The Main Couple Fights Over Me (Entertainment Industry) - Chapter 5

It wasn’t good to keep someone standing at the door—rumors might spread that he was acting like a diva, even bullying fellow artists in the same group. He didn’t want to suffer that kind of blame, so he quickly invited An Chu inside to sit.

 

“Please, have a seat. Make yourself at home.”

 

An Chu smiled with a purity reminiscent of a lotus bud. Although Song Xun found it a bit odd to describe a guy as “pure,” An Chu had innocent, downturned eyes and small, slightly red lips. Calling him a lotus bud wasn’t entirely off—he even carried a faint, delicate fragrance.

 

“I heard you fell into the river a few days ago, Brother Song. How are you feeling?”

 

The boy with round eyes looked genuinely concerned, his long lashes lowered, giving off an innocent, fragile vibe.

 

Oh, come on.

 

Even if Song Xun didn’t fully understand the relationship between the original host and this guy, based on what he knew about the original host, he didn’t really have any friends. So why was this person so concerned about him? Could it be a secret crush on the original host?

 

Flustered, Song Xun explained that it was just an accident and nothing serious.

 

“That’s good to hear. I’m relieved. It’s all because of Mu Heng—otherwise, Brother Song wouldn’t have suffered like this.”

 

Huh?

 

Song Xun looked puzzled. An Chu sighed and said he had worked with Mu Heng before, describing him as unlucky, always wearing a sour expression, and not much of a talker.

 

Alright, it felt like An Chu’s next line would be, “If it were me, I’d feel so sorry for you, brother~”

 

“What does this have to do with Mu Heng? Besides, it’s the 21st century—let’s not bring feudal superstitions into this, okay?”

 

An Chu’s expression darkened, which took Song Xun by surprise.

 

“Haha, you’re right, Brother Song.”

 

If there was anything more agonizingly slow than holding a plank, Song Xun would nominate this moment. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

 

Half an hour ago, he might have thought An Chu had a crush on the original host. But now, he realized he was wrong—dead wrong.

 

Song Xun wanted to nudge Xiao Deng and have her help him make a quick escape by faking a bathroom break, but seeing her intense expression and the palpable resentment radiating from her—enough to revive several evil sword immortals—he decided against it.

 

Self-reliance was the way to go.

 

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and blatantly lied, “What? My dad got into a car accident!”

 

Xiao Deng snapped out of her thesis-induced trance and immediately jumped up upon hearing this.

 

An Chu paused slightly. Song Xun quickly explained that he had urgent matters to attend to and needed to step out, urging An Chu to make himself at home.

 

“Well, I’ll just…”

 

“Teacher Yan!”

 

Before Song Xun could finish his sentence, An Chu brushed past him and walked out alone.

 

Yan Jiayu and his assistant were passing through the corridor when someone called out to him. Raising an eyebrow, he spotted someone he didn’t recognize—along with that annoying guy, Song Xun.

 

“What a coincidence, Teacher Yan! You’re here too.”

 

Yan Jiayu forced a smile. Obviously, the place wasn’t that big, and he was participating in this show, so where else would he be? Though he could tell this person was just making small talk, he had to maintain his persona.

 

“Yes.”

 

An Chu smiled brilliantly, subtly leaning closer. Standing to the side, Song Xun caught a whiff of Yan Jiayu’s perfume—white tea and cedarwood, cool yet elegant. In contrast, An Chu carried a faint scent of green tea.

 

!

 

Song Xun’s cunning eyes widened slightly as he glanced back and forth between the two. He gasped—he might have just discovered something.

 

The original novel mentioned that the male lead, Yan Jiayu, preferred someone pure with a touch of fragility. And the male lead’s love interest just happened to fit that exact type.

 

The original host was the complete opposite of the protagonist’s love interest, possessing a strikingly glamorous and spoiled face—essentially the type described as a seductive troublemaker. With a flamboyant personality and a penchant for stirring up drama, it was no wonder he couldn’t win the heart of the male lead.

