My crush wants to be my sugar daddy.

Chapter 201 IF Scenario - If you like someone, you should pursue them.

Irresponsible IF Side Story - 05

"Cut! That scene was good. Let's take a half-hour break."

Jiang Haochen pulled himself out of the character and turned to walk towards the rest area. He had only taken a few steps when Xie Lingzhou called him back.

"Teacher Jiang, could I have two minutes of your time?" Xie Lingzhou said sincerely. "I always have trouble getting the right emotions right. Could we go over them together first?"

Jiang Haochen looked at Xie Lingzhou's handsome features and felt a slight attraction. Xie Lingzhou's appearance perfectly matched his aesthetic preferences, and his personality was also good—hardworking and diligent without being obsequious. But…

Jiang Haochen turned his gaze around and glanced to the side, where he met the inquisitive and bright eyes of a certain troublesome child.

Chi Yuan, his younger brother, is a kid who suddenly discovers he seems to like men and then starts to learn from him as a role model.

"Brother, please teach me! I can find information myself, but what if I find the wrong information and end up learning bad things?"

"Brother, you're right. I'm still young, and I've only just discovered that I like men. It might not be accurate yet. I should wait a while and confirm it properly."

"Brother, don't you like that Xie guy? Xu Mo said you're pursuing him. I happen to be free during summer vacation, so I'll be your assistant on set so I can observe him up close."

"Brother, you're my idol. Everything you do is the best. Once I'm sure I've figured out my sexual orientation, I'm sure I'll meet someone I like, and then I'll try to pursue them like you do."

"Brother, I'm a great learner. I'm sure I'll be able to learn it this summer."

Jiang Haochen: "…………"

Who told you to learn this?!

He wasn't sure about Chi Yuan's learning ability, but his attitude towards learning was truly excellent. Whatever time he got up, Chi Yuan got up at the same time. When he came to the film set, Chi Yuan followed him. When he was acting, Chi Yuan was doing physics problems on the side. Whenever he came into contact with Xie Lingzhou, Chi Yuan's eyes would stare at him like light bulbs.

He's watching!

He's keeping a close eye on it!

Even if Jiang Haochen had the thickest skin, he couldn't actually do anything under such a pair of eyes. Besides, Chi Yuan had only just realized that she seemed to like men, and was still in the exploration and confirmation stage. This was a stage where he couldn't be misled.

Although it doesn't matter whether Chi Yuan likes men or women, the premise is that it must be his own decision, not because of other reasons.

Jiang Haochen could only reluctantly refuse: "I may not have time right now, but you don't need to be too anxious. I'll take you with me during the filming later. Just follow my lead."

Xie Lingzhou was visibly taken aback: "Sorry, I disturbed you."

Jiang Haochen wanted to explain a few more words, but Xie Lingzhou had already left with a disappointed look on his face. Jiang Haochen knew that the other party had misunderstood. After all, he had always created opportunities to act with him before, but now he suddenly became aloof. The other party must think that he had a problem with him.

but……

Meeting someone's "watchful" gaze, Jiang Haochen sighed and walked towards the rest area.

As soon as he returned, Chi Yuan rushed to greet him, offering him water and fanning him.

Jiang Haochen was indeed thirsty and was lying on the recliner drinking water when he heard Chi Yuan say, "Brother, what did you say to Teacher Xie just now? I feel like Teacher Xie seems a little unhappy."

Jiang Haochen: "..."

Chi Yuan noticed Jiang Haochen's displeasure: "Brother, don't be angry. If you hadn't said anything first, that would have been fine. It's just that the teacher said in class that if you don't understand something, you should ask, and I just couldn't get it right away."

Jiang Haochen: "..."

It's ridiculous that they ask questions when they don't understand.

In the future, if we're in bed halfway through and don't know how to proceed, will we have to stop and call him?

Jiang Haochen intended to give this overly studious boy a good scolding, but when he turned his gaze over, he saw that the boy's youthful, fair face was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Summers in S City are already hot. They had been filming outdoors for half a day, and the boy hadn't gone into the RV to enjoy the air conditioning. He just waited for him outside. By now, his skin was flushed from the heat, his already loose collar was damp, and his breathing was heavy from the heat, falling on his ear.

This scene, combined with his earlier mental imagery, and the actor's exceptional ability to imagine scenes, instantly brought to mind some inappropriate images for children.

Damn it, Jiang Haochen, are you even human?!

"Let's go back to the RV and enjoy the air conditioning!"

Jiang Haochen pushed Chi Yuan into the RV, then went to the director's place to enjoy the air conditioning.

When the director saw him suddenly come over, he thought Jiang Haochen wanted to talk to him about something, but the man just came in and started eating watermelon without saying a word, leaving the director speechless: "Stop eating, or you'll have to go to the toilet during filming."

Jiang Haochen: "You're running to the toilet after just a few slices of watermelon? Your kidneys are failing you."

Director: "..." If you weren't such a big star, I would blacklist you right now.

The director took out the script and discussed it with Jiang Haochen: "Perfect timing, there's something I want to discuss with you."

Jiang Haochen listened while eating melon seeds.

Director: "In the original script, you and the third male lead had a few scenes together. I was wondering if we could add them back."

Jiang Haochen was somewhat surprised: "Then why did you delete it before?"

Director: "These scenes between the two characters were a bit ambiguous, and the female lead, Song Qingya, didn't agree to it. Plus, your agent didn't want anyone to ride on your coattails, so they were cut."

The script is actually quite good; cutting these scenes wouldn't affect the overall plot. But these days, selling bromance is easy to go viral, so why not take advantage of a good opportunity for a juicy moment? He didn't dare bring it up before because the male and female leads both disagreed, but these past few days, he's noticed that Jiang Haochen seems to have a thing for Xie Lingzhou. So he finally decided to try mentioning it.

