Chapter 42: Shi Shi, Three Years Older Means a Treasure Trove (New Book, Please Follow)

"You are indeed right."

Zhang Li looked down past Liu Shishi's swan-like neck and noticed that the fourth button from the top of her collar was indeed buttoned incorrectly. The second button had been fastened into the first buttonhole, making her white shirt appear tighter and wrapping more snugly around her chest, accentuating her curves.

A blush immediately flew across Liu Shishi's fair cheeks.

This was not out of shyness, but rather sheer annoyance.

No wonder her chest had felt a bit tight; she had initially thought it was just lingering agitation from Zhang Li's teasing earlier, never expecting it was due to a misaligned button.

"Go fix it." Zhang Li blocked the path in front of Liu Shishi.

Mi Tang: ?

There's nobody else around, she could just button it up right here.
Even if not, the two of us are blocking for you, what kind of behavior is this?

"Who needs your kindness?" Liu Shishi moved quickly, casting a covert roll of her eyes at Zhang Li.

If his hands hadn't been so restless in the car, she wouldn't have made such a fool of herself just now.
Her deliberate ten-minute preparation to adjust her state of mind had all gone to waste.

"Alright, let's head into the set." Liu Shishi returned to Zhang Li's side with her expression restored to normal.

"We're shooting scenes in the Celestial Realm today," Tang Yan said to Zhang Li. "It's all opponent scenes between Lao Hu and other actors; you could actually just go back to the hotel first."

"I want to find my rhythm first. Ten days without acting, it would be too embarrassing to rack up a bunch of NGs later," Zhang Li explained his intention.

"That works too." Tang Yan's beautiful eyes lit up. "We have the most scenes together. Your upcoming work is mainly about the romance of our first and second lifetimes. How about I go over the script with you in a moment?"

The corners of Zhang Li's lips curved upward.

So eager—she really was trying to farm him.
He had spent his days thinking about farming female celebrities, only to find himself being farmed by them instead.

"Alright!" Zhang Li agreed with a nod.

"Alright, what alright?" Yang Mi wedged herself between the two of them, casting a sideways glance at Zhang Li. "Little brother, did you forget you have a scene with me tomorrow?"

"That's the scene where I, as a fan, have my heart broken, turning from a fan into a black fan who tramples on you as my idol. It's very important."

Tomorrow's scene was the one where Xuejian discovers the three-lifetime romance between Xu Changqing and Zixuan, leading her to believe that Xu Changqing was a "heartless scumbag"—a moment when her idol filter shatters.

"Your scene is in the afternoon," Tang Yan felt Yang Mi was just stirring up trouble. "You can just squeeze in some time to run lines tomorrow morning; what's there to fight over right now?"

"What do you mean fighting? I'm helping A-Li," Yang Mi argued logically. "He said he wants to find his state, so he should definitely pick scenes he can use tomorrow. Besides, I have a closer relationship with him, which will make it easier for me to get him into character."

"Right, Hero Changqing?"

As she spoke, Yang Mi looked at Zhang Li, attempting to get him to take her side.

"No!" Tang Yan found Yang Mi rather irritating and spoke up in rebuttal. "My character and A-Li's are a pair; Xu Changqing belongs to Zixuan. It's much more appropriate for me to help him, and it'll benefit our later filming."

The two women locked eyes, their gazes seeming to turn into tangible sparks.

Zhang Li was her "cheat code" for improving her acting skills; she absolutely could not let him be snatched away.

"Stop arguing, stop arguing," Zhang Li stepped in to smooth things over. "Doesn't tomorrow's scene involve Mi-jie as well? Today, the three of us will go over the script together, and tomorrow morning, Tangtang-jie and I can review it again."

When Tang Yan and Yang Mi realized this would still allow them to gain the ability boost, and neither wanted to appear too eccentric, they gracefully agreed.

After exchanging just a few words, the two of them reverted to their previous posture as arm-linked best friends.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think both of them were trying to pursue you." Liu Shishi swept a glance at Zhang Li.

This man truly possessed superior external traits—humorous, witty, and well-built. Even she, someone who originally intended to find a mature-type boyfriend, couldn't help but fall for him and pursue him. It was hard to guarantee other women wouldn't have designs on him.

