Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Zhou Heting did not disappoint Chu Hengyi.

A billionaire boss, even though he was expelled from the board of directors of Zhou's film company, still had connections and resources that ordinary people wouldn’t dare to imagine.

Zhou Heting didn’t even need to make a move. There were people who wanted to curry favor with him and would take the liberty to make things difficult for Chu Qingyi.

Many shareholders of Zhou's film company had also heard the rumor that Chu Qingyi had betrayed Zhou Yueze. They couldn’t be bothered to verify the truth and simply assumed that Zhou Heting couldn’t have mistaken his enemy.

"I used to say that Chu Qingyi was bad luck. Ever since he joined the company, we haven’t had a moment of peace. It turns out he wasn’t bad luck at all; he was actually an insider planted by Chu Hengyi."

No wonder Ye Mingzhao was able to bring down the film company in such a short time. He had planted a mole inside the company.

The shareholders, embroiled in lawsuits, seethed with resentment and clenched their teeth in anger. They didn’t dare to hold a grudge against the Ye family and Ye Mingzhao, who had bankrupted Zhou's film company, nor did they dare to resent Chu Hengyi, who had planted the mole in the company. They could only blame Chu Qingyi.

If it weren’t for this double-dealing traitor who charmed Zhou Yueze into ignoring everything else, they wouldn’t have suffered such heavy losses.

For a time, Chu Qingyi’s life became increasingly difficult.

Less than a month after being discharged from the hospital, he was ambushed and beaten over ten times in alleyways. Those people were hired by shareholders of Zhou's film company to deliberately pick on Chu Qingyi. They would wait on his usual routes, and as soon as they saw him, they would rush over, deliberately bump into him, and then accuse him of deliberately provoking them. No matter how Chu Qingyi responded, he always ended up getting beaten.

When Chu Qingyi called the police, those people readily admitted to fighting and were detained for a few days, paying a small fine. They didn’t care at all.

With his poor family background and bad reputation, Chu Qingyi had become infamous throughout Xinhai. Because of his infamy and constant troubles, people kept their distance even more. His internship period in his senior year was already halfway through. While other students had smoothly found internships and were waiting to officially convert to full-time positions, Chu Qingyi’s situation remained dire.

The film company he was signed with had gone bankrupt and closed down, and he was blacklisted by the remaining shareholders and executives of Zhou's film company. There was no future for him in the entertainment industry. To make matters worse, he had offended both Ye Mingzhao and Zhou Heting, so even when he applied to various financial companies, no one dared to hire him.

Originally, Chu Qingyi had planned to stay in Xinhai City after graduation. He wanted to change his family’s fate and become someone successful through his own efforts, but now he couldn’t even find a decent job.

In desperation, Chu Qingyi had no choice but to beg Chu Hengyi again.

"Big brother, you have to help me. I betrayed the Zhou family for your sake, and now Zhou Heting is trying to kill me. The shareholders and executives of Zhou's film company are making things worse for me. Not only have they blacklisted me in the entertainment industry, but they’ve also blocked my way out of the financial industry. I can’t find a job now. If this continues, I won’t even be able to afford rent."

Chu Qingyi brazenly blamed all his troubles on Chu Hengyi.

In Chu Qingyi’s eyes, if it weren’t for trying to curry favor with Chu Hengyi, he wouldn’t be in such a miserable state.

Unfortunately, Chu Hengyi was no longer the fool who believed everything he was told. Scoffing at Chu Qingyi’s words, he asked, "Do you even know why you offended the Zhou family?"

Chu Qingyi was speechless and could only change his tune, "But Zhou Heting was willing to give me ten million for a private settlement. I refused the money for your sake..."

Now, Chu Qingyi regretted it deeply. If he had known this would happen, he should have taken the money. At least then he would be better off now.

"You can still go to Zhou Heting now and see if he’s willing to compensate you with that ten million," Chu Hengyi kindly suggested.

Chu Qingyi’s expression immediately changed, "Big brother, you don’t want to help me?"

"I can’t help you," Chu Hengyi said, "Helping you call the police and sending you to the hospital for a medical examination was already more than enough. Don’t forget what my second uncle did to me back then. You knew the truth and kept it from me for so long. If I were to help you again, I wouldn’t be able to get over the moral hurdle in my heart."

Saying this, Chu Hengyi paused for a moment and deliberately sighed, "What a shame. If not for that incident, your adoptive family could have shared in my wealth and prosperity."

At that moment, an indescribable regret welled up in Chu Qingyi’s heart. Looking at Chu Hengyi’s earnest expression, he couldn’t help but think of the luxurious downtown apartment, worth over thirty million, that the Ye family had generously given to repay his parents for their upbringing when Chu Hengyi was first recognized by them.

