With Ji Qinghe back, although they were separated by a corridor and couldn’t sleep in each other’s arms, Shen Qianzhan still felt incredibly at peace. Like a lone sail drifting on the sea that had finally found another vessel, finally able to lean on each other as they sailed through the vast ocean.

The next day, Shen Qianzhan brought Qiao Xin along to see Mrs. Chen.

This had been arranged the day before.

Once Mrs. Chen had rested enough, everyone would sit down to discuss Old Chen’s funeral arrangements.

The meeting went smoothly.

Mrs. Chen’s emotions were more stable compared to the first day. She mentioned her difficulties, hoping the crew could help arrange for the funeral home’s hearse to transport Old Chen’s body back to their hometown.

She had come to Wuxi alone, unfamiliar with the place. The crew should reasonably help arrange this matter properly.

Shen Qianzhan agreed and asked Qiao Xin to confirm the procedures and the earliest departure time.

After discussing these matters, Shen Qianzhan informed Mrs. Chen about the insurance company’s compensation process, asking her to wait patiently for approval: “There’s one more thing.”

Shen Qianzhan smiled, just as she was considering how to clearly explain the matter she and Su Zan had discussed the night before about giving her additional consolation money in Qiandeng’s name, Mrs. Chen clasped her hands together and asked hesitantly: “Producer Shen, is the crew leaving Wuxi soon?”

Shen Qianzhan paused, temporarily setting aside her previous topic to answer: “Yes, we’ve finished filming the Wuxi locations and will be moving to the next location in a few days.”

Mrs. Chen looked uncomfortable, slightly unnatural: “I have another request.”

“Please go ahead.”

“My parents-in-law don’t feel comfortable with me bringing Old Chen back alone, so they want his eldest brother’s family to come help.” Mrs. Chen lowered her eyes slightly and said quietly: “I don’t carry much weight in the family, and my parents-in-law don’t value my opinions. They insist on having the eldest brother’s family come to Wuxi. I was thinking, rather than having them come unannounced, it would be better if Producer Shen could arrange it.”

Shen Qianzhan said nothing.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

She crossed her legs and quietly observed Mrs. Chen for a long while.

Mrs. Chen felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny and averted her gaze, pretending to look at Qiao Xin who was still communicating with the funeral home in the distance.

After a long moment, Shen Qianzhan looked away and said gently: “Arranging that is certainly no problem – it’s a reasonable request. Don’t worry, I’ll have Qiao Xin contact you this afternoon to settle it as soon as possible. But the specific arrangements might need to wait until the funeral home’s arrangements are completely confirmed.”

Mrs. Chen was relieved to see her being so tolerant and accommodating.

Shen Qianzhan sat with her for a while longer. Seeing it was about time, she made an excuse about being busy with crew matters and left with Qiao Xin.

Once they walked out of Mrs. Chen’s room, the warmth and gentleness on Shen Qianzhan’s face completely disappeared.

She walked briskly into the elevator with a cold expression, returning to her room in complete silence.

——

At lunch, Shen Qianzhan specifically called Su Zan back to discuss.

She first recounted everything from her morning meeting with Mrs. Chen, not immediately sharing her suspicions.

When Su Zan heard that Old Chen’s eldest brother’s family was coming, his thoughts aligned with Shen Qianzhan’s. He frowned slightly and asked puzzled: “Didn’t Mrs. Chen not get along with the eldest brother’s family?”

Shen Qianzhan took a sip of coffee and said calmly: “Whether they get along is secondary. After all, they’re relatives, and death is the most important matter – any grudges can be temporarily set aside.” Moreover, Mrs. Chen was using her parents-in-law as justification. The logic was sound, and emotionally she remained the helpless victim whose husband had died unexpectedly.

Su Zan suddenly remembered something: “You didn’t mention our plan to give her consolation money from the company, did you?”

“I was just about to discuss that.” Shen Qianzhan licked her lips and said: “She interrupted me.”

Over the years, Shen Qianzhan had encountered all kinds of demons and monsters, giving her a deep understanding of human malice.

She sympathized with Mrs. Chen and felt a certain guilt and reverence about Old Chen’s sudden death, so she wanted to do what she could for Old Chen’s family.

