Jiang Yun had no idea what Jiang Liyue was up to.
Jiang Liyue was arguably the most talented yet the strangest artist she had ever managed. He wasn’t formally trained, and to this day, Jiang Yun still didn’t know how he entered the entertainment industry or why he was there. One thing was certain: he wasn’t chasing superficial wealth.
Some said he had connections that got him in, while others claimed he was scouted because of his good looks. But from what Jiang Yun knew, Jiang Liyue wasn’t the type to be easily swayed by scouts. He was reserved, with a strong sense of purpose, and not someone who could be easily manipulated.
Another peculiar thing about him was his homophobia. Why call it peculiar? Because in the entertainment industry, it’s almost unheard of! Some fans even jokingly called him the “Leader of the Kongtong Sect.”
Currently, out of ten popular dramas, six were same-sex dramas, three were serious dramas, and one was neither. The trend was that a good same-sex drama would quickly bring both fame and fortune. But Jiang Liyue, being homophobic, couldn’t take on any of these roles.
When the higher-ups were assigning him an agent, several top agents wanted him because of his looks. Jiang Liyue rejected them all, stating he wanted a female agent. That’s how he ended up choosing Jiang Yun, who was only considered mid-level at the time.
Later, Jiang Yun realized that Jiang Liyue didn’t choose a top agent simply because he didn’t like men and even resisted same-sex dramas. When Jiang Yun first learned about his “quirks,” she spent sleepless nights trying to find a solution, losing quite a bit of hair in the process.
Fortunately, before she could come up with a plan, Jiang Liyue’s career took off. After all, Jiang Liyue not only had a face kissed by the gods but also acting skills that outshone many screen actors. In today’s entertainment industry, having either one of these qualities was enough to ensure a decent career.
As she was lost in thought, there was a polite knock on the door of the lounge. A moderate female voice followed, “Excuse me, is Mr. Jiang here? The photographer needs to reshoot a few actions.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liyue briefly frowned, quickly glanced at Zhao Chenxing, then stood up straight and said to Jiang Yun, “Sister Jiang, I’ll go for the reshoot first.”
After speaking, he seemed to want to add something, paused for a few seconds, then slightly bent down, looking at Zhao Chenxing with a pitiful expression, “Brother, I have to go work, you’ll have to wait for me a bit longer.”
This posture was so close that Zhao Chenxing felt the full impact of Jiang Liyue’s beauty, with his slender neck swaying right in front of him. He closed his eyes and pushed Jiang Liyue’s face away, quickly mumbling, “Alright, alright, I know, just go!”
Jiang Liyue let out a helpless chuckle, followed by the sound of his footsteps. With his long legs, he quickly left the lounge. Only when the door clicked shut did Zhao Chenxing feel at ease to open his eyes.
He looked up to see Jiang Yun staring at him with eyes wide like two bright balls, her lips slightly parted in a shocked expression. Zhao Chenxing tilted his head in confusion.
Jiang Yun snapped out of her shock, gently patting her chest that had been heaving from holding her breath, and asked in a shaky voice, “Mr. Zhao, may I ask about your relationship with Jiang Liyue?”
Zhao Chenxing replied in confusion, “We’re childhood friends, grew up together.”
Jiang Yun saw that his expression didn’t seem fake. Damn, she almost had a heart attack! Jiang Yun cursed inwardly. Jiang Liyue treated other men like they were venomous snakes or fierce beasts. But with this boy in front of her, it was like “heaven and hell.”
She couldn’t help but think of all the pure love stories she’d read on a certain green app over the years. After all, everyone in the industry knew the saying: “Homophobia equals deep closet.”
Originally, Jiang Yun thought this saying was an exception for Jiang Liyue, but now it seemed things were more complicated. After catching her breath, Jiang Yun smiled at Zhao Chenxing and said, “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just thought, from the way he acts around you, that you two might be in that kind of relationship.”
“What kind of relationship?”
“I thought you two were dating…”
Whether it was the word “dating” or the implication of the sentence, Zhao Chenxing reacted sensitively, shaking his head vigorously, his voice slightly loud and flustered, “Ah! How could that be! We can’t possibly be dating!”
Jiang Yun watched Zhao Chenxing’s clean denial and suddenly felt a bit sorry for Jiang Liyue. She sighed and said, “Jiang Liyue has always been quite averse to men. I don’t know if it started after he entered the entertainment industry or if it was there before.”
Zhao Chenxing lowered his eyes, his gaze deep, his voice distant, “Ah… it was there before.”
Jiang Yun waited for him to continue, but Zhao Chenxing said no more. He seemed lost in thought, his brows furrowed. With his eyes slightly closed, Jiang Yun took the opportunity to scrutinize Zhao Chenxing’s appearance.
With her years of experience in the entertainment industry, she could tell he had the kind of face that audiences would like. Not overly beautiful to the point of being unapproachable like a Tianshan snow lotus, nor too plain to be forgettable. His features weren’t prominent, but the harmony was memorable!
Like the chords of a piano, very pleasing, especially when he smiled with a mischievous look while sneaking glances at Jiang Liyue, it was perfect!
Jiang Yun didn’t know what she was imagining, but she let out a lewd laugh, pulling Zhao Chenxing back to reality from his memories.
