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Join the ServerThe entire situation felt increasingly amiss. Indeed, ever since *Courtyard House* premiered and Su Xuan became entangled with Shen Chao, nothing had felt quite right. Su Xuan, his fingers deeply intertwined, mused, “Pangpang, what’s your take on this?”
“Don’t take the role,” Liu Pangpang replied, straightforwardly. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Why would he help you for no reason? Is there something about you he could possibly want?”
Su Xuan pondered seriously for a moment. “My chemistry with Shen Chao?”
Liu Pangpang was speechless.
Su Xuan consistently offered answers that made Liu Pangpang want to retort, yet were utterly unassailable.
Liu Pangpang’s advice was to speak with Wang Mu Zhe directly. If Wang Mu Zhe had no personal connection with Su Xuan, it was simply a business matter, and they could inquire openly about his intentions.
Su Xuan found this reasoning sound.
Using the pretext of seeking advice from his senior, Wang Mu Zhe, about playing a second-tier male lead, Su Xuan arranged a meeting.
Wang Mu Zhe suggested they meet at Star Culture’s office at two in the afternoon.
No sooner had Su Xuan confirmed his meeting with the esteemed actor Wang, than Liu Pangpang received a call. Shen Chao demanded to speak with Su Xuan in person.
Liu Pangpang sounded quite exasperated. “Shen Chao called, and his tone wasn’t good. He just informed you to meet him at Star Culture at two this afternoon. Before I could even say you were already booked, he hung up.”
Su Xuan, who had just agreed to meet Wang Mu Zhe at Star Culture at two that afternoon, was stunned.
Could these two really be so in sync?
Su Xuan once again found himself caught in that profound sense of destiny that always gave him a headache.
Reluctant to ask Wang Mu Zhe to reschedule, Su Xuan decided that since he had called first, he would ask Shen Chao to change his time instead.
However, when Su Xuan tried to call Shen Chao back, the call wouldn’t connect. He tried Liu Pangpang’s phone, but that didn’t work either. Su Xuan couldn’t send text messages, and neither could Liu Pangpang.
Su Xuan looked puzzled. “Is the signal bad in my office? Let’s try somewhere else.”
Liu Pangpang, hesitant, stopped Su Xuan. “…Are you saying…”
Su Xuan looked up at Liu Pangpang, whose voice was complex. “…Did Shen Chao block both of us?”
Su Xuan was silent.
Liu Pangpang was also silent.
Liu Pangpang, with a sigh, called Wang Mu Zhe. “Hello, is this the esteemed actor Wang? Ah, my apologies. I’m bothering you with something. Regarding your meeting with Su Xuan this afternoon at two, we genuinely have a last-minute issue. I’m truly sorry, so sorry. Could we possibly reschedule? Oh, it won’t be long, two-thirty would be fine. Thank you for your trouble.”
The phone signal was excellent. After hanging up, Wang Mu Zhe even sent a text message: [For something like this, a text message is sufficient. No need to be so polite (smiling emoji)]
The office signal seemed perfectly fine.
Su Xuan and Liu Pangpang’s gazes fell, lingering, on the unsent text message to Shen Chao.
Liu Pangpang remarked, a touch moved, “Shen Chao’s bad temper truly isn’t exaggerated; he just blocks people so casually. Maybe you should just forget about taking Wang Mu Zhe’s drama. He seems quite easy to talk to.”
Su Xuan suspected Shen Chao might be displeased about being forced into a CP storyline with him.
But still… ‘I wasn’t the one who initiated this CP either!’
‘Didn’t your side start it?’ Su Xuan was deeply confused, no longer able to comprehend Shen Chao’s actions.
Wang Shou could no longer understand Shen Chao’s actions either.
Shen Chao had never engaged in promotions before. Even when the *Nine Streams* movie was gaining immense momentum, Star Culture hoped Shen Chao would collaborate with Wang Mu Zhe for promotional activities, but Shen Chao flat-out refused.
