What to Do When the Best Actor is Clinging to Me? - Chapter 3

“It won’t work,” Shang Wen said. He glanced at Jian Mubai, deciding to spare Yan Cen’s pride by not telling the full truth. The owner of W Studio had made it very clear: as long as it involved Yan Cen, no amount of money would grant them access.

Jian Mubai looked up, confused. “That shouldn’t be right. I sent the owner of W a message when I woke up, and he said I could come over whenever I liked.”

Yan Cen shot Shang Wen a glare, his eyes practically screaming that his manager couldn’t even handle a simple task. Shang Wen felt incredibly awkward; he couldn’t exactly expose Yan Cen’s complicated reputation in front of Jian Mubai.

W Studio had a long-standing grudge against Yan Cen. How on earth could Yan Cen be the one to borrow the space?

While they were planning to head to W Studio, there wasn’t a desperate rush. Jian Mubai had only just returned to the country and hadn’t even adjusted to the jet lag yet. Given his relaxed personality, he wasn’t in a hurry.

From the corner of his eye, Shang Wen watched Jian Mubai leaning lazily against the sofa, his long, pale legs stretched out casually. Even without a drop of makeup, Jian Mubai looked like he belonged in a high-fashion editorial. It was no wonder people used to call him and Yan Cen the “Twin Stars” of the industry.

It was a pity that after a six-year absence, the entertainment world no longer had a place for him. Since Jian Mubai only wanted to focus on music, his chances of a successful comeback seemed even slimmer.

Noticing Shang Wen’s gaze, Yan Cen shifted slightly to block his view. His almond-shaped eyes were filled with a clear warning. Shang Wen felt a shiver run down his spine and immediately turned away, not daring to look again.

The news of Jian Mubai’s return hadn’t caused much of a splash. Most of the online buzz still revolved around Yan Cen. Under the careful guidance of Yan Cen’s fan base, the news of Jian Mubai’s arrival gradually sank beneath other trending topics on Weibo.

Starting over from scratch was exactly what Jian Mubai had expected, so he wasn’t particularly upset. However, plenty of people were subtly dissing him, claiming that making a comeback would be harder than climbing to heaven.

Some netizens even dug up clips of Jian Mubai’s acting from before he left the country. Back then, he was just a teenager appearing in youth idol dramas. His acting was so stiff it was painful to watch—the lines were awkward, the expressions were exaggerated, and his movements were wooden. Even Jian Mubai himself couldn’t bear to watch them.

Jian Mubai had originally become famous because of his beautiful voice. During his youth, his vocals were clear and bright, earning him the nickname “The Mint-Voiced Angel.” However, during the voice-changing period of puberty, no teenage boy’s singing sounds particularly pleasant.

Many haters seized on this point, aggressively claiming that his vocal skills had regressed.

Now that he was back, people used these two points to label him as a “faded star” who had nothing going for him but a decent face, lacking both acting talent and vocal ability.

Jian Mubai was reading these comments with genuine interest. When Yan Cen finished getting dressed and saw him still scrolling through Weibo, he reached out and took the phone away. “What’s there to look at?”

Seeing that Yan Cen was ready to head out, Jian Mubai raised an eyebrow. “Is the big star going off to work?”

Something about that phrase tickled Yan Cen’s sense of humor. His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Then the little star better stay home and look after the house for me.”

Seeing them laughing together, Shang Wen noted that despite being grown men, the two of them still exuded a vibrant, youthful energy whenever they were in each other’s company.

Yan Cen had suddenly received a request for a reshoot for a previous magazine feature. He was always professional and never turned down such obligations. The magazine staff were incredibly grateful, once again praising Yan Cen—the industry’s “Model Worker” for his excellent temperament.

Jian Mubai, dressed in white loungewear with his hair tucked neatly behind his ears, slowly walked Yan Cen to the door. Yan Cen’s throat tightened instinctively; for a split second, he didn’t want to go to work at all.

Despite his reluctance, Yan Cen took a few steps before turning back. “Don’t you dare try to sneak away while I’m gone.”

Jian Mubai stood rooted to the spot, blinking innocently. “How could I?”

Yan Cen knew him too well; that expression was the face of someone who had just been caught red-handed.

Exasperated, Yan Cen marched back, slamming the door shut and leaving a startled Shang Wen outside.

When Yan Cen wasn’t smiling, he could be quite intimidating. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and his gaze was sharp as he stared Jian Mubai down. Jian Mubai instantly lost his bravado and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I definitely won’t leave. Old Yan, you have to trust me.”

“What did you call me?”

Jian Mubai quickly pleaded for mercy. “Brother Cen! Cen-ge!”

Jian Mubai’s deliberate playfulness worked. Yan Cen instinctively reached out to ruffle his hair before finally turning to leave for work.

Sitting in the van, Yan Cen couldn’t stop thinking. He felt he couldn’t just leave Jian Mubai to his own devices; he needed to keep the man by his side to feel at ease.

“Shang Wen, what’s my next assignment?”

Still reeling from Yan Cen’s earlier cold expression, Shang Wen answered quickly, “Two exclusive interviews tomorrow, Monday. Then on Thursday, we film for the second season of The Taste of China.”

The Taste of China was a variety show promoting Chinese cuisine, typically involving opening a restaurant abroad to let foreigners try the food.

During the first season, Yan Cen had only been seventeen or eighteen and had made a brief guest appearance that was very well-received. For the second season, the production team had secured him as a main permanent cast member. With Yan Cen’s current status, he was undoubtedly the center of the show.

