"I was the one who breached the contract first. I'll accept any punishment the company decides to give me."

"Brother Geng... I'm sorry about this." Jiang Chi took a deep drag of his cigarette, pressed the butt into the ashtray, and said in a low voice, "After I pay the company for the breach of contract, I'll give you your share."

Geng Tian had just gotten off the plane that evening. He was first left dizzy by a barrage of messages, then called to the company to be chewed out by several leaders, big and small. With a stomach full of anger, he skipped dinner and went straight to Jiang Chi's house. He had originally planned to throw a tantrum at Jiang Chi, but who would have thought that before he could even start yelling, Jiang Chi had already unconditionally admitted fault.

"I-I'm not concerned about my share." That was too much of a lie. Geng Tian was angry simply because Jiang Chi had cut off his source of income. Now that he knew Jiang Chi wasn't going to play dumb and trick him, he felt much more at ease. He said vaguely, "Think about it yourself. Didn't you go too far with this? You even hid it from me, your agent. After the company found out, how could they not be anxious? What do you call this?"

Thinking about Jiang Chi taking a role behind his back, Geng Tian's anger flared up again. He said sternly, "It's not because you took a role for zero pay! Does the company care about money?! The entire team had a plan for your career path! And you? You took a role without permission, and this kind of role, this kind..."

Geng Tian had a complicated expression on his face just thinking about the movie Jiang Chi was currently filming.

A few months ago, Jiang Chi had secretly accepted a movie role.

It wasn't some unknown small workshop. The entire production, from the director to the screenwriter, was top-tier. It was a dual male lead story, and Jiang Chi was the second male lead.

Jiang Chi had been a breakout star for over a year, but he had never appeared on the big screen. For the past six months, Geng Tian had been keeping an eye out, looking for an opportunity to stick him into some film crew. He didn't expect him to be the male lead; just showing his face on the big screen would be enough.

Now he had a role. For his big-screen debut, he was collaborating with a major director and carrying the banner of a lead actor. It was like being hit by a pie from the heavens, but unfortunately—it was a same-sex themed art film.

To get into this crew, Jiang Chi hadn't even asked for a single cent in payment.

He was originally the company's cash cow, but now, no profit could be squeezed out of him for at least half a year. The executives in charge of Jiang Chi, from top to bottom, were all furious.

"All the savings you painstakingly accumulated last year! Not only are they all gone, but you've also offended the company! You do the math, was it worth it?" Geng Tian was exasperated. "You've been popular for less than a year! This is a critical time, and at this juncture, you've cleared your schedule for over half a year to shoot a film that can't even be released in the mainland! What on earth is in your head..."

"Didn't you tell me? That I should at least make a movie to please the fans." Jiang Chi remained calm and unhurried. "A film purely for building reputation is quite suitable."

"Don't use my own words to fool me!" Geng Tian blurted out, "Didn't you fight for this film because the other lead was already set to be Ye Lan! You think I don't know what you're thinking?!"

Jiang Chi froze, a flash of awkwardness in his eyes. He turned his head and gave a dry cough, unconsciously pulling out another cigarette.

Geng Tian regretted his words as soon as they came out. Seeing the situation, he took the opportunity to change the subject, saying with displeasure, "I've been meaning to ask you, why did you start smoking?!"

"It's for the role." Jiang Chi lit the cigarette, took a drag, and choked a little. "I'll... I'll quit after filming wraps."

Geng Tian's brows were tightly furrowed. "Be mindful of where you are. Don't get caught smoking outside. You're not at the stage of transitioning into a charismatic tough guy yet."

"I know." Jiang Chi nodded, frowning slightly as he slowly smoked.

Jiang Chi was only twenty-three this year, his face still holding the raw outlines of a young man. Seeing him sitting on the sofa like this, learning to smoke, inexplicably made one's heart ache. Thinking about the punishment from the company, Geng Tian softened a bit. He sat down again and sighed, "Because you were injured during your last shoot, everyone was considerate and applied for a three-month vacation for you. And what do you do? You took advantage of no one watching you to secretly... forget it, I won't say any more. How are things over there? I heard before that Ren Haichuan is quite difficult to get along with."

"Not at all, Director Ren is a great person." Jiang Chi knew he had passed the test and smiled. "I've been on set for a month and have learned a lot from Director Ren."

"Then..." Geng Tian hesitated. "What about Film Emperor Ye? You and him..."

Jiang Chi flicked the ash from his cigarette, cleared his throat, and said slowly, "Film Emperor Ye is a good person too. He's quite polite to me."

Geng Tian fell silent, automatically translating Jiang Chi's words: After filming for a month, Jiang Chi still hadn't managed to get close to Ye Lan.

