92: Then I have no other choice.

The drama Shen Lian was guest-starring in was called "The Faint Path to Immortality," where he played "Venerable Xian Yi." Given Shen Lian's natural looks, his makeup and styling never posed a challenge for the stylists.

Online, Zheng Ge's fans had already been torn to shreds. Although the acting of one or two lead actors was subpar, the script was solid, clearly the result of painstaking effort by Dai Tong and several screenwriters. Many veteran filmmakers were discussing it, so for Zheng Ge's fans to keep acting out was truly out of place.

Shen Lian scrolled through Social Media Platform with a calm expression.

The gap between him and Zheng Ge had already formed; if that man wanted to catch up now, he was dreaming.

"Teacher Shen," the stylist couldn't help but marvel, "you really suit white hair."

Shen Lian looked up into the mirror. In the drama, Venerable Xian Yi not only had white hair but also wore it loose. When still, he looked like elegant mountains and beautiful waters floating before one's eyes, flowing with ten thousand years of heritage. Once he held a longsword, he would shake the Six Realms with an intimidating pressure.

Shen Lian nodded. "Thank you."

Once the stylist left, he quickly took a photo in the mirror; it went without saying who he sent it to.

Chu Yilan stared silently at his phone for dozens of seconds, as if his deep, dark gaze was extinguishing an unspeakable spring scene.

A smile soon appeared in the man's eyes, and then he saved the photo with one click, moving it specifically to an encrypted album.

Hanging from wire harnesses and memorizing lines was no trouble for Shen Lian. The director kept telling Chang Qing, "You really have high standards; the vibe is just right."

Chang Qing, dressed in an exceptionally elegant green robe, played the split-personality protagonist with past and present lives. He stood below, admiring the fluid fight choreography that Shen Lian had learned in just over ten minutes.

Shen Lian hadn't been active like this for a long time and found it very satisfying. He even asked the wire harness technician to let him fly a few more laps after a scene was finished. Although he was thin, his balance and core control were absolutely top-tier.

Coming down covered in sweat, Shen Lian took the warm water handed over by Jiang You and drank it all in one go.

The crew provided lunch boxes at noon, but aside from the Roujiamo, Shen Lian didn't really want to eat anything else. The winter melon smelled like a dirty rag.

Thinking of this, Shen Lian couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. In the past, when did he ever care about such things? To become famous and film dramas, he had eaten things far worse. It had only been a few months, and he had already been pampered into having all these finicky habits by Chu Yilan.

Shen Lian sniffed his nose. Wanting to eat something spicy, he went to the set's convenience store and bought a cup of instant noodles.

Chang Qing originally had no appetite, but seeing him eat like that made it very tempting.

Ten minutes later, the two of them sat on the steps outside the set, slurping instant noodles while munching on Roujiamo.

"Eating this once in a while is actually quite delicious," Chang Qing remarked.

Shen Lian nudged Chang Qing with his elbow. "Hey, I've always been curious, did CEO Xu pursue you?"

Chang Qing's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and then he nodded. "Mm."

"I guessed as much," Shen Lian said. "With your personality, you don't seem like the type to take the initiative."

"Before I met Jingge, I didn't like men," Chang Qing said truthfully. " I was endorsing a product for his company, and he just happened to come back from abroad and saw me through a glass window."

Shen Lian understood. "Love at first sight."

Chang Qing smiled. "That's what he said."

Xu Jingge must have treated Chang Qing very, very well to make someone so clearly oblivious, who had never considered a male romantic partner, fall in love.

"What about you?" Chang Qing asked curiously. "Was it CEO Chu..."

"It was me," Shen Lian interrupted lazily. "That tsundere, silent blockhead of his is completely clueless about feelings. Without my guidance, he'd be destined to be swindled out of his money and his body."

Chang Qing: "..." Does Chu Yilan know you talk about him like that?