Besides the consolation money, she had privately considered how to help Mrs. Chen maximize Old Chen’s compensation.

But ultimately, this was a family matter, and her concern was already overstepping boundaries.

If Mrs. Chen could see through things and accept her goodwill, everyone would be happy. But if Mrs. Chen thought she was meddling, she would be thankless and invite trouble.

So when considering how to phrase the consolation money matter, Shen Qianzhan was truly at her wit’s end.

If Mrs. Chen hadn’t interrupted her then, Shen Qianzhan had planned to privately transfer the money to Mrs. Chen through the company account under the guise of educational funds for the children.

But now, she was actually glad to have been interrupted, able to keep her options open.

Su Zan thought for a moment and said: “Mrs. Chen’s request isn’t excessive. Have Qiao Xin book the flights. If certain things are going to happen, you can’t avoid them just by hiding – better to take it step by step.”

Shen Qianzhan wanted to test him and asked: “What other preparations do we need to make?”

“Keep a few more crew assistants at the hotel tomorrow. If we can reason with them, we’ll be reasonable. If not, we’ll have to be firm.”

Shen Qianzhan’s thoughts aligned with his. She nodded slightly and signaled Qiao Xin to proceed as Su Zan suggested.

——

This sudden complication made Shen Qianzhan uneasy.

Seeing her absent-minded even while eating, Ji Qinghe served her two chopsticks full of braised pork while consoling: “Thinking things through isn’t bad. Since you and Su Zan already have a strategy, just eat properly now.”

Shen Qianzhan asked him: “Am I thinking too badly of people? Maybe Old Chen’s family is just worried Mrs. Chen will be taken advantage of, so they’re having the eldest brother come help.”

Ji Qinghe tapped his chopsticks against the bowl edge, signaling her to eat first: “I heard Old Chen had a fellow villager in the crew?”

“Yes.” Shen Qianzhan frowned as she took a bite of pork belly, muttering: “The crew director asked Xiao Chen about it. The Chen family situation is basically as Mrs. Chen described. The eldest and second uncles’ families are like vampires sucking the old folks dry. Old Chen couldn’t stand it and always wanted to help his parents – quite filially foolish.”

“Plus, I heard their family is quite troublesome in the village. Before, the village head couldn’t stand it and tried to intervene, but ended up beaten and hospitalized. After that, no one dared meddle in the Chen family’s affairs.”

“If it’s just the eldest brother’s family coming, they can’t stir up much trouble.” Ji Qinghe said: “I see you’ve prepared plenty of evidence?”

Shen Qianzhan replied casually: “Yes, I had Qiao Xin print it out this afternoon, even made several copies. Just in case, I had Qiao Xin contact Qiandeng’s legal department – if needed, lawyers can come immediately.”

Seeing she was well-prepared and only emotionally unsettled, Ji Qinghe said no more. He watched her finish a bowl of rice, then touched her nose: “Is your cold better?”

Shen Qianzhan was startled at first, then kicked at him: “You really think I’m a cat.”

Shortly after Ji Qinghe left last night, he had the production assistant bring her special medicine. She slept soundly through the night and had no symptoms when she woke up.

Seeing her wrinkle her nose in disgust, Ji Qinghe leaned back against his chair and suddenly said: “I have a noon flight tomorrow. After returning to Beijing, we won’t see each other for a while.”

If he hadn’t mentioned it, Shen Qianzhan would have almost forgotten. According to the original plan, tomorrow was supposed to be the crew’s big migration day.

She consciously moved closer to sit beside him: “Will Ming Jue pick you up for me?”

Her phrasing was clever, making it sound like everything was her idea with just a few words.

Ji Qinghe flicked her nose tip with his finger and said in a low voice: “Don’t make me wait too long in Beijing.”

——

The next day.

Su Zan went to the airport to pick up arrivals and see Ji Qinghe off.

As soon as the business car left, trouble came knocking.

Shen Qianzhan was in her room meeting with the director team when the hotel’s internal phone rang abruptly, startling everyone.

Still shaken with twitching eyelids, she steadied herself and had Qiao Xin answer the phone.

The call was from the hotel front desk, informing Shen Qianzhan that she had visitors.

