178: A grand banquet

"Holy crap! I know love can rejuvenate people, but you two are an old married couple now. Is this really necessary?"

When Xu Jingge came to visit in the afternoon, he was shocked the moment he walked in by the sight of Chu Yilan arranging lilies with a smile on his lips, radiating a strong "house-husband" vibe.

Xu Jingge couldn't help himself and leaned in to whisper that to Chu Yilan.

Chu Yilan glanced at him sideways. "Do you even know how to talk?"

"Seriously!" Xu Jingge said. "It's a bit of an eyesore."

Chu Yilan: "Get lost."

Xu Jingge said it on purpose; after all, seeing his bro doing well was harder to bear than being killed, so he just had to talk some smack.

At the same time, Xu Jingge breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, if anything happened to Shen Lian, his port would probably have been blown up.

Chang Qing also came and went over to chat with Shen Lian.

Chang Qing had dyed his hair with highlights—a tuft of sky blue over granny gray. He was fair and delicate, and these two colors suited him well. Because of his temperament, he could pull it off; he didn't look like a member of the "Smart" subculture at all, but rather like someone who stepped out of an anime.

As soon as the photos were posted back then, they went viral on the trending searches.

"It looks great!" Shen Lian praised him sincerely. "I'll get one done later too."

"The same style?" Chang Qing asked with a smile.

"Forget it. If I did, those CP shippers would ship us into the ground." Shen Lian secretly pointed at the two men on the other side and then gestured, "I'll dye mine rainbow-colored."

Chu Yilan: "...Not allowed."

Chang Qing burst out laughing, relieved to see Shen Lian so full of energy.

The two didn't stay long, not wanting to disturb Shen Lian's rest. In the afternoon, while Shen Lian slept, Chu Yilan went to the senior nursing specialist to learn massage techniques. Actually, his technique was already very standard; both the pressure and the angles were the kind that made patients very comfortable.

Shen Lian stayed in the hospital for twelve days. In the end, Ning Sixian was practically at the point of holding a knife to his own throat and kneeling down to tell Chu Yilan, "He really can be discharged now!!!"

Shen Lian had also gone from being a chatterbox to becoming silent. Seeing that he was about to be stifled into illness, Chu Yilan finally relented.

Shen Lian was so happy he wanted to throw a grand banquet immediately!

Xu Jingge had been a huge help with clearing the port this time, so Shen Lian had to treat him to a meal no matter what. Upon hearing the news, Feng Yueshan immediately pushed aside all his affairs to come over, saying in the group chat that he had brought a mountain chicken for Shen Lian—it hadn't been fed fodder and was very nourishing!

Shen Lian thought the man was joking, so when Feng Yueshan pulled a live chicken out from the back of a seven-figure sports car, he fell silent.

Feng Yueshan thought nothing of it. "Which restaurant are we going to? Have the kitchen stew it."

"They don't allow outside ingredients..."

"Nonsense." Feng Yueshan disagreed. "They won't stew it even if I give them money?"

Not exactly. Young Master Feng got a top-tier membership at the restaurant, and when he asked them to stew the chicken, the kitchen staff moved quite rapidly.

Another person who made a special trip from Qudu was Kuang Chenghai.

Honestly, it was hard on Fatty Hai; even Sun Binghe felt a bit sorry for him.

Back then, Shen Lian was taken away right from the wrap party, and it happened right in front of Kuang Chenghai with guns involved. How could CEO Kuang feel at ease?

Upon getting the news, Sun Binghe immediately sent people to intercept them. When he didn't have time to return, he had a video call with Kuang Chenghai, telling him to keep it short.

At that time, Kuang Chenghai's flying tears startled Sun Binghe into thinking that he was the one who had been kidnapped.

It was understandable. After all, once the Boss lost his mind, let alone Kuang Chenghai, even he probably wouldn't be able to escape.

Even after getting news of Shen Lian later, Kuang Chenghai couldn't eat or sleep in peace. After all, he was hospitalized. He wanted to come from the start, but Sun Binghe stopped him, saying he was in recovery and shouldn't see too many people.

Now that Shen Lian was discharged, Kuang Chenghai drove like the wind. His eyes turned red again and again along the way. The moment he saw Shen Lian, he really wanted to give him a hug, but because CEO Chu's gaze was dark and brooding, he didn't dare to in the end.

