104: Encirclement

After the commercial shoot ended, Shen Lian mentioned taking everyone out to dinner. However, as soon as they stepped out, Nie Sheng cautiously scanned the surroundings, his aura shifting instantly.

Shen Lian noticed. "Brother Sheng?"

"Change cars," Nie Sheng decided immediately.

Instead of getting into the van, Nie Sheng made backup preparations; his men switched to an inconspicuous small black car parked across the street.

Now Shen Lian saw them—two people by the flowerbed were clearly stunned.

Who were they? Still trying to corner him?

Nie Sheng turned to Jiang You and Li Yi. "Let my men check the van first. If it's clear, you can drive it back. If there's an issue, my men will take you home. Mr. Shen, come with me."

Jiang You plucked up her courage. "C-can you guarantee Brother Shen's safety?"

"Of course." Nie Sheng gave a brief smile; after all, this concerned his own safety too.

Nie Sheng was reliable, so Shen Lian relaxed. After getting into the car, they initially headed toward home, but after receiving a phone call, Nie Sheng signaled the driver to change direction.

Shen Lian: "Where are we going?"

"Hengtai," Nie Sheng said. "CEO Chu instructed me to bring you there."

Shen Lian chuckled, thinking of something.

Just as he thought—no matter how iron-clad the protection was, nothing was safer than being right under his own eyes.

Upon arriving at Hengtai's underground parking garage, Yang Bin was already waiting.

Shen Lian got out of the car and stared at Yang Bin. "What's wrong, Special Assistant Yang? Did you go into the mountains to chop wood last night?"

Yang Bin had two unmissable dark circles under his eyes. Though he still looked like an elite professional, he was clearly carrying the exhaustion and irritability of sleep deprivation.

Yang Bin gave a bitter smile. "I've been pulling all-nighters for days."

Yang Bin and Nie Sheng clearly knew each other; they nodded in greeting. Shen Lian stepped into the elevator, and the two of them followed behind, whispering about something.

Chu Yilan sat at his desk with a frown until a knock sounded. He hurriedly said, "Come in."

Upon seeing Shen Lian, Chu Yilan silently breathed a sigh of relief.

As the office door closed, Shen Lian spread his arms with a roguish smile, and Chu Yilan stood up to hug him.

"Miss me that much?" Shen Lian whispered.

Chu Yilan didn't want to tell Shen Lian what was happening. He knew Shen Lian wasn't afraid, but he wanted him to stay relaxed. "Yeah."

Cupping the back of Shen Lian's head, Chu Yilan first brushed against the corner of his lips, then kissed him softly, one after another, accompanied by a sigh. "As expected, I can only set my heart at ease once I've seen you."

Shen Lian: "Let's have beef hot pot tonight?"

The beef hot pot was indeed delivered, but halfway through the meal, Chu Yilan received a call from Sun Binghe, and his expression changed instantly.

Shen Lian put down his chopsticks and said, "Let's go."

Outside, the temperature had plummeted at some point, and a chilly drizzle drifted through the air, hitting the car windows and quickly forming streams that ran down.

The car was silent. With Chu Yilan there, Shen Lian didn't worry at all about what might happen next. He looked down and played with the man's fingers, occasionally measuring them against his own.

"You could make a fortune as a hand model," Shen Lian remarked.

Chu Yilan lowered his gaze. "It hasn't come to that yet. My brain is more useful."

Shen Lian chuckled. In the front passenger seat, Nie Sheng tightened his jacket. Was that really a joke coming from CEO Chu?

Chu Yilan brushed the hair near Shen Lian's ear. "It's grown."

"Yeah, Brother Hu said not to cut it for now. Maybe I can try a new look."

Chu Yilan reflexively frowned, but then he thought of Shen Lian's face—any hairstyle would look good on him—and he immediately began to look forward to it.

