Chapter 45: Clever Honey: Never Missing a Chance to Grab Freebies

"Alright, Sister Jane, I'll go online and check it out tomorrow." Zhang Li twitched the corner of his mouth.

He couldn't quite tell whether Jane Zhang's phone call was a slap in the face or an obvious flex.

Judging by the looks Hu Ge and the others were giving him, he might as well assume it was a flex.

"Ah-Li, there's one more thing," Jane Zhang's voice came through the receiver again. "That song 'Partiality' you sang the day before yesterday, I listened to it today."

"I never expected you to have another one like this. You sang it very well."

"But this song, I feel it's much better suited for a female singer."

"If you're considering finding someone, you simply must choose me."

"Otherwise... I'm going to go cry to Yifei about you."

Oh my~ Go cry to Liu Yifei?

Everyone looked at Zhang Li with teasing gazes.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Yang Mi deliberately made a sound.

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Zhang Li responded with a smile, "You know me well enough, Sister Jane. Any song that suits your voice, I'll definitely give you priority."

"What about 'Partiality' then?" Jane Zhang tried to negotiate.

It was a song that could make anyone blow up in popularity just by singing it at the Beijing Film Academy welcome party, and she desperately wanted the performance rights.

As for the copyright, she never even thought about it. When Zhang Li wrote "Unrivaled" and brought it to her to sing, he made his stance clear: the copyright of the songs would never be sold.

Although Liu Yifei was her dearest friend, on matters like this she would stand by Zhang Li one hundred percent. Of course, Jane Zhang wasn't that greedy either; she exchanged sincerity for sincerity.

Didn't the crew of *Painted Skin* put out a casting call for songs across the internet not long ago? Zhang Li wrote "Painted Heart" and came to her first to sing it.

Director Gordon Chan, upon hearing the song, immediately hammered it down as the theme song.

The extent of Zhang Li's songwriting talent was evident for all to see!

"I have my own plans for 'Partiality,'" Zhang Li replied without hesitation. "My inspiration for writing this song came from the television drama I'm currently filming."

"The character I play, Xu Changqing, and his other half, the Nuwa descendant Zixuan, share a love that can almost be described as obsessive."

"Having either myself or the actress who plays Zixuan sing it, used as an interlude in the drama, will give it a much stronger sense of immersion."

Hearing this, Tang Yan, who was quietly eating breakfast nearby, almost choked on her steamed bun.

Zhang Li actually planned to ask her to sing this song too!?

"Is that so? Then I won't set my heart on it," Jane Zhang replied generously. "I just suddenly thought of the 'Painted Heart' music video, so I called to give you a heads-up."

"If 'Obsessive Love' can be mine to sing, that's best. If not, I'll just wait for you to write me a new song."

Zhang Li's mouth twitched. "It's called 'Partiality'."

"Obsessive love—calling it obsessive isn't wrong either," Jane Zhang awkwardly prevaricated. "Well, that's that then. I have a commercial performance to attend, so I won't chat with you anymore."

"Alright, let's chat again when we have the chance, Sister Jane," Zhang Li replied.

As soon as Jane Zhang hung up, he snatched his phone back from Yang Mi.

"Confess honestly," Yang Mi said, placing a fork right next to Zhang Li's neck. "What else are you hiding from us?"

Zhang Li shot her a side-glance. "Do I owe you an explanation?"

"Such audacity." Yang Mi put down the fork and reached out with both hands to pinch Zhang Li's neck.

"I'm dying, I'm dying," Zhang Li ducked toward Liu Shishi. "Shishi, save me."

"Mi-Mi," Liu Shishi said with a smile in her eyes, gently patting the back of Yang Mi's hand. "That's about enough. Stop picking on him all the time."

"Hmph—" Yang Mi let out a heavy nasal sound, her gaze sweeping between Zhang Li and Liu Shishi. "Shishi, you favor sex over your friends."

Liu Shishi's delicate face turned slightly red, and she instinctively prepared to retort, but Zhang Li was faster than her. "Well, obviously. Would you prefer I favor friends over sex?"

"Friends come and go if you lose them, but male beauty—there's only one of me."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Liu Shishi reached out to cover Zhang Li's mouth.

Seeing this, a mischievous glint flashed in Yang Mi's bright eyes, and she seized the opportunity to launch a round of "furious beatings" on Zhang Li.

