Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Hearing Ye Mingzhao's stiff and obvious attempt to change the subject, Chu Hengyi let out a hum. "After dealing with Zhou's Film Company, what are you planning to do next?"

Before Ye Mingzhao could respond, Chu Hengyi asked curiously, "You're not seriously thinking about becoming an actor, are you?"

"What's the problem with being an actor?" Ye Mingzhao smiled modestly, revealing eight teeth. "The viewership rating on the final episode of the TV series I starred in broke 2.98% on the day of the finale, setting the highest record for viewership ratings on satellite TV in the last five years. Everyone praised me for my acting talent and charisma."

Noticing Ye Mingzhao's subtle pause and hidden tone of bragging, Chu Hengyi studied him carefully for a moment before sincerely complimenting him, "You truly are a born Film Emperor."

Chu Hengyi wasn't lying; Ye Mingzhao's acting skills were good enough to deceive anyone—except him.

Only Chu Hengyi could see through Ye Mingzhao's refined exterior and perfect facade to the hypocrisy and greed beneath.

Only Chu Hengyi was the one who could break through the fog and stare directly into the abyss!

Whenever he thought of this, Chu Hengyi felt an inexplicable sense of secret satisfaction, a very hidden yet impossible-to-ignore feeling.

Chu Hengyi regarded this feeling as a mutual appreciation between smart people.

After all, wasn't it said that the person who understands you best is never your family, friends, or lover, but your enemy?

Chu Hengyi believed that Ye Mingzhao was his greatest enemy in this life.

Clearly, Ye Mingzhao probably felt the same way.

"Let's talk about my reward!" Chu Hengyi pressed his elbows on the coffee table, interlocking his fingers, his upper body leaning forward, his beast-like pupils locked onto Ye Mingzhao as if staring at the prey he had been waiting for. "How are you going to thank me?"

"Do you know about the Westward Journey movie that Zhou's Film Company has been preparing for?" Ye Mingzhao leaned back on the brown leather sofa, his attitude somewhat casual.

Yet, the words that came out of his mouth seemed to have no relevance to Chu Hengyi's question.

Chu Hengyi gave Ye Mingzhao a half-smiling look, feeling amused. "Of course I remember. That's the reward you prepared for your beautiful pawn. What, are you worried that after this project is transferred to Starjoy Media, you won't be able to secure enough investment, so you're in need of some foolish but rich investors to throw themselves at you?"

The light in the private room was somewhat dim. Chu Hengyi's light-colored pupils appeared even deeper and more obscure under the refracted light, and the yellowish lighting outlined heavy shadows. As Chu Hengyi continued to lean forward, his large shadow seemed to resemble a caged dangerous beast, clawing its way up the ceiling and walls, gradually encroaching on the seated Ye Mingzhao.

"Are you asking me to foot the bill for your pawn's gift?" Chu Hengyi asked again.

Ye Mingzhao ignored the provocative undertone in Chu Hengyi's words and continued, "Zhou's Film Company invested 600 million to produce the Westward Journey movie, aiming to break into Hollywood and the global film market. So, from the very beginning of the project, Zhou's Film Company was looking for a distribution partner with international distribution channels and cinema lines. Zhou Yueze personally flew to Hollywood and negotiated several times with Paimon Film Company, ultimately winning over their new CEO with his sincerity. This led to the two companies co-producing the Westward Journey movie project."

"The new CEO of Paimon Film Company is named Mark Brown, a genius manager who rose from the slums. It is said that his sponsor is a mysterious wealthy Chinese businesswoman."

Chu Hengyi listened quietly to Ye Mingzhao's words, the smile in his eyes growing deeper and more apparent. "So, the mysterious wealthy businesswoman is really Hua Rui?"

Ye Mingzhao smiled slightly and complimented him politely, "You're not that stupid after all."

"I didn't realize you cared so much about my affairs." Chu Hengyi stared directly at Ye Mingzhao, his tone sincere. "Was this a gift you prepared for me a long time ago?"

Ye Mingzhao: "..."

Ye Mingzhao glanced at Chu Hengyi, who was brimming with excitement, and hesitated to speak.

Chu Hengyi raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you saying anything? Do you have something on your mind?"

"I was thinking," Ye Mingzhao interlocked his fingers and placed them against his lips, his dark and deep eyes staring directly at Chu Hengyi, his gaze sharp as he scrutinized Chu Hengyi's uncontainable flirtatiousness and rippling emotions, "when did your symptoms start? Have you seen a doctor?"

"..." Chu Hengyi met Ye Mingzhao's gaze and after a long moment, he recklessly curled the corners of his mouth. "Are you concerned about me?"

"I'm concerned about your condition." Ye Mingzhao corrected lightly. "Your symptoms are so clear; don't avoid getting medical help. It's best to treat it while it's still mild."

"Ye Mingzhao, do you think no one can ever truly love the real you?" Chu Hengyi suddenly spoke, interrupting Ye Mingzhao.

Ye Mingzhao fell silent. His normally gentle eyes turned razor-sharp as he coldly stared at the grinning Chu Hengyi.

For a moment, an inexplicable anger welled up from the depths of Ye Mingzhao's heart, but almost instantly, within less than a second, he suppressed it.

"…I’ve handed you the clues. Good luck with your revenge." Ye Mingzhao stood up and nodded politely at Chu Hengyi. "If your revenge plan doesn't go smoothly, you can ask for my help."

Ye Mingzhao paused slightly, seemingly making an offhand remark. "Funny how the Zhou family and Hua Rui seem so intertwined by fate. Back then, when Hua Rui hired human traffickers to kidnap you, our parents were in a panic, and Zhou Heting took the opportunity to step up and gain our parents' trust. Later, with our parents' support, he established the Zhou family's corporation. Now that Zhou's film company wants to enter the global film market, what a coincidence, they find someone funded by Hua Rui to collaborate with."

