Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zhou Huaichen snapped back to reality, feigning ignorance. "Mr. Ye?"

Ye Weian replied, "Oh, then take him away." He paused, "But remember, the Zhou family owes me one."

Before Zhou Huaichen could respond, Zhou Yongnan interjected, "You were the one who kidnapped Qingqing first! I came here to rescue him! You pervert, how dare you demand a favor from the Zhou family?!"

Ye Weian's face remained impassive. "Looks like you don't want to leave."

Zhou Yongnan froze.

Ye Weian asked, "Do you like me? Are you reluctant to part with me?"

Zhou Yongnan: "..."

Ye Weian said, "Then stay."

Zhou Yongnan: "..."

He was seething.

Zhou Huaichen observed Ye Weian thoughtfully.

He hadn't expected the notoriously volatile and gloomy CEO Ye to be so incisive when sparring with others.

Interesting.

Zhou Huaichen cast a fleeting glance at Zhou Yongnan, silencing his outburst with a look. Turning to Ye Weian, he offered a faint smirk. "Alright, let's consider this matter closed."

Zhou Yongnan remained indignant.

Why should the Zhou family owe that pervert Ye Weian a favor?!

Ye Weian completely disregarded Zhou Yongnan's provocations.

In his estimation, Zhou Huaichen was the only rational person in this world who hadn't been intellectually compromised by the author—after all, Zhou Huaichen was the only one immune to the charms of the universally adored Yan Qing.

Zhou Huaichen prepared to depart with Zhou Yongnan and Yan Qing.

Before leaving, Zhou Yongnan bared his teeth at Ye Weian, itching to give him a good beating before he left.

Yan Qing also felt a deep unease.

He had no desire to alienate Ye Weian; he still relied on Ye Weian to fund his career. While Zhou Yongnan was easily manipulated, he lacked real influence and couldn't compare to Ye Weian's importance.

He gazed pleadingly at Ye Weian, biting his lip as he called out, "Mr. Ye..."

Ye Weian inwardly scoffed. How irritating.

"Still not leaving?" He had no patience for coddling Yan Qing, and spoke with a blank expression, "Don't bother me again."

The blocked system, having used a Trojan to force its way back, overheard his rejection of Yan Qing and crackled furiously: [Host, your mission is to romance Yan Qing! How can you romance him if you don't see him?!]

Ye Weian: [I'll romance someone else.]

He looked at Zhou Huaichen, his mind consumed by thoughts of purple crystal cores.

Ah, Zhou Huaichen looked so delectable.

He wanted to consume him.

System: [No! Have you forgotten what I told you? You were sent into this book because readers were too upset, and you're here to change the ending. Your mission is to romance Yan Qing and ultimately be with him. You cannot romance anyone else.]

Ye Weian: "I don't like Yan Qing."

But he was willing to romance Zhou Huaichen.

System: [You have to romance him even if you don't like him, otherwise you'll never see your parents and brother again.]

Ye Weian: "."

He looked at Yan Qing and said calmly, "I'll contact you later."

Seeing that CEO Ye was still willing to engage with him, Yan Qing finally felt relieved. He blinked, feigning vulnerability, and said, "Please don't forget."

Ye Weian ignored him, his eyes darting towards Zhou Huaichen.

—[Heaven knows, Zhou Huaichen is the only one I'm interested in.]

Zhou Huaichen curved his lips into a smile, returning his gaze.

Ye Weian: "?"

Maintaining a poker face, he instructed the old butler to see them out.

Zhou Huaichen took a few steps, then suddenly turned back, remarking meaningfully, "Mr. Ye has quite the rich inner world."

Ye Weian: "?"

*

Finally having seen them off, Ye Weian returned to his room, intending to resume playing with his gems.

The original owner's safe contained several priceless rubies and sapphires. While not as enticing as Zhou Huaichen, they could at least partially satisfy his craving.

System: [Host, a new task has arrived. Tomorrow, you need to meet with Yan Qing to foster feelings. Yan Qing is filming on set, so it seems you'll have to visit him.]

Ye Weian walked upstairs, his face impassive as he replied, "Not going."

System: [Think about your parents and brother.]

Ye Weian's steps faltered slightly.

