Yu Yan realized, “This is Cao Yuanye, a new artist signed by the company.”

Shen Yuming’s gaze swept over Cao Yuanye, briefly stopping at his swollen knee for a moment before moving to Yu Yan’s face, “Where do I pay the bail?”

“Oh, I’ll take you there.”

It was already completely dark, and there were hardly any people on the street.

After discussing with Shen Yuming, Yu Yan first took Cao Yuanye back to the set and then began heading home.

Yu Yan noticed the low pressure around Shen Yuming and tried to start a conversation along the way, but nothing came of it.

The black car stopped at a fork in the road in the neighborhood, just twenty or so meters from the entrance to the house.

Yu Yan secretly thought to himself that Shen Yuchen was really angry, as he had parked the car at the fork just like the first time he dropped him off. The previous times, Shen Yuchen had driven him all the way to his doorstep.

He had planned to ask Shen Yuchen why he was angry, but since it was already past curfew, Yu Yan hesitated for a moment and decided to call later. He said “Goodbye, Brother Chen” and was about to open the door and get out.

Just as his right hand touched the door handle, there was a “click” sound—the car door had locked.

Yu Yan tried again, but indeed the door wouldn’t open, “Brother Chen?”

“Why didn’t you call me?” Shen Yuming’s voice was suppressed, his emotions barely under control.

“What?”

Yu Yan didn’t immediately understand which of his actions Shen Yuchen was accusing him of.

“Qi Ke caused you trouble, why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t think much of it at the time. I thought he just wanted to gather information about the company. If I had known that bastard had such dirty intentions, I would’ve kept my distance and stayed far away from him.”

Talking about this made Yu Yan’s teeth itch in anger. He wiped his hand several times with a wet wipe, his knuckles turning red, still feeling disgusted.

Shen Yuming’s eyelids twitched, recalling the things Qi Ke had done in the past, he could guess the general situation, but still spoke, “What did he do?”

Yu Yan’s voice suddenly raised, “He touched me! He actually touched me! He touched my hand! It’s so disgusting!”

Shen Yuming’s gaze briefly lingered on his hand, “Very disgusting?”

“Of course! It’s a shame I didn’t break his hand!” Yu Yan gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear Qi Ke to pieces.

“Don’t see him again.”

“I didn’t want to see him! He forced me! He kept causing trouble for the crew,” Yu Yan tried to defend himself, but no one responded.

Shen Yuming didn’t delve deeper into the topic. Instead, he fell silent for a long time.

The car window was rolled down, and a cool breeze mixed with a faint fragrance blew into the car, dispersing the scent of tobacco.

An orange-yellow light flickered, allowing Yu Yan to clearly see Shen Yuchen’s smoking gesture in the dim, cramped car.

Shen Yuchen only half-finished his sentences, never expressing his emotions directly. His thoughts were hard to guess.

Yu Yan carefully pondered their previous exchange, choosing his words, “Brother, are you angry? Is it because I met Qi Ke? Or because I didn’t tell you in advance?”

“Why did you let another man accompany you?”

Shen Yuming turned his head, exhaling a thin wisp of smoke. Almost every word was emphasized as he spoke this sentence.

The strong scent of tobacco hit Yu Yan’s face, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

This statement seemed somewhat off. To Yu Yan, calling Cao Yuanye was no different from asking Shen Yuchen. He just didn’t want to trouble anyone, and since Cao Yuanye mentioned he had time in the group chat, he casually called him.

Yu Yan’s thoughts were greatly influenced by Shen Yuchen, almost completely led by him.

“Because he… is better at fighting?”

“I can fight too.”

Shen Yuming turned his head slightly, his eyes like anchors, fixed intensely on Yu Yan.

He didn’t ask any further questions, giving Yu Yan enough time to think.

Yu Yan’s eyelids twitched, “I didn’t want my brother to know I have contact with the Qi family, so I called him.”

“Do you think I would report you?”

Yu Yan silently thought to himself that it wasn’t like he hadn’t done that before, but he didn’t say it out loud.

“No, I just didn’t want to trouble you. Since Cao Yuanye said he had time, I called him along. Don’t worry, Brother Chen, if there’s a next time, I’ll definitely call you.”

Yu Yan held up three fingers close to his ear, looking like he was swearing an oath.

Shen Yuming took the cigarette out, a deep bite mark left on the filter, “There’s going to be a next time?”

“There won’t be a next time, absolutely not.” Yu Yan smiled apologetically, “Brother, sorry for the trouble tonight, but please don’t tell my brother. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

Shen Yuming hummed in acknowledgment, not pressing further on the matter, “If there’s trouble on set, contact me.”

“Thanks, Brother, you’re like my real brother!” With his tense body relaxing, Yu Yan let out a light breath, his right hand resting on the car door handle. “Brother, curfew’s almost here.”

Shen Yuming didn’t answer, pressing the gas pedal to take him to the doorstep.

The car door opened easily, and Yu Yan let out a sigh of relief, “Thanks, Brother Chen, drive carefully, and be safe.”

Shen Yuming waved his hand and drove off quickly.

Yu Yan made it home just before curfew, feeling relieved.

“Keep the music playing (5)”—the group chat was buzzing, tagging him to ask about the current situation.