Shen Lian threw the remaining half of his Roujiamo directly into the instant noodle cup, completely unaware of the... camera in a tree far away.

"Click, click." One could hear the excitement and joy of the person pressing the shutter.

Chang Qing hadn't hidden the fact that he was filming a new drama. The studio still gave out a general location for his schedule, but a top-tier Fan Site Manager wouldn't be deterred by wind or rain.

Many people online were saying that Shen Lian's character had become an overnight sensation. Given his previous dark history of almost being canceled, he was likely so excited he was shaking, hiding at home and not daring to make a sound. Who would have thought that Chang Qing's Fan Site Manager would release photos showing him sitting side-by-side with Chang Qing, eating instant noodles?

[Looks like the Super One-Plus-One from Master Song's brand. As expected of my two favorite stars, their tastes are just like mine.]

[Eating instant noodles in such a handsome styling, are they trying to kill me?]

[What drama is this? When is it coming out? Can someone tell me!!]

[Who said Shen Lian has poor psychological resilience? This guy is tough as nails, and his resources seem never-ending.]

And this was even with Shen Lian having been resting recently and not being very active.

Filming went smoothly, and by the end of the day, only a few loose ends remained. Shen Lian was initially hesitating about whether to stay with the crew, but then Chu Yilan sent a photo. He was home, seemingly crouching, and had captured a front view of Chu Zhumi. The kitten had its mouth wide open, looking both fierce and cute. There was also a slender hand resting on top of Chu Zhumi's head. Shen Lian immediately packed his bags and left.

The director tried to make him stay: "Oh, it's much more convenient to stay the night."

Shen Lian: "Don't worry, I'll definitely be the first to report tomorrow morning. When it comes to filming, I'm never late."

Shen Lian reported to Chu Yilan once he was on the road. He dozed for about forty minutes and felt strangely refreshed when he arrived home.

"Aunt Fen, did Yilan eat tonight?" Shen Lian asked while changing his shoes.

"He ate, he ate. He specifically asked for boiled noodles and Roujiamo."

Shen Lian's tailbone instantly went numb.

This man—if you said he was jealous, he could tell things apart; if you said he wasn't, he'd still give you a little nudge from time to time.

Chu Yilan was on the second floor, and Chu Zhumi was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Lian quietly pushed open the master bedroom door and found that the two of them were indeed together.

Chu Yilan was giving the kitten a bath. The man hadn't even changed his clothes, wearing navy blue suit trousers and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Because of his tall stature, he blocked quite a bit of light standing in the bathroom. With his head slightly tilted, his features appeared even more profound. Meanwhile, Chu Zhumi had its ears flattened like airplane wings and was crouching like a hen in the sink, not daring to make a single sound.

You little brat, Shen Lian thought, where's that heart-wrenching, miserable act you put on when Aunt Fen gives you a bath?

"You're back?" Chu Yilan noticed Shen Lian, and his calm gaze suddenly lit up.

Shen Lian's heart softened. "Mm, I couldn't stop worrying about my husband and child at home."

Chu Yilan was completely amused. He gave Chu Zhumi a final rinse, grabbed a towel to wrap it up, and then said to Shen Lian, "Open the drying box."

Chu Zhumi sat inside, looking pitiful and helpless.

Chu Yilan explained, "It ran into the flower bed to play on its own and got covered in mud. Aunt Fen said when she tried to bathe it, it kept crying like a drama queen. Isn't it fine now?"

Shen Lian chuckled and lightly tapped on the transparent cover of the drying box.

The next second, he was scooped up from behind by Chu Yilan. With a turn and a pull, cool lips pressed against his. It wasn't aggressive; Chu Yilan touched and released, touched and released. After a few times, Shen Lian was left feeling completely restless.

"Why does the white hair look so good?" Chu Yilan spoke, asking as if to a child.

Shen Lian's legs went weak upon hearing this. If you're going to praise me like that, then I'm powerless.