Qiao Xin had been inseparable from Shen Qianzhan lately – if not for Ji Qinghe’s presence, they practically lived together. Naturally, she was well aware of Shen Qianzhan’s whereabouts. Hearing this, she looked back at Shen Qianzhan, who continued her meeting with the director team unaffected, and confirmed with the hotel: “We haven’t scheduled any visitors recently. Are you sure they’re looking for our room?”

The front desk had recently received instructions from the crew to register all visitors. So instead of letting visitors go directly upstairs, they kept them in the hotel lobby and notified the guests first.

Hearing Qiao Xin’s response, she said softly “please wait” and turned to verify the room number with the visitors and confirm their personal information.

“The visitor is a reporter who says she’s looking for Producer Shen in room 8088.”

Upon hearing “reporter,” Qiao Xin’s head immediately started pounding.

There had been reporters lurking around the hotel these past two days, trying to find out what happened with the crew. Passersby were vague, hotel staff kept their mouths shut, and the crew was as tight as an iron barrel.

Those reporters eager for gossip only knew superficial details and didn’t understand what had happened. So during this time, the internet remained calm – aside from some blurry photos of police cars at the hotel entrance, there hadn’t been much widespread discussion.

A reporter coming directly to the door and knowing Shen Qianzhan’s exact room number was unprecedented.

Qiao Xin couldn’t decide and partially covered the receiver to ask Shen Qianzhan’s opinion.

But her focus was on how this reporter had obtained the exact room number: “She knows I’m in 8088?”

Besides her surprise, Shen Qianzhan’s eyelid twitched as she sensed approaching crisis.

She stood up and took the receiver herself, having the hotel transfer the call to the visitor.

After taking the phone, the visitor first introduced herself: “Hello, I’m Jiang Mengxin, a reporter from New Entertainment Express. Is this Producer Shen?”

Shen Qianzhan narrowed her eyes and asked: “May I ask how you obtained our room number?”

Jiang Mengxin laughed and said: “Producer Shen, I don’t just know your room number – I’ve also learned that the ‘Time’ crew had a murder case. I wonder if you have time to meet and discuss this?”

This kind of confident threat was Shen Qianzhan’s first encounter.

She nearly laughed coldly, holding the phone and considering for two minutes before saying: “Wait, I’ll have my assistant come get you.” Hanging up, she seemed still immersed in the conversation with Jiang Mengxin, her expression particularly grim.

Qiao Xin remained silent, waiting for instructions.

The room fell silent as if a storm was approaching, the building filled with tension.

After a long moment, Shen Qianzhan waved her hand: “That’s all for today, dismissed.”

Sensing her bad mood, none of the director team dared speak. They orderly packed their things and left one by one.

Shao Chouxie walked out last.

He wanted to comfort Shen Qianzhan, but when he opened his mouth, he felt his words were empty and powerless.

The crew had kept the sudden death incident strictly confidential, forbidding private discussion. Shao Chouxie learned the entire sequence of events from Shen Qianzhan herself. From the incident to the aftermath, he greatly admired her efficient and decisive handling.

The deeper his understanding, the more he could feel her personal charisma.

This wasn’t just the aura brought by profession and expertise. Shao Chouxie’s collaboration with Shen Qianzhan was built on “admiration” – he admired her abilities, and she appreciated his artistic standards.

Throughout their collaboration, Shao Chouxie always felt Shen Qianzhan lived up to her title as a “gold medal producer.” She was thorough, sharp-minded, and emotionally intelligent – both trouble-free and extremely reliable.

Though what impressed him most was Shen Qianzhan’s generous spending… this was an irresistible advantage and temptation for any director whose inspiration was constantly bursting forth.

Thinking of this, Shao Chouxie cleared his throat and said: “Producer Shen, one can never truly empathize without being in the same position. But when the crew encounters difficulties, it’s not just your responsibility alone – our entire crew should bear it together. If you need anything, all of us can go through fire and water.”

Shen Qianzhan was about to ask what else he needed when she suddenly heard this passionate speech. Besides her surprise, she felt somewhat comforted.

She patted Shao Chouxie’s shoulder and saw him out: “It’s nothing major, don’t worry about it. If there is something, I can handle it.”

