9: what happened?!

Yang Bin walked up behind Chu Yilan and saw the name of the variety show in the top left corner.

He didn't even have time to be shocked that CEO Chu would actually watch a variety show!

His excellent professional standards prompted him to immediately take out his phone to check the relevant information.

The profile pictures of the regular guests were in the first column.

Yang Bin explained, "One of the guests is a minor celebrity."

As for the titles trailing after Li Jiabo's name, they were meaningless.

"Is there a collaboration with Star Opening?"

Star Opening was a subsidiary under Hengtai, focusing on the entertainment sector, which Chu Yilan had set up to grab a piece of the market.

Three minutes later, Yang Bin replied, "There's one brand endorsement."

Hearing no response from Chu Yilan, an alarm immediately went off in Yang Bin's mind. "Is there a problem, CEO Chu?"

"I have doubts about the taste of the person in charge of Star Opening." Chu Yilan said in a deep voice, "This Li Jiakai is completely unremarkable."

In just a few minutes, you've already changed his name twice, Yang Bin thought. As Chu Yilan's confidant, he naturally understood the implication. "Understood. I'll handle it."

Now Yang Bin had the time to wonder why CEO Chu was watching a variety show.

In the livestream, Li Jiabo lost his footing and instinctively grabbed Shen Lian, who was in the lead. If Zhao Lin hadn't been quick-witted, the two of them might have tumbled down the slope together.

Although they were fine, a section of Shen Lian's clothes was pulled down, revealing a small red mole on his right shoulder.

For a moment, Chu Yilan's eyes were as cold and predatory as a wolf's.

Shen Lian looked back, expressionless.

Li Jiabo smiled nonchalantly. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"This Li Jiafang, there's no need for Star Opening to collaborate with him ever again." Chu Yilan said flatly.

Yang Bin: "Li Jiabo..."

Chu Yilan: "What?"

"Nothing..."

After climbing a steep slope, Zhao Lin called for everyone to take a break.

Shen Lian hadn't drunk much water to begin with; his lips were pale now, with some skin peeling.

The production crew had confiscated their phones, so he had no choice but to ask the camera operator, "Hello, what time is it?"

This was a normal question, so the photographer replied, "Two-forty in the afternoon."

Not knowing what he had thought of, Shen Lian suddenly curled his lips into a smile.

A close-up shot happened to be focused right on the young man's face.

It could be said that this was the first time Shen Lian had smiled like this since his appearance.

It was a very joyful smile, tinged with a bit of secret delight, as if some small plan was about to succeed. The triumph overflowed from the corners of his eyes, making him look dazzlingly beautiful.

[Someone give me a rundown of Shen Lian's dark history to brainwash me back to reality.]

[Wait, who is he trying to seduce with a smile like that?]

Indeed, who are you trying to seduce? Chu Yilan thought to himself.

Knock, knock, knock—

Yang Bin said, "Come in."

Chu Yilan had seven or eight assistants of various levels, but only Yang Bin was constantly by his side. The female assistant before them was acting cautiously, but her eyes betrayed a restless, suppressed urge to gossip!

Yang Bin: "?"

The female assistant pulled out a bunch of sunflowers from behind her back, her tone even more cautious: "CEO Chu, these are for you."

After speaking, the female assistant held her breath, waiting for CEO Chu's command to toss the sunflowers into the trash can.

"Bring them here." Chu Yilan said in a deep voice.

The female assistant hurried forward and handed him the sunflowers.

There were only five flowers in the bunch, but they were in perfect bloom and beautifully shaped. It was clear that thought had been put into them, yet they inevitably seemed a bit cheap.

"What are you doing standing behind me?" Chu Yilan spoke.

Yang Bin immediately stepped back and stood beside the female assistant.

Then, the two of them saw Chu Yilan pull a card out of the bouquet.

[I've been a bit short on cash lately, so I've swapped them for these small flowers. Once I get my paycheck, I'll buy you roses again.]

That would probably take until your hair turns grey, Chu Yilan mocked in his heart.

The female assistant's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but nudge Yang Bin gently: Brother Yang! Why is CEO Chu smiling?!

Yang Bin closed his eyes. Don't ask him; he didn't know. He was even starting to doubt himself, wondering if he had been too busy lately and missed something. Otherwise, why could he suddenly not read CEO Chu's mind?

