Yang Hao, Zhou Bin’s manager, was currently staring unblinkingly at Song Ye.
Song Ye looked at her calmly. “There’s nothing to discuss. You can leave now.”
“Song Ye, this is the third time.”
“And I’m answering you for the third time,” Song Ye said evenly. “I won’t be renewing my contract.”
“And me? You won’t renew with me either?”
“Yes,” Song Ye said softly.
Yang Hao’s eyes glistened with tears. “After all these years fighting together, and now… you’re just this heartless?”
Song Ye smiled lightly.
If he were truly heartless, he wouldn’t be here, showing up on set.
Looking at Yang Hao, his eyes clear and focused, he said, “Go ahead. My scene is about to start.”
Yang Hao picked up the contract on the table and left his dressing room.
Already dissatisfied with Song Ye’s response and attitude, she then received a call from Zhou Bin.
As soon as she answered, Zhou Bin’s questioning voice rang out: “Did you see my WeChat? You have time to buy a hot search for Song Ye but none for me? Manager Yang, you really treat everyone equally!”
Yang Hao let out a short laugh. “When did I buy a hot search for Song Ye? Even if I did, that’s my business. Now that you’re under me, just follow my lead—you don’t need to worry about anything. You just need to prepare well and play Qin Yuyu properly.”
“Don’t worry, if I can turn Song Ye into a top star, I can do the same for you.”
She hung up.
Zhou Bin, frustrated, had no one to vent on, so he kicked a chair hard.
He wasn’t originally managed by Yang Hao.
Just as Yang Hao hadn’t started out as a top manager, she initially handled artists that no one else valued.
Back then, newly debuted Song Ye had offended his manager and became a ghost in the company. He proactively approached Yang Hao, asking if she would manage him.
Seeing that he was handsome and spoke well, she immediately agreed.
From then on, they began working together.
When Song Ye skyrocketed to stardom, Yang Hao naturally became the company’s top manager.
Zhou Bin had initially wanted to sign with her, but Yang Hao refused.
This year, with Song Ye nearing the end of his contract and refusing renewals, the company, realizing they couldn’t keep him, transferred Zhou Bin, the second male lead, to Yang Hao, hoping she could also elevate him to top-tier status.
After all, each manager’s resources and connections differ.
As one of the hottest managers in the entertainment industry, Yang Hao possessed things Zhou Bin’s previous manager could never reach.
If one Song Ye left, the company naturally wanted the next Song Ye to emerge.
Thus, even though Zhou Bin was an artist, he dared not offend Yang Hao.
But since she hadn’t personally nurtured him, he couldn’t fully trust her and felt she cared less for him, especially compared to Song Ye.
Yang Hao, who Zhou Bin silently cursed in his mind, had just finished reading his WeChat messages and opened the hot search.
#DrunkenRiverMoonCandid was still number one on the trending list. Most of the activity came from Song Ye’s fans promoting him, along with some curious users who had never noticed Pei Qingjian before but now discovered him and actively discussed him.
Looking at the marketing posts and images, though Pei Qingjian appeared, two-thirds of the praise was for Song Ye. No wonder Zhou Bin foolishly thought Yang Hao had bought the hot search for Song Ye.
Yang Hao smiled to herself, thinking that Pei Qingjian’s manager was interesting—so overtly ambitious, yet not unpleasant. Both sides could benefit, and even seeing it now, she wasn’t angry. After all, Song Ye was also gaining praise and exposure.
But…
Looking at Pei Qingjian in the candid shots from the set, he clearly wasn’t posing or heavily edited, yet he was strikingly handsome. His youthful charm stood out—something the other male actors on set lacked. When the show aired, it would be impossible for viewers not to notice him.
She called the makeup and styling director. “Hello, Mr. Wang, this is Yang Hao.”
“Ah, Sister Yang, what’s up?”
Yang Hao smiled. “Nothing much. I just saw the hot search. Tan Xin is a covert guard, right? Guards are supposed to blend in, not draw attention. But he’s looking… too eye-catching, it doesn’t really match the role.”
Mr. Wang, experienced in the industry, immediately understood what she meant.
“This show is produced and co-produced by Xingyun, Song Ye’s company, and you’re Song Ye’s manager. Your position there isn’t ordinary, so I’ll handle it,” Mr. Wang replied professionally.
“Good, thanks, Mr. Wang,” Yang Hao said, slipping her phone back into her pocket.
Honestly, if it weren’t for Zhou Bin, she wouldn’t be taking such underhanded measures. But this show was meant to boost Zhou Bin’s popularity, so she had to ensure that, even if his heat couldn’t surpass Song Ye’s, it couldn’t be stolen by someone else. She didn’t want all her efforts to end up making Pei Qingjian look good instead.
Yang Hao returned to her dressing room to rest a bit.
Meanwhile, Pei Qingjian was at the set, watching the director coordinate the stand-ins.
The production used stand-ins: martial arts stand-ins for stunts and acting stand-ins to test lighting, camera angles, and blocking.
He pulled up a chair and sat, full of curiosity about this industry he had never touched before.
As he watched, the makeup assistant came running over. “Little Teacher Pei, come with me to the makeup room.”
