102: Unable to walk

An autumn rain had fallen just half an hour ago, leaving a damp layer on the ground and a distinct chill in the air.

Chu Yilan's vision was slightly hazy; he leaned silently against the door pillar, waiting for Shen Lian to emerge.

Shen Lian, naturally, had not been drinking.

Feng Yueshan and Xu Jingge were chatting happily, arms slung over each other's shoulders, each talking about their own things, though in the end, it all converged into "my good brother."

Shen Lian hurried over with an umbrella. Seeing Chu Yilan wearing an overcoat, his furrowed brows relaxed slightly. "Why are you standing in the draft? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Hearing Shen Lian's voice, Chu Yilan looked up and smiled lightly.

The deep, dark inkiness in the man's eyes dissipated, revealing a heart-stopping clarity. Shen Lian was instantly mesmerized. Ignoring the surroundings, he cupped Chu Yilan's face and leaned in to kiss him. "You're so good-looking."

Chu Yilan: "You're good-looking too."

"Let's go, let's go home."

Chu Yilan spoke slowly, "I can't walk."

He was actually just drunk. His thoughts and reason were no longer as sharp as usual, and a childish streak had emerged. He was acting a bit temperamental, a side of him that no one else but Shen Lian ever got to see.

All Shen Lian had to do was give him a tug, and Chu Yilan would have followed. Who knew that upon hearing this, the man would turn around, crouch down slightly, pat his shoulder, and look sideways to say, "Get on."

Chu Yilan: "Hm?"

"If you can't walk, I'll carry you," Shen Lian said. "Except for filming and the little brat from my childhood neighbor's house, I've never carried anyone else."

Chu Yilan couldn't help but laugh.

The next second, Shen Lian hooked his hands under Chu Yilan's knees. Chu Yilan, losing his footing, actually fell onto Shen Lian's back. He was startled for a moment, but Shen Lian didn't budge, preparing to carry him.

Chu Yilan jolted, grabbed Shen Lian's hands to steady himself, and hurriedly pulled away.

Shen Lian stood up, amused. "What are you afraid of?"

Obviously, how could he not be afraid? Shen Lian had always been thin. He didn't know if it was because of his heart, but even if he gained a little weight, a few days of overwork would bring him right back to where he started. Chu Yilan was already trying his best to take care of him; how could he dare to weigh him down?

Chu Yilan didn't dwell on this. He opened his overcoat, wrapped it around Shen Lian, took the umbrella with his other hand, opened it, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go home."

Watching their retreating figures, Feng Yueshan sighed.

Over there, Xu Jingge was also arranged to get into a car by Chang Qing, leaving behind Chu Yilan and the others.

Ning Sixian: "What are you sighing about?"

Feng Yueshan: "Watching them makes even me want to fall in love."

"With just one look from Young Master Feng, who knows how many people would come flocking."

Feng Yueshan: "It's not the same."

He hadn't cared before, but now that he saw it often, he also wanted that kind of clean, heart-fluttering feeling.

"Shen Lian is the only one I've seen so far who has both high EQ and IQ, and such a delicate mind," Ning Sixian said. "Except for Yilan, no one can handle him."

Feng Yueshan's mind was a mess, so he simply waved his hand. "Forget it, long live being single."

After arriving home, Chu Yilan forced himself to wash up before collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep. Shen Lian tidied up leisurely. Seeing that Chu Yilan had no intention of waking up in the night or looking for water, he finally set his mind at ease.

Shen Lian turned off Chu Yilan's alarm. With things on his mind, he woke up the next day according to Chu Yilan's biological clock and contacted Sun Binghe to ask if there was much to do today. If there was a lot, he would let Chu Yilan sleep a while longer before waking him; if not, they wouldn't go to the company today.

Sun Binghe replied: "Teacher Shen, rest assured, Yang Bin and I are here."

