Brawl

Only after they had driven a long way did Qian Gao process what had just happened.

Wait, why had he done exactly what Shen Lian told him to?!

Before Qian Gao could speak, Shen Lian said, "Zheng Ge and I were fine. We didn't get into a fight."

For a moment, Qian Gao didn't know what to say.

The show needed entertainment value. They had brought Shen Lian along to be everyone's punching bag. In other words, the more he humiliated himself, the better the footage.

On the other hand, Qian Gao didn't want Shen Lian offending Zheng Ge or Zhou Tangsi again. They couldn't afford to cross either of them.

Neither spoke along the way. After forty minutes, the car finally stopped outside a restaurant.

Only then did Shen Lian ask, "Qian Gao, who are we having dinner with?"

"An advertiser. That last ad you shot turned out pretty well. They saw it and expressed interest in working with you."

Shen Lian nodded and said nothing more.

The private room was on the eighth floor. Red carpet covered the fairly spacious corridor, and the decor was somewhat old-fashioned and ostentatious. Healthy money trees stood at intervals of ten paces.

Qian Gao noticed Shen Lian's shoes and frowned in distaste. "You couldn't even clean off the mud?"

"I couldn't do it in the car."

Qian Gao said, "Couldn't you have brought a spare pair?"

"I'm broke. I can't afford them," Shen Lian replied.

That was no exaggeration. He had even scrimped on food to buy flowers for Chu Yilan.

Qian Gao grunted a couple of times and dropped the subject.

Shen Lian knew these people were all bloodsucking exploiters. Once they pocketed his money, they were hardly going to give it back.

At the door, Qian Gao immediately straightened his tie and smoothed his hair, then looked Shen Lian over. He looked decent overall, much more presentable than before, so Qian Gao knocked.

"Come in!"

Qian Gao shot Shen Lian a warning look, then pushed open the door with a servile grin.

Five people sat inside, all men in their early forties. Their smoking had filled the room with a haze, and the smell was unpleasant. Shen Lian frowned almost imperceptibly.

"You're here. Have a seat!" One of them stood to greet them.

Shen Lian pulled out a chair, but someone immediately said, "Hey! Sit over here."

Shen Lian looked up at the seat the man indicated. It was beside a man smoking with his arms folded.

Through the smoke, the man was studying Shen Lian with keen interest.

Shen Lian had seen every kind of situation in his previous life. Instinctively, he looked toward Qian Gao.

Qian Gao acted as though he hadn't noticed, chatting with someone else.

"What are you standing there for? Sit down."

With little choice, Shen Lian sat down for the moment.

"This is Manager Liu, the head of Tianhe Advertising. Your future opportunities will all depend on him," someone enthusiastically introduced him.

Shen Lian raised his tea in place of alcohol. "Manager Liu..."

"Hey!" The man egging things on blocked Shen Lian's tea and substituted a glass of liquor, his tone heavy with implication. "Now this shows sincerity."

Shen Lian pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. A few seconds later, he smiled and nodded.

But he didn't take the offered drink. Instead, he poured a fresh glass himself.

"Manager Liu, a toast to you."

Liu Kaisheng immediately beamed, his eyes narrowing to slits. Years of indulgence in food and drink had left him looking inflated; from the front, only half of each ear was visible. When he smiled like that, the wrinkles bunched at the corners of his eyes could easily have crushed a fly.

Liu Kaisheng clinked glasses with Shen Lian three times.

The liquor burned going down, and heat rose through his chest. It felt awful.

Shen Lian then drank with the others. He couldn't keep up with these hardened drinkers, and he hadn't eaten a single bite that evening. His stomach soon began to churn.

His neck was drenched in sweat. Shen Lian raised a hand to wipe it.

At the sight, Liu Kaisheng couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Sure enough, you're even prettier in person." Liu Kaisheng lavished him with praise, then rested a hand on Shen Lian's thigh.

Qian Gao saw it. Conflict flickered in his eyes, but in the end, he said nothing.

Now Shen Lian understood completely.

Drawing a deep breath, Shen Lian suppressed his disgust and pushed Liu Kaisheng's hand away. "Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Manager Liu."

His words were polite and respectful, but the rejection in that gesture was unmistakable. Liu Kaisheng was instantly displeased.

