50: You're lucky

"Mr. Shen, the Boss is downstairs."

With one word from Sun Binghe, Shen Lian immediately put away his phone, ruffled his hair, and dove into the covers with a "swish," closing his eyes to lie down peacefully.

Sun Binghe: "..."

The moment Chu Yilan pushed the door open and entered, Sun Binghe left the ward immediately.

Forgive him; he could tip Shen Lian off, but he couldn't cooperate in a ruse. A habit he had developed while becoming Chu Yilan's confidant was to never lie.

Chu Yilan stepped forward quietly, stood by the bed for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Keep pretending."

Shen Lian couldn't hold it in; he let out a snort of laughter and then opened one eye.

The flying mirth and spirit in his eyes during that moment set Chu Yilan's mind at ease.

But just as Sun Binghe had said, Chu Yilan's heartache was one thing, but settling scores was another.

Just as he was about to say something, Shen Lian covered his mouth and began to cough. The young man frowned slightly, appearing to be in some discomfort.

Chu Yilan immediately pressed the bedside call button for the doctor.

This time it wasn't an act; the head of Shen Lian's bed was raised, and he inhaled oxygen for a while.

"Is it caused by an infection?" Chu Yilan asked the doctor, resting a hand on Shen Lian's forehead. It had become clammy in just that short time. He took the opportunity to tidy Shen Lian's hair, his large palm supporting him from the back of his neck.

"Yes," the doctor nodded. "Make sure he rests and takes his medicine on time."

There was no better way for now. After the doctor left, Shen Lian pulled Chu Yilan to sit on the edge of the bed and gradually nudged his way into his arms until he successfully embraced the man's waist.

I can't go soft, Chu Yilan told himself.

"Sorry, I'll definitely be careful in the future."

Chu Yilan snorted. Did he not know Shen Lian? If it came down to it again, this person would still dare to jump.

Sun Binghe stood at the door for a while; not hearing Mr. Shen's screams, he was safe for now.

Chu Yilan didn't get a chance to lash out. Shen Lian took another nap in the afternoon, and when he woke up this time, he insisted on taking a shower no matter what. Chu Yilan offered to accompany him, but Shen Lian was too embarrassed.

"No, no, no. Wait until next time when I'm smelling nice, then we'll have a mandarin duck bath together. I'm all smelly today."

Chu Yilan: "..."

Chu Yilan waited at the door. Fortunately, Shen Lian came out in about ten minutes, feeling much more refreshed.

"Boss." Sun Binghe knocked and entered, his expression looking a bit troubled. "Something has come up."

"You rest, I'll be back soon." Chu Yilan's voice was gentle as he tucked Shen Lian in.

Shen Lian felt a strange chill in his heart. Seeing him all lively and kicking, the man wasn't forgetting to settle accounts after the fact, was he?

"Sure, go ahead, go ahead."

Sun Binghe was gentle and warm most of the time; it was his mask and protective coloring. So, once he showed irritation, it meant he truly disliked the other party.

Chu Yilan: "What's the matter?"

"Zheng Ge's call went to Secretary Cui,"

"The reason?"

"Zhou Tangsi seems to be in Lin City."

At this point, Sun Binghe took a shallow breath.

When there's trouble, it's Chu Yilan; when there's nothing, it's Zhou Tangsi, right?

Chu Yilan was rarely curious: "What, are the roads between Qudu and Lin City blocked again?"

"Not exactly, but from what Zheng Ge meant, he's been hounded by paparazzi lately, and with Zhou Tangsi not by his side, he wants to use your power to shake those people off and come over quietly."

"Then Zhou Tangsi is a useless waste," Chu Yilan said coldly. "Blacklist Zheng Ge. There's no need to report anything about him to me in the future."

Sun Binghe had been waiting for those words: "Yes, Boss."

"By the way, come in and help me with this..." Chu Yilan said as he pushed open the ward door. Sun Binghe didn't think much of it and followed him in.

Hearing the Boss fall silent, Sun Binghe instinctively looked up.

