Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Yu Si Han adjusted his emotions and headed downstairs to the dining room.

As usual, his father and elder brother were already seated, eating, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

Yu Si Han forced a smile and took a seat next to his elder brother.

"Dad, big brother."

No one responded. Both Yu Da Hai and Yu Si Tan continued their meal without acknowledging him.

Yu Si Han was used to it. He began eating the steak prepared by the housemaid in silence.

Yu Si Tan finished eating first, but unlike before, he wasn't in a hurry. He simply leaned back in his chair, engrossed in his phone.

"What kind of behavior is this?" Yu Da Hai reprimanded upon seeing him. "You're the heir to our company, yet you act so carelessly every day."

"Alright, alright." Yu Si Tan touched his ear sheepishly, sitting up straight. "Dad, if you have something to say to him, just say it. He's been with us for so long; he should start contributing to the company."

Yu Si Han paused in cutting his steak and looked up at Yu Da Hai.

"Then I'll be direct." Yu Da Hai put down his cutlery, "For some unknown reason, the Xie family has blocked several of our deals recently. Did you cause this?"

Yu Si Han felt a tightening in his chest.

"Dad, why would I even know... anyone from the Xie family?" Yu Si Han averted his gaze from Yu Da Hai, "Besides, shouldn't you be thinking of big brother?"

"What do you mean by that, Yu Si Han? Are you implying I upset the Xie family?" Yu Si Tan, who had been watching the drama unfold, suddenly became enraged, slamming his phone onto the table. "Did you purposely imply that in front of dad?"

"Alright, Si Tan has been learning the ropes with me lately, and I know what's going on." Yu Da Hai was merely making a wild guess.

Yu Si Han was clear in his heart. If Yu Da Hai knew he was the one at fault, he would've punished him severely, even dragging him to apologize to the Xie family.

In Yu Da Hai's eyes, only Yu Si Tan existed as his son, not him, Yu Si Han.

Thus, all this talk was just Yu Da Hai subconsciously trying to deflect the blame.

As expected, Yu Da Hai revealed his true intention in the next moment.

"There's a rising real estate magnate in Hai City who has praised you," Yu Da Hai said with a tone of command masked as consultation. "You've been in the entertainment industry for so long; one more favor wouldn't hurt."

Yu Si Han kept his head down, accidentally scratching the plate with his cutlery, producing a sharp noise.

Seriously, were these words a father should utter?

Yu Si Han smirked coldly, "Fine, I'll do it."

He looked up, his eerie smile causing Yu Da Hai to falter. "In return, I want 10% of the company's shares. That's not too much, is it?"

"As long as you grant this, in the future, I'll accompany whomever you ask."

"Impossible!" Yu Si Tan suddenly stood, "Yu Si Han, I can obtain those photos of you with that perverted old man from your company. If you don't want them to get out..."

Yu Si Han hadn't expected Yu Si Tan to have such pictures, clenching his fists in shock.

"Regardless of what you choose, you'll be doing this job. If the company suffers, don't expect to last in the entertainment industry," Yu Si Tan looked disdainfully at Yu Si Han before heading upstairs.

He had never liked this brother brought back from the orphanage, feeling as if he'd been wronged by him in a past life.

"You won't get shares; they're all for your brother," Yu Da Hai was adamant. "Once this is over, I'll transfer 10 million to you, and I'll make sure your brother gets rid of the photos."

Having said this, Yu Da Hai rose, ready to leave.

But as he approached the stairway, he turned, admonishing, "In the future, avoid being caught in photos like that. How you want to tarnish yourself is up to you, but don't let others associate such behavior with the Yu family."

When the dining room was finally empty, the veins in Yu Si Han's hands bulged as he furiously sliced the half-piece of steak left on his plate.

Ning Yu Yi was sprawled on the sofa, scrolling through Weibo while munching on the juicy gossip about Zhang Yang from the day before.

"Sweetie, don't chew my clothes," Ning Yu Yi gently lifted the cat, Sweetie, onto the sofa, letting her snuggle beside him.

Following some comments on Weibo, Ning Yu Yi ventured into a fan forum, uncovering quite a few old stories.

When Fan Zhong Chuan walked in, he saw Ning Yu Yi lying on the sofa, engrossed in his phone while playing with the cat. The rolled-up white T-shirt revealed his attractive waistline.

Hearing the door open, Ning Yu Yi thought the housekeeper, who'd gone shopping, had returned. Getting up from the sofa, he intended to help her with the groceries. However, turning around, he was met with Fan Zhong Chuan approaching.

"Brother," Ning Yu Yi blinked, "Aren't you working today?"

Fan Zhong Chuan settled on the sofa, and Ning Yu Yi peeled an orange for him.

"The housekeeper bought these; they're really sweet," Ning Yu Yi handed half to Fan Zhong Chuan, popping the other half into his mouth.

Fan Zhong Chuan took a bite.

It was sweet, but Ning Yu Yi was sweeter.

Recalling the sight of Ning Yu Yi's waist when he entered, a shadow passed over Fan Zhong Chuan's eyes.

Fan Zhong Chuan had been busy recently, so whenever he had free time, he'd seek out Ning Yu Yi.

"I was just reading about Zhang Yang's recent scandal," Ning Yu Yi shared the latest gossip from Weibo, "Netizens joke that we, the gossip consumers, are the real trash."

Although Fan Zhong Chuan wasn't too familiar with online gossip culture, he found Ning Yu Yi's excitement endearing.

Sweetie, familiar with Fan Zhong Chuan, hopped off the sofa, seeking a more comfortable position on Fan Zhong Chuan's lap.

