Chu Yilan lived in a detached house with its own entrance. This was the first security checkpoint, so there was no chance the visitor was here to see someone else.
The car was blocking the gate, so Chu Yilan honked.
Someone got out of the car.
Chu Yilan didn't bother being polite. He switched straight to his high beams.
Zheng Ge raised a hand to shield his eyes, then, once he had barely adjusted, offered them a wan, pitiful smile.
After being out of sight for a while, he was back to remind them he existed.
"Based on my experience reading scripts, I'd say we're dealing with heartbreak tonight." Shen Lian's tone betrayed neither pleasure nor anger.
Chu Yilan went on high alert. "What?"
"He's fallen out with Zhou Tangsi." Shen Lian continued, "Didn't you hear what Feng Yueshan said at dinner that night? Apparently Old Madam Zhou has been making such a fuss that Zhou Tangsi can't hold out anymore. He's already cut off quite a few opportunities for Zheng Ge. With his lack of talent and lousy acting, where could he possibly find work on his own without someone throwing money at him?"
"That has nothing to do with me!" Chu Yilan said.
"But he sees you as his backup." A sarcastic edge finally crept into Shen Lian's voice. "You used to give him whatever he asked for and spoiled him into all sorts of nasty habits. Now that he's in trouble, no one besides you has the means to help."
Backup or whatever-Chu Yilan felt nothing about that description. Instead, now that Shen Lian's temper had risen, his taut nerves relaxed. He felt better.
What frightened him most was Shen Lian sounding indifferent, neither warm nor cold.
"You handling this, or am I?" Shen Lian asked.
But