Can't understand plain English

In the photo, someone was kneeling on a bed, his sleek muscle contours pulling his trousers taut. Even in that position, his height was obvious.

His shirt looked even more rakish, half tucked into his waistband and half hanging loose, offering a hazy glimpse of his navel and a sliver of abs.

His neck was laid bare, and the frame extended from his chest muscles up to his chin.

His face wasn't shown.

Yang Bin was staring straight ahead, his mind blank, idly wondering who would be in trouble tonight, when Chu Yilan suddenly flipped his phone facedown and whipped his head around.

Chu Yilan narrowed his eyes. "What did you see?"

Yang Bin hadn't expected that unlucky soul to be him!

"Noth..." Every alarm in Yang Bin's body went off, but he was still utterly bewildered. "Sorry, Mr. Chu. I zoned out just now."

Chu Yilan knew Yang Bin wasn't lying. Instead, he became remarkably easygoing. "It's fine."

Yang Bin: "?" No, please don't act like this!

Chu Yilan returned to his previous posture. Right, the collaboration on Yongxing Tower. There were problems coordinating with the construction team. Shen Lian...

Chu Yilan frowned, forcibly banishing the image from his mind, and returned to the proposal. They could arrange another date, but the workload would require more manpower. Shen Lian's waist...

Chu Yilan raised a hand and pressed between his brows.

He was going to kill Shen Lian when he got back!!!

Meanwhile, Shen Lian clutched his phone and waited anxiously. Well? Did Chu Yilan like it? He wouldn't think I was too easy, would he? I'd have to explain afterward. He's the only one who's ever seen photos like this.

Bang, bang, bang! Someone suddenly hammered on his door.

"Who is it?" Shen Lian asked, but whoever was outside said nothing and knocked again.

Frowning, Shen Lian put down his phone, buttoned his shirt, slipped on his slippers, and went to open the door.

The man outside wore a black suit and had handsome, refined features, but his furious scowl made him look decidedly unpleasant. Who else could it be but Zhou Tangsi?

Shen Lian thought it was just his rotten luck. "What do you want?"

His tone was far from friendly, and his impatience was unmistakable.

Yet Zhou Tangsi froze.

This was Shen Lian?!

He had seen the photos and video clips online. Shen Lian's reputation had recently turned around, drawing plenty of attention, and Zheng Ge often mentioned him too, but Zhou Tangsi hadn't taken any of it seriously. Shen Lian had once put him on such a pedestal, accepting everything he did without question. That humble, fervent devotion had never moved Zhou Tangsi, but it had made him feel untouchable.

The eyes he remembered as anxious and cautious were now filled with indifference. If not for the identical face, Zhou Tangsi would have thought he had the wrong person.

This was their first face-to-face confrontation since Shen Lian had come to this world.

Zhou Tangsi's anger took several detours before finding its original course again. He spoke to Shen Lian in a threatening tone. "Zheng Ge invited you to have something to eat. Why didn't you go?"

Shen Lian blinked, almost convinced he had misheard.

Could anyone say that without a decade's worth of brain damage?

"Come on, explain this to me. Why does Zheng Ge asking me to go mean I have to go?" Shen Lian wished he could grab a knife right then and perform brain surgery on Zhou Tangsi.

Was this the miraculous thought process of the lead couple, treating themselves as the center of the universe without caring what happened to anyone else?

Shen Lian simply couldn't hold back. "Is there something wrong with your brains?"

Zhou Tangsi's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Drawing on the original owner's memories, Shen Lian began laying it out for Zhou Tangsi. "When you finally threw me under the bus, didn't we agree over the phone that we wouldn't contact each other again and would act like strangers if we met? Haven't I kept my word?"

Zhou Tangsi said nothing.

Indeed, over the past two months, Shen Lian hadn't sent so much as a text, let alone called.

"My company arranged for me to join this production, and I haven't caused Zheng Ge any trouble. What, if Zheng Ge tells me to die and I don't, that's my fault?"

Zhou Tangsi spat out, "You're being utterly unreasonable."

Shen Lian's blood pressure instantly shot up. What did it mean to be unable to understand plain English?

Zhou Tangsi had provided the textbook answer.

"Zhou Tangsi." Shen Lian enunciated every word. "Can you and Zheng Ge just fuck off?"

Zhou Tangsi couldn't believe the day had come when Shen Lian would speak to him with such open hostility. And judging by his expression, he clearly loathed him to the core.

But how was that possible?

Zhou Tangsi snorted. "This playing-hard-to-get routine..."

"You think you're worth that?" Shen Lian cut him off. "I don't fucking like you. I was blind before! Don't stand here pushing your luck! What, do you want me to apologize to Zheng Ge too? Seriously, can you two stop being such fucking assholes?"

Given Shen Lian's current standing, he certainly couldn't afford to offend Zhou Tangsi. But he would rather make his future several times harder than offer someone like this a smile.

Zhou Tangsi's expression darkened sharply, and he reached out to grab Shen Lian by the throat.

Shen Lian blocked his hand, then shoved Zhou Tangsi back. "Fuck off!"

Caught off balance, Zhou Tangsi stumbled back two steps, a trace of confusion and alarm surfacing in his eyes.

"Shen Lian?" Wei Fanchen stood a short distance away and said with affected seriousness, "How could you get physical with Mr. Zhou?"

"What, did I sign myself over to Zhou Tangsi?" Shen Lian sneered. "If you want to lick his boots, fucking do it yourself. Keep up that bitchy sniping every day and you might actually turn into a eunuch."

Before long, the leading cast members had all gathered. Dai Tong pushed through the crowd. "What's going on here?"

Shen Lian pointed at Zheng Ge. "I've put up with you long enough. Are your snacks some kind of miracle elixir? I don't eat them, and you send Zhou Tangsi to my door to demand an explanation?"

Zheng Ge hurried to explain. "That's not what I meant."

"Shen Lian!" Zhou Tangsi warned in a low voice. "Say one more word about Zheng Ge. I dare you."

"Forget talking about him. I want to curse you out too, you dumb fuck who can't understand plain English!"

The tension between them was explosive. A vein throbbed violently at Zhou Tangsi's temple, and he was clearly about to strike, but Shen Lian refused to back down. Just as they were about to come to blows, Dai Tong and two producers realized they were serious and hurried to separate them.

"Shen Lian, if you can keep filming this show or stay in this industry, I'll take your surname." Zhou Tangsi's face was livid.

Shen Lian scoffed. "Call me Dad and see if I even answer. Go on, then. Kick me out if you've got the guts."

"Shen Lian!" Dai Tong said sternly. "Go back to your room!"

Shen Lian kicked the door open and went inside, most of his good mood for the evening gone.

Sun Binghe stood behind the crowd, recording the entire thing.

Shen Lian had come out swinging. Zhou Tangsi hadn't gained anything from it. As for his threats...

Sun Binghe tapped send, thinking that would depend on whether their boss agreed.

Why had Hu Kailan been able to put Shen Lian straight into the cast? Because Xingkai had invested in Silent Words, whereas Zhou Tangsi had little to do with it.

Chu Yilan stubbed out his cigarette just as the video ended.

All claws and teeth, Chu Yilan thought. From that stance, he had no doubt Shen Lian would have landed two punches on Zhou Tangsi's face if no one had stopped him.

As for Zhou Tangsi, since when did he call the shots in this industry?

Chu Yilan had escaped the spell called "Zheng Ge," and watching Shen Lian's attitude toward Zhou Tangsi pleased him too.

He would increase the funding for the Silent Words production. As long as he was around, no one could kick Shen Lian out.