Zhao Chenxing looked at Jiang Yun, thought for a moment, and asked casually, “By the way, Sister Jiang, can I ask about the movie Jiang Liyue won an award for?”
Jiang Yun was still in her auntie smile, but upon hearing the question, she lost her smile and said, “Alive? Why?”
“Yeah, were you with him during the filming?”
Jiang Yun bent over on the sofa, rubbing her temple with one hand, her voice muffled, “No, I was too busy at the time, managing several artists. Plus, Director Liu’s team was very well-organized, so he went alone.”
Then she leaned back against the sofa, staring at the white ceiling, “Sigh… I didn’t feel much when reading the script, but when the clips came out recently, I realized it would have been much better if someone had been with him…”
“I’ve always wanted to find him an assistant, but he doesn’t want one, it’s so frustrating!”
Hearing her last complaint, Zhao Chenxing chuckled, seeing how much Jiang Yun had worried about this, even slipping into her hometown accent.
“Find him a girl then, he definitely won’t want a guy.”
Jiang Yun replied with frustration, “Do you think I haven’t tried finding girls? Knowing his… preferences, I’ve found all kinds of girls for him! Gentle ones, mature ones, loli types, motherly types, chatterboxes… Damn! Thinking about it, it’s almost like a talent show!”
Zhao Chenxing initially frowned at the mention of various types of girls, wanting to say something, but burst into laughter at the last sentence, “Hahaha, a talent show! Spot on! And he didn’t choose any?”
“Sigh… it’s so hard.”
Jiang Yun looked at Zhao Chenxing’s sunny smile, confirming her earlier impression that he was just made for smiling, so infectious and healing. If he weren’t Jiang Liyue’s childhood friend, she would have asked if he had any interest in entering the entertainment industry.
Nowadays, netizens, having suffered in their real lives, often seek comfort and solace online. They particularly like celebrities with a sunny and cheerful persona, hoping to heal their inner wounds.
A currently popular traffic idol, Xiao Xingyang, had this persona. He was one of the regular MCs on “On the Road: Mixed Religion,” but due to the withdrawal of capital backing him, he was no longer participating.
Xiao Xingyang was very popular. Originally an internet celebrity, he gained fame by playing the piano online, with videos garnering millions of views. After being contacted by a talent scout from Fangce Films, he signed a contract.
He had the kind of puppy-like appearance that netizens loved, with distinctive eyes that drooped at the corners, giving him an inexplicable pitiful look. He quickly rose to fame with his rare puppy-like appearance and excellent piano skills, receiving numerous variety show invitations and appearing on various TV platforms and online variety shows.
In Jiang Yun’s view, if Zhao Chenxing entered the scene, would there still be room for Xiao Xingyang to shine? What a pity…
After Jiang Liyue left the room, the makeup artist intended to go in and touch up his makeup. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Liyue interrupted, “Let’s do it outside, teacher.”
The makeup artist was puzzled why they were doing it outside in the afternoon when they had done it inside in the morning. But when a voice from the studio called out, “Is Mr. Jiang here?” she quickly put her thoughts aside and led Jiang Liyue to the studio.
While touching up Jiang Liyue’s makeup, she once again marveled at how God had created him differently. It was like a teacher grading essays, easily distinguishing between those done with care and those without.
Jiang Liyue had deep-set eyes, long, slightly curled eyelashes, a high nose bridge, and when the light hit one side, it cast a stunning profile shadow on the other. His lips were slightly thin, with a pale color, but the shape was beautiful.
In the morning, while applying makeup, she noticed a small, inconspicuous red mole on the left corner of Jiang Liyue’s lips, which upon closer inspection, was quite sexy.
Suppressing her inappropriate urge to kiss it, the makeup artist quickly finished touching up Jiang Liyue’s makeup. She stepped back to assess the overall look, confirmed it was perfect, and signaled to the photographer.
The photographer was a woman with short hair, wearing a Hong Kong-style shirt. She looked ordinary, but her photography skills were renowned among all BS photographers. Her specialty was capturing the unique aura of artists.
“Mr. Jiang, the pose is for you to sit here, with one hand on the back of the chair. Yes, just like that. As for the expression… hold it like that, let me see the effect.”
Half an hour later, after reshooting several actions, the photographer reviewed the day’s shots on the computer.
“Mr. Jiang, your photo rate is very high, I’m a bit conflicted, haha,” the photographer, a cheerful woman, said to Jiang Liyue with a smile.
Jiang Liyue nodded, glanced at the photos on the screen, then quickly looked away, his face expressionless, his voice cold, “Teacher, where’s the jade pendant I took off during the shoot?”
“Oh, I gave it to my assistant, hold on.”
The photographer called out towards the studio lights, “Xiao An! Bring Mr. Jiang’s item over!”
Soon, a somewhat familiar woman jogged over to them. Jiang Liyue thought for a moment before recognizing “Xiao An” as the girl with yellow wavy hair who had been sitting next to Zhao Chenxing downstairs.
Zhou Xiaoan held a small red box, opened it, and handed it to Jiang Liyue, her voice unsteady, “Mr. Jiang, is this it?”
Inside the red box was a black jade pendant strung with a red cord.