Chapter 28: Digging a Pit

Song Yue had not been paying much attention to the group behind her, but once Xu Shujian noticed them, she began to listen carefully to the commotion.

When she had free time, she would think about work; during the filming, Xu Shujian alone was enough to keep her feeling constantly off-balance, leaving her no spare energy to worry about anyone else.

Xu Shujian had his own way of thinking and acting. There had been a time when Song Yue worried he wouldn't be able to handle things, but she now realized those worries were redundant.

Since there was no need for her to intervene and there were only about ten days left, Song Yue began to relax her mindset. On one hand, she felt she should get along well with "Old Xu" and give him a proper farewell; on the other, she felt that she didn't quite understand herself when it came to matters of the heart.

She used to think she understood, but now she realized she didn't.

After interpreting a few of Zhang Qidong’s behaviors, Song Yue found herself standing quite close to Xu Shujian, their arms nearly brushing. Xu Shujian remained composed, but Song Yue’s mind started to wander, and she felt an instinctive urge to reach out and touch those hands she hadn't felt in such a long time.

A divorced couple—not yet officially divorced—surely it was normal to hold hands, right?

Besides, since she was already doubting her own understanding of her emotions, wouldn't it be perfectly normal to seek out some intimate contact to get to know herself better? If she didn't understand Xu Shujian as well as she used to, couldn't she at least take the time to understand herself?

Having steeled herself, Song Yue reached out halfway, only for Xu Shujian to suddenly walk away.

Song Yue hurriedly pulled her hand back, squinting slightly.

Xu Shujian held a bit of a grudge. He had already received substantive feedback from Yu Hui, but nothing yet from Zhang Qidong. This old fox had been seizing the initiative over everyone since the very beginning; at least half of the resentment Yu Hui harbored toward him had been instigated by Zhang.

Since the old man had finally started to react, it was time to dig him a pit.

At the dining table, the main group had finished eating, and Zhang Qidong was brewing tea with a set he had somehow procured.

As soon as Xu Shujian approached, Yu Hui pulled out a chair next to him: "Brother Xu, sit."

Xu Shujian sat down and smiled at Yu Hui and Huang Lingling. "You two seem to be getting along quite well today."

Yu Hui laughed, but Huang Lingling immediately curled her lip. "Getting along? What's there to get along with? Everything he does just makes me inexplicably angry."

Xu Shujian smiled. Yu Hui was still wearing all black—how could she not be angry?

If it were him, he would have snuck out last night to buy clothes in warmer colors. Instead, Yu Hui was just chatting with Zhang Qidong and Pan Yun. Was this really the attitude of someone admitting their mistakes?

Still, it didn't matter.

"It's fine. All emotions are normal. Look at me and my wife—we seem fine, but in reality, we both have our own thoughts. If we can make it work, we make it work; if we can't, we split," Xu Shujian said nonchalantly.

Yu Hui immediately cut him off: "Brother Xu! Don't stir the pot. I really have realized my mistake, and I’m definitely going to change."

Zhang Qidong immediately set down the kettle and looked over. "Hey! Shujian, we can't be like that. Between brothers, we should encourage reconciliation, not separation. I think Yu Hui did a great job today. When Lingling fell behind, he took the initiative to wait for her, saying he couldn't let his wife walk alone at the back. Just now, while you were away, Yu Hui was piling food onto his wife’s plate. He clearly realizes his mistakes—isn't that a positive change?"

After saying this, Zhang Qidong felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking to himself that when it came to real-life experience, Xu Shujian was still lacking.

He had originally intended to stir up drama himself to gain popularity, but circumstances forced him to switch tactics.

Zhang Qidong realized that when it came to displaying marital conflict, Yu Hui and Huang Lingling currently had the most tension. The guy couldn't forget his ex-girlfriend even after seven or eight years of marriage—who could be more outrageous than that? Or rather, who would dare to show it so openly?

