Minghua isn’t short on money, and Shen Yuming isn’t the type of irresponsible person to do this. Someone must be framing him.

Yu Yan immediately called Shen Yuming, but the call didn’t go through, and it remained unanswered.

After leaving the set, it was already past working hours, but he still went to the company, only to find that Shen Yuming wasn’t there.

During this time, Yu Chen called him several times, urging him to go home soon.

Once he got home, Yu Yan sat on the small couch while Yu Lin, Jiang Mo, and Yu Chen sat across from him.

Yu Lin and Jiang Mo were pushing each other, eager to let the other speak first.

Seeing this, Yu Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s going on? Are you going to hold a trial for me?”

“Be serious!” Yu Chen shot him a glare. “Now come clean about sneaking out last night and lying, and try to get leniency.”

Jiang Mo looked at him with concern. “Baby, your brother’s just worried about you. He didn’t even have time to eat breakfast this morning.”

Yu Yan looked at him. “Brother, there’s a reason for this. I didn’t mean to lie to you. I already explained it over the phone.”

“You dare leave the house without telling anyone? Aren’t you afraid something might happen?”

Yu Yan had misjudged the situation. He originally planned to spend just two hours with Shen Yuming and then go home, but after drinking too much, he lost track of time.

It wasn’t hard to imagine how scared Jiang Mo must have been when she knocked on his door in the morning and found the room empty.

“It was really an accident. I swear, I won’t do it again. There won’t be a next time.” Yu Yan raised three fingers. “I swear!”

Yu Chen was seething, but seeing how quickly Yu Yan admitted his fault, it felt like a punch into cotton—his anger had no place to go. He held it in for a while before speaking, “No, it’s not over just like that.”

Yu Yan knew he was angry and looked helplessly at Yu Lin and Jiang Mo for support.

Yu Lin said in a deep voice, “Your brother is right.”

Jiang Mo nodded in agreement, “This is something you did wrong.”

“How about…” Yu Yan turned his gaze toward Yu Chen, hesitating before speaking, “You just fine me 200 yuan, and we’re done?”

In Yu Yan’s eyes, Yu Chen was probably worried he’d develop a habit of staying out late and picking up bad habits, so he wanted to make him remember the lesson more clearly.

But if it really came down to a fine, 200 yuan wouldn’t be much.

Yu Chen’s eyelid twitched. Seeing Yu Yan’s movement, he felt like Yu Yan was about to pull out 200 yuan from his pocket at any second, saying “Fine,” and that would be the end of it. “No, you…”

After a moment of thought, Yu Chen said three words, “Write a self-reflection.”

“Self-reflection?” Yu Yan exclaimed, his eyelid twitching again.

He had never written a self-reflection in his life, never!

“Brother, how about we just…”

“Five thousand words!”

“Wait, I…”

“If you argue, it’ll be ten thousand words.”

Yu Chen was determined to make him remember the lesson. Fortunately, he had gotten into Shen Yuming’s car this time. If it had been someone else’s, there was no guarantee he would have come back safely.

In Yu Chen’s view, Yu Yan didn’t have much of a sense of danger. He went off without telling anyone where he was going.

When Yu Chen was younger, he had nearly been abducted on his way home from school, but luckily, he reacted quickly.

Now, the issue with the Xings was unresolved, and there were many people watching Yu Yan. The Qi family was the first to be concerned. If something really happened to Yu Yan, their family would be finished.

But he couldn’t punish him too harshly. After all, he couldn’t just beat him up, right?

Yu Yan choked out, “Five thousand, just five thousand.”

This matter is temporarily settled, and Auntie brought the food to the table.

Yu Lin and Jiang Mo were worried that there might be tension between the two brothers over such a small issue, so they kept trying to find topics to ease the atmosphere.

Yu Yan didn’t notice this. After a few sentences, he took the empty bowl from Auntie’s hand and personally served Yu Chen a bowl of soup.

Yu Chen raised an eyebrow, “Five thousand words, not a single word less.”

“Got it, got it.”

Yu Yan nodded absentmindedly, showing a bit of impatience.

What’s five thousand words? He could write ten thousand if needed!

“Brother, have you seen those negative reports about Minghua online? Why hasn’t Brother Chen done anything about it?”

Minghua could handle such a small thing, but the PR department hadn’t made any moves.

“Stop worrying about it. Your Brother Chen knows what he’s doing. This is a good opportunity to remove all the thorns in the side, so they won’t pop up every now and then like annoying frogs. They don’t hurt, but they’re really disgusting.”

Yu Lin agreed, “Should’ve done this earlier. How many of his relatives on his father’s side are actually easy to get along with?”

“Shujun left without a word back then, leaving such a big mess for that kid. He’s done well to get this far,” Jiang Mo sighed.

“He’s still clinging to that little bit of family bond. That’s why he’s never gone too far. All these years, he hasn’t taken drastic action.” Yu Chen scoffed coldly. In his eyes, Shen Yuming’s parents didn’t care about him much.

Jiang Mo frowned slightly. “His dad was okay to him before, but now… he just can’t balance things properly.”

At this point, all three fell silent. This was a phrase Yu Yan often used to scold Yu Lin and Jiang Mo in the past.

Yu Yan didn’t notice the change in their expressions and leaned in a little. “Is it because after having a stepmother, you also get a stepfather?”