 

And wasn’t An Chu exactly that type?

 

Yan Jiayu looked at the person before him, who appeared pitiful and delicate, exuding a fragrance strikingly similar to the perfume he used. Instantly, he felt a wave of disgust, though he kept it hidden. He despised the idea of others coveting what he considered uniquely his, even if it was just a similar scent.

 

“Last time, I had dinner with Brother Xiao and Teacher Yan. I wonder if Teacher Yan still remembers the name of that restaurant? The food was absolutely delicious.”

 

The “Brother Xiao” he mentioned was Yan Jiayu’s childhood friend and a popular celebrity.

 

“That hotpot place was just randomly chosen. I don’t remember it, and honestly, the taste wasn’t anything special.”

 

Seeing An Chu persistently trying to engage Yan Jiayu in small talk, Song Xun shook his head helplessly. The male lead was destined to fall only for the protagonist’s love interest, so why bother? Sigh.

 

“You two take your time chatting. I have something to attend to and need to leave.”

 

“Brother Song, you’re still here? Didn’t you just say your father was in a car accident?”

 

An Chu feigned surprise.

 

“Ah, right. I should hurry over now to tidy things up and prepare him for cremation.”

 

“…”

 

Just as Song Xun was about to leave, Yan Jiayu grabbed his arm. “I’ll take you there.”

 

Song Xun immediately tried to decline, fearing Yan Jiayu might actually take him to the crematorium. But before he could say anything, Yan Jiayu dragged him out. Xiao Deng, left alone and helpless, called out from behind. Then, remembering his computer, he quickly picked it up and reached out toward Song Xun’s retreating figure. “Brother! What about me?”

 

An Chu stomped his foot angrily, shooting a venomous glare.

 

·

 

“Teacher Yan, aren’t we supposed to be filming a variety show? What are we doing here?”

 

Yan Jiayu naturally had no intention of actually taking him to the crematorium. Anyone could tell how unserious Song Xun’s words were.

 

“We’ll go later.”

 

The two sat in silence in the back seat of Yan Jiayu’s car, an awkward yet strangely harmonious quiet settling between them.

 

In the past, it was always the original host who relentlessly tried to engage Yan Jiayu in conversation, while Yan Jiayu couldn’t be bothered to respond. Now, with Song Xun completely absorbed in his phone, only silence remained between them.

 

Song Xun shook his phone, frowning as if he’d encountered some trouble. Yan Jiayu casually asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

“No signal on my phone. Weird, that shouldn’t be happening. It’s not like we’re in the middle of nowhere.”

 

Yan Jiayu scoffed. “It’s probably your phone’s problem. You should throw it away sooner rather than later.” As he spoke, he picked up his own phone and frowned, realizing his had no signal either.

 

Song Xun teased with a mischievous grin, “Heh, Teacher Yan, maybe you should throw that phone away too.”

 

“…”

 

“You’re getting sharper with your words lately.”

 

“Not bad, just keeping it low-key.”

 

Coming from Song Xun, that statement was nothing short of a joke.

 

If it weren’t for wanting to avoid the person from earlier, he wouldn’t have chosen to hide here, forced to interact with someone else he found irritating—even if this person hadn’t been bothering him much lately.

 

He didn’t believe this person had given up. Despite previously swearing up and down that he’d never harbor inappropriate thoughts again, Song Xun had made such promises many times before, and they held no credibility.

 

An awkward tension filled the air. Song Xun wasn’t one to enjoy uncomfortable silences, so seeing that Yan Jiayu showed no intention of starting a conversation, he tilted his head and asked.

 

“Why is Teacher Yan participating in this variety show? Didn’t you dislike joining variety shows before?”

 

The original book mentioned that the protagonist only enjoyed immersing himself in acting, delving into each character, rather than variety shows that operated under the guise of reality TV but were actually governed by predetermined rules.

