Chapter 1340: Sharp‑tongued, Proud Celebrity & Super‑Rich Insecure Wife 17

At least the cameras were still filming, Bai Qing patiently coaxed An Yun, and this little incident was finally over.

After completing their individual tasks, the guest group walked through the corridor into a place filled with the young master's stored belongings.

"Wow, this must be a secret space."

Lin Cheng didn't dare lift his foot, afraid of stepping on the scattered letters on the ground.

Looking around, the box holding the letters was tipped over, half its contents spilled, the ground covered with unknown white petals, melted wax drips, and blurred ink stains.

The guests began searching for clues; Jin Chen half‑squatted beside the coffee table and picked up the scattered portraits.

They were all self‑portraits of the young master, but each had a different expression, giving a slightly off feeling.

"Hey, look at this!"

Lin Cheng rummaged in the drawer and found a form, brimming with the excitement of having discovered important evidence.

He handed the form to everyone and explained.

"It records the butler's work schedule, broken down by time and location within the manor."

Xiang Xiaoyu: "It's marked in red near the garden by the bedroom, possibly… a place for close‑range dating?"

"As expected, I wasn't wrong! If it weren't for a lover, why would the young master remember the butler's schedule!"

"OMG, this counts as a gorgeous love story."

"Although… I still feel something's off… just like the question Jin Chen raised earlier, it hasn't been answered."

Chu Yin also agreed that the butler was the young master's lover, and after examining the scattered letters on the floor, he became even more certain.

"All we need now is to find the butler's method of operation, and we'll have full proof."

Jin Chen, who had also read the letters, dared not agree and had no intention of joining the discussion.

He opened his phone again to the love messages he had photographed, and his gaze fell once more on the petals scattered on the floor and the large floor‑standing mirror in the room.

Jin Chen pondered, hearing Shen Shi, who had found a clue, recite: "Do you love a real person, or an illusory shadow?" In his hand was a garment with bloody characters written on it.

Shen Shi murmured, repeating once: "An illusory shadow?"

Jin Chen stood up, having a rough idea: "In the restaurant memory, the young master, in a panic, said he had a brother."

Shen Shi: "Do you think the lover is the brother?"

Jin Chen shrugged: "Not necessarily, but it's definitely not the butler."

He spoke with such certainty that it made the other guests, who were heatedly debating, look a bit embarrassed.

Lin Cheng blinked, confused: "Why? Isn't it obvious that it's the butler?"

Jin Chen: "Do you think recording the butler's schedule was to make dating convenient?"

"Exactly, exactly." Lin Cheng nodded.

"Then, changing perspective, could it be to avoid him conveniently?"

Jin Chen laid all the scattered portraits flat on the floor, pointing at several spots: "Behind each of the young master's self‑portraits are eyes staring at him, plus symbols representing the owners of those eyes."

Bai Qing looked at the ink dots resembling a white suit and immediately replied, "That's the butler."

Jin Chen: "I don't think anyone would paint their lover from a voyeur's angle."

Shen Shi, chiming in, also expressed surprise: "Most of these portraits are projections of the inner world; the young master fears the butler."

"I…!" Lin Cheng swallowed his curse, meaning their whole analysis just now was useless.

Chu Yin still wanted to stick to his initial guess: "Could the portraits just be misleading clues?"

Jin Chen reached out to him: "Present your evidence."

Chu Yin obviously couldn't refute, he frowned: "But if you say the lover isn't the butler, who else could it be? So far there's no trace of anyone else having existed in the manor."

Thus a split appeared among the guest group.

Just then the bell chimed, the butler pushed the door open, still wearing his unchanging smile.

"Please, detectives, enter the backyard to rest; we'll continue searching for clues tomorrow."

Jin Chen tossed the portraits aside: "Work's done!"

——

The guests' interactions outside the show still need to be recorded; the manor's backyard is equivalent to the cottage in a traditional dating reality show.

Unlike the other guests who continued to show affection on camera, Shen Shi carried a coffee cup to the sofa, sat down, and held his notebook while processing emails.

After taking over the group, Shen Shi handled many matters personally; even though he had postponed this period's work tasks, many ongoing projects still needed review.

Jin Chen kept him company for a while, boredly shifting into seven or eight poses on the sofa, failing to draw his wife's attention, so he simply went upstairs to sleep.

Shen Shi entered work mode; his handsome, stern face showed no expression, only the sound of his notebook being lightly tapped.

"He's so handsome…… Director Shen goes from wife to husband in just one second!!"

"Isn't it supposed to be monogamy! I want this husband!"

"LOL hahaha the program team wishes they could shoot those close‑up mocking faces, but they dare not get too close."

"No wonder Jin Chen said he wanted Shen Shi to accompany him more— that kid on the sofa was practically doing a tap dance, and Director Shen, in his recent state, didn't even spare half a glance, hahahaha!"

Shen Shi suddenly received an unknown email, the recipient still being his personal mailbox.

His finger hovered over the touchscreen, then paused; Shen Shi frowned at the subject line of the unknown email.

"About Jin Chen's secret."

Shen Shi raised his eyebrows slightly and clicked it open.

It was a few sets of photos.

Photos of Jin Chen and various artists "going out intimately."

Caption: "Don't you think Jin Chen isn't good enough for you? Someone like him deserves to be despised by everyone! Yet you still like him?? What do you like about him?"

Sent two minutes ago.

Unlike the Chief Executive Officer's friends, compared to the highly confidential work email, Shen Shi is less secretive about his personal mailbox, and sometimes it also connects to Jin Chen's work.

So, this email was deliberately sent by an insider.

Shen Shi's face turned grim and cold, and he suddenly lifted his gaze toward the camera.

〖Holy shit! Scared me! 〗

〖What the heck is this?? What did Shen Shi see?? 〗

〖Can't imagine his subordinates having to endure this chilling, hair-raising aura every day... office workers are truly terrified. 〗

Shen Shi's voice was devoid of warmth, and the chill was piercing.

"No matter who sent this email, I will have Jin Chen's agent go through legal proceedings."

"I believe the group's Legal Department can give you an accurate answer."

〖Not me, I'm eating a painfully expensive Zhou Hei duck! 〗

〖Not me! I'm eating mala hot pot with two slices of baby cabbage that costs me 9 bucks! 〗

〖The person Shen Shi is warning is also watching the live stream? Buddy, you better confess quickly! 〗