48: Received
Shen Lian hung up the phone awkwardly; it was the first time Li Yi saw apprehension on his face.
Shen Lian muttered, "It's just that I lost my phone and didn't contact him immediately. Is it worth being this angry?"
Shen Lian still didn't know that those two videos were spreading everywhere.
Hu Kailan couldn't contact them for the time being. After careful consideration, he kept suppressing the trending searches; now was not the time to be in the spotlight.
In the phone call just now, Chu Yilan had asked for Shen Lian's specific location. They waited at the shelter for over ten minutes. Just as Shen Lian finished his fifth sneeze, a black car stopped at the entrance.
The man who got out of the passenger seat spotted him immediately. He walked over with large strides and said politely, "Mr. Shen, CEO Xu sent me to pick you up."
Shen Lian nodded. "Alright, thanks for the trouble."
Shen Lian carried the little girl to the back seat and asked for a clean blanket to wipe her hair. "Don't catch a cold now."
The little girl still didn't speak. After a moment's reaction, she shook her head gently.
After arriving at a high-end hotel, Shen Lian didn't see Xu Jingge. He was shown to a room. The first thing he did was take a hot bath. He threw his clothes into the washing machine beforehand, and by the time he came out wearing a bathrobe and drank a cup of hot coffee, they were almost dry.
Li Yi and Jiang You's treatment was also good. The little girl stayed with Jiang You; she had stopped crying and had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Shen Lian changed his clothes and napped on the sofa for a while. Later, hearing a noise, he got up to open the door. When he saw Chang Qing, he thought he was still dreaming.
"Teacher Chang?"
"Mhm." Chang Qing looked Shen Lian up and down. "Are you alright?"
"Everything is fine."
Chang Qing took Shen Lian to the third floor to eat. Even now, Shen Lian was dazed. Chang Qing would actually come?
After they sat down, as if reading Shen Lian's mood, Chang Qing explained, "Jingge is busy mobilizing supplies and can't make it for the time being. When I heard it was you, I came straight over."
This statement contained a massive amount of information; Shen Lian was thinking.
CEO Xu, Jingge, Xu Jingge? Shen Lian seemed to have seen the name in the financial magazines Chu Yilan often read. Judging by Chang Qing's familiar and calm tone, their relationship was anything but ordinary.
Shen Lian didn't gossip, only smiling to express his gratitude.
There weren't many fancy dishes, but a steaming bowl of shredded chicken noodle soup was better than anything. Shen Lian ate comfortably and didn't forget to tell the waiter to send a portion to Li Yi and Jiang You as well.
Shen Lian had been coughing intermittently. Chang Qing frowned. "Did you catch a cold?"
Shen Lian didn't pay much attention. "Probably not."
"You braved the wind and rain and soaked in water to save people. Don't be careless. I'll have someone bring medicine over in a bit."
Shen Lian looked up. "How did Teacher Chang know?"
Chang Qing met Shen Lian's eyes for two seconds, looking a bit surprised. "You were filmed. Who in the circle doesn't know by now?"
Shen Lian: "???"
"Teacher Chang, let me borrow your phone for a second."
Shen Lian took the phone and, without wasting words, logged directly into Social Media Platform.
Background notifications were 99+. A quick glance at private messages showed they were almost all praise. Shen Lian went to his super topic forum and immediately saw the videos being constantly pushed to the top.
After watching, Shen Lian fell silent.
He finally understood why Chu Yilan was so furious.
Seeing Shen Lian's wry expression, Chang Qing spoke up, "Doing that was very dangerous. Be careful next time. But for you, it's not exactly a bad thing."
Shen Lian certainly understood what Chang Qing meant, but when he rushed out to save people, he hadn't thought about exposure or showing off. With lives at stake, what did those things matter?
He just put himself in Chu Yilan's shoes for a moment, and thinking of the man's state of mind when he saw the video made a chill run down his spine.
