CHAPTER 378: EPISODE 40.9 HOW TO DRIVE PEOPLE CRAZY?

"What the heck did you do?" Shen Yuan asked his husband.

After Bai Tingfeng’s bone-chilling stunt, the subsequent shooting of other guild masters turned out energetic if the people participating were injected with chicken blood.

Bai Tingfeng set the bar so high that it sparked the competitive spirit of these hunter society’s big players.

Because of this, Shen Yuan saw how Lee Jinhyuk and his people worked hard at 200 times speed just to keep up with the hunters.

Oh, it brings him immense joy seeing these undercover Cardinal bastards work themselves to the bone without knowing that their doom is about to arrive.

He loves seeing Lee Jinhyuk’s disgruntled and tired.

However, Shen Yuan noticed something. Beneath this fatigued face of the man was a worried expression. He looked like he wanted to get out of here quickly.

It was understandable if that emotion gradually appeared on Lee Jinhyuk as the shooting became taxing and incessant. But he’d seen that "after" Bai Tingfeng finished his individual shoot.

It was too fishy to ignore.

"I fought a good fight and gave them a great show. Just like they asked me, Bai Tingfeng said matter-of-factly that instantly tickled the frustration inside the celestial fox spirit.

’That’s not what I am talking about!’ Shen Yuan groaned inwardly and hugged the fox stuffed toy a little tighter.

"The bastard looked shaken after exchanging words with you. Did you beat the grass to startle the snake?"

Being asked straightforwardly by his beloved, Bai Tingfeng had no choice but to come clean. He told Shen Yuan what he said to Lee Jinhyuk.

"That is not as severe as I thought," The celestial fox spirit silently uttered.

However, seeing that Lee Jinhyuk start to act like his ass is on fire after that dialogue means that it is more impactful than intended.

The bastard’s vigilance is on high alert. It’s only a matter of time and chance before he...

"Commit a mistake." Shen Yuan whispered, a malicious smirk dancing around his beautiful face.

The cold, wet draft of the dungeon blew, and Bai Tingfeng felt a sudden chill.

People feared him for his power that could instantly kill—but the real threat was the man beside him, the one who could make people beg for death.

He waited in silence for the next move of his husband, for he knew that the beautiful head of his was churning out a scheme.

After a moment of silence, Shen Yuan opened his mouth and issued a quiet order— not to Bai Tingfeng but to the Gu Jinpeng in the shadow.

"Hey, Gu Jinpeng, you dog."

The shadow quivered. ’You can just call me by my name without calling me a dog...’

Instead, Gu Jinpeng said, "What is it, Master Shen?"

"Tell Chairman Mao I’m taking the wheel. He can sit back and enjoy the ride."

Under the shadows, Gu Jinpeng’s forehead creased, but he didn’t ask anything to clear the confusion. He just smartened himself up and said, "On it." Before slithering away through the shadows of the forest floor.

"Yuan..." Bai Tingfeng worriedly looked at Shen Yuan. The plan was for Shen Yuan to stay in the back lines...

"Oh, don’t worry about it," Shen Yuan said, faintly reassuring. "I don’t intend to steal the center position. That remained in Chairman Mao’s responsibility. I will just linger around the sidelines and watch out for sneaky bastards."

As he said that, he sneakily summoned his five foxfire beasts and sent them into the wild.

Those little bastards know what to do.

Shen Yuan gave Yanyan’s stuffed toy a loving stroke.

