Huayu Entertainment Starts with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

Jiang Yang met with Yang Mi; it was the latter who invited him out.

It's a hassle for public figures to go out; they're afraid of being recognized by strangers, and even more afraid of being followed by paparazzi, so they simply arranged to meet at...

hotel.

Yang Mi's assistant came downstairs to meet him, escorted him to his room, and then quietly left.

Jiang Yang curiously looked around her "boudoir".

Well, it doesn't really qualify as a place, because there's no sense of life inside. It only has the original furnishings of a hotel, clearly a place where people take a nap during filming.

The room was clean, with no embarrassing items like underwear lying around.

I don't know if she's always been tidy or if she tidied up in advance because she knew Jiang Yang was coming.

Yang Mi didn't care about his curiosity and greeted him casually.

"Sit down. Water or coffee?"

"Water bar."

The two sat facing each other, and the business-like atmosphere felt more like a meeting.

"Honey, I already told you on the phone that I'm not interested in the movie 'Tiny Times,' so you should look for someone else."

"Don't refuse so quickly."

Yang Mi is very persistent and not someone who gives up easily.

"I know, Wei Hai's role is a bit too small."

"How about this, I'll change it for you. You can play my boss, the director of a magazine. You'll be the second male lead, but the male lead doesn't have many scenes; he's just a figurehead."

"And, acting opposite me."

She was referring to Gong Ming, a character whose prototype was Guo Jingming's idealized version of himself—arrogant, cool, and incredibly awesome.

Yang Mi didn't know much about Jiang Yang before she asked him to play Wei Hai, but later she found out that Jiang Yang had already played the second male lead in a Jackie Chan movie.

That's definitely a bit insulting.

Inviting Jiang Yang to play Gong Ming in "Tiny Times" was already her greatest show of sincerity.

To be honest, Xiao Si hasn't agreed yet.

Gong Ming's original actor was a Taiwanese person from the investors' side, so they couldn't just fire him. Yang Mi decided to get Jiang Yang on board first and then figure out a solution.

"Sister Honey, it's not about the size of the role, 'Tiny Times' isn't my cup of tea."

"I don't think you need to take it too seriously, do you?"

"You should know very well that the reason the movie 'Tiny Times' invited you was simply to have you promote those unknown, washed-up celebrities."

Jiang Yang's refusal to participate in "Tiny Times" was firm; he didn't want to leave a dark mark on his career.

Yang Mi gave a bitter smile.

"What kind of roles I can play does not depend on what kind of roles I want to play."

"You don't think I have a lot of resources, do you?"

"I know very well why 'Tiny Times' cast me, but I also know very well that I didn't have a better option."

"So... even if it's just for my own sake, is that not allowed?"

She was first blacklisted by Cai Yinong for standing up a sugar figurine, and then blacklisted by the Hong Kong entertainment circle for siding with Zhao Wenzhuo in the feud between Zhen Zidan and Zhao Wenzhuo.

Everyone says Yang Xiaohu has high emotional intelligence, but actually, his sharp tongue has caused a lot of trouble.

Is Yang Mihong?

It's very popular.

But she is now in an awkward situation.

Yang Mi's solution to this predicament was to work tirelessly on filming.

I'll film whatever's on the scene; I'll never go home and pick my toes.

The most amazing thing was that, not only did she look pitiful, she also unexpectedly grabbed Jiang Yang's hand.

Jiang Yang: You made me laugh.

"Seriously, Honey? What's the big deal? You're resorting to using your charm?"

Yang Mi pursed her lips.

Damn, he's young but incredibly experienced.

She discovered that Jiang Yang wasn't some naive, unsophisticated young man; she couldn't fool him by simply playing the victim or feigning helplessness.

Since that's the case, let's lay our cards on the table.

Yang Mi retracted her performance and decided to speak frankly.

"Okay, I admit it. Whether you play Wei Hai or Gong Ming is not important to me. What matters is you."

I want you.

"To be precise, I'm very interested in your unique scent. Aren't you really going to tell me what perfume you're wearing?"