Chu Yilan's words weren't a joke; he really wanted to kill him.
After a few more words of small talk, Shen Lian went back to his room to rest. Midway, a waiter brought cold medicine. He took it according to the instructions and lay on the bed holding the old phone he had borrowed from Chang Qing.
Even though there was no SIM card, being connected to the Wi-Fi meant it was basically functional.
Clicking on Chu Yilan's pitch-black WeChat avatar, Shen Lian sent a tongue-sticking-out emoji.
Then he waited for ten minutes. No reply.
What to do? Shen Lian was a bit troubled. This wasn't something that could be smoothed over with a bouquet of flowers or a few sweet words.
Wrapped in the quilt, Shen Lian pondered deeply. Unknowingly, his body temperature rose, yet a chill seeped from his bones. He was probably coming down with a cold. Shen Lian curled down further and soon sank into a heavy sleep.
Shen Lian slept heavily, losing track of time. He didn't know when the rain stopped. Rescue teams had reached all districts, and aside from over twenty injuries, there were no fatalities.
The internet was filled with relief and blessings.
Chu Yilan only saw the emoji Shen Lian sent after he arrived in Lin City.
Xu Jingge had already called him to say he had picked up Shen Lian. At this moment, Chu Yilan's thumb gently brushed over the phone screen, and his tense nerves settled.
Yang Bin cleared the way, bringing thirty-two trucks of supplies with him.
Xu Jingge was an "Outstanding Entrepreneur" of Lin City. When something like this happened, he naturally headed to the front lines. He mentioned on the phone that coordinating supplies was difficult, so Chu Yilan handled it in one go.
Yang Bin was in charge of the supplies, so there was no need to worry. Chu Yilan went to the hotel with Sun Binghe by his side.
Special Assistant Sun thought to himself that it was truly fate that he would be meeting Mr. Shen again so soon.
Poor Mr. Shen was currently aching all over, his throat feeling like it was on fire.
This guy was truly stubborn; he hadn't made a single sound.
Chu Yilan met Chang Qing, who had just arrived, at the door of the room.
Chu Yilan didn't notice it himself, but Chang Qing sensed the other man's expression darken upon seeing him. Possessiveness, not to mention a hint of aggression, seeped from his eyes.
"Shen Lian is Qudu's Chu Yilan's person. Since it's rare for Chu to ask, I'll grant this favor."
Xu Jingge's words echoed in his ears. Seeing the other's aura, Chang Qing realized: "CEO Chu? I came to see how Teacher Shen is doing."
Chu Yilan narrowed his eyes. "You are..."
"Chang Qing."
As soon as the name was mentioned, Chu Yilan's hostility instantly dissipated. He gave a slight nod, entered the password, and pushed the door open.
Chang Qing thought for a moment and didn't go in.
Chu Yilan had decided on the way there that he had to give Shen Lian a good beating, preferably one that would make him remember it for the rest of his life.
In less than a minute, just as Chang Qing decided to head back, the room door was kicked open. Chang Qing turned around to see Chu Yilan coming out carrying Shen Lian, who was wrapped tightly in a quilt. One of the young man's hands was around the man's neck, while the other had fallen out of the quilt, revealing thin, pale knuckles.
Chang Qing was startled; he had been fine in the afternoon.
Chu Yilan didn't say a word, walking with large, rapid strides.
Sun Binghe had just opened his phone, thinking of checking into Shen Lian's super topic to help the Boss with his tasks, when he saw the Boss coming down carrying someone. Without a word, he shifted gears and opened the car door. Once Chu Yilan was settled, he slammed on the gas and sped off.
Sun Binghe glanced through the rearview mirror. The Boss carefully lowered his head to check the temperature of the person's forehead in his arms.
"Chu Yilan..." Shen Lian mumbled.
"I'm here."
"I'll let you touch my waist... don't be angry anymore."
Chu Yilan: "..."
Sun Binghe: "..."