Chapter 18: The Reward-Oriented Personality

Liu Yifei: "......"

But once the conversation opened up, Liu Yifei learned that Zhou Le had actually studied civil engineering before.

“Your life has taken quite a leap. And after acting for a few years, you’ve already landed two third male lead roles?”

“Yeah.”

“Whose films are those? I might know them.”

“One is directed by Da Peng, and the other by Wu Jing.”

“Oh, I know Da Peng. I was once interviewed by him. He asked some really tough questions. Let me tell you, at that time there were rumors going around about me and Yi Jianlian, and Da Peng grilled me with many questions. Luckily, I was quick on my feet.”

“Really? He’s always been quite impressive.”

“Exactly, so he left a deep impression on me. Later, I really liked his ‘Loser’ series—so absurd yet entertaining. Then there was ‘Jian Bing Man,’ but I heard that movie wasn’t very good...”

Zhou Le nodded, “Yeah, it’s definitely not good—in fact, it’s pretty terrible.”

Liu Yifei was surprised, “You actually talk badly about your own director behind his back!”

Zhou Le shrugged, “It’s not behind his back—I said it to him directly. ‘Jian Bing Man’ really sucked.”

The two continued chatting, moving from Da Peng to Wu Jing.

Not far away, an assistant had planned to come over and snap some photos of her boss but realized they had been chatting all along.

When she overheard their conversation, she was taken aback.

“Hey, Yifei, you better not say too much. What are you two even talking about? Is this stuff you can just blurt out?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Coach Zhou is in the industry too; we’re not gossiping everywhere. Right, Coach Zhou?”

“Exactly, tight-lipped.”

“See!”

But the assistant’s gaze on Zhou Le had turned wary.

She had thought Zhou Le was handsome earlier, but now he seemed to have changed—like a nosy gossip who loved to talk behind people’s backs.

“Still, you better stop. Or I’ll tell Sister Xiaoli.”

“Don’t, don’t, I won’t say anymore. I think you’re the one who likes to tattle. Now go sit down—I’m going to practice shooting. Don’t bother me.”

The assistant took a few more photos before leaving.

After all, artists need to engage with their fans and post photos regularly on social media.

Maybe coming to practice shooting would even get them trending.

“Coach Zhou, should I come find you next time?”

“Probably not. I’m here to resign, actually. Thanks for letting me earn money on my last day. From now on, I’ll focus on acting.”

“I see. Well then, I hope we get to work together in the future. My next project is in Chongqing—if you come, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“Sounds good.”

Zhou Le realized Liu Yifei was nothing like he had imagined.

He thought she’d be a quiet girl who liked reading and playing with cats or dogs at home.

But she was still the spirited, mischievous Ling’er he knew.

In the end, they exchanged WeChat contacts, took photos together, and Zhou Le asked for autographs. He even suggested they follow each other on Weibo.

But when Liu Yifei saw the newest fan name in her list—“African Sexy Cockroach Cosplaying Grandpa Niu Riding Strong Mom Across the Street”—she was first stunned, then burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, what kind of name is that!”

She laughed so hard she doubled over.

Meanwhile, the assistant’s disdainful look at Zhou Le deepened.

“Are you really going to follow him?”

“Of course. I want to see the fans’ reactions when they see that name.”

Liu Yifei laughed for a long time before composing herself.

“Well, we should be going now. Let’s meet again sometime.”

“Sure, bye. Contact me on WeChat if anything comes up.”

(Classic Zhao Ling’er.)

Zhou Le let out a long breath.

He had never felt life so wonderful.

Aside from the time spent with his parents, these past two hours were probably the happiest two hours of his life.

“Today, I’m going to be pleasant to everyone!”

After finishing his paperwork, Zhou Le ordered more than thirty cups of milk tea for all his former colleagues at the shooting range.

Then he thanked his mentor and supervisor Wu Yun once again.

“Supervisor Wu, I’ll never forget your kindness!”

“Haha, that’s good. When you become a big star, just don’t delete me on WeChat.”

“Definitely won’t.”

After that, Zhou Le left.

He had dinner plans with Zhao Lusi that evening at “Xiuli Restaurant.”

He knew the place—it was known as the canteen of the Central Academy of Drama, frequented by many stars. Of course, Zhou Le had only heard about it.

But from the shooting range to the restaurant was quite far.

He had to take the subway and then transfer to a bus.

Still, that didn’t dampen his mood.

Just as he transferred to the bus and sat down, he suddenly noticed someone acting suspiciously—someone was trying to pick another passenger’s pocket!

A thief!

His expression darkened instantly.

He had been too kind before.

But there were so many people on the bus; if a commotion broke out, it could cause more trouble.

At that moment, the girl realized her phone was missing from her pocket.

She looked around anxiously.

Her eyes met Zhou Le’s, who smiled and put a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet.

The girl shivered.

She had noticed Zhou Le hadn’t moved earlier.

Could he be an accomplice of the thief?

Would she be retaliated against if she spoke up?

While she was thinking this, Zhou Le sprang into action.

He pushed his way through the crowd, passing behind the girl, much to her frightened gaze.

“He’s going to run!”

“Should I call the police?”

“But what if they have accomplices on the bus...”

The girl was extremely nervous.

But Zhou Le squeezed through the crowd and reached behind the thief, slipping his hand into the thief’s pocket.

He felt two phones.

Finally, he pulled them both out.

He waited until the bus stopped and watched the thief get off without looking back.

As the doors closed, the thief felt around his pockets and realized they were empty, his expression turning to shock.

At that moment, the smile on the thief’s face transferred onto Zhou Le’s lips.

“Miss, what brand is your phone?” Zhou Le asked as he pushed back through the crowd.

The girl hadn’t noticed that Zhou Le had effectively ‘stolen’ her phone back, but seeing his kind smile, she shrank back nervously.

“I didn’t lose my phone.”

Zhou Le: “???”

“Sigh, forget it.” Zhou Le pulled out the two phones. “Which one’s yours?”

The girl: “? You and that guy...”

“We’re not on the same team. He’s one, I’m the other.”

The girl: “?? Another team?”

“Do you want it? If not, I’ll toss it.” Zhou Le found the girl’s hesitation annoying.

“Mine’s the one with the pink case.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Zhou Le returned the phone.

“Thank you.” The girl still wasn’t quite sure what had happened, but her phone was back, and the tall, handsome guy had helped her.

Zhou Le smiled, “No need to thank me. Remember to keep your phone safe next time.”

“Um... Handsome guy... Can I add you on WeChat?”

The girl mustered her courage.

She expected Zhou Le might say no.

But she didn’t expect this rejection.

“Sorry, I only add female celebrities on WeChat.”

An outgoing nature turned into lifelong shyness.

What did only adding female celebrities mean? She wasn’t pretty enough.

Otherwise, someone with female celebrities on their WeChat wouldn’t be riding the bus.

The girl felt down again.

About twenty minutes later, Zhou Le got off the bus and went straight to the nearest police station to hand in the phones, explaining that the owner of one of them might be a thief, though he wasn’t certain.

That was all he could say—no evidence otherwise.

Stepping out of the police station, Zhou Le felt refreshed.

“I did a good deed today. Tonight, I should reward myself properly.”