Song Yuanxi was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, and he couldn’t help feeling joyful in his heart.
He hadn’t expected Liang Han to be so easy to talk to!
Regardless of where Liang Han was headed, as long as he was willing to take him along, there would be an opportunity to discuss things during the ride!
He hurriedly circled around to open the passenger door, sat inside, buckled his seatbelt, glanced at Liang Han, said “thank you,” and added very politely: “I’ve taken up your time.”
Sitting in the car, he looked even more well-behaved, as if he had suddenly transformed from a stray cat into a domestic one.
For some reason, just looking at him made one feel better.
The corner of Liang Han’s mouth curved up slightly, and he gave an “Mhm”: “You’re welcome. I was finished with work and preparing to go back and rest anyway; it’s no trouble.”
He suddenly realized something was wrong after speaking. He shouldn’t be too friendly toward this young boy.
It might make the boy act even more unscrupulously in the future, thinking of crooked ideas to pester him that wouldn’t be good.
Especially since he had just said he was going back to rest; this boy would surely try to stay in the car and follow him all the way to his residence.
Wasn’t the reason he waited at the studio because he didn’t know his address?
Thinking this, Liang Han stiffened his face again. He didn’t even start the engine. He had originally planned to talk while driving, but now he held back. He just sat there, eyes fixed outside the car, not even looking at Song Yuanxi. He said sternly: “If you keep standing by the car and people see, they’ll think I’m bullying you. It’s also easy to be photographed, and the rumors wouldn’t sound good.”
This implied he hadn’t originally intended to let him in the car, but was only going to listen to his situation, and let him in only to avoid being seen.
It was different from what Song Yuanxi had assumed, but he didn’t find anything wrong with Liang Han’s behavior at all.
Liang Han was a big star, after all, and naturally attracted attention. There were surely paparazzi watching him normally, and it would indeed be bad to be photographed.
Not long ago, someone had leaked that he was looking for young boys; wouldn’t being caught on camera turn into a full-blown scandal?
Furthermore, he wasn’t trying to hitch a ride; having a chance to speak privately was good enough.
Even though Liang Han looked stern now, he had just smiled at him he was truly a soft-hearted person deep down!
Very kind!
Song Yuanxi stared at Liang Han happily, nodded, and said, “I understand.”
Liang Han, however, wasn’t quite at ease, especially seeing the boy’s sparkling eyes. He added specifically: “Don’t overthink it. I didn’t have any other intentions in letting you into the car.”
Song Yuanxi’s smile faltered for a moment: “…”
The initial impression of me is just too stubborn. Even now, he’s worried I’m the type of guy who makes money by selling his body and is afraid I’m lusting after him. That’s why he keeps telling me not to overthink it.
Sigh…
Mainly, the place we met last time was just wrong!
“Yes, I’m not overthinking it! Teacher Liang Han, I know. You’re a straight man, and I’m a straight man too. I don’t have any other thoughts!”
Song Yuanxi guaranteed him once again.
Liang Han gave an “Mhm” but didn’t quite believe it in his heart.
He knew that after he had expressed himself several times, even if the other party had ideas, they would learn to pretend otherwise out of fear of offending him.
He had encountered this plenty of times before people saying proper things and acting normal, appearing as if they were purely learning from him during filming.
But after just one private dinner, the other party would develop other ideas and come knocking on his hotel door in the middle of the night.
So, whether or not the boy truly lacked ulterior motives remained to be seen through his future behavior.
But for now, the boy had stated his stance, which was the effect Liang Han wanted. His repeated reminders were meant to make the boy hide his little schemes well.
After all, he highly favored him for the role in the drama and didn’t want a “sexual” relationship to ruin the plan.
Liang Han didn’t want to dwell on this topic and asked, “You said just now you came to find me because you need my help?”
Song Yuanxi certainly remembered his purpose. Seeing him take the initiative to ask, he felt this was a great opportunity. Daring not to waste time, he hurriedly spoke about his problem: “Yes, Teacher Liang Han. I came to find you because I really want to beg for your help. I’ve encountered a major difficulty.”
Liang Han’s brow quivered slightly: “How so? What difficulty?”
He had already given him the audition opportunity; he couldn’t think of what else the boy needed help with.
Perhaps he was desperately short on money?
He was a waiter there last time, and now he was out of a job.
Song Yuanxi bit his lip, organized his thoughts, and said truthfully: “I offended a leader at my company. Now the company is making things difficult for me and won’t let me act.”
Liang Han’s expression paused. He glanced sideways at him: “You have a company? Then why did you go to the club before?”
Song Yuanxi hurriedly explained: “Because the company won’t let me act and I have no income, I thought I’d find a job as a waiter to tide me over.”
On this matter, he told a small lie. After all, he couldn’t let Liang Han know he had previously wanted to find Shen Yu to be his boss.
That wasn’t a very glorious matter, but most importantly, Liang Han and Shen Yu were clearly at odds, which would be detrimental to his plan.
He said, “I didn’t know that place was like that. Initially, I just thought the salary was high and went to try it out.”
This wasn’t entirely a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Therefore, when Song Yuanxi spoke, he lacked confidence and didn’t sound upright enough.
Liang Han swept a glance at him, noticing that his words weren’t as firm as when he was outside the car.
It seemed there were things he didn’t know, or things that made this young boy feel guilty.
But that was normal. If he had originally intended to “hug a thigh” or find a sugar daddy for resources, how could he be self-righteous?
This boy didn’t look like someone with such thick skin.
Liang Han didn’t speak; his expression was somewhat contemplative.
Not rejecting him directly meant there was hope. Song Yuanxi continued to explain: “I went to a production to audition before. The interviewer, Teacher Shao Dong, thought highly of me. He said I was good and told me to wait for news. But my manager said I wasn’t suitable, told me I was rejected, and sent me back to my lodging.”
