143: I have myself

Shen Lian and Song Yuan's conversation ended on a sour note.

As for the threatening look Song Yuan gave him before leaving, Shen Lian didn't take it to heart.

After the event ended, Shen Lian returned to Star Opening.

He needed to coordinate his next tasks with Hu Kailan. Halfway through their conversation, there was a gentle knock on the door.

The door was open, so he could see Chen Mu standing there as soon as he looked up.

Chen Mu was panting slightly, with beads of sweat on the tip of his nose, as if he had rushed over in a hurry.

Hu Kailan could tell Chen Mu had something to say, so he stood up from the sofa and made an excuse. "Right, I have something to take care of over there."

As Hu Kailan reached the door, his eyes met Chen Mu's, and both nodded politely to each other.

Chen Mu had changed a lot; that was Hu Kailan's first impression.

Chen Mu had talent and Shen Lian's endorsement, but even so, he wouldn't get top-tier resources right away. Kuang Chenghai was still very strict about the caliber of his artists. However, as long as Chen Mu was given a little bit of fairness, he could be like a withered tree in spring, blooming with eye-catching new buds.

"Oh," Shen Lian said with a smile. "Doing well lately?"

The white tracksuit Chen Mu was wearing was likely sponsored; Shen Lian remembered the brand and thought it might be one of Chen Mu's endorsed products. He no longer looked rustic and silent; he had a slightly curled hairstyle that immediately made his face look more structured, making him appear several years younger.

Actually, if one calculated carefully, Chen Mu was only twenty-four years old—not very old at all.

"Teacher Shen." Chen Mu stepped forward but couldn't bring himself to smile. He pursed his lips for a moment before speaking, his voice full of apology. "Song Yuan caused trouble for you, didn't he?"

Shen Lian frowned. "Are you still in contact with Song Yuan?"

Otherwise, how would Chen Mu know?

"Not really," Chen Mu said. "It's more like unilateral harassment from him."

Recently, Chen Mu didn't even know how many of Song Yuan's accounts he had blacklisted. The man seemed completely infuriated, his words contradictory—at times threatening and bribing, at others reminiscing about the past with Chen Mu. What was reflected between the lines was close to that of a schizophrenic patient.

"Then you don't need to worry about it," Shen Lian said. "Just stay at Star Opening with peace of mind."

Seeing this, Chen Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was quite afraid of causing trouble for others.

"Sit." Shen Lian gestured toward the sofa opposite him and then poured a glass of water for Chen Mu.

After sitting down, Chen Mu wiped the sweat from his face.

There was a kind of simplicity about him that couldn't be stripped away, whether by wind and rain or by the brilliant lights of fame. It was a background color close to the earth's tolerance—silent and enduring. Previously, some netizens commented that Chen Mu wasn't popular because he was inherently rustic, but Shen Lian disagreed; in spiritually fertile soil, no matter how dry it looked, vibrant life could sprout once a single drop of water fell.

"I think..." Shen Lian said softly, "with your aesthetic, you shouldn't have been interested in someone like Song Yuan."

Chen Mu was slightly stunned upon hearing this. After a moment, he said, "When I first met Song Yuan, he wasn't like this."

Song Yuan, the eldest son of the Song family, should have been basking in glory. However, his mother was forced to leave in a panic by a mistress who moved into their home. Along with her, Song Yuan lived as an ordinary person for about two years.

That was when Chen Mu met him.

"At that time, besides playing some walk-on roles, I also worked part-time jobs," Chen Mu said. "I was short on money, so I did anything. Once at a night stall, Song Yuan got drunk and got into a fight with some people. It was one against four, and he didn't win. He was beaten black and blue, and I was the one who took him to the hospital."

Song Yuan woke up after arriving at the hospital, and the two became acquainted from then on.

Chen Mu was a very qualified listener; you could completely pour out your troubles to him without worrying about being backstabbed or ridiculed.

Over time, Song Yuan became very willing to befriend Chen Mu.

As for the subsequent romance, Chen Mu could only describe it as "falling into place naturally."

"He was the one who confessed to me first," Chen Mu said with a faint expression. "I also reminded him not to mistake temporary gratitude for love. He said he was sure, that he liked me."

Chen Mu had been lonely for a long time. After hearing Song Yuan's words, he was silent for a while and suddenly wanted to try living as a couple.

After all, at that moment, Song Yuan's eyes were full of sincerity.

Chen Mu's heart was moved in an instant.

It was indeed sweet for a while at the beginning, but thinking back carefully now, the only one truly immersed in it was Chen Mu. To Song Yuan, he was more of a harbor where he could discard his troubles and escape reality, but this harbor was not wealthy.

How could Song Yuan know that what Chen Mu gave him during their relationship was already the limit of what he could offer?

Song Yuan enjoyed it with a clear conscience. Then, after the Song family reshuffled and he was taken back, he gradually reduced his contact with Chen Mu.

Chen Mu knew his background was extraordinary and understood Song Yuan's busyness. But then one day, Song Yuan appeared before him in a brand-name suit, riding in a luxury car. He called out "Chen Mu" indifferently, his gaze already becoming unattainable.

Song Yuan took Chen Mu to Xiguang Media.

Chen Mu still remembered that night in the CEO's office at Luminous. Song Yuan stood by the window in a silent posture, distancing himself from Chen Mu. Then Song Yuan said, "Chen Mu, letting you enter Luminous is my repayment. As for anything else, don't even think about it."

A sense of confusion appeared in Chen Mu's eyes. He really wanted to say that it was clearly Song Yuan who crossed the line first, who spoke of liking him and promised a future.

Chen Mu knew that Song Yuan looked down on his status.

Or it could be said that Song Yuan despised his former self who had been stepped into the mud. His ambitions were as high as the sky; now that he had taken everything back, why would he need that simple, clean harbor?

Song Yuan believed that people come and go for the sake of profit, and Chen Mu must have had some ulterior motive regarding him.

But if it weren't for that single contract, Chen Mu would have left long ago.

As for Song Yuan's suppression and humiliation, in Chen Mu's eyes, he was like a willful child, recklessly hurting others for his own comfort.

"Song Yuan and I have long been even," Chen Mu said. "He needed a lot of money before returning to the Song family, and I gave him all my savings. Later at Xiguang, I didn't even earn it back."

Shen Lian listened quietly and suddenly gave a snort of laughter. "So he's just being despicable, then."

"Yeah," Chen Mu nodded.

According to the situation at the time, Song Yuan didn't want to let Chen Mu go. With the contract in hand, there were plenty of ways to force him to renew. However, the favoritism and power Song Yuan gave Shi Zhujie were so great that Shi Zhujie impatiently sent that termination notice to Chen Mu's email. By the time Song Yuan got the news and rushed to stop it, the deal was done.

Shen Lian suddenly raised an eyebrow, looking at Chen Mu differently. "In other words, you knew Song Yuan still liked you."

Chen Mu: "I've known all along."

In the depths of his eyes was a clarity like the vast sea and blue sky.

"But Teacher Shen, I loathe that kind of love." Chen Mu looked out the window. "I don't want to accompany Song Yuan as he grows up. I have myself."

Shen Lian was somewhat shocked. He thought Chen Mu was following the script of a "sacrificial supporting male lead," but looking at it now, he was clearly a "clear-headed protagonist."

Outside the door, a figure stood silently.

Feng Yueshan had come to find Shen Lian to hang out, only to overhear such a conversation.