Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Zhou Huaichen’s attention quickly gravitated to the words “my family.”

He gave Ye Weian a deep, searching look, a faint smile playing on his lips. He then reached out and lightly touched Ye Weian’s back, saying, “Let’s go take a seat.”

Ye Weian murmured, “Oh,” and settled into the main seats alongside Zhou Huaichen.

All six people in the private room were fixated on Ye Weian.

Zhou Huaichen proceeded to introduce them.

Ye Weian’s gaze first landed on the couple.

Zhou Huaichen chuckled softly, then pointed to the man. “This is Qi Changbai. The ‘Nine Heavens’ crew is still forming, so he has three months free. If you think it’s viable, he could direct ‘The Year the Wind Rose.’”

Ye Weian studied Qi Changbai with curiosity.

So this young, handsome man was Qi Changbai; he had initially thought he was a celebrity.

Ye Weian replied, “Sure, as long as he’s willing.”

Qi Changbai smiled at him. “As long as President Ye doesn’t mind me.”

Ye Weian waved a dismissive hand. “Not at all.”

He felt like he was getting a good deal.

Although Qi Changbai had never directed a film, his television dramas were consistently high-quality. “The Year the Wind Rose” wasn’t about making money, so as long as the quality was good, it would be a perfect match for Qi Changbai’s style.

Qi Changbai glanced at Zhou Huaichen, then turned to Ye Weian with a knowing smile. “I had a brief encounter with President Ye at the film studio last time. I wanted to get to know you then, but Brother Chen wouldn’t introduce us.”

Brother Chen?

Ye Weian mused.

It seemed Qi Changbai and Zhou Huaichen were quite close.

The young woman beside them chimed in with a giggle, “Me too! I wanted to meet President Ye last time as well.”

Ye Weian turned to look at her.

She was the woman who had been with Qi Changbai and Zhou Huaichen at the studio.

The girl was quite forward, introducing herself before Zhou Huaichen could. “My name is Zhu Ziyan, and Brother Chen and I are neighbors.”

Before Ye Weian could react, the system shrieked, [Zhu Ziyan! The popular actress who has a crush on Big Boss Zhou!]

Ye Weian tilted his head. “She wasn’t in the book.”

System: [You only read the part where the original protagonist died. There’s actually more to the story. After Big Boss Zhou helped Zhou Yongnan defeat the original protagonist, Yan Qing married into the Zhou family. Zhu Ziyan constantly suspected Yan Qing was trying to seduce Big Boss Zhou and opposed her at every turn, until Yan Qing eventually dealt with her.]

Ye Weian: “…”

So there was more to it?

From this, he gathered two pieces of information.

First, Zhu Ziyan had a crush on Zhou Huaichen.

Second, Zhu Ziyan would eventually clash with Yan Qing and end up as cannon fodder.

While the enemy of an enemy could be a friend, Ye Weian had no interest in befriending Zhu Ziyan.

Ye Weian snapped back to attention and replied flatly, “Hello.”

—[Neighbors? So what? Are they as cute and handsome as me?]

Zhou Huaichen glanced at him, the smile on his lips deepening.

No.

No one was more adorable than him.

Noticing Ye Weian’s lack of enthusiasm, Zhu Ziyan narrowed her eyes.

She suddenly let out a laugh and turned to Zhou Huaichen, saying coyly, “Brother Chen, I heard you’re starting a new project. Would I have the honor of being the female lead?”

Zhou Huaichen pointed to Qi Changbai. “He’s the director. Ask him.”

Qi Changbai chimed in, “You can audition when the time comes.”

The two of them, working in tandem, smoothly sidestepped Zhu Ziyan’s question.

Zhu Ziyan pouted in disappointment.

Zhou Huaichen paid no mind to her mood and continued introducing the remaining four people to Ye Weian.

After hearing their names, Ye Weian carefully recalled the plot. These four weren’t mentioned in the original book, so they likely wouldn’t fall for Yan Qing.

As expected of Big Boss Zhou’s friends, they could resist Yan Qing’s charm.

The system, ever so diligent, explained to him: [These four are Big Boss Zhou’s childhood friends. They all come from prominent families and are highly capable.]

System: [Qi Changbai is younger than Zhou Huaichen. His older brother, Qi Changsong, is actually Zhou Huaichen’s childhood friend, but he’s not here today. Zhou Huaichen, out of respect for Brother Qi, provided a lot of help to Qi Changbai when he first started directing.]

System: [Zhu Ziyan is also younger than Zhou Huaichen. Her older brother, Zhu Hongke, is Zhou Huaichen’s childhood friend. He’s the second person to your right.]

Ye Weian glanced to his right.

The first person to his right was Zhou Huaichen, and next to him was Zhu Hongke.

Zhu Ziyan was a great beauty, and Zhu Hongke was also very handsome, wearing wire-rimmed glasses with an aristocratic demeanor.

Noticing Ye Weian’s gaze, Zhu Hongke smiled at him.

Ye Weian asked the system, “Does Zhu Hongke know his sister has feelings for A-Chen?”

The system replied, [It wasn’t written in the book.]

