Chapter 4: A Deeper Connection? (Please Continue Reading)

"Ha, you can't catch me."

"Yang Mi, are you even capable of this?"

"I'm a gentleman who doesn't fight with women."

"Tang Tang, Shi Shi, stop her!"

"..."

Yang Mi waved her fists as she chased Zhang Li. He decisively entered "escape mode," circling around Tang Yan and Liu Shishi while deliberately goading her.

"You stinky brat, today I will make sure you learn why flowers are so red!" Yang Mi was getting worked up.

Tang Yan and Liu Shishi wore speechless expressions: "..."

How could these two be so childish?

"Huh?"

Zhang Li suddenly felt his body grow heavy. Turning back, he found his arms being held firmly by Tang Yan and Liu Shishi, respectively.

Before he could say a word, Yang Mi had caught up and began "punching and kicking" him. In reality, it was just for show.

"Stop, stop, stop! I know I was wrong!" Zhang Li surrendered decisively.

After the scuffle, he stood there with tousled hair, looking at the three women with a look of utter hopelessness. "Ganging up on someone? Are you three sisters not ashamed?"

The three women exchanged glances and smiled in unison: "Not at all."

Thanks to this banter, they felt their relationships had grown much closer.

"Fine, I can't beat you, but I can hide."

Zhang Li chose to accept his fate—or rather, follow his heart—and turned to Li Guoli. "Director, can we skip this audition?"

"It's enough." Li Guoli nodded with a satisfied smile. "This feels much more accurate. Yang Mi, remember to use this state of mind when playing Tang Xuejian."

"However, keep that irritable side only for Jing Tian; your scenes with other characters should remain warm."

"Understood, Director." Yang Mi immediately agreed.

"Then familiarize yourself with the script. We’ll shoot your scene with Xu Changqing tonight." Li Guoli checked his watch and shouted to the side, "Script supervisor, notify the actors. We're starting the afternoon shoot."

The entire crew began to bustle about, and Tang Yan and Liu Shishi left as well.

Since they were in costume, they had their own scenes to shoot.

Once everyone had left, Yang Mi looked at Zhang Li with surprise and asked belatedly, "Was that on purpose earlier?"

"You're not as slow as I thought." Zhang Li admitted it generously. "I was definitely doing it on purpose. The segment the director had us audition with only showed Tang Xuejian's purity and devotion; it didn't capture her most important trait: her liveliness."

"But when you were chasing me earlier, it was different. If you just change the name you call me to 'Dead Veggie,' that is Tang Xuejian herself."

"You kid, you're still full of tricks." Yang Mi gave Zhang Li a thumbs up.

Zhang Li's eyelid twitched; "full of tricks" was hardly a compliment.

"Go memorize your lines." Zhang Li checked the time on his phone, his expression serious. "The crew has been working together for half a month, and everyone is very familiar with each other. Since you're joining last minute, if you don't perform well, people will talk."

"If you nail your first scene tonight, it will silence any unpleasant gossip. I'll make sure to cooperate with you fully."

Hearing this, Yang Mi stepped forward and unhesitatingly threw an arm around Zhang Li's shoulder. "Good brother, it wasn't in vain that your Sister Mi always kept you in mind and brought you snacks from time to time."

After meeting during the filming of *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, Yang Mi had grown fond of this bright-eyed, sharp-toothed, handsome young man. Later, learning that Zhang Li had lost both parents and was all alone, her maternal instincts kicked in, and she began looking after him.

"That's not even the half of it." Zhang Li looked down with a faint smile. "I've also prepared character biographies for Tang Xuejian and Xiyao for you."

During the summer of 2005, when Tangren was filming *Strange Tales of Liaozhai*, he had hung around the set to mooch off the food and get to know the stars. Through constant contact, he had managed to "predict" information about Yang Mi's career and the *Paladin III* project well before 2010.

He already knew everything about how Yang Mi understood the two roles and what she had learned from playing them, so he had written it all down in advance. He did this to earn her favor so he could "predict" more future information later.

This is what they call taking wool from the sheep itself.

"Character biographies?" Yang Mi's beautiful eyes flickered. "Good brother, you really have given your Sister Mi a surprise. Hurry up and let me see."

Urged by Yang Mi, Zhang Li returned to the rest area and retrieved a small notebook.

After taking the notebook, Yang Mi sat on Zhang Li's lounge chair and began to read it seriously. At first, she only intended to read it so as not to slight his enthusiasm, not expecting the biography to be anything special.

But as she read on, she became captivated by the content. Her understanding of the roles of Xuejian and Xiyao deepened, and at the same time, she felt a sense of admiration and respect for Zhang Li.

This "stinky brat" hadn't even undergone formal training yet, and he was already capable of this level of insight—he was a genius!

After she finished reading, Zhang Li reminded her, "Xuejian is a holy fruit, pure and flawless, kind to the core, without a trace of evil. She is like a little sun. You must remember this; if you overact, people will find her annoying."

"Mm." Yang Mi closed the notebook with a brilliant smile. "Good brother, having you is truly a blessing for your sister."

"It's a pity you're Yifei's child-husband, otherwise I would have snatched you away."

Tang Yan and Liu Shishi, who had just finished their scenes and were walking nearby, stopped in unison, looking shocked.

Zhang Li was actually Liu Yifei's child-husband?

"Sister Mi, you're bringing that up again!" Zhang Li's mouth twitched. "This is returning kindness with ingratitude."

In *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, he had played the young Yang Guo, who was raised by the Little Dragon Maiden for a time. In reality, he had lived with Liu Xiaoli, her former foster mother, and called Liu Yifei "Sister." The adults on set, intending to tease him—no one knew who said it first—had given him the title of "Liu Yifei's Child-Husband."

"How is that returning kindness with ingratitude? To be the child-husband of the Fairy Sister, that's something countless people dream of!" Yang Mi laughed. "Are you not happy about it?"

If this were in the past, when he was younger and thin-skinned, he would have been helpless against Yang Mi's brazen personality. But now that he was an adult and had become a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry, his expression didn't even flicker.

"Sister Yifei is great, but we don't have that kind of chemistry." Zhang Li looked directly at Yang Mi. "By comparison, I actually like you more, Sister Mi..."

Yang Mi wanted to laugh; this stinky brat had grown up, actually trying to flirt with her. She glared at him, intending to exert some pressure.

But looking closely at him from this distance, her heart skipped a beat. Although there was still a touch of youth in his features, his face had matured and become more sculpted. His jet-black eyes were sharp and clear, as if he could see right into one's soul.

It had been over a year since they last met, and the boy had become a young man with even more masculine charm. Thinking of how she had just hugged him tightly, Yang Mi felt her face grow warm.

At that moment, a voice echoed in her mind.

[You and Zhang Li feel a mutual attraction, heart-to-heart resonance +1]

Yang Mi: ?

Zhang Li: ??