When Chu Yilan called, Shen Lian and Sun Binghe were sitting side by side on the steps, looking utterly dispirited.
It had to be said, reducing those two to the point where they had no fight left in them took talent. Ming Lin certainly had that.
"Sweetheart?" Shen Lian answered the phone and scrubbed his face hard.
Hearing that lifeless tone, Chu Yilan couldn't imagine what had happened.
"Did someone bully you two?"
Even Chu Yilan thought the question sounded ridiculous. Shen Lian and Sun Binghe were an unbeatable combination. Apart from him, anyone who tried to keep them in line was asking for death.
Yet Shen Lian replied, "Pretty much."
Chu Yilan said, "Hm?"
"Ming Lin came to the set today to pick up his little girlfriend." Remembering the scene made Shen Lian's throat tighten. "He said hello to me and Assistant Sun..."
At that point, Shen Lian couldn't quite bring himself to continue.
Having heard only half the story, Chu Yilan was baffled. What could a mere Ming Lin possibly have done?
Then Sun Binghe's voice came through the phone. "Boss, I had no idea you were Ming Lin's idol."
An inexplicable chill ran through Chu Yilan. "...Speak plainly."
"His expressions and mannerisms were clearly modeled on yours, Boss." Pain seeped into Sun Binghe's voice. "He's copying you! Honestly, I'd rather face Young Master Feng's absolutely brutal report card."
Chu Yilan said, "..."
Chu Yilan thought he might have met Ming Lin as a teenager. After Ming Lin appeared, a vague outline had surfaced in his mind, but Chu Yilan was certain their lives had never intersected.
"All right." Chu Yilan hadn't witnessed the scene and had no idea how to comfort them, so all he could say was, "I'll compensate you for the emotional distress. Stop thinking