Chapter 32: Pure Disgust

Chapter 32: Pure Malice

Zhu Ye was baffled. Ever since the boss returned from Young Master Chu’s place, he had been shrouded in a dark, oppressive cloud, radiating such an aura that no one dared approach within five meters. After silently chain-smoking several cigarettes, he finally dialed Captain Jiang’s number.

“Old Jiang, got any challenging missions lately?”

There was a brief pause on the other end before a teasing voice replied, “What, is Third Master off his meds again?”

Fu Junhang merely exhaled smoke rings indifferently, his deep-set eyes, veiled by the swirling haze, lost in thought.

“Yes or no.”

“Actually, there is one.”

Jiang Lvshen had just received an urgent assignment: an overseas drug cartel entrenched deep in the border mountains. Intelligence confirmed it was the lair of one of the three major drug lords, heavily fortified and guarded by three mercenary factions. It was said that not even a mosquito could penetrate their defenses. Their mission was to infiltrate this stronghold as an advance team, then coordinate an inside-out operation to dismantle the entire syndicate.

“Time is tight, and the stakes are high. Third Master, dare to join me for a thrill?”

Jiang Lvshen grinned, revealing his teeth. The mission had seemed precarious, but with a madman like Fu Junhang on board, his confidence surged.

Fu Junhang scoffed, uttering just two words: “Time.”

The eyes that Chu Yan found so profoundly captivating now gleamed with a bloodthirsty intensity.

Beside him, Zhu Ye’s heart pounded. He longed to intervene but found himself unable to speak. After all, no one could alter Third Master’s decisions; a subordinate’s duty was always to obey.

But Third Master hadn’t been this reckless in years. Jiang Lvshen’s words on the phone were clear: this was nothing short of a suicide mission.

“Third Master, please allow me to accompany you.”

Among those by Fu Junhang’s side, Zhu Ye’s quick wit and combat skills were second to none.

Yet, Fu Junhang merely gave him a fleeting, indifferent glance.

“Do what you’re supposed to do.”

“Yes.”

Fu Junhang’s gaze deepened. He felt unsettled and needed to clear his head, to think things through.

Meanwhile, the Chu family had suddenly been plunged into gloom. The reason: a series of problems had befallen the Chu Corporation.

First, a project Chu Corporation had meticulously prepared for nearly two years—valued at five billion—was abruptly snatched away. This project was crucial to Chu Corporation’s development over the next decade, yet it was intercepted just as it was ripe for the taking. What made it worse was that the culprit wasn’t a long-standing competitor but an unknown foreign entity that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

It wasn't just about the five billion. Chu Corporation had spent two full years preparing; everything had been smooth sailing. Fu Hongrun had even booked the celebration banquet, only for it to be hijacked at the eleventh hour. And the hijackers weren't Chu Corporation's usual rivals, but rather an unknown foreign entity. This was infuriating.

It felt deliberate—purely to spite them.

Chu Hongrun was so enraged he fell ill. Father and son were utterly distraught, seething with anger and resentment as they frantically pulled strings to investigate the background of the mysterious company, hoping to salvage their losses.

However, misfortunes never come singly. Amidst the chaos, Chu Yi found himself entangled in a disastrous romantic entanglement.

The spoiled scion of a long-term business partner suddenly began clamoring to marry Chu Yi.

Chu Yi didn’t even recall ever meeting the man, yet he claimed love at first sight. The man was a useless, brainless, and domineering wastrel, pampered rotten by his family since childhood—precisely the type Chu Yi despised most. Now, he was demanding to marry Chu Yi, and his family was actually indulging him, leveraging their dozen collaborative projects as a threat, forcing Chu Yi to marry him or face the termination of all their partnerships with Chu Corporation.

It was utterly preposterous.

Chu Yi, a golden boy, had never encountered such rotten luck. With Chu Corporation already in crisis, this added insult to injury. If Chu Yi refused, Chu Corporation stood to lose billions.

