Shao Dong looked at his face full of certainty. Even as a long-term partner, he found it a bit hard to watch and couldn’t help but want to retort. Occasionally rubbing away Liang Han’s sharp edges was a very fulfilling task.
His tone was full of an unyielding attitude: “That’s not for sure! You might have just not met them yet. What if you meet them in the future? If an ‘old house catches fire’ (a metaphor for falling in love late in life), it’ll be quite the spectacle.”
Liang Han scoffed at such words: “There’s no ‘not for sure.’ I’m not like you, full of overflowing emotions every day. As for an old house catching fire, not only am I not old, but even if I were, I’m fireproof.”
Shao Dong: “…” This guy is still completely impenetrable. It seems I won’t be rubbing away his sharp edges today.
Liang Han didn’t want to continue listening to this unnutritious nonsense, nor did he want to argue. He simply instructed: “Since the casting isn’t settled, continue the auditions. No matter who it is, let me know when they arrive. I want to personally watch the process.”
It seemed he wanted to flip the page on this topic entirely.
Shao Dong knew Liang Han didn’t have much patience; that bit of banter just now was only an occasional indulgence. He quickly reigned in his playfulness. He nodded seriously, returning to his role as a steady partner: “Of course. The final result will definitely be put before you for the final say.”
“Good.”
Just then, Liang Han’s phone rang. He didn’t continue the topic, focusing his attention on the incoming call. Shao Dong also quieted down, using his phone to communicate work matters with subordinates while keeping an eye on Liang Han.
Liang Han answered the phone; it was Director Cen Ping, with whom he had worked before. Cen Ping was up there in years and hadn’t filmed much recently while resting. Due to a change in his family circumstances, he planned to come out and earn some money. Hearing that Liang Han had started this major production, he intended to contact him to give it a try.
After all, Liang Han had always been generous and never mistreated his partners or employees in terms of compensation.
“I’ve arranged a dinner gathering this weekend. I hope you’ll do me the honor of coming over for a chat. I’m very interested in your new project.”
Liang Han didn’t refuse outright. Since they had worked together before and had some friendship, he hummed in agreement.
After hanging up, he told Shao Dong about it. Shao Dong was also in favor of him going: “We haven’t settled on a director yet anyway. Going for a meal and a chat is good. Director Cen’s skill level isn’t bad; maybe he’ll be suitable.”
Liang Han had the same consideration; otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to go out for dinner just now. He soon received a message from Cen Ping with the specific location and time.
Linhu Clubhouse, Hanhai Pavilion, Saturday at 8:00 PM.
…
As 8:00 PM approached and the sky darkened, Song Yuanxi wore a black mask. He looked up at the sign of the Linhu Clubhouse and whispered: “Are you sure Shen Yu is coming here for dinner tonight?”
Linhu Clubhouse occupied a massive area, encompassing the entire lakeside hillside, which is how it got its name. Its location was somewhat remote, yet it was brilliantly lit at night. From the shadows visible through the glass windows, one could see the grand occasion of people coming and going.
Song Yuanxi withdrew his gaze. His dark pupils, illuminated by the lights against the dim sky, were very dazzling. His gaze remained charming, and the skin exposed from the edges of his mask was white and tender. At a glance, one could tell he was a handsome guy. People passing by couldn’t help but steal a few looks at him.
“I’m sure!” Xu Rao’s voice came through the earphones.
Ever since he told Song Yuanxi he would help research candidates, he had been asking around everywhere. At first, he had no clues, but then his gaze fell on the TV King, Shen Yu, who was in the same production crew. He realized that this was also a good target.
As a newly minted TV King, Shen Yu’s fame was already nearing that of Film Emperor Liang Han; naturally, he was not to be underestimated. Shen Yu also fit the requirements of being wealthy, having a background, and having a network. Moreover, his family opened a company, he had his own resources, and his studio was somewhat famous in the industry. Objectively speaking, he could withstand the pressure from Huanhai.
Furthermore, Shen Yu had no rumors of being gay; he only had a secret girlfriend that the public didn’t know about. From this point of view, being an artist under his studio was also relatively safe.
