129: Very uncomfortable

Jiang You had met many artists while following Shen Lian. Although she was a bit of a hothead, she knew that Brother Shen was respected because of his strength; when she first started with him, they had faced plenty of cold shoulders.

Shen Lian would stand in front of Jiang You; if there was a problem, he would solve it, so Jiang You gradually stopped being afraid.

Thus, she had developed some discernment. For example, right now, she felt Chen Mu was quite different. She couldn't say exactly how, but she didn't dislike him, nor did she instinctively resort to the fake politeness of adults. Talking to Chen Mu was very comfortable.

Moreover, Chen Mu looked quite good when he smiled. Jiang You admitted that under the influence of Brother Shen's looks, she had become somewhat of a face-con.

"What are you two chatting about?" Shen Lian approached and reached out his hand; Jiang You immediately handed him a towel.

Shen Lian wiped the sweat from his neck and heard Chen Mu say with a smile, "We were talking about you, Teacher."

"Praising me, I assume." Shen Lian narrowed his eyes, looking as composed as an old fox. "Alright, you two continue. My last take didn't pass, so I have to do it again."

It wasn't Shen Lian's fault that it didn't pass. After the opposing actor was grabbed by the collar and pinned against the wall by Shen Lian according to the script, the impact of seeing that exquisite and beautiful face at such close range was so strong that his lines were completely wiped from his mind. His brain went blank, and he failed to respond for over ten seconds.

Shen Lian wasn't angry, but Director Dai Tong stood up and lost his temper. "Can you film or not?! Can you film or not?!"

Shen Lian had to do the mediation work, comforting Director Dai while guiding the actor he was playing against.

Days of filming were like this; if one wasn't immersed in it, it could easily become tedious.

When Shen Lian rested, he sat in his chair and watched Chen Mu perform.

This person clearly hadn't received professional guidance, but he didn't lack talent. He had his own set of acting rules, though he lacked polish in the details, and there were large gaps in his emotional progression.

Shen Lian's display of "appreciating talent" made Dai Tong willing to spend time giving Chen Mu a few pointers. Not to mention, the boy's comprehension was quite good.

Today was hot with the sun shining brightly. Chu Yilan sent a photo to Shen Lian.

Who would have thought that the dignified CEO Chu of Hengtai would slack off during a company general meeting? The photo wasn't of anyone else but Sun Binghe and a Vice President.

The meeting was hosted by Sun Binghe, and all the process reports had passed through his hands. What did this mean?

It meant that whether the meeting was chaotic or not was up to Assistant Sun.

In the photo, Sun Binghe was pointing at the PPT on the large projection screen, but he had turned his head to look at the Vice President in front of him with a sharp and disgusted gaze. Needless to say, the work hadn't been up to par, and Sun Binghe had caught it.

The Vice President, wearing glasses, sat in the front row like an obedient student, looking up at Sun Binghe with a fawning and fearful expression.

Again, Sun Binghe was an "assistant" in name, but he held great power. Not to mention, his whispers in the CEO's ear were always effective, and he could use his own competence to crush any slackers. No one in Hengtai dared to be dissatisfied with him.

Shen Lian couldn't help but laugh out loud. He also saw a gloating Kuang Chenghai in the corner of the photo.

In fact, over there, Kuang Chenghai was caught by Sun Binghe before he could finish laughing; he was the next one.

It was just that Chu Yilan didn't take a photo of that.

Yang Bin stood behind Chu Yilan and clearly saw CEO Chu's little movements this time, his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"CEO Chu," Yang Bin leaned down and whispered, "if you don't stop him, Sun Binghe is going to start scolding us too."

Chu Yilan was busy replying to Shen Lian's message. "He won't scold me."

The next second, Sun Binghe frowned and looked at Yang Bin. "Assistant Yang, can you pay a bit more attention during the meeting?"

As for Chu Yilan, he didn't say a single word.

Yang Bin: "..."