Hearing the familiar “I can handle it,” Shao Chouxie smiled and said: “You might not know, but all of us directors want to work with you. Besides your generous spending, it’s this ‘I can handle it’ that makes people feel secure and reliable.” At the door, he stopped and gestured to Shen Qianzhan: “You handle your business first.”

Shen Qianzhan nodded, watching him leave before waving to signal Qiao Xin to go to the hotel lobby and bring reporter Jiang Mengxin to the meeting room on the same floor: “If she tries to talk to you, be careful not to let her trick you into saying anything.”

Qiao Xin was smart and knew what to do without Shen Qianzhan being explicit. Before leaving, she suddenly remembered something and reminded: “This reporter’s name sounds familiar – I can’t quite remember where I heard it, but I’m sure it was recently.”

Shen Qianzhan frowned and called Su Zan while heading to the meeting room alone, asking if he had any impression of Jiang Mengxin.

Su Zan was almost at the airport, passing through the highway toll station, and after hearing this, thought for a moment: “I think I’ve heard it somewhere. Let me check and get back to you.”

After hanging up, Shen Qianzhan sat on the sofa with furrowed brows for a moment.

Perhaps waiting idly affected her emotions, and the moment anxiety began burning in her chest, she got up and went to the kitchenette to make two cups of instant coffee.

Three minutes later.

As Shen Qianzhan came out with the coffee, Qiao Xin was also leading Jiang Mengxin in.

Their footsteps were absorbed by the thick carpet, with only the slight sound of the glass door closing making any noise.

Shen Qianzhan acted as if she completely forgot their earlier phone tension, smiled friendly, and gestured for Jiang Mengxin to sit: “I made you some coffee. The hotel environment is simple – I hope you don’t mind?”

Of course, she didn’t actually care whether Jiang Mengxin minded.

After speaking, Shen Qianzhan didn’t give her a chance to respond, having Qiao Xin place the coffee on the table in front of her.

This subtle power play made Jiang Mengxin’s smile fade slightly as she became more cautious facing Shen Qianzhan.

She thanked her and took a sip of coffee first.

Shen Qianzhan also took the opportunity to look her up and down.

Unlike the reporter she had imagined, Jiang Mengxin was tall with gentle features – definitely not the type who would be aggressively attacking over the phone.

She carried a camera and had a bulging waist pack, making her already slim figure appear even more frail.

Perhaps due to preconceptions, Shen Qianzhan’s impression of her wasn’t good.

Though she was smiling, the smile didn’t reach her eyes – just a shallow layer, formulaic like she was going through the motions.

Jiang Mengxin smiled and got straight to the point: “I apologize for using unfriendly methods to get your attention just to meet you.”

Shen Qianzhan made a sound deep in her throat, accepting her apology: “I’m curious how Ms. Jiang obtained our room number?”

This was an unavoidable question. If Jiang Mengxin didn’t answer, there would be no need for further conversation.

She clearly understood this point and calmly replied: “The crew’s confidentiality work still isn’t strict enough. I just asked around and found out. The confidentiality agreement doesn’t say you can’t reveal the producer’s room number.”

Shen Qianzhan wasn’t provoked to anger by her few words of instigation. She smiled generously and wittily said: “Thanks for the reminder – we’ll definitely strengthen the binding nature of confidentiality agreements in the future.”

Jiang Mengxin knew that compared to Shen Qianzhan, she wasn’t even close, so she stopped using verbal provocation. She took out a recording device from her waist pack and brazenly pressed record, starting to record: “I’ve learned that the ‘Time’ crew caused a crew member’s sudden death due to poor work schedule management. Producer Shen, is this information accurate?”

Qiao Xin nearly jumped up. She glared at Jiang Mengxin with fury and said harshly: “Ms. Jiang, as a reporter, we fully respect your profession. But when we haven’t agreed to accept your interview, your blatant recording like this – doesn’t it violate our rights?”

Shen Qianzhan was also very displeased.

She stared at Jiang Mengxin’s smug, even brazen face and pulled Qiao Xin back, signaling her to stay calm.

Her fingers secretly tapped her phone twice, sending Qiao Xin a signal.

The latter understood immediately and opened her phone’s recording function to prevent Jiang Mengxin from manipulating the recording later.

