Chapter 142.1: Bosen Manor (2)

He had thought Shen Xiu’s previous villa was already luxurious enough, but now he finally understood what it meant to be truly outclassed: “Old Xia, I think I’ve still been thinking too small.”

Shen Xiu paused instinctively when he heard Xiang Yueting call his name. He slightly turned his head to glance at Xiang Yueting, only to notice that although Xiang Yueting was calling out to him, his hand was actually resting on Shang Yu’s arm.

Did Xiang Yueting call the wrong name?

But… if it was Xiang Yueting, then calling the wrong name wasn’t that surprising.

With that thought, Shen Xiu didn’t dwell on it. He didn’t quite understand why Xiang Yueting was asking him, but since Butler Shen was clearly the steward here, it was unlikely he got the information wrong.

So Shen Xiu quietly replied in the same low voice, “It should be.”

Xiang Yueting responded in a daze, “…Oh, right, of course.”

It really was a size he wouldn’t have dared to imagine even in his wildest dreams.

Still dazed, Xiang Yueting didn’t notice that the person he was holding onto wasn’t Shen Xiu at all. In fact, he even forgot that he had grabbed the wrong person’s arm. Acting on reflex, he pinched the arm—hoping the pain would help clear his head.

Shang Yu, who had not only been wrongly grabbed but also pinched by Xiang Yueting, was barely able to maintain his usual pleasant expression. Through clenched teeth, he said, “I’m Shang Yu.”

Fine, you want to hold on, whatever—but can you at least double-check who you’re grabbing before calling someone else’s name?!

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

Shen Xiu was in front of you!

“And also…” Shang Yu looked down at his arm, smiling coldly as his voice lowered ominously, “you pinched my hand.”

Xiang Yueting: “?”

Hearing that, Xiang Yueting finally came to his senses. He looked at the arm he was grabbing and noticed the clothing was different from Shen Xiu’s. Slowly, he looked up—only to meet Shang Yu’s tight, fake smile.

In a flash, Xiang Yueting let go and quickly withdrew his hand.

Awkwardly, he mumbled, “S-sorry.”

He had been so stunned that he forgot he’d stepped back earlier, which had already caused him to drift away from Shen Xiu’s position.

Hearing Xiang Yueting’s words, Shen Xiu thought to himself that—just as he suspected—Xiang Yueting had grabbed the wrong person.

Just as that thought crossed his mind and Shen Xiu turned slightly to continue walking, he noticed that the Bosen Manor butler, who had been leading the way earlier, had stopped walking at some point.

He was now standing there with a smile, watching them.

As soon as Butler Shen stopped, the Storm production crew, not having anyone else to lead them, felt awkward continuing on their own and halted as well.

Seeing that Butler Shen was watching Shen Xiu and the others, and with nothing else to do, the staff’s curious and gossipy gazes naturally followed suit, landing on the small group around Shen Xiu.

Shen Xiu: “…Sorry.”

When he had stopped to answer Xiang Yueting’s question, he hadn’t expected everyone behind them would stop too.

He had delayed the group’s progress.

“Haha, it’s no problem,” Butler Shen replied cheerfully, withdrawing his gaze and turning back to the rest of the Storm crew.

“Everyone, let’s continue.”

“Hahaha, sure!”

“Mhm, of course.”

Everyone responded with smiles on their faces, but in their hearts, that earlier scene had stirred up a flood of suspicions.

Xiang Yueting had spoken very softly. It was understandable for people standing close by to have heard him.

But for the butler, who was leading ahead, to not only hear him clearly but also respond immediately—this clearly showed a high level of attention toward their group.

Judging by Xiang Yueting’s reaction, this was clearly his first time here. So why was the butler paying so much attention to someone who had never even been to the manor before…?

The crew members couldn’t figure it out and instinctively turned their eyes toward the butler leading the way.

And upon noticing his position relative to the group, their gazes naturally shifted to Shen Xiu.

Previously, everyone had found Butler Shen’s walking path rather strange. Clearly, as the producer was the one who had been in contact with him, the producer should be the central figure of this visit. It would make sense for Butler Shen to walk alongside the producer.

But instead, Butler Shen had consistently walked beside Shen Xiu.

Could it be… Butler Shen’s attitude toward Xiang Yueting had something to do with Shen Xiu?

Walking next to Xiang Yueting, Shang Yu’s gaze landed on the butler and Shen Xiu walking ahead. With a smiling tone, he said, “I think your worldview still has room to grow—by just a tiny billion or so.”

After embarrassing himself earlier, Xiang Yueting was too self-conscious to speak freely again.

While his mouth was restrained, his eyes continued to roam everywhere.

He heard Shang Yu speak but didn’t quite understand and whispered in a breathy voice, “Shang Yu, what did you say?”

Shang Yu replied, “…Nothing.”

It would be too much to expect Xiang Yueting to understand anyway.

Shen Xiu noticed that as their group started moving again, many people from the production team were once again looking at him.

He examined his own position in the group and realized that, unknowingly, he had ended up walking between members of the director’s team.

Shen Xiu: “…”

No wonder everyone was staring—it turned out he hadn’t been paying attention and had walked too far forward.

Realizing his mistake in time, Shen Xiu instinctively slowed his pace.

As they neared the building, Shen Xiu noticed he had quietly blended back in among his group of friends and let out a breath of relief.