“…”
Liang Han’s gaze paused. This time, he was genuinely surprised.
He turned his head to look at Song Yuanxi, his tone rising slightly: “Shao Dong interviewed you?”
He pinpointed the key detail accurately.
Song Yuanxi nodded. This was finally his chance to properly introduce himself to Liang Han: “Yes, I previously auditioned for the role of the Prince of Liang, Li Hongsheng.”
Liang Han stared at him. He understood quickly. His eyes narrowed, and his gaze turned calm: “You are Song Yuanxi?”
He hadn’t remembered the name before until Shao Dong specifically emphasized it in his ear; only then did he have an impression.
In that instant, for some reason, his mood suddenly plummeted.
So the person Shao Dong called about that day was him. He had actually gone to the audition site to find him.
He hadn’t lied.
But in the next second, Liang Han thought: If that’s the case, he didn’t come to find me simply because he liked me or wanted to pester me. He sought me out for the role, just so he could act in the production.
“…”
This should have been a good thing. He had wanted the boy to act and didn’t want to be pestered.
Yet, for reasons he couldn’t explain, he felt somewhat disgruntled.
Perhaps it was because Shao Dong had praised him to the heavens that day, while Liang Han had said “I don’t think so,” only to discover now that the person he favored was the very one Shao Dong had praised.
It felt a bit like a slap to the face.
Liang Han found a logical reason for his annoyance, but his expression became cold and his tone heavy: “So you’re looking for me now because you want me to persuade your company to let you join the cast?”
Song Yuanxi’s expression froze. This wasn’t actually his goal.
He wanted to act, but if he didn’t leave his current company, he would continue to be restricted at every turn.
Song Yuanxi felt a bit embarrassed and spoke softly: “I’ve had a falling out with the company; I’m afraid they won’t budge. And even if they do, they’ll certainly limit my rights and opportunities to act in the future.”
“…”
Liang Han placed his hand on the steering wheel, looking at the quiet garage exit. His fingers tapped lightly, and the atmosphere felt quite heavy.
Song Yuanxi watched him, unsure of what he was thinking. Before, he could act pitifully to get Liang Han to listen.
But now, he couldn’t rely on acting pitiful to move him into helping with a contract termination.
After a while, Liang Han spoke quietly: “So, what exactly do you want from me?”
But before Song Yuanxi could answer, Liang Han guessed his intention almost instantly: “Help you terminate your contract?”
Song Yuanxi looked at him, his gaze serious. He nodded: “Yes, I want to terminate my contract with the company! I want to sign with your studio—you would be my boss!”
His tone was very solemn: “Don’t worry, I won’t let your money go to waste. I will work hard at acting to make money for you in the future! You definitely won’t lose out! Aside from acting, I won’t cause any trouble at all. I’ll just work hard to make money!”
Liang Han looked at him and fell strangely silent: “…”
So this boy sought him out to sign with his studio, hoping he would help him escape the exploitation of the talent agency.
It wasn’t because he had a crush on him or wanted to use tactics to pursue him?
After Song Yuanxi finished speaking, he stared at Liang Han. Seeing his silence, he figured his verbal promises weren’t convincing enough.
“I can show you the dramas I’ve filmed. I believe my acting is decent, and I can definitely make money for you in the future!”
He reached into his backpack, intending to pull out his materials for Liang Han to see.
Liang Han raised a hand to stop him and said calmly: “There’s no need. Even if your acting is excellent, I can’t help you.”
“?”
Song Yuanxi paused his hand and looked up at him, not understanding.
Liang Han met his confused gaze, then looked away: “My studio doesn’t sign artists.”
“…”
Song Yuanxi didn’t speak, and found it hard to believe.
Does Liang Han just not want to sign me and is making up an excuse?
Perhaps the disbelief in his eyes was too obvious, as Liang Han said seriously: “I really don’t sign anyone. I have no desire to sign artists to train and develop. I don’t have that plan and never intended to.”
He acted purely because he loved it. Later, going behind the scenes and investing was about developing his career, but he had zero interest in turning his studio into a talent agency.
Otherwise, Shao Dong wouldn’t have left the studio after becoming a partner. Shao Dong knew the work of a manager best; if they were to sign artists, he would inevitably have to take over the management work.
“There isn’t even a manager in my studio. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Shao Dong.”
Song Yuanxi stared at Liang Han. From his tone and expression, he was certain the man wasn’t lying.
He truly had no intention of signing artists.
“…”
So, targeting Liang Han was a mistake.
The man wasn’t going to be his boss.
Song Yuanxi’s expression plummeted instantly. He gave a dejected “Oh”: “I understand. So that’s how it is.”
Liang Han’s gaze fell on his cheeks, which had suddenly turned a bit pale. His fingers twitched.
Since it was impossible, there was no point in continuing; it would only waste both their time.
Song Yuanxi shouldered his bag properly and said apologetically: “I’m sorry. I thought your studio signed people, which is why I thought of asking for your help.”
If he didn’t sign people, then he couldn’t force it.
It seemed he could only go back and find a new target.
Song Yuanxi felt it was a pity. He unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbed the door handle, and said to Liang Han: “Teacher Liang Han, that was what I wanted to talk about, and now I’ve said it. Since it’s not convenient, I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ll head back now. You should go back and rest early too.”
Having said that, he turned his head and opened the door, preparing to get out.
“How much do you need?”
Liang Han asked suddenly.
Song Yuanxi’s step faltered. He turned back, his expression a bit stunned: “What?”
Liang Han cleared his throat and asked again: “How much is the liquidated damages for your contract termination?”