“I don’t know where Ms. Jiang got this information from or why you think it’s reliable. But there’s one point – since the information contains subjective speculation and even fabrication, I suggest Ms. Jiang think carefully about every word you say next. Given your current forced interview and recording behavior, once you harm the crew’s interests, I will definitely sue to protect our rights.”

Compared to Qiao Xin’s immediate explosive reaction, Shen Qianzhan’s composed and well-reasoned response immediately showed the difference.

Jiang Mengxin suffered losses at her hands repeatedly, bit her lip, and was forced to correct: “Then may I ask Producer Shen, is it true that the ‘Time’ crew had a crew member die accidentally two days ago?”

Shen Qianzhan looked directly into her eyes and acknowledged coldly: “Yes.”

Jiang Mengxin raised an eyebrow slightly and pressed further: “The crew member died suddenly at his workstation during work hours – was this caused by the crew’s unreasonable schedule?”

“No.” Shen Qianzhan replied calmly: “After the crew member’s accidental death, the crew immediately called police to file a case. The police determined the deceased died accidentally due to personal reasons, unrelated to the crew.”

Jiang Mengxin: “I heard that the ‘Time’ crew rented a precious ancient clock for filming. This crew member was responsible for guarding the ancient clock and had to work night shifts and stay up late?”

Shen Qianzhan mocked: “As a reporter, you’ve used ‘I heard’ multiple times. Are you sure your interview will have credibility and authority?”

Jiang Mengxin was again rebuffed, her whole face instantly turning cold: “Is Producer Shen avoiding the question because of guilt?”

“I’m just raising reasonable questions. You can’t even accept this – when the news is published, how will you face public questioning?” Shen Qianzhan smiled and leisurely sipped her coffee, inviting: “Don’t just focus on talking – have some coffee to moisten your throat.”

Shen Qianzhan had probably handled more crisis PR than this little reporter had crossed bridges. Want to trap her? She was still too young.

After several rounds of back and forth, with Shen Qianzhan’s crushing advantage, Qiao Xin had become quite calm and even felt somewhat sorry for this reporter.

Their Producer Shen could argue with investor bosses when she got going – besides losing verbal sparring to Ji Qinghe, she had never been defeated.

How desperate did one have to be to come looking for trouble with Shen Qianzhan?

After Shen Qianzhan forcibly interrupted and invited Jiang Mengxin to taste the coffee, the meeting room’s atmosphere froze and pressure dropped sharply.

Just as they were in a standoff, Shen Qianzhan’s phone vibrated. Su Zan sent a message—

Jiang Mengxin reported on the ‘Spring River’ crew fighting incident. Later the company did PR, and she came out to apologize to Xiao Sheng.

Besides this message was a screenshot Su Zan found online of Jiang Mengxin’s impressive resume.

As an entertainment news reporter, Jiang Mengxin was nicknamed “moral standard of the entertainment industry” by netizens for her bold and sharp reporting style. To attract attention, Jiang Mengxin had made false reports multiple times and been sued. But with capital backing her, “Jiang Mengxin” had become a tier-level IP with her own PR team.

Shen Qianzhan looked down, scanning through in seconds, and when she looked at Jiang Mengxin again, her expression gradually became serious.

But mindful of her recording device, she didn’t act rashly or ask inappropriate questions that would leave her vulnerable.

Now wasn’t the time to continue confronting her – she needed to escape quickly.

Just as she was thinking, hurried footsteps came from the corridor. A crew assistant pushed open the door and entered. His face was urgent, sweat on his forehead – clearly encountering something pressing.

Just as he was about to speak regardless, Shen Qianzhan’s expression hardened and she said sharply: “Don’t you see I have a guest here? So reckless.” After scolding him, seeing the crew assistant swallow his words while his eyes turned red with anxiety, she gracefully stood up and smiled at Jiang Mengxin: “I have something urgent to handle. Please rest for a moment, Ms. Jiang – I’ll be right back.”

After speaking, she glanced at Qiao Xin with a warning look: “You stay here and keep Ms. Jiang company.”

Jiang Mengxin naturally objected. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she was about to follow, when Shen Qianzhan suddenly turned back with a sharp, authoritative look.

