Chapter 11: First Encounter, Hidden Thoughts

Tang Qu wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like Guan Yan had been staring at him ever since he sat down.

Tang Qu was also conflicted. Should he greet Guan Yan? After all, he was planning to enter the entertainment industry, and although he didn’t think he was inferior to Guan Yan, Guan Yan’s seniority was undeniable. It would be appropriate to acknowledge him as a senior.

If it were an ordinary person greeting Guan Yan, it wouldn’t matter if Guan Yan didn’t respond. But given the awkward situation between them, Tang Qu couldn’t bring himself to do it.

After wrestling with the thought for a while, Tang Qu decided to go ahead and greet him. Even if Guan Yan responded coldly, it wouldn’t matter.

But just as Tang Qu turned his head, he saw a man dressed in a refined manner walk up to Guan Yan and whisper something to him. Guan Yan’s expression shifted slightly in surprise, and as the man left, he shot Tang Qu a disdainful glance.

Tang Qu had his pride. If even the people around Guan Yan disliked him so openly, how much more must Guan Yan himself despise him? He had no interest in forcing a friendly gesture where it wasn’t welcome, so he abandoned the idea of greeting Guan Yan and focused on the movie instead.

As Tang Qu immersed himself in the film, he didn’t notice the man beside him staring at him again.

Guan Yan knew Tang Qu. A couple of days ago, he had called Tang Qu, only to be yelled at and hung up on. At the time, he thought the kid had quite the temper. Later, he heard about Tang Qu again from Old Zhang, who couldn’t stop praising him. Old Zhang even asked Guan Yan for a ticket to the movie premiere, and when Guan Yan found out it was for Tang Qu, he wasn’t sure why he agreed to give it. Now that he had met Tang Qu in person, he felt that Tang Qu was quite different from what he had expected.

Guan Yan had assumed Tang Qu would be an immature kid, but when he first saw Tang Qu earlier, he was struck by his presence. Tang Qu’s aura was so distinct, as if he naturally stood out in a crowd, radiating a sense of maturity that didn’t match his age.

What puzzled Guan Yan now was that Tang Qu had seemed about to greet him earlier, but then suddenly ignored him. Who would have thought that at his own movie premiere, the lead actor would be preoccupied with such a trivial thought about a stranger?

Tang Qu, completely absorbed in the movie, had already forgotten about Guan Yan. His entire focus was on the film.

“Light and Shadow” was a suspenseful movie that explored the duality of a person’s light and dark sides. It was also Guan Yan’s first time taking on dual roles in a single film. He played the protagonist, who suffered from dissociative identity disorder. During the day, he was a righteous and sunny individual, but at night, he transformed into a cold and ruthless person.

This balance had been maintained for a long time, but one day, the dark personality failed to appear. The righteous personality encountered people who had a grudge against the dark personality and ended up killing them by accident. From then on, the line between light and shadow began to blur.

The movie’s plot was tightly woven, and the performances were top-notch. It was a blockbuster that left a profound and impactful impression.

The movie ended, and Tang Qu finally snapped out of his reverie. He couldn’t help but marvel at Guan Yan’s current level of skill. Even if he were to act alongside Guan Yan, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t be overshadowed. And Guan Yan was only 25 years old, full of energy, with boundless possibilities ahead of him.

After the movie concluded, most people in the venue turned their attention to Guan Yan. Without a doubt, this film would become another significant milestone in Movie Emperor Guan’s illustrious career. To be more precise, every new movie of his brought fresh surprises to everyone.

Guan Yan had already left his seat to face the media interviews, and Tang Qu took this opportunity to slip away.

As he reached the exit, Tang Qu glanced back, his eyes meeting Guan Yan’s.

He had never seen such a gaze before.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, Tang Qu had encountered all kinds of looks—longing, flattering, feigned calmness, curiosity, and desire. But this was the first time he had seen Guan Yan’s calm, detached gaze. The spotlight was clearly on him, yet he acted as if it had nothing to do with him.

Tang Qu struggled to find the right words to describe it. After much thought, he realized it was a gaze of superiority. Guan Yan looked down on everyone as if they were mere ants, unworthy of his attention.

If anyone else had looked at people with such a gaze, Tang Qu would have found them unbearably arrogant. But when he saw Guan Yan, he felt that it was only fitting, that this was exactly how he should be.

This reminded Tang Qu of the online descriptions of Guan Yan—a godlike man, truly living up to the reputation.

Their eye contact was brief, and Tang Qu wasn’t even sure if Guan Yan had noticed him.

As Tang Qu left the screening room, he suddenly felt the urge to use the restroom. After asking a staff member for directions, he headed toward the bathroom.

While taking care of his business, someone else entered the restroom. The man moved with efficiency—unzipping and addressing his needs.

Perhaps it was a common trait among men, but Tang Qu couldn’t help but glance over. Then, he quickly averted his eyes. Damn, that’s huge!

Based on Tang Qu’s years of reading novels, this was definitely the standard hardware for a male protagonist.

Though his mind was racing with wild thoughts, Tang Qu’s hands didn’t stop moving.

When he was about to leave, he looked up and realized the man next to him was none other than Guan Yan!

Tang Qu was completely stunned!

He had just come to watch a movie. How could he run into Guan Yan everywhere?

But Guan Yan didn’t spare Tang Qu a single glance, focusing entirely on himself.

Not wanting to be a nuisance, Tang Qu quickly washed his hands. He had a small habit of washing his hands slowly, scrubbing them repeatedly. By the time Guan Yan came to wash his hands, Tang Qu was still there.

Through the mirror, Tang Qu clearly realized that he was nearly ten centimeters shorter than Guan Yan! How could Guan Yan be so tall?!

Tang Qu couldn’t stand the oppressive atmosphere of just the two of them and hurriedly finished washing his hands before leaving.

Guan Yan watched Tang Qu’s retreating figure with a thoughtful gaze.

As Tang Qu exited the restroom, he noticed his heart was beating a little faster. He chuckled to himself, amused that he had been intimidated by Guan Yan’s presence.

But it seemed he really needed to grow a bit taller. If he didn’t, he would lose out in terms of presence!

When Guan Yan came out, he happened to run into his agent.

“Yan Ge (Ge – Brother), why are you so slow this time?” The agent then leaned in closer and whispered, “Yan Ge , you don’t have any issues, do you?”

Guan Yan shot a glance at his agent.

The latter felt a chill run down his spine: “Bro, you’re my real brother! I was wrong, I was just joking!”

“I ran into a fan,” Guan Yan said before walking away.

The agent stood there, dumbfounded. So what if you ran into a fan in the bathroom? Don’t you have plenty of fans? But what’s with that slightly boastful tone of yours?