61: Master Chu is here to visit the set!

Lin Fu rushed out wearing floral shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, with the buttons left undone.

The hallway had motion-sensor lights, and the lighting was dim, but it was enough for Lin Fu to see Shen Lian raising his fist and smashing it into a person's face.

Lin Fu wasn't even fully awake, but shock flooded his eyes.

After all, this scene was quite impactful.

Noticing Lin Fu, Shen Lian said quite considerately, "It's nothing major, go back to sleep."

Lin Fu: "?"

You call this nothing major?!

Lin Fu finally recognized the man wailing on the ground and turned to bang on Director Zhao's door at the end of the hallway.

Soon, the entire inn was brightly lit.

Director Zhao understood half-way through Lin Fu's explanation and made a decisive phone call. He hadn't brought many security personnel this time, only seven in total, but handling a scoundrel who was weak both inside and out was not a problem.

It was the thug who had harassed Jiang You.

At first, he was still shouting loudly, clamoring to call the police and find his people, but Director Zhao ordered his mouth to be stuffed. After another beating, he lay on the floor whimpering, no longer arrogant.

The man curled up on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, his breaths getting heavier with each gasp.

Shen Lian was pulled by Lin Fu to stand behind Director Zhao, watching as Director Zhao sat on an old Eight Immortals chair with an indifferent expression.

Shen Lian: "..." Your aura is quite suitable for playing a mob boss.

"Take the towel out, I want to ask what this is about," Director Zhao said calmly.

The thug had been beaten into submission and confessed everything truthfully.

He truly hadn't given up on his wicked intentions. Being very familiar with the area, he had climbed onto the roof of a long-unoccupied house to observe Jiang You for a while. He saw Jiang You go up to the second floor of this inn, but he missed seeing Jiang You leave. Thinking Jiang You lived here, he snuck in through the inn's abandoned side door under the cover of night.

Who would have thought he'd be caught red-handed by Shen Lian.

You almost injured my big investment, Director Zhao thought to himself.

Although Director Zhao was a director, his filming subjects were mostly focused on reality and society. In his early years, he had been chased and beaten for covering topics like black factories and pyramid schemes, but he refused to admit defeat. He managed to break through in various major competitions with two niche works. So, when it came to dealing with thugs like this, it wasn't that he had no way, but rather that he had too many ways.

"You can call the police, but believe me, you have no evidence," Director Zhao chuckled. "Where are the surveillance cameras here? Who can prove we laid a hand on you?"

"But don't expect your life to be easy from now on," Director Zhao continued. "If you get a beating like this every day, can you behave?"

Fear flashed in the thug's eyes.

"I didn't touch you during the day because there were too many people. Why can't you tell good from bad?" Director Zhao said. "If I see you near the set again, I'll beat you every single time!"

To deal with a rogue, one must use a rogue's methods; Director Zhao was well-versed in this.

This thug was a typical bully who feared the strong. In fact, he had already panicked when Shen Lian was beating him. Now, threatened by Director Zhao, he didn't dare to say anything.

Several security guards dragged the thug downstairs, cornered him for another round of verbal intimidation, and then finally let him go.

In these remote places, one would always encounter a few pests from the wasteland.

As the surroundings quieted down, Director Zhao turned to look at Shen Lian.

Shen Lian immediately stood up straight. "Director Zhao, he attacked me first."

"I know." Director Zhao's eyes scanned him up and down. "Are you hurt?"

"No." Shen Lian shook his head. "That guy's physique wasn't up to much."

Director Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me to death."

Shen Lian and Lin Fu looked at each other, thinking, what were you scared of? Your display just now scared us to death.

They didn't understand that Director Zhao had already started writing a sci-fi script in his head.

This incident didn't alarm many people, and Director Zhao also issued a gag order. However, since it had happened, after much thought, Director Zhao still notified Sun Binghe early the next morning.

Unsurprisingly, Sun Binghe's tone tightened, and the first thing he asked about was Shen Lian's safety.

"He's very safe, not injured, and the person has been sent away," Director Zhao emphasized repeatedly.

After hanging up, Sun Binghe didn't waste a second and notified Chu Yilan.

Actually, Special Assistant Sun had been a bit tired these past two days. If you asked, it was because the hangover from that night hadn't faded yet, and with the tight work schedule, he had no time to rest. But when it came to Shen Lian's matters, Sun Binghe was exceptionally motivated.

"Push back all arrangements from this afternoon until tomorrow," Chu Yilan said.

Sun Binghe held the folder professionally. "Understood, I'll go prepare the car immediately."

Chu Yilan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Do you know where we're going next?"

"Aren't we going to find Teacher Shen?"

Chu Yilan smiled. "Yes, arrange it as soon as possible."

Without the thug's presence, Jiang You was in a great mood. What a psycho—proposing to every woman he saw, saying 'Come be my wife.'

In the scorching heat, Shen Lian's face was flushed after finishing a scene. Jiang You hurriedly handed him some water.

Plain boiled water with two ice cubes added—it was just right.

Nearby, Lin Fu grabbed a bottle of Coke that had just been taken out and was still steaming with cold, gulping down more than half of it. The sight gave Shen Lian a headache.

During dinner, Director Zhao glanced at his phone. His expression changed rapidly before returning to normal. After clearing his throat twice, he said, "Well, Lin Fu, you're coming with me to stay in the courtyard with Screenwriter Zhang and the others tonight."

Lin Fu: "Why?"

"Oh, there's a rat problem in our rooms. We're letting the owner clean it up."

"Rats? I didn't see any."

Director Zhao immediately started being stubborn. "Fine, then I'll go over there and you can sleep with the rats for the night."

"Don't, I'll go too." Lin Fu wasn't afraid of rats, but they were quite disgusting.

Shen Lian poked his head out. "Our three rooms are next to each other. Is there no trouble in my room?"

"No trouble," Director Zhao said without blinking. "The owner checked it; your room is very clean."

"Okay." Shen Lian nodded.

After dinner, Director Zhao seemed unusually hurried as he told everyone to go back and rest. Shen Lian didn't know why, but he was naturally happy to finish work early.

The sky darkened, and the cicadas outside chirped hysterically.

Shen Lian lay on the bed with the bamboo window open. He had originally intended to rest for three minutes, but he unexpectedly dozed off.

Although the sound of a car arriving and stopping wasn't loud, it was quite clear in the silence. A dog barked several times, and Shen Lian's sleepiness suddenly vanished. He rolled over and, driven by some strange impulse, poked his head out the window to look.

Just as Chu Yilan looked up.

Shen Lian's eyes widened suddenly. He thought he was hallucinating and leaned further out.

Chu Yilan's expression changed. "What are you doing, trying to get yourself killed!"

Shen Lian didn't say a word, and his head suddenly retracted. Sun Binghe counted silently in his heart.

When he reached five, the sound of hurried footsteps came thumping down from upstairs. Shen Lian didn't even put on shoes; he leaped forward and hugged Chu Yilan tightly.

Chu Yilan caught him, his hands supporting Shen Lian's buttocks.

It was almost like holding a child, but Chu Yilan didn't say anything and just carried Shen Lian upstairs like that.

Sun Binghe stood still on the first floor, thinking to himself that he could finally have a nice day of rest.