135: Why are you panicking?

Shen Lian came looking for him at noon.

Chen Mu hadn't done many endorsements, so his camera presence wasn't great, but fortunately, he was a quick learner and humble. The photographer didn't get angry and meticulously went over the details with him, describing the feeling they wanted, and Chen Mu did his best to recreate it.

"That's Shen Lian!" a Young Girl stomped her feet and exclaimed.

Chen Mu turned his head, his eyes instantly lighting up. "Teacher Shen?"

Shen Lian wore a haphazardly paired combination of casual pants and a sports jacket, with messy hair, but his face was still a perfect hundred percent.

Some people raised their phones to take photos, but Shen Lian didn't care. He wasn't working today, so he didn't bring Jiang You and the others; he only had a few Bodyguards with him.

"Still filming at this hour?" Shen Lian asked.

Chen Mu felt a bit embarrassed. "It's because I'm too clumsy."

"Not clumsy," the photographer clarified. "He just lacks the right feeling. Once he finds it, he'll be fine."

"Go ahead and shoot," Shen Lian pulled over a stool and sat down. "I have nothing to do, so I came to take a look."

Chen Mu didn't feel awkward; an actor's essence is to display emotions to the public. He was only afraid of disappointing Shen Lian.

No, Shen Lian would only curse Luminous in his heart.

Chen Mu's advantage lay in his tall, well-proportioned figure and attractive features. His long legs looked very handsome in black pants. Part of the reason he hadn't become popular before was that Luminous never gave him good styling.

"Find the light," Shen Lian made a gesture and said, "Make your expression a bit more arrogant, and press the other half of your face against the backdrop to lean into the shadows. The post-production lighting will make the contrast between black and white clearer."

Chen Mu did as instructed, his eyes slanting slightly upward. The photographer immediately shouted, "Yes, yes, yes!" and seized the opportunity to snap several photos.

After finishing his work, Feng Yueshan took the elevator down, and Chen Mu's features became clearer as he descended.

Chen Mu seemed to notice something and suddenly looked over. Feng Yueshan's hand tightened slightly on the railing.

This was only a brief contact, so quick it felt like a momentary illusion.

"Did you come here just to charm the Young Girls and boys in my company?" Feng Yueshan walked up behind Shen Lian and said with a smile.

Chen Mu was getting into the zone, so Shen Lian didn't want to disturb him. He pointed to the stool next to him, gesturing for Feng Yueshan to sit down and talk.

Feng Yueshan didn't stand on ceremony.

"How is he? The person I personally introduced, not bad, right?" Shen Lian asked.

"He's good, he's good," Feng Yueshan replied. "It's just that his personality is too mild; he's easily bullied."

Shen Lian: "Hmm?"

Feng Yueshan recounted what had happened earlier and added at the end, "Of course, I'm also responsible. I really haven't paid much attention to this side of things."

The assistant set down the tea, and Feng Yueshan picked it up and took a sip.

Shen Lian's focus was quite peculiar. "Then why did you suddenly start paying attention to this side?"

"Cough! Cough, cough, cough..." Feng Yueshan almost choked to the point of rolling his eyes.

Shen Lian handed him a tissue. "Why are you panicking?"

"Panic my ass!" Feng Yueshan snapped. "I just choked."

Something was wrong. Shen Lian sensed it keenly, but couldn't put his finger on it.

"It is my property, after all," Feng Yueshan said helplessly. "No matter what, I have to conduct regular inspections, don't I?"

There was nothing wrong with that logic.

While they were talking, Chen Mu finished a segment and walked over. "Teacher Shen, the photographer says it's good."

"Great!" Shen Lian's expression then cooled slightly. "If Young Master Feng hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have known. That 'Zhu' person actually tried to snatch resources from you? And this is what you call 'smooth sailing'?"

"Young Master Feng resolved it on the spot," Chen Mu explained. "I just didn't want to trouble you, Teacher."

Feng Yueshan blew on the froth of his tea and took a large gulp, seemingly in a good mood.

