Of course Shen Lian wouldn't refuse. In fact, when he woke up the next morning, he even styled his hair a little after showering. Black trousers, white shoes, a light gray shirt, and a flashy burgundy trench coat over it all.
Back when he was a top star in his previous life, Shen Lian had gone through a phase of being obsessed with all kinds of bizarre color combinations. Red and green were practically a regular occurrence. On anyone else, those outfits would have become embarrassing memories, but he had the looks and presence to pull them off. As his fans put it, "Our lord and savior is leading the fashion frontier again."
"Oh my, you really do look good in anything, Shen," Aunt Fen praised.
Chu Yilan: "..."
"Don't like it?" Shen Lian asked. "I think it looks pretty good."
Chu Yilan said, "That'll do."
After a drive of a little over ten minutes, Chu Yilan brought Shen Lian to a private club.
The entrance opened onto a spacious, square courtyard, with a winding stone bridge, lush bamboo, and elegant pines lending it a distinctive charm. When they pushed open the door to a private room, Feng Yueshan's voice was the first thing they heard. "Pay up!"
Shen Lian poked his head in and saw a group playing mahjong.
Feng Yueshan had a cigarette tucked behind his ear. He looked like he'd finally won a hand after losing almost everything, right down to half his underwear, and was beside himself with excitement. Hearing the door, he turned around and grinned. "Finally! Come on, take over."
Chu Yilan smiled and actually went over to sit in the seat Feng Yueshan vacated.
Ning Sixian and Zhou Yuanlin were both there. Everyone else was unfamiliar, but judging by how relaxed Chu Yilan looked, they were probably on good terms.
Now that Feng Yueshan knew Shen Lian, he took it upon himself to introduce everyone, starting with Ning Sixian.
Shen Lian greeted each of them in turn, quietly committing a few important details about each person to memory.
He was warm and polite, without a trace of flattery or timidity. With every casual glance, his fair profile and handsome jawline made it hard to dislike him.
The person Shen Lian paid particular attention to was Ning Sixian. He came from a family in medicine that actually owned hospitals, and they had extensive connections for medicinal ingredients and medical equipment, too.
Chu Yilan won a hand and swept the money on the table toward himself with a rustle.
Shen Lian sat down beside Ning Sixian.
Ning Sixian: "?"
Ning Sixian instinctively glanced at Chu Yilan, as though trying to establish his innocence.
"Mr. Ning," Shen Lian said quietly. "Can I ask you something?"
Ning Sixian said, "Go ahead."
"With current medical technology, removing the scar on Master Chu's face shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Does it bother you now?"
"No," Shen Lian said. "I just think Master Chu cares quite a bit about it."
"You're overthinking it," Ning Sixian replied. "The scar on Yilan's face is already the result of four reconstructive surgeries performed by specialists we brought in. Originally, the cut ran from his temple down past the corner of his mouth. You could see the bone."
Shen Lian's smile faded.
"We'll have to take it slowly," Ning Sixian said. "Whether it's medication or laser treatment, he needs time to build up tolerance. The plan was always to assess his recovery after six months."
Shen Lian asked seriously, "Is there anything he should avoid?"
Ning Sixian pointed at Chu Yilan. "Smoking. He should cut back."
At that very moment, Chu Yilan had just put a cigarette between his lips and was about to lean down toward the flame Zhou Yuanlin offered.
Shen Lian stood and strode over.
Whoa! Ning Sixian marveled inwardly.
Shen Lian actually plucked the cigarette away.
The mahjong table instantly fell silent.
Shen Lian didn't care. He said to Chu Yilan, "Can't you just not smoke? If you're really craving it, how about I buy you a tub of gum to chew?"
Zhou Yuanlin stared in disbelief. "What? Is smoking a cigarette some unforgivable sin now?"
"Mr. Ning said you should smoke less so this scar can heal faster."
Chu Yilan turned to look at Ning Sixian, who had half his face buried in his jacket and was shaking all over with laughter.
