Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Ye Weian stroked his chin, a self-satisfied smile playing on his lips.

—"I really am quite handsome. A Chen has excellent taste."

—"I’ll have someone draw a set of pig emojis for him as a reward later."

Zhou Huaichen: "?"

Should he admit to being the pig or not?

The two exchanged a silent gaze.

Ye Weian blinked.

Zhou Huaichen felt he could still salvage the situation and said, "I’d like an emoji set too. Could you have me drawn as a grapevine?"

He knew Ye Weian liked grape-flavored things, but he couldn’t directly compare himself to a grape. So, he subtly suggested being depicted as a grapevine instead.

Ye Weian: "?"

Why would Zhou Huaichen suddenly bring up emojis?

…He had a strange feeling Zhou Huaichen could read his mind.

If the system were active, it would surely detect Zhou Huaichen’s ability to hear his thoughts.

Unfortunately, the system was in self-imposed isolation, so Ye Weian didn't consider this possibility.

He readily agreed, "Sure, I’ll have someone draw a set of grapevine emojis for you."

Zhou Huaichen hummed softly, a faint smile touching the corner of his lips.

The two chatted as if no one else were present, while Zhu Ziyan and Yan Qing both wore dark expressions.

One genuinely liked Zhou Huaichen, the other saw him as prey.

Yet Zhou Huaichen showed special favor only to Ye Weian—how could they not be jealous?

Yan Qing seethed inwardly, casting a glance at Zhou Yongnan.

Zhou Yongnan, catching the hint, immediately stepped between Zhou Huaichen and Ye Weian, declaring, "Uncle, Ye Weian is a pervert! How can you be so deluded by him?"

Zhou Huaichen gave him a cool look and said, "Come to the old house tonight. I have something to discuss with you." He paused, then added, "I’ll invite your parents, and your grandfather will also be present."

Wasn’t that essentially a family tribunal?

Zhou Yongnan, who had been ready to target Ye Weian, immediately fell silent.

Yan Qing’s face was etched with disappointment.

His disdain for Zhou Yongnan wasn’t unfounded; Zhou Yongnan was simply too weak in Zhou Huaichen's presence.

Zhou Huaichen lightly tapped the table and said, "Let’s call it a night."

His only intention today was to introduce Ye Weian to Qi Zhangbai and the others. Since everyone had met and the meal was over, there was no need to linger.

His close friends, all deferring to Zhou Huaichen, rose to their feet at his words.

Zhu Ziyan suddenly interjected, "Mr. Ye, why don’t you see Yan Qing off?" She offered a poised and elegant smile. "You’ve liked Yan Qing for years without a response. I think Yan Qing should give you a chance."

Everyone knew perfectly well that, while she appeared to be creating an opportunity for Ye Weian, she was actually trying to pair Ye Weian and Yan Qing.

—Whether it was Yan Qing trying to seduce Zhou Huaichen or Zhou Huaichen showing special treatment to Ye Weian, both were threats to Zhu Ziyan. Pairing Ye Weian and Yan Qing would eliminate two rivals at once—a win-win situation.

Zhou Yongnan stared at Zhu Ziyan in disbelief. "What about me?"

He was Yan Qing’s official boyfriend—where did Zhu Ziyan think he fit in?

Zhu Ziyan casually replied, "You should go home early and wait for your uncle."

Zhou Yongnan: "…"

He was fuming.

But Zhu Ziyan had always been this overbearing since childhood, and with Zhu Hongke present, he didn’t dare challenge her.

Yan Qing observed the scene, his disappointment deepening.

Everyone present held higher status, yet Zhou Yongnan, despite being the eldest son of the Zhou family, inexplicably seemed a generation lower than the others, which also made Yan Qing feel embarrassed.

Ye Weian glanced at Yan Qing and said, "Then let’s go together. I have something to discuss with you."

He needed to talk to Yan Qing about the fan incident.

Just now, Sister Long had messaged him, saying that the troublesome fans had been taken to the police station for questioning.

Most of the fans had been incited by a prominent fan, who was actually part of Yan Qing’s team.

He had to speak with Yan Qing—at the very least, to stop him from using innocent fans as pawns.

His friends, seeing that he intended to leave with Yan Qing, exchanged curious glances and couldn’t help but look at Zhou Huaichen.

