Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 44 Every Day, Every Month, Every Year
When Zhang Yan received Jiang Shan's call, he inexplicably felt a little guilty.

When he heard that Jiang Shan was willing to give up her internship opportunity at the Beijing People's Art Theatre for the sake of "Tianjin Wei", he felt even more ashamed and remorseful.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have been so blinded by lust.

But it was too late to regret it now. Zhang Yan could only bite the bullet and say, "Please don't do that. I'm under a lot of pressure because of you—what if the TV series doesn't become a hit, and you can't get into the Beijing People's Art Theatre..."

Jiang Shan chuckled on the phone, "If all else fails, you can just give yourself to me. Our family happens to be short of a son-in-law."

“That won’t do. I’m the only son in the Zhang family.” Zhang Yan said, and then advised again, “There will be opportunities for cooperation in the future. There’s really no need to go all in like this.”

At this point, he deliberately changed the subject and asked, "From what you're saying, is Xu Fan sure he's going to give up on 'Tianjin Wei'?"

"It's probably close to ten."

"After all, it's the Beijing People's Art Theatre, which is a top-notch place for us young actors."

"So, you should just focus on your internship. When I have time, I'll come visit you at the Beijing People's Art Theatre. You'll have to show me around then."

Jiang Shan had only acted on impulse. After Zhang Yan's repeated persuasion, she felt that she could balance her career and love, so she stopped arguing and readily agreed, "Then it's a deal!"

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Shan returned to Xu Fan's dormitory and said with a smile, "I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I still can't bear to part with you, my dear concubine—what if you get bullied if I don't go to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to support you?"

Xu Fan rolled his eyes at her: "Could it be that he doesn't like you?"

"How can it be!"

Jiang Shan jumped up high: "He just doesn't want me to ruin my future, and he even said he'd come visit me at the Beijing People's Art Theatre in the future!"

"I mean the production team didn't like you."

Just then, someone shouted in the hallway, "Xu Fan, your homeroom teacher is looking for you!"

Xu Fan quickly put on her clothes and went outside. After Jiang Shan's repeated interruptions, she felt much more relaxed.

Since I'm reluctant to give up this internship opportunity, I'll just have to get straight to the point when the director and producer arrive in Beijing tomorrow.

Just as I reached the stairwell, I heard Jiang Shan singing behind me: "I love you endlessly, I can love you every day, every month, every year, forever!"

Xu Fan couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. Knowing Jiang Shan as she did, daily and monthly relationships were still possible, but as for year after year, forever...

Unless writer Zhang takes the initiative to pursue Jiang Shan, the two will remain separated for a long time, and Jiang Shan's enthusiasm will likely come and go quickly. It would be a miracle if it lasted for half a year.

…………

After Yan Xiaoming and Ma Huiwu brought back the scripts from Beijing, Chen Hong officially stepped out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight. Every day, she was either busy studying the scripts with Zhang Yan or rehearsing the scenes with Chen Daoming.

To be honest, her acting skills are indeed a notch below Xu Fan's.

She was said to have played the female lead in movies before, but it was just a decorative role, and her screen time was even less than that of the female villain played by Fu Lili.

Fortunately, hard work can make up for lack of talent. Through intensive rehearsals, and with Zhang Yan's detailed and thorough analysis of the plot, she gradually got on the right track.

Of course, Chen Hong and Zhang Yan's relationship also progressed rapidly, almost to the point of being completely different every day.

Before we knew it, it was mid-month.

That afternoon, the two snuggled together on the sofa, analyzing the script.

"How exactly is it supposed to express 'outwardly calm but inwardly pounding'? You didn't even write it out clearly."

Chen Hong leaned back on the sofa armrest, pouting and complaining, while placing her two jade-like bare feet on Zhang Yan's legs, her toes and soles randomly teasing his lower abdomen.

Zhang Yan pressed down on those two mischievous feet, then climbed up and rubbed them along the leggings.

"Okay, let's get down to business!"