 

Yan Jiayu’s thin lips parted slightly. “Because they offered way too much money.”

 

“!”

 

Seeing Song Xun’s stunned expression, Yan Jiayu looked puzzled. “What’s so strange about that? Only a fool would turn down easy money.”

 

That was certainly a blunt truth.

 

“And you? Why are you joining this variety show?”

 

Song Xun was about to copy Yan Jiayu’s answer verbatim when he noticed a scrutinizing glint in Yan Jiayu’s eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re…”

 

“My agent said my acting skills need polishing, or I won’t last long in the entertainment industry. What did Teacher Yan think I came here for? Could it be that you thought…”

 

Song Xun suddenly paused, leaning in closer. His strikingly beautiful face, with its deep, rich features, broke into a smile, making the two dimples on his cheeks even more pronounced. “…I came here chasing after you?”

 

Yan Jiayu’s heart skipped a beat. After a moment of realization, he turned his head away slightly, his ears tinged with a faint blush, looking as if his secret had been exposed. “Why are you suddenly getting so close?”

 

Song Xun shrugged innocently. “Teacher Yan, no need to get defensive.”

 

It turned out that the seemingly mature and steady Teacher Yan was actually quite childish.

 

He kicked Song Xun out of the car, refusing to let him enjoy the air conditioning any longer.

 

Watching the car speed away, Song Xun scoffed. “Childish.”

 

·

 

There were still a few days before the next recording session. Sister Zhang had secured a few more advertisements for Song Xun, hoping to capitalize on his momentum and boost his popularity.

 

“What do you think of this one?”

 

Sister Zhang raised an eyebrow, asking for Song Xun’s opinion as a formality.

 

“Not bad, not bad.”

 

All the advertisements were quite good. Though they weren’t luxury brands, they were very everyday items, which gave them an advantage in appealing to the general public. Since he didn’t have much of a public following to begin with, this suited him perfectly.

 

Satisfied, Song Xun flipped through the contracts when he suddenly remembered Sister Zhang mentioning a role—a white moonlight character with limited screen time, always appearing in the female lead’s memories—a role that could easily go viral.

 

“By the way, Sister Zhang, what happened with that script you mentioned last time?”

 

At the mention of this, Sister Zhang’s expression shifted, and she sighed. “Director Liu had already agreed, and the contract was almost ready for you to sign. But in the end, someone snatched it away.”

 

Song Xun let out an “Oh,” not particularly surprised. The entertainment industry had always operated on the principle of survival of the fittest, especially when it came to role-snatching, which was far from uncommon. It wasn’t just unsigned contracts—sometimes even signed ones could be taken away.

 

He was just curious and asked, “Who ended up getting it?”

 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xin He pushed the door open and walked in.

 

“It’s me.”

 

Sister Zhang frowned. Xin He was technically her artist, but in reality, many of his contracts weren’t handled by her. The company, out of deference to the powerful backer behind him, never interfered.

 

Seeing Xin He’s smug and arrogant expression, Song Xun remarked, “Why didn’t you knock before coming in? So rude. Shame on you.”

 

As he spoke, he dragged his finger across his cheek a few times, making a mocking gesture.

 

Xin He was taken aback, inexplicably drawn into Song Xun’s words. “Sorry.”

 

He walked out, knocked on the door, then walked back in, feeling increasingly that something wasn’t right.

 

Wait a minute, why should I listen to Song Xun? That’s absurd. I came here to show off, not to listen to him lecture me on manners and etiquette.

 

Realizing this, Xin He plopped down right next to Song Xun, even stretching his arm toward him.

 

“So, how does it feel? The character you liked was snatched away by me. Are you angry? Want to hit me?”

 

Song Xun lifted his eyelids slightly. Xin He really did seem a bit off.

 

“Then I’ll make a move?”

 

Seeing Song Xun’s serious expression, Xin He immediately scooted away, afraid he might actually strike.

 

“You really intend to hit me?!”