19: I have very good husbandly virtues.
"What are you doing?" Yang Bin frowned.
The female special assistant's name was Cui Xue. Usually a cool and restrained career woman, lately she had been acting like a teenage girl meeting her long-awaited idol—the contrast was too great.
Cui Xue hurriedly hid her phone behind her back, her expression returning to normal. "I'm sorry, CEO Chu, my mistake."
Chu Yilan didn't respond and gestured for Yang Bin to open the door.
"Snake Flower, I love you!"
The phone's speaker was still on; Cui Xue calmly mashed the volume button.
But before it went silent, Chu Yilan still heard that line: "Love? What kind of thing is love?"
A frivolous, seductive tone, as if voiced by a professional CV, but the moment the voice was heard, Chu Yilan stopped in his tracks.
Chu Yilan looked at Cui Xue.
Cui Xue tensed up all over. "C-CEO Chu..."
Chu Yilan reached out. "Is it convenient for me to take a look at your phone?"
Cui Xue didn't understand why, but she still handed the phone over.
In the live stream video, the tall and slender "Snake Flower" just happened to turn around. Although that face was covered in heavy makeup, Chu Yilan would recognize it even if it were turned to ash.
Accepting a small gift from a she hua fan, "Snake Flower" first blew a gentle kiss toward the camera and then gave a smiling wink.
Chu Yilan: "..."
He hadn't kept a close eye for a moment, and how did he end up playing around in a place like this?
Chu Yilan noted the live-streaming platform and the room name in the top right corner. As he pushed the door open, he instructed Yang Bin and Cui Xue to go attend to other matters. After returning the phone to Cui Xue, he walked back into his office with a composed expression.
With no one around, Chu Yilan sat with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees, not moving for several minutes.
He seemed to be having an internal struggle, then he frowned slightly as if logic had lost to something else, and impatiently pulled out his phone.
To be honest, Shen Lian hadn't played with this in his past life. Although he had taken on endorsements for historical games, that was just like filming a historical drama, not the same as cosplay.
"Snake Flower! Can I take a photo?" A cute girl approached with a blushing face, her watery eyes full of pleading.
Shen Lian glanced at the eager she hua fans around him and generously flicked his white hair. "Come on then."
In front of the screen, a certain someone narrowed their eyes dangerously.
[Ahhh! I had something to do and didn't go, I want to break my own legs right now! Why didn't I go!]
[Three seconds, I want the name of this cosplayer!]
[Um, this person seems to... probably... maybe... be Shen Lian.]
Huh?!
The popularity in the Variety Square hadn't died down yet when a host dropped a link. Everyone clicked in out of boredom, and the chatter and whispering grew louder and louder.
It really is Shen Lian!
Some skeptics rushed into the live stream and saw Shen Lian taking photos with the she hua fans. He was striking poses that were charming yet masculine. His superior height made the girls look very petite, and every now and then he would look up, with affection practically flowing across the screen.
To say the least, such a visual critical hit had absolute lethality!
Some anti-fans were ready to start flaming, but their brains short-circuited, and their next reaction was to take a screenshot.
Soon, #Shen Lian cosplay# gradually climbed up the trending searches.
Some who were out of the loop were grumbling, wondering what kind of trouble this guy was stirring up again, but then the number of people in the live stream grew more and more... Feng Susu's smile was so wide it almost split her face.
As expected, the chosen one!
Finally, when Shen Lian finished and went back to the dressing room, some she hua fans even saw him to the door.
Taking off the heavy clothes and headpiece, Shen Lian let out a deep sigh. He stretched his neck and saw that the time was about right.
Four hours—he had actually stood there for a full four hours!
Before leaving this morning, Aunt Fen said that Chu Yilan would be home early today, so he didn't delay.
Quickly removing the makeup and changing back into his own clothes, Shen Lian put on a mask and left through the back door before he even had time to say goodbye to Feng Susu and Zhu Yingyu in person.
Feng Susu: [Dad! I'll definitely treat you to a meal!]
Shen Lian smiled, put away his phone, and took a taxi to a flower shop.
He spent a long time choosing and bought a bouquet of dyed baby's breath with two pink roses tucked inside; it looked quite nice.
After all that, it was almost six o'clock by the time he got home.
There was still hairspray on his head and he was covered in sweat. Shen Lian greeted Aunt Fen and went upstairs to shower.
After a comfortable wash, he came out to see Chu Yilan sitting on the sofa drinking tea.
"Master Chu!"
Chu Yilan didn't pay any attention.
Shen Lian sensed something was wrong and came down from the second floor.
Circling around to face Chu Yilan, Shen Lian confirmed that this man was indeed in a bad mood.
"What's wrong?" Shen Lian acted like a "caring big brother," sitting directly beside Chu Yilan, ignoring the man's cold and gloomy gaze. "Who upset you?"
"Get lost," Chu Yilan said in a low voice.
The more he was like this, the closer Shen Lian pressed, his upper body almost leaning against Chu Yilan's arm. "Tell me about it."
Chu Yilan was just like that—he kept everything bottled up. If you didn't pry it open with force, you would never see his true thoughts or touch the softness beneath that cold exterior. Even though he was successful and lacked for nothing, when he threw a tantrum, he was just like a child, being unreasonable.
How much grievance must he have suffered in the past, Shen Lian thought.
Chu Yilan saw Shen Lian's innocent eyes and eyelashes like small fans, and suddenly gave a cold laugh. "You tell me, what did you do this afternoon?"
Shen Lian was stunned. "Ah, I didn't tell you, but it was a last-minute decision. I accompanied Zhu Yingyu to a cosplay gathering invited by Feng Susu and helped cosplay a character."
"And then?"
Shen Lian's expression gradually became strange. "Master Chu, you didn't see it, did you?"
"You're afraid of me seeing you hugging those Young Girls?"
After saying that, Chu Yilan wanted to slap Shen Lian to death even more and pry out his true thoughts—was he feeling very proud of himself?
He wasn't.
Shen Lian blinked, then as if realizing something, he got up and went to the first-floor bathroom.
Chu Yilan's breath immediately caught in his chest.
But soon, Shen Lian returned, carrying something in his hand—
Aunt Fen's precious washboard.
"Clang!" Shen Lian placed the washboard in front of Chu Yilan.
For once, Chu Yilan didn't understand. "What are you doing?"
"Kneeling," Shen Lian said. "I have very good husbandly virtues. When the person I like is unhappy, I have to do everything I can to make them happy. I'll explain to you after I finish kneeling."
After saying that, he was about to drop his knees onto it without any buffer. Chu Yilan's eyelids jumped wildly; he couldn't imagine if Shen Lian would shatter one of his menisci.
Just as Shen Lian's body was sinking, he was caught around the waist by a strong force. He took the opportunity to lean forward and tumbled into Chu Yilan's arms.
Now there was no need to kneel; he was sitting directly on Master Chu's lap.
Only then did Shen Lian laugh out loud, wrapping his arms around Chu Yilan's neck like a little thief who had succeeded in his scheme.
Chu Yilan was shaken slightly.
The next second, Shen Lian leaned in close to Chu Yilan's ear and kissed that scar. It wasn't forced or fawning; Chu Yilan could feel that it was genuine heartache and affection.
"They were so supportive, so it's normal to take a photo with them. In the future when I become a big star, interacting with fans will be unavoidable. But believe me, I know my limits. Actions like this, this kind of intimacy..." Shen Lian whispered, "is only for you, I promise."
No exaggeration, after this series of smooth moves, Chu Yilan was left seeing stars.