CHAPTER 404: CHAPTER 404 MOCKERY WITH A SLY TONE

Qin Feng continued squatting in the bushes, gritting his teeth to endure the numbness and soreness. Thankfully, Sang Ning didn’t walk in his direction.

After holding on for a while longer and confirming that Sang Ning had left, the numbness in his legs finally eased a little. Only then did Qin Feng grit his teeth, hug his weary legs, and shuffle slightly.

He had been squatting for so long—he couldn’t let his efforts go to waste. He absolutely had to find out who was in the car.

With that thought in mind, Qin Feng mustered his courage, stood up, and bent low to peer out and observe the scene ahead.

The nanny van remained motionless. It seemed the people inside were about to get out, but he was too far away to see clearly.

Using the roadside weeds for cover, Qin Feng crouched and moved through them, trying to get closer to the nanny van.

After several attempts to peek out and finding no abnormalities, his courage grew. He stopped hesitating and barreled forward in one go.

After moving forward a considerable distance, Qin Feng finally straightened his upper body to peek outside again. At that moment, a tall figure suddenly caught him off guard.

A high, straight nose, thin lips pressed into a tight line, and narrow eyes brimming with cold indifference—the person exuded an unapproachable aura of authority.

Qin Feng was stunned, his brain short-circuiting as it went blank for a moment.

After a long pause, he finally squeezed a few words through trembling teeth: "Bro... why is it you?"

Li Juezhou narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the weeds stuck to Qin Feng’s head for some time before slowly speaking: "I don’t share my younger brother with anyone else."

Qin Feng didn’t know Li Juezhou very well—not exactly. To be precise, his brother Qin Siyan and Li Juezhou were best friends, so out of courtesy, Qin Feng naturally called Li Juezhou "brother."

Qin Feng felt no embarrassment. He had faced enough cold stares from his own brother and was already used to being ignored like a neglected cabbage.

Not only was he not awkward, but he even fawningly stepped aside to make way for Li Juezhou, saying, "Brother, please go ahead."

In Li Juezhou’s eyes, Qin Feng was just a rash junior with a pure-hearted nature. He didn’t bother to delve into why Qin Feng was here. After all, he was a friend’s younger brother. As an elder, he casually exchanged a few words of concern: "I heard you didn’t rely on the Qin Family’s connections and got the chance through your own audition. Not bad, keep it up."

Qin Feng, being lively and social, would blossom with just a little encouragement from others.

Qin Feng didn’t realize Li Juezhou was being polite; instead, he beamed and eagerly leaned in to gossip, asking, "Brother, what’s your relationship with Sang Ning?"

Li Juezhou gave Qin Feng a cold look and said, "Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Looks like you’ve been awfully idle while filming—is your workload too light?"

The remark made Qin Feng’s pupils constrict slightly. Immediately, he mimed zipping his lips, threw Li Juezhou a conspiratorial glance, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Brother, I get it—I get it! Don’t worry, I’ll focus on my filming!"

What exactly did this guy understand? Li Juezhou stared at Qin Feng like he was a fool, unwilling to waste more words. He turned around and left.

After Li Juezhou left, Qin Feng was like a crazy weasel in a melon patch—jumping in place, hugging his head, rubbing his face—all unable to contain his emotions.

How could he be the only one privy to such juicy drama?

Qin Feng knew a bit about Li Juezhou’s private life. This guy was a workaholic, dedicating almost all his time to Hai Chuan Group. He didn’t have any interest in women and showed zero inclination toward romance—even approaching thirty, he was still a bachelor.

If Qin Feng hadn’t stumbled upon his cozy interaction with Sang Ning today, he’d almost believe Li Juezhou’s claim of having no interest in women.

But now it was clear! This wasn’t aversion—behind the scenes, he seemed to be having a good time.

Li Juezhou was a person of responsibility who could handle matters. If he and Sang Ning were truly in a serious relationship, he should’ve directly admitted Sang Ning was his girlfriend just now.

But he didn’t—and even dodged the question. What did this mean?

It meant the two of them were in a secret relationship!

Diving deeper, it was entirely possible their relationship involved sponsorship—one being the benefactor, and the other being the recipient.

No matter how gorgeous Sang Ning looked, her identity and status were still worlds apart from Li Juezhou. It was impossible for her to be his legitimate girlfriend.

Qin Feng concocted an elaborate romance drama in his head. He thought about asking his brother to confirm it, but then remembered the harsh words he’d uttered when he left home—that he wouldn’t voluntarily contact his family for the next two years—and decided against it.

Sang Ning, unaware that Qin Feng had witnessed her meeting with Li Juezhou or had fabricated such a wild narrative, only noticed Qin Feng’s sudden odd behavior.

Every mealtime, when she’d mention heading to the nanny van to eat, Qin Feng would look at her with a mischievous expression and say, "Go ahead. I’ll cover for you."

Sang Ning felt utterly baffled. She wasn’t doing anything unacceptable—what was there to cover for? Yet no matter how much she pressed Qin Feng, she couldn’t get a straight answer.

As the time for graduate school registration approached, Sang Ning didn’t forget her promise to Tang Yuanmao. Taking advantage of breaks between filming, she borrowed a laptop from the crew to log onto the website and sign up.

Coincidentally, her registration page was seen by Qin Feng, who happened to be wandering around the set.

"Wow, Sister Ning, you’re incredible—plus ultra-level. The entertainment industry isn’t enough for you; now you’re chasing thrills in academia?" Qin Feng’s tone carried not a trace of compliments—instead, it was soaked in mockery.

Graduate school exams weren’t something embarrassing, and Sang Ning had no intention of hiding them. She just felt Qin Feng was becoming annoyingly omnipresent lately. Her tone soured as she sarcastically replied, "Actors should have a bit of cultural literacy. It’s better than being called a dimwit."

Qin Feng had just been scolded by Qin Jiaxiang a few days ago for a silly mistake, being labeled a "dimwit." Sang Ning’s comment was clearly intended to jab at him.

Sure enough, Qin Feng hung his head, wordless in retort. Seeing she’d hit his sore spot, Sang Ning decided to let it go without rubbing it in—she didn’t enjoy putting people down.

Sang Ning thought Qin Feng was sulking from being struck where it hurt. Little did she know, the guy was actually pondering intensely: Even if Sang Ning was being sponsored, she still worked so hard. Did being Li Juezhou’s secret lover require this much effort? How terrifying!

After registering, Sang Ning entrusted her agent to buy her study materials. Since she’d decided to take the exams, she intended to treat them seriously.

From that point on, Sang Ning launched herself into a grueling study routine. Aside from filming and reading scripts, she devoted all her spare time to preparation.

Even her meals were rushed through in minutes so she could study in the nanny van, completely ignoring Li Juezhou’s presence there. On set while waiting for her scenes, she muttered strings of vocabulary aloud.

Quickly, the news of Sang Ning’s exam plans spread through the crew. That wasn’t even the most shocking part—the real surprise was that someone from a film school background was attempting a cross-disciplinary exam for a research institute!