Huayu: You were supposed to be a top star, but you've become capital?

"It's so boring to always be on the defensive and get beaten up," Lin Shen chuckled.

"If Feng Kuzi wants to use me to generate buzz, then let him. But while he does his thing, we also need to have our own voice."

By spreading the news about "The Lost Tomb" and "Why Me," at least the general public knows that I didn't only refuse his acting roles.

Yang Chaoyue's eyes lit up: "Understood! I'll get on it right away!"

"Alright, go ahead."

Yang Chaoyue immediately lowered his head and started operating, his fingers rapidly tapping on the screen, switching between the work group, the fan group, and then back to the report.

Lin Shen leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

The car fell silent, with only the sound of Yang Chaoyue typing.

After a while, Yang Chaoyue whispered, "Brother Shen, it's all arranged."

"Um."

"The fans have already started to change the subject, and the fan club has also issued a statement asking everyone to focus on your work and not get involved in those discussions outside."

"it is good."

"I also contacted the production team, and they said they would send it to us soon."

"Um."

Yang Chaoyue finished his task, put his phone away, and finally had time to think about what had just happened.

She stole a glance at Lin Shen.

He kept his eyes closed, his face expressionless, as if nothing had happened.

But Yang Chaoyue remembered very clearly that he had a smile on his face when they were chatting.

It wasn't a polite smile; it was a genuine, heartfelt laugh.

Yang Chaoyue sighed silently to himself.

Sister Mengyan, your opponent seems to have quite a background.

As she was thinking, her phone vibrated again.

Looking down, I saw Bai Mengyan.

"How's it going? Are you done with work?"

Yang Chaoyue glanced at Lin Shen and quickly typed:

"Just finished, on my way, probably won't be home for a while."

"Okay, be careful."

Yang Chaoyue stared at the word "good" for a long time before guiltily putting his phone away.

Sister Mengyan, it's not that I didn't want to tell you the news.

The truth is, I'm still under Brother Shen's roof right now, so I can't be your spy. Otherwise, I'd never know when I'd find a place to live...

-----------------

The next morning, on the filming location of "The Lost Tomb".

Lin Shen's absence did not stop the crew from filming; the scenes that needed to be filmed were still being shot, and the procedures that needed to be followed were still being carried out.

The sun has risen, and the studio is brightly lit; it's another full day of filming.

Tang Yan sat on a folding chair in the rest area. Her assistant handed her a glass of warm water, which she took and sipped, her gaze sweeping across the film set.

Lin Shen's seat was empty.

She already knew, and when she came today, she took a special look at the notice. Lin Shen had taken leave, and Yang Yang was not there either.

One went back to the city on business, and the other went to Xiamen to reshoot scenes and hasn't returned yet.

Tang Yan put down her water glass and tapped her fingers lightly twice on the armrest.

When Lin Shen asked her to dinner yesterday and said he had something to do, she thought it was just another excuse. After all, he had given her the same excuse every time she asked him out recently, without ever changing it.

I didn't expect that he really wouldn't be here today.

Tang Yan recalled the trending topics she saw last night, Feng Xiaogang's Weibo post, and the hashtag #WhyIsLinShenNotResponding#.

They must have gone to deal with this matter.

Tang Yan's mind started wandering back to all sorts of random thoughts.

She had observed things quite thoroughly during this period.

That little girl named Bailu would run to the top floor every few days.

Sometimes it was after work in the evening, sometimes it was during lunch break. Once, she saw the girl come from the Lin Shen suite with her own eyes, her hair still a little wet.

Tang Yan didn't say anything at the time, but the feeling in her heart was, how to put it, quite complicated.

She admitted that she was a little frustrated.

After so many years in the industry, when did it become the turn of a newcomer to steal the man she has her eye on?

And she's just a young girl, in her early twenties, with no experience and no presence, just relying on her youth?

Tang Yan looked at Bai Mengyan in the distance and pressed the corners of her mouth down.

