Chapter 21: Hidden Rules?

This was the first time Tang Qu had heard Guan Yan’s voice so close and so clearly—deep, resonant, and carrying a fatal allure.

For a moment, Tang Qu was dazed, but he quickly regained his composure and took a step back.

“Sorry for disturbing Movie Emperor Guan’s rest.”

Having been in the entertainment industry for a while, Tang Qu knew that many people put on a facade while acting differently behind the scenes. He didn’t deny Guan Yan’s acting skills, but whenever he thought about that one Weibo post, he just couldn’t bring himself to like Guan Yan.

Guan Yan looked at the obviously distant young man in front of him and frowned slightly.

“It’s fine.”

Tang Qu felt it was awkward for the two of them to stand in the hallway, so he quickly said, “Director Chen asked Brother Yu to reshoot a few scenes. Could you please let Brother Yu know? I’ll head off now.” After saying that, Tang Qu hurriedly left. If he had known he would run into Guan Yan, he wouldn’t have agreed to help Director Chen with this errand.

Guan Yan watched Tang Qu’s hurried departure and raised an eyebrow. Was he really that intimidating? Then, the corner of his lips curled into a slight smile. This person was more interesting than he had imagined. There was no trace of fear or admiration in his eyes, yet his body was trembling.

After putting some distance between himself and Guan Yan, Tang Qu finally stopped and leaned casually against a wall. His fingers were trembling slightly. This wasn’t his own reaction but a conditioned reflex ingrained in this body over time. Whenever he heard or saw anything related to Guan Yan, he couldn’t help but tremble. It seemed that Tang Qu’s love for Guan Yan had become instinctual. He had discovered this during the last movie he watched with Guan Yan.

Tang Qu raised one hand and pressed down on his wrist with the other, but it was no use. After struggling for a moment, he gave up. This was evidence of the original owner’s existence, and he couldn’t erase it, as the feeling was too painful.

Tang Qu waited until his body stopped trembling before heading back to find Zhang Yong. On the way, he thought to himself that he needed to overcome this. He couldn’t keep avoiding Guan Yan every time they met. If he really decided to stay in the entertainment industry, he couldn’t avoid Guan Yan forever.

“Xiao Qu, let’s head to the company this afternoon. They’ve recruited a few assistants for you, so you can go and choose. Also, you need to get on top of the Weibo situation. Do you have a Weibo account?” After the events of the morning, Zhang Yong felt that Tang Qu couldn’t afford to stay low-key, especially since he didn’t have any works out yet but already had two scandals. They needed to change the public’s perception of Tang Qu as soon as possible.

Tang Qu thought for a moment. “No.” The original owner did have a Weibo account, but it was dedicated to fangirling. He needed a professional account, so that one was unusable. As for the fangirling account, he’d just leave it aside for now. Who didn’t have a secret account?

“Alright, I’ve already informed Director Chen. Let’s head straight back to the company.”

The two of them packed up and drove off.

As they left, a man in a black car watched them from a distance.

“Brother Yan, weren’t you supposed to be resting today? Why did you come to Director Chen’s set?” As soon as he got off the plane, Guan Yan had come to this set. To avoid the paparazzi, he had driven around the airport in an empty car for quite a while.

Guan Yan leaned back in his seat. “Xiao Ting is filming here.”

Jiang Ge pursed his lips and muttered softly, “You weren’t this enthusiastic about the young master before.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing, just saying you care about your family.”

Guan Yan watched the white car drive away and then told Jiang Ge to leave as well.

“Has the lead role for Director Zhang’s drama been cast yet?”

“Director Zhang?” Jiang Ge was puzzled for a moment: “Oh~ you mean the drama directed by Zhang Zhe. Not yet. But I thought you weren’t interested in TV dramas? Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Since Guan Yan entered the entertainment industry, aside from movie scripts, there had been plenty of TV drama scripts offered to him. However, Guan Yan didn’t like them, finding them troublesome. Jiang Ge indulged him in this, after all, he was the boss.

“Oh, keep an eye on the casting for the male lead role for me.”

“Alright, but that drama will probably take some time.” Jiang Ge found it strange though—the male lead role didn’t seem to fit Guan Yan’s image at all. It actually suited Yu Ting better. He couldn’t help but ask, “Are you planning to have Yu Ting take that role?”

Guan Yan didn’t respond. Through the rearview mirror, Jiang Ge saw that Guan Yan had already closed his eyes to rest. He wisely stopped talking and turned up the air conditioning. Guan Yan had indeed been exhausted lately, filming non-stop for the past few days. Although he was busy, he was happy—it allowed him to showcase his value as an agent. After all, if the artist was too outstanding, a top agent like him would feel somewhat unaccomplished.

Meanwhile, Tang Qu returned to the company and looked over the assistants. He picked a thin, slightly dark-skinned girl.

“What’s your name?”

“Du Yan.” The girl’s voice was sweet, contrasting with her somewhat fierce appearance.

“Alright, when can you start work?”

“Anytime.”

Zhang Yong nodded. He didn’t ask much else—since Du Yan had been selected by the company to be Tang Qu’s assistant, she must have already been trained.

After giving her some instructions, Zhang Yong let Du Yan leave.

Once Du Yan was gone, Zhang Yong paced around for a bit, then looked at Tang Qu and sighed, “If you have any questions, just ask.”

Tang Qu had been harboring doubts for a while. His signing with Zhang Yong seemed like a random coincidence, but in today’s society, no legitimate agent would just randomly sign someone off the street.

Moreover, based on Tang Qu’s recent observations, Zhang Yong’s status in the industry seemed quite high. So why would someone so capable only manage Tang Qu, a newcomer, and even put everything on hold for so long? After signing, Zhang Yong didn’t push Tang Qu to work but instead let him choose for himself. A company like this could almost be called a charity.

“Why am I so special?” Why would someone with no background receive such special treatment?

Zhang Yong sat down in his chair, “Actually, I’m curious too, but I can give you some information.”

Zhang Yong hadn’t originally been with this company. He was poached last year with a hefty offer, and after joining, he was given one task: to sign Tang Qu.

“At first, I was also puzzled. After signing you, they didn’t make you work, so I investigated. That’s when I found out that the company had been acquired by someone else before I joined. Who the buyer is remains unclear. Since signing you, there’s only been one directive: everything must prioritize your needs.”

To anyone else, this would sound like a dream come true. But after hearing Zhang Yong’s words, Tang Qu didn’t feel happy—instead, he broke out in a cold sweat.

In the entertainment industry, where interests reign supreme, it’s highly unlikely for someone to be genuinely kind to a complete stranger. Such behavior usually boils down to two possibilities: either they’re seeking to exploit the situation for personal gain, or there’s something seriously wrong with their mindset.