When they stepped into the private room, the others who had arrived inside greeted them. They weren't surprised that the two came together since they had all seen Han Yi-Shen's post a few hours ago. It would be more strange if they didn't come together.
Bai Liang swept his gaze around the room and saw Yi Nian wasn't there yet or maybe she couldn't come directly to the room. Either way, he already told Xue Liang to stay on watch and report to him if Yi Nian appeared.
He caught up with everyone alongside Han Yi-Shen, exchanging recent updates on their life. They told him they had listened to his group's latest album and also knew Han Yi-Shen was currently filming the horror movie he mentioned in their show.
"Shen-ge, you've really become Xiao Yan's fan, haven't you?" Wen Zhang snickered. "Your account only has updates about him or your movie. Is that your account or Xiao Yan's fan account?"
"As one of your fans, I feel the need to tell you that we are crying, Shen-ge." Shen Qing-Mei nodded in lament.
"Why don't you start acting as well, Xiao Yan?" Jiang Wei joked.
Han Yi-Shen seriously considered it. "If Xiao Yan wants to start acting, I'll help you find a suitable script."
Definitely no romance genre. Definitely no kissing scene. If Bai Liang wanted to act in a romance movie or drama, only he was allowed to be the male lead.
Hearing the straightforward offer, the others laughed. Bai Liang thought the idea wasn't necessarily impossible. When he retired as an idol, he would need another job to stay in the industry. It would also be easier to devise something for his and Han Yi-Shen's coming out if they were in the same circle. As for the acting part, it was the least of all the problems.
The food was soon served and they continued their conversation over their meal. They tacitly didn't mention Yi Nian or her scandal to not ruin the mood.
"Xiao Yan, what do you want to eat first?" Han Yi-Shen had his chopsticks ready. "Your manager isn't here right now, so eat all you want."
"Right, right. Eat all you want, Xiao Yan. Why don't you try this shrimp?" Wen Zhang picked up a piece of shrimp.
But before it could reach Bai Liang's plate, Han Yi-Shen 'accidentally' hit Wen Zhang's chopsticks while reaching for another dish and caused the shrimp to fall. He smiled in apology. "Sorry, Wen-di. I was careless."
"Don't sweat it, Shen-ge,"
Wen Zhang didn't suspect a thing and was about to take another food for Bai Liang when Han Yi-Shen placed a little bit of everything onto his plate until it was full.
"Xiao Yan, would you like some rice as well?" Han Yi-Shen feigned ignorance to Wen Zhang's bafflement.
Bai Liang, "…"
He shook his head and tried the variety of food Han Yi-Shen gave him. Seeing he particularly liked the oysters, Han Yi-Shen took several more of them and took the meat out of their shell for him.
Xue Liang: [Master, Yi Nian is here.]
Finishing everything on his plate, Bai Liang wiped his mouth and stood up. "Shen-ge, I'm going to the washroom for a bit."
"Alright."
Bai Liang left the room and headed down the corridor towards the washroom near the stairway just in time for Yi Nian's appearance from the stairs.
"Xiao Yan." Yi Nian greeted him as naturally as possible. "I'm not too late, am I? Has the dinner started?"
It would be a lie if Bai Liang said he wasn't impressed by her thick face. "Half of the food is already eaten. We didn't think you'd come."
"What do you mean? I'm part of the cast, aren't I? Which room is it at?"
"I don't think I can tell you that." Bai Liang faced her straight. "I saw it, Senior Yi. You tried to harm Mei-jie at the hotel."
Yi Nian's smile fell. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Bai Liang took out his phone and showed the video evidence, right until Yi Nian's face was captured on her leave. "I considered giving it to the police, but I'm worried it'll harm Mei-jie's reputation as well. She's shooting her first movie right now, so I can't risk any potential trouble. But if you still insist…"
Yi Nian's face turned green. How could she not notice Bai Liang was there? She was certain that there was no one tailing her, and someone like Bai Liang entering a bar should be very eye-catching.
"Please leave." Bai Liang stopped the video.
"You must be mistaken. This is a misunderstanding." Yi Nian took careful steps toward Bai Liang. "That person in the video is not me. Let me take a look at it again."
Bai Liang avoided Yi Nian's hand who tried to snatch his phone and positioned himself near the stairs. "This is inappropriate, Senior–"
"Give it to me!"
This time, Bai Liang let his hand be caught but didn't let his phone go. Yi Nian struggled to take it away, scratching him with her nails and stomping him with her heels. Still, he held his ground on the scuffle until he saw Han Yi-Shen walking down the corridor looking for him. He must've received the report that Yi Nian was here as well.
Witnessing the situation, Han Yi-Shen's pupils shrunk. "Xiao Yan, be careful!"
Hearing the urgent cry, the others in the room came out to see what was going on, followed by more guests from different rooms. Once the audience arrived, Bai Liang let his phone go right as Yi Nian pushed him away one last time. He covered his brain and vitals with his qi and let himself fall down the stairs.
The people gasped and exclaimed in horror. Their head tingled from the dull thuds of the youth's body rolling down the flight of stairs. They looked at Yi Nian who was busy smashing Bai Liang's phone as if she was crazy.
"Call the police and ambulance!" Wen Zhang shouted.
Shen Qing-Mei hurriedly nodded and dialled the emergency number. While Wen Zhang and a few other men restrained Yi Nian, Han Yi-Shen rushed down the stairs and knelt next to the unconscious Bai Liang. He carefully propped him into his arms, and his hand trembled when Bai Liang's warm blood smeared across his palm. Not wasting any second, he carried Bai Liang up and rushed down the stairs.
"Shen-ge, the ambulance is on its way." Jiang Wei chased after him.
"Too long. I'm taking him to the hospital." Han Yi-Shen didn't spare Jiang Wei the shortest glance. Passing by Huang Chen in the lobby, he curtly ordered without stopping his stride, "Handle this properly."
"Yes, Mr. Han." Huang Chen opened the car door for Han Yi-Shen and watched the car sped away.
Since Bai Liang protected his brain, he only got a minor concussion and a broken arm, both deliberately inflicted. It didn't take long for him to wake up and find himself in the hospital. Although he was physically unconscious, he was aware of his surroundings and more or less knew what happened after his fall.
He sat up and turned on the television. The news of the incident and Yi Nian's attempted assault on Shen Qing-Mei were being broadcast on every news channel. A video of his scuffle with her was shown along with the video he took at the hotel that night. Evidence of all her attempts to harm Shen Qing-Mei was also shown and was eventually connected to his incident.
Bai Liang didn't collect any of them except for the video and didn't need to guess who did it. He wondered if Han Yi-Shen became powerful because he was a film emperor or if was he powerful from the start.
Yi Nian was confirmed to be detained by the police and would be trialled in 2 days. According to the law of this world, Yi Nian would at least be imprisoned for 15 years. If everything went according to fate, Jiang Wei and Shen Qing-Mei would get married 2 years from now, so this was more than enough.
The door to his ward slid open and Han Yi-Shen stepped inside with a dark face. Needless to say, he was very angry.
Bai Liang was ready to get scolded only for Han Yi-Shen to wrap him in a silent embrace. He was somewhat suffocated, but he let it be and returned Han Yi-Shen's hug with his uninjured arm.
"I'm sorry. You must be worried."
"Don't think I'll forgive you."
"You can punish me however you like." Bai Liang lightly laughed.
"I'll have you recuperate in my place for a full month." Han Yi-Shen laid Bai Liang back down and leaned down to his lips.
Bai Liang gladly indulged him. "You can nurse me all you want."