"Maybe Hua Rui’s destiny aligns perfectly with the Zhou family."

After saying this, Ye Mingzhao gave Chu Hengyi a meaningful look and left.

The door gently closed, leaving Chu Hengyi alone in the room.

The dim, amber glow from above barely lit up the coffee table, casting most of the room in shadow. Most of Chu Hengyi's handsome, sharp face was hidden in the darkness.

After a while, he suddenly chuckled softly, "So, using others as pawns, huh…"

Chu Hengyi wasn't stupid; he had understood Ye Mingzhao's almost blunt implication.

Zhou Heting rose to power thanks to Ye Linyuan’s backing, which he earned by stepping up during the Ye family’s crisis.

The Zhou family often insinuated that Ye Mingzhao was adopted by the Ye family and profited from Chu Hengyi’s kidnapping, creating tension between them. But if one looked closely at the incident, the person who benefited the most from Chu Hengyi's kidnapping was Zhou Heting.

This fact eerily mirrored the conclusion of the original story.

Ye Mingzhao had always believed that beneficiaries were never innocent. What's more, the mastermind and the beneficiary had joined forces again twenty years later.

The original story detailed how Zhou’s film company used the "Journey to the West" movie to break into the global market. Chu Qingyi, heavily promoted by Zhou’s film company, secured a key supporting role in the movie, setting him on the path to stardom.

Zhou Yueze seized the chance to introduce the CEO of Paimon Film Company to Chu Hengyi, the true heir of the Ye family. And Chu Hengyi, at a banquet hosted by Mark Brown, coincidentally met his benefactor, Hua Rui.

They say there are no coincidences in stories, but Ye Mingzhao never bought into that.

No matter what role Zhou Heting played in the incident where Hua Rui hired human traffickers to kidnap Chu Hengyi, or whether he was truly innocent.

The moment the Zhou family chose to stand against Ye Mingzhao, their fate was sealed.

"They really can't stand seeing others at peace!" Chu Hengyi chuckled softly. In that instant, he realized Ye Mingzhao's intentions.

Ye Mingzhao guided Chu Hengyi to speculate on the relationship between Zhou Heting and Hua Rui, not just to divert trouble, but to warn Chu Hengyi that the Zhou family, both father and son, were not only enemies of Ye Mingzhao and the Ye family but also Chu Hengyi's enemies.

So when Ye Mingzhao used the information Chu Hengyi provided to bring down Zhou's film company, he didn't owe Chu Hengyi any favors. Because he was also avenging Chu Hengyi.

Just like how Chu Hengyi used Ye Mingzhao as bait to short-sell the Zhou family's corporation and made a huge profit.

They were both using each other, mutually benefiting.

Ye Mingzhao used Chu Hengyi to obtain evidence of Zhou's film company's crimes and also shared the information about Hua Rui with Chu Hengyi. This was an exchange of interests.

Other than that, there was nothing else between them.

"He’s shamelessly stingy!" Chu Hengyi thought with a wry smile.

The next second, he chuckled to himself again.

The idiom "borrowing a knife to kill" implies that the person being used must willingly become that weapon.

So, Ye Mingzhao was suggesting that under the right conditions, he would willingly submit to Chu Hengyi's control.

Either way, this sense of mutual reliance feels pretty good!

Chu Hengyi rose happily and walked out of the café with light steps. But his good mood didn’t last more than five minutes before a chilling voice shattered it—

"Big brother!"

Chu Hengyi looked up sharply and saw Chu Qingyi, like a ghost, standing silently behind his car. He was dressed in a snow-white tracksuit, his figure thin, his face pale, dark circles under his eyes, a haggard expression, his eyes bloodshot—clearly, he had been through a lot.

It was late at night in the underground parking lot, and it was a good thing Chu Hengyi had nerves of steel; otherwise, he might have passed out.

Chu Hengyi exhaled heavily, "What are you doing here?"

"Big brother, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me!" Chu Qingyi cried and ran toward Chu Hengyi, but Chu Hengyi sidestepped, avoiding him.

"I'm begging you, save me!" Chu Qingyi then knelt in front of Chu Hengyi.

Zhou's film company had already filed for bankruptcy, and Zhou Yueze had been called in for questioning over the company’s troubles.

Chu Qingyi had just signed with Zhou's film company and even sacrificed himself to get close to Zhou Yueze, only to lose his support in an instant. He was also seen as a jinx by Madam Zhou.

Since Zhou Yueze was taken away by the authorities, Madam Zhou has been sending thugs to beat him up daily.

Unable to bear it anymore, Chu Qingyi had escaped when those people weren’t paying attention.

With no one else to turn to in Xinhai City, he came to Chu Hengyi for help.

He hoped that Chu Hengyi, out of past affection, might be willing to lend a hand.

"So all these injuries were caused by people hired by Zhou Yueze's mother?" Chu Hengyi asked thoughtfully, examining Chu Qingyi's battered state.

Hearing Chu Hengyi’s question, a glimmer of hope appeared in Chu Qingyi’s eyes. He nodded eagerly and started pouring out his complaints: "It was her. You can’t imagine how cruel she’s been—"

As he spoke, Chu Qingyi edged closer to Chu Hengyi and pulled up his T-shirt, showing off his bruised body, his slim waist, and his smooth, flat stomach.

"I’ll take you to the police for a medical exam right now," Chu Hengyi interrupted with a smile. "You’d better stick to your story."

"Whether you can escape the Zhou family’s abuse and get justice depends on you," Chu Hengyi added pointedly. "I wonder how much those injuries are worth in compensation."