86: An ugly daughter-in-law must eventually meet her in-laws.

Wei Maopeng cried as if he had been abandoned by someone.

Zhou Yuanlin heard him, stood with one hand in his pocket, swayed slightly, leaned against the railing, and raised his chin with a smile: "Cry louder."

Wei Maopeng choked on his words instead.

What an embarrassing thing. Zhou Yuanlin's eyes were filled with cold light. Back then, when Ning Sixian slammed on the brakes at the foot of the mountain, he emerged from the car covered in blood, one leg limping, sending cold shivers down everyone's spines. Had Wei Maopeng ever cried like that?

Someone who appeared restrained and cautious, as if he dared not do anything, actually had "selfishness" carved into his bones.

"Let's go," Feng Yueshan called out.

They ignored Wei Maopeng and ran into the Wei Family just as they left the terrace.

Zhou Yuanlin's back teeth clenched.

Without giving the Wei Family a chance to speak, the group left through the main entrance.

"Boss, Yang Bin has returned to the company. I will be responsible for the upcoming schedule," Sun Binghe said, standing tall and graceful, his tone natural and composed.

"Why?" Feng Yueshan looked at Zhou Yuanlin, who was hiding behind him, unable to help but laugh. Where did his domineering aura from just a moment ago go?

It couldn't be revealed. Zhou Yuanlin wasn't exactly embarrassed; he just felt ashamed in his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys whenever he saw Sun Binghe, remembering what this man had said at the dinner table.

Shen Lian pursed his lips, seriously thinking about recent sad things to suppress his urge to smile.

Sun Binghe's expression remained unchanged; refusing Zhou Yuanlin was no different from refusing any ordinary suitor to him.

Once in the car, Shen Lian said to Chu Yilan: "Wasn't today an important occasion? Was it okay for you to act like that?"

"There's nothing wrong with it." Chu Yilan asked Sun Binghe to turn up the heat.

Chu Yilan was hosting dinner, and the location was chosen by Xu Jingge. This guy really didn't hold back, diving straight into one of the top-tier high-end places in Qudu.

Everyone at the table was their own people, so some things could be said openly.

Shen Lian only half-understood these business dealings, but he felt that Xu Jingge's tail could practically float with pride.

The whole day passed in such a flurry. When they parted, Xu Jingge declined Chu Yilan's polite invitation, taking Chang Qing to the hotel, as they had a flight the next morning.

It was already ten o'clock in the evening when they got home. Shen Lian was tired and went to take a bath first. Chu Yilan must not have closed the door, as shortly after, he heard Zhu Mi scratching at the frosted glass continuously, accompanied by sweet, whining meows.

"Don't rush me, don't rush me, I'll come out and pet you," Shen Lian grabbed a bath towel from the side.

When Chu Yilan finished tidying up and approached, enveloped in dampness, the kitten was already purring in its sleep from Shen Lian's petting.

A look of helplessness flashed in Chu Yilan's eyes.

Shen Lian felt that he was in a good mood, so he brought up the guest role.

Unsurprisingly, Chu Yilan refused on the spot and asked in return: "How many days have you even rested?"

Shen Lian was speechless. He wasn't in a rush, but when a person is alive, they must have some hobbies; he liked acting.

But when Chu Yilan leaned against the headboard and reopened the topic in the silence, he asked: "Are there many scenes? Is it tiring?"

Shen Lian quickly said: "Not tiring! Chang Qing says it'll take three days at most, right here in Qudu, and there's still half a month before filming starts."

Chu Yilan's expression softened.

When talking about acting, Shen Lian was radiant; he couldn't bear to extinguish such enthusiasm and vitality.

"Alright, I'll have Binghe ask Hu Kailan later to confirm it."

"Okay, okay, okay! It's really not tiring. You can see for yourself when the time comes. If you still think it's inappropriate, I won't film it."

A smile instantly overflowed from Chu Yilan's eyes: "So obedient?"