"It's strange how Sweetie dislikes my second brother but adores you so much," Ning Yu Yi playfully chided, stroking Sweetie's chin, "Last time she almost scratched him; good thing I pulled her away."

Hearing this, Fan Zhong Chuan smirked, giving Sweetie's tail a gentle stroke.

Being pampered by both, Sweetie purred contentedly, her eyes narrowing into slits.

Ning Yu Yi's phone vibrated, signaling an update for the game "King of Glory."

An idea struck him, and holding Sweetie, he looked expectantly at Fan Zhong Chuan.

"What's up?"

"Brother..."

"Yes?"

Ning Yu Yi whispered his cunning plan, "Do you play 'King of Glory'? I can help power-level your account!"

Although it was just a game, the idea of boosting Fan Zhong Chuan's account was truly exhilarating.

Ning Yu Yi secretly fantasized about dominating alongside Fan Zhong Chuan in the game, feeling the thrill even from just imagining it.

Fan Zhong Chuan raised an eyebrow but agreed.

After downloading the game, an eager Ning Yu Yi borrowed Zhou Er He's high-level account and queued up for a three-player rank match.

In the first game, Ning Yu Yi chose Sun Shangxiang, and following his suggestion, Fan Zhong Chuan picked Yao.

Six minutes in, Ning Yu Yi got brutally defeated in the bottom lane. The first, second, and third towers all bore witness to their two fallen avatars.

For the second game, Ning Yu Yi opted for a more conservative choice, picking Guan Yu and sticking close behind Fan Zhong Chuan's Zhang Fei.

Eight minutes later, their jungler quit and began spamming their chat with toxic comments.

However, Ning Yu Yi cleverly muted all in-game chat messages from both him and Fan Zhong Chuan.

……

After finishing, Ning Yu Yi returned the account to Zhou Er He, sending him a gift of 288 in-game currency as a gesture of goodwill.

Upon receiving the gift, Zhou Er He was utterly perplexed and sent a questioning emoji.

——？

Ning Yu Yi was feeling especially guilty.

——Remember the new Dragon Knight skin for Mozi you liked?

——Um, your ranking points might have dropped a bit.

The look of confusion on Zhou Er He's face instantly disappeared.

——How much did it drop?

Ning Yu Yi coughed nervously. The next moment, a glass of water was handed to him.

Ning Yu Yi thanked Fan Zhong Chuan.

——Not too much.

——Just a major rank.

After sending that last message, there was a long silence from Zhou Er He.

Just when Ning Yu Yi thought he had accepted the reality.

——Ning Yu Yi, you absolute &￥#&*@!&……

Zhou Erhe felt a pang of weariness, lamenting over his lost gaming rank.

When he logged onto his top-tier account, he was inundated with notifications of reported infractions.

Closing his eyes, Zhou Erhe tried to calm his emotions.

Realizing that Boss Fan had been the one using his gaming account, he sighed in resignation.

Heartbroken over his plummeted rank, Zhou Erhe decided he'd ask someone to boost it for him in a few days.

After dinner with Fan Zhongchuan, Ning Yuyi prepared to take Tian Tian for a walk, fastening her leash.

Property values within the Qing'an villa district were high, but they were justified by top-notch amenities and services.

At night, the warm glow of the streetlights illuminated the entire community, leaving no shadowy corners.

Walking side by side, Ning Yuyi led Tian Tian, moving slowly due to his care for the pet.

The moment Yu Sihan stepped out of the mansion, he instantly recognized Ning Yuyi's silhouette.

With the older man in the mansion asleep, Yu Sihan took out his phone and quickly snapped a few photos.

Reviewing the images, a scheme began to form in Yu Sihan's mind.

Once home, he blurred out Fan Zhongchuan's figure in the photos and sent them to some top-tier influencer accounts.

Unexpectedly for Yu Sihan, those accounts declined the business immediately upon recognizing Ning Yuyi in the photos.

Their implicit message was clear: they, who earned modest amounts, wouldn't dare cross paths with Fenghua Entertainment.

Frustrated, Yu Sihan blocked those influencers and shifted his attention to smaller influencer accounts.

An obscure marketing account, eager to make a splash, mustered the courage to release a photograph.

Upon seeing the post by the marketing account, Yu Sihan was overjoyed and immediately secured a spot for them on the trending list.

Ning Yuyi, having just returned from a walk, received an urgent call from Zhou Erhe.

Just after bidding farewell to Fan Zhongchuan and returning his cat, Tian Tian, to its room, Ning Yuyi picked up the phone, still a bit out of sorts.

"Check the trending list," Zhou Erhe said, glancing out from the emergency exit corridor. "Someone has posted a photo of you strolling with someone in Qing'an."

It took a moment for Ning Yuyi to grasp the situation: "Can't be. The security in Qing'an is top-notch."

"It's probably an inside job. You might want to check if there have been any outsiders around lately," Zhou Erhe, who had been dealing with many crises recently, now sounded much calmer. "The main issue now is to either suppress this or issue an official statement."

"I've reached out to Mr. Xie, but he hasn’t picked up as he's in a meeting," Zhou Erhe explained calmly. "For now, avoid checking those posts on Weibo."

"Oh."

"You've always had many admirers. Many are envious because of your looks, your connections, and your acting skills. I bet many will kick you while you're down."

Ning Yuyi had already scrolled through Weibo, examining the covertly taken photos, noticing that Fan Zhongchuan had been pixelated out.

"Ning Yuyi, are you even listening to me?"

"I am, I am," Ning Yuyi zoomed in on the image. "Why was Fan Zhongchuan pixelated? Doesn't he deserve to be named in this situation?"

Author's note: Fan Zhongchuan: Do I not deserve to be mentioned by name?