Actor: Thank you.

A few days later, he arrived at the mansion early in the morning.

Arriving at the house at the end of the east courtyard, the indoor swimming pool has been renovated.

Zhang Yuan squatted down beside the pool and tested the water with his hand.

It is warm, so it can be used even in winter.

The house didn't truly belong to him until his business with his creditors was settled.

That puts one worry to rest.

The phone rang, and Zhang Yuan answered it.

"Hey, Zhang Yuan, Miss Yang is here." His assistant called him.

The house is so big that you can't shout to anyone and have to communicate by phone.

This factor was even taken into account during the renovation, and a walkie-talkie-like communication system was installed between the main rooms.

He quickly got up and went to the door to greet them.

"Oh, it's kind of you, Mr. Zhang, to come and greet me personally."

The girl from the capital city tilted her head as soon as she entered and said in an annoyed tone.

It's obvious that he's going to challenge himself.

At this point, you can't go along with her temper; you have to argue back.

Don't listen to what she says, listen to what she does.

She has already signed with her own company and is willing to come to my door.

In terms of actions, it is intentional to get closer.

But people also have pride.

"It's fine with others, but if I don't lay out a red carpet for you, it's considered a breach of etiquette." Zhang Yuan smiled and stepped forward to take her handbag.

"Hmph!" She closed her eyes and turned her head away, feigning innocence.

We can only coax them; what else can we do?

"Wow." I took her for a walk around.

I've heard you've been buying houses everywhere.

This woman's eyes were wide open; she looked around, pointing at this and that, asking about the price.

She bought quite a few herself, and half of them were registered under her parents' names.

"Compared to the skyscrapers in Shanghai, I still prefer this kind of house."

She grew up in a hutong (traditional alleyway).

Moreover, she wasn't from a high-ranking family in a traditional alleyway.

She grew up in Lazhu Hutong, near Hufangqiao, in Xicheng District of Beijing, formerly known as Xuanwu District.

This place is also called Candlewick Alley because it was once the largest candle-making and distribution center in the capital city.

They grew up in a typical urban environment.

Before she bought a modern apartment in a modern residential complex with the help of her family when she was a teenager, she lived in a small, cramped room in a large courtyard.

Just like Shanghai, when people talk about being from the old city center, they say your family lives in either a traditional courtyard house or an old-style villa.

That's worth a lot of money!

Actually?
Due to housing issues in the early days of the People's Republic of China, a large number of traditional courtyard houses and old villas in Shanghai were divided into individual rooms for each household.

Each family only has a dozen or so rooms, or even just a few square meters of living space.

That's like being able to hear your neighbor fart.

This situation is unimaginable for villagers and those who have homesteads and private plots.

It's actually quite tragic.

In the same alleyways and lanes, some families are crammed into a 10-square-meter room and have to go to a public toilet.

Some people also live in hutongs and alleyways, but their houses are so big that horses can run across them.

Putting aside other things, Dou Wei, also an artist, owns a family-run courtyard house that is several hundred square meters.

This upbringing shaped Yang Mi's character and his extreme desire for profit.

Most of the people who make a lot of money in the entertainment industry come from poor backgrounds.

Yang Mi looked around and found that this type of house perfectly matched her imagination of a "luxury mansion".

"If you like it, you can come often in the future."

"It's not my home, my house. What would I do here all the time?" she said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

The emphasis is on the words "not my house".

“You can have anything in your dreams,” Zhang Yuan replied with a smile.

"Tch..." She was just saying it casually.

Take her to the listening room to see the high-end audio equipment.

"Whose music is this?" she asked as she listened.

“Muza,” Zhang Yuan replied, turning his head. “Of course, in China they’re called Muzart.”

"Boring." Yang Mi pouted. "I don't understand classical music anyway."

"Just for appreciation."

"I don't appreciate it." Yang Mi frowned and looked at him: "It's like an art film, everyone says it's good, but I don't like watching it."

