Chapter 60: What a Grand Dream of Red Mansions Package! I've Made a Fortune

"Perhaps he's just busy." Tang Yan naturally made an excuse for Zhang Li, "There are already so many courses to study in your freshman year, not to mention that you just said he's been working hard to audition for a role recently."

"I can understand weekdays, but is he busy on weekends too?" A tiny flame flickered in Yang Mi's eyes. "Surely he couldn't spare even an hour or two. I think he just doesn't have me... this older sister in his heart."

Even though Zhang Li chatted with her every day via QQ, she wasn't happy without seeing him in person.

After all, this way she had no opportunity to use her cheat code and trigger "+1" to level up.

"He's probably even busier on weekends, right?" Li Qin took a sip of water, cupped her cheeks, and spoke full of vitality, "He has to go back to help Liu Yifei practice singing. Sister Mi, you were the one who told me about this."

"She just loves to selectively forget things like that," Tang Yan teased.

"Qinqin, whose side are you on?" Yang Mi feigned anger mixed with embarrassment and shot Li Qin a sideways glance. "Food makes you soft-mouthed, spit that cake out right now."

"That cake was a gift from Sister Tang Tang," Li Qin argued softly.

"Tang Tang gave it to me because she was visiting my set, so bringing so many cakes... by extension, I'm the one treating you." Yang Mi wrapped her arm around Tang Yan's and reasoned with forceful logic.

Li Qin wasn't good at arguing and for a moment didn't know how to retort.

Just then, a voice rang out from behind the three of them: "The moment I arrive, I see Sister Mi bullying Qinqin."

Tang Yan's smile froze for a fraction of a second, and her body stiffened slightly.

Yang Mi's eyes lit up, and she turned around with a look of pleasant surprise.

"Brother Li!" Li Qin's crisp voice rang out.

Coming into view was Zhang Li, wearing a simple hairstyle, black casual pants, and a denim jacket.

With thick eyebrows, large eyes, delicate facial features, and skin as white as jade, he was exceptionally striking.

Seeing him in the flesh for the first time, Li Qin felt a wave of breathless admiration rise in her eyes.

"Hello, Qinqin. This is our first time meeting offline, right?" Zhang Li walked up to Li Qin and handed her a box. "You're very pretty. Thank you for teaching me about Kunqu Opera and helping me out tremendously. This is a gift for you."

Looking at Zhang Li up close and listening to his low, magnetic voice, Li Qin's picturesque face flushed slightly. Her speech became a bit hesitant as she waved her hands repeatedly. "Br-Brother Li, you're being too polite."

"That little bit of knowledge can be found on the internet anyway. No, you really don't need to give me a gift."

"Just take it." Zhang Li reached out, took Li Qin's hand, and placed the box directly into her palm.

The next moment, time seemed to stand still.

Relating to Li Qin and dating back to any time before November 2011, all information about her that could be found online flooded into his mind.

[Born in 1990 in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Participated at age 11 in... elementary school opera interest classes to receive basic opera training.]

[In 2003, participated in the "Suzhou Foreign Language Night" opera special gala, performing successively in Su opera, Yue opera, Kunqu opera... and ultimately won... with the Kunqu opera "The Peony Pavilion: The Interrupted Dream".]

[Admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2004 to study professional Kunqu performance, and was chosen by the Dean of the Kunqu Opera Academy as the fifth-generation "Du Liniang".]

[Chosen in 2008 by the crew of "Dream of the Red Chamber" and director Li Shaohong... "Dream of the Red Chamber" broadcasted in 2010, winning... Participated in the national tribute film "Beginning of the Great Revival"... Starred in the revolutionary tribute series "China 1921"... Acted in the costume action-comedy film "Magic Players".]

[Starred in the revolutionary action-mystery film "Trapped Thief" in 2011, starred in the revolutionary historical drama "General's Diary" in October, and starred alongside Yang Sanyang and others in "Flowers Blossom in Midsummer"...]

"Three years?"

Zhang Li wasn't surprised that he could foresee the future regarding Li Qin.

