2: I can practice some more

Chu Yilan had a good voice—deep and alluring—but at this moment, it carried a hint of danger: "What if it vents my anger? And what if it doesn't?"

The implication was: you're dead either way.

Shen Lian narrowed his eyes as waves of tingling numbness surged from his tailbone.

Good heavens, while Fate might be unreasonable, it was certainly loyal enough; Chu Yilan's voice actually made his knees feel a bit weak.

As expected, when a person goes without 'meat' for too long, a single taste can be fatal.

Chu Yilan's gaze shifted downward, involuntarily landing on Shen Lian's pale collarbones; they were beautiful, if a bit thin.

Shen Lian wore a faint smile: "If Master Chu has vented his anger, then please show some mercy and let me go. If you haven't, you can have another glass."

Unexpectedly, these words provoked the man's fury. Chu Yilan leaned down and grabbed his chin, pulling him closer: "Show mercy? Look at the scar on my face and tell me if you think I can still show mercy?"

"What's wrong with the scar?" After Shen Lian spoke, he couldn't help but reach out his hand, looking as if he wanted to touch it.

Chu Yilan's eyes darkened abruptly, and he grabbed Shen Lian's wrist instead. "Are you looking for death?"

"With or without the scar, you look very good," Shen Lian said from the bottom of his heart.

He also leaned in closer. Now, the two were almost face-to-face, their noses barely half a finger's width apart, such that they could clearly feel each other's breath.

The strong scent of alcohol mixed with a hint of agarwood.

Definitely my type, Shen Lian confirmed.

This direct hit of masculine power was fascinating; Zheng Ge was such a classless piece of trash.

A cold light flashed in Chu Yilan's eyes, and he shoved Shen Lian away.

Shen Lian understood this; after all, no one knew his soul had been swapped. In Chu Yilan's eyes, he was the culprit responsible for his disfigurement.

"After tomorrow, your name will be completely erased from the entertainment industry. Are you prepared to pay the massive penalty for breach of contract?" Chu Yilan didn't mind revealing his goal; he intended to drive him to a dead end.

To his surprise, Shen Lian's expression remained unchanged: "I'm not prepared, so I sincerely hope Master Chu will show some pity."

"On what grounds?"

"That night at the wooden cabin, it really wasn't my doing."

Shen Lian couldn't find a single trace of relevant memory from the Original Host. This wasn't right; the Original Host was also in the hospital when he woke up, meaning he was likely unconscious during the process.

"What are you pretending for?" The man who had answered Shen Lian's question earlier couldn't take it anymore.

He was Chu Yilan's friend, named Feng Yueshan.

"Who doesn't know you're Zhou Tangsi's old lapdog? Even Zheng Ge was constantly targeted by you. Who else could have set the fire that night besides you?"

"I don't admit to the arson, but I won't deny targeting Zheng Ge."

Feng Yueshan snorted coldly, feeling that Shen Lian's words were absolute bullshit.

Shen Lian, however, looked like he was ready to let everything go to hell. His gaze was loose, and then he suddenly let out an abrupt, mocking laugh, as if some emotion had reached its limit and he no longer wanted to endure it.

Shen Lian then looked at Chu Yilan and said word for word, "If I didn't drive Zheng Ge away, how could you ever see me?"

Chu Yilan's pupils constricted suddenly!

Shen Lian's expression was self-deprecating yet tinged with a bit of madness. "Master Chu, I don't like your eyes landing on anyone else. From now on, I won't let anyone you give a second glance to off easy."

Come on, let me show you all the skills of a top-tier best actor!

It was no exaggeration to say that Shen Lian's two short sentences turned the private room upside down.

Even Chu Yilan thought he had misheard.

Seeing Shen Lian's impassioned performance, Chu Yilan suddenly laughed. "Is this the survival tactic you've come up with? Come then, Shen Lian, prove it to me."

Shen Lian's heart immediately fluttered. You said it yourself!

Before anyone could react, Shen Lian stood up.

The man was half a head taller than Shen Lian, and he loved this face no matter how he looked at it.