As for Song Qingya, she is not as famous as Jiang Haochen, so as long as Jiang Haochen agrees, Song Qingya will not have any objections.

Previously, Jiang Haochen definitely wouldn't have refused. He didn't actually mind others riding on his coattails. In this industry, no one stays popular forever, and no one remains obscure forever. For a drama to be successful, everyone needs to work together. If you're going to accuse someone less popular than you of riding on your coattails, then you shouldn't even be taking on any roles. Besides, Xie Lingzhou, who plays the third male lead, is his type, but…

Thinking about the potential impact on minors, Jiang Haochen still took a look at the script. After finishing it, Jiang Haochen fell silent. How to put it? These scenes wouldn't feel out of place if added, nor would they affect the overall plot if deleted; it was just pure pandering to the BL (Boys' Love) audience.

He was all too familiar with the publicity tactics in the industry. If he agreed to add these scenes, the publicity would definitely be full of shots of him and Xie Lingzhou. Just thinking about Chi Yuan watching those shots, studying how he pursued people, made Jiang Haochen feel extremely uncomfortable.

No, we can't set this kind of example for our children.

"I don't think these scenes are necessary; adding them would only make them seem redundant."

When Jiang Haochen refused, the director didn't say anything. He had only wanted to add a selling point, and since the person involved disagreed, he let it go.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "By the way, is that kid who's been following you around these past few days an artist from your company?"

Jiang Haochen knew the other person was referring to Chi Yuan, and he nodded: "He's a trainee."

Director: "That's perfect. Shen Yin is currently filming a youth idol drama about high school students, and they're casting right now. I think that kid is quite suitable. He's very photogenic; he doesn't look out of place standing next to you. His eyes are so bright and captivating when he looks at you."

Jiang Haochen, who had been stared at all day, wholeheartedly agreed; those eyes were indeed captivating.

Jiang Haochen refused, saying, "Forget it, he'll be a senior in high school next year, his studies should be the priority."

Director: "Isn't it summer vacation? If you're really worried, just play a supporting role. By the time the show airs, he'll have almost finished his college entrance exams, and he'll have gained some popularity by then."

Jiang Haochen initially wanted to refuse, since Chi Yuan's status as a trainee was just a facade, and Chi Yuan would be free to decide what to do in the future. But then he thought about it again, and realized that Director Shen Yin was best at youth campus dramas, depicting sweet love stories from school uniforms to wedding dresses.

He was terrified that Chi Yuan's sudden "enlightenment" was influenced by him, and for this reason, he gave Xu Mo and Xiao Cui a severe scolding. In order to prevent Chi Yuan from going astray, he felt it was necessary to let the boy see the beautiful love between men and women.

"Let me take a look at the script first."

That evening, Jiang Haochen gave the script to Chi Yuan and personally helped Chi Yuan analyze the characters, especially the romantic scenes between the male and female leads.

Chi Yuan listened attentively, then asked, "Brother, in the drama you're currently filming, the romantic storyline is between you and Sister Song, right?"

Jiang Haochen nodded.

Chi Yuan: "But you still like Teacher Xie, not Sister Song."

Jiang Haochen: "..."

How come this kid has such a strong ability to apply what he's learned to other situations?

Jiang Haochen: "I'm different from you. Your brother is an adult and I'm very sure of my own preferences. You're different. You're not an adult yet. Don't define your life so quickly."

Chi Yuan didn't refute, obediently saying "Oh," and then continued to steer the conversation back: "That's why I want to learn from my brother. I want to observe carefully, to see what the differences are between my brother acting with Sister Song and acting with Teacher Xie. As for this campus romance drama, I don't need to act in it; I've seen many of the plots before. When I was in school, I often received love letters, and girls confessed to me. So, my brother and Teacher Xie are more relevant for reference."

Jiang Haochen: "!!!"

Chi Yuan continued, "Brother, this afternoon you and Teacher Xie had a scene together, and you were really close. Did you want to kiss him then? By the way, did you two kiss?"

Chi Yuan asked Jiang Haochen a question with an innocent look on his face, making him feel ashamed.

Jiang Haochen couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed Chi Yuan by the ear, scolding him: "You yaoi-obsessed bastard! That was just the characters making eye contact for the plot. What do you mean I wanted to kiss him? What kind of nonsense are you imagining?!"

He barely spoke a few words to Xie Lingzhou today so as not to corrupt Chi Yuan, yet this guy still managed to make up his own thoughts.

"Besides, I only have feelings for him, we're not together, how could we have kissed?"

Chi Yuan persisted, "Then when are you two going to kiss?"

Jiang Haochen: "What are you kissing for? I'm not pursuing you anymore."

Chi Yuan's eyelashes trembled, and he asked uncertainly, "Aren't you going to pursue it anymore?"

Jiang Haochen: "So you won't go astray."

Chi Yuan lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring the expression in them: "Brother, you don't really need to hide it from me. Anyway, there are clips of you all over the internet. Even if I go back, I can still see them. You might as well let me learn in person."

Jiang Haochen was furious. This guy thought he had tricked him into leaving: "I already told you, I'm not chasing after him anymore."

Chi Yuan: "But doesn't my brother like him?"

Who am I doing this for?!

Jiang Haochen sighed: "Does liking someone mean you have to win them over?"

Chi Yuan: "Then you definitely don't like them enough. If I like someone, I'll definitely pursue them and win them over."

Jiang Haochen was so angry he laughed: "Wait until you've figured out if the person you like is a boy or a girl before you talk about this. Don't think about these things before the college entrance exam, just focus on your studies."

If the kid still prefers boys a year later, then he won't interfere. He's done more than enough for the kid's sake, acting as the older brother.