71: It's just self-rescue

Even if the news of that night was blocked once, Chu Yilan had beaten up Zhou Tangsi—how exciting was that?

There are always those who can't keep their mouths shut; as long as word gets out, the one whose reputation will be ruined is definitely Zhou Tangsi.

And who was the instigator of it all?

If Zhou Tangsi hadn't held her back, Old Madam Zhou would have torn Zheng Ge apart with her bare hands.

"That goddamn bastard! A big man not acting like a decent person and turning into a fox spirit instead! What's the point of keeping that thing between his legs? Might as well chop it off! Daughters of wealthy families, sons of noble houses—what kind of person couldn't my Tangsi find? Yet he had to stumble upon such an actor!" Old Madam Zhou was usually noble and refined, but once she became shrewish, she was unstoppable. She cursed a few times as she passed the hospital room door, and both people inside could hear her.

"So fragile, what kind of man are you!" Old Madam Zhou finally roared and left in a huff.

Zheng Ge sat by the bed, the hand holding the porcelain spoon trembling slightly.

Zheng Ge had been coming for several days. At first, Zhou Tangsi could listen to his grandmother and refuse to see him, but Zheng Ge sent texts and made calls, crying piteously. After all, he still loved him, and Zhou Tangsi couldn't bear it.

But as soon as Old Madam Zhou saw Zheng Ge being supported by two people on either side, looking tearful, her anger flared up. "Anyone who didn't know better would think you're the one dying!"

If Zhou Tangsi hadn't appeared in time to pull Zheng Ge back to the room, with Zheng Ge's meager combat power, he would have been crushed into powder by the old lady.

But even so, the atmosphere between the two was no longer as happy and relaxed as before.

Awkwardness filled the air.

It wasn't just that Zhou Tangsi had lost; he had been stepped on and kicked by Chu Yilan in front of everyone. Of course, Zheng Ge wasn't any better off—Shen Lian had almost left a flower-shaped print on his face. Both had equally miserable fates, yet they couldn't sympathize with each other.

Only when all the stepping stones are overturned do they realize that the path beneath their feet is actually exceptionally difficult to walk.

"Grandmother must hate me to death," Zheng Ge suddenly spoke.

In the past, with such a sorrowful and aggrieved tone, Zhou Tangsi would have been incredibly pained. But hearing it now, not only was he unmoved, he even felt a flicker of irritation.

"What can I do?" Zhou Tangsi looked out the window. "Zheng Ge, that's the grandmother who raised me."

"Tangsi, I didn't mean it like that..."

"Stop crying," Zhou Tangsi interrupted coldly. "This is nothing to cry about."

All of Zheng Ge's sounds were squeezed back into his throat. The summer breeze was warm, yet he felt a constant chill running through him.

On this side, Shen Lian was so hot he wanted to call the police.

Coincidentally, there was a fight scene where Lu Xiaokai and Feng Zheng were being cornered and chased, fighting back with all their might.

Shen Lian had two wire-work moves, and the overall performance was quite smooth. Enduring his aching waist, he took the water handed to him by Jiang You and drank it all in one go.

"Brother Shen," Jiang You lowered her voice. "That person, CEO Chu, is right outside."

"Hmm?" Shen Lian was a bit surprised. He subconsciously looked outside, but naturally couldn't see anything. So he instructed Jiang You, "Tell him I'll come as soon as I finish filming."

Jiang You: "Okay, Brother Shen."

Jiang You had a doll-like face and shoulder-length short hair, always carrying an air of worldly innocence. In Sun Binghe's eyes, it was "stupid naivety."

Chu Yilan was in the car, and Sun Binghe was leaning against the car door tapping on his phone, firing off three consecutive questions in the collaboration group.

"Assistant Sun." Jiang You had just confirmed his identity through Sun Binghe's self-introduction. As for Chu Yilan, although only a profile was visible when the car window went up, Jiang You recognized him as the owner of that huge villa where Brother Shen lived. "Brother Shen said he'll come after he finishes filming."