Yet, ever since Shen Chao became involved with Su Xuan, not only had he started promoting, but everything about him seemed off.
Wang Shou was exasperated. He couldn’t help but ask, “Shen Chao, why did you insist on Su Xuan playing the second male lead in the *Nine Streams* web drama? The shoot starts next month. Wang Mu Zhe had already accepted the role and was preparing to join the cast. You replaced him. It’s only because Wang Mu Zhe has a good temper; if it were anyone else, there would have been an uproar.”
Shen Chao cast a cold glance at Wang Shou. “Do you truly believe he wanted to play the second male lead?”
Wang Shou met Shen Chao’s gaze, then slowly exhaled. “Whether he wanted to or not is one thing, but the fact is he had accepted it. You shouldn’t have done that.”
Wang Mu Zhe, on the surface, was Star Culture’s ‘number one’ alongside Shen Chao. His career path differed from Shen Chao’s, being more similar to Song Xiao’s, leaning towards a refined, theatrical actor type.
Wang Mu Zhe had acted in many plays while in the UK, earning numerous positive reviews. Being classically trained, his seniority would easily outrank Shen Chao’s; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration for Shen Chao to call him a senior.
Without Shen Chao, Wang Mu Zhe, having reached his current standing, would never have agreed to be a supporting actor for someone much younger and without any significant awards, especially during his prime acting years.
But then, there was Shen Chao.
And these two happened to be in the same company, further complicated by their shared experience of being scouted after starring in the same historical remake.
This often made Wang Shou sigh, lamenting this cursed fate.
Wang Mu Zhe initially hadn’t accepted the role of the second male lead in the *Nine Streams* web drama. Star Culture wanted to build a major IP, requiring high quality and anticipation for derivative works, ideally maintaining consistency among the main characters.
Wang Mu Zhe had taken the second male lead role after being pressured.
Star Culture now largely revolved around Shen Chao. He was young, exceptionally talented, and outwardly brilliant. While his demeanor was somewhat cold, at Shen Chao’s level, most people sought him out rather than him needing to seek others. At just twenty-two, countless individuals believed he had the value to carry a top-tier IP.
Wang Mu Zhe, at twenty-nine, had far less value and potential than Shen Chao. Sometimes, amidst the various power struggles, he had to sacrifice certain things.
However, Shen Chao had opposed Wang Mu Zhe taking this web drama from the very beginning.
Shen Chao believed that in the movie version of *Nine Streams*, Wang Mu Zhe hadn’t captured the essence of the second male lead. He was very direct, implying that Wang Mu Zhe hadn’t performed well.
Wang Shou’s head ached just recalling that scene. Shen Chao had stated it directly to Wang Mu Zhe’s face, practically saying that the esteemed actor Wang couldn’t keep up with his acting.
Yet, the actor ultimately cast as the second male lead in the *Nine Streams* web drama was still Wang Mu Zhe.
It wasn’t until *Courtyard House* burst onto the scene, bringing Su Xuan into the public eye, that Shen Chao forcefully demanded a character change. The *Nine Streams* casting team, after deliberating on all opinions, considered Su Xuan and Shen Chao’s astonishing CP popularity, as well as Wang Mu Zhe’s own reluctance to play the role. Ultimately, they took a huge risk, making a last-minute change and casting Su Xuan.
Wang Shou sighed. “Although Wang Mu Zhe agreed to the change, if your attitude hadn’t been so unyielding, the team wouldn’t have considered it. You always have your reasons for doing things, and I usually don’t question you. But this time, I must ask, Shen Chao, why were you so insistent on replacing him with Su Xuan?”
Shen Chao averted his gaze slightly. His pupils were a remarkably clear color, creating an icy, oppressive feeling when he looked directly at someone. Wang Shou met his eyes and instinctively straightened up.
Shen Chao’s tone was very serious. “Because he will definitely act better than Wang Mu Zhe.”
