Chapter 33: Guess Why She Calls Me Mrs. Shen

Seeing the message, An Ling stopped what she was doing to reply.

[Alright. I have plans tonight too; I'll be eating out. I’ll let Auntie Cheng know in a bit.]

Today was her first day on the job, and her colleagues had suggested dinner together. She had originally intended to tell Shen Linyan about it, but seeing Shen Fuyuan had made her forget.

As soon as she sent the message, the status at the top of the chat window flickered for a moment.

But then, it returned to silence.

An Ling waited for a while. Seeing that the man hadn't sent anything new and unsure of what he wanted to say, she eventually sent another message herself.

An Ling: [Remember to say no (╹◡╹)]

Shen Linyan: [Okay.]

She turned off her screen and was about to shove her phone back into her pocket when another message suddenly popped up.

Shen Linyan: [Will you be drinking while dining with your friends? Do you need me to pick you up, Madam?]

Dining with friends? Drinking?

There were so many points in that one sentence that needed correcting that An Ling didn't quite know how to respond.

However, since she was eating with colleagues tonight, there would probably be some alcohol involved, right? Shen Linyan was likely worried about her face blindness.

An Ling couldn't help but chuckle. He truly lived up to his role as the "gentle second male lead"—his consideration for others was impeccable.

She typed back slowly.

[Yes. I'll send you the location later (⑉••⑉)]

Shen Linyan: [Understood, Madam (⑉••⑉)]

Pushing open the door to the reception room, An Ling looked at the young woman sitting on the sofa. "Shen Fuyuan, let’s talk."

Shen Fuyuan gave a cold laugh, crossing her legs with casual arrogance. "Finally stopped pretending, have you? I have nothing to talk about with you. If you’re trying to use me to get to Lu Jingshen, you’re dead wrong."

"I'm referring to the program filming."

"..."

Shen Fuyuan's expression stiffened for a second. "You’re calling me directly by my name when talking business? Where’s your professional etiquette?"

An Ling smiled and uttered three words:

"I feel like it."

"..."

"Of course, you can call me 'Sister-in-law' instead. I don't mind."

"..."

Pretending not to notice the barely suppressed rage in the girl's eyes, An Ling pulled out a chair and sat down unhurriedly.

"Since this is your first time participating in a variety show, let me be clear. Before filming begins, I need to understand your daily routine and your schedule for the days of the shoot to ensure no accidents occur during production."

Shen Fuyuan narrowed her eyes, then suddenly raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You want to know my daily routine?"

An Ling nodded. "Yes."

"Fine, but I don't like talking—it's too much trouble. Why don't you just follow me personally?"

Shen Fuyuan slowly put on her sunglasses, a bright smile playing on her lips that carried a hint of mischief.

"I feel like going shopping. Want to come along, Producer An? Just the two of us."

Still wanting her to call her sister-in-law?

Just wait until she was stuck carrying all the shopping bags.

This woman had tricked her big brother so many times; Shen Fuyuan decided she would be generous enough to help her brother get some revenge for once.

Hearing this, An Ling blinked, glanced down at the time, and smiled.

"Certainly."

Once they arrived at the mall, Shen Fuyuan adjusted her hat, glanced at the woman behind her, and let out a laugh.

"Make sure you keep up."

An Ling raised an eyebrow slightly, her hands casually tucked into her pockets. "Sure."

They walked into a luxury boutique. As the sales associate approached, Shen Fuyuan raised a hand to stop her before she could speak.

"All the new arrivals for this season that are in stock—wrap them all up for me."

As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of the woman behind her who was slowly admiring the displays. She curled her lips into a smile and pointed a finger.

"Give them to her to carry."

The sales associate was taken aback. She turned to look at An Ling to confirm. "Is that lady going to carry them all by herself?"

Although there weren't many new items in stock, there were still over a dozen. Giving them all to one girl to carry?

The associate pulled her gaze back and said with a smile, "If it's inconvenient for the two of you, our store actually offers a delivery service..."