As expected, the sunflowers were placed in fresh water and set on the small console by the door alongside an exquisite vase.

The lilies from last time hadn't withered yet, and there were still roses in the house.

It was as if a lot of color had suddenly appeared in Chu Yilan's dull field of vision.

"Shen Lian, what are you so happy about?" Zhu Yingyu asked, her heart pounding from Shen Lian's smile.

Shen Lian smiled faintly. "I sent out a bunch of sunflowers."

"Oh?"

"I hope the person who receives them has a good mood all day."

Zhu Yingyu: "...I don't understand."

Shen Lian casually picked a withered leaf off her shoulder. "It's nothing. Let's go."

On the other end, Chu Yilan slammed his laptop shut with a loud clack.

In front of countless eyes, Shen Lian seemed to have uttered a cryptic yet clear confession of love.

Why aren't you being even more bold? Chu Yilan crossed his arms and stared down at the laptop as if it were Shen Lian himself.

Yang Bin: "..." Argh! Can someone please tell me what's going on?!

You couldn't blame Yang Bin; he had just returned from a business trip this morning.

And Chu Yilan hadn't told him about Shen Lian's situation.

The first day of filming wasn't very difficult. It was mainly about the guests getting to know each other and familiarizing themselves with the jungle environment. The difficulty of the subsequent stages would revolve around this area.

By evening, the guests finally arrived at their destination.

Everyone was exhausted. They took their supplies and sat on the ground, unwilling to move.

Shen Lian got his phone back from the staff. He wanted to send a message to Chu Yilan's assistant but hesitated.

He had never met the other person, and besides, matters regarding Chu Yilan weren't easy to discuss with outsiders.

Shen Lian thought about staying in the rest house for the night, but the production crew then told him there wasn't enough space.

If Shen Lian wanted to stay, he would probably have to squeeze into the temporary staff dormitory.

Shen Lian frowned. Just then, Qian Gao called.

"Are you free tonight?"

Shen Lian: "Yeah."

Qian Gao: "I'll come pick you up. There's a dinner meeting."

Shen Lian agreed; it would save him the travel expenses.

It was already dark when they headed down the mountain. As they walked one after another, they suddenly heard a cry of surprise.

"Zheng Ge?"

"Teacher Zheng, are you okay?!"

Zheng Ge had lost his footing and fallen into a mud pit, the old injury on his ankle throbbing with pain.

He was the show's golden boy, not to mention Zhou Tangsi had repeatedly instructed them to look after him. A swarm of staff members rushed forward, wishing they could find a stretcher to carry Zheng Ge down the mountain.

Shen Lian glanced over and continued on his way.

Qian Gao was close by, probably about ten minutes away.

Supported on both sides, Zheng Ge looked up only to see Shen Lian's receding back.

The sense of strangeness in Zheng Ge's heart was almost palpable.

During today's recording, Shen Lian hadn't done anything out of line. On the contrary, his performance was remarkably calm, not at all like someone participating in an adventure variety show for the first time.

Two months ago, they were still battling it out online. Zheng Ge had won a landslide victory while Shen Lian was universally condemned. Seeing him again today, did Shen Lian really not care?

Shen Lian's massive transformation was something Zheng Ge couldn't adapt to.

"Brother Qian, I'm here. Which car is yours?" Shen Lian was on the phone.

At the same time, a gray Pagani drove in and stopped outside the rest house.

Shen Lian scanned the area and saw Qian Gao's car flashing its hazard lights, so he jogged forward.

Zheng Ge was brought down by the staff. A man in a suit and leather shoes stepped out of the Pagani. Even across the dimly lit distance, one could vaguely see his extraordinary temperament.

Zheng Ge threw himself into the man's arms and said something to him, then looked in the direction where Shen Lian was.

The man quickly strode over.

Shen Lian was already in the car.

Qian Gao recognized him. "Holy crap, Zhou Tangsi! Shen Lian, what did you do this time?"

Hearing Zhou Tangsi's name felt like bad luck to Shen Lian. He said in a cold voice, "Drive."

Qian Gao instinctively stepped on the gas, and the half-new nanny van roared away, speeding right past Zhou Tangsi and kicking up a cloud of dust in his face.

Everyone: "..."