“Where did you learn that from?” Jiang Mo suddenly laughed and scooped half a bowl of shrimp onto his plate, leaving the other half on Yu Chen’s plate. “Although his dad has been biased when it comes to handling company matters, he’s not bad in other ways. A few years ago, when his liver was failing and he needed a transplant, it was his dad who gave him part of his liver.”

Yu Yan suddenly understood. “So that’s why Brother Chen and his dad haven’t cut ties as father and son?”

“Other people’s business is not for us to meddle in. Don’t worry about it,” Jiang Mo said, pinching his cheek.

“Mm, mm, mm.” Yu Yan nodded absentmindedly, not taking her words to heart.

Maybe Shen Yuming’s dad didn’t not love him, it’s just that he was never his first choice. In his dad’s eyes, the current family was always more important than Shen Yuming.

It was this inconsistent father-son relationship, with occasional care, that made Shen Yuming struggle so much. He couldn’t make up his mind, not completely good, yet not able to let go.

After finishing the meal, Yu Yan skillfully opened WeChat and found the friend named “Reckless Love.”

[Yu Yan: Are you there?]

[Reckless Love: Not taking movie reviews.]

[Yu Yan: Don’t worry, this isn’t about that. Can you write a self-reflection?]

[Reckless Love: I’ve always been a model student, never written that thing.]

[Yu Yan: One thousand words.]

[Reckless Love: Well, for someone as talented as me, writing a self-reflection is no big deal.]

[Yu Yan: The words must be sincere, reflecting that I’ve completely turned over a new leaf.]

[Reckless Love: Don’t worry, boss. I’m professional. What’s the requirement? How many words?]

[Yu Yan: Five thousand words. Basically, no more lies, and I promise to go home before curfew every day.]

[Reckless Love: You’re in your twenties, and you still have a curfew?]

Yu Yan exited the chat.

Yu Chen didn’t set a specific time limit for him, just asked for an attitude of admitting his mistake and to submit a handwritten self-reflection.

After resolving the matter, Yu Yan had one less thing on his mind.

Before going to bed, Cao Yuanye suddenly transferred 20,000 yuan to him.

[Yu Yan: ?]

[Cao Yuanye: Young master, thank you for helping me pay my mom’s medical bills. I will pay you back the rest as soon as possible.]

When Yu Yan agreed to help Cao Yuanye’s mother switch hospitals, he never intended to ask him to repay the money.

The treatment fees at private hospitals were many times higher than those at public ones, and it was something Cao Yuanye wouldn’t be able to repay in a short time.

But he knew Cao Yuanye was a kind-hearted person and would definitely try to repay the money, so refusing to accept it would be inappropriate.

Yu Yan accepted the transfer and told him not to worry.

[Cao Yuanye: “The Immortal Legend” is almost finished. Do you have any other projects? Stunt double roles are fine too.]

[Yu Yan: I’m looking at a script right now. We’re still in talks, but if everything goes well, I should be the male lead.]

When it came to choosing scripts, Yu Yan had his own considerations. If it were anyone else, he would prioritize character development and whether the script was good, but when choosing scripts for Cao Yuanye, he focused on the pay.

Cao Yuanye’s mother’s illness required a lot of money, so if the pay for the role was too low, it would be a waste of time for him.

With the priority given to pay, he would choose roles that fit Cao Yuanye’s image.

At the moment, he was interested in a script created by a college student team, but they were still in the early stages of discussion. The conditions for this production were even harsher than for “Star Source.”

Although Yu Yan knew that Cao Yuanye was hardworking and could endure such conditions, he still mentioned it, and Cao Yuanye didn’t mind.

Before ending the conversation, Cao Yuanye said he would send some local fruits to him. Yu Yan couldn’t refuse and gave him the company address.

The hospital was closer to the company, which was more convenient.

A few days later, “The Immortal Legend” finally wrapped up. It quickly made its way to trending topics, and He Zhiwei posted several Weibo updates, even encouraging everyone to like them in the group.

The group chat “Keep Playing Music” became very active, with He Zhiwei sending hundreds of messages in a single day.

[He Zhiwei: Grandpa is free now, currently recruiting several assistants to travel together. If interested, type 1.]

[Song Yunqing: Didn’t you sign a contract with your dad? Shouldn’t you focus on acting instead of having time to go out and play?]

[He Zhiwei: You only live once, you have to play when it’s time to play. Xiao Jing, want to come? If interested, type 1.]

[Song Yunqing: |]

[He Zhiwei: If you’re not going, just say so. Why are you cursing? Second-generation bro? Stutterer? Little brother?]

[Jian Ran: Bro, I’m shooting a movie, I’m not going.]

[Yu Yan: Where are we traveling to?]

[He Zhiwei: How about the beach? Fans are growing fast, and I want to shoot a set of beach photos for Weibo.]

[Yu Yan: Too far, let’s just play around nearby for a couple of days.]

[He Zhiwei: Then let’s go camping in Lin City. Want to join?]

[He Zhiwei: Invite a few more people, it’ll be more fun.]

[Yu Yan: Let me ask around.]

Yu Yan didn’t have much experience with traveling and was quite curious about these things.

Recently, Shen Yuming had been in a bad mood because of Minghua’s issues. Yu Yan immediately thought of him. It wouldn’t be bad for everyone to go out and relax together, but he wasn’t sure if Shen Yuming would be willing to go.

In addition to that, Yu Yan also asked Yu Chen to check with Xi Yuan and others to see if they wanted to join—more people would make it more lively.