Chapter 1

Chapter One

Lu Yan moved through the crowd of men and women in the bar, wearing a large mask.

The DJ was blasting deafening dance music, the lights were dim, and people had to press their mouths to each other's ears to hear clearly.

Lu Yan always figured the ear-splitting music in bars was just an excuse for people to get close, to heighten the ambiguous atmosphere in the space.

His eyes were slightly bloodshot, showing no emotional fluctuations, as he calmly made his way through the crowd towards the VIP section of the bar.

People passing by shot him strange looks. Nowadays, even celebrities don’t bother with masks when hitting up nightclubs. After all, in a place where less is more, a mask just makes you stand out.

Lu Yan had been so swamped lately that he could fall asleep in seconds if he closed his eyes. Twenty minutes ago, he’d wrapped up today’s shoot and was catching some Z’s in the van. When he got out of the car, he was in such a hurry that he didn’t even take off his mask.

He headed to the VIP section, checked his phone, and saw the room number sent by an unknown number: 002. Below the number was a photo of two hands clasped together, one sporting a silver men’s ring that gleamed in the dim light.

The ring’s design was one Lu Yan loved—no surprise, since he’d picked it out himself and even remembered the price.

He approached room 002, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

Inside, two men were locked in an embrace, one pinning the other against the wall, their lips locked in a heated kiss.

Nice scene, Lu Yan thought, if only one of them wasn’t his boyfriend.

The two men in the midst of their passionate kiss came to their senses and saw the newcomer. The man pinning the other against the wall widened his eyes, straightened up, and stared at Lu Yan in confusion, "...Lu Yan? Aren’t you supposed to be on set?"

Lu Yan flicked on all the lights in the room. He noticed the bulge in Xu Ze’s pants and let out a cold laugh.

He also recognized the guy Xu Ze had pinned—Liu Xing'an, an actor from his last TV drama, who was leaning against the wall, staring right at Lu Yan.

A case of booze sat on the table. Lu Yan grabbed an empty bottle and hefted it in his hand.

Xu Ze panicked, "Lu Yan, wait, let me explain—don’t do anything rash."

Lu Yan didn’t listen. He straightened up and hurled the bottle at them with full force!

"Bang—"

Lu Yan’s throw was lightning-fast; they didn’t have time to react. The bottle just missed Xu Ze’s face and exploded by his ear.

Liu Xing'an’s expression went from smug to terrified in a flash. He clung to Xu Ze’s sleeve and buried his face in his neck, like a scared animal.

After the throw, Lu Yan spun around and walked out without a word, silent from start to finish.

The room fell silent. Lu Yan was like a whirlwind—here and gone in an instant. Xu Ze looked at the glass fragments on the floor and swallowed hard—it was more like a tornado.

Xu Ze finally regained some of his wits after the shock. He frowned and asked Liu Xing'an beside him, "Was this your doing?"

Xu Ze was the big boss of Star Entertainment. Having been in the game of love for so many years, he was always adept at handling relationships. He had never been caught cheating when he had a partner.

Xu Ze was famously fickle and heartless. In all his relationships, he had never shown any lingering affection, always breaking up cleanly and leaving without a second thought. Liu Xing'an, who had recently been in favor, had long noticed that Xu Ze was not satisfied with Lu Yan.

Otherwise, why would he always come to him looking so unsatisfied?

He didn’t care how promiscuous Xu Ze was; he just wanted to take the main position and get more resources. The immediate task was to kick out the main partner.

He put on a pitiful expression, "I’m sorry, I... I just like you too much."

Xu Ze wanted to chase after Lu Yan, but seeing the shattered glass on the floor, he hesitated. He sighed and could only comfort the little lover in his arms first.

Lu Yan walked out of the bar and quickly got into the van waiting at the entrance.

Assistant Xiao Liu immediately handed him a water bottle, tactfully not asking too many questions, "Bro Yan, shall I take you home?"

Lu Yan closed his eyes again and gave a faint "Hmm," then asked, "Last time Lin An mentioned, how long is left on my contract with Star Entertainment?"

Xiao Liu hurriedly replied, "Four days. The contract renewal with Star Entertainment is scheduled for the day after tomorrow."

Lu Yan said nothing more.

Back at his apartment, Lu Yan tossed his phone onto the bed and went to take a shower.

When he came out, the steam from the shower hadn't completely dissipated. He opened his phone and saw eleven missed calls from unknown numbers just in the ten minutes he was in the shower.

He knew exactly who was calling without a second thought.

As he drank water, Lu Yan blocked all these unknown numbers on his phone, letting them keep company with Xu Ze's number.

Lu Yan was an actor under Xu Ze's company, but his current high fame had nothing to do with Xu Ze. It was all achieved through his own efforts and those of his manager Lin An. Xu Ze had started pursuing him at Star Entertainment's anniversary banquet last year, by which time he was already a top-tier male star.