Then, Kuang Chenghai expressed his feelings specifically through drinking, cup after cup, filled with the relief of having "survived a disaster."

"Is that really necessary, CEO Kuang?" Feng Yueshan was astonished.

Kuang Chenghai shook his head. "Young Master Feng, you don't understand."

Sun Binghe asked, "Where's Zhou Yuanlin?"

He wasn't even being polite anymore. Before, he would call him "CEO Zhou" or "Young Master Zhou," but now he addressed him directly by his full name.

To the side, Ning Sixian thought to himself that Zhou Yuanlin wasn't brain-dead; why would he come knowing you were here?

"Ah, he's away on a business trip," Feng Yueshan said.

Sun Binghe nodded. "Tell him I won't hold it against him anymore."

As soon as those words were spoken, even Chu Yilan turned his head to look.

Feng Yueshan gave a half-smile, his face practically screaming, "Assistant Sun, do you even believe those words yourself?"

Sun Binghe: "..." The lie didn't work.

Xu Jingge and the others were on their way. He told Shen Lian over the phone that he was bringing a kid—his nephew, who was on vacation and had already been visiting for two days.

Shen Lian didn't care. "Sure, you can bring whoever you want."

More than ten minutes later, Xu Jingge pushed the door open and entered. "Sorry, sorry, I'm late. Oho, Teacher Shen, you're being quite generous; tonight's spread is so lavish."

Shen Lian responded with a smile, though whether he could successfully treat them was another matter. Judging by CEO Kuang's posture, he was bound to pay the bill tonight.

Xu Jingge's little nephew was eight years old, named Xu Yang. He was good-looking and had a lively personality. He took the initiative to greet everyone upon entering without needing Xu Jingge's introduction, judging by eye and calling out a bunch of "Uncles," which was quite endearing.

The table was full of dishes. Honestly, Young Master Feng's chicken was really good; the broth was rich, and the meat was fragrant and tender.

"I'm not kidding, ordinary people can't even get a taste," Feng Yueshan said smugly.

Seeing that Shen Lian liked it, Chu Yilan placed a separate bowl in front of him.

Xu Yang wasn't shy. He put away his little backpack and started feasting as soon as the adults picked up their chopsticks, requiring no one to worry about him.

"Such a good appetite?" Shen Lian placed a chicken leg on his plate.

Xu Yang swallowed the food in his mouth. "Thank you, pretty big brother."

Holy crap! Shen Lian wished he could put the whole chicken on Xu Yang's plate.

Sun Binghe observed him gently. Hmm, very clever.

Once their stomachs were full—since Shen Lian couldn't drink alcohol—the rest of them weren't being polite, including Chu Yilan, who poured himself a glass in a good mood.

CEO Kuang was practically "worried from a thousand miles away, with nowhere to speak of his desolation." He accepted every toast, and his gaze was particularly mournful when facing Sun Binghe.

"Why don't you act like this toward the Boss?"

Kuang Chenghai: "I don't dare."

Sun Binghe laughed. After finishing his drink with Kuang Chenghai, he took out his phone and sent a message to Yang Bin: [Hurry up.]

Yang Bin: [Getting ready to leave. About forty minutes. Don't drink too much.]

Shen Lian had juice in his glass and took a sip now and then. Listening to the various sounds around him, he felt quite happy.

These people were especially rowdy this time. Bottles of wine were served one after another, and Shen Lian had no intention of stopping them.

Chang Qing's cheeks were flushed. He reached for a wine bottle with a trembling hand, originally intending to pour it into Xu Jingge's glass, but with a wobble, it all went into Feng Yueshan's.

Feng Yueshan's eyes widened. "Eh? Wait, big star, what's the meaning of this?"

Chang Qing gave a shy smile. "My hand slipped."

"Alright, alright. A pour is a gesture of friendship; it's all in the wine." Xu Jingge picked up the glass and poured it into Feng Yueshan's mouth. After he finished, he turned his head and saw Chu Yilan staring at Shen Lian with blurred eyes, then leaning in to give him a kiss.

"You guys! Tsk!" Xu Jingge was truly exasperated by the two of them.