Chapter 18: This Time, the Stolen Kiss Was Not on the Face but... (Please Continue Reading)

“Hahaha.”
“My stomach hurts.”
“Earth Spirit Pearl?”

Several of the lead actors bent over, clutching their stomachs as they laughed.

In truth, none of them really understood what was so funny about the “Earth Spirit Pearl.”

Zhang Li’s lines were flawless—his tone and pronunciation impeccable, his performance spot on.

Yet there was a strange charm to it all that made them want to laugh uncontrollably.

“My fault, my fault.”

After laughing for a while, Hu Ge wiped tears from the corners of his eyes and took the blame upon himself.

“It was your fault from the start,” Yang Mi immediately chimed in. “I wasn’t that amused at first, but seeing you laugh made it inexplicably funny.”

“Yeah, I only laughed because you two were laughing,” Zhang Li added smoothly, distancing himself.

“Same here,” Liu Shishi whispered in agreement.

Zhang Li turned to look at her. “You were the loudest one laughing later on, Long Kui!”

“Mind your own business,” Liu Shishi shot him a glare.

“Not a chance,” Zhang Li quickly shook his head.

“Such a coward,” Yang Mi teased.

“How can a man be called a coward?” Zhang Li retorted seriously. “I’m just being sincere.”

“Sincere or not, it’s still cowardice,” Li Zichong quipped from the side.

Zhang Li wore an expression that said he had no words to explain.

“Hahaha~” Liu Shishi laughed heartily.

Her laughter was infectious, causing the others to burst out laughing once more.

“Let’s do it again,” Li Guoli raised the megaphone.

The actors immediately prepared themselves.

“Ai Ke Sheng.”

“The Xth Realm... second time.”

*Clap!*

The scene resumed.

Zhang Li calmly opened the box and took out a black sphere.

At first glance, it looked like a hairless kiwi or some said it resembled a monk fruit.

But in reality, it was a brown-black ball of clay shaped from their childhood play.

“Earth Spirit Pearl!”

Zhang Li, Li Zichong, and Hu Ge spoke in unison.

In the next moment, a smile appeared on Hu Ge’s face again.

Zhang Li, Yang Mi, Liu Shishi, and Li Zichong watched expressionlessly.

Hu Ge: ???

“You guys are making my acting look terrible,” Hu Ge muttered softly.

Recently, perhaps due to better chemistry, his performance had caught up with everyone else’s pace.

Yet compared to Zhang Li, the difference was still obvious. Thankfully, he didn’t have many scenes opposite Zhang Li.

“If you want to break character, whose fault is that?” Yang Mi said with disdain.

She herself almost broke into laughter just now.

At the critical moment, meeting Zhang Li’s gaze suddenly calmed her down.

“Again. This time, I won’t hold anyone back,” Hu Ge tapped his cheeks resolutely.

After the actors touched up their makeup, Li Guoli raised the megaphone once more. “Ai Ke Sheng.”

They began the scene again.

“Earth Spirit Pearl?”

The same line appeared.

Hu Ge pinched his thigh, avoiding eye contact, and happened to meet Li Zichong’s gaze.

The next moment, he couldn’t help but laugh aloud: “Pfft~”

The others: “...”

The fourth outtake began.

This time, Hu Ge had learned his lesson. He avoided looking at Li Zichong or Yang Mi and even skipped saying the three words “Earth Spirit Pearl.”

He tried to empty his mind, his expression turning slightly “grim.”

Seeing this, Zhang Li, Yang Mi, and Liu Shishi burst out laughing in perfect sync.

Hu Ge: “...”

Am I your plaything!?

Amid this joyful atmosphere, the filming of *The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3* proceeded smoothly and orderly.

Time flew like a fleeting horse, and soon it was September 5th.

Because the lead actors were in high spirits, filming went very well.

One-third of the scheduled shoot was already complete, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the drama was expected to wrap by the end of October.

However, Zhang Li and Yang Mi needed to temporarily leave the crew. On September 6th, Beijing Film Academy was starting their semester, and they had to report back to school.

Because of this, the crew wrapped up earlier than usual that day.

“Make sure to call me senior once properly. I’ll cover your first-class plane ticket tomorrow,” Yang Mi said, leaning toward Zhang Li after removing her makeup.

“You weren’t talking like this a few days ago when you wanted me to go back to school with you,” Zhang Li said with obvious disdain.

Yang Mi was a senior in the class of 2005. This semester was her final year. She was only going back for the opening ceremony, to check in, and sign some reports related to internships and thesis defenses, so she wasn’t in a big rush.

He was a freshman with many things to handle on his first day back. Originally, he planned to go to the capital yesterday.