Shen Lian smiled very skillfully, in a state that was clean, clear, and inexplicably alluring. As he spoke, his fingers gently traced a circle on Chu Yilan's waist: "What else?"

Chu Yilan knew this was a beauty trap, but he still soberly fell for it.

The blanket was pulled away, and Chu Zhumi suddenly landed in its sleep. It didn't get hurt, just unhappy. It tilted its head to look at the bed, yawned, raised its tail, and elegantly walked out of the bedroom.

Shen Lian had been "hungry" for a few days, and tonight he finally had a meal, though he was only half-full.

He really admired Chu Yilan's self-control; when he said it was over, it was over, wrapping himself in the quilt to firmly defend his "innocence."

Shen Lian lay back, unsatisfied and resigned.

*

For the next week, Shen Lian's routine was regular, with nutritious meals on time, and he finally gained some weight. Of course, it could only be glimpsed from his cheeks and the scale; overall, he was still thin, which made Aunt Fen try different ways to cook for him every day.

On this day, Chu Yilan rarely went to the company, and Yang Bin and Sun Binghe were practically ready to kneel in welcome.

Although the company didn't lack capable people, speaking of it, the one most like a precision-running machine was definitely CEO Chu.

"The former one," Yang Bin whispered to Sun Binghe, emphasizing.

When he wasn't there, everyone didn't dare to make major decisions immediately.

Shen Lian was enjoying a retired life at home.

At this moment, he was watering the plants when he suddenly smelled a strong jasmine fragrance.

Shen Lian walked to the kitchen door: "Aunt Fen, jasmine cakes?"

"Yes," Aunt Fen smiled: "Jasmine snow cakes."

Watching Aunt Fen shake a layer of powdered sugar directly on top, Shen Lian couldn't help but say: "Won't it be too sweet? Yilan doesn't like to eat it."

Aunt Fen's movements paused, then she sighed softly: "Actually, Xiao Lan used to like eating them. After his mother passed away, he stopped eating them."

Shen Lian understood instantly; jasmine snow cakes were something Chu Yilan's mother loved to eat.

"Is the death anniversary coming up soon?" Shen Lian softened his voice.

"So smart," Aunt Fen sighed: "Every year on the death anniversary of Madam and the Old Master, I have to prepare some of the things they liked to eat in advance."

Shen Lian didn't ask any more questions, and Aunt Fen was busy with her work, so she threw this matter to the back of her mind.

It was just that Shen Lian became more attentive. He noticed that in the following days, Chu Yilan became increasingly silent.

Large golden leaves fell, and the plane trees in the courtyard gradually became bare.

Shen Lian woke up from his afternoon nap and came downstairs. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he saw Chu Yilan sitting on a chair next to the plane tree.

The man was like a sculpture, staring quietly at a certain point, his expression calm and indifferent.

Hearing the sound of feet stepping on fallen leaves, Chu Yilan looked up: "Awake?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Lian stood beside him, gently pressed Chu Yilan's head, and then pulled him into his arms.

This protective posture didn't suit Chu Yilan.

But hearing Shen Lian's steady and powerful heartbeat, Chu Yilan didn't move for a long time. He kept his hands on his knees for a long time, then finally raised them slowly to hug Shen Lian's waist.

"Shall I go with you when the time comes?" Shen Lian's voice was soft, mixing into the warm autumn sun, falling onto the heart, glowing.

Chu Yilan didn't care how Shen Lian knew, and asked in return: "You'll go with me?"

"Yeah, even an ugly daughter-in-law must eventually meet her in-laws, right."

Chu Yilan couldn't help but chuckle.

Shen Lian habitually stroked his prickly short hair. After a moment, he heard Chu Yilan say: "The predecessor of Hengtai was the Ming Group, and my mother was the apple of the Ming Family's eye. Her name was Ming Mei."

A free and enthusiastic image instantly appeared in Shen Lian's mind.

But no matter how beautiful the flower was, it was eventually crushed into the mud.