Chapter 53: Liu Yifei Accelerates with a Single Sentence

"Don't you understand what I mean?" Yuan Shanshan asked with an ugly expression.

"Should I understand?" Yang Mi replied indifferently, her eyes cold. "We aren't that close."

"You..." Yuan Shanshan almost bit her tongue.

Was Yang Mi trying to draw a clear line between them?

This simply wouldn't do. Out of everyone she knew, Yang Mi was currently the most popular.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Shanshan controlled her tone and said, "Mimi, my emotions might have been out of check, but I wasn't taking it out on you. You should know what Zhang Li did to me."

Pfft.

Yang Mi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

How could anyone be so utterly shameless?

"I don't know what Zhang Li did to you," Yang Mi waved her hand dismissively. "I do know what you did to him, though."

"Yuan Shanshan, you should understand even if I don't spell it out. Who doesn't see right through you?"

"Why on earth did you go provoke junior Zhang Li? You..."

"Everything you're facing now is entirely your own doing!"

After giving Yuan Shanshan a thorough piece of her mind, Yang Mi suddenly felt a sense of utter boredom.

She still had scenes to shoot with the crew of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, and she hadn't originally planned to return to campus at all, intending instead to head straight to the China Film Digital Production Base in Beijing's Huairou District.

She had only come back to the dormitory because she couldn't bear to be apart from Zhang Li and wanted to see him and share meals with him every day.

Yet, facing Yuan Shanshan made her somewhat regret that decision.

"Goodbye, and never see you again."

Leaving those words behind, Yang Mi didn't even want to step foot into the dorm room. She dragged her suitcase and turned around immediately.

She hadn't left many belongings in the dorm anyway, and with her close friend Zhang Xiaofeion guard, she didn't have to worry about Yuan Shanshan pulling any tricks.

[For standing up for justice and speaking out against injustice on behalf of Zhang Li, righteous aura +1 / verbal talent +1]

The sudden voice chimed in, making Yang Mi's eyes flash.

"Thank you," Yang Mi turned back, offering a meaningful smile.

Yuan Shanshan, who had been about to say something else, was startled, feeling a sudden chill in her heart.

Meanwhile, Zhang Li, who had also just arrived back at his dorm, wore an expression of surprise.

He hadn't expected Yang Mi to send him a reward boost the moment she returned to the dorm.

Aura bonuses were wonderful; once accumulated to a certain threshold, they could transform into a buff that could be toggled on and off at will.

Verbal talent was even better, useful for mastering multiple languages, improving vocal performance, standardizing Mandarin, and more.

"I wonder who made Sister Mi start lashing out the moment she got back to the dorm."

Zhang Li pondered for a brief moment, and an image of thick, sausage-like lips instantly surfaced in his mind.

Since Yang Mi had to stand up for him to get the reward, the culprit had to be none other than Yuan Shanshan.

"Truly brainless," Zhang Li shook his head lightly and walked over to the window.

Before long, he spotted Yang Mi dragging her suitcase outside the gates of the women's dormitory.

"That's just Sister Mi's personality."

Zhang Li took out his phone and found Yang Mi's number.

"Huh?" Yang Mi was holding her phone when she saw the caller ID pop up, her expression turning one of surprise.

Could this be the telepathic connection at work?

"A-Li." Yang Mi answered the call, a smile blooming on her face—the kind that would make Yuan Shanshan want to throw a punch if she saw it. "I was just about to call you."

"Then we really do share a telepathic bond, sister." Zhang Li's voice carried a smile.

Yang Mi's smile stiffened slightly, but she quickly recovered her composure. "Who's to say we don't? Is there something you need?"

"I saw that it's still early, so I wanted to ask you out for tea or coffee nearby," Zhang Li replied.

"Alright," Yang Mi said, standing straight with one hand on her hip. "I just got a call from my manager telling me to head back to the *Dream of the Red Chamber* crew, and I was just about to tell you we couldn't have dinner together tonight. But we can definitely grab afternoon tea. You better not accuse me of standing you up."

"I won't. There will be plenty of chances in the future." Zhang Li hung up and turned around.

He went downstairs to meet Yang Mi, and under her guidance, they arrived at a nearby tea house known for its excellent privacy.

The two sat together, drinking tea and chatting, time flying by amidst laughter and smiles.