He saw Shen Lian half-sitting at the head of the bed. God knows how he had managed to blow-dry his hair in the time it took to say those few sentences. Whether intentional or not, he had even styled it into a lazy and casual look.

Shen Lian had been looking out the window, and hearing the movement, he slowly turned his head. That slightly fragile yet gentle aura was almost like a slow-motion shot. Once this man's soulful eyes became focused, they could drag your soul right into them. After a moment of eye contact, Shen Lian gave a shy smile. "I missed you."

Chu Yilan: "?"

If the setting hadn't been wrong, Sun Binghe really would have wanted to applaud.

Since ancient times, it's been said that a great man can bend and stretch. This saying fit Shen Lian perfectly; in just a few short minutes, he had even pulled out the 'honey trap' strategy.

"Binghe, you..."

"Boss, I have other things to do. I'll come back tomorrow morning." Sun Binghe turned and left.

The door closed.

Chu Yilan casually took off his coat as he passed the sofa. He walked to the bedside, leaning down directly to encircle Shen Lian's waist. His nose brushed against his cheek, his breath hot, and his voice went hoarse: "You really are a handful."

"Master Chu, if this is the punishment, then please don't hold back."

He couldn't out-flirt him; Chu Yilan felt a surge of ruthlessness in his heart.

Chu Yilan's hand pushed aside the quilt. Just as the air began to heat up and Shen Lian's breathing changed along with it, Chu Yilan only kissed him for a while before letting him go.

Shen Lian was shocked: "You can actually endure this?"

Chu Yilan sneered: "You're lucky. This ward and your status as a patient saved you."

Catching a glimpse of the suppressed, roiling darkness in the depths of Chu Yilan's eyes, Shen Lian suddenly backed down.

Instinct warned him that it was best not to act tough.

Shen Lian stayed in the hospital for three whole days until his condition finally stabilized. Chu Yilan had already made an appointment with Ning Sixian for a full-body checkup, which made him feel more at ease. As the disaster outside receded and the hype died down, Shen Lian was inevitably brought up again.

The fans finally dared to speak up now.

That's right, Shen Lian had fans now too—active fans.

When Hu Kailan broke the news, Shen Lian almost wanted to bow down to the Heavens.

Zheng Ge's fans had just been blasted into oblivion and didn't dare come out in the short term. Shen Lian's fan base mostly came from organic growth during the previous variety show and little fangirls from the comic convention. The numbers weren't huge, but they could still scrape together a few thousand comments. Soon, everyone picked out a Fan Site Manager from among them—one from Chang Qing's side.

[Is Shen Lian planning to leech off Chang Qing again? How much was this Fan Site Manager paid? Would Chang Qing even give him the time of day?]

Doubts and malicious comments quickly surfaced; after all, Chang Qing's reputation was indeed a breath of fresh air in the industry.

Subsequently, the Fan Site Manager released a photo. It was a shot of Chang Qing and Shen Lian from behind. The sky was clear and blue, and the two were walking side by side, seemingly in conversation. Even their profiles were so beautiful they made one's heart skip a beat.

This photo was only released after the Fan Site Manager communicated with Zhu Wen and Chang Qing agreed. Although his friendship with Shen Lian wasn't deep yet, Chang Qing was willing to give him a hand. He was a person who acted very much according to his heart.

[They're friends?]

[Don't say it, they actually look quite pleasing standing together.]

[Um, I want to...]

Shen Lian didn't see any of this. After being cooped up for several days, Chu Yilan said at noon that he would take him to a small gathering.

Shen Lian had a premonition, and sure enough, after arriving at the location, he saw Xu Jingge.

Xu Jingge had returned after resting and building up his strength, looking once again like that nonchalant man who controlled the whole situation. Seeing Chu Yilan and Shen Lian appear together, his eyes lit up with a "whoosh."

Of course, there was someone whose eyes were even brighter than his: Special Assistant Yang Bin, who had finished handling everything and had been waiting for two days.