Chapter 11#

Chapter 11: Obstacles Ahead#

After Lu Yan left, Su Mo remained seated, unmoving, his expression unreadable.

Su Jue quickly walked over and asked in a low voice, “Brother, how did it go?”

Su Mo finally stirred, letting out a faint sigh. “He turned me down.”

“How is that possible?” Su Jue was somewhat surprised. “Did he think the terms weren’t good enough? Playing hard to get?”

Su Mo looked up at him and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“So, what now?”

“Forget it.” After a long pause, Su Mo uttered those words, then stood up, took the jacket from Su Jue’s hands, and said, “Let’s head back first.”

The two left one after the other. Su Jue drove, with Su Mo in the passenger seat. The Su brothers didn’t like using chauffeurs; unless there were special circumstances, they usually drove themselves. Throughout the drive, Su Mo didn’t say a word, just stared blankly at the lights outside the window.

The car pulled into the Su family’s old mansion. In recent years, because they were busy with company business, the Su brothers mostly lived separately in their own places, though they would return to the old house together from time to time.

Su Jue parked in the front yard, planning to wait for Su Mo to get out before driving the car into the garage.

The car had been stopped for a while, and Su Mo still hadn’t moved. Just as Su Jue was about to speak, Su Mo murmured, “I have a business trip tomorrow. A contract in Europe has reached a critical point, so I need to go check on it. It’ll take about a week. Keep an eye on the company’s operations during that time. If there’s anything you can’t handle, leave it for me. If it’s urgent, call me.”

After Su Jue acknowledged, Su Mo unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and got out.

Su Jue didn’t start the car right away. Instead, he rested his chin on the steering wheel and quietly watched Su Mo’s retreating figure. Su Mo was tall, with an unusually straight posture. His well-tailored suit accentuated his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and slim hips—no less impressive than any male model walking the runway. His steps were as steady as ever, but Su Jue inexplicably felt a hint of loneliness in that silhouette, and a sudden pang of sadness hit him.

Since childhood, Su Jue had seen Su Mo’s back countless times—from the frail frame of their youth to the upright one now. In his memory, that figure had always stood before him as a protector, shielding him from wind and rain.

Su Jue would never forget: shortly after their parents’ accident, while he was still young and alone at home, his older brother was studying abroad. Those uncles and aunts, ignoring the pain and grief of a boy who had just lost his parents, only thought about how to divide the property and seize the company. The cousins who had always been overshadowed by the brothers sneered and gloated on the sidelines. Unable to contain himself, Su Jue got into a fight with them, but outnumbered, he was badly beaten. In his most helpless moment, his big brother appeared like a deity. Seeing his injuries, Su Mo just frowned and said, “Don’t be afraid. Big brother is here. From now on, no one will bully you.” And indeed, from that day on, Su Jue was never bullied again. Later, Su Jue learned that as soon as Su Mo received the news from home, he hastily ended his studies and rushed back as fast as he could. From then on, with his similarly young and frail body, he shouldered all the burdens.

In Su Jue’s eyes, his brother was almost omnipotent—nothing could stump him, except when it came to matters of the heart. Su Jue himself was a carefree playboy; the number of men and women he’d been with was countless, if not endless. Yet he had never seen Su Mo involved with anyone—man or woman—not even a one-night stand. Sometimes Su Jue would secretly wonder how his brother handled his urges. Could it all be DIY? He shuddered a little at the thought.

Admittedly, Su Jue had initially been somewhat interested in Lu Yan as well. But it was only a slight interest. Su Jue had countless paramours; one more or one less didn’t matter. But Su Mo was different. Su Jue knew that his brother had a bit of a purity complex—otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained single all these years. In the nearly three decades of his brother’s life, Su Jue had never seen him attracted to anyone. Now that he’d finally met someone who stirred something in his brother, there was no way they could let him slip away easily.

It had always been his brother who held up the sky for him. It was time to do something for his brother. Su Jue’s eyes darkened as he silently began to scheme.