Half an hour later, the car stopped at the port where construction was about to begin. Some steel bars and cement had already been transported to the designated area, and the spilled sand and gravel were a bit rough underfoot. Looking ahead, several cars were parked in an area cordoned off with light ropes. Three cars on the right had collided severely, their passenger and rear doors wide open, as if people had fled in a hurry without looking back.

Among the shadows in the dim light, Sun Binghe's coat flapped in the wind, his back a prominent figure.

Chu Yilan stepped forward and saw a small yacht already over ten meters away. Its engine was off, and it bobbed gently with the waves. A stout figure could be seen standing at the stern, a point of crimson glowing at his fingertips as he smoked a cigar, seemingly waiting for someone.

"You're here?" Jin Lei's voice was hoarse.

The wind didn't stop, but they could clearly hear each other. Even with insufficient light, their gazes could pierce the darkness, tracing the most precise outlines of one another.

This was the first time Jin Lei had seen Chu Yilan since arriving in Qudu.

He knew he couldn't appear in the open, so he planned to hide in the shadows—after all, that was what he was best at. But Chu Yilan's moves were ruthless. Jin Lei had always thought there was a traitor within his ranks, but after personally dealing with several confidants, he suddenly realized that Chu Yilan had recognized him long ago.

Sun Binghe was even more relentless in his pursuit. If Jin Lei hadn't reflected and confirmed repeatedly, he would have truly thought he had done something to Sun Binghe in the past.

Then he realized—Sun Binghe was also ruthless enough.

"Other equipment has been destroyed. Jin Lei had a trick up his sleeve—a planned temporary escape route that we didn't have time to intercept," Sun Binghe said in a low voice.

Jin Lei chuckled. He tried to sound open-minded, but there was a hint of gritted teeth in his words. "Chu Yilan, you're truly Chu Changqi's spawn! I'll take the loss this time, but as long as the green mountains remain and the clear waters flow, we'll have plenty of chances to meet again."

"Your assets are almost all consumed by me, and you've got one foot in the grave. What chances do you have left?" Chu Yilan said coldly.

Through the night and the mist, Shen Lian seemed to see Jin Lei's expression twist for a moment.

"That's none of your business." Jin Lei regained his composure. Noticing Shen Lian looking at him, he stared back openly, no longer hiding his desire and greed. "I originally wanted to take you with me..."

Shen Lian thought, 'You motherf— Bah!'

The chill emanating from Chu Yilan almost became tangible.

The yacht started up. Jin Lei took one last look at Sun Binghe; he had never imagined he would lose to a young man he was meeting for the first time.

"little bastard," Jin Lei cursed.

Sun Binghe lowered his chin, the cold light in his eyes like a blade being unsheathed.

"Binghe, it's okay," Yang Bin said, patting Sun Binghe's shoulder reassuringly.

"little bastard! little bastard! Damn you for not listening! Run? I'll beat you to death!" Buried memories rushed back with the howling night wind, momentarily drowning out Sun Binghe's hearing. Harsh slaps fell like rain. His younger self couldn't dodge because his whole body was wedged under a stool. He could only frantically cover his face, feeling the onset of dizziness and the taste of blood in his mouth.

In the orphanage, he was already considered one of the older children. Of course, the younger ones weren't put up for adoption either, because as long as they were there, the annual subsidies could keep those people fat and greedy. Oppression and beatings were long since commonplace for Sun Binghe, and what he hated hearing most was 'little bastard'.

A pack of actual beasts tried to turn him into livestock. That gaze, filled with intense malice, was no different from Jin Lei's right now.

No wonder, Sun Binghe thought, I hate Jin Lei so much.

"Special Assistant Yang, it's no good. The engine lines have been shredded. Only one jet ski is barely usable," someone stepped forward to report.

Yang Bin was about to nod when he heard Sun Binghe ask calmly, "Which one?"

The subordinate pointed. Yang Bin's heart skipped a beat, but it was too late. He only managed to grab the corner of Sun Binghe's coat, and even that slipped through his fingers in an instant.