And Shen Lian was the type of person who would go all out to get what he wanted.

Thus, fueled by alcohol and driven by lust...

Shen Lian stood on his tiptoes and, under everyone's watchful eyes, gave a kiss to the scar on Chu Yilan's face.

It was very light, like the brush of a feather.

After the kiss, Shen Lian quickly turned his head away, looking very embarrassed. Now, not just the corners of his eyes, but his entire face was flushed. "That... it's my first time... please bear with me. If you're not satisfied, I can practice some more."

What kind of scandalous words were these?!

Chu Yilan didn't move for a long time, only a surging darkness remained in the depths of his eyes.

Seeing that the man didn't speak, Shen Lian asked tentatively, "Is it not okay?"

"It's okay, it's very okay!" Feng Yueshan was driven crazy by the stimulation. He covered his face with both hands, pretending to see no evil, but his eyes were wide open, and the gaps between his fingers were large enough for two fat koi fish to swim through.

Shen Lian looked at Feng Yueshan in surprise. "I'm not kissing you, so don't try to take advantage of me."

Feng Yueshan: "..."

In the dead silence, Chu Yilan raised his hand and patted Shen Lian's cheek.

The force was neither light nor heavy, as if he were about to settle scores.

But before he could say anything, Shen Lian suddenly frowned and pressed his hand to his temple. "I think..."

It was as if he had been struck on the head; in just a second, he lost consciousness.

Chu Yilan subconsciously caught him.

Then he frowned and touched Shen Lian's forehead; it was hot enough to fry an egg... Shen Lian had a wonderful dream.

In the dream, he was pinned down by Chu Yilan; the muscle lines on the man's body were clearer than his own career path.

A total snack!

A masterpiece!!!

No one could understand how satisfied Shen Lian was, or how much his heart was moved.

When he opened his eyes, what met his sight was a bright, clean ceiling.

Shen Lian moved his fingertips; his whole body felt as if it had been hammered.

He felt as if this body had just recovered from a serious illness. Shen Lian looked up at the clock on the wall and was suddenly shocked; his harassment of Chu Yilan had happened the night before last.

Shen Lian couldn't worry about that for now. His body felt sticky, and he was desperate to wash up and take a shower.

Just as he came out of the bathroom, there was a knock on the door.

"Mr. Shen, are you awake?"

Shen Lian: "Come in."

The person who entered was a slightly plump middle-aged woman. Her hair was tied up meticulously, and her face looked honest and kind.

"My name is Wang Xiufen. If you don't mind, Mr. Shen, you can just call me Aunt Fen."

Shen Lian raised an eyebrow slightly. According to the book's description, Aunt Fen was the elder who had looked after Chu Yilan since he was a child. The two were close; even after Chu Yilan became eccentric and cold as an adult and later became the villain, Aunt Fen always remained by his side.

In other words, he was currently in Chu Yilan's home.

Shen Lian was a bit surprised, and also a bit happy.

Aunt Fen's cooking was delicious. Shen Lian polished off three bowls of vegetable congee and a bowl of chicken soup in one go. He was handsome and had a silver tongue, coaxing Aunt Fen into a cheerful mood with just a few sentences.

After eating, Shen Lian got his phone back. To his surprise, as soon as he turned it on, messages fluttered in like snowflakes, causing the screen to lag for two seconds.

The Original Host was still using an old model phone, showing that his financial situation was not wealthy.

It made sense; he was so washed up he was practically stuck to the bottom of the pan. Even if he escaped the night before last, the general situation wouldn't change.

The next second, a call came in.

Qian Gao, the Original Host's Agent.

Shen Lian tapped to answer.

"Shen Lian? Do you want to die?!" The other party's exasperated voice was so loud he didn't even need to use the speakerphone. "Why didn't you go to the XZ Brand commercial shoot yesterday?! Acting like a big shot? Do you have the capital to act like a big shot now? Get your ass over there right now! I'll deal with you after the shoot!"

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do to earn a living.

What was there to be picky about in his current state?

Shen Lian replied lazily, "Got it."