Yan Cen thought for a moment. “Ask the production team if Jian Mubai can join.”

Yan Cen rarely made requests of production teams. Phrasing it as a question was essentially a direct order to get Jian Mubai onto the show. Shang Wen understood perfectly and immediately began contacting the team to make it happen.

However, as Shang Wen picked up the phone, he hesitated. “Don’t you need to discuss this with Jian Mubai first?”

Yan Cen paused. “No need. It’s the same for him no matter where he is.”

Both Shang Wen and the assistant/driver, Xiao Li, felt that Yan Cen was being uncharacteristically overbearing. But since he was the boss, no one said a word.

Despite his bold words, when Yan Cen took out his phone, he typed and deleted his message several times. Finally, he sent a single sentence: Let’s do a variety show together, okay?

A few minutes later, Jian Mubai replied: I’ll do whatever Cen-ge says.

This brought a smile to Yan Cen’s face, but then another message followed: But variety shows are so tiring. Can I not go?

And just like that, Yan Cen’s expression tightened again: Didn’t you just say you’d do whatever I say?

Jian Mubai: I’m so tired.

Yan Cen:?

Seeing that Jian Mubai wasn’t replying, Yan Cen sent a voice message: “This show is great for you. It has high national recognition. If you appear on this, you’ll be as popular as you were before.”

The more Yan Cen insisted, the more Jian Mubai felt he shouldn’t go. Any show Yan Cen participated in would have a top-tier production team. He was nobody now; he didn’t want to just “hitch a ride” on Yan Cen’s success.

Jian Mubai wasn’t afraid of the audience accusing him of riding someone’s coattails, but he was terrified of his own presence dragging Yan Cen down into the mud with him.

Yan Cen had worked incredibly hard to reach his current position. Jian Mubai didn’t want to be the reason he lost it.

Unsure of how to respond, Jian Mubai simply ignored the message. Over the years, this was how he handled Yan Cen’s texts replying when he could, and pretending he hadn’t seen them when he didn’t want to answer.

Jian Mubai sighed and got ready to visit W Studio. It was one of the most famous recording studios in the industry, known for its incredible production process. Moreover, the person behind W Studio was a renowned songwriter.

If a singer could get a song from this songwriter, it would almost certainly top the music charts. However, the songwriter had an eccentric personality and didn’t write for just anyone.

Jian Mubai was used to life abroad, so he wore comfortable, casual clothes. If it weren’t for his face and natural elegance, such an outfit might have looked sloppy. On him, however, it gave off an air of effortless indifference. Because his features were so refined, that indifference carried a striking impact that made it impossible not to look at him.

Entering W Studio, Jian Mubai found it bustling with activity. He asked around and learned that the top ten finalists from a survival show were there to record a new song. Most of the contestants were only seventeen or eighteen—young, energetic, and loud. Combined with the swarm of staff members, the place was chaotic.

Jian Mubai had already made an appointment with the owner, Yu Xi, so he decided to sit on a sofa in the corner to wait rather than compete with the youngsters for space.

However, no sooner had he sat down than a person who looked like an assistant came over to shoo him away. “Who are you? Get up. This isn’t a place for you to sit.”

Jian Mubai had been looking down, but he slowly raised his head at the sound. The assistant froze for a moment, struck by the man’s beauty, but quickly decided he didn’t recognize him as anyone famous. His tone became even more impatient: “I’m talking to you! Hurry up and move. Our idols need to sit here.”

Idols who haven’t even debuted are this arrogant? Jian Mubai thought back to his own peak—even then, he would never have dreamed of chasing someone off like this.

Jian Mubai asked, amused, “Is this seat reserved specifically for you?”

He remained perfectly composed. His refined features seemed even more radiant with that slight smile, a visual impact that was hard to ignore.

“So what if it’s not reserved? Just get up.” The assistant’s tone was less certain now as he racked his brain, but he truly couldn’t recall anyone like this in the industry.

Jian Mubai looked around and saw that the other sofas were occupied, mostly by the contestants. Only one delicate-looking boy was standing alone nearby. No wonder the assistant was trying to clear a spot.

But that wasn’t Jian Mubai’s problem. If he gave in now, he wouldn’t just be losing a seat; he’d be losing face.

Ever since his meteoric rise to fame years ago, he hadn’t been treated this way. His lips curled slightly. “I’m sorry, but no.”

As he spoke, he looked down and saw Yan Cen calling. He pursed his lips; Yan Cen must have seen that he wasn’t replying to texts and decided to call instead.

“Hello? What is it?”

Hearing the noise in the background, Yan Cen frowned. “Did you go out?”

“Mhm, I’m at W Studio checking things out.” Jian Mubai noticed the assistant mutter something under his breath before walking away. He felt a rare flash of annoyance toward the man.

“I’m not recording today, just looking around.”

“Yeah, I have an appointment with Yu Xi.”

“I’ll come home, I promise.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll wait for you to pick me up.”

Jian Mubai hung up, feeling helpless. Yan Cen really was like a “Butler Yan.” Thinking about it brought a small smile to his face, and his mood, which had been dampened by the rude assistant began to improve.

Seeing the noisy group of contestants head up to the second floor, Jian Mubai breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps he really was getting older; he couldn’t stand that much commotion anymore.

Just then, Yu Xi stepped out of the elevator. Seeing Jian Mubai, he broke into a wide grin. “You finally decided to come back!”

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