This look was so imposing it instantly froze her in place.

——

After leaving the meeting room, Shen Qianzhan’s tense spine relaxed slightly as she asked in a low voice: “What happened?”

The crew assistant was finally freed to speak and said hurriedly: “A group claiming to be Old Chen’s family came to the hotel, all carrying clubs. The hotel security couldn’t stop them. They went straight for the room with the ancient clock. We heard knocking and didn’t expect troublemakers, so when we opened the door, we immediately got beaten.”

Shen Qianzhan’s face went pale, her steps swift as wind: “Is anyone seriously hurt?”

“Except for the brother who got hit with a club, the others had some warning and weren’t injured. But there are many of them – about seven or eight people, all looking fierce and ready to fight. We didn’t dare fight back, just defended ourselves passively.”

Shen Qianzhan asked: “Did you call the police?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was cold as ice: “What about Mrs. Chen? Did you call her?”

“Not yet.”

“And the ancient clock?” She gritted her teeth.

“It’s safe for now – everyone knows how valuable it is and protected it with their lives.”

Shen Qianzhan took a sharp breath, her temples throbbing.

She pressed hard on her forehead with her hand, using the elevator descent to try to calm down: “Go get people – call all the cameramen still at the hotel.”

She calculated the estimated arrival time of police cars, steadied her emotions, and first called Su Zan.

While waiting for the call to connect, her peripheral vision caught her reflection in the elevator mirror. As if unable to believe that dejected person was her, she instinctively looked up at the elevator mirror again.

In the mirror, she was pale, as if her spirit had been drained, slightly hunched over. Amid the busy signals in her ears, she heard the buzzing sound like snow falling when her mind went blank – like bee humming, rippling outward in circles.

She firmly pressed her trembling lips together, dug her nails into her palm, and straightened her back.

She couldn’t be afraid.

She had to stay calm.

She couldn’t show weakness.

She was the crew’s face, the commander. Her every word and action represented the crew and Qiandeng.

If she collapsed, the crew’s morale would scatter.

She had to act like nothing was wrong – strong, calm, determined, able to solve anything.

While Shen Qianzhan gave herself psychological suggestions, the call connected and Su Zan’s voice came through with a trace of urgency and barely perceptible unease.

The background noise was the mechanical flight arrival announcements from the airport arrival area.

The chaotic sounds suddenly overwhelmed her thoughts. Shen Qianzhan’s mind went blank for a moment, almost forgetting why she had called Su Zan.

She looked up at the approaching elevator floor and asked rapidly: “Did you meet the person?”

“No.” Su Zan was sensitive to Shen Qianzhan’s emotional changes and immediately sensed something was wrong, asking hesitantly: “What’s wrong?”

“A group claiming to be Old Chen’s family came to the hotel to cause trouble. Confirm quickly.”

Su Zan was standing by the information desk when he heard this, as if struck by a blow. He cursed: “Those bastards.”

He looked up at the long-arrived flight number, his chest burning with rage that made him lose all reason: “I’m coming back right now.”

This statement essentially confirmed that the troublemakers at the hotel were indeed Old Chen’s family.

Shen Qianzhan’s heart sank, feeling like half her blood had been drained.

She closed her eyes and said: “Alright, drive carefully. I can handle things here.”

Su Zan agreed and was about to say “Ji Qinghe went back halfway,” but before he could speak, accompanied by the elevator arrival sound on Shen Qianzhan’s end, she hung up decisively without giving him a chance to speak.

He stared at his phone in frustration for a long moment before hanging up glumly.

——

At the same time, Shen Qianzhan and the crew assistant split up.

From a distance, she could already hear the chaotic arguing in the corridor, faintly accompanied by a woman’s screaming – sharp and hoarse, unpleasant like birds fighting, complete chaos.

Her brow twitched involuntarily, her eyelid jumping.

Walking closer quickly, Shen Qianzhan could gradually make out what the woman was screaming.

“My poor third brother, you’re still suffering even after death. These bloodsucking demons won’t give you justice and are holding your body hostage…”

“What are your intentions? Are you afraid we’ll do an autopsy and expose your lies?”

“Heartless bloodsuckers – if we hadn’t come, they would have fooled your wife!”