Even though he was furious at Jiang Chi's unauthorized decision, hearing this, Geng Tian felt a bit of sympathy for him. To spend so much money and time just for a chance to interact with Ye Lan, but alas, it seemed Ye Lan had no intention of getting to know him on a deeper level.

Otherwise, they wouldn't still be "polite" after filming scenes together for so long.

But this wasn't surprising.

Who was Film Emperor Ye?

Ye Lan, professionally trained, achieved fame at a young age. He filmed his first movie in his junior year of university. With his good looks and superb acting skills, he won the Film Emperor award on the eve of his graduation, graduating with two trophies in hand. From then on, his path to stardom was smooth. From the time he left school until now, Film Emperor Ye had been popular for a solid ten years and dominated the big screen for a solid ten years.

All these years, whether in terms of film or commercial resources, Film Emperor Ye sat at the very top. He won both acclaim and popularity, progressing steadily, and his fame was so well-earned that everyone was convinced.

And Jiang Chi?

Two years after graduation, four years in the industry, he had acted in over twenty television series and starred in three. Most of the series he starred in had flopped. The company had already given up hope on him, but unexpectedly, a period drama where Jiang Chi played a supporting role became a huge hit last year. Jiang Chi's portrayal of the villain unexpectedly attracted a lot of fans. With this role, Jiang Chi's popularity skyrocketed, at one point surpassing many of the "fresh meat" idols in the entertainment industry. Riding this wave of success, Jiang Chi joined a reality show, and with his likable personality, he gained many more fans, successfully breaking into the A-list.

He was truly famous, but everyone knew that a film industry figure like Film Emperor Ye, who lived perennially at the top of the entertainment industry pyramid, wouldn't even give Jiang Chi a second glance.

The two of them were simply not on the same level.

If Jiang Chi hadn't also been professionally trained, with acting skills and a willingness to endure hardship, forget not taking payment—even if he paid his own money, he wouldn't have been able to get into Ye Lan's film crew.

Jiang Chi himself was very clear about all of this.

"I never expected anything to happen anyway." Jiang Chi was quite optimistic, smiling helplessly. "How could it be possible... But when I heard about the opportunity, I couldn't bear not to fight for it. Besides, it wasn't a loss. I learned a lot, and also..."

I could spend my days and nights with Ye Lan. Although Ye Lan was always cool and distant towards him, at least when they were filming, Ye Lan would always be looking at him.

The first month of filming consisted mostly of conflict scenes with very few scenes together. It was mostly outdoor shooting, and often the two of them would film their parts separately. But in the coming months, they would have a "honeymoon period." Jiang Chi had already memorized the script forwards and backwards; he could recite Ye Lan's lines by heart. The thought of Ye Lan speaking those sweet nothings to him with deep affection in the film made Jiang Chi feel that any amount of breach of contract penalty was worth it.

Geng Tian felt a pang in his heart seeing the faint blush on Jiang Chi's face. He waved his hand and said, "Forget it. I'll handle things with the company for you. Get me a copy of your schedule from the film set when you get back, let me see..."

Jiang Chi said seriously, "Brother Geng, Director Ren won't let me film multiple projects at once, and I wouldn't agree to it either."

Geng Tian said resentfully, "I'm just trying to help you earn back what you lost. Fine, I get it... Do you have scenes tomorrow?"

Jiang Chi nodded. "Yes."

...

"One outdoor scene, one night scene. If that old man Ren is even slightly dissatisfied, it'll take another whole day." In the private room, the corners of Ye Lan's eyes were already red. He blocked the wine glass being handed to him and scoffed, "I have several scenes tomorrow. I already said I wasn't coming, but I did you the favor of showing up... and you still dare to make me drink."

The people in the room laughed. A female star who was familiar with Ye Lan smiled beautifully and said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know you had scenes tomorrow. If I had known, I wouldn't have pushed you to drink. Blame Yu Xinze. The host didn't tell us."

Ye Lan was handsome, and his expression was even more charming when he was drunk. Almost all eyes in the room were focused on him. A female star next to him couldn't help but set aside her pride and personally poured a glass of water for him. Ye Lan raised an eyebrow, took the wine glass filled with water, and raised it to the actress in a gentlemanly manner, smiling. "I'll drink this one for you."

The actress's face instantly turned bright red.

The one who had been handing Ye Lan drinks was Yu Xinze. He had debuted a few years before Ye Lan and had also won the Film Emperor award back in the day. The two had collaborated several times, and their relationship was considered quite good in the industry. Hearing Ye Lan, Yu Xinze tilted his head back and finished the wine in his own glass. Leaning against Ye Lan, he said, "What scenes tomorrow? Still that gay-themed one?"

"Mhm." Ye Lan rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "Luckily, I don't have scenes in the morning... Otherwise, if I showed up reeking of alcohol tomorrow, I'd be cursed to death by Ren Haichuan."