So, in a way, Lu Yan was quite unlucky. If he had rejected Su Jue, Su Jue might not have helped him, but he wouldn’t have put obstacles in his way either. If it had only been Su Mo, a rejection would have been the end of it. Su Mo wasn’t the type to resort to underhanded tactics; when he said “forget it,” he meant it. But in this situation, well, let’s just say that having a brother complex is truly a disaster.

Thus, three days later, Lu Yan didn’t receive a notice from the production crew. Instead, he got a call from Gu Yang.

On the other end, Gu Yang asked anxiously, “Have you offended someone recently?”

Lu Yan was taken aback, his heart sinking. “What’s wrong, Brother Yang?”

Gu Yang sighed. “The director called me this morning. They found someone more suitable for the role we discussed. He asked me to let you know, and said maybe next time we can cooperate. Also, on the Huanyu side… that contract probably won’t be signed for now.”

Lu Yan lowered his head, listening quietly. His heart felt heavy, as if something was pressing down on it. After a long silence, when the voice on the other end stopped, he finally spoke. “I understand.”

“I’m sorry, Xiao Lu. I couldn’t help you,” Gu Yang said, his voice full of regret.

Lu Yan forced a smile. “Don’t say that, Brother Yang. You’ve already helped me a lot.”

Gu Yang hesitated, then finally said, “Xiao Lu, don’t mind me asking, but think carefully. If you really offended someone you shouldn’t have, just give in a little. You’re young; don’t be too impulsive. This industry is like this. Once you have a say, you won’t have to be at others’ mercy.”

Lu Yan gave a bitter smile, thinking to himself that this was hardly a matter of simply giving in, but he replied, “I know. Thank you, Brother Yang.”

Gu Yang sounded helpless. “If you need anything in the future, just say the word. I’ll help if I can.”

Lu Yan chuckled. “I will.”

After hanging up, Lu Yan was still a bit dazed. He hadn’t expected to be unemployed again so soon. At least he had already received the pay for the last movie—not a lot, but enough to cover his living expenses for now.

Still, he hadn’t expected Su Mo to be so petty. It caught him off guard. Or maybe Su Mo was trying to warn him, to pressure him into giving in? If that was the case, a cynical smile tugged at the corner of Lu Yan’s lips. Then his plan would definitely fail.

Lu Yan was no longer the penniless actor from his previous life. Being reborn was his greatest trump card. The extra years he had lived gave him knowledge of secrets that no one else knew yet. That was one of the reasons he dared to defy Starlight despite the risks.

Starlight might be one of the industry leaders now, but it wasn’t the only one. Its biggest competitor was Huashi. Although Starlight had been rising in recent years and seemed to be gaining an edge over Huashi, Huashi, as a veteran film and television company, had deep roots.

In the business world, there are no permanent friends or enemies. Under normal circumstances, even a competitor like Huashi wouldn’t openly defy Starlight for the sake of a nobody like Lu Yan. But if Lu Yan held some significant secrets, that would be a different story.

The boss of Huashi had kept a mistress for years, and his son with her was already in university. A few years from now, this would be common knowledge, as the boss would eventually acknowledge them publicly. But now, before his formidable wife had died of illness, this was a ticking bomb. Once exposed, the damage would be immense.

Lu Yan didn’t want to take this step unless absolutely necessary. Using such tactics might bring temporary benefits, but it would also create enmity. No one likes being threatened, especially those high and mighty superiors.

Lu Yan decided to wait a little longer and see how far Starlight’s blacklisting would go. In the worst-case scenario, he would play that card. He believed that to protect this secret, the Huashi boss wouldn’t mind offending Starlight just a little. It might leave a bad impression, but Lu Yan was confident that before the secret became public, he could use this opportunity to showcase his abilities. If his existence could bring enough profit to the company, businessmen are profit-driven; they would naturally overlook his minor transgression.

With this fallback in mind, Lu Yan, whom Su Jue imagined must be frantic and desperate, was still humming a tune, enjoying a movie and some good food, just like any carefree young person.