Chapter 33: The First Entry into a Dream

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The moment Lin Ziwei said that, Naza thought she had lost the role.

She had never expected Zhang Yang to speak up for her directly and fight for the part.

To say she was not moved would have been a lie.

After all, it was a minor supporting role in a major production—an opportunity many professionally trained graduates could not even obtain.

Even though she had already secured the role of the third female lead in Xuan-Yuan Sword, she would never look down on an opportunity like this.

“Your personal assistant?” Lin Ziwei looked Naza up and down, instinctively resistant to the idea.

Naza was stunningly beautiful, with an aggressively striking appearance—the kind of beauty that left people awestruck at first glance. Lin Ziwei had noticed her the day before.

Having such a beauty work as someone’s personal assistant was a waste. Lin Ziwei had even considered poaching her and grooming her into a star, though she had not yet acted on the thought.

Now that Zhang Yang was fighting for a role for Naza, Lin Ziwei could completely understand. Judging by her looks alone, she saw no problem with it.

But if someone whose figure and appearance were clearly superior to hers played Zhao Jingniang, would she end up overshadowing Lin Ziwei?

“This is still a fairly important role. Can your personal assistant really handle it?” Lin Ziwei asked after a brief moment of thought.

Everyone could tell that she was trying to decline as tactfully as possible.

Naza sighed inwardly, convinced that she had no chance. Out of the corner of her eye, however, she noticed that Zhang Yang’s expression had not changed in the slightest.

“Sister Ziwei, you can rest assured. Naza may officially be my personal assistant, but in reality, she’s an actress signed to Tangren. In May, she’ll be joining the production of our original xianxia drama as the third female lead.”

“Oh, and the female lead in that series will be Tang Yan, while the second female lead will be Sister Shishi. Her role is roughly comparable to Zixuan in Chinese Paladin 3.”

“And I’ll be playing the second male lead. His characterization is similar to Xu Changqing, the role Brother Hua played in Chinese Paladin 3. I’m confident I can do it well.”

A collective gasp escaped Liang Xinquan, Lin Ziwei, and the others. They were pleasantly surprised.

Chinese Paladin 3 had been a phenomenal hit. Of its five leading actors, three had already become A-list stars, while the other two were on the verge of joining them and would probably make the leap this year.

Tangren’s ability to produce xianxia dramas was recognized throughout the industry. For Zhang Yang and Naza to have secured the second male lead and third female lead roles, they must have earned Chairman Cai’s approval. There was a very good chance that both would become famous in the future.

Entrusting Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Jingniang to them was indeed reassuring. Tangren might even be willing to purchase some publicity pieces for the production, adding to the drama’s buzz.

Besides, Naza was still a complete newcomer. Signing her would cost very little, making her an excellent value.

Only Lin Ziwei was worried about being overshadowed.

Just then, Zhang Yang continued, “Zhao Jingniang is only a minor role. Naza will certainly do it well.”

“The point of the ‘Journey of a Thousand Miles to Deliver Jingniang’ episode is to show that Zhao Kuangyin is uninterested in women and possesses the courage to stand up for justice.”

“But in our drama, Zhao Kuangyin rejects her because his heart already belongs to Ma Fuya. He has someone he loves from afar.”

“There may be countless beautiful women in the world, but he loves only you, Sister Yaya.”

Those words gave Lin Ziwei a deeply satisfying feeling.

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Quite right. According to the plot, Naza’s Zhao Jingniang fell in love with Zhao Kuangyin and wanted to offer herself to him.

But Zhao Kuangyin’s heart belonged to Ma Fuya. Even though his love was only unrequited, he still refused to accept Zhao Jingniang.

That showed that Zhao Jingniang was inferior to Ma Fuya, highlighting Ma Fuya’s excellence through Zhao Kuangyin’s comparison of the two.

Only a woman like that could be the Glamorous Imperial Concubine!

“So that’s how it is.” A brilliant smile appeared on Lin Ziwei’s face. “You should have told me earlier, A-Yang. To be honest, I even wanted to sign Naza to my own studio and train her. I never expected her to be a Tangren actress.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll feel completely at ease letting Naza play Zhao Jingniang. Director Lin can choose the other roles himself.”

Lin Ziwei agreed, and naturally, no one else had any objection to such a minor matter.

“Director Lin will also be responsible for filming the rest of your scenes. Just follow his direction,” Liang Xinquan told Zhang Yang, his attitude considerably warmer than before.

Most people in the entertainment industry were shrewd. When faced with an actor like Zhang Yang, who had a very good chance of becoming famous, they were happy to build a relationship in advance as long as doing so did not harm their own interests.

They might even use the production’s money and resources to cultivate their own connections.

