Although Song Yuanxi didn’t know if Liang Han would be there, Liang Han hadn’t answered him that day, after all he still had to come and check.
As luck would have it, just as he was leaving, a water pipe in the house suddenly burst. The landlord, who lived downstairs, insisted that he find someone to fix it immediately.
By the time he finished dealing with the delay and took a car to the audition location, the audition period had already ended.
Song Yuanxi watched the staff as they were wrapping up, a wave of disappointment washing over him. Even if Liang Han had come today, he was certainly gone by now.
Having missed today, he didn’t know when he would ever run into Liang Han again.
If too much time passed, Liang Han might forget him entirely; then how could he “draw a big pie” to get the man to sign him?
Song Yuanxi was extremely dejected. He could only turn back and try to think of another way.
“Song Yuanxi?”
Just as he walked back to the roadside, he suddenly heard his name. He looked up, pleasantly surprised.
It was Shao Dong, Liang Han’s former manager and the person who had interviewed him last time!
He quickly pulled himself together and greeted him with a smile: “Hello, Teacher Shao.”
He took a quick glance inside the car, but unfortunately, Liang Han wasn’t there.
Shao Dong had just finished the day’s audition work and was about to head to a dinner gathering to discuss other matters. He hadn’t expected to see Song Yuanxi at the intersection.
He smiled and didn’t get into the car immediately. Standing by the door, he asked with concern: “I heard from your manager that you weren’t feeling well. How is it? Are you better now?”
Shao Dong had a very good impression of Song Yuanxi. In fact, if possible, he still hoped Song Yuanxi could play this role.
After all, none of the actors who had auditioned for the third male lead these past few days were more suitable than Song Yuanxi.
That Huang Yi who came today couldn’t compare at all.
Don’t even mention him after Liang Han watched Huang Yi’s audition performance, he didn’t even want to say a word; he just gave him a look of rejection.
Song Yuanxi knew that “unwell” was definitely the excuse the company had given Shao Dong.
He looked at Shao Dong with a slightly embarrassed expression and explained: “Teacher Shao, my health is quite good. It’s just that the company felt I wasn’t suitable.”
He had no desire to hide his conflict with the company.
“Ah, I see.”
Shao Dong understood immediately. So it wasn’t that Song Yuanxi himself was unwilling to act; it was Huanhai that wouldn’t let him.
He thought of the Huang Yi from Huanhai he saw today, who was accompanied by several assistants and managers, and then looked at the solitary Song Yuanxi, remembering he had been alone last time as well.
He instantly filled in the blanks: it seemed Song Yuanxi had been sacrificed to internal company infighting.
Although this thought didn’t perfectly align with Song Yuanxi’s actual situation, the result was more or less the same.
However, since this was a matter between a talent agency and its artist, he couldn’t very well interfere. He could only offer a word of sympathetic comfort: “Then you’ll need to communicate well with your company.”
Song Yuanxi gave a dry laugh.
Shao Dong asked him: “So, why did you come here today?”
Song Yuanxi said seriously: “I came to find Teacher Liang Han. I want to talk to him about some things.”
Shao Dong looked at him, roughly understanding his intent, and said regretfully: “Then you’ve come too late. President Liang has already headed back.”
Liang Han had stayed until the end of the auditions today, his expression growing grimmer by the minute. Once it was certain no one else was coming, he had left with a darkened face.
“He went back?”
So Liang Han really came here today.
Song Yuanxi looked at Shao Dong with a pleading expression: “Then could you give me Teacher Liang Han’s phone number? I can talk to him over the phone, is that okay?”
Shao Dong hesitated for a second but ultimately shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s not appropriate. I can’t give out his contact information to others at will.”
“…”
Song Yuanxi’s expression fell. He understood that to Liang Han, he was just a stranger.
Although Liang Han had helped him at the club, they didn’t actually have a relationship.
Liang Han didn’t even know he was Song Yuanxi; perhaps if he did know, he wouldn’t have helped him.