If it weren’t for what happened with his second uncle, if his parents hadn’t deliberately mistreated Chu Hengyi...

But now, it was too late to say anything.

Seeing Chu Qingyi filled with regret, Chu Hengyi smiled slightly.

Indeed, a person only truly feels the pain when it affects their own interests.

*

After shaking off the regretful Chu Qingyi, Chu Hengyi returned home in an exceptionally good mood.

Chairman Ye and Ye Mingzhao were accompanying **Mrs. Ye** in the greenhouse, tending to the plants. Chairman Ye and his older and younger brothers were not interested in the delicate task of handling flowers, so they sat aside drinking tea and chatting. The temperature in the greenhouse was just right, and the room was filled with the fragrance of flowers, which suited the elegance of tea tasting.

Mrs. Ye even had a small red clay stove placed in the greenhouse, with a wire mesh on top, filled with sweet potatoes and pastries.

Despite the biting cold outside, the glass greenhouse was as warm as spring.

Chu Hengyi brought back spicy crawfish and grilled fish he had bought on the way home, planning to treat the family to afternoon tea.

"This afternoon tea is quite appetizing!" Ye Mingxi sniffed the spicy and fresh aroma, smiling and praising, "It's much better than these sweet potato pastries."

However, it was not very elegant to eat spicy crawfish and grilled fish in the greenhouse.

True enough, Mrs. Ye, already disgusted, said, "If you want to eat, go inside. Don't make my greenhouse **stink**."

After speaking, she took the **arranged vase** and walked out of the greenhouse.

Ye Mingzhao followed closely behind. As he passed Chu Hengyi, his eyes lingered on Chu Hengyi's inexplicably happy face, and he said with a smile, "**You seem to be in a good mood.**"

"**It's fun to mess with people**," Chu Hengyi said with a smile.

Chu Hengyi did not hide his manipulation of Zhou Heting and Chu Qingyi from Ye Mingzhao, so Ye Mingzhao understood Chu Hengyi's mood very well.

However, in Ye Mingzhao's opinion, Chu Hengyi was still somewhat **soft-hearted**. If it were him, he would never let Zhou Heting and Chu Qingyi off so easily.

In a good mood, Chu Hengyi did not know that Ye Mingzhao was secretly evaluating him as too lenient. That afternoon, he even personally cooked a hotpot, his specialty, for the Ye family.

Chu Hengyi had worked various jobs before, and although they were dirty and tiring, he had accumulated a lot of experience and skills.

In terms of cooking, although Chu Hengyi was not comparable to those with a rich culinary heritage, the taste of his food was quite good. He could also make many creative and home-style dishes, such as the currently popular chrysanthemum health pot and Sichuan-Chongqing hotpot, which were his specialties.

The chrysanthemum health pot could be left for the lighter tastes of Mrs. Ye, while the spicy Sichuan-Chongqing hotpot was for the heavier tastes of the Ye family men.

Chu Hengyi even made a snail noodle hotpot, which, despite its unique taste, received unanimous praise from the men of the Ye family.

However, the cats and dogs in the house once again fled the villa in disarray and refused to come back for several days.

"Is this my **'tuition fee,'** are you satisfied?"

That evening, Chu Hengyi found Ye Mingzhao and deliberately asked him.

Ye Mingzhao did not answer. But the next day, when he was reflecting on how Chu Hengyi was still too lenient, Ye Mingzhao received a call from Chu Qingyi, inviting him to meet at a café opposite Starjoy Media.

"I have evidence of Zhou Yueze's illegal activities," Chu Qingyi said **through gritted teeth**, "You should know that **the issues with Zhou's film company alone might not land Zhou Yueze in jail.** But I have evidence of Zhou Yueze's money laundering. If you agree to my demands, I can help you take down Zhou Yueze."

Wasn't Zhou Heting spreading false accusations everywhere, wrongly blaming him for betraying Zhou Yueze?

Since this was the case, Chu Qingyi couldn't bear this unjustified blame. After all, he had spent a lot of effort to please Zhou Yueze and naturally **mastered** many of Zhou Yueze's secrets.

He had not intended to go this far. After all, although Zhou Yueze had used him, he had treated him quite well. He was also genuinely afraid of the Zhou family and did not want to offend Zhou Heting.

But Zhou Heting and his wife were ruthless, **leaving him no room to breathe.**

Chu Qingyi had originally wanted to **win over Chu Hengyi**, but it turned out that Chu Hengyi was just using him to **stir up trouble for the Zhou family** and had no intention of helping him.