Of course, that wasn't the main issue. The real problem was that Chu Yi didn't even know the person, and their investigation revealed him to be a notorious playboy—someone who fell in love at the drop of a hat, with a string of lovers too many to count. Not to mention, he had already been divorced three times.

So it wasn’t love at first sight at all—it was pure retaliation, pure malice.

One thing after another. If Chu Yi still couldn’t tell someone was targeting Chu Corporation, then he had lived in vain. Yet, they had no clue who it could be.

This was the first time Chu Yi had encountered such a thorny problem since taking over Chu Corporation. To make matters worse, that entitled rich kid kept showing up at the company to ambush him, lying in wait at every turn Chu Yi took. Each encounter left Chu Yi humiliated and furious, and soon the whole affair became public knowledge. After just a few days, even someone as emotionally stable as Chu Yi was visibly strained, his patience wearing thin.

But the troubles for the Chu family didn’t end there—Chu Shuo was also hit.

As an A-list actor, Chu Shuo’s every move was under intense scrutiny. The slightest incident could be magnified a million times over, sparking massive controversy. And then, in just two days, an explosive scandal about him broke, sending the internet into a frenzy.

An anonymous account claimed that the "single" actor Chu Shuo had actually been in three relationships, with two of them overlapping for several months.

The revelation instantly rocketed to the top of trending searches, sending his fans into a frenzy. After all, Chu Shuo had always maintained a carefully crafted image as a bachelor. Now, not only was he exposed as having dated three people, but two of those relationships had overlapped—proving he had fabricated his image and deceived his fans. Worse, it painted him as a cheating scoundrel.

The scandal was explosive.

Fans were devastated, but they refused to believe it. Chu’s Entertainment immediately issued a denial, and Chu Shuo himself swiftly responded with a cease-and-desist, vehemently dismissing the claims as baseless rumors.

Though his loyal fans stood by him, the situation only escalated. More and more "evidence" surfaced online, mixing truth and lies, leaving Chu Shuo overwhelmed. Soon, he received contract termination notices from several endorsement deals. A script he had been eyeing was quietly withdrawn by the director, and his scenes in an upcoming patriotic film were abruptly cut.

Furious, Chu Shuo wrecked his entire home.

Chu’s Entertainment faced its biggest public relations nightmare since its inception.

On top of that, Star Journey Entertainment, a company Chu’s had long sought to acquire, was suddenly bought out in just a few days.

Originally, several major families had been vying to swallow up Star Journey. Its owner was ambitious, capable, and stubborn—no matter how high the offers went, he refused to budge, skillfully playing the competition like a fiddle between the families to his advantage. Yet, out of nowhere, news broke that Star Journey had been acquired by a shadowy billionaire.

Once again, Chu’s Entertainment was thrown into chaos.

With so many misfortunes striking simultaneously, it was impossible to dismiss them as mere coincidence. One might think the Chu family had committed some unforgivable sin—yet they had no idea who they had offended or who was targeting them.

It was infuriating, humiliating, and all they could do was stew in impotent fury.

The only good news came from Chu Xiuyi. His signing for the dating show *We’re in Love* was officially announced, boasting an all-star cast—from top idols to award-winning actors, from music legends to variety show veterans. The cast included famously devoted real-life couples, high-profile power couples, and two singles like Chu Xiuyi, set up for potential matches.

Under normal circumstances, such a lineup would have dominated trending lists for days. Unfortunately, *We’re in Love*’s announcement was poorly timed—barely surfacing before it was buried under Chu Shuo’s scandal. For days afterward, Chu Shuo’s drama monopolized the spotlight. If not for the show’s powerhouse cast and their fans’ relentless hype, *We’re in Love* might not have made waves at all.

Like *Rebirth Challenge*, *We’re in Love* also featured a mysterious guest, sparking endless speculation among fans. But Chu Xiuyi knew before anyone else—the mystery guest was none other than Fu Hongan, heir to the Fu conglomerate. He also knew that Fu Hongan had agreed to join the show for his sake.

Given Fu Hongan’s status, his appearance in the entertainment industry would undoubtedly cause a sensation.

