Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Yan Qing and his agent greeted Ye Weian at the door. Yan Qing’s expression was a blend of grievance and melancholy, imbued with a helpless beauty. In the past, whenever he displayed this look before the original host, the host would soften and grant his every wish.

But Ye Weian was having none of it. After a brief glance, he withdrew his gaze, his face impassive.

Yan Qing: "..."

His agent nudged him from behind, signaling him to curry favor with Ye Weian.

Yan Qing bit his lip. "Mr. Ye..."

Ye Weian cut him off. "To the lounge."

Yan Qing narrowed his eyes. This was the first time Ye Weian had treated him with such coldness.

A wave of unease washed over him.

On set, the sight of Ye Weian and Yan Qing entering together immediately sparked a flurry of whispers.

Yesterday, Ye Weian had pulled his investment, leading everyone to speculate that the two had broken up. Yet, today, Ye Weian had eagerly shown up to visit the set, suggesting a likely reconciliation.

Suddenly, the gazes directed at Yan Qing were filled with admiration.

Yan Qing’s tactics were truly formidable—managing to keep so many people on a string while firmly holding the head of the Ye family in the palm of his hand. Many even wished he’d write a "playboy’s guide."

Ye Weian walked past everyone without so much as a sidelong glance.

Once inside the lounge, the door closed, he handed over a stack of documents. "Over the past few years, I’ve spent a total of 1.2 billion yuan promoting you. You’ve brought in 500 million, leaving you owing me 700 million. I’ve had all the details compiled—take a look. If you have no objections, you can repay me."

Yan Qing: "?"

The agent: "?"

An eerie silence descended upon the room.

Ye Weian didn’t press Yan Qing. He sat on the sofa, calmly waiting for Yan Qing to review the itemized list.

He had instructed his special assistant to compile it yesterday.

—*The author, to highlight the original host’s infatuation with Yan Qing and his generosity, had written that every investment the original host made in Yan Qing amounted to hundreds of millions.*

The system was the first to react, unable to resist asking, "Host, when did you print these account details?"

After a pause, it immediately added, "First you withdraw funding, and now you’re asking Yan Qing to repay the money. I think Yan Qing is very likely to start hating you."

If Yan Qing hated the host, how would the mission be completed?

Ye Weian replied, "Only after losing something does one learn to cherish it. Yan Qing might even beg me tearfully to be with him."

The system: "..."

It had a feeling the host was headed for a spectacular failure.

Yan Qing and his agent stared at the stack of documents, their faces falling. Clearly, Ye Weian’s audacious move had left them stunned.

After a long while, Yan Qing clutched the documents, gazing at Ye Weian with a mix of resentment and accusation. "Are you... are you still angry with me?"

Ye Weian offered no reply.

To a zombie king, anger was an alien emotion. His only thought was to complete the mission as swiftly as possible.

He ignored Yan Qing’s question and pressed on about the debt. "As far as I know, you have 200 million yuan in savings. You can borrow some from Zhou Yongnan and repay me as soon as possible."

Yan Qing’s face instantly paled.

Ye Weian added, "Oh, right, your villa and car were gifts from me. I won’t ask for them back, but you can sell them to raise the funds."

His tone was utterly indifferent, devoid of any warmth.

Yan Qing was simultaneously furious and aggrieved.

Normally, Ye Weian fawned over him like a dog. But ever since that night he had taken the initiative to climb into Ye Weian’s bed, Ye Weian had abruptly changed, as if he now found him particularly repulsive.

He wondered if Ye Weian had lost his mind.

Before, when he barely acknowledged Ye Weian, Ye Weian chased after him. Now that he was willing to engage, Ye Weian seemed to dislike him. Was this the proverbial "Lord Ye’s love for dragons"?

The agent was so anxious his throat felt parched. He pressed down on Yan Qing’s shoulder, saying in a low voice, "Did you upset Mr. Ye? Hurry up and apologize. Mr. Ye is a magnanimous man—he’ll definitely forgive you."

Yan Qing bit his lip hard, glaring resentfully at Ye Weian, refusing to utter a single word.

Why should he apologize to Ye Weian? Ye Weian had come to demand repayment, humiliating him. He was still waiting for Ye Weian to apologize to *him*!

Unfortunately, Ye Weian remained oblivious to Yan Qing’s resentment, continuing to lean back on the sofa with detached indifference.

The agent grew even more frantic. Mr. Ye was, after all, Yan Qing’s sugar daddy—and the most generous one at that. If Yan Qing offended Mr. Ye, what kind of comfortable life could they expect in the future?

He gripped Yan Qing’s shoulder more firmly, reminding him again, "Qingqing, apologize quickly."

Yan Qing was utterly exasperated by his agent, and since Ye Weian showed no intention of offering him an out, he took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, I’ll repay you as soon as possible."

There were so many people pursuing him—Zhou Yongnan was the eldest son of the Zhou family, and several other admirers were rich second-generation heirs. Even Director Bai Yuan looked at him with tender affection. He refused to believe that losing one Ye Weian would ruin his career in the industry!

Somehow, Zhou Huaichen’s handsome yet aloof face suddenly flashed through Yan Qing’s mind.

Zhou Yongnan couldn’t compare to Ye Weian, but Zhou Huaichen was far more powerful than Ye Weian!

If he could just... if he could ensnare Zhou Huaichen, wouldn’t he be able to trample Ye Weian underfoot?!

This thought thrilled Yan Qing, body and soul. The resentment and frustration he’d felt moments earlier vanished without a trace.

Once he was with the head of the Zhou family, even if Ye Weian knelt and begged him, he wouldn’t so much as glance back!

