Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ye Weian argued earnestly, "My hair is very important."

Dragon Sister: "..."

The system, however, understood its host perfectly. After all, in the apocalypse, the host had been an exceptionally vain Zombie King, meticulously caring for his hair and even cutting it himself.

Dragon Sister conceded, "The netizens have been waiting for our statement. We can't leave them hanging all night; losing sleep will lead to hair loss too."

Ye Weian found her reasoning sound and agreed to issue the clarification immediately.

Dragon Sister breathed a sigh of relief and promptly contacted the PR department.

Shortly after, Lemon Entertainment’s official social media account posted an announcement clarifying two matters.

First, regarding the cast changes: the contract stipulated that directors and lead actors could be replaced for special reasons. Everything was handled according to the contract, and there was no bullying of the director or artists.

Second, Yan Qing and Lin Chang were not in a relationship; the rumors were false.

Third, CEO Ye and Yan Qing were merely ordinary friends, as were CEO Ye and Lin Chang.

After the announcement was released, someone using an anonymous account commented with a bombshell: "I heard Yan Qing has been in a relationship for several years with a boyfriend who also has a powerful background. By the way, I also heard that Director Bai Yuan and actor Xie Siming both like Yan Qing, but unfortunately, Yan Qing isn’t interested in them. Looking at it this way, Yan Qing is quite the heartthrob—everyone loves him. Yan Qing’s fans must be so proud; your idol is such a catch."

This anonymous account was, of course, planted by Lemon Entertainment.

Dragon Sister had asked Ye Weian for his opinion on whether to continue hyping the Yan Qing and Lin Chang pairing.

Ye Weian felt that Lin Chang had already garnered enough attention and was being severely criticized online. Continuing the hype would only backfire, so he suggested clarifying the matter directly.

"Of course, Yan Qing is still very useful," Ye Weian said. "Tomorrow, we’ll find someone else to pair him with."

Dragon Sister: "..."

Was he trying to squeeze every last drop of value out of Yan Qing?

Ye Weian saw nothing wrong with it: "He has debts to pay."

Yan Qing owed him several hundred million yuan. If Yan Qing could help boost a number of the company’s stars, Ye Weian might consider writing off the debt.

That night, half the entertainment industry and drama-loving netizens were waiting for Lemon Entertainment’s response.

Once the announcement was released, the internet erupted.

Bai Yuan was so angry he nearly smashed his phone: "Shameless!"

Xie Siming, who had been dragged into the mess, was also displeased.

Fortunately, his agent’s team was highly efficient and quickly issued a clarification stating that he and Yan Qing were just friends.

Xie Siming turned off his phone screen, leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes lightly, and murmured, "Ye Weian... I’ll remember this."

Yan Qing’s reaction to the announcement was even more intense.

Trembling with rage, his face darkened as he said, "Ye Weian is utterly ruthless."

To expose his relationship with Zhou Yongnan—was he trying to ruin him?!

Brother Ming paced angrily around the room: "CEO Ye must have evidence of your relationship with Young Master Zhou. I think we should play it safe and not provoke him further."

"Your relationship with Zhou Yongnan is real, unlike those messy rumors. If it gets exposed, it could affect your resources."

"Even though you’re very popular now, you haven’t cemented your status. Announcing a relationship would only harm you."

Fans shipping couples is one thing, but an actual relationship is another.

Moreover, most of Yan Qing’s fans shipped him with Ye Weian. In their eyes, Zhou Yongnan was no match for Ye Weian.

If news of Yan Qing’s relationship with Zhou Yongnan got out, the fans would definitely go ballistic.

Yan Qing was well aware of this, and his resentment toward Ye Weian’s ruthlessness grew even stronger.

A gleam of malice flashed in his eyes, strengthening his resolve to curry favor with Zhou Huaichen.

The drama-loving netizens, however, were thrilled.

So, Yan Qing had been in a relationship for years? And both Bai Yuan and Xie Siming were interested in him?

This was juicy!

Yan Qing’s fans: "..."

They had waited anxiously for days, finally getting Lemon Entertainment’s response.