Chen Hong urged him on, pretending to curl her legs up.

Zhang Yan had no choice but to pause his search. After frowning and pondering for a moment, he beckoned to Chen Hong. Chen Hong subconsciously leaned closer, wanting to hear his explanation, but Zhang Yan grabbed her waist and kissed her fiercely.

The two had recently become accustomed to communicating through their lips and teeth, so Chen Hong not only did not struggle, but also gave a warm response.

A few minutes later, Chen Hong, panting, pushed Zhang Yan away and scolded him with a flushed face, "Hey, what are you doing? You've made my new clothes pill up!"

"What else can I do? Of course, I'll help you understand the script."

Zhang Yan withdrew his Lushan claw with a hint of lingering satisfaction and said seriously, "Try acting expressionless now, and you should get the hang of it."

Chen Hong got up with a skeptical look, took out the mirror she always carried with her, looked at herself, and then pinched Zhang Yan's leg in an annoyed tone: "How can he be expressionless?!"

"Just apply more powder then."

As Zhang Yan spoke, he took the mirror, held it a little further away, and adjusted the angle to make sure it reflected the area below his collarbone.

Chen Hong finally understood what he meant.

Beneath her milky-white thermal underwear, her uncontrolled breathing was clearly visible—if the blush on her face were concealed, she would indeed perfectly match the description in the script.

She then frowned and said, "Isn't this a shortcut? You can't keep relying on this method."

She learned proper methods in school and still has a desire for honor, so she is somewhat averse to these opportunistic and unorthodox approaches.

"Then why don't you put on a show?"

Zhang Yan shrugged and said, "It's not that my acting skills are lacking..."

"Who are you calling an actor with poor acting skills?!"

Chen Hong turned around and pounced on him. The two rolled onto the sofa and spent a long time cuddling together.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yan ultimately failed to cross the line.

Chen Hong didn't want Zhang Yan to succeed too quickly, and she was also worried that the film crew hadn't officially started shooting yet, so she was afraid that the duck she had in her hand would fly away again.

If he could replace Xu Fan through Zhang Yan, who can guarantee that no one will try to get through to the producer and director?

Zhang Yan could more or less guess what she was thinking, so no matter how anxious and upset he was, he still held back—anyway, a few more days wouldn't make a difference, and there was no need to ruin this atmosphere of mutual consent.

The two lay on the sofa, one on top of the other, feeling each other's heartbeats. Suddenly, Zhang Yan said, "I'm going to the capital tomorrow, and I probably won't be back for three or four days."

Upon hearing the word "capital," Chen Hong immediately raised her head warily: "What are you doing in the capital all of a sudden?"

"Of course it's business."

Zhang Yan pressed the tip of her nose and laughed, "My sister is going to take the entrance exam for the Capital Broadcasting Institute, so as her older brother, I definitely have to go and cheer her on."

Besides his sister's matter, he also wanted to send off the Black Panther band – at Wang Fei's suggestion, Black Panther was preparing to go south to Guangdong to participate in the 'Shenzhen Spring Modern Music Festival'.

Hearing that she was going to accompany her younger sister to the art college entrance exam, Chen Hong breathed a slight sigh of relief, but was still a little worried.

After all, Zhang Yan was easier to seduce than he had imagined. What if Jiang Shan took the opportunity to cling to him again...

She wanted to accompany Zhang Yan to Beijing, but she was worried that leaving at this time would leave a bad impression on the production crew—the producer surnamed Yan had always disliked her, and she couldn't afford to make things worse.

Finally, Chen Hong leaned back against Zhang Yan's chest and drew circles on his chest with her index finger, saying, "Then I'll move here for the next couple of days, so it'll be easier to contact you if anything comes up."

Zhang Yan's heart skipped a beat. He put his arm around her shoulder and laughed, "Then let's just cancel the hotel room and save money."

"Humph~"

Chen Hong snorted and said noncommittally, "That depends on your performance in the next few days."

(End of this chapter)