As Liang Han’s former manager, it was also impossible for Shao Dong to just hand out the contact info. After all, during the previous audition, Shao Dong hadn’t even given his own number.
Everything on their end was handled by assistants via private messages.
Earlier, he had wanted to ask Shao Dong’s assistant about Liang Han’s schedule and Shao Dong’s number, but the person had simply dismissed him with a polite “sorry.”
They were certainly worried he would harass Liang Han.
Song Yuanxi lowered his eyes, looking very dejected, and couldn’t help but bite his lip.
Shao Dong glanced at him. Thinking that he truly was exceptionally suited for the role, it seemed too much of a pity to lose him. Feeling a surge of pity, he said: “How about this I’ll ask President Liang for you and see if he’s willing to meet you.”
Song Yuanxi’s eyes lit up again. He looked up at Shao Dong and thanked him: “Thank you so much!”
Shao Dong smiled, waved his hand, and walked to the side to pull out his phone and call Liang Han.
“What is it?”
Liang Han was sitting in the car on the way back, his mood not great. “Is there a problem?”
Then, as if thinking of something, his tone shifted: “Or did someone show up?”
“Oh, it’s that Song Yuanxi I interviewed before, you remember him, right? He just showed up and said he wants to see you. Will you see him?”
Liang Han’s tone turned cold and indifferent again. He asked in confusion: “Want to see me? What for? Didn’t they say he was unwell and needed to rest?”
Shao Dong said in a low voice: “He said that was an excuse his agency made up because they didn’t want him to join the cast. He actually wants to come himself, so he wants to talk to you.”
As he spoke, he muttered to himself: “I told you it was impossible for him to be unwilling to act in your drama! I was right! He really does want to film!”
Liang Han, however, had no mental energy to consider Song Yuanxi. He only felt that the young boy from the club was the most suitable, but the person hadn’t shown up today.
It was fine that he hadn’t come though he wasn’t happy about it, he still wanted to save the opportunity for that boy.
Liang Han said coldly: “If his agency won’t let him come, looking for me is useless. There’s no need to see him. Is there anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.”
Shao Dong said regretfully: “Nothing else, but are you really not going to see him? I truly think he’s very suitable!”
“I don’t think so.”
Without waiting for Shao Dong to nag further, Liang Han hung up.
Shao Dong had no choice but to shake his head and return to Song Yuanxi with an apologetic look: “President Liang is busy with something; it’s not convenient for him to see you. Sorry.”
Song Yuanxi knew immediately that this was just polite talk. His thoughts began to race.
Liang Han was unwilling to see him. The man had told him to come for an interview that day he really didn’t know he was Song Yuanxi.
Song Yuanxi felt lost, unsure for a moment how to get Shao Dong to reveal more information.
Shao Dong, however, was in a rush to get to his dinner. Without further delay, he patted Song Yuanxi on the shoulder, got into his car, and left.
Song Yuanxi watched the car drive away and squatted down where he was, fretting privately.
He couldn’t wait for Liang Han here, and he couldn’t get his contact info. What should he do next?
He returned to his lodging in a daze, flipping through his phone to check for news about Liang Han. Xu Rao sent a message asking if there was any result from looking for him.
Song Yuanxi lowered his eyes, feeling defeated: [I went too late. I didn’t see him.]
Xu Rao: [Ah? What happened?]
Song Yuanxi told him about the morning’s incident, calling it bad luck.
Xu Rao also thought it was a pity but comforted him: [It’s okay. He lives in Haicheng anyway; you can always find another chance to see him!]
Song Yuanxi was still fretting, but seeing Xu Rao’s words, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
[Liang Han lives in Haicheng?]
Xu Rao gave a definite reply: [Yeah. Weren’t there leaks before saying the neighborhood he lives in is a luxury villa complex in Haicheng? I don’t know exactly where, but it’s definitely in Haicheng.]
Song Yuanxi’s eyes lit up: [Then I know what to do. I’ll go find him at his residence!]