But this response clearly dodged the real issues and instead dragged Yan Qing into an even more explosive relationship scandal. Their anger reached its peak, and they blew up their group chats with messages—

"I’m so angry, so angry! Ye's Group and Lemon Entertainment better go under tomorrow!"

"I couldn’t hold back—I cried my eyes out at home... Our Qingqing has been wronged so badly. My heart aches for him; it feels like it’s breaking."

"Friends, we can’t let Qingqing be bullied like this! I’m in the capital. I plan to go to Ye's Group tomorrow to confront them. We must demand an explanation from CEO Ye!"

"I’m in the capital too. I’ll join you!"

Thus, the fans began planning to go to Ye's Group’s headquarters the next day to demand an explanation from Ye Weian.

Both Yan Qing and Brother Ming saw the fans’ discussions but did nothing to stop them.

In fact, they were looking forward to seeing how Ye Weian would react when confronted by the fans.

*

The next day, Ye Weian went to the company early.

He had asked Dragon Sister to gather case studies from the film and television industry in recent years, planning to discuss them thoroughly with Zhou Huaichen’s team that day.

Having heard that online variety shows were very popular nowadays, he thought it might be worth a try.

As the car left the villa, Ye Weian received a call from Dragon Sister informing him that fans were making a scene at the headquarters’ entrance. For safety reasons, she advised him to lay low for now.

After a moment’s thought, Ye Weian sent a text to Zhou Huaichen, changing the meeting location to Zhou Corporation.

As for the angry fans, Ye Weian said calmly, "Call the police."

The system was surprised: "Host, since when do you call the police?"

Not long ago, the host had been planning to rip out Yan Qing’s heart.

Ye Weian lazily leaned back in his chair: "Didn't you tell me this is a society governed by the rule of law?"

System: "...Right, Host did very well. Please keep it up and be a law-abiding citizen!"

Ye Weian: "."

He took out the purple *ping'an kou* (peace knot) and lowered his head to examine it carefully.

The *ping'an kou* was translucent with a warm, lustrous color—truly captivating.

He stroked his chin and said, "Do you think I should buy it from A Chen?"

The System didn't understand: "Why buy it? Didn't Mr. Zhou already give it to you?"

As a System, it couldn't grasp such complex interpersonal dynamics.

Unfortunately, Ye Weian ignored it after that.

System: "..."

The Host is so annoying.

It turned off its receiver and went offline.

……

Ye Weian arrived at Zhou Corporation, where Zhou Huaichen greeted him at the entrance.

The receptionists were sneaking glances at Ye Weian, curious about who could warrant the boss personally welcoming them.

Ye Weian walked forward expressionlessly.

—"The girls don't even recognize me. They must have gone to bed early last night and missed out on the gossip."

—"No wonder they have so much hair." (This is a Chinese idiom implying they're not involved in drama, hence more time for self-care.)

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

He wanted to laugh.

He had also been following Lemon Entertainment’s announcement yesterday and knew Ye Weian had cleared up the rumors about him and Yan Qing. His mood was quite good.

Suddenly remembering something, he led Ye Weian toward the executive elevator and asked quietly, "Why did you suddenly change the meeting location to Zhou Corporation?"

Ye Weian hadn’t explained clearly on the phone earlier, and Zhou Huaichen hadn’t had a chance to ask why.

Ye Weian said casually, "It’s nothing. Yan Qing’s fans were waiting for me downstairs at the company. I didn’t want to see them."

Zhou Huaichen’s expression changed slightly: "Did you call the police?"

Ye Weian nodded.

Zhou Huaichen glanced at the assistants and bodyguards Ye Weian had brought and said, "Try to avoid going out alone from now on."

His tone couldn’t hide his concern.

Even someone as careless as Ye Weian noticed it.

Ye Weian looked at him a few times and replied, "Yeah."

—"A Chen is the most considerate. I really want to take him home with me."

Zhou Huaichen’s lips curled slightly, and he chuckled softly.

There was no need to snatch him.