There were also questions about Cao Yuanye, but since he rarely posted in the group, everyone reached out to Yu Yan.

Yu Yan reassured them he was fine, briefly explained what happened, and told them to continue filming as usual.

Even though Qi Ke might still hold a grudge and try to cause trouble, Yu Yan wasn’t worried; Shen Yuming had promised to handle it.

【Yu Yan: If anything happens on set, let me know in time.】

【Song Yunjing: Wen Xia has come by a few times, asking Yang Chao for a role, but was rejected.】

【He Zhiyu: Is she here hoping Xiao Yan will repay her kindness with virtue?】

【Song Yunjing: Who knows? I heard her life hasn’t been great lately. Not only can she not get any new roles, but even the ones she’s already filmed are being delayed.】

【Yu Yan: What’s going on with the “Immortal Cultivation Legend” crew?】

【He Zhiyu: Either they’ll replace her and reshoot, or change her face. It’s not clear yet.】

【Jian Ran: I heard she recently signed with a company and is planning to become an influencer.】

【He Zhiyu: The kind of influencer where her family just links her account?】

【Jian Ran: I don’t know.】

【Yu Yan: Anyway, be careful and stay alert. If there’s any movement, contact me immediately. I won’t be able to visit the set as often these days.】

【He Zhiyu: Ok, let me know before you come, I’ll prepare a scene that shows off my charm.】

【Song Yunjing: 6.】

【Yu Yan: @Song Yunjing @Cao Yuanye, your crew is all new, check if there are any talented actors who have good skills but aren’t getting noticed. If suitable, contact me.】

Song Yunjing: “A rare gem from the vast sea is hard to find.”

Yu Yan: “Let’s give it a try, no harm in it.”

He Zhiyu: “Won’t Wen Xia be furious when she finds out? Hahahaha.”

Yu Yan: “Don’t worry, you’re disturbing my eyes.”

Given Qi Ke’s temperament, he definitely wouldn’t let this resentment go unnoticed. Yu Yan wasn’t planning to visit the set anytime soon.

The next day, Yu Yan didn’t go to the set or to Minghua, but instead, unusually, went to Chaoxing.

Since leaving Chaoxing, he hadn’t returned much. Although Yu Chen didn’t mind, he was still worried that his actions might lead the company’s other employees to misunderstand.

Yu Chen was in a meeting, and the office was empty. Yu Yan didn’t enter but rested in the meeting room’s adjacent guest room.

He opened the blinds to see the outside situation, so he could know as soon as the meeting ended.

An assistant brought him a cup of bitter coffee, which Yu Yan wasn’t used to. He still preferred staying at Minghua, where Zhao Chi always brought him milk tea with three parts sugar, which was perfect for his taste.

About half an hour later, the meeting finally ended, and small groups of people began coming out of the meeting room. When most had left, Yu Yan still didn’t see Yu Chen.

He stood up and walked toward the meeting room, just in time to bump into Yu Chen and a man with slightly graying hair coming out.

“Manager Yu, long time no see,” the man squinted his eyes.

Yu Yan froze for a moment, then realized the “Manager Yu” was addressing him.

The original person had indeed held the position of manager at Chaoxing, with significant power and many contacts. But Yu Yan had left Chaoxing over half a year ago, and the manager position had already been taken over by someone else. For the man to still address him as “Manager Yu” made his intentions clear.

“Long time no see,” Yu Yan responded flatly, then turned to Yu Chen, “Brother, is the meeting over? I brought you lunch from home.”

Yu Chen nodded at the man, “Mr. Xue, would you like to stay and have lunch with us?”

“I won’t disturb you two brothers catching up,” Mr. Xue laughed twice and patted Yu Yan on the shoulder, “You should visit the company more often, the staff is starting to not recognize you.”

“Alright, thank you, Mr. Xue.” Yu Yan replied, watching Mr. Xue enter the elevator.

“Didn’t go to work today?”

Yu Yan yawned as he entered the office with him, “I punched in for an outside duty shift, flexible work. Why didn’t Dad come to the board meeting today?”

“Your news is pretty fast,” Yu Chen suddenly smiled, “Next month, there’s a tech exhibition in the west city. They’re negotiating the exhibits and cooperation details, so both Dad and Mom are attending.”

Chaoxing was a family business that Yu Lin and Jiang Mo built from the ground up. They had also attracted significant investments, with the Yu family owning over 60% of the shares. The other shareholders also held some shares.

Yu Yan opened his email and passed it over, “I haven’t checked my email since I left Chaoxing. I found these last night.”

Over the past few months, he had received several anonymous emails, likely trying to teach him how to deal with Yu Chen and how to gain shares.

Scrolling further back, there were some more detailed exchanges between the original person and someone on the other side, but it was clear the original person didn’t know who the other person was. The anonymous account’s IP address was from overseas, making it hard to trace.

Yu Chen glanced at it a few times and understood what had happened, “Just pretend you didn’t see it.”

Hearing this, Yu Yan knew he understood the situation, “Brother, want to fish? I’ll be your bait.”

Yu Chen ignored him and divided the meal into two portions, “Mom’s going on a business trip in a couple of days. You should go with her and take care of her.”

“You’re trying to send me away?” Yu Yan exclaimed.

“Don’t worry about it, give me the email password.”