90: No one can bully you

Thanks to Zheng Ge causing such a stir, and Shen Lian letting out a slight hum, Chu Yilan straightened his back, and his depressed mood was diluted quite a bit.

The night before going to the cemetery, Shen Lian helped Aunt Fen count the items over and over again; anything edible was made by Aunt Fen herself. Ming Mei liked balloon flowers, so Shen Lian ordered the freshest ones for the next morning.

Chu Yilan watched quietly; the chest that used to whistle with cold air no longer hurt quite as much.

In truth, Chu Yilan was quite afraid of going to the cemetery. The last words his mother and grandfather gave him were hopes that he would live a happy and smooth life, but in this world, there are many things that do not go as planned.

The early autumn breeze was a bit chilly. Shen Lian checked the items in the trunk and got into the driver's seat.

Under these circumstances, he absolutely did not trust Chu Yilan to drive.

Chu Yilan hadn't said much since waking up. He looked out the window, not knowing what he was thinking about.

There was no need to liven up the atmosphere; all Shen Lian could do was stay by his side every step of the way.

The navigation arrived at the cemetery. When the car stopped, Chu Yilan finally came back to his senses, his voice hoarse: "Are we here?"

"Mm." Shen Lian carefully examined his complexion and took out the things they needed.

Old Master Ming's grave was right next to Ming Mei's. His death anniversary was around early spring, but that didn't stop Shen Lian from setting up a table for the old man.

Shen Lian took a puff of the cigarette, lit it, and placed it beside the tombstone. He then poured some fragrant white liquor and said with a smile: "Old Qianmen, Qingzhu Ye—your favorite tobacco and liquor, have a taste."

The fingertips at Chu Yilan's side moved slightly.

In specific stress and depressive emotional states, one relatively common manifestation is somatization.

Chu Yilan felt as if his blood was freezing inch by inch, his flesh and bones turning into withered wood; even moving slightly, he could hear the "crackle" sound of impending fracture.

Shen Lian placed the purple balloon flowers in front of Ming Mei's tombstone, only then looking closely at the photograph on it.

A stunning beauty, six parts similar to Chu Yilan, with a small dimple on her right cheek when she smiled. She was as her name suggested—bright, beautiful, and dignified.

"Auntie, this is my first time visiting you. My name is Shen Lian, Yilan's lover. From now on, I will accompany him here every year to offer incense to you and Grandfather. Sorry for the wait." Shen Lian chuckled: "Once he found me, he wouldn't be able to shake me off, but I promise you, from now on, I will protect him well, and no one will be able to bully him."

Throughout the entire Qudu region, even stretching beyond it, no one dared to say they could do anything to Chu Yilan, yet Shen Lian spread his wings, promising to protect him.

A breeze blew by, and a rustling sound came from somewhere, like a response of soft laughter.

Chu Yilan was like a taut steel bar, and it took great effort for him to sit down.

Shen Lian noticed, but he said nothing, sitting down in a position slightly behind Chu Yilan, like a pillar of support.

Shen Lian held Chu Yilan's hand, which was as cold as an ice cube. A strong sense of unbearable pain and heartache flashed across his eyes, yet he could not say any words of comfort. For Chu Yilan, the passing of his loved ones was not a prolonged dampness, but a torrential downpour that, once faced, meant sinking deep into a quagmire, chilling his soul.

He was drenched until his body and mind were shattered, and afterwards, he still had to climb out on his own with all his might.

Shen Lian breathed warm air into Chu Yilan's palms and rubbed them gently.

Before long, Chu Yilan leaned over.

Shen Lian caught him without a word. His lean figure now seemed to take root in the ground like a giant tree; even if Chu Yilan were to go mad or collapse again, he could withstand it.

But the only response Shen Lian received was the heat radiating from where Chu Yilan was pressing against his shoulder.

Shen Lian's throat tightened; at this moment, if you asked him to rip his heart out for Chu Yilan, he wouldn't hesitate.