In other words, it didn’t know.

Ye Weian: “.”

Noticing Ye Weian’s prolonged attention on Zhu Hongke, Zhou Huaichen’s expression darkened. “Hongke is also interested in investing in ‘Nine Heavens.’”

Ye Weian murmured, “Let him invest.”

This project was being managed by the Zhou Corporation; he was merely providing the funds and wasn’t interested in anything else.

Yet, his gaze remained fixed on Zhu Hongke.

Zhou Huaichen’s eyes grew even more profound. He tapped the table lightly and asked, “Are you very interested in Hongke?”

After spending some time with Ye Weian, he had come to understand Ye Weian’s style—if there was something to ask, it was best to ask directly, because Ye Weian didn’t do subtlety.

Everyone at the table turned to look at Ye Weian.

Zhu Hongke smiled. “I’m flattered.”

Ye Weian tilted his head and said bluntly, “Not interested.”

Zhu Hongke: “…”

The others: “…”

Zhou Huaichen said in a low voice, “Then why were you looking at him?”

Ye Weian: “I wanted to see if he knows his sister likes you.”

Everyone: “…”

Zhu Ziyan’s face suddenly flushed bright red, and she shot a shy glance at Zhou Huaichen.

The childhood friends clearly all knew Zhu Ziyan’s feelings, and their eyes darted teasingly between Zhou Huaichen and Zhu Ziyan.

Zhou Huaichen avoided looking at Zhu Ziyan. His gaze remained fixed on Ye Weian as he said, “You’ve got it wrong. Ziyan doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her.”

He was making his stance clear.

Zhu Ziyan’s flushed face went pale instantly.

Seeing this, the childhood friends immediately withdrew their teasing looks.

The room fell silent.

Zhu Hongke cleared his throat lightly and stepped in to smooth things over. “Yes, A-Chen and I are like brothers. My sister is like his sister.”

It was clear he was trying to cover for his sister.

But Zhu Ziyan was annoyed and opened her mouth as if to say something.

Zhu Hongke shot her a stern look. “Ziyan!”

He was both saving his sister’s face and respecting his childhood friend Zhou Huaichen’s wishes.

Zhou Huaichen was the most accomplished young scion of the prominent families. The Zhu family had particularly hoped Zhu Ziyan could marry Zhou Huaichen, but Zhu Hongke knew very well that Zhou Huaichen didn’t like his sister, so he never brought it up in front of him.

Now that Ye Weian had brought it out into the open, Zhu Hongke felt awkward and was afraid his sister might say something shocking, so he stopped her.

The System couldn’t help commenting in Ye Weian’s ear, [Host, you’re too blunt. Zhu Ziyan is upset.]

Ye Weian: “?”

He looked at Zhu Ziyan. “Are you upset?”

Zhu Ziyan’s face darkened, and she wouldn’t even look at him, clearly angry.

Ye Weian was puzzled. “But liking someone isn’t something to be ashamed of. If you like someone, just go after them openly.”

Zhu Ziyan froze.

She had liked Zhou Huaichen since she first developed feelings, but she was afraid of being rejected, so she had only dared to approach him secretly, never confessing.

Ye Weian’s words hit her like a ton of bricks.

The others also looked on in stunned silence at Ye Weian.

Only Zhou Huaichen tapped the table lightly, his expression unreadable.

Zhu Ziyan suddenly stared at Ye Weian and said, “I heard you like Yan Qing and pursued him for several years?”

Ye Weian: “Yes.”

Ye Weian: “I wanted to be with him, but unfortunately, he doesn’t like me.”

Everyone: “…”

Zhu Ziyan was also stunned, not expecting him to own up to it so easily.

Her eyes shifted, and she noticed Zhou Huaichen staring intently at Ye Weian. A weird feeling suddenly arose in her heart.

…Does Brother Chen seem particularly concerned about Ye Weian?

Zhou Huaichen lowered his eyes, masking his feelings, not letting anyone see through him.

Zhu Ziyan bit her lip and said to Ye Weian, “But I saw online that you’re going to blacklist Yan Qing… If you like him, how could you bear to do that?”

“Are you playing the ‘if I can’t have him, I’ll destroy him’ game?”

Ye Weian glanced at her. “Are you trying to say I’m a creep?”

Zhu Ziyan: “…”

The others: “…”

…There was no need to be quite that blunt.

Ye Weian shrugged. “You don’t understand. Freezing him out is also a way of pursuing him.”

Everyone: “…”

They really didn’t understand!

The atmosphere in the private room became somewhat heavy and strange.

Especially Zhou Huaichen, who kept his eyes downcast, lost in thought.

The childhood friends were good at reading the room and quickly changed the subject to business matters, finally leaving the topic of relationships behind.

Zhu Ziyan’s glance moved between Zhou Huaichen and Ye Weian. She suddenly stood up and said, “Sorry, I need to go to the restroom.”

When she returned, she wasn’t alone.

She said with a smile, “Look who I brought!”

Everyone looked toward the door.

Yan Qing stepped out from behind Zhu Ziyan and greeted everyone with a smile.

