126: Can't get along

Shen Lian stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression slightly cold yet composed.

He had already met Chen Mu, so he tilted his head slightly to size up the other two. As expected, they weren't to his liking; they didn't even need to introduce themselves, as their faces were practically screaming words like "mercenary" and "sycophant."

Those two clearly recognized Shen Lian. After all, he had been very popular lately. It was rumored that Su Niansheng, the best actor, had an advertisement endorsement practically in his pocket until an executive evaluated it and gave it to Shen Lian instead.

Despite Su Niansheng having such powerful backing, he hadn't said a word about it.

Say something? Fat chance. This was Sun Binghe snatching it away. Trying to dig something out of Special Assistant Sun's hands was nothing but a dream.

"T-Teacher Shen." One of them looked embarrassed, perhaps because Shen Lian's mention of "bullying" had struck a nerve. He stammered an explanation: "You've misunderstood, we're acquaintances of Chen Mu."

"I know you're acquaintances," Shen Lian nodded. "But did that stop the two of you from trying to kick him out? What, are you the organizers of tonight's chamber of commerce?"

The other party forced a smile and said, "We wouldn't dare."

Shen Lian didn't want to waste words. He turned to look at Chen Mu and tilted his head, signaling for him to leave.

Surprise flashed in Chen Mu's eyes; he hadn't expected Shen Lian to help him. Grateful, he immediately bypassed the two men and followed Shen Lian off the terrace smoothly.

"Teacher Shen," Chen Mu stayed half a step behind Shen Lian, speaking cautiously. "Thank you."

Shen Lian glanced at him sideways with a faint smile. "You have such a good temper?"

If it were him, he would have kicked those two into a corner long ago.

Chen Mu showed a hint of bitterness. "I have no choice. One must bow when under another's roof."

He didn't elaborate, and Shen Lian didn't ask. Hu Kailan saw Shen Lian and waved for him to come over, so the two of them parted ways.

As he approached, Hu Kailan glanced in the direction Chen Mu had disappeared and then asked Shen Lian, "That seemed to be an artist from Xiguang Media, named Mu something?"

"Chen Mu," Shen Lian added. "Brother Hu knows him?"

"Yeah, his acting is decent, but he's never been able to make it big," Hu Kailan said. "His contract with Xiguang Media is probably about to expire, right? Mainly because he doesn't make money, and I heard he offended someone."

Shen Lian: "Song Yuan?"

Hu Kailan's eyes widened. "How do you know everything?"

"I heard it by accident," Shen Lian said. "I'm far behind a 'know-it-all' like you."

Hu Kailan accepted the flattery and felt like sharing some light gossip with Shen Lian: "I heard Chen Mu followed Song Yuan for a year, but Chen Mu doesn't have much of a 'hook.' Song Yuan probably got bored, so they split up. That person..." Hu Kailan tilted his chin toward a certain direction, "Shi Zhujie, seems to be the newcomer by Song Yuan's side. Xiguang is pushing him hard. I heard his family is very wealthy and he's just playing around in the industry."

Shen Lian narrowed his eyes at Shi Zhujie just as the other turned around.

Fair-skinned and delicate, he had an air of innocence that hadn't been battered by society. Both in temperament and looks, he was the complete opposite of Chen Mu.

Shen Lian skipped the topic and asked, "What do you need me to do next?"

Hu Kailan immediately took Shen Lian to meet several senior producers and screenwriters, adding their contact information—all of which were valuable resources.

After a round like this, over an hour had passed. A message from Chu Yilan came in: [Not finished yet?]

Shen Lian replied: [Almost. Where are you?]

[Outside the venue.]

[Coming in?]

Chu Yilan: [No.]

These so-called big events in the entertainment industry were just one link in Chu Yilan's asset chain; he didn't need to show them any face.

On the contrary, Shen Lian wasn't worried at all about what kind of waves Chu Yilan would cause if he entered; how would they explain it then?

In fact, Shen Lian didn't intend to lean towards being a 'traffic star' in this life. So, he didn't really maintain his Social Media Platform or other public-facing social media. He carefully selected scripts, even if it was just a supporting role, wanting to rely on acting and skill to take a different path.

Perhaps the progress would be slower and not as dazzlingly high-profile, but it was the direction he liked—no need to deliberately maintain relationships with fans, focusing on the freedom to come and go.

Otherwise, according to the commotion in his previous life, would a bunch of Young Girls follow you every day, chasing you, spending money on rankings and merchandise just to watch you fall in love?

Shen Lian didn't want to waste the fans' sincerity. By becoming an excellent actor with more viewers, the level of tolerance would be greater. After all, he intended to go public with Chu Yilan and give him a formal status in the future.

Even if their relationship were truly exposed, Shen Lian wasn't afraid. Before he arrived, this man had already suffered a lot of grievances. If they continued to be secretive in the future, what would that look like?

He thought this way, and so did Chu Yilan.

Shen Lian didn't want to rely on traffic, but he attracted it. Chu Yilan knew he was currently in the rising stage of his career and hadn't completely succeeded in his transition yet, so he didn't want to add unnecessary trouble.

Chu Yilan told Shen Lian not to rush and to come out after finishing his business.

After waiting a while longer, people finally began to leave the venue one after another.

"President Song, you've only just arrived? Aren't you in a hurry to see us old friends?" A crowd of people clustered around the entrance. The man standing in the center had a cold expression and looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five; one could tell at a glance he wasn't from within the industry.

Song Yuan.

Hearing those words, Shen Lian roughly guessed his identity.

"Song Yuan!" Shi Zhujie's shout confirmed Shen Lian's suspicion.

He happily ran past Shen Lian and then stood still beside Song Yuan. He looked like he wanted to take his arm but held himself back.

Song Yuan looked sideways and exchanged a smiling glance with Shi Zhujie. To anyone watching, there was a sense of lingering affection; their relationship was clearly not simple.

Shen Lian's pace didn't falter as he passed by their side.

Song Yuan felt a touch of elegant beauty drift past his eyes and subconsciously turned to look at Shen Lian.

"That is..."

"Shen Lian," the executive who had been talking earlier added, his eyes overflowing with envy. "The current star of Star Opening. His qualities are truly excellent."

Shi Zhujie subconsciously observed Song Yuan's expression.

Song Yuan only nodded slightly, indicating he understood.

Once the executive left, Song Yuan asked Shi Zhujie softly, "Did today go smoothly?"

"Smoothly," Shi Zhujie said, then paused. "I saw Chen Mu."

Song Yuan frowned. "Did he cause trouble for you?"

"Not really," Shi Zhujie continued. "But he seemed to have some conflict with Sun Ming and the others."

Sun Ming was one of those who had cornered Chen Mu on the terrace. Song Yuan's expression turned cold. Then he heard Shi Zhujie let out a small "Eh?" and turned his head. Sure enough, he saw Chen Mu waiting for a car not far below the steps.

Song Yuan's face immediately became as cold as frost. One would have thought Chen Mu had done something unforgivable in that single second.

Chen Mu also wanted to avoid them, but he had run right into them. Seeing Song Yuan's face, he knew he was in for bad luck again. Apologize? Give up resources?

The former didn't matter, but the latter... he didn't have any resources left to give.

Vehicles drove back and forth, blocking Song Yuan's line of sight.

A Bentley pulled up in front of him, and as the car door opened, Shen Lian raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Shall I give you a lift?"

Chen Mu's eyes lit up.

Although he knew it wasn't good to disturb Shen Lian like this, it was the fastest way to escape his current predicament.

By the time the traffic cleared, Song Yuan found that Chen Mu had disappeared.