Since this was the case, Chu Qingyi certainly needed to find the **strongest ally** for himself.

"Why did you seek me out?" Ye Mingzhao was somewhat curious about Chu Qingyi's intentions. "If you have any evidence, why not just give it to Chu Hengyi? I believe he wouldn't want the Zhou family to have it easy either."

"I don't trust him," Chu Qingyi said bluntly. "That jerk Chu Hengyi is all talk and no action. He wants the horse to run without feeding it. If it weren't to keep him happy, I wouldn't have pissed off Zhou Heting so badly. But how did he treat me?"

He was beaten badly and went to Chu Hengyi for help. All Chu Hengyi did was help him report to the police and get a medical examination before leaving him in the hospital.

Chu Hengyi didn't care about how difficult his situation became afterward. He's the kind of person who creates problems but doesn’t solve them.

In comparison, even though Ye Mingzhao used Liu Rumei against Zhou Yueze and Zhou’s film company, she got the justice and opportunities she deserved.

Chu Qingyi had seen the light.

Although Ye Mingzhao was ruthless, he was protective of his own. If he had to grovel to survive, he’d rather do it for Ye Mingzhao.

"You want to be my loyal follower?" Ye Mingzhao chuckled at the words.

"I can show my sincerity," Chu Qingyi immediately said. "I know you didn't think highly of me before. But between us, there isn't much bad blood."

Ye Mingzhao originally targeted Chu Qingyi to reveal that the Chu family were related to the human traffickers who kidnapped Chu Hengyi. He wanted to stop the Chu family from using this connection to their advantage. Their subsequent clashes always ended with Chu Qingyi on the losing end.

So, in Chu Qingyi's not-so-bright mind, he believed there wasn't direct conflict between him and Ye Mingzhao.

On the other hand, there was bound to be a gap between Ye Mingzhao, the adopted son, and Chu Hengyi, the biological son.

Chu Qingyi didn't believe Ye Mingzhao could stand Chu Hengyi. If that's the case, the enemy of an enemy should be a friend.

Ye Mingzhao listened quietly to Chu Qingyi's words before suddenly asking, "How do you plan to show your sincerity?"

Chu Qingyi handed Zhou Yueze's account book to Ye Mingzhao.

He had hidden it after Zhou Yueze was taken away. It clearly recorded all the evidence of Zhou Yueze using films to launder money.

Chu Qingyi decided to trade this account book to Ye Mingzhao in exchange for a spot at Starjoy Media.

—Chu Qingyi still hadn't given up. He always felt he deserved to be a famous star, standing under the spotlight, enjoying the adoration of fans and the praise of the media. Fame and fortune should have been within easy reach.

But for some reason, his road to fame was anything but smooth.

Now, he was being blacklisted and suppressed by Zhou Heting and the shareholders of Zhou family's film company. To make a comeback, he knew he could only count on Ye Mingzhao’s backing.

"Why do you think I would agree to your request?"

The next afternoon, Ye Mingzhao sat in the private room of the café opposite Starjoy Media, intriguingly observing the still bruised Chu Qingyi.

"I don't know," Chu Qingyi honestly shook his head and sincerely said, "But I know you are my only hope."

"In Xinhai City, apart from you and the Ye family, no one dares to offend Zhou Heting. Those jerks know you’re the one who brought down Zhou’s film company, but they’re too scared to fight back."

"I’m just a nobody. Crushing me would be like swatting a fly to them. They’ve never cared about me or respected me. But I want those high and mighty bosses to know that even a nobody, when pushed too far, will bite back."

Chu Qingyi's eyes turned red as his emotions surged.

Ye Mingzhao remained noncommittal, only lightly laughing. "You know Chu Hengyi has always had a grudge against the Chu family. He is the biological son of the Ye family, separated from his family because of your second uncle, wandering around for eighteen years, enduring abuse. He suffered so much, and the Ye family has always felt guilty. I am the adopted son of the Ye family. I don't need to offend Chu Hengyi for your sake and risk alienating the Ye family."

Ye Mingzhao patiently and persuasively expressed his stance.

Chu Qingyi knew Ye Mingzhao was telling the truth. But he believed that if Ye Mingzhao was willing to help him, there would be a way.

"The incident of my second uncle trafficking Chu Hengyi happened twenty years ago, before I was born," Chu Qingyi said. "I admit my parents did try to take revenge for my second uncle and deliberately abused Chu Hengyi, but it has nothing to do with me."

"The defense of a beneficiary doesn't sound convincing," Ye Mingzhao said.

Noticing Ye Mingzhao's attitude, Chu Qingyi's expression became disappointed.