If one observed closely, they would notice she was striking places like Zhang Li's abdominal muscles and pectoral muscles.

[You successfully took advantage of Zhang Li through clever maneuvers: Mermaid Line +1 / Adaptability +1]

Yang Mi's eyes lit up:?!

There was such a good thing?!

She applied herself even more vigorously to taking advantage of him.

[You were subjected to Yang Mi... Abdominal V-line +1 / Adaptability +1]

Zhang Li: "..."

Good grief, Da Mi-Mi, you really don't miss any opportunity to fleece me.

Breakfast ended amidst the bickering, and everyone headed over to the set together.

In the van, Yang Mi diligently reviewed her script while listening to "Painted Heart," which she had strongly insisted Zhang Li play.

As the owner of the copyright, Zhang Li had various versions of the audio sources on hand.

"It really sounds good. No wonder Director Gordon Chan could pick it out at a glance," Liu Shishi praised aloud, with Tang Yan nodding alongside her.

"Why does it sound a bit familiar to me?" Yang Mi closed her script.

Her singing skills were quite ordinary, and she wasn't particularly sensitive to lyrics and melodies.

If it sounded familiar to her, that melody must be classic enough, or she must have heard it many times.

Could Zhang Li have plagiarized someone else's tune?

No, Zhang Li wasn't that kind of person.

"That's normal," Zhang Li said with an unruffled expression. "I came up with the climax of this melody back when I was on the *Return of the Condor Heroes* crew. Both you and Sister Yifei heard it."

Through Liu Yifei, he had foreseen the *Return of the Condor Heroes* theme song, "Unrivaled," and had preemptively written it himself for Jane Zhang to sing.

Consequently, Liu Yifei got to know Jane Zhang and quickly became good friends, which also led to him getting to know Jane Zhang.

It was around that time, through Jane Zhang's future, that he learned many songs.

Including the melody of the original "Painted Heart" tune.

He had released the pure instrumental version as early as the beginning of 2005.

"Oh, it's that melody. No wonder," Yang Mi slapped her thigh. "I thought the pure piano instrumental version sounded great back then, but I never expected it to sound even better now that you've added lyrics and arrangement for Jane Zhang to sing."

"You're quite talented, Ah-Li."

"So-so, just a bit more inspiration than the average person," Zhang Li held up two fingers to measure.

Which earned him a unified look of disdain from all three women.

The car drove to the set, and everyone successively went to makeup and began the day's filming.

Zhang Li had no scenes in the morning, but in the afternoon he filmed scenes related to Tang Yan and Yang Mi.

"Cut."

"Passed!"

"Ah-Li acted very well."

"Tangtang, Mimi, both of you have improved."

Director Li Guoli's voice, filled with satisfaction and a hint of surprise, echoed through the megaphone.

He had figured that since Zhang Li had been away from the crew for ten days, he would inevitably need some time to readjust upon his return.

Yet the reality was that Zhang Li performed exceptionally well, his coordination with Tang Yan and Yang Mi was not rusty in the least, and all three of them had even improved.

It was simply delightful!

And what Li Guoli didn't expect was that an even bigger surprise was yet to come.

For the next ten days, the acting of Zhang Li, Yang Mi, Tang Yan, and Liu Shishi was not just standard; they performed as if they were truly inhabiting their roles, with their aura, acting, and lines all maxed out as if divinely aided!

Even Hu Ge and the others were driven to give it their all, contributing stellar performances.

At this pace, the drama could wrap up in another half a month.

It was also at this time that Li Guoli, upon Hu Ge's suggestion, finished listening to "Partiality."

"Ah-Li, this song 'Partiality' is great. The production team wants to buy it as an interlude."

"Could you trouble yourself to try writing a few more?"

Li Guoli sought out Zhang Li, who was snacking in the rest area.

"Oh, that's a minor issue."

"I wrote the songs a long time ago, I just forgot to mention it to Director Li."

Zhang Li had his assistant, Xiao Yu, retrieve his laptop from her bag and open it.

"There are five songs here, all demo recordings I made myself."

"Director, you can listen and pick."

Hu Ge and the others on the spot:?

Yang Mi looked disgusted: "If I ever trust this mouth of yours again, I'm a complete idiot."