Chapter 48 – Entertainment Industry (4)

“Got a moment to chat?” Lin Yuetian walked up to Qian Yang, getting straight to the point.

“Huh?” Qian Yang was startled and almost dropped the bottle of mineral water in his hand. He fumbled with it a few times before finally securing his grip.

“Hey,” Gao Yan, who had been talking to his manager, had actually been keeping an eye on Lin Yuetian. Seeing him approach from behind, Gao Yan’s expression soured. “Lin Yuetian, are you picking up another newbie? Let me tell you, this little actor already has someone backing him—”

Qian Yang’s face instantly darkened. But given their difference in status, he couldn’t afford to lose his temper outright. He could only grit his teeth silently, squeezing the water bottle in his hand until it crackled.

“Oh?” Lin Yuetian remained calm. “Then, Xiao gao, what exactly are you coming over here to say?”

Gao Yan put on a fake smile. “Senior, I’m just worried you might be desperate and end up getting yourself into trouble.”

“GAO YAN!” Qian Yang finally lost his composure. With a loud plop, he threw the bottle to the ground. Several staff members on set seemed to be sneaking glances in their direction. Qian Yang took a few deep breaths, then lowered his voice: “You’ve gone too far…”

“What’s wrong, Qian Yang?” Gao Yan pressed further. “You dare to degrade yourself, but you don’t dare to admit it? Do you really think the whole industry doesn’t already know about you? The only one who doesn’t is Lin Yuetian, but hey, he’s not picky—”

Qian Yang was so enraged that he looked ready to throw punches. But before he could act, Lin Yuetian had already placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

“We’re all public figures.”

Just this one sentence was like a bucket of cold water dousing Qian Yang’s fury. He immediately fell silent. Lin Yuetian, on the other hand, met Gao Yan’s intense glare head-on and said with an amused tone, “So, Xiao gao, are you actually worried about me?”

“As your junior, it’s only natural for me to care,” Gao Yan said with an insincere smile.

“If you truly cared about me, you’d know your place. Xiao gao, you’ve been in the industry for three years now—shouldn’t you have learned the rules by now? Do you even realize who you’re talking to?” Lin Yuetian still wore a warm smile, like a benevolent senior giving a junior some earnest advice. “I’m just looking out for you, giving you a reminder. Next time you insult someone, be careful not to drag yourself down in the process. How did you rise to where you are? Wasn’t it because I boosted you? Qian Yang may have thrown himself into the dirt, but does that make you any nobler? Xiao gao, just because I’m good-looking, doesn’t mean you can suddenly stop treating me like your former sponsor, right?”

【Amazing! That was a masterful burn!】 the system praised enthusiastically.

Lin Yuetian’s words were sharp and brutally direct. Gao Yan’s face darkened instantly, as if he had suffered a tremendous humiliation. Meanwhile, Qian Yang let out a long breath, and there was even a trace of mocking satisfaction in his eyes as he looked at Gao Yan.

Lin Yuetian chuckled. “Besides, whether I get into trouble or not—what does that have to do with you?”

Gao Yan blurted out, “How could it not—”

He froze.

They had already ended their arrangement.

“Sigh, do you know what I liked most about you?” Lin Yuetian sighed dramatically. “I liked that you never caused trouble, never got arrogant just because you were favored. But look at you now—aren’t you being annoying? Even if I were still keeping you, what difference would it make if I decided to pick up another one? Just take the money and do your job, Xiao gao. Don’t act so high and mighty.”

Years of reading scumbag drama novels in that body-double world had paid off—Lin Yuetian had an entire arsenal of scumbag lines at his disposal. He delivered them so smoothly that Gao Yan’s handsome face went red, white, then green—truly a fascinating display.

“And besides—” Lin Yuetian suddenly put on the airs of a decadent ruler, reaching out to brush Qian Yang’s face with a gentle touch. His tone softened. “Xiao Qian is so good-looking. Just looking at him tugs at my heartstrings. If it means stirring up some trouble, well—I don’t mind. Got it, Gao Yan? It has nothing to do with you.”

Lin Yuetian’s original body in this world was already extremely attractive—so strikingly beautiful that it was nearly otherworldly. When he pulled off a move like this, Qian Yang was stunned for a few seconds before, against his will, a faint blush crept up his face.

