130: Laugh at how cute you are

Shen Lian felt that Ming Lin was somewhat of a jinx.

Shen Lian went to the bathroom to wash his face. After coming into contact with Ming Lin, the strength in his body was clearly being drained away bit by bit. This was a very distinct and uncomfortable feeling. Shen Lian rubbed the phone in his pants pocket, thought for a moment, and returned to the lounge first.

He was helping out temporarily, and Dai Tong was very grateful and took good care of him. Even though he wasn't the lead, he had set aside a lounge for Shen Lian so he could sleep whenever he was tired.

Shen Lian usually only came in when changing clothes. Jiang You's bag and several bottles of water were on the table. He sat down in the large chair to relax for a bit, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Without much transition, his consciousness became scattered.

In his dream, Shen Lian could see nothing; it was pitch black.

A moment later, a series of footsteps approached, sounding like at least three people.

"Dead," someone said.

The rustling sound of wind blowing through leaves suddenly rang out clearly in the silent air.

"Haha... Hahaha..." another person spoke in a frantic and joyful tone. "Dead, finally dead."

Who died? Shen Lian thought this while desperately trying to avoid an answer in his heart. He struggled violently in the chair, knocking over the water bottle on the table with a wave of his hand. With a 'thud,' Shen Lian's consciousness returned to reality. His chest didn't move for several seconds before he began to breathe, one breath at a time, urged on by instinct.

His heart began to ache again. The stray hairs on Shen Lian's forehead hung down, but the young man's eyes were half-open; he was clearly awake.

Shen Lian frowned slightly. Sweat quickly gathered and fell from his cheek, but he seemed completely oblivious to it.

Shen Lian recalled the scene over and over, confirming repeatedly that the person laughing loudly in the dream was the same Ming Lin who had stood before him ten minutes ago.

It was just that the forced layer of deep temperament had been torn away, revealing the complete appearance of a petty man.

Shen Lian wanted to change his posture, but as soon as he moved, a sharp pain exploded from his chest, making his bones and blood tremble slightly.

Shen Lian closed his eyes, remembering that the medicine was in his coat pocket, and the coat was hanging by the door. But the distance he could usually cover in a few steps was now somewhat difficult for him.

But he didn't care about that right now.

Shen Lian slowly raised his head, the cold light in his eyes having already materialized into substance.

Dreaming of these things was by no means a coincidence. Ming Lin's behavior just now had already shown that he was up to no good.

Would a normal person use such a condescending attitude when meeting their cousin's boyfriend? Ming Lin knew his identity, yet he seemed to look down on him for being a minor celebrity, so he intentionally elevated himself. In essence, he was competing with Chu Yilan.

What a piece of work, Shen Lian thought ruthlessly.

Shen Lian coughed twice, his palms feeling numb. He struggled to reach for his phone. Had he known, he would have informed Chu Yilan or Jiang You in advance; he should have called someone to be by his side. Who knew it would flare up so quickly?

Knock, knock—

"Teacher Shen?" Chen Mu's voice came from outside the half-open door.

Shen Lian immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He cleared his throat: "Come in."

Shen Lian thought his voice was clearly audible, but in reality, if Chen Mu hadn't been paying close attention, he would have barely heard it.

Chen Mu really thought he had misheard. He tentatively pushed open the door, and what met his eyes was Shen Lian's deathly pale face, looking half-dead.

Chen Mu strode in and then crouched in front of Shen Lian, his expression full of concern: "Teacher Shen?"

"The right pocket of my coat... there's medicine," Shen Lian said. "Could you help me get it?"

Chen Mu stood up to find it, unscrewed a new bottle of mineral water, poured out two pills as Shen Lian instructed, and then supported the back of his neck, carefully feeding them to Shen Lian.

What a considerate person, Shen Lian thought.

After finishing this, Chen Mu immediately backed away.

