29: I can stand it.

The maybach turned a corner, passing Zheng Ge's nanny van.

Zheng Ge happened to be looking out the window out of boredom. The familiar license plate made his heart tremble, and he immediately sat up, but the other party didn't stop and drove away.

Zheng Ge blinked. Did he see wrong?

How could Chu Yilan be here?

After the nanny van stopped, Zheng Ge got out and looked up to see the backs of Shen Lian and his assistant. For no reason, his heart skipped several beats.

Zheng Ge felt as if a layer of mist was blocking his mind, making him unable to connect the messy threads.

Ultimately, it was too incredible, or perhaps it hit upon the possibility he resisted the most, so he subconsciously avoided it.

Of course, Zheng Ge had already received notice that Shen Lian had passed the audition.

It didn't matter; in Zheng Ge's view, what his assistant said made the most sense.

"Shen Lian is just jealous of you, trying to compete with you in everything. He just joined Star Opening and tried every way to squeeze into the 'silent no more' crew. With his terrible acting? Or maybe he wants to ride your coattails to see President Zhou again. Either way, it's annoying as hell. It's like he doesn't have a life of his own. The fans are right, he's just living in your shadow and can't get out. Zheng Ge, you can't be soft-hearted."

"As for Shen Lian joining Star Opening, that's easy to explain. The higher-ups are blind. CEO Chu probably doesn't even know. After all, he's busy with a million things. Star Opening is just a mediocre entertainment company under him; he doesn't have time to pay attention to it every day."

As for Chu Yilan deleting him... Zheng Ge soon got over it. Seeing him confirm his relationship with Zhou Tangsi, Chu Yilan must be sad, but he really couldn't reciprocate those feelings.

If Shen Lian knew how much Zheng Ge could imagine things, he would have slapped him ten times already.

'silent no more' was a closed shoot. No matter what, running around during filming was discouraged, and leaks to the outside were minimized—this was a hallmark of Dai Tong's style.

After Shen Lian greeted Dai Tong and a few producers, he was led to his room by a staff member.

There weren't many rooms, and each artist could only keep one assistant. Shen Lian specifically went to take a look. Compared to theirs, the assistants' rooms were just prefabricated houses made of color steel tiles on an open lot, packed tightly together without even a place to use the bathroom.

And those who stayed were mostly male assistants.

"You drive back in a bit," Shen Lian said.

Jiang You hurriedly said, "Brother Shen, I can..."

"The hell you can!" Shen Lian's expression was serious. "Look at how many shirtless men there are. Be good, go back and tell Brother Hu to arrange for a male assistant temporarily."

Jiang You was incredibly moved. "Brother Shen..."

"Enough." Shen Lian smiled and pulled the Young Girl away.

Actually, the housing for the lead actors wasn't very fair either. Shen Lian's was at the very back with poor lighting and a small area, while Zheng Ge's was in the middle towards the outside, even having a private bathroom.

Shen Lian knew, but there was nothing to complain about; that's just how the industry was.

In his previous life, when he stood at the peak, no matter how harsh the conditions, the crew would prioritize him.

Jiang You drove back, leaving Shen Lian alone in the room. There was only a bed, a cabinet, and a desk. Shen Lian found the cabinet dusty and smelly, so he just left his suitcase open to use. He wiped the desk, checked the bedding, and finally lay down to read the script.

Shen Lian didn't step out once before the staff member knocked on the door.

"Teacher Shen, all the leads have arrived. Director Dai is asking you to come out and join them."

"Okay." Shen Lian nodded. "I'll be right there."

Shen Lian put on the slippers Aunt Fen had personally prepared. Feeling comfortable, he went out holding a teacup, stopping to get some hot water on the way.

When Director Dai saw Shen Lian from a distance, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Look at him, acting like a seasoned veteran."

Zheng Ge and Wei Fanchen were sitting opposite each other. Hearing this, they both turned their heads.

Shen Lian blew away the foam as he walked and took a small sip.

"Hello, Director Dai. Hello, everyone." Shen Lian pulled over a vacant plastic stool and plopped down.

He sat with his legs crossed, holding his cup, his posture relaxed and composed. He didn't look like an actor; he looked like an investor.

The female lead, Huang Jiacan, was a beauty with a classical temperament. She had been average a few years ago, but in the last two years, it was like she'd had an epiphany; her range was wide. Most of her fans were chill, but their combat power in fan wars wasn't bad either. It was reasonable for Dai Tong to choose her.

Huang Jiacan observed Shen Lian curiously. Her first impression: interesting.

Before Shen Lian arrived, they had already been sitting there for over ten minutes. Director Dai would say a few words, Zheng Ge would respond, and most of the others were just brown-nosing, everyone on their best behavior for fear of making a mistake. Yet, only Shen Lian wouldn't show up unless invited.

Shen Lian was used to it; in his previous life, he only joined crowds when necessary, usually preferring peace and quiet.

"Shen Lian, your temper has grown," Wei Fanchen said half-jokingly.

Shen Lian took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "You saw it?"

The corner of Wei Fanchen's mouth twitched slightly. "Isn't it the rule for the main cast to meet after joining the crew?"

"Did I not come?" Shen Lian asked. "Am I acting like a big shot?"

Wei Fanchen choked, then snorted. "As if you even have a 'big shot' status to act on."

"Enough," Dai Tong interrupted.

In his heart, Dai Tong favored Shen Lian. It was simple: he valued whoever acted well. He had thought Shen Lian was the one shoved in through the back door, but it turned out to be Wei Fanchen. Their performances on the day of the audition were worlds apart.

Dai Tong chatted with everyone about general filming issues. Shen Lian listened quietly, and soon it was mealtime.

The crew's catering was average, with two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. The meat dishes had been cooked in advance and might have been sitting out for a while; anyway, they smelled a bit off when opened.

"Whoa!" someone shouted as a car drove into the crew's entrance.

The trunk opened, revealing substantial dishes like braised pork and chicken drumsticks.

"President Zhou sent this for Zheng Ge," someone remarked.

Zheng Ge blushed, and the other staff members took the opportunity to express their envy and well-wishes.

Zheng Ge said with a smile, "Everyone, please help yourselves."

"Thank you, Teacher Zheng!"

"Teacher Zheng is so generous!"

Shen Lian didn't even spare a glance. While others were lining up for chicken drumsticks and meat, he took his lunch box and intended to head to the side.

"What, you don't want any?" Wei Fanchen blocked Shen Lian's path, looking smug. "Jealous, aren't you?"

"Me, jealous?" Shen Lian unwrapped his chopsticks with one hand, a half-smile on his face. "Anyone who didn't know better would think Zhou Tangsi sent this to you. Who's the jealous one here?"

"Stop acting so noble!" Since there weren't many people around, Wei Fanchen lowered his voice and spoke fiercely. "Zhou Tangsi cherishes Zheng Ge above all else right now. You'd better be able to take it!"

"I can take it." Shen Lian nodded. "I wouldn't even mind if they brought a bed and put on a live erotic show in front of me—though they'd have to cover their faces, since I'm a bit allergic to those two. As for you, don't suffocate yourself. If you're counting on me to help you deal with Zheng Ge, you'd better give up on that idea now. You two can bite each other from now on. Bye-bye."

Wei Fanchen's eyes widened, unable to believe that these words had come from Shen Lian.