For a full twenty minutes, Shen Lian never lifted his head as he devoured a huge bowl of fish with pickled mustard greens, even polishing off the side dishes Aunt Fen had made.
When he swallowed the last bite, Chu Yilan said in a low voice, "Anyone who didn't know better would think there was a famine."
"I was hungry." Shen Lian looked a little embarrassed. "I haven't eaten all day."
He was a grown man. That little bit of water and half a fish barely counted as food.
"Aren't you generous, though? Ladies first, even with the corn."
Chu Yilan leaned back in his chair. The overhead light illuminated the scar on his face, the sharp shadows across his features lending him a vicious edge.
But Shen Lian wasn't afraid in the slightest. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Did you watch my livestream, Master Chu?"
Chu Yilan: "..."
"Zheng Ge took quite a fall catching that fish. You weren't heartbroken, were you, Master Chu?" Shen Lian's voice softened.
Chu Yilan keenly sensed danger. He frowned. "I didn't watch it."
He really hadn't.
Shen Lian knew this man considered lying beneath him. Instantly reassured, he grew bolder. "That's what I thought. Zheng Ge isn't nearly as good-looking as me."
Chu Yilan: "..."
Chu Yilan wanted to argue, but it was simply the truth.
On the variety show's discussion page, Shen Lian already ranked first in both buzz and popularity. His haters tried to dig up an ugly screenshot, only to discover that every image they posted just boosted his appeal.
Please. Had Shen Lian risen to the top of the entertainment industry and won Best Actor through luck? He knew every little trick on variety shows inside out. As long as a camera was rolling, it was almost impossible to catch him looking bad.
Xingtu Entertainment now recognized Shen Lian's renewed value and wanted to renew his contract, but Shen Lian refused.
Where had they been before? When the original owner of his body was being vilified across the internet, Xingtu had issued a statement saying, "The artist's personal actions have no connection to the company," and helped Zhou Tangsi trample him. Why stay at a dump like that?
Qian Gao had probably received instructions from Xingtu's higher-ups. He sent Shen Lian a few threats on WeChat, essentially saying that he had nothing now, and if he left Xingtu, clawing his way back up would be next to impossible. He shouldn't spurn their goodwill.
Shen Lian's response was: Spurning goodwill happens to be my favorite pastime.
After Feng Yueshan had dealt with him that day, Qian Gao didn't dare pressure Shen Lian. Once he received a firm answer, he went silent.
Xingtu had originally planned to squeeze Shen Lian dry. But now that his reputation had recovered and he refused to renew his contract, they didn't want to give him any exposure. Clearly, they intended to wait for his popularity to fade and watch him regret his decision.
Regret was out of the question. Shen Lian ate like a king thanks to Aunt Fen, saw Chu Yilan every day, and got to nurture their relationship. Life couldn't have been sweeter.
Even in his previous life, after he had gained everything, this kind of peace and tranquility had been a luxury.
Standing at the summit meant turbulent waters beneath his feet. Who had time to watch the flowers fall?
"Master Chu?" Hearing the front door open, Shen Lian poked his head out of the kitchen. "You're back?"
"Mm," Chu Yilan answered quietly. Noticing flour on Shen Lian's face, he asked, "What are you doing?"
"Learning to make desserts with Aunt Fen," Shen Lian said. "You can try some in a bit."
Chu Yilan said, "I'm afraid of being poisoned."
Knowing his actions never matched his sharp tongue, Shen Lian ignored him and put the filled molds into the oven.
"Leave the rest to me." Aunt Fen smiled. "Go on out."
"Sorry for the trouble, Aunt Fen."
Shen Lian returned to the living room and found Chu Yilan reclining on the sofa, resting with his eyes closed. His face was stern, but traces of exhaustion lingered at the corners of his eyes.
Warm, gentle hands settled against his temples, startling Chu Yilan.
"It's me," Shen Lian said. "Not feeling well?"
"No." Chu Yilan's voice was flat, but he allowed Shen Lian to continue. "Your contract with Xingtu is ending soon, isn't it?"
"Mm."
"What are your plans?"
Shen Lian said, "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
Chu Yilan gave a soft snort. He seemed so considerate and sensible, yet outside of his sweet talk, he never said a single word that conceded weakness.
Actually, Shen Lian only needed to ask. Given his recent performance, getting into Xingkai would be no problem. If he insisted on toughing it out alone, then so be it.
"Have the roses wilted?" Shen Lian suddenly asked.
He was so close that his breath brushed Chu Yilan's ear, stirring a tingling sensation like an electric current.
Chu Yilan instinctively wanted to move away, but his hand clenched hard into a fist on his knee, and he held himself still.
Other people avoided him. He had no reason to avoid anyone.
"They have. Why?"
Shen Lian chuckled. "I'll bring you fresh ones tomorrow."
Chu Yilan didn't answer.
If he didn't refuse, that meant he liked it.