The medicine Ning Sixian prescribed for Shen Lian was the best, and its effects were fast. In just three minutes, Shen Lian felt the chest pain subside, and his numb limbs gradually regained their mobility. He managed to change his posture and then let out a heavy breath.

Chen Mu stood to the side and, after a while, asked softly, "Heart disease?"

Shen Lian looked at him with a smile: "You know about it?"

"My uncle has the same problem." Chen Mu pursed his lips, his tone solemn. "Teacher Shen, it was very dangerous just now."

Shen Lian felt as though Chen Mu was angry.

"It was my oversight," Shen Lian said. "I'll be more careful in the future."

Chen Mu nodded, and then heard Shen Lian ask: "Why did you come over?"

Chen Mu looked hesitant, but thinking of the help Shen Lian had given him, he insisted on saying: "That person at the door just now... he seemed to have some hostility towards you."

Shen Lian stared at Chen Mu for a few seconds and couldn't help but let out a light laugh.

He was clearly not good at talking behind people's backs, yet after a struggle, he had voiced his firm judgment. Chen Mu had followed him because he was afraid something would happen to him.

Such a person seemed cautious, but in reality, he was the easiest to bully.

Song Yuan and his new flame, along with their fair-weather friends, had practically been walking all over Chen Mu.

"What are you laughing at, Teacher Shen?"

Shen Lian: "I'm laughing because you're cute."

Chen Mu: "..."

When he felt ready, Shen Lian stood up from the chair. His form was unsteady, and seeing this, Chen Mu gave him a hand. Shen Lian raised his hand to gently massage his chest and then sighed.

Chen Mu: "Still uncomfortable?"

"No." Shen Lian had a headache: "I'm thinking about how to explain this."

He just hoped Chu Yilan wouldn't think he was exhausted from work.

This matter couldn't be hidden. Shen Lian immediately gave Chu Yilan a call. It happened to be the end of the company's general meeting, and when Chu Yilan answered, his voice was deep and gentle: "Are you finished?"

"Yeah," Shen Lian said. "Come pick me up."

Chu Yilan's footsteps paused slightly as he asked keenly, "What's wrong?"

Didn't he say earlier that he was going to have dinner with the director?

Shen Lian honestly confessed that he had felt unwell just now, but emphasized that he had recovered and could jump and skip, no different from a normal person.

"Don't you dare try jumping around," Chu Yilan said as if facing a great enemy. "I'm coming over right now."

Sun Binghe gave Yang Bin a look, and both sides naturally separated at the elevator entrance. Yang Bin would handle the remaining affairs, while he went with Chu Yilan.

Sun Binghe's driving was very steady. It wasn't yet dark when they arrived at the film studio.

Shen Lian had just finished telling Dai Tong that they would eat another day.

Mainly, even though he was smiling, his complexion was visibly poor. Dai Tong knew that Shen Lian wasn't a pretentious person. This was a man who wouldn't say a word even when his body was bruised and purple from filming action scenes, only asking to do it again and again. If he said he couldn't go, he really couldn't go.

Dai Tong was nervous: "If it's no good, should I take you to the hospital?"

"No, no, no." Shen Lian waved his hand. "I'll just go home and sleep, and I'll be fine tomorrow."

As he spoke, a tall figure surrounded by Bodyguards entered from the door. Even though the weather was getting warmer, it suddenly felt cold. The sensation of the air being invisibly straightened and tightened, then held against one's neck, was very real.

Only when Chu Yilan saw Shen Lian did his constricted pupils relax slightly.

Dai Tong had met Sun Binghe before. Without Chu Yilan needing to step forward, Assistant Sun went up to handle the situation.

The leads had all gone to the back to remove their makeup. Shen Lian seized the time to say a final few words to Dai Tong before walking toward Chu Yilan.

Chu Yilan opened the coat draped over his arm, wrapped it around Shen Lian, and led him away into the dimness.

Dai Tong didn't ask about the artist's private affairs, but he couldn't help but marvel: what kind of high-level malevolent deity had Shen Lian provoked?