Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Upon hearing Chu Hengyi's words, Mark Brown furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then asked cautiously, "So, are you also planning to invite Hua Rui to a spicy hot pot?"

Chu Hengyi: "..."

Ye Mingzhao lowered his head, using the act of drinking soy milk to hide the smile at the corner of his lips.

Chu Hengyi took a deep breath and explained with a smile, "What I mean is, I will make her live in pain for the rest of her life."

Mark Brown raised an eyebrow slightly, amazed by the depth of the Chinese language. Even eating hot pot could carry so many meanings.

But after thinking it over, Mark Brown still couldn't figure out the connection between eating hot pot and pain.

"How do you know Hua Rui can't handle spicy food?" Mark Brown asked curiously.

Just because spiciness is a sensation of pain, not taste? But what if Hua Rui loves spicy food? Wouldn't inviting her to hot pot be exactly what she wants?

Chu Hengyi: "......"

At this moment, Chu Hengyi couldn't help but reflect deeply on whether dropping out of school after middle school really hindered his communication with international friends.

Seeing Chu Hengyi's silent but soul-searching expression, Ye Mingzhao couldn't hold back and lowered his head with a faint smile.

Chu Hengyi decided not to dwell on this issue any longer and quickly changed the subject, "Why don't we talk about what your real purpose is for contacting Ye Mingzhao?"

Mark Brown's gaze swept over Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi. His purpose in contacting Ye Mingzhao was, of course, to sow discord between Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi.

But now it seemed that the relationship between Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi was not as simple as he and Hua Rui had imagined.

The plan to sow discord might not succeed.

Given this, Mark Brown naturally wouldn't reveal his true intentions to avoid alerting them. He smiled slightly and replied casually, "Of course, it's to discuss the collaboration with Mr. Ye on the filming of 'Westward Journey.' This is Paramount Pictures' most important investment project for the second half of the year."

"We hope to further open up the Chinese film market through this collaboration."

Chu Hengyi quietly listened to Mark Brown's lies, then turned to Ye Mingzhao, who had been quietly eating, "What do you think?"

Ye Mingzhao put down his chopsticks and asked with a smile, "Has Paramount Pictures had a pleasant collaboration with Zhou's film company?"

Mark Brown wasn't too concerned about Chu Hengyi's aggressiveness, but faced with Ye Mingzhao's seemingly casual question, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

After some thought, Mark Brown replied cautiously, "Regarding the collaboration on 'Westward Journey,' it was Zhou Yueze who initially approached Paramount Pictures—he investigated several film companies in Hollywood and ultimately chose us."

Ye Mingzhao then asked, "So what considerations led your company to agree to Zhou Yueze's proposed collaboration terms?"

Mark Brown paused and replied, "Of course, it was for profit."

Ye Mingzhao smiled, "Were there no other considerations?"

This was probing whether the Zhou family had any connections with Hua Rui and whether Mark Brown's agreement to collaborate was influenced by Hua Rui.

Mark Brown pondered for a moment and decided to be honest, "Of course, there were also some considerations related to personal relationships."

Mark Brown vaguely added, "After all, when doing business in China, personal relationships are always important. I was just going with the local customs."

Even at this moment, Mark Brown was still being evasive, trying to mislead Ye Mingzhao.

Ye Mingzhao was very satisfied with Mark Brown's answer, "You're right. In China, interpersonal relationships are often a crucial factor in determining whether something succeeds. I suppose Hua Rui is well aware of this, which is why she had you approach me from this angle to sow discord between me and Chu Hengyi."

Mark Brown nodded in agreement upon hearing the first half of Ye Mingzhao's statement, but when he heard the latter half, he suddenly realized something was amiss and blurted out, "How did you know—"

Before he could finish, Mark Brown noticed Ye Mingzhao's suddenly profound smile and belatedly realized that he had fallen into a trap.

Ye Mingzhao had no idea about the true purpose behind Hua Rui sending Mark Brown to approach him! Ye Mingzhao had just been bluffing! And despite all his precautions, Mark Brown had still been tricked into revealing his true intentions!