Wang Shou looked at him. “Truly no personal reasons at all?”
Shen Chao replied coldly, “None.”
Wang Shou was speechless. “Then why did you block Su Xuan and his manager using both your phone and mine?”
Shen Chao’s lips pressed into a cold, straight line. He seemed to be suppressing a bit of anger, making him appear even colder. “Su Xuan blocked me too.”
“…So you had to block him back, is that it?” Wang Shou’s inverted V-shaped brows furrowed deeper in distress. “What does that have to do with me and Su Xuan’s manager? You two can block each other all you want, but his manager and I still have things to deal with!”
Shen Chao’s temper wasn’t very good. If he couldn’t get through to someone or didn’t get along with them, he wouldn’t bother, simply and decisively blocking them. Wang Shou was used to it.
Shen Chao stared at Wang Shou for a moment, then slowly shifted his gaze. “…I was quite angry at the time. I wanted to team up and block him.”
Wang Shou was speechless.
‘Shen Chao, this is blocking, not teaming up for a game. Don’t rope your manager into it.’
Su Xuan had already arrived at Star Culture. Due to the blocking incident that morning, Liu Pangpang and Su Xuan now had a basic understanding of the popular Shen Chao’s temper. To avoid being late, they arrived fifteen minutes early.
They had originally planned to arrive half an hour early, but something happened on the way. Su Xuan, being an unknown and poor, had no concept of his own rising fame. He had left home without a mask or sunglasses, intending to take the subway with Liu Pangpang. However, at the subway entrance, he was stared at multiple times and even asked for several autographs.
After being surrounded by a group of screaming young girls, Su Xuan’s hair had been tugged several times, leaving him utterly bewildered. He had to call a subway security guard to escape the autograph queue.
In the end, he and Liu Pangpang took a taxi.
Su Xuan was still trying to process it. “Holy cow, do you think they mistook me for someone else? Did they really want *my* autograph?”
Liu Pangpang found his reaction amusing. “They were shouting ‘Su Xuan.’ Who else could it be but you?”
When they got out of the car, the Star Culture security guard recognized Su Xuan and let him in directly.
Inside, Su Xuan was still somewhat dazed. He shook Liu Pangpang’s shoulder. “Oh my god, I just got in by facial recognition! This is the first time since my debut that I’ve entered a company just by showing my face!”
Liu Pangpang felt a mix of sadness and amusement. “You say that as if you didn’t have a face before.”
Su Xuan recalled with a start. “It was just like not having a face! When I joined a crew, they’d look at me, ask my name, I’d say ‘Su Xuan,’ then they’d look at me again and say, ‘Who are you?’ I’d tell them I just gave my name, and then they’d say, ‘I mean, I’ve never seen your face before…'”
Liu Pangpang was speechless.
‘How tragic. Why is it so tragic?’
Star Culture occupied an entire commercial building, looking incredibly opulent, completely incomparable to the humble Leaf Media, which merely rented a few floors of a residential building. Star Culture had a dedicated reception area on the seventeenth floor.
Liu Pangpang gazed at the spacious and bright reception room, overflowing with envy. “Before, Star Culture used to rent this building. But after Shen Chao won his gambling agreement, he bought it recently. Su Xuan, when will you make us proud and buy Leaf Media’s building…?”
Su Xuan interjected, “…The old lady who rents us the residential building as our office says these are her ancestors’ houses; they have sentimental value, and she won’t agree to sell them to us.”
Liu Pangpang was silent.
‘That’s true enough.’
‘Thinking about it that way, Leaf Media is also quite pathetic. Why is an entertainment company so poor it can only rent someone’s ancestral home as an office?’
‘Ah, a poor company raising poor artists.’ Su Xuan was still fretting over whether those few dozen yuan for the taxi could be reimbursed that day.
You’ve got to see this next! The Moon Reflected In The Water will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : The Moon Reflected In The Water
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