His parents and brother had died before the apocalypse. The system had approached him, promising that if he completed the mission, it would help him save his parents and brother and relocate his family to a world free of the apocalypse.

The terms were quite appealing.

Having endured a decade of solitude in the apocalypse, how could he refuse the chance to save his family?

Now, having met Yan Qing, he realized the mission would not be easy.

Matters of the heart cannot be feigned.

He wasn't an actor; how could he flawlessly portray affection for Yan Qing?

He could, however, do it for Zhou Huaichen. Zhou Huaichen bore a striking resemblance to his beloved purple crystal core.

"Understood," he replied calmly.

The system was relieved. [It's good that the host has come around.]

If the host continued this love triangle, it might as well just format and self-destruct.

System: [According to the plot, Zhou Yongnan will target the host next. Please prepare countermeasures in advance.]

In the book, after the kidnapping incident, Zhou Yongnan enlisted his family's help to deal with the original owner while simultaneously convincing Yan Qing to conspire against him.

In a few days, Yan Qing would publicly accuse the original owner of assault. As a top celebrity with a massive fanbase, Yan Qing's accusation would instantly lead to the original owner's public condemnation, causing the Ye family's stock to plummet. Driven to madness by the backlash, the original owner would resort to ruthless tactics against Zhou Yongnan and Yan Qing, almost driving them to their deaths.

At the critical moment, Zhou Huaichen intervened and saved Zhou Yongnan.

Subsequently, the Ye family inexplicably went bankrupt, and the original owner mysteriously jumped to his death.

Then the readers went wild, flooding the comments with negative reviews.

Ye Weian: "."

...The only explanation is that the book is poorly written, the author is stubborn, and Zhou Huaichen is the hidden mastermind.

In any case, the Ye family's downfall was spectacular, and the original owner's death was equally dramatic.

And the readers' negative reviews were just as fervent!

System: [Since the host has transmigrated, the plot has changed, but we still need to guard against Zhou Yongnan's actions.]

Ye Weian: "Understood."

After a brief moment of contemplation, he pulled out his phone and called the company's executive assistant, instructing them to withdraw investment from Yan Qing's new series.

System: [???]

Ye Weian: "Everything Yan Qing has was given to him by the original owner. Only after losing it all will he realize what he lost." He paused, then added, "When I visit the set tomorrow, he'll definitely beg me, crying."

System: "..."

Host, where do you get such confidence?

Ye Weian: "What do you think about taking the 'angsty romance' route? Maybe Yan Qing is the type who’s into bad boys—the worse I treat him, the more he’ll love me."

System: "..."

It remained silent for a long time, perhaps too shocked to function.

It wasn't until Ye Weian returned to his study and took out the gems to admire that the system finally said quietly, "...Host, you're such a jerk."

Ye Weian: "."

Ignoring it, he held the ruby and thought of the man who resembled a purple crystal core, regretting not having kept him around.

Well, even without the purple crystal core, rubies and sapphires could still scratch that itch.

Sensing his indifference, the system couldn't help but remind him: [Host, you can't keep being this stone-faced. You need to learn from the original Ye Weian, or you'll give yourself away.]

There's a significant difference between being gloomy and being stone-faced.

Right now, the host is completely like a wooden dummy.

Ye Weian: [Oh.]

Showing no intention of learning.

System: "..."

Forget it. As long as the host is willing to carry out the tasks, he can be as stone-faced as he wants, or act like a robot if he pleases.

*

As soon as Zhou Yongnan left the Ye residence, he immediately began complaining to Zhou Huaichen: "Uncle, Ye Weian is too overbearing. Not only did he kidnap Yan Qing, but he also tried to make a move on me. Uncle, please teach him a good lesson."

"Make a move on you?" Zhou Huaichen recalled Ye Weian's inner thoughts and let out a soft chuckle.

Zhou Yongnan: "?"

Uncle, is this really the time to laugh?

"Seriously, Ye Weian is an animal!" Zhou Yongnan fumed.

Zhou Huaichen glanced at him flatly: "Enough. I said this matter ends here."

Zhou Yongnan tried to say more.

Zhou Huaichen's expression turned cold: "From what I know, it was your boyfriend who actively provoked Mr. Ye."

Zhou Yongnan fell silent.