Everyone present was seething in their hearts. Yes! Don't let a single one off! Except for CEO Chu, everyone must die!!

Shen Lian messaged Chu Yilan again, saying he would be home a bit late because Dai Tong was treating them to dinner and had already booked a restaurant. Shen Lian naturally had to give him this face.

"Director Dai, I won't be going!" The second female lead, Chen Yan, had a pure appearance. Her only disadvantage was that she wasn't very recognizable on screen. She was a bit delicate, but that wasn't a flaw. Shen Lian had interacted with her twice and thought she was alright.

Dai Tong asked casually, "Do you have a date?"

"Yes." Chen Yan tucked her hair back somewhat shyly.

Dai Tong must have seen something and nodded. "Alright, make your own arrangements then."

Chen Yan went to change. Before long, a car appeared at the entrance. A staff member went up to inquire, and a man with a deep voice got out of the driver's seat, explaining that he was waiting for Chen Yan.

Shen Lian came out for some fresh air and happened to meet the man's eyes.

At that moment, Shen Lian felt very uncomfortable.

It was as if something like a caterpillar or an earthworm had crawled onto his originally clean heart, making him feel a bit nauseous.

But Shen Lian remained outwardly calm. The next second, the other party strode over.

"Shen Lian?" The man addressed him directly by his full name.

Shen Lian didn't respond, taking the opportunity to quickly size the man up.

How to describe it?

There was a deliberately highlighted yet very abrupt quality about the man. Shen Lian didn't mean to be offensive, but he really looked like a piece of drab porcelain that had been specially packaged and placed on an exquisite display stand under spotlights. What Shen Lian found most incredible was that there was something about the man that felt somewhat familiar to him.

But specifically, Shen Lian couldn't say.

"You probably don't know me," the man said. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Ming Lin." He looked directly into Shen Lian's eyes. Although his gaze was dark and calm, a hint of inexplicable provocation surfaced from within. "By calculation, Chu Yilan of Hengtai is my cousin."

No wonder I find you so annoying, Shen Lian thought. A member of the Ming Family.

People like Ming Congshan were always dreaming of clinging to Chu Yilan's leg to rise to the top. Shen Lian was well aware of all their actions. To curry favor with Chu Yilan, the Ming Family would deliberately learn about his preferences, so it wasn't impossible for them to have looked into Shen Lian.

Looking at Ming Lin's appearance, Shen Lian felt quite displeased.

"Do you dare to call Chu Yilan by his name to his face?" Shen Lian suddenly asked.

This question left Ming Lin stunned.

Dare? Who in the Ming Family would dare?

"So what are you swaggering in front of me for?" Shen Lian said indifferently. "Ming whatever-your-name-is, I don't know you."

After saying that, Shen Lian turned and left, not giving Ming Lin another look.

Ming Lin's expression twisted for a moment, a scene that happened to be caught by Chen Mu.

Ming Lin had to admit that seeing Shen Lian here was an unexpected surprise.

During many late nights, he had constantly pored over Chu Yilan's information. Looking at the handsome and cold man in the photos, his fingers could have scratched that superior-looking face to pieces. Ming Lin had been almost impatient to reveal his identity to Shen Lian because he truly was Chu Yilan's cousin.

But Shen Lian's attitude was no different from a bucket of cold water poured over his head. Even the way Shen Lian had just turned away—that calm, indifferent gaze, as if he were looking at a stone by the side of the road—was exactly the same as when Old Master Ming's funeral had taken place many years ago and Chu Yilan had passed by him.

Why the indifference? Why the disregard?!

Ming Lin took a deep breath. Just as Chen Yan came out, he regained his smile and hugged the woman.

Ming Lin glanced inside and asked Chen Yan, "Are you in the same crew as Shen Lian?"

"Yes," Chen Yan praised. "Teacher Shen is amazing!"

"I see." Ming Lin's smile deepened.

After they got into the car and left, Chen Mu was lost in thought.