Achieving success in Kunqu Opera meant she had good talent, and her looks had been rigorously selected by Li Shaohong; she only needed a good script to become popular. However, he was somewhat surprised that the foresight extended so far into the future.

Usually, when he contacted a new girl, he only knew information about her within the next two years.

"Perhaps because during the time she was learning Kunqu Opera, she considered me a friend and our relationship grew closer," Zhang Li thought of a reason, considering it an unexpected bonus.

However, none of the movies or television dramas Li Qin would participate in over the next three years seemed particularly noteworthy.

If he wanted to boost official goodwill, he could find a way to participate in tribute films, but he didn't have much interest in that.

"Why are you here?" Yang Mi stood up and asked.

"I finished what I was busy with, so I came to visit your set," Zhang Li replied, though his gaze fell on Tang Yan with a smile. "Sister Tang Tang, long time no see."

A trace of complexity and a flicker of surprise—one she hadn't even expected—flashed in the depths of Tang Yan's eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her face. "Indeed, it's been a long time, and we haven't been in touch for a long time either."

Her words carried a hint of subtle grievance. Zhang Li pretended not to hear it and replied, "Sister Tang Tang, you've been quite busy."

"Since we happened to run into each other today, how about we grab dinner together later?"

"Alright." Tang Yan felt she shouldn't, but her mouth agreed as if by some spellwork.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't treat the two of us like air, alright?" Yang Mi said with displeasure. "You two were a couple in the show, but it's already wrapped now."

"Ah Li, you came to visit my set and came empty-handed?"

"How could that be?" Zhang Li shook his head lightly and beckoned to the side.

A few production crew members and young men in uniform coats walked over carrying foam boxes.

The reason Zhang Li was able to enter the set was naturally because he had the contact info of Yang Mi's manager and assistant; a single phone call sorted it out.

"What's inside?" Curiosity flickered in Yang Mi's eyes. "If it doesn't satisfy me, I will get mad."

"What I bring will definitely satisfy you." The corners of Zhang Li's lips curled up as he glanced at the small cake nearby. "Sister Tang Tang's can't compare."

"You're still as narcissistic as ever." Tang Yan and Yang Mi smiled knowingly at each other, and the latter said, "I was specifically craving this cake today, and when Tang Tang asked me, I asked for it myself."

The subtext was: you're bound to lose.

Zhang Li didn't argue; instead, he opened one of the foam boxes.

Inside lay a pile of purplish-red fruits—mangosteens.

"Mangosteens?!" Yang Mi showed a look of pleasant surprise. "Ah Li, how did you know I liked eating these? This is my absolute favorite fruit."

Tang Yan: "..."

"So who won?" Zhang Li asked.

Yang Mi's smile stiffened, and she instantly transformed into a master of balancing scales: "One is my favorite cake, the other is my favorite fruit. It's a tie."

"Oh~" Zhang Li nodded. "That means I won."

"I thought of what to bring on my own, while Sister Tang Tang was taking an open-book exam. I'm much more impressive."

The corner of Yang Mi's eye twitched slightly. "You really didn't need to have such a strong desire to win."

"Let him win," Tang Yan said indifferently, waving her hand.

"What do you mean 'let him win'?" Zhang Li met Tang Yan's gaze. "Didn't I win based on pure skill?"

Tang Yan paused for a moment, then connected the dots, her delicate face instantly flushing red.

Not wanting to flirt too heavily, Zhang Li immediately changed the subject: "Sister Mi, why don't you take me around to meet the crew's actors, directors, and screenwriters?"

Yang Mi didn't mind at all and waved her hand grandly: "Alright, Sis will take you."

Using the excuse of distributing mangosteens, Yang Mi led Zhang Li to meet all the key creative staff on set.

Every time he handed out a mangosteen, he would shake their hand by the way.

Then, he was completely stunned—

"Qin Shi Huang electrifying people right here."

What kind of Dream of the Red Chamber crew was this? Clearly, this was a future supreme gift package!