Zhu Ziyan ushered Yan Qing into the private room and said, “I just ran into the famous Yan Qing in the hallway. He said he was here to find someone. Knowing President Ye likes him, I brought him along.”

Yan Qing shot Ye Weian a surprised look.

Did Ye Weian really say he wanted to be with him in front of so many people?

He felt smug and snorted to himself.

He always knew Ye Weian was still hung up on him, but what Ye Weian had done these past few days had really gotten on his nerves.

If Ye Weian didn’t make the first move to sweet-talk him, he would never forgive him!

He blinked, his gaze falling on Zhou Huaichen, and feigned surprise. “President Zhou, you’re here too?”

Actually, he had looked up Zhou Huaichen’s schedule and followed him here on purpose.

Zhou Huaichen gave a noncommittal “Hmm.”

Yan Qing walked over to his side and murmured, “Yongnan is on his way. We agreed to have lunch here. Since you’re here, could Yongnan and I join you for a meal?”

His cheeks were flushed, clearly showing his interest in Zhou Huaichen.

Everyone present was perceptive. Remembering that Ye Weian had said he liked Yan Qing, they couldn’t help but shoot glances at Ye Weian.

Ye Weian wasn’t angry at all—instead, he was watching with amusement.

—[Yan Qing always uses Zhou Yongnan as an excuse to get close to A-Chen.]

—[Zhu Ziyan probably sees right through Yan Qing’s plan, right?]

—[Is the drama coming? So exciting!]

Zhou Huaichen: “…”

Zhu Ziyan had indeed noticed Yan Qing’s intention, and her eyes turned cold.

She gave Yan Qing a mocking look and said, “I heard you’re with Brother Chen’s nephew. That would make you everyone’s niece-in-law.”

She was deliberately demoting Yan Qing by a generation.

Yan Qing’s face fell.

Zhu Ziyan then glanced at Ye Weian and tsk-tsked, “Poor President Ye, so lovesick.”

Ye Weian waved his hand. “What can I say?”

—[This is so painful. I don’t like Yan Qing at all, yet I have to tell everyone I’m chasing after him!]

His gaze fell on Zhou Huaichen.

—[At least A-Chen’s sweet. I’ll have an extra bowl of rice later to settle my nerves.]

—[Hey, how come they haven’t served the food yet?]

—[Not cool. We were supposed to come here to eat.]

Zhou Huaichen: “…”

He let out a light chuckle, interrupting the standoff between Zhu Ziyan and Yan Qing, and signaled the waiter to serve the dishes.

Throughout the meal, everyone in the room wore varied expressions.

Zhou Huaichen kept serving Ye Weian food.

Anyone could see how much he cared for Ye Weian.

Zhu Ziyan and Yan Qing both looked seriously annoyed.

Just as everyone was about to finish eating, Zhou Yongnan showed up.

As soon as he saw Ye Weian, he glared at him. “Why are you coming after Qingqing online?”

What made him even angrier was that Bai Yuan and Xie Siming could publicly support Yan Qing online, while he, as Yan Qing’s official boyfriend, couldn’t defend him publicly.

He was well aware of Bai Yuan and Xie Siming’s feelings for Yan Qing and felt a major sense of danger.

Ye Weian wiped his mouth with a napkin, looked up leisurely at him, and said, “Break up with him and have him come to me, and I’ll stop targeting him.”

Zhou Yongnan was furious and whined to Zhou Huaichen, “Uncle, look how arrogant he is.”

Yan Qing, on the other hand, gave a pitiful look to Zhou Huaichen. “President Zhou, can you help me? President Ye has been coming after me… it’s really getting to me…”

His eyes were filled with tears, making him look extremely pitiful.

Zhu Ziyan didn’t even try to hide her eye-roll nearby.

Her brother hissed at her, “Where are your manners?”

Zhu Ziyan snorted but maintained the composure of a well-bred young lady.

Zhou Huaichen ignored Zhou Yongnan and Yan Qing. Instead, he looked at Ye Weian and said, “You want them to break up?”

Ye Weian nodded without much thought.

Zhou Huaichen looked intently at him and said, “Do you want to know what I think?”

Ye Weian: “Hm?”

Zhou Huaichen: “If they break up and Yan Qing gets together with you, then I hope they never break up.”

The system exclaimed: [Host, Zhou Huaichen must have fallen for you! He really is a pig after my cabbage!]

Ye Weian: “?”

The system continued shrieking: [So many people are watching! Zhu Ziyan and Yan Qing are both here, yet President Zhou just pretty much confessed to you! Oh my god, talk about drama! So thrilling, isn’t it?!]

The system: [Wait, why am I so excited? Shouldn’t you, host, be with Yan Qing…]

The system: […I’ve sinned. I’m going to face the wall.]

The next second, it really disappeared.

Ye Weian: “…”

He stared blankly at Zhou Huaichen.

—[So in A-Chen’s eyes, I’m a fresh piece of cabbage?]

—[A-Chen really is a pig!]

Zhou Huaichen: “…”

Author’s note: Zhou Huaichen: That’s right, it’s me.

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!