"I can pay, you name your price."

Jiang Yang shook his head.

"I told you, I really don't use perfume."

Yang Mi unceremoniously grabbed his arm and smelled it. Impossible, my sense of smell doesn't lie.

If it's not perfume, then...

"So what I really need is you, right?"

Her tone was not that of a question.

Jiang Yang got up to take his leave.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Sister Honey, but I regret that I cannot accept the offer for the film 'Tiny Times'. Let's work together again next time if there's a chance."

Yang Mi grabbed her arm.

"etc!"

She pressed Jiang Yang into his seat, then leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Sister Honey, where are you?"

"Let's do an experiment, be quiet."

Yang Mi covered Jiang Yang's mouth and manually muted his microphone, so the latter had no choice but to remain silent.

The two of them fell into an eerie silence.

ten minutes.

Another ten minutes.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Yang finally couldn't hold back and tentatively asked.

"Sister Honey?"

There was no response. He turned his head, and Yang Mi's head almost slipped off his shoulder. Jiang Yang quickly reached out and caught it.

Upon closer inspection, it was fast asleep with its eyes closed.

Are you serious?

Are you kidding me?!

Jiang Yang was both amused and exasperated. He never expected that her "doing an experiment" would actually mean falling asleep on his shoulder.

I'm truly impressed.

Leaving her like this wasn't a good idea, so Jiang Yang carefully picked her up, found the bedroom, and put her on the bed.

Just as I was trying to pull my arm away, I found myself being held tightly and unable to move.

Are you really asleep?

I have every reason to suspect that you're acting against me!

Jiang Yang checked his breathing; it was even and shallow. He shook his head.

Strictly speaking, this was only the second time the two had met, and for Yang Mi to dare to fall asleep like this was a bit too much of a rude act, as if she didn't consider him an outsider at all.

To see someone off to the Western Paradise, one must see them off to the very end.

Jiang Yang didn't force her to open up so as not to wake her up, so he just lay down by the bed so that she could be close to him. He stayed like that for a while and then fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, when Yang Mi woke up, the first thing she noticed was that familiar scent.

Looking up, Jiang Yang was fast asleep.

However, this movement quickly woke Jiang Yang up, because his position was not comfortable.

"Awake?"

"I didn't expect you to be so well-behaved."

Yang Mi said that Jiang Yang didn't even take off her clothes in order to prove that he hadn't touched her.

Jiang Yang isn't some starving ghost who hasn't eaten meat for three months.

The most interesting part of this kind of thing is the interaction. What's the difference between being asleep and taking advantage of the moment?

"Good, you really sleep well."

Yang Mi's experiment was clearly a success; she hadn't had such a good night's sleep in a long time.

She was very tired.

Having been blacklisted twice, Yang Mi has been under immense work pressure and has also been juggling multiple projects simultaneously.

She wasn't forced to take on multiple projects simultaneously after signing a performance-based agreement; she'd had this problem for a long time and had offended Chen Shiren for it, resulting in her being kicked out of the "Caught in the Web" production team.

To put it kindly, it's called having a strong drive to succeed.

In short, Yang Mi is a workaholic who needs to work non-stop to feel at ease.

Under such high pressure and heavy workload, she also had poor sleep, which affected her mental state in the long term.

It's not obvious now because we're young.

Yang Mi is five years older than Jiang Yang, and is only 26 this year, so she can still hold on.

Once the collagen in your face has been depleted, the signs of fatigue are hard to hide, and you have to rely on technology to maintain your appearance.

I slept very soundly tonight.

Yang Mi couldn't remember the last time she felt so energetic and in such a great mood.

Jiang Yang was not honored by this.

"A sleeping pill? I've never been treated like this before, being used as a sleeping pill!"

"Who told you to reject me?"

Yang Mi laughed heartily, feeling like she had gotten a little revenge.

However, she still paid the "reward," cupping Jiang Yang's face and giving him a peck, before gracefully turning away and leaving behind a dashing silhouette.

"If you want to sleep with meat (a euphemism for sex), come find me in 'Tiny Times'!"