116: hype

"Assistant Sun, it was a paparazzi taking secret photos. We caught one, but one escaped." The Bodyguard returned shortly and reported in a low voice, his face filled with resignation and apology as if he were about to face death.

"Was the footage destroyed?"

"It was destroyed."

Sun Binghe finally looked up at him. "Check that person's level. To be able to escape from you guys, he'd have to be a mercenary at the very least, right? If he doesn't want to be a paparazzi anymore, I can recruit him."

Bodyguard: "..."

In an occasion like tonight, with both the best actor and Best Actress present, even a tiny bit of leaked information would attract secret filming. It was only logical when you thought about it.

Shen Lian stopped after one glass of champagne; as for the baijiu and red wine, he didn't touch them at all.

"Drink less." Su Niansheng snatched Jiang Nong's wine glass.

Jiang Nong kept his head lowered, clearly in a bad mood.

Chen Zao treated him like a younger brother and teased him occasionally. Jiang Nong forced a smile, but his gaze couldn't help drifting toward a certain spot. Shen Lian was sitting in a corner of the sofa playing with his phone. Not knowing what he saw, he pursed his lips and smiled; even in the dim light, his breathtaking beauty was hard to hide.

Chu Yilan sent a photo of Xu Jingge, who was dead drunk.

The background was a clean private room. It felt like the two big bosses had snuck out temporarily. Xu Jingge's suit jacket was pulled down at the shoulders; he sat on a stool with messy hair and a blank stare.

Shen Lian: [How much did he drink?]

Chu Yilan: [It was all his fault, so he couldn't avoid drinking a lot. I'm fine. I'll video call you when I get back tonight.]

Shen Lian: [Miss me?]

Chu Yilan: [Always.]

Always missing you.

It was as if Shen Lian had been fed a spoonful of honey from afar; it was incredibly sweet.

Later, several producers and Assistant Directors insisted on calling Shen Lian over to play cards and drink. Sun Binghe took off his coat and stepped in for him.

Normally, how could there be a seat for an assistant at this table? But Sun Binghe's aura was too overbearing, and since Director Liu Zong knew his identity, he was the first to stand up and give up his seat.

Then the all-rounder Special Assistant Sun only drank two glasses of wine midway through and helped open a few bottles. He didn't say much, but he carried a chilling aura of "I'm going to make you drink your fill all at once." Tossing and pushing cards, no matter how you played, he was able to pour the wine down others' throats.

After three people were carried out, Director Liu Zong reached out, truly unable to drink any more, and gestured for Sun Binghe to give him a break.

Sun Binghe smiled. "Then Teacher Shen won't drink anymore either."

Everyone: "No drinking, no drinking."

Sun Binghe nodded and stood up. Su Niansheng accidentally caught a glimpse of the watch on his wrist; it cost over a hundred thousand—not extremely rare, but a limited edition from when it first came out. Could an ordinary assistant afford such things?

After Sun Binghe sat down beside him, Shen Lian brewed him a cup of hot tea. "Actually, I could have played a few rounds too."

Sun Binghe: "But if even a single drop of baijiu enters Teacher Shen's stomach, the Boss will hang me up and whip me."

Shen Lian: "..."

After the party ended and they returned to the studio lounge, Chu Yilan's side wasn't over yet. When he called, there was a lot of noise; the setting was luxurious and lively. However, Shen Lian didn't feel any sense of crisis. Combined with the noisy background and Chu Yilan deliberately lowering his voice, he simply didn't notice anything wrong with the man.

"Go to sleep. I'll probably be back the day after tomorrow," Chu Yilan said.

Shen Lian: "Okay, let me know when you get back to the hotel."

"Mm." Chu Yilan hung up the phone and covered his mouth as he coughed lightly. He was running a fever and felt exhausted, his consciousness slightly hazy. Yet, sitting there with his legs crossed and saying nothing, he could still firmly hold down the scene.

Many people were eager to make a move, but with Yang Bin by his side and the man's cold aura, it always gave off the illusion that speaking up would only lead to embarrassment. To put it bluntly, they didn't dare.