Liu Kaisheng dropped the pretense too. He sized Shen Lian up through narrowed eyes and said bluntly, "If you don't keep me happy, where do you think your opportunities will come from? You think a couple of drinks will settle it? You think things just fall into your lap?"

There was no room for negotiation.

"Oh, Manager Liu, Shen Lian understands. Please don't be angry." Qian Gao hurried to pour him a drink.

It had been a long time since Shen Lian had suffered this kind of humiliation.

He slowly rose, looked at Qian Gao, and said, "Qian Gao, I just remembered I have something to do, so I'll..."

Splash!

Shen Lian closed his eyes.

Before he could finish, a cup of hot tea had been flung into his face.

Water dripped steadily from his chin. Shen Lian turned toward the man who had pressed him to drink.

"You little shit, do you know what you're worth right now?" Drunk, the man's expression grew vicious. "Damaged goods nobody wants! Manager Liu's the only one willing to have you. You should be thanking your lucky stars, and instead you're turning him down? Believe me, I can make sure you never land another endorsement!"

Liu Kaisheng didn't stop him. He took a drag on his cigarette, clearly enjoying every word.

A newcomer, threatened with the destruction of his career, would probably have been scared witless. In all likelihood, he would agree to any conditions they set next.

Shen Lian pulled out a tissue and wiped his face.

His expression was calm, his movements elegant. He showed no trace of anger.

Everyone thought Shen Lian had given in.

Then, in the next second, Shen Lian moved like lightning. He seized the man who had just spoken by the head and slammed his face straight into a bowl of chicken soup!

The deafening bang made everyone at the table jump.

Only then did bottomless menace surface in Shen Lian's eyes. He said coldly, "Let me hear you insult me one more time."

We're screwed, Qian Gao thought.

"Fuck you! Fuck your mother!"

Bowls and plates shattered in the private room. Crash after crash rang out as everything descended into chaos.

Shen Lian fought one against five. In the middle of the brawl, he even punched Qian Gao, who was frantically trying to break it up. That's for selling me out, you bastard!

But there were five of them, after all. Shen Lian had the upper hand at first, then took several hits himself. The pain only lasted a second, though. His adrenaline surged, and after all the contempt he'd endured lately, he desperately needed an outlet.

Everything in the private room was smashed to pieces.

Holding his side, Shen Lian pulled open the door, his expression icy.

Qian Gao had long since been stunned senseless by the sight of him tearing through anyone in his path.

"Fuck! Stay right fucking there!" Liu Kaisheng struggled up from the floor.

Shen Lian was a disheveled mess, his vision blackening in waves. He leaned against the corridor wall and vaguely heard approaching footsteps mixed with conversation and laughter. Soon, the voices abruptly stopped. It seemed quite a few people were looking his way.

Shen Lian didn't care.

Not until a tall, dark shadow loomed over him.

Shen Lian saw black leather shoes stop in front of him, followed by crisply pressed trousers.

"What are you doing?" came a deep, resonant male voice.

In an instant, it dragged Shen Lian's drifting consciousness firmly back into place.

Shen Lian looked up. The man stood against the light, but his outline was clear.

He pressed his lips together, checking again and again. It was Chu Yilan.

At the sight of Shen Lian's split lip and bruised eye, Chu Yilan's face darkened at once.

"Mr. Chu," Shen Lian said hoarsely.

His lashes trembled slightly. His pale skin was almost translucent, revealing a fragility that seemed as though the slightest touch would shatter him.

Shen Lian swayed. Chu Yilan reached out to steady him, then bent slightly until their eyes were level. He enunciated each word. "I asked you a question."

"Shen Lian! Who the hell do you think you are? You were supposed to entertain them over drinks, and you started hitting people?!" Coming to his senses, Qian Gao stormed out of the room, cursing. "You're lucky Manager Liu's interested in you! Don't throw his kindness back in his-"

The rest of his words cut off abruptly.

Everyone present was shrewd enough to understand exactly what that meant.

With that, there was no need for Shen Lian to recount what had happened.

With one hand in his pocket and a chilly smile on his face, Feng Yueshan stared at Qian Gao. "You've got quite a lot of nerve, don't you?"