A soft nursery rhyme began to play. Shen Lian had a good voice, and he hummed it beautifully. After finishing, he asked Chu Yilan: "Have you heard this before?"

Chu Yilan: "No."

"It's used back home to soothe children; usually, it's the parents who sing it."

Chu Yilan: "..."

Chu Yilan couldn't help but gently pinch Shen Lian's waist. Shen Lian, ticklish, dodged. When he looked down, he saw that although Chu Yilan's eyes were still red, his lips were finally no longer tightly pressed in a deathly manner; he was holding back a smile, looking incredibly charming.

Shen Lian sat with Chu Yilan for the whole day.

At sunset, Chu Yilan finally relaxed.

His movements were slow but firm as he rustled to shake off the dust from his body. It was as if he had drawn enough energy from the arms of the person behind him; his withered shell fell away, and his towering figure once again pushed open the heavy, oppressive sky.

Chu Yilan straightened his lapels and turned to reach out his hand toward Shen Lian.

Shen Lian took it: "Going home?"

"Mm." Chu Yilan said clearly: "Let's go home."

Shen Lian's legs had gone numb from sitting, and he stumbled slightly when getting up, so Chu Yilan put an arm around his waist.

"Oh my, that's not good." Shen Lian said shyly, but he leaned into Chu Yilan, and finally asked: "Do you think it would be inappropriate for me to kiss you in front of Auntie and Grandfather Ming?"

Chu Yilan pressed the back of his head and kissed him first as a gesture of respect.

When they turned to leave, it was as if Chu Yilan had cast aside his long-standing distress and disappointment.

Everything around them became bright and light.

Shen Lian dragged Chu Yilan to eat hotpot.

This kind of thing was basically not on Chu Yilan's menu, but Shen Lian liked it. By the time the two of them came out of the restaurant wrapped in the scent of scallions, it was already dark.

"Regarding the script Chang Qing mentioned, Sun Binghe has looked into it." Chu Yilan spoke up: "It can be filmed; it will take about three days."

Shen Lian: "You all say three days, so I estimate I can get it done in one. It's a big IP; getting some exposure is always good."

Chu Yilan looked at him sideways: "I said I would directly invest in a few dramas for you, but you weren't willing."

"Small-scale popularity relies on ability, big-scale popularity relies on luck. Are there few people in the industry who have good acting skills and a good image but remain lukewarm?" Shen Lian continued: "This has nothing to do with filming a few dramas; you need that moment to arrive."

"When will your moment arrive?" Chu Yilan chuckled.

Shen Lian said earnestly: "It's coming soon."

A prophecy fulfilled.

The promotional campaign for "silent no more" ended. Previously, Wei Fanchen had already caused negative news for the work, and fearing further problems if it dragged on, Director Dai decided to move up the release date.

Shen Lian didn't go to watch it, but after waking up from a nap that afternoon, he found his phone had exploded with notifications.

The number of followers on his Social Media Platform account was skyrocketing. On WeChat, Hu Kailan kept sending "Holy crap!" and "Oh my god!" one after another.

Whether the drama "silent no more" would be a hit or not, he didn't know, but judging by the feedback in the first few days, the character "Li Kuan" had exploded in popularity.

[Damn, I almost lost my pants in the movie theater. None of you told me Shen Lian looked so good in historical costumes. Please weld that Flying Fish uniform onto his body, thanks.]

[I'm charging directly into the screen to drool over him!]

[Not just his looks, his acting too! Li Kuan is truly... watching his growth trajectory, my saintly heart is acting up; this is just too tragic.]

[If I were Li Kuan, I could be even more ruthless than him.]

[At his core, he is still a baby who yearns for happiness and light. The character portrayal is so profound, wuwuwu.]

Shen Lian hummed with a smile as he looked at the comments. "If I don't show you what I'm capable of, do you really think I'm just a pretty face?"