No one expected that that night, a hashtag slowly climbed the trending searches: #Shen Lian and Jiang Nong Are So Close#.

In the leaked photos, Jiang Nong stood beside Shen Lian. The photos had been edited countless times, making the lighting look ambiguous. Jiang Nong's gaze rested on Shen Lian's face, looking quiet and affectionate.

[Shen Lian is at it again? Hype with Jiang Nong this time?]

[The person upstairs is just talking nonsense. Isn't Shen Lian low-key enough now?]

[A friend of mine works inside the "Dawn" crew. Anyway, I heard those two are quite ambiguous.]

[Holy crap? For real?]

Sun Binghe never expected that a single fish that escaped the net could feed people such crap.

By the time the trending search exploded, Shen Lian had just finished filming a scene.

Sun Binghe's expression was poor. Shen Lian was surprised. "What's wrong?"

Sun Binghe handed him the phone.

The next second, Sun Binghe keenly noticed Jiang Nong glancing over here.

At the same moment, Chu Yilan put down his spoon and carefully scrolled through the trending search.

He was actually very uncomfortable. The medicine hadn't worked, and his illness was lingering. He just wanted to hurry back and see Shen Lian. Chu Yilan knew very well that the news was definitely fake—a common trick in the entertainment industry. It was nine times out of ten a staged play by that Jiang Nong. His character had always been steadfast; he shouldn't be affected.

But once a person has emotions and desires, they are no longer made of steel. Shen Lian was his boyfriend.

Chu Yilan rubbed the phone screen, his lips pale and expressionless.

Yang Bin stood by, trembling. "CEO Chu?"

"I remember the Qin family wasn't at the morning meeting, right?" Chu Yilan's voice was completely hoarse. If Shen Lian heard even a single sound, he would know the man had a severe cold.

Yang Bin: "Correct, they said they'd come in the afternoon."

"Tell Xu Jingge I'm not going." Chu Yilan tossed the phone onto the table. He pressed his temple as he stood up, feeling as if a heavy weight were pressing down on him. Once his temper flared, it was unstoppable.

Then Yang Bin watched with wide eyes as Chu Yilan tore off his tie and threw his suit jacket onto the sofa with some force, as if venting his anger. Finally, he lay down on the bed, wrapped himself in the quilt, and remained motionless.

Yang Bin: "..."

Was this his wise, divine, and decisive boss?

The boss was sulking; the boss was in pain.

Yang Bin was stunned for a moment, then had a sudden flash of inspiration. At this moment, it was as if he were possessed by Sun Binghe, understanding where the story should go. With an excited heart and trembling hands, Yang Bin strode outside and began a phone bombardment.

"Yes, the cold is severe. He didn't want Teacher Shen to worry, so he's been holding it in and didn't say anything. But then this morning... sigh!"

"How can these people just believe any rumor they hear? Anyway, CEO Chu felt quite uncomfortable seeing it."

"He's lying down now and won't listen to me about going to the hospital. You know CEO Chu's temper. I've called a doctor over; if it doesn't work, we'll start an IV drip first."

Sun Binghe really felt like Yang Bin was talking about someone else. Given his boss's personality, shouldn't he have flown straight back to Qudu, rushed to the set, taken down the trending search, and given Jiang Nong a beating?

But in less than half a minute, Sun Binghe suddenly realized—

Shen Lian was very susceptible to this tactic.

As soon as Yang Bin mentioned on the phone that Chu Yilan had a severe cold, Shen Lian's expression changed, and he immediately went to Director Liu Zong to ask for leave.

Director Liu Zong was strict. Normally, one couldn't leave the set for no reason, as it would delay progress. But Shen Lian had a dark face and was clearly suppressing his anger, which was quite frightening. Knowing he was professional and wouldn't ask easily unless it was necessary, Director Liu Zong agreed.

When Shen Lian came out in his overcoat, Sun Binghe had already bought the flight tickets.