You Really Do Have a Strong Survival Instinct

The rain grew fiercer.

Shen Lian was flipping through a fashion magazine when a thunderous boom made him look up.

It looked like the shoot would have to be postponed.

"If we can't shoot, why did you call me here? Can't you just use special effects for the background? Do you know how busy I am?" An angry male voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.

The young man in the middle was fashionably dressed, surrounded by an entourage on all sides. His heavy smoky eye makeup left his original features barely recognizable.

Wang Yueling had debuted in a boy band and clearly had a powerful backer. Someone seemed determined to promote him, but the few times he had made the news, it had always been for acting like a diva.

A staff member bowed and scraped, explaining something to Wang Yueling with an ingratiating smile, only to get an irritated eye roll in return.

Shen Lian looked away, uninterested.

The VIP lounge instantly came alive with Wang Yueling's arrival. Shen Lian had no idea how seven or eight people could make enough noise to sound like an army in chaos.

They either complained that the brand was doing nothing and deliberately wasting their time, griped about the awful food and coffee, or blamed everyone and everything for their troubles. In a sense, this little group's core values were remarkably consistent.

Wang Yueling frowned down at his feet, and an assistant immediately crouched to tie his loose shoelaces. His Highness sat with his arms folded, looking as though the world owed him eight million.

"Stay away from them," Shen Lian warned.

Li Yi and Jiang You nodded vigorously.

Wang Yueling soon noticed the other two groups as well. He asked a staff member beside him about them, and after a brief conversation, he turned toward Chang Qing, his expression visibly softening. But when he looked at Shen Lian, it turned disdainful and arrogant again.

His stare was cutting. Shen Lian felt it but couldn't be bothered to respond.

"Stay here. Order something if you're hungry. I'm going out for some air," Shen Lian said as he stood.

"Teacher Shen, I'll come with you," Li Yi said.

"No need." Shen Lian waved a hand. "I'll be back in ten minutes at most."

The air-conditioning in the VIP lounge was set too warm. No one else seemed to notice, but Shen Lian found it unbearably stuffy. He went out through a side door, and only after breathing in the cold, damp outdoor air did the tightness in his chest ease a little.

Shen Lian took out his phone and checked it. Chu Yilan hadn't replied to the message he had sent twenty minutes ago. He was probably busy.

He glanced at the group chat. Almost all the messages were from Feng Yueshan. The man never ran out of drinking parties to host and really knew how to have fun.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" The security guard stationed outside suddenly barked, pointing at four or five girls approaching in a cluster.

They all looked young. Some wore headbands with ears, while others carried little star props and support banners. They were clearly fans.

With the rain pouring down so hard, they were soaked through and shivering with their arms wrapped around themselves.

"Sir, could you let us inside to get out of the rain? We can't get a cab."

"No!" the guard refused. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You're trying to sneak in while things are hectic. You girls spend every bit of money you have on this nonsense, chasing strangers around all day and buying this and that. Are you even half as good to your own parents? I'm warning you, leave!"

"Are they spending your money?" Shen Lian asked coldly.

The guard turned and found Shen Lian standing behind him.

"Have you personally seen how they treat their parents?" Shen Lian asked again.

The guard was in his forties and ordinary-looking, but petty authoritarianism seemed etched into every line of his face. He started to argue, then noticed Shen Lian's handsome features and realized he might be a celebrity too. He immediately fell silent.

Shen Lian scoffed. A bully who only picked on the weak.

"Come on up," Shen Lian told the girls.

The guard forced a smile. "Please don't make things difficult for me."

"Aren't you using what little authority you have to make things as difficult as possible for other people? If I remember correctly, the sign at the main entrance says, 'Fans may visit with the approval of relevant personnel.'" Shen Lian didn't mince words. "If anything happens, I'll take responsibility."

The guard went aside to make a phone call.

The girls cautiously came up, each one drenched to the skin, but their eyes were full of gratitude as they looked at Shen Lian.

Shen Lian frowned. "Why did you come out in this weather?"

"We waited at the hotel for three days. We made a promise. Lots of other fans are waiting for our photos."

They sounded like fan-site photographers.

"Who are you here for?" Shen Lian asked.

"Chang Qing."

Shen Lian paused.

Seeing his reaction, one of the girls asked softly, "Have you seen Chang Qing?"

"I have," Shen Lian said. "But if I go straight up to him and someone sees me, I could get dragged online."

Their status in the industry was on completely different levels. Anyone who knew, knew.

The girl burst out laughing. "Teacher Shen, you really do have a strong survival instinct."

Shen Lian was a little surprised. "You know who I am?"

The girl: "..."

You seem to have some misconceptions about how much attention you've attracted lately.

Soon, a supervisor dressed entirely in black hurried over. The guard immediately began complaining to him as though his savior had arrived. The girls looked a little frightened, and Shen Lian said firmly, "Stay right here."

"Teacher Shen." The supervisor was very polite to him.

"Yes, they're all my fans. They couldn't get a cab," Shen Lian said. "There are only five of them. They won't interfere with your work."

"Of course, of course." The supervisor nodded repeatedly. Since the celebrity himself had agreed, the rules allowed these fans to come inside for a visit as long as they didn't disrupt anything else.

Shen Lian led the way, then turned and beckoned for the girls to follow.

The girls exchanged glances, their expressions instantly lighting up with excitement.

The supervisor was quite considerate and brought them clean towels.

Shen Lian waited until they had dried their hair before saying, "You can't really go into the VIP lounge. I'll talk to someone on Chang Qing's staff in a bit. It'll be great if you can meet him, but don't blame me if you can't."

"Thank you, Teacher Shen! Chang Qing will definitely see us!"

Shen Lian ordered them hot drinks, then returned to the VIP lounge.

As luck would have it, he ran straight into a member of Chang Qing's staff.

"Excuse me, sir. Could you wait a moment?" Shen Lian stopped him.

The man looked wary. "What is it?"

"Here's the thing. There are a few young women outside who are Mr. Chang's fans. It's pouring, and they couldn't get a cab, so I took it upon myself to bring them in. Would it be convenient for him to see them?"

The man froze, then drew a short breath and immediately pulled his phone from his trouser pocket. He tapped it several times, but it didn't respond.

"Damn." The man looked frustrated. "How did the battery die? I didn't even notice. They came today? Where are they?"

"I'll take you to them," Shen Lian said amiably.

"Zhu Wen!" The girl at the front let out an aggrieved wail the moment she saw the staff member.

"I'm so sorry! My fault, all my fault!" Seeing the state they were in, Zhu Wen clicked his tongue. "If it was raining, you should've given my name and come inside."

"It didn't help. The guard absolutely refused to let us in." As she spoke, the girl looked at Shen Lian behind Zhu Wen. "Thank goodness for Teacher Shen!"

"All right." Shen Lian made an OK sign. "I'll leave you to catch up. I'm heading back."