His husband gave them a stellar performance. As the better half, shouldn’t he do something amazing too?

~~~

Working in a high-intensity job while constantly looking over one’s shoulder was bound to be "too much" for anyone.

People can act like the hustle was nothing, and continuously power through the tiredness and fatigue.

But no matter how good they are at hiding it, signs of cracking would gradually appear on the surface.

"Your angle in this shoot is too askew! You’ve been working as a cameraman for years, and yet you still don’t know how to properly hold a camera!"

"Guild Master Miao, the shot looks awkward when you look at the cameras. Stop looking for a good angle, just focus on the action!"

"Move vigorously! Not lanky!"

Deny it all he wants, but Lee Jinhyuk has been spiralling ever since he spoke with Bai Tingfeng. That is a fact.

He wanted to stop as he was unwittingly offending some guild masters. However, he simply can’t help himself.

Lee Jinhyuk feels unsafe. He felt like an ant trapped on a burning stove—nowhere to run, nowhere safe.

And it didn’t make sense if the people closest to him couldn’t see his state.

"Boss..." His assistant called his attention. "Anything wrong?"

Lee Jinhyuk momentarily put down the tablet he used to review the successful shots. He shook his head, sighing.

The problem is that there is nothing wrong with the people around him.

Because of the bad feelings brewing in his stomach, Lee Jinhyuk has been keeping a close eye on the movement of the S-class awakeners around him.

Chairman Mao stayed true to his supervising post during the shooting, Xia Jinhai served as the coordinator between him and the guild masters as discussed before, and Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng continued living in their small, rose-colored world as a couple.

No one from these high-profile awakeners acted suspiciously. However, despite knowing all that, Lee Jinhyuk cannot help but shake this horrible feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach.

"Boss, I don’t want to despise you, but..." His assistant whispered. "If you continue throwing a temper like this, we will end up offending a lot of guild masters."

They are supposed to build connections, not burn bridges!

Lee Jinhyuk tightened his jaw, offended that he had to be reminded. But on the other hand, he also knows that his assistant was right, too.

If he must continue working with the wolves here, he needs to free himself from the worry that impedes his thinking. He had to build security for himself.

"Tell Gao Minji and others to secretly widen our coverage," Lee Jinhyuk told his assistant. That is a secret signal among their group. The assistant was caught off guard at first, but connecting the dots between Lee Jinhyuk’s odd behaviour and his current serious expression, he didn’t dare dawdle and immediately moved to action.

Only when watching his assistant’s back disappear did he feel a sense of relief.

As much as he wanted to, he didn’t want to use methods that are reserved for desperate times. However, he needs assurances. He is nothing but a fat sheep trapped in a den of wolves.

~~~

With part of his worries eased, Lee Jinhyuk’s attitude improved.

He wasn’t irritable anymore. He smiled at guild masters and staff, even through retakes.

But those who endured his earlier foul mood still glared knives his way, convinced he’d caused trouble on purpose.

He hadn’t expected one short temper slip to earn that much hostility. At first, he just thought that he should ease the burden of his mind to work properly, but now, he also had to sort out the misunderstanding that the shift of his temper created.

He vowed to make it up to them—after the shoot. It’s impossible to massage the dumb ego of these discontented pricks when they are operating based on schedule.

For now, he focused only on what he could control: don’t piss off more guild masters.

However, it seems like even his good times are metered. After he singlehandedly filmed five guild masters (two of which lasted longer as they are too self-conscious in front of the camera), he noticed that his assistant still hadn’t returned!

Even the others he secretly sent out to do the task are still missing!

His order shouldn’t even take ten minutes!

The sickening weariness that disappeared minutes ago came back stronger.

"Can we take a ten-minute break?" Lee Jinhyuk approached Chairman Mao after his fifth worry-free filming. His face is slightly pale, and his lips look severely dehydrated.

Thankfully, Chairman Mao didn’t make things difficult for him and called for a break. He even offered Lee Jinhyuk a bottle of water to drink.

"Thank you, Chairman Mao." Lee Jinhyuk accepted but didn’t drink. He’s still being careful, for he is in the presence of a big, old wolf.

Chairman Mao didn’t seem to mind and instead asked. "What is it? You seem distressed. Tell me. Maybe I can help you."

Seeing that Chairman Mao did not react, Lee Jinhyuk’s overthinking mind calmed down a little. "He said his concern, but he didn’t tell the truth and constructed it over a lie. "My assistant excused himself for a toilet break, but it’s been like an hour since he disappeared, and he hasn’t returned yet. I am worried something happened to him."

Chairman Mao covered his mouth, looking genuinely shocked. "Oh my, that is serious. Why are you just saying it to me now? Come, let’s ask others to help the search."

"Is there anyone else missing?" Xia Jinhai asked when Chairman Mao and Lee Jinhyuk explained the situation.

"That—" Lee Jinhyuk was interrupted by angry Shen Yuan.

"Lee Jinhyuk! I didn’t expect that your people have a lot of courage!" Lee Jinhyuk felt like his heart slid down his stomach in an instant. Is he caught red-handed now?!