Zhang Yuan did not answer.

Her career choice was indeed very business-oriented.

She never touches on literature, art, philosophy, or aesthetics.

Commercial value is everything!
Having clear goals is one of the reasons why she was able to gradually reach the top.

After a long while, he finally spoke.

"When doing things, you can't just focus on the result."

"It's like listening to a song. It's okay if you don't understand it. You don't necessarily have to find some conclusion or insight."

"The same goes for filming; the process is what matters."

"But if there's no pay and the box office isn't good, would you still make the film?" Yang Mi countered.

"We'll see," Zhang Yuan thought, feeling that he wasn't entirely sure.

“Mi, the shortcut is taking the long way around, and taking the long way around is the biggest shortcut,” he advised.

A student cheats every day, yet still gets top grades.

That's the shortcut.

But when it comes to the college entrance exam, can you still cheat?

For a country, buying is worse than making; it's a shortcut.

But what if someone chokes you one day?
It is indeed a "long detour" to conduct all the research and development step by step by ourselves in a down-to-earth manner.

But eventually you'll find that the so-called detour is actually the real shortcut.

Yang Mi's problem was that she was good at taking shortcuts.

Always choose the path you're good at and that brings in money quickly.

This has led to a decline in acting skills over the years.

"Boring." The person rolled their eyes dramatically.

Alright, everyone has their own ambitions, and we can't force them.

Zhang Yuan patted his forehead.

This is called being too concerned and making a mistake. We should have just let her go; after all, she could make money for us and mentor new people.

"Okay, next time I'll prepare some CDs of popular songs for you."

"Let me take you to an interesting place first."

What I'm referring to is the swimming pool.

"It's still hot water!"

Soon, she kicked off her sandals and tested the water with her toes.

"Just finished setting it up, haven't used it yet, and brought you here as the first person to use it."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have brought a swimsuit." She squatted down and splashed water with her hands.

She turned around and flicked him.

"Actually, although this place is surrounded by glass, it has reflective film."

"You can see out from inside, but you can't see in from outside."

Zhang Yuan: Guess why I didn't tell you in advance to bring your swimsuit.

Guess why I built an indoor swimming pool.

No one can see you even if you're naked!

Zhang Yuan looked at her, looked at the water, and thought of the movie "Mysterious Island".

I want to restore it, or even upgrade it.

Yang Mi glanced at his cunning expression and quickly realized what was going on.

“You can have anything in your dreams,” he retorted sarcastically.

After saying that, he shook off her arm and left.

Disobedient... Zhang Yuan had no choice but to follow along.

"Is that all you think about me?" she asked, frowning as she wiped the water stains from the pool off her feet after sitting down in the tea room.

"of course not."

"Why don't I believe it?"

"You don't even have the color red, orange, green, cyan, blue, or purple in your head," she said angrily, throwing a tissue at him.

"Stop slandering me... Okay, sit down for a while."

"I'll cook for you myself," Zhang Yuan said, rolling up his sleeves.

"Don't bring me two bowls of instant noodles and tell me you made braised beef and chicken stew with mushrooms."

Yang Mi waited, resting his chin on his hand, feeling somewhat annoyed.

I even turned down a business event to come here specifically.

When the results came, he wanted to strip me naked.

Why are men like this?
Can't we pay attention to women's inner needs?

For about an hour, Yang Mi fell asleep on the table.

She is naturally energetic; she can stay awake for most of the day after sleeping only four or five hours at night, and she can also take short naps to replenish her energy.

And she has an advantage over others when it comes to dozing off.

Because she brought two large cushions with her...

"coming."

"Huh?" She woke up groggily.

"Slow down, I was about to have breakfast." Her words were still barbed.

All she saw was Zhang Yuan carrying a rice cooker and placing it in front of her.

"Don't tell me you've been busy all this time and all you've cooked is a pot of plain rice?"

"That's not even as good as instant noodles."

