Chapter 86

After confirming that he had been cast as "Li Menglong," Zhang Chengyuan ran to the kitchen and hugged Cheng Youli from behind, who was preparing a meal for him. He leaned his mouth close to her ear and whispered softly and emotionally, "Sister Youli, I’ve been chosen." His joy seemed more about wanting to show it to Cheng Youli so that he could receive her reward.

Cheng Youli turned her head and glanced at him, saying, "Well done! But don’t hug me like this, my hands can barely move, how can I cook?" She had long expected Zhang Chengyuan to be selected, so while she was happy to hear his news, she was not surprised or amazed.

Zhang Chengyuan lightly kissed Cheng Youli’s porcelain-like face and said, "Sister! Aren’t you happy for me?"

"Happy, happy!" Cheng Youli was too lazy to pay him any more attention and focused on flipping the spatula. She knew that Zhang Chengyuan would definitely say something not so nice next.

Sure enough, Zhang Chengyuan continued, "Why don’t we do something even more joyful, Sister?"

Cheng Youli remained silent, pretending not to hear, but she did not object. She knew that she would eventually become Zhang Chengyuan’s woman and did not really mind. After all, Lee Hyori and Yoo Ji-hyun had already taken the first step, so it wasn’t a big deal for her to follow.

With a "click," Zhang Chengyuan extended his left hand and turned off the stove, then gently pulled off the apron Cheng Youli was wearing with his right hand, tossing it on the ground. He then picked up Cheng Youli, who was still in a daze, and hurriedly carried her to the bedroom.

Soon after, strange sounds came from the bedroom.

"Ah! Lighter, it hurts!"

"Ah! I’m in pain too, Sister Youli, don’t bite me so hard, you’re almost tearing the flesh off my shoulder."

"It’s all your fault!"

Zhang Chengyuan felt that he was not enjoying it but rather enduring a punishment. Cheng Youli’s body was too sensitive; the same actions that brought pleasure to Lee Hyori and Yoo Ji-hyun caused her immense pain. This made him dare not use any force, which was extremely uncomfortable. Moreover, Cheng Youli retaliated with pain, using all her strength to bite his shoulder fiercely. Although his body was robust and could endure it, he did not want to suffer the pain of dozens or even hundreds of bites.

...

After it was over, both were out of breath and drenched in sweat, all due to the pain. Zhang Chengyuan hoped that Cheng Youli would not suffer so much in the future. While holding the exhausted Cheng Youli and comforting her, he thought, "Books say that women who exercise regularly rarely experience bleeding, and Sister Youli has been a singer for so many years. Hasn’t she practiced dance much?"

A few more peaceful and romantic days passed, and it was now mid-November.

On this day, Zhang Chengyuan received a notification from the "Hojack Chunhyang" production team, saying that the main creative personnel and some of the lead actors would meet formally to get to know each other, eliminate barriers, and facilitate smoother collaboration during the upcoming shoot. Such pre-production meetings were a common practice, often including script rehearsals.

At this meeting, Zhang Chengyuan met Han Chae-young, who would play the lead female role of Chunhyang. It turned out that he had met her before, a long time ago, when he attended the audition for "Autumn in My Heart" in 2000. On that day, he and his competitor, Won Bin, became friends. When he and Won Bin were about to part ways, a tall, sexy, and beautiful woman approached Won Bin to talk, and that woman was Han Chae-young. Although it was just a brief encounter, Han Chae-young left a deep impression on Zhang Chengyuan.

Zhang Chengyuan learned from Won Bin that Han Chae-young was a very close friend of his. They had known each other before their debut and had studied acting together at the same academy. After debuting, they were even signed to the same agency. As their careers progressed, they were often seen as a perfect match, and their close relationship sparked many rumors about them being a couple. The media, regardless of their acknowledgment or evidence, widely publicized their romance, and later added other female stars, creating a complex love triangle.

Zhang Chengyuan did not know if Won Bin and Han Chae-young were actually a couple, as Won Bin had not mentioned it, and he had not specifically asked. After all, such private matters are not easily shared, even with close friends. If he were in Won Bin’s shoes and asked about his relationship with FIN.K.L, he would not have answered truthfully either.

However, given the close relationship between Han Chae-young and Won Bin, Zhang Chengyuan thought that perhaps one day she might become his sister-in-law, so he treated her with great respect.

Han Chae-young, perhaps knowing that Zhang Chengyuan was a good friend of Won Bin, did not feel any distance when she saw him. She greeted him with a smile, patted his shoulder, and started talking, first about Won Bin, then about their mutual friends in the entertainment industry, interesting stories from filming, and the plot of the drama. Gradually, they talked about their interests, family backgrounds, and recent events, and the more they talked, the more they felt a connection and grew closer. By then, Won Bin, who had initially helped them communicate, had been temporarily forgotten.

Han Chae-young’s personality was very straightforward and easy-going, which was quite different from the first impression she gave. Many people who first met Han Chae-young thought she was arrogant and domineering, possibly due to her tall and curvy figure and her cold and beautiful appearance, or because of the strong impressions left by the negative roles she had played. Zhang Chengyuan had also had this impression, but after a few words with her, he realized that her personality was very similar to the Chunhyang described in the "Hojack Chunhyang" script—carefree and unpretentious.

This made Zhang Chengyuan immediately have a good impression of her, but this good impression was not the kind of attraction between the opposite sexes; rather, it was more like a brother-sister relationship. Although he had previously known other older women like Ha Ji-won and Kim Tae-hee and treated them like sisters, there was still a mix of admiration and desire for beautiful women. This time, however, he had no such thoughts. Apart from her somewhat masculine personality, Zhang Chengyuan was also worried about the ambiguous relationship between Han Chae-young and Won Bin, which made him dare not view her as a potential romantic interest, fearing that he might be attracted to her unintentionally revealed charm.

At the meeting, besides Han Chae-young, Zhang Chengyuan also had to interact with other actors, but his relationships with them progressed much more slowly. He only exchanged a few casual words with most of them, as he had not intended to become close with all the actors.

In TV drama productions, the relationships between most actors are not as close as the audience might imagine. For example, when Won Bin and Song Hye-kyo filmed "Autumn in My Heart," they were deeply in love in the drama, but in reality, they were not even friends. If actors with romantic scenes were like this, it was even less likely for actors who had few scenes together to develop a deep bond.

Therefore, Zhang Chengyuan generally did not actively seek to make friends during filming. He did not pay much attention to actors trying to get close to him unless their character and behavior were acceptable to him and their personalities did not clash with his. Only then would he consider genuinely befriending them. This was because Zhang Chengyuan believed that it was not the quantity but the quality of friends that mattered, so he was selective in his friendships.

Of course, although he did not intend to make many friends, he treated his work partners with great sincerity, neither flattering nor bullying them. He was very friendly to every actor and crew member, which gave him a good reputation. However, those who had worked with him generally believed that it was extremely difficult to become truly close to him.