Xu Ze pursued him for ten months before Lu Yan finally agreed to give it a try. But less than two months in, Xu Ze had already cheated.

Now, thinking carefully, Xu Ze might have had several bed partners while pursuing him. The thought made Lu Yan even more disgusted.

In these two months, Xu Ze had frequently made demands in that area, but Lu Yan had clearly told him that he wanted to be the top. Xu Ze had never been a bottom, and Lu Yan had never been in a relationship with a man before. They still hadn't figured out a solution, and Lu Yan was now very glad for his insistence on being the top. Otherwise... just the thought of it made him sick.

*

A week later, the news that Lu Yan would not renew his contract with Star Entertainment became a hot topic on Weibo.

Lin An, holding his phone, laughed, "Ah, Yicai Company? Hello, hello... Yes, my Xiao Yan's contract is about to expire, and we haven't decided on a renewal company yet. Yes, yes, we feel your company's sincerity, but we haven't made a decision yet... Ah, okay, okay, goodbye."

After hanging up, Lin An's expression instantly changed, looking exhausted as he asked the person beside him, "Which company do you want to go to? My phone has been blowing up these past few days. Just take pity on me and make a decision quickly."

Lu Yan, who had just finished filming a scene, was sitting and playing with his phone, casually saying, "Haven't decided yet. What do you think?"

"What I think doesn't matter. As long as you're comfortable. It's different now; we're not lacking in resources. You can be comfortable anywhere," Lin An said.

Lin An had met Lu Yan four years ago, and they clicked right away, smoothly propelling Lu Yan to stardom. They hadn't known each other for long, but their relationship was solid. If Lu Yan was leaving, Lin An would definitely follow him out of Star Entertainment.

Lu Yan asked, "Which companies want to sign me?"

Lin An smiled proudly, "There's no company that doesn't want to sign you."

This statement was bold but true. Lu Yan was good-looking, had a great figure, and although not professionally trained, his acting skills were outstanding. He was about to transition into the film industry, aiming for the Best Actor award. His personal habits were good; he didn't engage in casual sex or cause trouble. Such an artist, who wouldn't want him?

Thinking of this, Lin An silently added, he's also a graduate of a prestigious university. His smarts alone could outshine many in the industry. If Lu Yan hadn't insisted on making a name for himself through acting and not focusing on his academic persona, he might have been even more popular!

Lu Yan rubbed his temples, "We'll talk about it later. Actually, I'm thinking of starting my own studio."

Lin An's eyes lit up. This idea coincided with his own! "Then what are we waiting for? Let's do it! First, pour resources into yourself, and after a year or two, when your position is stable, we can start signing others!"

Lu Yan said, "It's just a bit of a hassle. I'll think about it some more."

Knowing that Lu Yan usually avoided trouble, Lin An nodded, "Alright."

Just as Lin An walked out to ask the director about the shooting schedule, Xu Ze arrived on set. After finding Lu Yan in the dressing room, he even locked the door behind him.

Seeing Xu Ze, Lu Yan just glanced up and continued playing with his phone, totally unfazed.

Xu Ze looked helpless, "Xiao Yan, do you really have to take it this far?"

Lu Yan chuckled as if he had heard a joke: "What am I causing a scene about?"

Xu Ze: "You... it's normal for you not to want to see me after our fight, but is it necessary to go as far as canceling the contract?"

Lu Yan smiled: "Xu Ze, you've got it wrong. I didn't fight with you; I broke up with you. Also, I didn't cancel the contract; our contract naturally expired."

Xu Ze took a deep breath: "Xiao Yan, listen to me, I... I really like you, but I'm a normal man. For two months, you refused to let me... I couldn't help it. I'm sorry. Can you give me another chance?"

Lu Yan refused outright: "Not a chance."

Xu Ze didn't expect such a straightforward answer and was somewhat embarrassed and angry: "Lu Yan, I like you so much, can't you put some effort into us?"

Lu Yan laughed: "Xu Ze, you pursued me for ten months. For those ten months, whether your sincerity was real or fake, I accepted it all, and I was genuine with you too."

He sneered: "But what about you, you jerk? You cheated on me in less than two months. I didn't kill you, you know that?"

Xu Ze thought to himself, damn, even when Lu Yan curses, it's so captivating.

Xu Ze: "Is there no way to fix this?"

Lu Yan: "None."

Xu Ze gritted his teeth: "I won't give up, Lu Yan. I spent ten months pursuing you before, and I can spend ten or twenty years pursuing you again. You will be mine eventually, so be prepared!"

Lu Yan's tone remained unchanged: "Xu Ze, what do you like about me? I'll change, alright? Please don't pester me for ten years. You might not get tired, but I sure will."