Shen Lian could always uncover the little awkward quirks hidden in Chu Yilan's personality through his brief silences.
Others were afraid of him, but Shen Lian found him adorable.
The little cakes Shen Lian made tasted pretty good. After ten-odd minutes of his massage, Chu Yilan felt much more refreshed and even graciously tried one.
Aunt Fen was delighted.
Only when he lay down in bed that night did Shen Lian see Zhu Yingyu's messages.
They had added each other after their first introductions. Zhu Yingyu had sent a string of sighing emojis, and Shen Lian replied with a question mark.
The typing indicator appeared immediately.
[Feng Susu invited me to an anime convention and said she'd help me cosplay. Should I go?]
Remembering the minor friction between Feng Susu and Zhu Yingyu during filming, Shen Lian replied, [It should be fine. What does your manager say?]
[My manager is the one telling me to go. Says it'll give me one last wave of publicity. I've never tried costumes or makeup like this before, either, so we can make a short video afterward.]
Shen Lian: [Go.]
Zhu Yingyu: [Come with me.]
Shen Lian raised an eyebrow slightly and agreed.
Zhu Yingyu's agency was small, but it treated its artists well. Shen Lian had his own motive: he wanted to see whether he could get in touch with someone there.
Shen Lian got up early the next morning, but he still didn't see Chu Yilan. The man had left half an hour before him.
Rather than trouble Jiang You, Shen Lian took a taxi to meet Zhu Yingyu.
Zhu Yingyu was having her makeup done backstage, with Feng Susu standing beside her. When Shen Lian pushed open the door, the two women were giggling away.
Well, well?
"Shen Lian!" Zhu Yingyu called happily. Feng Susu greeted him with some embarrassment. She had made things difficult for him, though the production team had also been behind some of it.
Feng Susu might have seemed glamorous, but in reality, she hadn't had a choice.
Without making her explain, Shen Lian nodded to show he understood. No big deal.
Shen Lian found a stool and sat down, looking at the extravagant costumes and accessories scattered on the floor. Wherever he went, he carried an air of relaxed confidence. Feng Susu had been too busy dealing with the variety show to notice before, but now she kept glancing at him.
Shen Lian looked up. "Is there a flower on my face?"
Feng Susu shook her head. "No, but you look like one."
Shen Lian: "?"
Today, Feng Susu was handling cosplay for characters from an anime. One of its hugely popular powerhouses was named Snake Flower, a bewitchingly handsome character who was always alluring, his eyes always brimming with affection. His appearance and height made him extremely difficult to cosplay. Every previous attempt had drawn criticism, until eventually no one was willing to try.
But seeing Shen Lian gave Feng Susu an idea.
Shen Lian narrowed his eyes. "Don't even think about it!"
For once, inspiration struck Feng Susu. "It'll get you tons of exposure!"
Shen Lian: "..."
Ten minutes later, Shen Lian had been planted in front of a makeup mirror, surrounded by three makeup artists whose eyes gleamed at the sight of his face.
Shen Lian sighed. What have I gotten myself into?
But since he had agreed, his extraordinary professionalism kicked in. Shen Lian asked for Feng Susu's iPad and patiently went through the information on Snake Flower.
Just like interpreting a character for a film, this step was indispensable.
Snake Flower wore purple robes and had white hair, with little silver snakes extending outward from either side of his head. As the snake king, he wore an intricate, elaborate crown, but the robes were the key. Someone too heavy couldn't capture his slender elegance, while someone too thin couldn't fill them out.
Once the belt was fastened, Shen Lian turned around and spread his arms slightly, a soft smile flickering in his affectionate eyes.
In that single instant, it was as though Snake Flower had come to life!
Shen Lian asked, "Will this work?"
Feng Susu felt her nose sting. "Dad!"
Shen Lian looked disgusted. "Why do you all love adopting me as your father?"
That day, the normally quiet cosplay forums, discussion boards, and Weibo all exploded.
Snake Flower was already a character whose fame extended beyond the fandom, and his popularity never waned. His fans had even reached the point of rejecting cosplay altogether, because no real person could portray him. To them, it felt like their beloved ideal was being sullied.
Shen Lian let the cameras crowd around him. It had been a long time since he'd acted, and he was rarely this inspired, so he earnestly brought Snake Flower to life through his eyes and body language.
It was an almost perfectly faithful recreation.
A young woman in a pink cosplay outfit rushed up to Shen Lian, so excited she could barely speak. She was a junior reporter and had meant to ask him questions, but her brain short-circuited, and she handed him the microphone first.
And so Shen Lian parted his lips and recited Snake Flower's classic lines.
"How could a snake's venom ever rival the human heart?"
"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm afraid you'll fall in love with me before long."
"Aaaah!!!" Screams erupted all around him.
"Snake Flower! My Snake Flower!"
Yang Bin returned from a meeting with Chu Yilan to find the female executive assistant standing by the door, clutching her phone and shrieking.
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