“This damned ancient clock took your life, claimed my third brother.”

“A life for a life – bring out your boss!”

Shen Qianzhan’s steps halted as bone-chilling cold shot from her feet to the top of her head.

She stood at a distance watching the tangled crowd in the room and the chaotic scene where she couldn’t tell which side was which, her teeth chattering as evil fire surged to her heart.

She turned and looked around.

When her gaze fell on the fire extinguisher at the corridor’s safety fire station, she had a wicked thought. Soon, considering the consequences of illegal use, she decisively gave up and instead looked toward a bucket of water and mop left in the corner.

It must have been left by a cleaner who was about to mop the floor but ran away when encountering the two groups in conflict.

She picked up the water bucket, walking steadily and quickly. After approaching the fighting crowd, she gritted her teeth, lifted the bucket, and poured it directly over them.

This indiscriminate attack caught everyone off guard, leaving them stunned in place.

Shen Qianzhan glanced at the clubs in their hands, confirming no blades before her heart settled slightly.

Obviously, these people were taking advantage of the situation to demand compensation, not really seeking life-or-death revenge against the crew. Confirming this, Shen Qianzhan breathed easier.

She threw the empty bucket onto the ground with a dull thud.

This sound was like an alarm bell, shocking both sides awake.

No one seemed to expect someone would emerge from nowhere to mediate in this manner.

Shen Qianzhan stood at the door with natural authority.

Her gaze was sharp, and when staring at people, she had the intimidating presence of a long-time power holder.

The crowd unconsciously parted to both sides, making way for her.

Shen Qianzhan passed the woman sitting at the door crying dramatically like her husband had died, then looked at the so-called Old Chen’s family members holding clubs with fierce expressions.

Finally, she looked at the crew assistant huddled in the corner, injured while protecting the ancient clock.

If she had felt fear and helplessness about this unknown violent threat earlier, now standing at the scene of actual violent conflict, she instead felt infinite courage and rage.

She turned around, staring coldly at the middle-aged man who was clearly the leader: “You’re the leader?”

Her aura was too strong. When angry, she seemed to have an innate ability to make people submit, making them unable to lift their heads.

The middle-aged man stuttered before saying: “Yes, it’s me. Where’s your boss? Tell your boss to come out.”

Shen Qianzhan snorted coldly and asked: “Who are you?”

“I’m Old Chen’s eldest brother, Chen Yan. Your crew killed my brother and still want to send away his wife – no way. Tell your boss to come out.”

Perhaps realizing Shen Qianzhan had no intimidating power, after brief wariness, Chen Yan resumed his fierce appearance.

Shen Qianzhan surveyed the five or six thugs behind him who remained silent, then directly bypassed Chen Yan to confirm: “Are you locals?”

Chen Yan spoke with an accent like Mrs. Chen’s – broken Mandarin with the same dialectal flavor.

But for the people behind him, Shen Qianzhan wasn’t sure if they were locals or fellow villagers Chen Yan brought from home, so she probed first.

Unfortunately, the result was somewhat bad.

Though the young man who spoke had more standard Mandarin than Chen Yan, his low, guttural accent sounded like it came from the same Chen family production line: “No.”

Chen Yan seemed annoyed he answered without permission, turned to glare at him, then gripped his short club and knocked it against the wall-mounted TV cabinet threateningly: “Stop wasting words. I’m just seeking justice for my brother. Tell your boss to come out – you can’t make decisions.”

“Who says I can’t make decisions?” Shen Qianzhan looked coldly at him, meeting his gaze for several seconds before slightly shifting her eyes. She raised her chin slightly, pointing at the young men behind him: “If you want to talk, let’s talk peacefully. You and your friends put down those clubs, and we’ll go somewhere else to sit and discuss properly.”

“Threatening and intimidating like this is just wasting time and completely useless.” Not wanting to escalate the conflict and cause more confrontation, Shen Qianzhan looked at the several people soaked by her water behind the crowd and softened her tone: “Let them change clothes too. We’ll go to the hotel restaurant to sit and talk while eating. What do you think?”

Chen Yan looked at her suspiciously, seemingly trying to confirm whether Shen Qianzhan could really make decisions as she claimed.