[For spending a valid duration of time accompanying Zhang Li for tea, tea art +1 / classical aura +1] (Same for Zhang Li)

As the voice echoed in their minds, they realized it was getting late. After grabbing some light snacks nearby, they finally parted ways.

This afternoon "date" left Yang Mi in such high spirits that she decided against going home and instead called her manager directly, requesting to return to the *Dream of the Red Chamber* set immediately.

Elsewhere, Zhang Li went to the academic affairs office to cancel his leave of absence, returning to his class for evening self-study while treating everyone to pearl milk tea.

"Thanks a lot, Brother Li."

"Brother Li, you're still just as handsome after all these days."

"Brother Li, your performance on orientation night really saved face for our acting department and our class."

"..."

Despite not seeing each other for nearly a month, everyone remained warmly enthusiastic toward Zhang Li.

On one hand, he was exceptionally talented; on the other, he had a great sense of humor, having already built solid friendships with everyone during the ten days of military training.

"From now on, I'll be studying alongside everyone else."

Zhang Li sat down next to Dou Xiao with a smile, with Cai Wenjing seated across the aisle.

"Just make sure you don't fall behind our progress," Cai Wenjing teased.

"Don't worry, my top-tier status won't be outdone by a sly fox like you," Zhang Li said calmly.

Cai Wenjing: ?

"You little punk, two days younger than me!"

Zhang Li: !

Bring it on, let's exchange some friendly fire.

Outbursts of laughter instantly erupted among the students in the classroom.

Following that, Zhang Li spent three fulfilling days at school.

He attended classes during the day, studied diligently, read the original novels of *The Message* and *The Hawthorn Tree Chronicles*, and chatted with Liu Shishi and the other girls whenever he had free time.

Reading the novel *The Message* was about striving for perfection; though he could repeatedly watch the film version through his future memories and was intimately familiar with the character, he had already decided to audition for the role of Bai Xiaonian, competing against Alec Su, and had even started studying Kunqu opera for it.

Yang Mi was truly a wonderful elder sister. Upon learning about this, she had Li Qin—who played young-version Xue Baochai in the *Dream of the Red Chamber* crew—tutoring him.

Li Qin was also born in 1990, hailing from Kunshan in Jiangsu Province, the birthplace of Kunqu opera, and had been admitted to the Kunqu major at the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2004.

"Let's call it a day for the lessons. Thank you, Qinqin."

"Whenever I have time, I'll drop by the *Dream of the Red Chamber* set to visit you and Sister Mi."

Sitting in front of his computer, Zhang Li expressed his gratitude to Li Qin.

"You're too polite," Li Qin said with a bright laugh, cupping her fists in a salute.

"Bye-bye~" Zhang Li ended the video call.

Today was Friday, and he had to go home for the weekend; otherwise, someone would surely get upset.

"Sister Xixi~"

At the school gates, Zhang Li climbed into a car. "I never expected you to grace me with your personal presence for a pickup."

"Heh~" Liu Yifei took off her sunglasses and shot Zhang Li a sideways glance. "If I didn't come pick you up, Mother would scold me again."

"My mom is naturally good to me," Zhang Li said with a smug smile.

Liu Yifei felt an itch of irritation.

Zhang Li called Liu Xiaoli every single day, but he didn't necessarily do the same for her.

Sometimes, she genuinely suspected that she was the one who had been adopted!

"Vroom!"

Without any warning, Liu Yifei slammed on the accelerator.

Zhang Li: !

"Your driving skills leave something to be desired. Should I drive instead?" Zhang Li asked.

"Heh~" Liu Yifei let out a soft scoff. "Since you put it that way, I'm definitely driving."

Deliberately, Liu Yifei took a detour on the way back.

[For spending a valid duration of time driving and taking Zhang Li for a spin, driving skill +1]

Liu Yifei: (...)

I really didn't mean to farm experience points.

"Are you taking me out for driving practice?" Zhang Li asked with a playful look in his eyes.

Liu Yifei slammed on the brakes, brought the car to a stop, and unbuckled her seatbelt. "You drive!"

Seeing this, Zhang Li didn't refuse.

Moving over to the driver's seat, he began adjusting the seat. "My legs are longer than yours."

Liu Yifei glanced at him. "It doesn't matter if our leg lengths are different; in the end, they still have to match up."

Zhang Li: "Huh?"

[For a single remark that fast-tracked Zhang Li onto the express lane, driving skill +1 / emotional intelligence +1]

Liu Yifei: ?