Shen Lian watched Chen Mu finish the shoot and declined Feng Yueshan's invitation to dinner. Without exception, this man's dinner parties always turned into a chaotic mess of wild dancing and ghostly wailing. Besides, he had already agreed to have hot pot at home with Chu Yilan that evening.

Shen Lian parted ways with Chen Mu, got into the car, and instructed the driver to go to a flower shop.

A sense of ritual shouldn't disappear just because they had been together for a long time. Shen Lian saw Chu Yilan's expectation and love for small surprises.

Shen Lian was very satisfied after choosing a bouquet of baby's breath and nine red roses.

Feng Yueshan sat in his car and soon saw Chen Mu coming out of the company's main entrance. He had changed into his own clothes—faded jeans, a brandless pullover, and a small black backpack with a yellowing zipper. Now that he had work, Chen Mu's expression was visibly brighter, and even his features seemed more defined. A Young Girl passing by couldn't help but look back at him.

Feng Yueshan drove slowly behind him, wondering why Shen Lian had just left him there without offering a ride back.

His mind was filled with random thoughts as he followed Chen Mu through five intersections.

Five intersections, a forty-minute walk.

During that time, Chen Mu only bought a bottle of water, the cheapest kind for one yuan.

Finally, he reached the bus stop and fumbled in his pants pocket. In the sunlight, a coin glinted.

Feng Yueshan leaned back. These forty minutes felt completely out of place in his world.

Young Master Feng had started life in splendor, pampered by his family. From the moment he learned to walk, his means of transportation were at the level of a maybach. He had only clashed with his father twice during his rebellious phase and had his allowance cut off, but it didn't matter; even if his father didn't care, he had brothers. He had never truly suffered. In the past, just thinking about a life like Chen Mu's would have made him feel like he'd rather start his life over.

Yet Chen Mu walked along the road in the sunlight, step by step, both fast and steady.

Feng Yueshan had never seen this. To be precise, even though there were plenty of people like this around him, he never bothered to look because there was no need. There were distinct barriers between social classes, and he didn't need to lower himself to look.

After parking for a moment, Feng Yueshan smoked a cigarette, then turned the steering wheel and left.

Feng Yueshan also realized that it wasn't that Shen Lian didn't care about Chen Mu, but that Chen Mu was stubborn.

For the endorsement with Ding Tian International, once the contract was signed, the company would first pay fifty percent of the fee. Earlier at the company, Feng Yueshan had specifically checked, and Chen Mu's half had already arrived. Although it wasn't much, it was a five-figure sum. Taking a taxi or having a nice meal would have been no problem at all, but he hadn't touched a single cent.

Chen Mu returned to his cheap and simple rental room, took a comfortable shower, dried his hair, and finally sprawled out on the bed spread-eagled.

His eyes stared fixedly at the ceiling, still gentle and calm, but with a clear light shining through.

Compared to the weariness Shen Lian had seen the first time they met, he was now much more vibrant.

Finally, Chen Mu slowly exhaled.

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but the "beep-beep" of an email notification woke him up. Chen Mu startled awake and immediately flipped over to check. It was from Luminous. The document had arrived, meaning he no longer had any connection with the company.

They were really fast. Presumably, Shi Zhujie had put in a lot of effort, eager for him to get lost as soon as possible.

After being annoyed by Shi Zhujie for so long, for the first time, Chen Mu found the man adorable.

At the same time, Chen Mu discovered that his phone had intercepted several calls and messages from an unknown number.

Previously, Chen Mu had only deleted Song Yuan, but after Song Yuan ordered him to give up resources again this morning, Chen Mu had directly blacklisted him. Song Yuan must have realized this and switched to a new number.

[Blacklisting me?]

[? I said I would give you compensation, why must you make things difficult for Zhujie?]

[Chen Mu, come and apologize.]

[Chen Mu, where are you?]

Chen Mu looked at the document from Luminous again, feeling refreshed. He could finally stop suppressing his emotions and openly express his true thoughts.

One should know that he didn't easily curse people out.

Chen Mu replied to Song Yuan: [Dumbass]

Then he blacklisted him again.