Ye Weian had no idea what Yan Qing was thinking, and even if he did, he wouldn’t care.

"Considering we’ve been involved for two years, I’ll give you two choices," he said, standing up. "Either repay the money, or commit to me wholeheartedly and cut off everyone else."

He had considered it—the system’s mission was to have him win over Yan Qing. As long as the outcome was him and Yan Qing being together, whether they loved each other or not probably didn’t matter to the system.

Yan Qing bit his lip, remaining silent.

Ye Weian didn’t pressure him further, simply stating, "You have three days."

Then he left.

Yan Qing glared fiercely at his retreating back until it vanished through the door, his clenched fists digging nails into his palms.

The system felt Ye Weian’s approach was too crude—it seemed less like he was trying to win Yan Qing over and more like he was getting revenge. It couldn’t help but worry: "Host, I think you should use flowers and money as your strategy."

Ye Weian: "I choose heart extraction."

System: "..."

Forget it, let the host try. Maybe Yan Qing really is an easy target.

Ye Weian walked out of the film set, ready to drive home, but when he looked up, he saw Zhou Huaichen in the distance.

He immediately stopped.

A group of people accompanied Zhou Huaichen as they walked over. On Zhou Huaichen’s left was a beautiful woman with curly hair, whose every movement was alluring, and on his right was a handsome, black-haired young man with delicate features who looked bright and ambitious.

This man and woman must be celebrities, right?

Ye Weian gazed fixedly at Zhou Huaichen, as if watching his most beloved Purple Crystal Core being snatched right before his eyes. He couldn’t help but frown.

Zhou Huaichen seemed to sense something and looked up, his gaze meeting Ye Weian’s.

Their eyes locked.

Zhou Huaichen’s lips curved slightly, and he turned, walking directly toward Ye Weian.

After a moment of surprise, the group behind him bustled after him.

Ye Weian: "..."

As Zhou Huaichen approached, he heard Ye Weian’s thoughts: *“Stay calm, stay calm...”*

*“The Purple Crystal Core is coming closer—stay calm, don’t make a move!”*

*“His current mission is to win over Yan Qing; he can’t touch Zhou Huaichen.”*

Zhou Huaichen greeted him with a smile: "President Ye."

Ye Weian tilted his head: "What are you doing here?"

He was genuinely curious, but due to his deadpan expression, it sounded more like an interrogation.

Zhou Huaichen didn’t mind his tone and patiently explained: "The film studio is expanding, and the Zhou family has invested. I happened to have some free time, so I came to inspect."

Ye Weian: "Oh."

His gaze swept over the two celebrities beside Zhou Huaichen.

—*“Zhou Huaichen probably isn’t interested in them. They’re not even as good-looking as he is.”*

Zhou Huaichen chuckled.

He glanced at his watch. Time was a bit tight. After a moment’s thought, he took out a pen and paper, wrote down a string of numbers, and handed it to Ye Weian, saying: "President Ye, this is my private number. You can add me."

Since they weren’t close, Ye Weian only had Zhou Huaichen’s official contact information in his phone, not his private number.

Ye Weian: "Sure."

He swiftly saved the number and searched for the WeChat account to add.

Just as he put his phone back in his pocket, he suddenly stared at Zhou Huaichen and said: "If you have something to tell me, could you not type? Send me a voice message instead."

—*“His grape-scented voice is so pleasant to hear.”*

Zhou Huaichen heard his inner thoughts, glanced at his expressionless yet strikingly handsome face, and nodded with a smile: "Alright, I’ll send you voice messages every day from now on."

Ye Weian: "!"

Every day!

His usually deadpan face showed a rare, subtle change.

—*“I get to hear that grape-scented voice every day! Bliss!”*

Zhou Huaichen brought his fist to his mouth and chuckled softly.

After laughing, he looked deeply at Ye Weian and said: "If I send you voice messages every day, President Ye, shouldn’t you agree to one of my requests?"

Ye Weian: "Hmm?"

Zhou Huaichen smiled: "Treat me to a meal."

Ye Weian immediately agreed: "No problem." It was just a meal, after all.

The two conversed as if no one else was around, but the group behind Zhou Huaichen was taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances.

...*“Why does the conversation between President Zhou and President Ye sound so ambiguous?”*

*“Weren’t they supposed to be at odds?”*

Ye Weian could tell Zhou Huaichen still had matters to attend to. Under the surprised looks of the crowd, he bid farewell to Zhou Huaichen.

Zhou Huaichen stood in place, watching the car drive away, the smile in his eyes never fading.

*

Ye Weian returned home, brushed off the system’s suggestion to discuss the plan to win over Yan Qing, and went straight to his study to play with his gemstones while waiting for the grape-scented voice message.

But even by evening, his phone remained silent.

He couldn’t help but frown.

Didn’t he promise to send voice messages every day?

Suddenly, he lost interest in playing with his gemstones. Clutching his phone, he paced back and forth.

Finally, he decided to give Zhou Huaichen a reminder.

Ye: "President Zhou, send me a voice message."

The system, seeing this, couldn’t help but say: "Host, your tone is too cold."

Ye Weian thought about it and agreed. Even though Zhou Huaichen was the one who offered to send voice messages daily, the truth was, he was the one who wanted to hear them.

So he opened the WeChat chatbox again and expressionlessly sent three more messages—

Ye: "President Zhou, could you send me a voice message, please?"

Ye: "Acting cute · jpg"

Ye: "Bunny acting cute · jpg"

*Author's note: Updates should be daily in the evening~^^