73: What kind of fate do you have?

Shen Lian had been so busy these past few days that Shen Lian's feet barely touched the ground; upon arriving home at night, Shen Lian would give Chu Yilan a perfunctory kiss and fall asleep the moment the head hit the pillow.

Chu Yilan endured it for four days, and on the fifth day at work, Chu Yilan finally caught Special Assistant Sun.

"When I sent you on a business trip, did I say you had to work continuously for nearly a week?"

Sun Binghe: "Isn't that a common occurrence?"

Chu Yilan: "...Special Assistant Sun, there is more to life than just work."

Sun Binghe stood up straight: "Then what is the meaning of life?"

After saying this, Sun Binghe pulled out the stack of documents held in Sun Binghe's arms; they were all business deals Sun Binghe had recently finalized, but Sun Binghe's purpose was not to show off or seek praise, but to firmly demonstrate that this was how a normal person should be.

Chu Yilan: "..."

Chu Yilan said nothing and pushed open the office door to go inside.

Sun Binghe looked at the gloating Yang Bin, bewildered: "What's wrong? Why is the Boss speaking to me with such hidden barbs?"

"Is there something you don't understand?"

"Speak!"

Yang Bin whispered: "The advertisements you arranged for Mr. Shen are indeed good, but there are too many of them; Mr. Shen has to shoot all day long. CEO Chu is currently in the honeymoon phase with Mr. Shen; aren't you just sabotaging their relationship?"

Sun Binghe choked on the words.

Meanwhile, Shen Lian did not have to shoot outdoors; there was air conditioning in the studio, so it was quite comfortable.

During the break, Jiang You brought over a dessert, and Shen Lian ate it all; it wasn't because Shen Lian liked it, but because Shen Lian needed to gain a little weight.

"Brother Shen, it's almost over. Are we going straight home?" Jiang You asked.

"Yeah." Shen Lian closed the phone. "Sort out your own dinner."

"No problem!" Jiang You planned to have hot pot at home.

As it turned out, the moment the two stepped out of the studio entrance, they were blocked.

The other party consisted of five people; judging by their attire, they were clearly Bodyguards.

Shen Lian frowned, pulled Jiang You behind, and said in a distant, cold voice: "Can I help you?"

"Mr. Shen, please do not misunderstand." The man in the lead was in his forties but carried himself with great elegance and refinement; he spoke with a gentlemanly tone: "My surname is He, and my given name is Lin—the Lin with two trees. I came here specifically to find Mr. Shen today because my Madam and Young Miss both wish to see you."

After speaking, He Lin handed a photo to Shen Lian.

Shen Lian didn't take it, but glanced at it while it was still in He Lin's hand, and immediately gasped.

Wasn't this the Young Girl Shen Lian saved back when Lin City was on the verge of a flood?

Shen Lian could roughly guess what was going on, but Shen Lian wasn't going to just take He Lin's word for it. "Wait a moment, I need to make a call to my family."

"No problem."

Naturally, Shen Lian had to notify Chu Yilan, and Shen Lian briefly explained the situation.

"Wait for me to get there." Chu Yilan said in a deep voice: "Don't go anywhere until then."

Shen Lian complied.

He Lin didn't give Shen Lian a hard time and waited alongside, even brewing a cup of black tea for Shen Lian halfway through; the elegant and skillful movements left the waiter standing nearby stunned.

"My jacket is almost turning into a tuxedo, brother," Shen Lian thought to himself.

Chu Yilan arrived in about ten minutes.

Upon seeing Chu Yilan, He Lin's expression became visibly serious.

Lin City and Qudu were not far apart; during the annual business summit, several industry giants would cross paths. Chu Yilan didn't know He Lin, but it seemed He Lin recognized Chu Yilan.

"CEO Chu." He Lin bowed slightly.

There was no reason to refuse; He Lin's attitude was respectful and full of sincerity.

The car drove all the way and finally stopped at the entrance of a high-end hotel; they went up to the top floor. Just as the elevator door opened, before Shen Lian could clearly see the layout in front, someone grabbed Shen Lian's leg.