What kind of taste does Lin Shen have?

Even if you're going to do it, shouldn't you at least find someone decent? You put a newbie from your own company into the production crew just for this?

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became.

But on the other hand, something else emerged from this sense of frustration.

A competitive spirit.

The more Lin Shen ignored her, the more she wanted to know what kind of person he was. The more frequently the girl entered and left his room, the more she wanted to see what was so special about her.

Lin Shen isn't here today, and neither is Yang Yang.

Just right.

Tang Yan stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked towards Bai Mengyan.

Bai Mengyan didn't have many scenes to film today. After shooting a few transitional scenes, there wasn't much else to do. She sat on a folding chair in the rest area when Xiao Zhang jogged over with two cups of hot milk tea.

"Sister Lu, here you go!"

Bai Mengyan took the milk tea, held it in her hands, but didn't drink it. She just watched the busy crowd on set.

Xiao Zhang sat down next to me, scrolled through his phone for a while, and then suddenly leaned over excitedly:

"Sister Lu! Have you seen the call sheet? We've finished filming our scenes in Huairou today, and then we're heading to Northeast China!"

"Mmm," Bai Mengyan responded.

"Northeast China! Changbai Mountain! I've never been there before!" Xiao Zhang exclaimed excitedly. "I heard the snow there is really heavy. Can we build a snowman then?"

Bai Mengyan didn't reply, but just looked down at the milk tea in her hand.

Xiao Zhang finally sensed something was wrong and cautiously asked, "Sister Lu, are you unhappy?"

"no."

"Then why are you sighing?"

Bai Mengyan was taken aback. Did she sigh?

"I'm just... a little tired," she said casually.

It's not that I'm tired.

It's annoying.

What's there to be happy about when filming for Huairou is over? It means she can't run into Lin Shen every day anymore.

You can't hitch a ride with him after work, you can't happen to eat at the restaurant next to his suite, and you definitely can't...

Bai Mengyan sighed and held the milk tea in her hands.

Seeing her like this, Xiao Zhang wanted to say something but swallowed it back.

"Teacher Bailu?"

A voice suddenly came from above, and Bai Mengyan subconsciously looked up.

Tang Yan appeared in front of her at some point, wearing a long trench coat and sporting a standard smile.

But there was little smile in those eyes.

"Teacher Tang." Bai Mengyan stood up and nodded politely.

"Sit down, sit down, don't be shy." Tang Yan sat down on the small stool next to her, very casually, as if she had just come to chat.

Xiao Zhang immediately stood up: "Hello, Teacher Tang! I... I'll go get you some water!"

After speaking, he ran away.

Bai Mengyan watched Xiao Zhang's retreating figure, cursing him inwardly for being spineless, then turned around and met Tang Yan's gaze.

Tang Yan's gaze swept over her face, then glanced behind her, as if looking for someone.

"Lin Shen didn't come today?" she asked casually.

"Brother Shen has taken leave, something came up."

"Oh—" Tang Yan drawled, "I heard he went back to the city last night, to deal with Director Feng's matter, right?"

Bai Mengyan didn't respond.

Tang Yan smiled and lowered her voice:

"I was wondering why he said he was busy when I asked him out for dinner yesterday. Turns out he really was busy; I thought it was just another excuse."

Bai Mengyan looked at her but didn't move.

Tang Yan continued to laugh: "But that makes sense. Director Feng's matter is no small thing; it needs to be dealt with. He can't just keep playing dead, can he? People in the industry are watching."

These words sound soft and gentle, but the barbs are hidden within.

Bai Mengyan lowered her eyes, and when she looked up again, a smile was on her face:

"Teacher Tang, are you so concerned about Brother Shen's whereabouts?"

Tang Yan's smile faltered for a moment.

Bai Mengyan continued, "Where Shen Ge goes or what he's busy with, how would a nobody like me know? If Teacher Tang wants to know, why don't you just ask him? He's a very easy-going person, he should be able to tell you."