"No matter what, I’ll protect An’an."
Even if it’s only speculation at the moment, by their standards, the conclusions drawn from existing findings are often not far from the truth.
It wasn’t until they heard voices from afar that they returned to the recording studio the way they came.
As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw Lu Zhengzheng running over.
"Sister Xixi, Mr. Li and Old Master Shi left early when they saw the rain getting heavier. They told me since you weren’t around. Xu, Actress Xu just left too. Su Yi and Su Cheng are waiting for us to return to the hotel together."
She was eager to get back, not just because of Xu Ling’an’s unusual behavior, but also because she hadn’t had the chance to talk about Jing Huai and Xu Qingmei.
Just now, when she glanced around the recording studio and didn’t see Sister Xixi or Mr. Shen, she suppressed the urge to go looking for them.
Jiang Lingxi immediately made a decision: "Let’s head back too."
Shen Huchen took off his VR glasses, and his eyes lit up when he saw his cousin finally appear again. He left Lu Sen standing where he was and walked over.
Shen Yunqing glanced at him, "Let’s go downstairs together."
In the downstairs lobby, they could see the sky getting gloomier by the second. Jiang Lingxi took the umbrella handed to her by the television station staff and looked at her cousins standing nearby, "Be careful on the road, drive slowly, and prioritize safety."
Shen Yunqing nodded, looking at the water accumulating on the road outside and then at the shoes Jiang Lingxi was wearing, frowning slightly.
After hesitating for a moment, he summoned the courage to speak: "Your shoes aren’t very slip-resistant. Let me carry you over."
As his voice fell, everything around them became silent.
Lu Zhengzheng gripped Xu Ling’an’s arm tightly and took a deep breath.
Even though she knew Sister Xixi and Mr. Shen were a couple, she had never seen them show any intimacy in front of others, not even holding hands.
She had marveled more than once in her heart how understated their romance was, like something from ancient times.
And now, he’s offering to carry her?!
While the rain was an excuse to avoid getting Sister Xixi’s feet wet, this was still a significant step for their relationship from her perspective!
Su Yi and Su Cheng were somewhat stunned. They weren’t familiar with this Mr. Shen, and when they first saw him, they thought he was an actor; after all, he had an outstanding face and extraordinary demeanor.
It was only after they saw his credentials that they understood his identity.
And there was only one word to describe it: Admirable!
After all, no Chinese person wouldn’t know about the Yinhe Palace Museum. To hold an important position there, they had never dreamed they could meet someone of this stature up close.
Now, this Mr. Shen was actually... Jiang Sister’s boyfriend?
Jiang Lingxi held the umbrella over her and Shen Yunqing’s heads.
The heavy rain blocked most of the surrounding sounds; even the honking of nearby vehicles seemed muffled by the rain, leaving only the presence of each other.
Jiang Lingxi wrapped one arm around Shen Yunqing’s neck, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
Feeling a bit puzzled, she asked directly, "Have you carried me before?"
Shen Yunqing was walking steadily forward when he vaguely heard her voice, so he tilted his head, "What?"
Jiang Lingxi looked up at the umbrella above them, the pattering rain beating loudly against its surface. She moved closer to Shen Yunqing’s ear, raising her voice, "I said, have you carried me before?"
The warm breath in his ear momentarily distracted Shen Yunqing. As he continued walking, he responded, "Why did you suddenly ask that?"
Jiang Lingxi lowered her eyes, noticing the ear in front of her turning a deeper shade of red. His physical reaction was more honest than his words. If her hands weren’t occupied, she would have pinched it, "It just suddenly felt familiar."
As his words fell, Shen Yunqing’s feet came to a steady stop on the anti-slip mat already laid out in front of the hotel lobby.
Jiang Lingxi jumped off his back, turning back to see Lu Zhengzheng and the others catching up, deciding to swallow her words.
She handed him the umbrella, "Remember to soak your feet in hot water when you get back."
She still remembered He Zhusheng’s confession last time when Shen Yunqing had a fever.
This person in this lifetime didn’t seem to be in good health.
Even though they had been careful all the way, his shoes inevitably got wet.
Jiang Lingxi nodded, watching Shen Yunqing disappear into the rain with the umbrella before side-eyeing Lu Zhengzheng, who was making faces at Xu Ling’an, "Got something in your eye?"
"Then why not head inside? Don’t your wet shoes bother you?"
She just wanted to watch her artist finally seem to be taking dating seriously; she wanted to savor the moment.
Although their interaction seemed plain and ordinary, even their parting remarks were about soaking feet in hot water, the chemistry was palpable!
Shen Yunqing put away the umbrella and got into the car.
Shen Huchen, who was already in the car, quickly handed over the tissues he had prepared.
Although they had used an umbrella both ways, the heavy rain and strong wind still managed to get them a little wet.
Shen Yunqing removed his outer clothing, leaving just a shirt on before taking the tissues to wipe the rain off his face and hands.
"Bro, are you planning to take the initiative?"
Shen Yunqing threw the tissue into the car’s trash bin, turned to meet Shen Huchen’s glowing eyes, and frowned, "Keep your distance."
This was beyond just wanting to help someone across the street!
"From what I see, Sister Jiang doesn’t seem uninterested in you. Bro, you should transition from a secret crush to an open love!"
"Just yesterday you hadn’t caught her eye, and suddenly today it’s out in the open?"
"Was it when you two left the recording studio together?"
"That’s pretty fast!"
"When do you plan to take Sister Jiang back to the family estate?"
Shen Yunqing couldn’t help but close his eyes, "Shut up, let me have some peace."
The progress between him and Her Majesty wasn’t something he wanted to share with his cousin-cum-apprentice.
He preferred to quietly enjoy this hard-earned happiness on his own.
Shen Huchen did quiet down for a bit before he couldn’t hold back, "Oh right, Bro, I remember the VR glasses we used today seem to be a new product from Second Cousin’s company. Is he planning to let Xu Qingmei be the spokesperson? I don’t really like Xu Qingmei. Wouldn’t Sister Jiang be a better fit as the spokesperson?"
Shen Yunqing finally turned his head to seriously look at Shen Huchen.
He was just thinking about whether Her Majesty had remembered what happened that rainy night and almost forgot about this, so he was truly grateful for this reminder.
He pulled out his phone, scrolled through the contacts, and found Shen Qingzhou’s name among a list of ’Shen XX’, then made the call.