A minute later, Butler Shen led everyone inside.

Just as they stepped through the doors, someone in what appeared to be a uniform walked in and approached Butler Shen, whispering, “Butler Shen, about the lake—”

Butler Shen nodded. “I’ll be there shortly.”

Then, turning to the Storm crew, he said politely, “Everyone, please have a seat. I have a matter to attend to and will return shortly.”

“Of course, of course.”

“Please, go ahead.”

After the pleasantries, Butler Shen responded with a smile, then looked at the people standing around the room and said, “Take good care of our guests.”

“Yes, sir.”

Only then did Butler Shen nod toward the group and follow the person who had come in earlier out of the room.

“What would everyone like to drink? Coffee, water, red wine, tea, or anything else—feel free to ask.”

Everyone: “……”

The moment Butler Shen left, Jiang Yanxi could clearly see everyone visibly relax.

However…

Jiang Yanxi’s gaze fell on the eight uniformed staff members—clearly manor employees—who were now bringing drinks to the table in front of them, and he found himself stiffening up again in his seat.

The pressure may have eased slightly, but not by much.

“Just water, thank you.”

“Same for me, water please.”

Hearing everyone respond politely, Xiang Yueting got excited: “Can I have red wine too?”

The Storm crew: “……”

Where did this spotlight-hogger come from! They were already deeply grateful that the manor was letting them shoot here free of charge. That offer of refreshments was probably just out of courtesy—and yet Xiang Yueting actually dared to take it seriously!

The staff member taking notes nodded with a pleasant smile. “Of course.”

“Then I’ll have red wine!”

“Certainly. Please wait a moment.”

A few minutes later, each Storm crew member sitting on the sofas had not only the drinks they ordered in front of them but also a generous assortment of snacks.

“Please enjoy. If there’s anything you need, just let us know.” With that, the staff stepped back to their original positions and stood silently without speaking further.

Taking advantage of Butler Shen’s absence, Xiang Yueting quickly scanned the surroundings.

After looking around, he asked the rest of the crew, who had obediently remained seated on the sofas without moving: “Why aren’t any of you talking? Or even looking around?”

Forget the rest of the room’s furnishings—even the carpet beneath their feet was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was exquisite. How were they all holding back?

Everyone: “……”

Can someone please shut Xiang Yueting up already?

Sitting across from Xiang Yueting, Shen Xiu noticed the awkward silence that followed his question and felt secondhand embarrassment. Even with a table between them, the discomfort was palpable.

Shen Xiu’s eyes darted around randomly before he looked at Xiang Yueting and responded, “I looked.”

Xiang Yueting immediately lit up like he’d found a kindred spirit. “Captain Xiu, isn’t this place beautiful?!”

Everyone: “……”

Not only was Xiang Yueting an attention-seeker, but his vocabulary was woefully lacking. Beautiful? This place was far beyond that—every single floor tile radiated extravagant luxury.

And… having Shen Xiu be the one to give his opinion? That was just—indescribable.

Feeling secondhand embarrassment from Xiang Yueting, the entire Storm crew picked up their drinks in unison and awkwardly took sips.

It was their first time being guests in someone else’s home. Shen Xiu was curious, of course, but he hadn’t dared look around too much. Since he hadn’t had a chance to really observe anything, he nervously nodded in agreement with Xiang Yueting: “Mm, it’s beautiful.”

Everyone: “……”

Well, okay then. Some people really do live blessed lives.

Butler Shen soon finished dealing with the issue and returned to the room, reappearing before the Storm crew. “Apologies, everyone, for keeping you waiting.”

At that moment, they all wanted to say: Thank you, Butler Shen, for rescuing us!

If he hadn’t come back when he did, Xiang Yueting’s solo act was going to embarrass them all to death.

As the producer, Shi Yu quickly stood up and said, “No problem at all, not at all—it’s us who are imposing.”

Butler Shen turned to him and said, “Mr. Shi, the rooms you requested have already been arranged. You’re free to use this space and the staff as you wish. Over the next three days, please make yourselves at home.”

Shi Yu, recalling what he’d previously discussed, reiterated his promise to Butler Shen.

“Thank you so much, Butler Shen,” Shi Yu said sincerely. “Please rest assured—I’ll make sure everyone in the crew behaves. We won’t damage a single blade of grass. However the place looked when we arrived, it’ll look exactly the same when we leave!”

Butler Shen smiled warmly. “You’re very welcome.”

After speaking, Butler Shen seemed to remember something. His gaze fell on Shen Xiu. When Shen Xiu met his eyes, Butler Shen quickly looked away.

“I don’t know much about filming,” Butler Shen said, “but I heard online that makeup rooms are a necessity. So I’ve arranged several rooms for that purpose. Each one has a number, from 1 to 9. Feel free to assign them as needed.”

Shen Xiu: “?”

‘Why did he suddenly look at me? Did I imagine that?’

But he’d looked away so fast… maybe it was just a coincidence. Thinking so, Shen Xiu brushed off the moment and didn’t give it further thought.

Shi Yu’s smile grew even wider. “That’s incredibly thoughtful of you—thank you!”

Though they still didn’t have solid proof of why Butler Shen was treating the Storm crew so generously, it was unquestionably a good thing.

Perhaps aware that his presence was making the crew feel constrained, Butler Shen took his leave after finishing his discussion with Shi Yu.

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