Yu Xinze had also drunk a lot. He rubbed his face, struggled to recall, and asked, "How long have you been filming? A month already?"

"Almost two months." Ye Lan squinted slightly, dazzled by the chaotic lights in the room. "Probably another four or five months to go..."

Yu Xinze raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it supposed to be a small-production, low-budget film? Why is it taking so long?"

A comfortable smugness appeared in Ye Lan's eyes. He scoffed softly, "It's a film meant to win awards. If it's finished in two or three months, who are you trying to fool?"

Yu Xinze smiled. "Badass."

"Hey! That kid acting with you, the one named Jiang Chi." Yu Xinze asked, "How is he?"

Ye Lan said, "He's pretty good."

Yu Xinze teased, "A little fresh meat..."

"No." Ye Lan shook his head. "He's not the type to get a big head from a little praise. He has a good temperament, is quite humble, and his acting is decent. Even that old geezer Ren Haichuan likes him, says he's dedicated..."

"Alright, alright... Have you been doing too many interviews lately? Why are you giving me the official spiel?" Yu Xinze lowered his voice. "I just heard a couple of days ago that his contract with his original company seems to be up next year. I wanted to ask you what this kid is like. If the opportunity is right, I'm thinking of having someone contact him to see if he's willing to come develop with us."

A few years ago, Yu Xinze had co-founded Shiguang Media with his old company. It was lukewarm at first, but in the last two years, its resources had gotten better and better, and it had signed quite a few artists in the past year.

"There's nothing wrong with him as a person," Ye Lan said. "Otherwise, you can come visit me on set and see for yourself."

Yu Xinze smiled. "Aren't photos enough? Do I need to see him in person? I just wanted to ask about his temperament. I'm getting old, I can't handle the arrogant ones."

"He's not arrogant." Ye Lan squinted, thought for a moment, and said, "His temperament is fine, and his facial structure is good too. He's the type who will age well. He can make you money for several years, no problem. As for his figure..."

Ye Lan thought of something and smiled gracefully.

"Oh ho." Yu Xinze smilingly passed Ye Lan a cigarette and put one in his own mouth. While lighting it, he mumbled with a smile, "It's rare to hear you praise a male artist like this. What about his figure?"

Ye Lan took a drag of the cigarette, bit the filter lightly, and smiled. "His ass is quite perky."

Yu Xinze chuckled under his breath. "What's with you, Film Emperor Ye? You're the number one male god of the film and television industry, after all. Is it appropriate for you to be checking out a little fresh meat's ass all day?"

"It's for the role." Ye Lan leaned back on the sofa and said lazily, "Go ahead and sign him. If you sign him, I can check it out every day."

Yu Xinze glanced at him. "For real? You actually like him that much?"

Ye Lan exhaled a puff of smoke and sneered, "He's average. I'm just messing with you. I don't know him well."

Yu Xinze figured as much. Seeing Ye Lan leaning against the backrest with his eyes closed, he knew he was truly drunk. He checked the time and said, "Don't you have scenes tomorrow? Why don't you head back early? I'll give you a ride."

"No need." Ye Lan opened his eyes. "I'll call Old Jin to come get me."

Yu Xinze felt helpless. He considered his relationship with Ye Lan to be quite good, but Ye Lan was just like that. As soon as he touched alcohol, he would definitely not get in anyone else's car, including his.

Ye Lan seemed carefree and got along well with everyone in the same circle, having connections with all sorts of people. But there were some things he always kept separate. It was as if these friendships were just a necessary part of his job. No matter how good his relationships seemed to the outside world, he would clearly draw a line, keeping them outside his private life. After all these years, Yu Xinze still didn't even know Ye Lan's exact address.

Ye Lan pushed his hair back, picked up his phone with drunken, hazy eyes, opened his contacts, and scrolled to the names starting with 'J'. He blinked blearily and managed to send a message: The Golden Age, come get me.

Ye Lan tossed his phone aside and, amidst the crowd's playful jeers, laughed, "Come on... Let Daddy sing one last song for you."

At the same time, in Jiang Chi's home, Geng Tian stood up and said, "I didn't know you were filming these past few days, so I didn't assign you more assistants. I'll mention it to the company tomorrow..."

"No, no need." Jiang Chi quickly shook his head. "Having Xiao Li with me is enough. More would be useless. Ye Lan only brought two assistants. If I show up with a whole crowd, what will the rest of the crew think?"

Geng Tian thought so too and sighed. "Alright, you got what you wanted. I won't say anything more. Just focus on filming. In the future..."

In the future, after the filming wraps and the movie is done, the chances of interacting with Ye Lan again would be almost zero.

Geng Tian swallowed the latter half of his sentence. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard Jiang Chi's phone buzz.

Jiang Chi's phone was on the table. With the vibration, the screen lit up:

【The Golden Age, come get me】