Lin Ziwei and Liang Xinquan spoke with Zhang Yang for a while longer before leaving.

Lin Feng called Zhang Yang to his room to discuss the script and the action choreography.

“You’re a martial artist?” Lin Feng asked, pleasantly surprised.

Before filming officially began, he had wanted to test Zhang Yang’s flexibility and ability to understand movement, so he could use the results as a reference when designing the fight scenes. He had not expected Zhang Yang to demonstrate an entire martial arts routine for him.

“I suppose you could call it lifelong training. Three or five ordinary men wouldn’t be able to get close to me.” Zhang Yang made no attempt to hide his abilities.

Only by showing what you could do could you earn better treatment.

“Then I’ll discuss it with the action choreographer and design a difficult but impressive sword routine and spear routine for you.” Lin Feng was visibly excited, rubbing his hands together.

At last, as the action director, he had a chance to put his skills to use and leave behind some memorable sequences in the production.

“I’m fine with anything.” In truth, Zhang Yang would have preferred to design them himself.

But internal cultivation and martial arts were not exactly the same thing. He wanted to see what level the production’s action choreographer was at before making a decision.

After that, he discussed the script with Lin Feng until nearly dinnertime, then finally left.

“This is your script. Spend the next few days memorizing your lines.” Zhang Yang handed several sheets of paper to Naza.

The drama was called The Glamorous Imperial Concubine. Zhao Kuangyin was only a supporting character, so Zhao Jingniang’s role was even smaller.

Zhao Jingniang had very little screen time. In one scene, bandits were about to violate her at a Taoist temple when Zhao Kuangyin appeared and rescued her like a hero.

In another, after being escorted home over a journey of a thousand miles, she confessed her feelings to him, only to be sternly rejected. At the appropriate moment, Zhao Kuangyin would take out a keepsake symbolizing his longing for the woman he truly loved.

There was one final scene that might not even be filmed. After Zhao Jingniang was delivered home, her brother and sister-in-law falsely accused her. To prove her innocence—and because she did not want to marry—she chose to become a nun.

All together, the material amounted to less than half an episode. But if she performed it well, there was no reason she could not leave a deep impression.

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“Brother Yang, should we tell Sister K about this?” Naza held the thin stack of pages, unable to conceal her excitement, but she had not forgotten the important matter on her mind.

“There’s no need. It’s only a minor supporting role.” Zhang Yang shook his head without hesitation. “If Sister K finds out, she may complicate matters. I negotiated a fee of three thousand for you as a special-contract performer. Keep it for your pocket money.”

Three thousand?

Naza’s heart gave a violent leap.

Jiang Jinfu was being paid seventy thousand to play the male lead, while she was receiving only thirty thousand after taxes for the third female lead.

Yet by following Zhang Yang around, she had somehow earned another three thousand in just a few days!

A seed was suddenly planted deep within Naza’s heart. One day, it would surely take root and sprout.

When Zhang Yang saw that she remained silent, a faint smile flickered deep in his eyes.

He left Naza to study the script and went to find the person in charge of the finances, asking him to issue a different invoice.

“We can’t do that without a contract. You’re making things difficult for me,” the accountant said.

“The fee for this role was set at three to five thousand. I only want three thousand.” Zhang Yang smiled.

The accountant understood at once and sighed. “All right. Signing a contract really is troublesome. We’ll list you as an assistant to the screenwriter. Three days of work, five thousand in wages, with the production covering the taxes.”

The accountant had someone draw up a simple labor contract for Zhang Yang, paying him five thousand for three days. Then he transferred three thousand five hundred to Zhang Yang. Where the remaining fifteen hundred went did not need to be explained.

“Thanks, brother!” Zhang Yang said before leaving with an easy stride.

Over the following days, the production staff adjusted the shooting schedule as instructed, and Zhang Yang had one or two scenes with Lin Ziwei every day.

Having lived two lifetimes, with his talent and abilities compounded, his acting had reached the level of an award-winning master. Almost every scene he filmed was completed in a single take.

After finishing the original scenes in the script, Lin Feng brought along a small crew and prepared to shoot the additional material.

“Go to bed early tonight. Don’t let me down tomorrow.”

Zhang Yang escorted Naza to her hotel room and reminded her from the doorway.

“I know, I know. I won’t embarrass you.” Naza hurriedly shut the door.

After spending several days together, she had somehow begun to feel nervous whenever she was alone with Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang returned to his own room. After showering, he began writing a script.

When the time was right, he sent Naza a message.

After waiting a long while without receiving a reply, he lay down on the bed and silently recited:

“I want to enter a dream.”

“The Glamorous Imperial Concubine. Zhao Kuangyin!”

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