Especially Tang Yan, who acted using the method-acting approach. Given how deeply tragic and poignant the three-lifetime romance between Tang Yan and Xu Changqing was, what if she, like herself, developed real feelings through acting...

Thinking of this, Liu Shishi decided she needed to keep a closer eye on him and not give Tang Yan any exploitable opportunity.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Before Zhang Li could speak, Tang Yan and Yang Mi turned to glare at Liu Shishi in unison.

"I only think of A-Li as a younger brother. With as many suitors as I, Yang Mi, have, how could I possibly chase after someone else?" Yang Mi denied it flatly.

She had long since noticed that Liu Yifei held unusual feelings for Zhang Li, which was why she had never entertained thoughts in that direction; she only wanted to farm abilities and talent, absolutely!
She was very ambitious now, aiming to use her strength to surpass the Four Dan Actresses and Two Binges, and become a global superstar!

"I don't have that idea either," Tang Yan chimed in immediately. "I'm seven years older than A-Li."

She definitely didn't have those kinds of thoughts; she purely wanted to farm abilities and talent, absolutely!

"What does being seven years older matter?" Hu Ge suddenly popped out from the side, saying with a mischievous grin, "A woman three years older is worth a brick of gold, so this is equivalent to more than two gold bricks."

"What are you spouting nonsense for, Lao Hu?" Tang Yan raised her fist and chased Hu Ge off in a flurry.

The rest of the crew members shook their heads with smiles at the sight.

The moment Zhang Li returned, he felt the atmosphere become much more relaxed.

"Just enough to embrace a solid block of gold." Zhang Li smiled with deep meaning at Liu Shishi.

"You won't get to embrace it." Liu Shishi gave a light scoff.

After the commotion subsided, the group settled down in the set's rest area to get down to business.

[You have engaged in a valid script-reading session with Zhang Li once; Role Immersion +1 / Line Delivery Skill +1]
[Tang Yan/Yang Mi with you... Role Immersion +2 / Line Delivery Skill +2]

Voices echoed in the minds of Tang Yan, Yang Mi, and Zhang Li.

Immediately afterward, Tang Yan and Yang Mi felt as though they could now communicate with an interface using their minds.

[Zixuan BUFF]: Activation allows complete immersion into Zixuan, providing a charisma bonus. Duration: one hour. Cooldown: twenty-four hours.
[Tang Xuejian BUFF]: Activation allows complete immersion into Tang Xuejian...

"A buff?"

Tang Yan and Yang Mi's eyes lit up as they finally understood the added benefit of this "Role Immersion +1."

Previously, every time they accumulated a certain number of "+1"s, they felt they could better understand the character and felt a stronger sense of identification during performances.

They had thought that was the full extent of the benefits, but they never expected it would also grant "buffs," allowing them to essentially become the characters themselves.

In the acting industry, the highest level of performance is when, after you play a role, people feel you aren't acting at all—that you are inherently supposed to be that person, and no one else could ever replace you, such as Zixia Fairy or Uncle Jiao's Erlang Shen.

[Xu Changqing BUFF]: Activation allows...

Zhang Li also noticed a new tag added to his personal interface.

"If I activate this, my performance should be able to briefly reach a consummate level, right?"

Zhang Li began to look forward to the official shooting tomorrow.

"Everyone, it's about time."

Hu Ge, dressed in his costume, walked over to the group. "Pigsy, White Tofu, little sister, sister-in-law, let's go eat dinner and welcome A-Li back."

The four of them didn't refuse, following Hu Ge to a nearby restaurant for a group meal, along with Yuan Hong and others who played Yun Ting and various roles.

"Hm?"

After a few drinks, the phone in Zhang Li's pocket suddenly vibrated.

He pulled it out for a glance and saw it was an unfamiliar number he didn't recognize.

There weren't as many scam calls, promotional calls, or bank calls back then, and not many people knew his number.

With that thought, Zhang Li answered the call. "Hello, this is Zhang Li."

As he spoke, he slowly stood up, preparing to step aside to take the call.

The very next moment, however, he froze completely. "Who is looking for me to shoot a movie?"

"Zhang Yimou?"