Zhang Yuan didn't reply. After putting down his chopsticks, he opened the lid of the rice cooker.

"Ok?"

Yang Mi twitched her nose because she smelled a peculiar odor.

It's not just the aroma of rice, but also a flavor that's deeply ingrained in my memory—familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar.

She stood up, looked up, and gazed at the rice cooker.

The white rice contained some small, pale yellow objects.

"I picked some locust blossoms from the locust tree in the yard and put them in the rice to steam together."

Yang Mi looked at him with sparkling eyes and reached for the rice cooker.

I want to pinch a little bit with my fingers and taste it.

As a result, it was slapped back with a rice spoon.

"oops!"

"He didn't even wash his hands after wiping his feet, and he still ate."

Go wash your hands, I'll serve you some.

"Woo..." She let out a whimper like a puppy, then got up and ran to wash her hands.

As the water flowed over her palm, she smiled knowingly.

It's back, it's all back!

When I was a child, every year at this time of year, when the locust flowers bloomed, my mother would put freshly picked flowers into rice and steam them for me.

They hit my hand with a rice spoon just like that.

I haven't smelled this aroma of flowers and food for over ten years since I left the hutong when I was a teenager.

Although it was her first time in this house, she suddenly felt like she was coming home.

Perhaps it's not because of the house, but because of the people.

Dry your hands and return to the restaurant.

"Oh, there's roast duck too!"

“Of course, freshly roasted.” Zhang Yuan was raising the knife to slice the duck.

To accommodate the needs of entertaining guests, the kitchen of this large house was decorated to the standards of a high-end restaurant, and even a roast duck oven was prepared.

It's just an electric one, not the authentic traditional earthen stove.

“Not just roast duck, there’s something else too,” he said, pointing to the table with his hands still smeared with duck oil.

"Soy milk!"

"And there are also focal rings!"

Yang Mi picked up a still-warm fried dough ring... which is a type of circular fried dough, a specialty of Beijing.

There's a joke that goes something like, how can you tell if someone is from Beijing?

After kicking him down, I gave him a bowl of soy milk.

He got up and started cursing, vomiting loudly—he's from out of town. After getting up, he asked if they had any fried dough rings—that's the real deal!
Dipping fried dough rings in soy milk and adding some finely chopped pickled vegetables is a favorite among girls in Beijing.

Not only her, Guan Xiaotong also likes this kind of thing.

"You drink some too." She brought over a bowl of soy milk.

"No need, it was prepared for you."

"No, it's good stuff, it helps to cool you down."

Then she said something that Zhang Yuan often said to women.

"Come on, open your mouth."

I poured more than half a bowl of it down his throat.

"tasty?"

"Okay," Zhang Yuan replied stiffly.

Seeing him like this, Yang Mi revealed a suppressed laugh after doing something naughty.

"I'll go wash my hands first." He quickly finished slicing the duck: "You can roll some up and eat first."

Hurry up and get out of the house.

He hadn't walked more than a few steps when he leaned against a tree trunk in the yard and started coughing.

"Brother Zhang Yuan, what's wrong?" The assistant stepped forward upon seeing this.

"Cough cough cough... I'm not okay!" He felt terrible all over.

Anyone who likes douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) can drink it!

I went to rinse my mouth and almost choked; it took me ages to come back.

"Wow, spicy blood curd!" Yang Mi chewed on a roast duck wrap and smelled the aroma of the dish that had just been brought over.

That's all, you can't eat any more.

"Oh!" Yang Mi was in a very good mood at this moment.

Because everything on the table was something she loved to eat.

"Save some room, I've also prepared some fried sauce, so I'll have a bowl of fried sauce noodles in a bit."

"You're so annoying! I still have filming to do. You'll get fat if you eat too much." She smiled, her eyes narrowing, and made a blaming face.

But the smile on her lips just wouldn't go away.

Yes, and so is Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste), I love that too.

The foods she likes to eat are actually not expensive.

