Shen Lian's punch that day had shattered the last veneer of civility between the two sides. With that gone, Sun Binghe saw no reason to be polite.
Who would have thought Su Niansheng and his brother would stay quiet as mice?
Liu Zong approached as though nothing had happened and said with a smile, "You're right on time. Actually, another day or two wouldn't have mattered. Have you taken care of everything?"
"Yes," Shen Lian replied. "Thank you for this, Director Liu."
Liu Zong waved it off.
Shen Lian's outburst that day had actually given Liu Zong quite a fright. Su Niansheng was not someone to cross, but neither was Shen Lian. Someone with the authority to decide Hengtai's investments had personally come to the set to look after him; Liu Zong hardly dared think about the connections behind him. Then there was how quickly the trending topic had been suppressed. Liu Zong had finally felt compelled to advise Su Niansheng in private, "Since you're in the wrong, let it end here. Shen Lian has a pretty good temper."
Su Niansheng was angry, but he was indeed in the wrong.
At the root of it all was Jiang Nong's willfulness.
As Liu Zong put it, "Think about those obsessive stalker fans of yours. Whether you like it or not, they're right in your face, following you around and expressing their love in every possible way. Doesn't it annoy you? You can't lose sight of right and wrong just because Jiang Nong is your brother."
That night, Jiang Nong had helped Su Niansheng up with trembling hands. In the suffocating atmosphere, he had said, "I'm sorry," though it was unclear whom he was addressing.
After all, Su Niansheng had taken that punch for him.
When they met again two days later,