For a moment, a deep sense of regret washed over Mark Brown's face.

Ye Mingzhao, holding the script, calmly watched Mark Brown's regret and chuckled lightly, "You can help me convey to Hua Rui that the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution is at most twenty years. Even if she returns to the country now, we can't hold her accountable for the kidnapping case from over twenty years ago."

Hearing this, Chu Hengyi's expression instantly turned subtle. He knew Ye Mingzhao was about to start bluffing again.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Mark Brown's face remained grave, but his words slightly betrayed his emotions, "Mr. Ye, you're overthinking this. Madam has never been afraid of anything. Her reluctance to return to the country is entirely her own decision. It's not because she's being forced to stay away."

Ye Mingzhao smiled knowingly, "So you know about what happened back then?"

Mark Brown suddenly looked up, his gaze at Ye Mingzhao filled with both shock and anger.

But it was too late. Ye Mingzhao had already obtained the information he wanted, "It seems your relationship with Hua Rui isn't just that of a sponsor and a beneficiary."

Otherwise, given Hua Rui's cautious and secretive nature, how could she let an outsider know about the past?

—Didn't she fear that Mark Brown might be turned by the Ye family, becoming a knife that stabs her in the back?

Mark Brown's expression had become indescribably ugly. Before coming to Xinhai, he had investigated Ye Mingzhao through various channels and knew full well how cunning and deceitful Ye Mingzhao could be.

Mark Brown had thought he was fully prepared. But he never expected that, despite his high regard for Ye Mingzhao, he would still fall into Ye Mingzhao's trap.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mark Brown forced himself to stay calm, playing dumb, "Do you have some misunderstanding about me? Can you provide evidence for your malicious speculation about my relationship with Madam?"

Ye Mingzhao also smiled, "The one with the misunderstanding is you."

Ye Mingzhao continued, "Judges need evidence. I'm not trying to sue you, why would I need evidence?"

At this point, the smile in Ye Mingzhao's eyes gradually faded, like the receding tide, finally revealing the cold indifference beneath, "I only need to subjectively believe that you and the people behind you harbor malice toward me. That's enough."

His words were as cold as a glacial wind, sharp and cutting.

When their eyes met, Mark Brown froze, his mind going blank as if struck by Medusa's gaze.

*

On the same night Mark Brown had hotpot with Ye Mingzhao, a piece of gossip rapidly spread among the upper echelons of Xinhai society.

"Guess what? The Zhou family's been in touch with that crazy woman who kidnapped the Ye family's third son years ago!"

"What? Zhou Heting and Hua Rui are accomplices? How is that possible? Didn't Zhou Heting only cozy up to Ye Linyuan after the Ye family's third son was kidnapped? What connection could he have with Hua Rui?"

"You don't understand! If it weren't for Hua Rui kidnapping the Ye family's third son, wouldn't Ye Linyuan and his wife have been too overwhelmed to notice? How else could Zhou Heting have seized the opportunity to ingratiate himself with Ye Linyuan?"

"Are you saying that Zhou Heting knew about Hua Rui's kidnapping of the Ye family's third son back then?"

"Who knows! If the rumors are true, then the Ye family's years of patronage and support would have been like inviting a wolf into their home!"

"No wonder Zhou Yueze was so determined to promote the family member of that kidnapper as the lead actor, even at the cost of offending the Ye family and Ye Mingzhao... The Zhou family acted so blatantly, not even trying to maintain appearances. Could it be because Chu Qingyi has evidence of the Zhou family's collusion with Hua Rui?"

As soon as this speculation emerged, all the onlookers had an epiphany.

No wonder!

No wonder the Zhou family seemed bewitched, eager to flatter an actor and insult the Ye family. They had initially thought Zhou Yueze was blinded by infatuation. But now, it seems there was a method to their madness.

Everything falls into place now!

Instantly, the upper echelons of Xinhai City were buzzing, stunned by this juicy gossip.