The most expensive dish is roast duck.

In fact, what people like to eat is largely determined in their childhood; it's a matter of developing their taste buds.

What you eat is not important in the first place.

Zhang Yuan was able to cook for her himself, which made her feel much better.

No celebrity ever goes hungry or thirsty.

But the focus is not on the food itself, but on the cost and scarcity.

They were both very busy, and Zhang Yuan's willingness to spend time on her touched her heart.

In addition, these foods are also included.

If you happen to like something, that's just a coincidence.

If everything is something I like, then it means it was carefully prepared.

Especially locust flower rice, I think I mentioned it once.

I didn't expect him to remember all of that.

Warmth, like a gentle stream, flowed into her body along with the food.

The initial "energy" I had when I first arrived—the kind of energy that made me determined to get along with anything—has now completely disappeared.

"I didn't expect you to be such a good cook."

"It can't compare to those with professional training, but I've still studied it."

"You can come here whenever you want to rest in the future."

"I asked my aunt to pick a lot of locust flowers and freeze them so you can steam rice with them anytime."

"Mmm." She nodded gently, replying with a nasal tone.

She also had noodles with soybean paste, but she only ate a small half bowl.

"You've put a lot of thought into this, but I really can't eat anymore."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't look presentable at work." She touched her lower abdomen with a hint of apology.

"You're already very thin, but it's okay, I'll eat the rest tomorrow."

"You're already giving me a lot of face by being able to eat so much."

"How about we go for a walk to digest our food?" Zhang Yuan wiped his mouth.

How to aid digestion?

"swim."

Yang Mi: ...

She rolled her eyes again.

You haven't forgotten about this!
I was thinking of giving him a good talking-to, but when I saw the rice cooker on the table and the locust flower rice inside, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

As the saying goes, sincerity is the ultimate weapon.

Yang Mi was quick-witted and had many ideas.

She's really cunning; I can outsmart her.

But it's difficult!

If getting along in private is this difficult, then it's better not to continue.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan took the initiative to show an extremely sincere attitude, especially by lowering his stance and putting himself in a passive position.

Strong-willed women fall for this.

So Yang Mi hesitated for a while before speaking.

"Are you sure the glass is so reflective that people outside can't see inside?"

"It works during the day, but it's no longer effective at preventing peeping once the lights are on at night."

"But we can lower the curtains at night," Zhang Yuan had considered during the renovation.

"You've prepared everything perfectly," Yang Mi grumbled.

"This was all prepared for you." Zhang Yuan pointed to the food on the table.

Yang Mi deflated again, pushed back her chair, stood up, and offered her arm for him to hold.

The two headed straight for the pool and started splashing around.

Therefore, taking the long way around is the real shortcut.

To be blunt, this person will absolutely not agree to nudism.

Once your inner emotional needs are met, everything becomes easier to discuss.

Swimming pool, sauna, spa, bathroom, bedroom, sofa...

"I finally got a day off."

"I'm actually more tired now that I've come here to rest!"

The next morning, Yang Mi got out of bed rubbing her lower back.

She complained, but her face was flushed and her eyes sparkled.

He didn't rest well, yet he "rested" very well.

“I’ve heard that swimming in the morning is good for your physical and mental health,” Zhang Yuan suggested, stroking her long hair.

"Haven't you had enough swimming yet?"

"Of course not enough."

"I've had enough, my whole body aches."

Despite saying that, she leaned closer on her own.

They snuggled together, whispering sweet nothings.

"You're a shareholder of Sugarman, right?" Da Mi suddenly asked.

"Yes."

“Before my contract with Rongxinda expired, Mr. Cai contacted me.”

"She wants to invite me to her company."

"I didn't agree."

Yang Mi wasn't stupid either.

Water flows to lower place, man goes to higher position.

Sugar Man is not as good as Rong Xinda.

Li Shaohong is a veteran in the imperial circle, but Cai Boss has no way of getting along with any of the imperial, Shanghai, or Hong Kong circles.