Of course, another point was that Shen Yu had little interaction with Huanhai, and his personal friendship with Huanhai’s executives was average. However, Shen Yu wasn’t the best target; there were others better than him.
As Xu Rao spoke, his tone carried a bit of regret: “Actually, if you could get in touch with Liang Han, that would be even better! He’s wealthier than Shen Yu, has a deeper background, and no gay rumors. I’ve even heard he’s incredibly upright in private. Anyway, he has no moral or legal issues that people criticize, and even the paparazzi can’t catch anything, which shows he’s more reliable. It’s just that I don’t have that network and can’t reach him. So, now we can only settle for the next best thing and try Shen Yu.”
Song Yuanxi smiled after hearing this. His eyes narrowed, and he said with great self-awareness: “I wouldn’t dare think about Liang Han.”
He naturally knew Liang Han was more powerful than Shen Yu. This man was a prominent figure in the circle, practically a legend with high talent. He won awards right when he debuted, and in his decade-plus career, he had almost created a myth for actors in the industry. Even though he didn’t act much now, the mention of his name would still make many people flock to him.
However, since he failed this audition, the company had certainly smeared his name to Liang Han’s side; otherwise, they wouldn’t have rejected him despite the good audition results. He feared Liang Han’s side would now think he had issues. Even if Liang Han was upright, it didn’t mean he would be soft-hearted enough to help him out.
In fact, precisely because he was upright, Song Yuanxi had also heard many rumors saying Liang Han was very difficult to talk to. Because he had always held a high status and strong ability, his personality was also very strong, and he had his own temper and opinions. Forget the fact that neither he nor Xu Rao had the network even if they did, the other party might not necessarily be willing to give him a hand.
He was just a newcomer who had just entered the circle. How could he get Liang Han to value him or believe in his character enough to stand up for him? He didn’t have that kind of confidence.
Song Yuanxi told his friend his thoughts truthfully: “Liang Han’s status is too high, he’s a bit far away. Even if you had the network, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be qualified to contact someone like that.”
Hearing him say this, Xu Rao felt he was being a bit too unconfident and pessimistic, and couldn’t help but comfort him: “Don’t say that. Your acting is very good, you’re good-looking, a ‘potential stock.’ How are you not qualified? You aren’t worse than any other newcomers; maybe he would take a liking to you?”
Being praised, Song Yuanxi gave a sweet smile. He felt very grateful in his heart and didn’t continue to argue with his friend, accepting the kindness: “Mhm. Maybe. You’re right.”
Since he couldn’t contact him anyway, there was no harm in following his friend’s logic.
Xu Rao breathed a sigh of relief: “Yeah, you need to be more confident. You’re just too good-looking and yet you aren’t confident; others look at you and think your personality is soft, which is why your company and manager dare to bully you like that.”
“…” Song Yuanxi hummed twice: “I understand.”
But having said that, Xu Rao only branched out on the topic of Liang Han for a moment. Ultimately, he still had self-awareness, and Xu Rao soon brought the topic back.
“My assistant heard Shen Yu’s assistant making a phone call at the film set today. the news is definitely correct. He has a dinner gathering there tonight, Yushui Pavilion at Linhu Clubhouse. I even found out the name of the private room. And from what his assistant said, the people eating with him aren’t of low status either; anyway, they should all be people with names and reputations in the circle.”
Xu Rao happened to be filming in the same crew as Shen Yu recently and specifically asked his assistant to check out the situation on Shen Yu’s side. Sure enough, he found out.
“You should go over and check out the situation. Observe his character in private. Later, I’ll find another opportunity for you to come to the set and chat with him privately. If you find he’s unsuitable, you can look for someone else so as not to waste too much time.”
After all, they still didn’t know him well, so Xu Rao wasn’t certain Shen Yu would definitely be suitable. He originally thought about giving Shen Yu’s contact information to Song Yuanxi to let him reach out, but he feared it would be too abrupt and backfire in the rush. It was better to investigate and test first; choosing a boss is also a task requiring a keen eye.
Song Yuanxi hummed: “I will.”
Xu Rao asked again, worried: “Are you okay going there alone?”
Song Yuanxi gave a definitive answer: “Yes, I can do it.”