Shen Qianzhan saw through his thoughts and appropriately offered: “Though I’m not the boss, I’m their leader. Old Chen worked in the crew – you should have heard of the producer position.” She pressed her lips together and said: “I’m the one in charge here.”

Chen Yan didn’t know whether he believed her or not. Those murky eyes examined her from head to toe. Though he didn’t agree to change locations, he did lower the club in his hand, no longer in an attack-ready posture.

“Where’s my sister-in-law?” he asked.

Shen Qianzhan feigned surprise: “Haven’t you contacted each other?”

Chen Yan frowned, seemingly very reluctant to answer this question: “I know she’s staying here. Have her come over too. You people bullied a woman who doesn’t understand anything, tricking her into returning home quickly – I know all about it.”

As he spoke, he became agitated again, spitting on the ground: “My brother died in your crew, died in this room, and you won’t compensate anything? Just saying he died accidentally from his own problems and you want to send people away? No way!”

The more critical the moment, the calmer Shen Qianzhan became. She knew reasoning with Chen Yan was useless, so she lowered her posture: “If you want to see Mrs. Chen, I can arrange it. Old Chen’s compensation is paid by the insurance company – you can’t say there’s no compensation at all. How about this – I’ll take you to see Old Chen’s insurance contract so you can personally confirm the compensation amount. What do you think?”

In the corridor outside, the crew assistant brought the cameramen into the room unobtrusively.

She didn’t dare look much, afraid of attracting Chen Yan’s attention. Just as he was about to turn and look back, she suddenly raised her voice and said steadily: “If you think I can’t make decisions, I’ll arrange for you to video call with our boss.”

She kept her posture low, and perhaps out of natural contempt for women, Chen Yan compromised.

He waved his club in a small motion, about to retreat.

Just then, the woman who had been sitting on the ground crying dramatically glanced back casually. Seeing several burly men suddenly appearing behind them, she screamed in panic.

This scream instantly nullified all of Shen Qianzhan’s previous efforts.

At the same time, the wailing sirens of approaching police cars pierced through like sunlight breaking through dark clouds – sudden and urgent.

Chen Yan immediately realized these were all delaying tactics by Shen Qianzhan.

The purpose was to surround them for a complete capture. If not for his wife’s timely warning, he would have fallen for it.

Understanding this, Chen Yan’s eyes blazed with fury as he erupted instantly.

He looked at Shen Qianzhan with murderous intent and swung his club: “Smash everything.”

Shen Qianzhan was simply speechless at Chen Yan’s mindless violent behavior.

But it was too late to stop it now. This melee erupted like explosive spring thunder amid the police sirens.

The crew assistant beside Shen Qianzhan quickly protected her and moved her aside.

In the chaos, men’s angry curses and shouting mixed together. Shen Qianzhan watched helplessly as the ancient clock was repeatedly endangered, then saved by several crew assistants desperately pushing people away, her eyes blazing with fury.

In the corridor, concentrated, synchronized footsteps ran toward them.

Shen Qianzhan looked up to see police badges and caps swaying at the doorway, her heart relaxing. The feeling of being saved lasted only seconds before her peripheral vision caught Chen Yan pushing away the crew assistant blocking him at the waist, about to swing his club at the ancient clock. Her heart and soul shattered.

The fire lodged in her throat burned her voice hoarse. She couldn’t make a sound, and her fingers went soft instantly, unable to exert force, feeling terribly sore.

Before her brain could issue commands, she instinctively lunged forward, blocking herself firmly in front of the ancient clock’s protective case.

Struck by the club from her shoulder to her neck, Shen Qianzhan initially felt no pain as numbness spread from her neck all the way to her waist. Her body seemed to react belatedly as excruciating pain swept through her pain receptors like a tsunami.

She curled up in agony. Through her peripheral vision, she saw Chen Yan swinging his club again in a frenzy. Just then, the man who should have been on a flight to Beijing appeared as if descended from heaven, blocking behind her and steadily intercepting the blow for her.

In the moment before she lost her footing and slid to the floor, he turned around, wrapped an arm around her waist, and held her in his arms with one hand.

Enveloped in the familiar cold fragrance, he protected her neck and head with one hand while holding her with the other, saying through gritted teeth word by word: “Do you have a death wish?”