Chapter 19.6

In the evening, Su Qian received a call from Jin Lie, saying that he had a temporary meeting and would be back late. Not wanting to eat alone, Su Qian simply told Mrs. Wang not to cook. And she went to eat Japanese food with Xu Ke.

Xu Ke listened on the side, and suddenly noticed something. She swallowed, and asked in a small voice, “Sister Qianqian, do you have a boyfriend?”

Although the company does not explicitly stipulate that actors cannot date, it is basically an unspoken rule among everyone. If there is, it must be reported in advance. Because it will involve whether to hype up the CP in the future.

“No, just a roommate.”

Jin Lie’s words last time still echoed in her ears, unless it was force majeure, she would definitely not mention their relationship to the outside world, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.

Xu Ke nodded, and said casually, “That’s a really good relationship you two have. You always inform each other when you’re coming home.”

Su Qian lowered her eyes unnaturally, “……Yeah.”

In fact, she hadn’t noticed when it started, but Jin Lie would proactively inform her about trivial matters. For example, coming home late, not leaving the door unlocked, and so on. But obviously, his change seemed to also acknowledge the “roommate” explanation.

Even though he still had a sharp tongue that was not easy to provoke, their relationship was much better than before. Just as he said, “hoping to get along in a comfortable environment.”

It’s rare that that man would actually care about such things.

……

After dinner, Su Qian said goodbye to Xu Ke and took a taxi home.

As soon as she got in the car, her phone started ringing. It had rung several times during dinner as well, but when she saw that it was Su Muran calling, she declined every call. She had no intention of letting it ruin her appetite.

Su Qian rejected the call again. After a few seconds of hesitation, she simply turned off her phone. She would be joining the crew the day after tomorrow. Since she had nothing scheduled for tomorrow, there was no need to contact anyone.

When the car reached an incline, it suddenly stalled. The driver tried a few times, then turned to Su Qian with an embarrassed smile and said, “Would you mind walking up? I think the car broke down.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Do you need me to call a tow truck for you?”

The driver shook his head. “No, thank you. I’ll take a look myself and try to fix it.”

After paying, Su Qian got out of the car and started walking along a winding path toward home. The villa compound was large, but she took a shortcut. It would take her about five or six minutes to reach her house.

The sky was pitch black. The swaying shadows of trees were cast onto the ground by dim streetlamps. The leaves rustled softly in the wind.

Just as she was about to reach her doorstep, a figure suddenly darted out. It startled Su Qian so much that she jumped.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls?!” Su Muran glared at her coldly.

Su Qian took a step back. “Do you need something?”

“Give me money. Not much, just two hundred thousand.”

His expression was panicked. His face was pale, and the whites of his eyes were yellowing. As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Su Qian’s handbag for a long time. His eyes looked like those of a starving wolf spotting prey.

A dozen thoughts raced through Su Qian’s mind. She cautiously suggested, “I didn’t bring that much with me. How about you come inside with me and I’ll get it for you?”

Su Muran hesitated for a few seconds, then immediately agreed. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

Su Qian let out a breath of relief and was just about to move forward when she was suddenly shoved hard and stumbled. Su Muran snatched her bag and took off running.

“Every time I ask for money you drag your feet. Go inside with you? Do you think I’m an idiot?!”

Su Qian nearly fell, but someone behind her caught her just in time.

“What happened?” It was Jin Lie.

“Su Muran stole my bag and ran that way.”

Jin Lie narrowed his eyes. “Wait here for me.”

“Hey… forget it…”

Before she could finish speaking, Jin Lie had already disappeared.

Su Qian steadied herself and took out her phone, preparing to call the police if necessary.

Something was off about Su Muran’s state. It was as if he had burned all his bridges and no longer cared whether he lived or died.

Su Qian clutched her phone anxiously. Jin Lie absolutely must not get hurt. Otherwise, she would owe him a huge favor.

Before long, the sound of hurried footsteps came closer and closer. Jin Lie was walking calmly at the front, while Zhong Ning followed behind, twisting Su Muran’s arm.

Jin Lie handed the bag back to Su Qian. “Check if everything’s still there. He racked up quite a bit of gambling debt. How do you want to handle this?”

“Sis, please forgive me, I was wrong! I really was!”

Su Muran’s face was covered in bruises, a mix of red and blue. It was clear he had just been given a harsh beating.

This guy—if no one taught him a serious lesson now, he was bound to cause real trouble in the future.

Su Qian turned her head away and said coldly, “Call the police, then notify his parents.”

Jin Lie gave Zhong Ning a nod. “Do as she says.”

“Sis… Brother-in-law… please let me off! I’ll never do it again!”

“Be quiet!” Zhong Ning snapped and gave his shin a hard kick, then dragged him over and shoved him into the car.

“Still worried?” Jin Lie noticed Su Qian’s gaze following them.

“No. I just realized Assistant Zhong is actually kind of handsome.”

Su Qian had seen him a few times before, and each time he had seemed refined and well-mannered. She hadn’t expected him to have such a wild side as well.

“Just dragging someone into a car makes him handsome?”

“I was referring to the injuries on Su Muran’s face. Zhong Ning taught him a lesson, didn’t he?”

Jin Lie suspected this woman was either pretending not to understand or had poor eyesight. Just where did she get the idea that Zhong Ning was the one who beat him?

He let out a cold laugh and held his hand out in front of her. “Take a closer look. Who do you think hit him?”

The veins on the back of his pale hand were visibly taut, and there were faint traces of redness and swelling.

“Well? Do the marks match the ones on his face?”

“You did it?!”

Su Qian was genuinely surprised. Not because she doubted Jin Lie’s ability to fight, but because she didn’t think this was something he would personally get involved in.

“He tried to steal from you. What else was I supposed to do?”

Su Qian had a look on her face that said, “Did I just hear that right?” “?”

Jin Lie gave a light cough, covering up as he said, “What I meant was, he made the first move.”

“Then he deserved to be hit! You’re still his brother-in-law in name, after all. He really doesn’t understand respect for elders and care for the young!”

“…” That didn’t really need to be phrased that way.

Su Qian glanced at his hand again, a little worried. She wondered if such a beautiful hand had been insured. If she had to compensate him, would it cost a fortune?

“Do you want some ointment?”

She wanted to take a closer look, but Jin Lie suddenly pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket.

“You’re joining the crew?”

“Yeah, the day after tomorrow. Your hand…”

He leaned down, the depths of his eyes reflecting her silhouette. “That’s really great.”

The dim yellow light from the streetlamp filtered through the branches, casting flickering shadows as their figures overlapped.

In the gentle breeze, Su Qian looked at the handsome face suddenly magnified in front of her, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Thank you.” She felt she had been through a lot too.

Jin Lie smiled. “With you gone, the house will finally be peaceful.”

“……”

“I really miss living alone. Just thinking about it makes me want to laugh out loud.”

Su Qian: “……”

Ha. Ha!

She had misunderstood. She never should have treated Jin Lie like a normal human being.

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