He was aware that Yan Qing had many admirers and that Ye Weian had done a lot for him. Though he had felt jealous many times, Yan Qing always claimed there was nothing ambiguous between him and Ye Weian, so Zhou Yongnan chose to believe him...

Yan Qing pouted and looked at Zhou Huaichen with puppy-dog eyes: "Mr. Zhou, I didn't..."

Zhou Huaichen ignored him and turned to Zhou Yongnan: "Take your boyfriend back. I'm heading to the company."

With that, he got into his car and left.

Zhou Yongnan stood there, watching the car drive away, still feeling resentful.

Unfortunately, he had always been intimidated by Zhou Huaichen's authority and didn't dare pester his uncle, who held the family's power. He could only mutter, "Hmph, I'll go ask Grandpa for help!"

Yan Qing was also watching Zhou Huaichen leave, his eyes filled with admiration and infatuation.

Zhou Yongnan took his hand: "Let's go too."

He didn't notice Yan Qing's gaze, only wanting to leave the cursed Ye house as soon as possible.

Yan Qing obediently followed him into the car and murmured softly: "Your uncle has such a powerful presence."

Zhou Yongnan: "Of course. Even I'm a little afraid of him."

Yan Qing: "He seems very impressive."

Zhou Yongnan nodded: "My uncle is definitely impressive. Ye Weian isn't even worth one of his fingers!"

In reality, although Zhou Huaichen was indeed one of the most powerful among the younger generation of leaders, Ye Weian was not a pushover either. Zhou Yongnan was just deliberately disparaging his rival, Ye Weian.

Yan Qing lowered his eyelids thoughtfully.

No man had ever been able to resist his charm, yet Mr. Zhou hadn't even glanced at him.

He felt a little put out but also even more motivated.

*

The next afternoon, urged by the system, Ye Weian went to the set.

This was the fifth project the original owner had invested in for Yan Qing—an art-house film aimed at getting Yan Qing awards. The director was Bai Yuan, the hottest new director in recent years. Bai Yuan's previous film had won an international gold prize, and its male lead had taken home the most prestigious Best Actor award.

From this, it's clear how much the original owner of this body cared about Yan Qing, having had his entire career mapped out.

However, Ye Weian had the company withdraw the investment yesterday, so it's highly likely this film won't proceed.

Yan Qing only found out about the withdrawal when he arrived on set. Everyone was pointing fingers at him, speculating whether he had been dumped by President Ye.

His agent pulled him into the green room and asked point-blank, "Did you offend President Ye?"

Yan Qing's face turned pale.

The agent urged, "Hurry up and apologize. This is an investment worth hundreds of millions! Among all your admirers, only President Ye is this generous. If you miss this chance, where else are you going to find such a sugar daddy?"

Yan Qing replied, "...I'll give President Ye a call."

Just as Ye Weian's car entered the film set, he received Yan Qing's call.

The delicate white lotus asked softly on the other end, "President Ye, are you angry?"

Ye Weian said, "I'll be on set soon. We'll talk then."

After saying that, he hung up.

The System: [Host, don't be so cold. Remember, Yan Qing is your mission target, not those zombies from the apocalypse who wanted to devour your crystal nucleus and ended up being killed by you.]

Ye Weian: "."

When the car arrived outside the set, Ye Weian got out but suddenly stopped and asked the System, "What if I just dug out Yan Qing's heart, then dug out the heart from this body, and buried the two hearts together? Would that count as mission success? If not, how about pulverizing the two hearts together and mixing them? Wouldn't that be another form of 'together in life and death, hearts understanding each other'?"

The System: [???]

Since when does "together in life and death" mean digging out hearts?

Since when does "hearts understanding each other" mean pulverizing two hearts together?

How can the host say such a bloody and horrifying idea without batting an eye?

The System roared: [Host, even though this novel is dumbed down, remember, this is a society with laws!!!!]

Ye Weian: "Oh."

Having spent a decade as the Zombie King in the apocalypse, he'd really forgotten the rules of a normal world.

After a long burst of static, the System finally calmed down and pleaded, [Host, please come up with fewer crazy ideas and use more normal thinking. Follow the regular rules to complete the mission.]

Ye Weian: "..."

Author's Note: My dear readers, the System is a good one! This will be explained later~=3=

Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!