He saw it—and so did Shi Xiaotian.
The two of them walked over and entered the reserved private room, one after the other.
Inside, President Su of the talent agency was already seated with her close friend.
The moment the woman saw Liang He, her eyes lit up with excitement. She immediately rose from her chair and made her way over, arms outstretched as if to embrace him—only to be blocked by Shi Xiaotian's swift arm. "Sorry, that won't be appropriate."
"Then… may I at least shake your hand?"
Liang He was not one for unnecessary airs. Though he had no desire to touch the middle-aged woman before him, for the sake of his boss's pride, he extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."
But the woman clung to his hand as though she had no intention of letting go, utterly thrilled. Seeing Liang He attempt to withdraw to no avail, his face darkening, Shi Xiaotian quickly stepped in and pried her fingers off with a forced smile. "Haha, let's all sit down, shall we?"
With someone so much older, Liang He had nothing to say. Throughout the meal, his conversations were mostly with President Su.
Near the end of dinner, he finally voiced what had been on his mind. "On my way up, I saw Qianqian. She was dining with Producer Zhou."
"Oh, I'm aware," President Su said brightly. "Producer Zhou is collaborating with a renowned director on a new film. They're still casting the female lead. I've been pushing hard for Qianqian. The role hasn't been confirmed yet, so I arranged for her to meet with him over dinner—just to talk things through."
Liang He gave a noncommittal "Mm" and said no more.
President Su's friend kept toasting him, forcing him to drink several more glasses. Though not fully drunk, his cheeks had taken on a noticeable flush.
When dinner ended, President Su and her friend departed first.
Liang He remained behind. A moment later, Shi Xiaotian stepped in from outside. "Liang-ge, Miss Sun hasn't finished yet."
"I figured."
He and Shi Xiaotian exited the building and got into the car—but did not drive away.
They waited.
Eventually, Sun Qianqian and Producer Zhou appeared and entered a car together. As it pulled away, Shi Xiaotian quickly followed.
The car led them to the entrance of a hotel.
Producer Zhou alighted first and entered the lobby. Sun Qianqian remained in the car.
On Liang He's cue, Shi Xiaotian exited the vehicle and discreetly followed. With her baseball cap pulled low, she blended in easily.
Ten minutes later, she returned and said quietly, "Room 1219."
Liang He said nothing. His eyes, cool and clear, remained fixed ahead.
Nearly an hour passed before Sun Qianqian finally stepped out of the car, now wearing a face mask and cap. Her bodyguards did not accompany her.
Seeing this, Liang He exited the car as well. Naturally, Shi Xiaotian followed.
They watched as Sun Qianqian made her way to Room 1219, carefully checking her surroundings before disappearing inside.
As the door clicked shut, Liang He approached.
He turned back and made a call to Long Yubei.
His voice was low and hushed. "I'm at one of your chain hotels…"
A few minutes later, Shi Xiaotian returned from the lobby bar, holding a spare keycard.
Ordinarily, hotels wouldn't provide a duplicate key due to guest privacy.
But…
This was a Long family property.
And for Long Yubei—who would go to any length for his brother—not even something this underhanded would earn a second thought.
Shi Xiaotian glanced at the card in Liang He's hand, unsure what he was contemplating.
Time ticked by.
She kept glancing at the clock.
Finally, after fifteen minutes, he moved.
With a sudden push, he slid the card and entered the room.
Catching the two inside completely off guard.
The scene before them made Shi Xiaotian's face turn crimson. She immediately turned and left, leaving only Liang He frozen in place—staring in stunned silence at the pair entangled on the bed.