Even though Liang Han was often busy running around outside, he had to go home eventually. He didn’t believe he couldn’t wait and find him!
Xu Rao felt he wasn’t being calm and advised: [But Haicheng is so big and there are so many neighborhoods. How are you going to find him? It’s too much trouble! Better to find another way.]
Song Yuanxi thought about it and agreed, but soon a new idea popped up: […Then I’ll go find him at his studio? The studio should be easier to find than his home.]
Xu Rao thought this had more potential: [That could work. His studio surely has an official registered address. Since they’re preparing a new drama lately, you’ll definitely be able to catch him there!]
…
Liang Han had stayed at the audition site all day and never saw the person he was looking for.
This made Liang Han certain that the person hadn’t listened to him. That sweet, soft, and well-behaved behavior when the boy agreed with him that day was actually just verbal gratitude.
All that talk about him being an idol and praising him as a good person was just perfunctory.
Thinking about this made his mood inexplicably foul.
Heh, it seems I was just being sentimental. That young boy didn’t like me at all, let alone take a liking to me.
Shao Dong, that gossip-loving fellow, had also misjudged the other party this time.
Saying the person was highly skilled, playing hard to get, or that he would come and pester him—it was all nonsense.
All the way back to his residence, the atmosphere inside the car was very low. The assistant took a peek at Liang Han from the front, unsure of what was going on.
Thinking about it, maybe it was because the interviews today didn’t yield the desired results, wasting an entire day.
Not just this day Liang Han was extremely busy over the next few days. He flew out of town to look at actual filming locations, but every day after finishing work, he would still ask Shao Dong about the audition status and check the newly received resumes.
However, every day, he would end up with a cold face, and the atmosphere around him grew increasingly heavy.
The assistant followed him everywhere, feeling immense pressure. Unsure of the cause and not daring to ask, he only dared to exchange info and situations with Shao Dong’s assistant.
Finally finishing those tasks and returning to the studio, the assistant let out a sigh of relief. But just as he was about to leave, Liang Han suddenly asked him: “Do you think it would be appropriate if I went to ask the club for his information?”
The assistant was completely lost: “Which club? Whose information?”
The assistant hadn’t gone that day; only Shao Dong and the others were at the dinner.
Liang Han only remembered this after he spoke, then waved his hand: “It’s nothing. Go about your business.”
He hadn’t told Shao Dong that he had taken an interest in that young boy from that night, and this wasn’t a good topic to discuss with Shao Dong anyway.
For some reason, he just didn’t really want to talk to Shao Dong about this.
Perhaps because if he said it, Shao Dong would gossip or even tease him.
Liang Han twirled his phone, thought for a moment, then opened his contacts, found another person’s number, and dialed.
“What? Suddenly thought to contact me? Didn’t you say you were busy to death preparing a new drama? You even said you didn’t have time to answer the phone! You made me afraid to even call you!”
Tan Shuai answered the phone very quickly, his speaking speed a rapid-fire—even worse than Shao Dong’s. It was only because he was tight-lipped, well-connected, and a classmate of many years that Liang Han was making this call.
Liang Han said irritably: “I am busy with the new drama, so I wanted to ask you for a favor.”
Tan Shuai paused: “You’re busy with a new drama and you’re asking me for help? What kind of help? Short on cash? Want me to invest a bit?”
Liang Han wasn’t short on money: “No. I want you to help me look someone up.”
Tan Shuai paused. He didn’t refuse, but he became curious: “Asking me to help you look someone up? Who? Someone special! Can’t the people in your studio or that partner Shao Dong of yours look them up?”
Liang Han disliked the noise: “Just say if you’ll do it or not. Why so many questions?”
He was about as noisy as Shao Dong.
“Well, you have to at least tell me who to look for!”
Liang Han replied patiently: “Help me look up a boy. I don’t know his name yet. He was working as a waiter at the Linhu Club last week. He looks very sweet, but… he probably isn’t working there anymore.”