It was true that he shouldn't smoke. Ning Sixian just found the sight of someone keeping Chu Yilan in line rather entertaining.
Chu Yilan kept his thoughts buried deep. Sometimes, when he couldn't work through his emotions, he really did need a cigarette to calm down. Since he wasn't much of a smoker, he generally let Ning Sixian's medical advice go in one ear and out the other. Unfortunately, Shen Lian had taken it as an imperial decree.
"Yilan," Zhou Yuanlin said pointedly. "Aren't you going to teach him a lesson?"
He was just a kept boy, yet he was meddling in everything. He didn't know his place.
But Chu Yilan merely paused, touched a mahjong tile, and said, "Keep playing."
Zhou Yuanlin: "???"
Feng Yueshan sighed. You won't admit you're an idiot, will you? Can't you see that someone likes being kept in line?
Shen Lian sat beside them and had just finished a cup of tea when Chu Yilan suddenly said, "Shen Lian, come play a few hands."
Shen Lian blinked.
Chu Yilan glanced at him. "I'll cover your losses."
Now Shen Lian took issue with that. "I'm really good at this."
Zhou Yuanlin scoffed. "I could beat you with one hand."
Twenty minutes later-
Shen Lian said, "Pay up, pay up!"
"Mr. Zhou, don't be a sore loser. Pay up!"
At some point, the smile at the corners of Chu Yilan's mouth had grown unmistakably pronounced.
Shen Lian won four hands in a row and was in high spirits. Just as he was about to play another, Chu Yilan caught his wrist. "All right. That's enough for now."
Shen Lian nodded. "Okay."
Chu Yilan took Shen Lian into the room next door, which was quiet and elegantly furnished. He exchanged a few words with the server at the door, and before long, several Hunan dishes were brought in.
"Master Chu?"
"Eat," Chu Yilan said. "It's mealtime. We don't need your blood sugar dropping again."
Warmth spread through Shen Lian's chest. He settled himself at the table with a flourish and muttered, "If you care about me, just say so. Do you have to act like you're king of the world?"
Chu Yilan: "..."
There was a rustling outside the door. Shen Lian looked puzzled. "Do they have mice here?"
Chu Yilan went straight over and pulled the door open.
Feng Yueshan nearly fell inside.
Ning Sixian gave a light cough, turned, and walked away. The others exchanged awkward looks, but still couldn't resist peering into the room. The scene they'd expected was nowhere to be found. Shen Lian was just sitting there eating!
"Damn..." Feng Yueshan steadied himself. "You really do play favorites. A whole separate table for him? I'm hungry, too."
Shen Lian patted the seat beside him. "Mr. Feng, join us."
Thick-skinned as ever, Feng Yueshan pushed Chu Yilan's hand aside and walked in. A few others followed. Seeing that there wasn't enough food, Feng Yueshan told the server to hurry and bring more.
Feng Yueshan was starting to like Shen Lian now. Honestly, the difference before and after this lovesick doormat's awakening was pretty striking. Compared with the pathetic loser who used to grovel and revolve entirely around Zhou Tangsi, the current Shen Lian was easygoing, a good sport, and knew how to say things that resonated with people. More importantly, he had eyes for Chu Yilan.
Had he really targeted Zheng Ge for Yilan's sake before? Had his supposed love for Zhou Tangsi only been a smokescreen?
Feng Yueshan found it all terribly complicated.
"Have you noticed?" Ning Sixian said quietly to Zhou Yuanlin. "Usually, when we get together, Yilan leaves after two hours at most. Today, he's stayed all day."
Zhou Yuanlin said, "That's because he's close to us. We're his brothers."
Ning Sixian said, "...That's because Shen Lian is having fun."
It really had been a long time since Shen Lian had enjoyed himself like this. If he'd met Feng Yueshan in his previous life, they would definitely have become the closest of friends. Of course, this life wasn't bad, either. The two of them even exchanged contact details before leaving.
Before you continue