It was only because Yang Mi insisted on flying together and promised to pay for the tickets that he reluctantly agreed.

“I never break my promises,” Yang Mi said with a sly glint in her eyes. “I said I’d cover the plane ticket, but I never said whether it would be business or first class.”

The implication was clear: if Zhang Li didn’t call her senior, she would only cover business class.

“I only respond to softness, not force,” Zhang Li snapped. “Don’t even think about making me say ‘senior.’ I’ll never call you that. Do you think that title will just slip out of my mouth so easily?”

Yang Mi: ?

*Pfft~*

The makeup artist couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“You’re quite the rascal,” Yang Mi chuckled, playfully hitting Zhang Li’s head with her script.

But a small notebook slipped from between the pages and fell to the floor nearby.

“What’s this?”

Liu Shishi, who happened to be close, squatted down and picked it up.

“Oh no!” Yang Mi silently panicked and quickly moved closer, hoping Liu Shishi wouldn’t look inside.

Liu Shishi glanced at the notebook and then softly exclaimed, “Xue Jian? Xi Yao?”

“That’s mine,” Yang Mi immediately stood up. “Thank you for picking it up.”

“You’re welcome,” Liu Shishi returned the notebook and curiously asked, “I saw the names Xue Jian and Xi Yao, and this handwriting must be Zhang Li’s, right? What is this?”

Yang Mi: “...”

She wanted to say it was a character profile she wrote herself but didn’t expect Liu Shishi to recognize Zhang Li’s handwriting.

How could she explain this?

“I wrote the character profiles for Sister Mi,” Zhang Li volunteered.

“Character profiles? For Xue Jian and Xi Yao?” Liu Shishi felt somewhat uneasy.

She knew Yang Mi and Zhang Li had known each other for a long time and could understand why he would help with the profiles.

But that didn’t stop her mood from souring.

Tang Yan felt the same displeasure.

Why did Yang Mi have it, but she didn’t?

Zhang Li seemed oblivious to the two women’s discomfort and continued, “I just wanted to help Sister Mi understand her role better and faster so we wouldn’t hold the crew back.”

“I invested ten million yuan in this drama. That’s my entire fortune, so I must take it seriously.”

*The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3* had a total investment of over thirty million yuan. His ten million would likely increase to thirty million next year, plus there were various copyright dividends every year afterward.

“Oh, I forgot you’re the big investor,” Liu Shishi sneered, hiding her annoyance.

“You actually sound pretty good calling me ‘big investor,’” Zhang Li suddenly said.

The three women: ?

Is now really the time to take advantage?

“Here’s a reward for you,” Zhang Li said, pulling two notebooks from his backpack and handing them to Tang Yan and Liu Shishi.

To get on good terms with the three women, he had prepared all the character profiles after acquiring future memories related to them.

Otherwise, today’s incident would have been remembered forever.

“This is Long Kui’s character profile?”

Liu Shishi flipped through the notebook, a faint smile playing on her lips.

So Zhang Li hadn’t prepared gifts only for Yang Mi. That was good.

Tang Yan quickly opened her notebook and found it was indeed Zi Xuan’s character profile.

“Thank you, Chang Qing,” Tang Yan’s mood immediately lifted.

Yang Mi: “...”

Suddenly, she didn’t feel very good.

“Tomorrow, you’ll fly business class,”

Zhang Li: “...”

Woman, your name should be Changeable.

“Since we won’t see each other for a while, dinner’s on me,” Zhang Li changed the subject.

No one declined his offer.

After dinner, seeing there was still time, they went singing as usual.

But because Zhang Li and Yang Mi had to catch their flight the next day, everyone returned to the hotel before ten.

“I thought you wouldn’t come tonight.”

Not long after showering, Zhang Li’s doorbell rang.

He opened the door to find Liu Shishi.

“I keep my promises. I’m not one to find excuses to avoid things,” Liu Shishi said cheerfully.

Since the experienced baby was about to leave, she naturally wanted to seize the chance for one more round.

“Then let’s get started.”

Once familiar, twice skilled—Zhang Li skillfully took off his shirt and lay face down on the bed.

The familiar touch swept over his back, and his breathing quickly evened out.

An hour later, Liu Shishi raised her hand and shook it.

Looking at Zhang Li’s profile, she leaned in to kiss him.

Even though they had done this many times, she still felt a secret thrill and joy inside.

“Hmm!?”

A strange sensation arrived, and Liu Shishi was momentarily stunned.

Suddenly, a voice rang through her mind!

[You stole a kiss on Zhang Li’s lips—Kissing Skill +1 / Mind Link +1]

Liu Shishi’s eyes snapped open.

“Lips!?”