Shen Lian looked down: "Oh?"

It really was that Young Girl.

Shen Lian bent down and picked the Young Girl up. "You still remember me?"

The Young Girl didn't speak, just nodded incessantly, then shoved something into Shen Lian's mouth; Shen Lian subconsciously held it in the mouth. The sweetness spread; it was a milk candy.

"Mr. Shen." A gentle and reserved female voice followed, and the other party felt slightly surprised: "CEO Chu?"

Chu Yilan recognized her: "CEO Su."

Su Yaning, a female general with precise judgment and invincible prowess in the smoke-filled business world.

In stark contrast to her formidable methods were her gentle and calm temperament and appearance.

How many men had looked down on Su Yaning, and just as many had been defeated by her; their industries were annexed, their self-esteem crushed, and very few were able to make a comeback.

Chu Yilan had a deep impression of Su Yaning.

Su Yaning also remembered Chu Yilan at first glance—a man as inscrutable as ink, yet now he was standing behind Shen Lian in a protective stance.

Su Yaning immediately understood their relationship.

She remained composed and stepped aside: "Please, come in."

The top floor had a huge arched glass dome; the lighting was excellent but not harsh. Looking at the moonlit sky at night was quite stylish; the surrounding greenery was lush, and there were even butterflies fluttering about.

After drinking tea for a while, Su Yaning slowly began to reveal the reason.

At that time, Shen Lian had left in a hurry; by the time Su Yaning found her daughter, she immediately sent her to the hospital for examination and treatment. Then, she had to deal with those who dared to take advantage of the chaos to harm her daughter; the process was not smooth, which was why it had dragged on until now.

"This child..." Su Yaning stroked her daughter's head, her face full of love, yet her eyes overflowed with sadness. "I presume Mr. Shen and CEO Chu have noticed. She has autism. If it hadn't been for Mr. Shen that day..." Su Yaning took a deep breath, not daring to imagine it. "External stimuli are detrimental to this child in every way. When I was looking for her that day, I was going crazy."

Shen Lian comforted her: "The child is fine, so don't dwell on that anymore."

"Yes, she is fine." Su Yaning smiled. "I don't even know how to thank Mr. Shen."

"No need." Shen Lian waved a hand. "It can be considered fate."

That, of course, wouldn't do.

After the meal, Shen Lian learned that the Young Girl took her mother's surname and was named Jinhuan.

Before parting, Su Yaning had one last request; she wanted to add Shen Lian's contact information because her daughter had shown a rare fondness and reliance on Shen Lian, and such emotions were extremely rare for an autistic child.

"Small problem." Shen Lian agreed.

Keeping an eye on Chu Yilan's expression, Su Yaning said: "I won't disturb Mr. Shen excessively. Jinhuan was very happy when she saw you participating in the variety show on TV before."

Chu Yilan finally spoke: "No worries, CEO Su doesn't need to be so cautious."

Su Yaning was extremely grateful.

As a result, when arriving home at night, Shen Lian received a call from Hu Kailan.

"Holy crap!!!" Hu Kailan's voice was deafening. "What kind of destiny do you have, Shen Lian!"

"Brother Hu, slow down."

"sea god descends! The hottest variety show right now, they specifically called to invite you!" While trembling, Hu Kailan was full of question marks: "No, your celebrity status isn't high enough; why would they invite you?"

Shen Lian: "..."

Shen Lian turned around and saw Chu Yilan leaning on the sofa, covering his face in exhaustion.

Shen Lian just wanted to spend some time as a couple; was that so hard?

Shen Lian mumbled that Shen Lian didn't know, but in Shen Lian's heart, Shen Lian understood that it was likely a resource provided by Su Yaning.

sea god descends was backed by Qinggua Variety, and its base of operations was in Lin City.

If Shen Lian lacked resources, couldn't I have just given them to Shen Lian? Chu Yilan wanted to punch the air twice.