Pei Qingjian assumed she wanted to touch up his makeup, so he didn’t hesitate and followed her. Zhou Pengyue, having nothing else to do, followed along.
Pei Qingjian asked, “Is there still something that needs touching up?”
The assistant looked a bit disheartened. The thought of removing the beautifully done eye makeup pained her.
Leaning closer, she whispered, “No, it’s a costume adjustment.”
Hearing this, Zhou Pengyue immediately stepped to the other side, alert. “Why the sudden change?”
This makeup and styling had already gone viral on Weibo, trending hot. Fans were satisfied. Why change it now?
The assistant didn’t know much, only that Mr. Wang had said it needed adjustment. She shook her head. “The director didn’t explain, just said to redo Little Teacher Pei’s look.”
A hint of doubt rose in Zhou Pengyue’s mind. This didn’t feel simple.
Entering the makeup room, they saw Mr. Wang. Zhou Pengyue smiled. “What’s going on? You called Qingjian back just for this?”
Mr. Wang smiled. “Nothing much, just redoing his makeup and styling.”
“I was busy before, so I let my assistants handle it. Now I have time, so I had him called over to do it myself.”
On the surface, this sounded like an upgrade—after all, assistants could never match a professional master.
But Pei Qingjian didn’t think so; he was already happy with the current look, and so were the fans. Zhou Pengyue also didn’t think it necessary. Pei Qingjian wasn’t a big star, hardly worth taking time from a renowned director.
Not out of malice, but the entertainment world always favors the popular, respecting the high and looking down on the low.
Otherwise, Mr. Wang wouldn’t have originally let his assistant do Pei Qingjian’s makeup.
Ordinarily, nothing was wrong—many actors required makeup, and Pei Qingjian, as the fourth male lead, wasn’t high priority.
What was unusual was that Mr. Wang wanted to personally redo it, even calling him specifically.
Zhou Pengyue said, “Mr. Wang, it’s lucky for Qingjian to have you do it. But his assistants already did a solid job matching the character. Everyone’s happy. Why not leave it? It would give you a chance to rest.”
“No problem, I can rest later,” Mr. Wang replied.
“That won’t do. If you get tired and it affects the leads’ styling, that would be bad.”
They went back and forth, unwilling to give in.
Finally, Mr. Wang said, “Manager Zhou, I won’t beat around the bush. It’s my first time meeting Little Pei. I have no objections and hope he plays the role well. But I have to follow others’ instructions. I can’t help it—you understand, right?”
Of course Zhou Pengyue understood. Little Pei was getting in the way of someone.
But whose way exactly? Pei Qingjian was a male actor; his handsomeness didn’t affect the actresses.
Among the male actors, the third male lead wasn’t high profile. He didn’t need such treatment.
That left Zhou Bin or Song Ye.
Since the show was produced and co-produced by Xingyun, their people naturally had authority.
But Zhou Pengyue didn’t think it was Song Ye. First, Song Ye was already good-looking; second, in recent years, Song Ye had been transforming, playing grittier roles with shaved heads and scruffy beards. He aimed to challenge his image, not emphasize his looks.
That left only Zhou Bin.
Zhou Pengyue cautiously tested Director Wang, “Did Manager Yang tell you this?”
Director Wang paused, visibly surprised, then quickly said, “Of course not.”
But Zhou Pengyue already had a good guess. Looks like some of the rumors were true, he thought.
Seeing that Zhou Pengyue didn’t say anything, Wang felt a little guilty. “Alright, don’t speculate. I tried to keep the changes minimal. Is that okay?”
Of course not!
Pei Qingjian thought, How could that ever be okay?!
He had already posted the photos online. If the makeup and styling were changed—even slightly—when the show aired, some fans might think the previous photos were deceptive. And even if people noticed the difference, the final effect would look different, and fans would still assume the videos were doctored.
Having been a photographer before, Pei Qingjian was sensitive to these things.
He glanced at Zhou Pengyue, silently hoping for a solution.
Zhou Pengyue had one.
He looked at Director Wang. “Give me ten minutes. I’ll discuss something with Qingjian and be back shortly.”
Without waiting for Wang’s reply, he pulled Pei Qingjian out.
Pei Qingjian was puzzled. “Zhou, do you have a plan?”
“Mm,” Zhou Pengyue pulled him to the corner of the stairwell, speaking in a low voice. “This is most likely Yang Hao’s doing. Since she gave the order, Director Wang has no choice.”
Pei Qingjian nodded in understanding. “Everyone’s just doing their job, I get it.”
“So arguing with Director Wang won’t help. You go talk to Song Ye directly.”
“Huh?” Pei Qingjian was confused.
Zhou Pengyue leaned closer and whispered a few instructions. “Remember?”
Pei Qingjian nodded. “Mm.”
“Now, act it out for me,” Zhou Pengyue said. “Pretend I’m Song Ye. How would you react? What would you say?”
Pei Qingjian: !!!
No! An impromptu rehearsal test?
He looked at his manager, crossing his arms as he pretended Zhou Pengyue was Song Ye.
Well, if it’s a test, then so be it. It was time to show his manager how much he’d improved.