemble the father, right, Nian Ci?”

At the end of last year, he played Yang Kang, the second male lead, in Tangren’s production of “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” his first major role.

Outsiders often get scammed entering the entertainment industry, but having been around Liu Yifei for years with a mature mindset, he was already familiar with most of the traps and rules.

Though his ability to foresee the future only worked on female stars, some male stars were inevitably involved in the information related to female stars.

When Liu Yifei filmed “The First Immortal,” he had a cameo and became friends with Hu Ge.

He even visited Hu Ge on the set of “Fairy from Beyond the Heavens,” ostensibly to meet female stars.

When interacting with Lin Yicheng, he already knew about “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” and the accident Hu Ge would have, which caused the production to halt for a year before resuming.

Though unaware of many details, he couldn’t prevent the accident but managed to lessen Hu Ge’s facial and physical injuries and saved the life of Hu Ge’s assistant.

The production still paused, but this time, he “leveraged his favor,” and with Tangren’s financial difficulties, he secured funding to join as the second male lead, Yang Kang.

That series was about to air on local television.

“Nian Ci?”

Tang Yan rubbed her arm, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

Liu Shishi, shy about her first kiss, blushed faintly.

At that moment, a voice suddenly whispered in her ear:

[You and Zhang Li have exchanged effective sweet words; language affection +1.]

Liu Shishi: ???

At the same time, Zhang Li was stunned.

Had he imagined it?