She seemed a little unhappy.

Could you find a chance to help me communicate with them?

Her tone was particularly cloying right now, as if she were begging for something.

Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and then pointed it out.

"She's unhappy, and it's not just because you didn't go to see her."

Yes, Mr. Cai did support Yang Mi.

She didn't order any sugar figurines, which must have displeased Mr. Cai, given his petty nature.

In both "Chinese Paladin 1" and "Chinese Paladin 3", neither of the two female leads wanted to marry the sugar figurine. How could they not be angry?

Boss Cai is a total sycophant. In the beginning, he was always very open and honest with you, chatting away and always treating you well.

But if you ignore her, she immediately becomes irritated.

This is similar to some sycophants who turn love into hate.

But this is only one of the reasons.

Yang Mi twisted her body and said coquettishly.

"Oh, it's nothing serious."

Zhang Yuan didn't bother to ask any more questions, but he knew what was going on.

To win her over, Boss Cai helped her land a lot of advertising jobs.

Of course, you can also get a commission for introducing her.

We secured her an endorsement deal for "JX3" (Sword Net 3), and the negotiations took quite a while.

But when it came time to sign the contract, they discovered that she had already become the spokesperson for a competitor's game, "Tianxia 3".

Mr. Cai was furious. They talked for ages, but in the end, he didn't get any money.

Moreover, they had been talking about Yang Mi the whole time, and they couldn't find anyone else to talk to at the last minute.

Shishi was also dissatisfied with this, as she was a potential "number one" actress but received worse treatment than an outsider.

However, she was quite obedient, so she only expressed her dissatisfaction and did not take any other actions.

Why did Yang Mi suddenly become the spokesperson for another game?

Because she is "smart".

Using the price offered by "JX3" to negotiate with "Tianxia 3" increased his own value.

The final endorsement fee was 3% higher.

She used the competition and discord between game companies to make more money for herself.

This, combined with his reluctance to go to the sugar figurine shop, made Mr. Cai very uncomfortable.

But it didn't come to the point of a complete falling out.

Zhang Yuan didn't have much of an opinion on her behavior.

Because I often do that myself.

However, when he does such things, he considers the consequences more and tries to avoid offending people, unless it is intentional.

Yang Mi, on the other hand, focused more on the profits.

"I understand. I will communicate with Mr. Cai when I have the opportunity."

"Oh, you're the best to me." She smiled like a flower, but quickly added mischievously.

"It would be best if you were only this nice to me."

Zhang Yuan quickly changed the subject.

"You've been working with Yu Zheng quite a bit lately, haven't you?"

"It's alright. The collaboration on 'Beauty's Rival in Palace' went quite well." Yang Mi nodded.

"Alright, I'll go and deal with Cai Yinong for you."

"If you have the chance, could you keep an eye on Yu Zheng for me?"

"If he makes any unusual moves, let me know immediately."

"What, you want me to be your spy!" she said, hands on her hips.

"We came out of the 'Mermaid Empire' crew together, so we've been through thick and thin together."

"Let's help each other out." Zhang Yuan looked at her chest muscles, which swayed up and down as she put her hands on her hips, and couldn't help but reach out.

"Yes, I'm almost driven to my death by you!"

She rolled off the bed, reducing Zhang Yuan's once-perfect accuracy in catching porcupines to 99%.

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on it for you."

"I have to go to work in a little while, take me to the airport."

Everything is arranged, just in case, to keep an eye on Yu Zheng.

After a reluctant farewell in the airport's underground parking garage, he returned to his mansion and directed his aunt and uncle to pack up and prepare.

This house needs more than a dozen support staff, otherwise we wouldn't be able to keep up with the cleaning.

Everything was cleaned and prepared, and fresh melons, fruits, pears, and peaches were added.

He calmed himself down and waited patiently for the next group of distinguished guests to arrive... (End of Chapter)