If he asked, Zhou Huaichen would gladly follow him home.

After Zhou Huaichen and Ye Weian went upstairs, the receptionists excitedly texted their colleagues in a small group chat.

"Just now, a super handsome guy came in, and Mr. Zhou personally took him upstairs. Does anyone know who he is?"

"I happened to go downstairs to grab something and got a quick look... He’s the CEO of Ye Corporation, the one rumored to be involved with the big star Yan Qing! How could you not know?"

"So it’s President Ye! He’s so handsome, even more so than Yan Qing!"

"Yeah, yeah, Yan Qing's nothing compared to them! Mr. Zhou and President Ye together are easy on the eyes!"

"But aren’t our company and Ye Corporation competitors? Are they planning to collaborate now?"

"Collaboration is above our pay grade, but we can still appreciate their looks! Team, is there any man more handsome and wealthy than Mr. Zhou and President Ye? No! They make a great pair!"

While the employees were gossiping, Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen agreed on two projects.

One was the filming of the TV series "Nine Heavens."

"Nine Heavens" is a major male-led xianxia novel, with a script originally written by the famous screenwriter Mufeng. The director and lead actors have not yet been finalized.

Lemon Entertainment and Zhou Corporation’s subsidiary, Wanhao Pictures, could recommend their own actors. As for the director, both Zhou Huaichen and Ye Weian thought Qi Zhangbai would be a good fit.

Like Bai Yuan, Qi Zhangbai is an up-and-coming director.

Bai Yuan focuses more on films, while Qi Zhangbai specializes in television.

Qi Zhangbai has directed four series, each well-produced with high ratings.

With him on board and Mufeng’s script, the results should be great.

The other project was the online murder mystery game show "Today's EyeOpener."

Murder mystery games are very popular now. Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen agreed that profit wasn't the main focus—it would be enough to showcase new talent from both companies.

With the projects settled, Ye Weian was very pleased.

He glanced at his watch; it was almost noon.

"A Chen," he said, looking eagerly at Zhou Huaichen, "Let’s go eat together?"

Food! Food!

Zhou Huaichen chuckled and told his Special Assistant Li Ceng to collect the documents. "I’ve made lunch plans with a few friends. Would you like to join me?"

Ye Weian was a little surprised.

As a lone zombie king who had been isolated for ten years, he considered himself a bit socially anxious.

Zhou Huaichen, as if understanding his concern, said gently, "They’re all friends interested in investing in film and television, including director Qi Zhangbai."

Ye Weian instantly understood.

Looks like Zhou Huaichen set up this dinner to help him meet people.

He blinked. "Okay."

The two of them went downstairs together.

Watching their backs disappear into the elevator, the assistant team gathered around Li Ceng. "Brother Li, are we really going to collaborate with Ye Corp?"

Li Ceng was the Special Assistant who had accompanied Zhou Huaichen on his last business trip.

Thinking about how much attention the boss pays to President Ye, he meaningfully reminded them, "It’s more than just collaboration. From now on, whenever you see President Ye, you must respect him as you would the Big Boss."

The assistants exchanged confused looks: "???"

Not long ago, Zhou Corp was still fighting for projects with Ye Corp, and everyone was against President Ye. Now Brother Li was telling them to treat President Ye with the same respect as the Big Boss?

Has he lost his mind?

Li Ceng: "..."

Zhou Huaichen had arranged to meet his friends at the Camphor Orchid Pavilion restaurant.

The private room had four men and two women. Ye Weian recognized one man and one woman—they were the celebrities who had accompanied Zhou Huaichen at the film and television city last time.

Ye Weian frowned and quickly glanced at Zhou Huaichen.

Zhou Huaichen also looked at him softly. "What?"

Ye Weian shook his head. "It's nothing."

—"Nothing my foot!"

—"My pig... my grape-flavored dining companion is about to be taken away!"

Zhou Huaichen: "...Hmm?"

Who’s the pig?

Author's Note: Zhou Huaichen: Not me.

Darlings, updates will be posted every evening from now on~

Continuing to send out hongbao~~

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