【Not bad,】 the system commented objectively. 【We could record this as a model performance for a scumbag character.】

Having finished his verbal takedown, Lin Yuetian didn’t bother worrying about Gao Yan’s reaction. He simply dragged Qian Yang into his private van and ordered his manager and assistants to leave.

Qian Yang thought he was truly being courted and felt a little nervous. But before he could dwell on it, Lin Yuetian raised a hand, looking apologetic. “Sorry, Xiao Qian. Don’t take what I said earlier too seriously.”

Qian Yang was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, “It’s alright, senior…”

Sigh. Of course, something as fantastical as being pursued by a stunning senior during his lowest point in life—things like that don’t actually happen in reality. But then again… wasn’t that exactly what happened to Gao Yan three years ago? And for some reason, he never seemed to cherish it…

Qian Yang was still lost in thought when something suddenly clicked in his mind. He looked at Lin Yuetian in confusion and cautiously asked, “Then, senior, what did you want to talk to me about…?”

Lin Yuetian’s act was simple. He put on an expression of utmost sincerity, remorse brimming in his eyes, his face full of guilt and anguish—he was just short of breaking down in tears.

He told Qian Yang that yes, Gao Yan and he had indeed been involved before. And once, when Gao Yan got drunk, he admitted that he had sabotaged Qian Yang during their competition back then. Lin Yuetian said that he despised the dark side of the entertainment industry and had initially wanted to tell Qian Yang the truth. But because he had been too in love with Gao Yan, he ultimately chose to keep it a secret for his boyfriend’s sake.

“I know these past years must have been unbearable for you,” Lin Yuetian said, giving a bitter smile. “But it was my selfishness… I never imagined Gao Yan would turn out to be such a faithless ingrate. He never had any real feelings for me and even kicked me while I was down. Maybe this is my karma. Xiao Qian, I can finally tell you everything now. At last, my conscience can be at peace.”

By the time Qian Yang stepped out of the van, he looked utterly shaken, as if his soul had been knocked loose.

Lin Yuetian was deliberately getting close to Qian Yang. While he had no interest in romance, he was very perceptive when it came to people. He knew that Gao Yan would undoubtedly be furious.

Sure enough, that very night during the late-night shoot, Gao Yan seized the opportunity to make trouble. He used investment as leverage to pressure Wei Dawen into switching roles, effectively kicking Qian Yang out.

Lin Yuetian waited in his car for three hours—enough time for Qian Yang’s resentment to fester. After three hours, he called him: “Xiao Qian, where are you? I’ll come pick you up.”

If your life had already derailed beyond your control—if it was nothing like the youthful dreams you once had… If there was no sunshine, no glory, only a swamp where countless hands reached out to drag you deeper into selling yourself… If your dreams had long since died, yet your former rivals, those who once stood at the same starting line as you, were basking in happiness and success… And if, after resigning yourself to fate, you suddenly discovered that the light-filled dreams were originally meant to be yours—that all your misfortunes stemmed from one predator… If the very culprit who had stolen everything from you now sought to take away your last chance as well—

What would you think?

Lin Yuetian’s car pulled up in front of Qian Yang, who sat blankly on the street wearing a mask, cap, and sunglasses. Qian Yang got into the car, and Lin Yuetian immediately called Wei Dawen in front of him, putting the call on speaker. He brought Qian Yang back to the set.

“Just think of this as my way of atoning,” Lin Yuetian said sincerely.

Yes, when you hear words like these—when you accept the final kindness offered to you in the depths of your despair—you will realize:

You were never supposed to need this kindness in the first place.

You were never supposed to fall this far in the first place.

That is hatred.

That night, Lin Yuetian put his 500-point hacker skills to use. He sent Qian Yang an anonymous email, disguising himself as an assassin—or perhaps it wasn’t even a disguise. He named a price. The price of a life.

“That thing back then… Are you sure Gao Yan really did it?” the system asked. “I mean, using underhanded tactics during the competition.”

“At the very least, he definitely ostracized Qian Yang in the industry afterward, and today he used his influence to kick him off set,” Lin Yuetian said calmly. “He’s the kind of person who holds a grudge and retaliates at the slightest offense. Even if he did sabotage Qian Yang back then, it wouldn’t be surprising. Besides, Qian Yang already believes it was Gao Yan. He’s the one who experienced it firsthand—he’d know better than me. I’m simply trusting his judgment.”

“You’re ruthless,” the system remarked in the end. “Creating a client out of thin air—this is insane.”