"Ahem!!"

Under Shen Fuyuan’s death glare, the smile on the associate's face froze. she quickly swallowed her words. "Right away. Please wait a moment."

Hearing the commotion, An Ling looked up from the new seasonal ornaments in the display cabinet.

As she raised her head, she saw the mischievous glint in Shen Fuyuan's eyes beneath the brim of her hat. "Producer An, usually my bodyguards carry these. Today, I’ve made an exception to come here just for you, so you won't mind helping me carry them, right?"

An Ling’s tone was playful. "Me? Carry them?"

"That’s right." The girl spoke with an air of complete entitlement, lounging back on the sofa and waving her hand as if helpless.

"I have no choice. You know there isn't much stock. If I wait too long, they might be gone."

An Ling sat down opposite her, leaning casually against the arm of the sofa. She said unhurriedly, "So you only came here to buy the latest arrivals? Nothing else?"

"Yep." Shen Fuyuan pulled down her mask slightly, grinning brilliantly. "It's only a dozen or so items. That shouldn't be too much trouble for Producer An, right?"

An Ling blinked and smiled slowly.

"A dozen is too few. Why don't we just take the entire seasonal collection?"

Shen Fuyuan was stunned. "What?"

The whole collection?

"Are you crazy? That's impossible—"

Before she could finish, a sales associate suddenly walked over.

The woman wore a manager's badge on her chest. She bowed with a smile and handed a small cake to An Ling.

"Mrs. Shen, I am so sorry. Our staff are all new and didn't recognize you. What brings you here so suddenly?"

An Ling waved it off, indicating it was fine. "I recall that this season's new arrivals haven't been delivered to the house yet?"

"That's correct. The items are ready. If you need them, we can have them sent to your home right now."

An Ling nodded toward Shen Fuyuan, who sat opposite her, and said with a smile, "Don't send them to my place. Send them to that lady's house instead."

"Understood."

After the manager left, Shen Fuyuan was still in a daze. "...What does this mean? You can just get the entire seasonal collection?"

An Ling blinked and tilted her head with a smile.

"Why do you think she called me Mrs. Shen?"

At those words, Shen Fuyuan’s eyes widened. "???"

Damn it! Brother, you never treated me like this! I begged you for those items before and you wouldn't give them to me!

Has the acting reached this level of commitment already?!

Refusing to believe it, Shen Fuyuan stood up abruptly and gritted her teeth. "I'm switching stores!"

It had to be a coincidence. It couldn't possibly be like this in other shops!

A few minutes later...

"Mrs. Shen, you've arrived..."

"Mrs. Shen, please have some water..."

"Mrs. Shen, we've specially reserved the limited-edition new arrivals for you..."

"Mrs. Shen..."

The completely ignored Shen Fuyuan: "..."

Her face turned red with anger. She turned and stormed out of the store, gnashing her teeth in fury.

Insane! Big Brother has absolutely lost his mind!

Why give this woman so many perks? No wonder she isn't afraid of causing trouble every day!

The woman behind her followed with leisurely steps, her voice drawling, "Does Miss Shen want to shop anywhere else?"

"..."

Just as Shen Fuyuan was about to turn around and snap at her, a surprised female voice came from a nearby store.

"...Shen Fuyuan?"

An Ling instinctively glanced over, thinking it was a fan who had recognized her, and didn't pay it much mind.

But then, she heard Shen Fuyuan’s startled voice.

"Zhou Wen?"

An Ling paused mid-motion. She turned her head and squinted to get a better look.

It really did seem to be the female lead.

At that moment, her gaze met that of Zhou Wen, who was walking out of the store.

The moment she saw An Ling, the expression on Zhou Wen's face stiffened, and her footsteps faltered.

"...Sister-in-law."

She seemed somewhat intimidated by An Ling, her voice weak as she called out. Her gaze shifted hesitantly between Shen Fuyuan and An Ling, a forced smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Are you two... out shopping together?" she asked, her tone laced with uncertainty.