The Zhou family of Xinhai City.

With a crisp "crack," a priceless blue-and-white porcelain teacup was smashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Zhou Heting, his face livid, grabbed the phone and dialed a familiar number.

After a few rings, the call was answered. Without waiting for the other person to speak, Zhou Heting coldly said, "I never expected this! The once tough-as-nails 'Iron Lady,' who would rather hire kidnappers to abduct a child under three years old to avenge her father's suicide, would one day kowtow to the Ye family. But what good does it do you to have Mark Brown reveal our relationship to Ye Mingzhao?"

"The one with a grudge against the Ye family isn't me! I wasn't the one who hired kidnappers to abduct Chu Hengyi back then! And I certainly wasn't the one who secretly instructed the Chu family to mistreat Chu Hengyi all these years. Even if our relationship is exposed, the Ye family's hatred and desire for revenge won't be directed at me!"

"You've been scheming to set our Zhou family against the Ye family. Aren't you afraid I might just spill everything about the past?"

On the other end of the line, a cold, sharp female voice interrupted Zhou Heting's complaints: "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't tell Mark Brown to reveal our relationship to anyone. You should know that, given my life-and-death feud with the Ye family, exposing our dealings to them would do me no good."

"You sure know how to talk. Mark Brown has one hotpot dinner with Ye Mingzhao, and rumors about the Zhou family being in cahoots with you spread like wildfire through Xinhai's upper society. The rumors are so detailed, even including specifics about our past transactions... If you say it wasn't you who leaked it, are you suggesting Ye Mingzhao figured it all out himself?"

If Ye Mingzhao really did figure it out himself, why did it happen to be on the very night he had hotpot with Mark Brown, and why did it spread so widely?

If Ye Mingzhao really did figure it out himself, why do the rumors include details only Zhou Heting and Hua Rui would know?

Hua Rui was left speechless by the questioning. She was equally baffled: "It really wasn't Mark who leaked it. Those details are only known to you and me. I didn't even tell Mark. If he didn't know, how could he have told Ye Mingzhao?"

Zhou Heting didn't believe Hua Rui's excuses and sneered, "Then how do you explain the rumors? Are you suggesting I spread them myself, out of some self-destructive impulse?"

Hua Rui had no response.

Zhou Heting slammed the phone down.

Hua Rui listened to the dial tone, her expression growing darker. She suppressed her anger and called Mark Brown: "What exactly did you say to Ye Mingzhao? Why are the rumors getting worse?"

Mark Brown was at a loss: "I really didn't say anything. Ye Mingzhao figured it out himself."

Such a weak excuse might fool others, but Hua Rui, with her deep scheming and habitual paranoia, wasn't buying it.

She just couldn't believe that her most trusted confidant had caved so quickly to Ye Mingzhao, betraying her so soon!

Hua Rui took a deep breath: "You've been by my side the longest, my most trusted confidant. I never guarded against you, but now you've grown too big for your britches—"

"Madam!" Mark Brown urgently interrupted Hua Rui: "Please believe me, I really didn't betray you."

"Of course, I believe you," Hua Rui said, though in her heart, she had already concluded that Mark Brown had betrayed her.

As Hua Rui had said, Mark Brown had been by her side the longest and had done the most for her. Although Hua Rui had kept many things from Mark Brown, given his meticulousness and attention to detail, many secrets couldn't remain hidden from him if he paid close attention.

Hua Rui just couldn't imagine what price Ye Mingzhao had offered to win Mark Brown over so quickly.

Mark Brown had been by Hua Rui's side since he was young and knew her well. He was well aware that Hua Rui had begun to suspect him, but he had no way to defend himself. He truly hadn't leaked anything.

In fact, Mark Brown didn't even know the details of Hua Rui and Zhou Heting's past dealings: "How could I have told Ye Mingzhao things I didn't even know myself?"

This was what puzzled Hua Rui the most: "Some details really are only known to Zhou Heting and me. How did Ye Mingzhao find out?"