46: Aren't you going to say thank you?

The man was infuriated by Shen Lian's attitude and immediately pulled out his phone to call someone.

Jiang You tugged at the hem of Shen Lian's clothes, looking a bit worried.

In just a few short seconds, it was enough for Xu Jingge to gain a preliminary understanding of Shen Lian.

To be honest, Chu Yilan's aesthetic taste was impeccable, except for that person named Zheng Ge from before.

When the nickname "Little Chang Qing" came out, Xu Jingge was thoroughly disgusted.

Hype tactics in the entertainment industry were endless, which didn't surprise him, but dragging Chang Qing into it was unacceptable. Zheng Ge was just a bit fair-skinned at best; how could he compare to his Chang Qing?

Those blind marketing accounts even implied that Zheng Ge might one day replace Chang Qing. They were so fearless, relying on having someone backing them. Since that was the case, the rest was a battle of capital.

Xu Jingge deserved the most credit for the time Zheng Ge's fans were flamed into silence.

At the time, Chang Qing frowned slightly and asked, "Why do you care about these things?"

Xu Jingge replied, "I can't stand it; it makes me uncomfortable."

As for this Shen Lian, he was practically radiating sharpness.

While the man was making a scene, Shen Lian just watched him go crazy quietly, as if looking at a stray dog with rabies by the roadside, which was incredibly mocking.

Wang Yueling had indeed found someone influential, but not the most influential. Seeing the situation escalate and become unsolvable, Wang Yueling's heart skipped a beat for some reason.

"Oh, President Xu! President Xu, why are you standing here? I'm still waiting for you upstairs."

A smiling voice disrupted the atmosphere here, and everyone finally noticed another group of people not far away.

Shen Lian noticed Xu Jingge at a glance. His appearance was very striking. At this moment, he was sitting on a stool, looking over with great interest, clearly enjoying the drama.

Having been interrupted, Xu Jingge simply stood up, shook hands with Vice President Zhang of Aifu, and then said, "Upstairs is boring; there's more fun down here."

A premonition of dread flashed through Vice President Zhang's heart.

Vice President Zhang had met Wang Yueling and also had an impression of Shen Lian, but he didn't understand what these two were arguing about, especially in front of Xu Jingge.

Worried about the impact on the company's image, Vice President Zhang stepped forward quickly with a gloomy expression. "What are you guys doing?"

"This one wants to kick out that one's endorsement." Xu Jingge acted like a commentator, pointing at Wang Yueling and then at Shen Lian. "I just wanted to see how he'd kick it out. Oh, right."

He looked again at the man still holding his phone. "Have you found an executive who can make the decisions? If not, why not ask Vice President Zhang?"

Wang Yueling and the man both froze at the same time.

How could Vice President Zhang not understand what was going on?

This Wang Yueling... he had been making constant demands before coming. If it weren't to repay a favor, they wouldn't have wanted to hire him at all.

Shen Lian couldn't help but become wary. This was his first time meeting Xu Jingge, yet the man seemed to be speaking up for him. Why?

Vice President Zhang told them to each go back and said they would discuss this matter later.

Shen Lian didn't want to get further entangled. Even if Hu Kailan found out, he shouldn't be blamed for it.

As they brushed past each other, Xu Jingge whispered, "Won't you say thank you to me?"

Now Shen Lian was certain that the other party was helping him.

Although confused, out of politeness, Shen Lian responded, "Thank you."

Xu Jingge gave a meaningful smile.

Sharp and imposing, yet calm and composed—he's someone with a conscience.

Coming out of the studio building, Jiang You couldn't help but worry, "Are you okay, Brother Shen?"

"What could be wrong?" Shen Lian smiled. "Let's go back to the hotel."

His advertisement filming was finished. It just depended on whether any editing or reshoots were needed later. Once the brand finalized everything, he could go back.

Xu Jingge briefly explained the whole story on WeChat, saying it was resolved. He didn't know what would happen to Wang Yueling, but it wouldn't affect Shen Lian.

So Chu Yilan waited patiently for Shen Lian to complain. Instead, the man went to sleep as soon as he returned to the hotel, woke up to eat a bowl of porridge, and only called in the evening, chatting with Chu Yilan in a carefree tone as if nothing had happened.

"Shen Lian." Chu Yilan suddenly interrupted his rambling and asked, "In your heart, am I trustworthy?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Shen Lian said. "I even gave you my first kiss."

Chu Yilan ignored his banter. "Then if you were wronged, why didn't you tell me?"

"Wronged? What wrong?"

Shen Lian was stunned for a moment, and it took several seconds before he remembered the events of the afternoon.

"Oh, that President Xu or whatever, did you call him to help me?"

"In your dreams," Chu Yilan scoffed.

But to Shen Lian, this seemed like an admission.

Shen Lian's heart instantly felt as sweet as honey, and his voice became syrupy. "Master Chu is so worried about me."

Chu Yilan didn't respond.

"Don't worry, these are all minor issues," Shen Lian said. "I'll solve what I can, and if I can't, I'll call you. If my endorsement had really been revoked this afternoon, I might have had to trouble you."

Chu Yilan gave a snort.

Shen Lian lay on his side on the bed clutching his quilt, watching the continuous rain outside. "It's been raining non-stop, so annoying."

"You don't like rainy days?"

"It's not that, I just want to go home."

A part of Chu Yilan's heart suddenly became incredibly soft, and he replied gently, "We'll see how it goes after you finish your work. If need be, I'll have someone pick you up."

Shen Lian didn't refuse. "Okay."

But no one expected that a rare torrential downpour would occur that night.

The water level rose overnight, and at five in the morning, Shen Lian woke up to the hotel's piercing alarm.

Just as he opened the door, Li Yi from across the hall had already come out fully dressed.

"Teacher Shen."

"What's happening?"

"I heard a dam overflowed, and with such heavy rain, there's a risk of flooding. The parking lot on the second basement level of the hotel is completely submerged. Brother Hu just called me and said the terrain here is too low, so we need to change hotels immediately."

Shen Lian didn't dare to delay. He called Jiang You, and the three of them set off immediately.

Thunder rumbled, and the corridor was in a state of chaos.

As soon as Shen Lian reached the lobby, a child's sharp scream exploded in his ears. A Young Girl about five or six years old collapsed in front of him, her face covered in tears, clearly terrified. Shen Lian even saw a footprint on her little dress.

Shen Lian picked up the child at once and comforted her gently, "It's okay now. Where are your parents?"

Perhaps because Shen Lian's presence was reassuring, the Young Girl clung to his neck like a drowning person clutching at a straw, sobbing too hard to answer.

"Shit! The water is coming up!" someone shouted, which was like adding boiling water to a frying pan. Shen Lian was knocked off balance by someone bumping into him from behind.

Shen Lian looked up; everyone was grabbing their things and running away in a hurry, and he didn't see anyone looking for anything.

Shen Lian made a prompt decision. "Let's go."

Shen Lian and the others' nanny van was parked outside. Just the short walk to get into the car was extremely difficult. The rainwater reached their calves, and the strong force of the water meant they had to steady themselves before taking each step.

At a time like this, no amount of driving skill mattered.

The nanny van stalled completely as it reached an uphill section. Rainwater was practically pouring down the windshield, and the car even began to drift backward uncontrollably bit by bit.

Soon, broadcasts and sirens from a high-rise building all sounded, directing everyone to evacuate.

There were a few raincoats in the car. Shen Lian distributed them to Li Yi and Jiang You, and also dressed the Young Girl in one. "Abandon the car and let's go!"