Not going to say thank you?

The man was furious at Shen Lian's attitude and immediately pulled out his phone to call someone.

Jiang You tugged at the hem of Shen Lian's shirt, looking worried.

Those few seconds were enough for Xu Jingge to get an initial read on Shen Lian.

Honestly, there was nothing wrong with Chu Yilan's taste, except for that guy named Zheng Ge before.

When the nickname "Little Chang Qing" first appeared, it had thoroughly disgusted Xu Jingge.

The entertainment industry never ran out of publicity tactics, so he wasn't surprised. But dragging Chang Qing into it was unacceptable. Zheng Ge was, at most, fairly fresh-faced. How could he compare to his Chang Qing?

Those blind gossip accounts had even insinuated that Zheng Ge might someday replace Chang Qing. They were awfully reckless, banking on having someone behind them too. In that case, it came down to whose financial backing was stronger.

Xu Jingge deserved most of the credit for the backlash that had silenced Zheng Ge's fans that time.

Chang Qing had frowned slightly then. "Why bother with things like that?"

Xu Jingge had answered, "I can't stand it. It pisses me off."

Shen Lian, meanwhile, barely concealed his edge at all.

As the man blustered, Shen Lian quietly watched him lose his mind, as though watching a stray dog having a rabies fit by the roadside. The contempt was unmistakable.

Wang Yueling had indeed brought in someone whose words carried weight, but not the person with the most authority. Watching the situation escalate without any resolution, Wang Yueling's heart gave an inexplicable jolt.

"Oh, President Xu! President Xu, what are you doing here? I was waiting for you upstairs."

A cheerful voice interrupted the tension, and only then did everyone notice another group nearby.

Shen Lian spotted Xu Jingge at once. His looks made him stand out. He was currently sitting on a stool, watching them with keen interest, clearly enjoying the drama.

Now that he'd been interrupted, Xu Jingge simply stood and shook hands with Aifur's Vice President Zhang before saying, "It's boring upstairs. There's more entertainment down here."

An ominous feeling flickered through Vice President Zhang.

Vice President Zhang had met Wang Yueling and remembered Shen Lian too, but he had no idea what the two were fighting about, much less why they were doing it in front of Xu Jingge.

Worried about the damage to the company's image, Vice President Zhang strode over, his expression dark. "What are you doing?"

"This one wants to boot this one off his endorsement deal." Like a commentator, Xu Jingge pointed first at Wang Yueling, then at Shen Lian. "I just wanted to see how he was going to do it. Oh, right."

He looked back at the man still holding his phone. "Have you found an executive who can make the call? If not, ask Vice President Zhang."

Wang Yueling and the man both froze.

What was there left for Vice President Zhang not to understand?

This Wang Yueling... His demands had been endless even before he arrived. If not for a favor he owed, Vice President Zhang wouldn't have wanted to invite him at all.

Shen Lian couldn't help growing wary. This was his first time meeting Xu Jingge, yet the man seemed to be speaking up for him. Why?

Vice President Zhang told them to go back to their respective rooms and said they would discuss the matter later.

Shen Lian didn't want to get tangled up in it any further. Even if Hu Kailan found out, he probably wouldn't blame him.

As they passed each other, Xu Jingge murmured, "Not going to say thank you?"

Now Shen Lian was certain the man was helping him.

Though puzzled, Shen Lian replied out of politeness, "Thank you."

Xu Jingge gave him a meaningful smile.

He had a formidable edge, but he was composed and levelheaded. He had a conscience too.

Once they left the filming building, Jiang You couldn't help asking worriedly, "Will everything be okay, Shen?"

"What could happen?" Shen Lian said with a smile. "Let's go back to the hotel."

He had finished shooting his commercial. All that remained was to see whether any edits or additional shots were needed. Once the brand finalized everything, he could head back.

Xu Jingge briefly explained what had happened over WeChat, saying it had been handled. He didn't know what would become of Wang Yueling, but Shen Lian wouldn't be affected.

So Chu Yilan waited patiently for Shen Lian to tell him about his troubles. Instead, Shen Lian went straight to sleep when he got back to the hotel, had a bowl of porridge after waking, and only called in the evening. He sounded relaxed and carefree as he chatted with Chu Yilan, as though nothing had happened.

"Shen Lian." Chu Yilan suddenly interrupted his chatter. "Do you think I'm someone you can trust?"

"Isn't that a stupid question?" Shen Lian said. "I gave you my first kiss."

Chu Yilan ignored his joking. "Then why didn't you tell me when someone treated you unfairly?"

"Treated me unfairly? What are you talking about?"

Shen Lian paused, taking several seconds to remember what had happened that afternoon.

"Oh, that President Xu guy. Did you send him to help me?"

"In your dreams." Chu Yilan gave a soft scoff.

But to Shen Lian, that amounted to an admission.

Sweetness instantly filled Shen Lian's heart, and even his voice turned syrupy. "So worried about me, Master Chu?"

Chu Yilan didn't respond.

"Don't worry. It's all minor stuff," Shen Lian said. "I'll handle it if I can, and call you if I can't. If they really had canceled my endorsement this afternoon, I probably would've had to trouble you."

Chu Yilan gave a grunt.

Shen Lian lay on his side, hugging the quilt as he watched the relentless rain outside. "It just won't stop. So annoying."

"You don't like rainy days?"

"It's not that. I just want to go home."

Something in Chu Yilan's heart suddenly softened beyond measure. He answered gently, "Once you've finished work, we'll see how things look. If necessary, I'll send someone to pick you up."

Shen Lian didn't refuse. "Okay."

But neither of them expected the exceptionally heavy downpour that night.

The water rose overnight. At five in the morning, Shen Lian woke to the hotel's piercing alarm.

He had just opened his door when Li Yi emerged from the room opposite, already fully dressed.

"Mr. Shen."

"What happened?"

"I heard a dam somewhere has been inundated. With rain this heavy, there's a risk of flooding. The parking garage on the hotel's second basement level is completely underwater. Brother Hu just called me. He said this area is too low-lying and told us to move to another hotel right away."

Shen Lian didn't dare delay. He called Jiang You, and the three of them set off immediately.

Thunder rumbled, and the hallway was in utter chaos.

Shen Lian had barely reached the lobby when a child's shrill cry exploded in his ears. A little girl who looked five or six fell right in front of him, her face covered in tears. She was clearly terrified. Shen Lian even spotted a footprint on her little dress.

Shen Lian scooped the child up and soothed her gently. "It's all right. Where are your mom and dad?"

Perhaps something about Shen Lian made her feel safe. The little girl clung to his neck like he was her last lifeline, sobbing too hard to answer.

"Fuck! The water's coming in!" someone shouted. It was like pouring boiling water into hot oil. Someone slammed into Shen Lian from behind, making him stagger.

Shen Lian looked up. Everyone was grabbing their belongings and rushing out. He didn't see anyone searching for anything.

Shen Lian made the decision at once. "Let's go."

Their van was parked outside, but even the short walk to it was extremely difficult. The water reached their calves, and the force of the current meant they had to steady themselves before taking each new step.

At a time like this, even the best driving skills were useless.

The van reached an uphill stretch and stalled completely. Rainwater poured down the windshield, and the vehicle itself began inching backward uncontrollably.

Soon, broadcasts and loudspeakers blared from a high-rise, directing everyone to evacuate.

There were a few raincoats in the van. Shen Lian handed them to Li Yi and Jiang You and helped the little girl into one too. "Leave the van! We're going on foot!"