“Then let’s leave it at that for now. Contact me anytime if anything happens. Be careful.”
Xu Rao was still at the film set and couldn’t come to accompany him, and it would be easy to blow their cover. This matter could only be done by Song Yuanxi himself. Even if he couldn’t, he had to. After all, this was Song Yuanxi’s own business; he couldn’t rely on others for everything. Even as a close friend, the other person had their own things to do.
Song Yuanxi put away his phone and looked up again. Although the Linhu Clubhouse looked somewhat different from the clubhouses he imagined, he wouldn’t know the specific situation without going in to check for himself. He stepped toward the clubhouse entrance.
His figure was slender and tall, his walking posture upright and elegant. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt and black casual pants. The clothes weren’t form-fitting, yet as the wind blew past, the lines of his waist were still very obvious the curve was narrow and thin. His back view looked fragile yet carried a kind of taut beauty, like a cluster of resilient ink bamboo swaying in the breeze, with an unparalleled grace.
If he were to change into a Hanfu, with a cinched waist and wide-sleeved robe, looking at him this way, he would surely be an aristocratic young master with a fine figure and outstanding temperament.
…
Liang Han leaned against the rear car window and narrowed his eyes.
He had overseen the writing of the script for The Grand Chancellor and had read the original novel carefully several times. He naturally had his own views on the main characters in his heart. Regarding the Heir of Prince Liang, that aristocratic young master, he also had a self-constructed image in his mind.
The person walking into the clubhouse lobby not far away, from an external perspective, fit his imagination perfectly. He just didn’t know what the front of his face looked like, or if it could reach the “pearl and jade” quality described in the book.
However, it was too late to call the person to a stop at this time; he could only regretfully watch the back of the figure disappear into the doorway. It was a bit of a pity; if he looked good, perhaps he could be brought in to be cultivated.
“What are you looking at?” Shao Dong poked his head over, following Liang Han’s gaze, trying to catch a clue.
Liang Han had already withdrawn his gaze: “Nothing. Looking at the scenery.”
“Scenery?” Shao Dong was even more surprised. Not quite able to understand, he asked curiously: “There’s scenery here that you would look at? Didn’t you say this was just a den of gold-melting debauchery? You didn’t even want to come before, and now you’ve taken a liking to the scenery?”
Upon receiving Cen Ping’s message and knowing the dinner location was Linhu Clubhouse, Liang Han had shown great disdain. On a previous occasion when he went for a meal, he had experienced the situation there: complex personnel and a messy atmosphere. Afterward, he stopped going there. He didn’t have much of a taste for this flashy, superficial style, nor did he like eating in such clubhouses. In the past, when others invited him here for dinner gatherings, he basically refused them all.
When discussing matters, he preferred to do so in private areas he liked and was familiar with. Outsiders didn’t know the reason and simply thought he was busy. He didn’t expect Cen Ping to also choose that place for dinner. If he hadn’t promised the man beforehand, he wouldn’t have come tonight.
Shao Dong hadn’t originally planned to come, but seeing the situation, he followed along anyway. He was afraid Liang Han would change his mind halfway and not go, or that Cen Ping would offend him.
“Are you afraid of something?” Shao Dong felt a playful urge and teased him: “No one there can do anything to you, right?”
Liang Han leaned his head back, watching the assistant drive the car to the parking area, and gave a hum: “What am I afraid of? I’m just annoyed. They can’t do anything to me, but being pestered by people is also annoying.”
“There are actually people who can pester you and not let go? I thought that as soon as you stood there, others would be scared off by your aura; no one would dare touch the tiger’s whiskers.”
Shao Dong began to laugh: “If someone is truly that bold, then I’m actually looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of clever person it will be.”
Liang Han’s expression was cold and stern: “Then you can give up on that. Anyone who dares to pester me will only be driven away by me. No need to look forward to it.”
Shao Dong was choked into silence by him again: “Only a ‘Single Magician’ like you could say such a thing. Wait until the day you wise up and have someone you like let’s see if you can still say those words then.”
Liang Han replied with a cold snort, his expression triumphant, clearly not believing that day would ever come.