Lately, their communication had dwindled. Fu Hongan reached out less and less, and for some reason, Chu Xiuyi sensed his enthusiasm wasn’t what it used to be. Yet, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact issue, leaving him unsettled and resentful.

If they could appear together on the show, Chu Xiuyi held some hope—not only could they mend their relationship, but it would also be the perfect opportunity to go public.

The Fu family also owned an entertainment company and, like other major families, had been eyeing Star Journey Entertainment. But these days, they were all preoccupied with the same question: Who had acquired Star Journey?

Ironically, the least busy person these days was Chu Yan, the former hot topic himself.

After parting ways with the male model, Chu Yan had moped for a while. But soon, he was engrossed in Chu Shuo’s scandal, lounging at home and feasting on the drama like a kid in a candy store—sampling this tidbit, then that one.

In the original novel’s plot, this twist didn’t exist. Chu Shuo did have exes, but they were merely obstacles for the protagonist, Chu Xiuyi, in the entertainment world. Jealous of Chu Shuo’s favor toward Chu Xiuyi, they played the role of jealous rivals, eventually being taken down a peg—but their existence was never exposed, let alone the fact that Chu Shuo had once two-timed.

In short, it was thrilling. Chu Yan ate up the gossip, never expecting to suddenly receive good news from Liao Jian.

First, *Rebirth Challenge*, which he thought was dead in the water, was back on—not only was his contract not terminated, but his paycheck had doubled.

Additionally, an entertainment company called Star Journey approached Liao Jian, expressing their desire to sign Chu Yan. They offered exceptionally generous terms, promising to give Chu Yan's career their full support with unrestricted access to resources after signing. They even planned to poach Liao Jian to Star Journey as well—it felt like a dream.

Not only did Chu Yan find it hard to believe, but even Liao Jian, a seasoned agent, thought it was completely unbelievable.

Yet, it was real. As an industry veteran, Liao Jian had his own network within the industry, and coincidentally, he knew someone at Star Journey. After confirming that Star Journey had indeed been acquired at a high price by a shadowy tycoon, Liao Jian was convinced it was legitimate. His friend also mentioned that the big shot behind Star Journey not only had immense wealth but also formidable connections. After all, despite the major families vying for Star Journey for so long, this person had swooped in and took over while simultaneously silencing those families—which showed just how connected they were.

In short, “Join us, man. You won’t regret it.”

Even without backing, Star Journey had already reached a level coveted by the major families. Now with such support, its rise was inevitable.

“Xiao Yan, just say the word,” Liao Jian urged, his long-dormant ambition surging with renewed vigor.

“Let’s do it! Brother, we’re in this together.”

Chu Yan’s heart swelled with excitement—was this what they called a miraculous turnaround? Just when he thought all hope was lost, a new path had opened. The mysterious boss behind Star Journey had snatched the company right from under the noses of the major families, proving they had no fear of the Chu family. They even promised Chu Yan the best resources and didn’t oppose his participation in *Rebirth Challenge*. What kind of heavenly boss was this? One might even think Star Journey belonged to Chu Yan.

Chu Yan wasn’t afraid of being deceived—his situation couldn’t get any worse. As a nationwide laughingstock and "useless pretty boy," what could anyone possibly want from him?

He had a strong feeling that this was likely the result of the major families’ power struggles, especially given the recent misfortunes of the Chu family. It wasn’t hard to guess they had offended someone formidable, and Star Journey’s interest in him was probably tied to that. He was essentially catching a lucky break from their fallout.

Thus, Chu Yan and Liao Jian happily signed with Star Journey before the filming of *Rebirth* began. And before they knew it, it was time for *Rebirth* to start production.

No debts, no bankruptcy, and a newfound hope—though Chu Yan did feel one lingering regret.

The male model was gone.

He wanted to reach out again, but his pride held him back. What if the guy had already found a new patron? Wouldn’t it be humiliating for Chu Yan to seek him out now?

Whatever. Focus on work first.