Shen Lian closed his eyes, tossed the phone aside, and hugged Chu Yilan to continue sleeping. By the time the two opened their eyes, it was already noon. Chu Zhumi was scratching at the door outside incessantly. Chu Yilan turned his head to look at the brightness outside the window; this sleep had been very comfortable.

Aunt Fen had stewed soup and kept it simmering on the stove; it was ready just in time for when they came down.

Shen Lian glanced at the things Hu Kailan had sent and whispered, "Yilan, can I…"

"No," Chu Yilan interrupted. "Shooting commercials is fine, but wait a bit longer to take on acting roles."

Having been anticipated, Shen Lian pouted and replied to Hu Kailan.

Actually, this was fine, Hu Kailan thought. The scripts Shen Lian had been receiving recently were all high quality. It was meaningless to ruin his reputation by acting in some trashy IP just to fill the quota. Previously, he had wanted to build Shen Lian into a traffic star, but looking at Shen Lian's current stance, he was clearly aiming to be a powerful film actor. He just needed an opportunity. Anyway, he wasn't lacking resources now, so there was no rush.

Chu Yilan went to the company in the afternoon.

Compared to his high spirits, Xu Jingge, who had come to discuss cooperation, had already blown a table full of tissues.

Chu Yilan said with some sympathy, "So miserable."

"I blew the air conditioning this morning." As he spoke, Sun Binghe pushed the door open and entered. Xu Jingge placed a document on the table. "That Jin Lei, he used to work in Country A. As it happens, I know a friend who gave me more comprehensive information. You can use it as a reference."

Chu Yilan sat down on the sofa, opened it casually, and a photo came into view.

Chu Yilan remained silent for a long time.

Sun Binghe looked over curiously, and even Xu Jingge felt that the atmosphere was wrong. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Chu Yilan put the document back.

That was Jin Lei in his youth, about thirty years old. He wasn't as fat as he was now, couldn't hide his thoughts, and his eyes were etched with greed, making one feel very uncomfortable at a single glance.

Chu Yilan sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, not moving. His expression was indifferent, looking no different from usual, but a scene clearly emerged in his mind.

"Your son raised this secretly? It's quite fat. CEO Chu, did you really kill it?"

Chu Changqi's face was blurred by the pale daylight. He stood up, picked up a napkin from the table to wipe his hands, and replied, "If I killed it, I killed it. Who told me to see it."

It's him, Chu Yilan thought.

Jin Lei had changed too much, and coupled with the fact that he hadn't appeared many times during those years, Chu Yilan had only felt a sense of urgency at first glance but hadn't remembered him.

The cooperation with Xu Jingge was set in stone. The man signed the contract and left, anxious to go back and catch up on sleep.

"CEO Chu, Jin Lei's infiltration has somewhat exceeded my expectations. It seems he has had a complete interpersonal network in Qudu for a long time," Sun Binghe said in a low voice.

"I know," Chu Yilan said. "Regarding these people, I will give you a precise scope. You investigate them one by one. In any case, I will not allow Jin Lei to touch the blue sea project in the slightest. Binghe, do what you want to do. If it goes wrong, I'll cover for you. In short…" His eyes darkened. "If possible, I hope Jin Lei stays in Qudu forever, no matter by what means."

Sun Binghe: "Understood."

That evening, Sun Binghe really received a list sent by Chu Yilan. He was surprised at how Chu Yilan could be so specific, and instinctively felt that it seemed to be the man's forbidden zone.

What Sun Binghe didn't know was that regarding Chu Changqi, and even the spider web that Chu Changqi had once laid out, Chu Yilan knew every person connected to every thread like the back of his hand. Back then, in order to take revenge, he had wished he could chew through Chu Changqi's bones. Remembering Jin Lei naturally brought out a lot of things.

Chu Yilan didn't care about Jin Lei; he just couldn't help but think: Jin Lei had managed to crawl back to Qudu alive, so what about Chu Changqi?

He hadn't yet skinned that person alive, and he was always unwilling to let it go.