As Jiang You spoke, she didn't forget to smooth her messy bangs. It wasn't that she was worried about losing face in front of a handsome man, but rather that when facing Sun Binghe, she always had the illusion of being caught by the dean during her student days.

Sun Binghe nodded and quietly sized up Jiang You, asking, "What school did you graduate from?"

Jiang You answered truthfully.

When Shen Lian finished filming and was the first to come out of the set, as soon as he approached, he heard Sun Binghe's heavy tone: "You can't even get an S-Language Level 8 certificate, what kind of school did you go to? Your A-Language is also half-hearted. At your age, how can you have the heart to be so lazy?"

Jiang You said in a fearful yet determined tone, "Assistant Sun, I will definitely work hard!"

Shen Lian: "..."

Inside the car, Chu Yilan felt like laughing as he listened.

"Alright, alright, you go back," Shen Lian rescued his little assistant. "Go shopping if you want, watch a movie if you want, don't worry about me."

Jiang You pressed down her bangs fluttering in the wind, her expression as resolute as if she were joining the party. "I'm going home to study."

Sun Binghe nodded with satisfaction.

Shen Lian: "..."

Shen Lian got into the car and took Chu Yilan's outstretched hand, remarking, "Special Assistant Sun's brainwashing skills are impressive."

"He has high standards for himself, so he feels uncomfortable when he sees others slacking off." Hearing Shen Lian let out a soft hiss of pain, Chu Yilan immediately pulled him close. "Uncomfortable?"

"Yeah, I've been feeling sore all day."

"I told you not to go filming."

Shen Lian disagreed: "Work shouldn't be delayed."

Sun Binghe gave this sentence a hundred percent appreciation.

Back home, Shen Lian finally had time to lie comfortably on the sofa, eating fruit cut by Aunt Fen, petting Chu Zhumi while looking at his phone.

Chu Yilan didn't mention it, and he hadn't heard anyone else talk about it, so by the time he knew Wei Fanchen was finished, it was already in the final stages, and even Zheng Ge's fans had stopped cursing.

Wei Fanchen brought it on himself, and those scandalous materials weren't fabricated; it was only a matter of time before he crashed.

But speaking of which, Shen Lian was actually concerned about another matter.

"Chu Yilan," he called out.

Chu Yilan raised an eyebrow, put down his laptop, and walked over. "What's wrong?"

Shen Lian turned on his side, propping his head with one hand. "Can I interview you? When the fire broke out back then, what was your purpose in saving Zheng Ge?"

Master Chu felt that answering even one word wrong to this question might be fatal.

But keeping it from Shen Lian was even more impossible.

Chu Yilan pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "It's very blurry."

Shen Lian waited patiently.

"You should know that a while ago, my mental state wasn't very good."

Hearing this, Shen Lian's heart sank. It wasn't just "not good"; Chu Yilan's world-weariness was quite severe.

"At that time, I couldn't distinguish whether my feelings for Zheng Ge were love or just a simple emotional reliance." While telling the story, Chu Yilan didn't forget to shift the blame: "Shen Lian, he fooled me in this matter. During the fire, Zhou Tangsi wasn't there. I didn't specifically go looking for Zheng Ge; I was just passing by. You had already been helped out, but Zheng Ge was blocked by burning furniture, and no one dared to step forward. He cried and begged me to save him."

The images overlapped, and Chu Yilan had a moment of trance.

In a similar fire, a tragic female voice roared at him, "Xiao Lan, run!"

Just like that, Chu Yilan stepped inside.

"Shen Lian, even if it wasn't Zheng Ge trapped that day, as long as the other person asked me for help, I would have saved them." Chu Yilan said, "The scar on my face wasn't for Zheng Ge either. At that time, a wooden beam fell, my vision was blocked, and I didn't have time to react."

Chu Yilan dragged Zheng Ge out, enduring the intense pain, as if he were dragging out his mother, whom he had been powerless to help as a child, only able to watch as she was trapped in the flames.

Chu Yilan was never saving Zheng Ge; he was just instinctively saving himself.