Setting aside the marital drama, even with Xu Shujian’s song and the money he had earned that day, Zhang Qidong felt he couldn't win.

His carefully designed "performances" were being thoroughly suppressed.

This was the main reason he had spent time brainwashing Pan Yun and Chen Linye—he needed to change his strategy.

Since he couldn't play the "villain" well, he would play the "good guy."

Or rather, he would use his life experience and his composure in resolving conflicts to completely suppress Xu Shujian. He had to make this kid feel the same dominance he had used to manage his companies since he was young.

"That's true, Brother Zhang is right," Xu Shujian agreed, then looked at Pan Yun and Chen Linye. "Looking at it from that angle, it really has to be Sister Yun and Brother Ye. I've noticed both of you have clear strengths—Sister Yun has strong practical abilities, and Brother Ye has a great personality. No wonder you came here with the intention of solving problems. I think you two are actually doing quite well."

Zhang Qidong frowned. *Stealing my lines again, are you?*

*What’s the matter? You want to insert yourself into the new lane I’ve just paved?*

Zhang Qidong immediately jumped in: "Shujian, that’s a bit one-sided. I talked with Xiao Pan for a long time last night. On the surface, they seem fine—I thought so too at first—but they actually have deep-seated problems. They might even be the ones with the biggest issues among us, it’s just not showing yet. Of course, Xiao Pan, I’m not saying you aren't good, you’re both great. Since you’re here to solve problems, you need to give Linye a chance to express himself."

Pan Yun and Chen Linye were listening intently. Having just been lectured by their "big brother" Zhang, they were inclined to believe him and were nodding along.

Pan Yun said, "I know. Just like I told you last night, Mr. Zhang, it's not that we don't have problems; we just came here with the intention of fixing them. Shujian, I know you mean well. Actually, I might not be as capable in life as you think, and he doesn't really agree with some of my ways. Plus, his personality isn't as good as it looks on the surface; he’s very stubborn. Do you understand?"

Pan Yun asked the final question directly to Xu Shujian.

Before Xu Shujian could respond, Zhang Qidong cut in: "I understand. You can tell. Linye mostly just suffers in silence, which is why I said you need to let him express himself. If he doesn't, you'll never solve the problem."

Inadvertently, Zhang Qidong and Xu Shujian locked eyes.

Zhang Qidong looked content, while Xu Shujian wore a faint smile.

*So that’s how it is,* Xu thought. *No wonder Song Yue said Zhang Qidong is just showing off his way of controlling others.*

Zhang Qidong didn't care if the others were doing well; he was just pretending to mediate between Yu Hui and the others to boost his own presence.

Xu Shujian understood this perfectly. That was why he had used Yu Hui and Huang Lingling to test Zhang Qidong—*Are you really a "big brother"? You’re just shamelessly taking credit for fixing things.*

Xu Shujian, of course, knew that Pan Yun and Chen Linye had major issues, but if he didn't say it first, how could Zhang Qidong voice his own opinion?

*If I advocate for separation for Huang Lingling, and you, Zhang Qidong, advocate for reconciliation, then what if I agree with Pan Yun and Chen Linye?*

Xu Shujian was betting that Zhang Qidong’s nature wasn't as noble as he made it seem. He was simply pushing the troublesome "big sister" Pan Yun onto Zhang Qidong. If he wanted to boost his own presence, he would have to put effort into these people.

Xu Shujian had been observing for days, noting Pan Yun’s micro-expressions and gestures. She cared about a lot of things, but the foundation of her personality was actually insecurity. In some ways, Chen Linye and Pan Yun were actually well-matched.

Without Chen Linye’s indulgence, there wouldn't be the Pan Yun of today; without Pan Yun’s so-called love, there wouldn't be the Chen Linye of today.

At forty, if they split, what could they do?

The more insecure a person is, the more sensitive they become.

It would be interesting to see if Zhang Qidong could handle it when this "big sister" finally blew up.