Zhou Huaichen stood there calmly, his expression unreadable.

Yan Qing, however, shot Ye Weian a look of disdain and said, "I’m not going with you."

Zhu Ziyan, standing nearby, smirked, "Then who do you want to go with? Do you still want to go with Brother Chen? Don’t forget, you’re Yongnan’s boyfriend—Brother Chen’s nephew’s significant other."

Yan Qing knew she was mocking him for his audacity in pursuing Zhou Huaichen, and his face flushed with anger.

Zhou Yongnan, completely oblivious to Yan Qing’s feelings for Zhou Huaichen, immediately slung an arm around Yan Qing’s shoulders to defend him, saying, "Of course he’s coming with me."

Yan Qing had grown increasingly dissatisfied with Zhou Yongnan lately and recoiled from his touch.

But in front of everyone, he didn't push Zhou Yongnan away. Instead, he lowered his head, enduring it silently.

Zhu Ziyan looked at Zhou Yongnan as if he were an idiot, her gaze slowly drifting to the top of his head. She tsked, "How green."

Zhou Yongnan: "?"

Zhu Ziyan ignored him, gracefully swaying over to Zhou Huaichen’s side. "Brother Chen, shall we leave together? I bought a gift for your mother, but I’m not sure if she’ll like it. I wanted to ask for your opinion."

This was her first time actively inviting Zhou Huaichen, and she nervously awaited his reply.

Zhou Huaichen calmly stated, "Apologies, Mr. Ye and I still have matters to discuss."

He turned to Ye Weian and asked, "Shall we go together?"

Ye Weian met his gaze and found himself unable to refuse.

He frowned slightly and asked the System, "Why can’t I refuse A Chen?"

The System, having just returned from its time-out, heard his question and replied resignedly, "Perhaps that’s just love."

Ye Weian: "?"

The System ignored him.

Ye Weian: "..."

After a few seconds of eye contact with Zhou Huaichen, he nodded and said, "Alright."

—"Who could bear to refuse such a handsome pig?"

Zhou Huaichen’s smile subtly tightened at the corners of his lips.

He felt it necessary to find time to have a serious talk with Ye Weian. He only wanted to be the grape tree Ye Weian adored, not a pig trying to root up the cabbage.

...Even though he did want to pluck that fresh, tender cabbage.

Zhu Ziyan, having been rejected, looked quite dejected.

Her brother gently patted her shoulder, then signaled the other friends to leave.

Only Ye Weian, Zhou Huaichen, and Yan Qing—whom Ye Weian had asked to stay—remained in the private room.

As for Zhou Yongnan, fearing Yan Qing might be bullied, he also insisted on staying.

Ye Weian turned to Yan Qing and cut straight to the point: "Your troublesome fans have been arrested."

Yan Qing immediately frowned: "They’re all innocent."

Ye Weian: "Yes, they were all instigated by your agent. They are indeed innocent."

Realizing Ye Weian had uncovered his agent’s involvement, Yan Qing eyed him warily: "What do you want?"

Ye Weian: "We'll proceed through legal channels. The company will issue a statement advising the misguided fans."

Yan Qing’s face paled: "You’re going to issue a statement? No, you can’t! You can’t post this online."

If his fans caused trouble offline, whether he incited it or not, the public would link it back to him and damage his reputation.

Especially since the main fan organizers were indeed directed by his agent.

Ye Weian remained silent, simply staring at him expressionlessly.

Yan Qing gritted his teeth: "You just want to smear my name online!"

Ye Weian: "You were never exactly pure to begin with."

Yan Qing was furious.

Ye Weian calmly stated, "As long as you focus solely on me, I’ll let bygones be bygones."

Yan Qing felt a secret surge of triumph.

He knew Ye Weian still couldn’t let him go.

No, it was more accurate to say Ye Weian was obsessed with him to an unhealthy degree.

He genuinely found Ye Weian disturbing.

Back then, he’d even been willing to sleep with Ye Weian, but Ye Weian suddenly got angry, demanding he break up with Zhou Yongnan and distance himself from other admirers.

He snorted coldly—he wasn't about to give Ye Weian the satisfaction.

"Dream on!" he sneered at Ye Weian.

From now on, Ye Weian could forget about ever having him!

Ye Weian: "."

If they couldn’t reach an agreement, so be it.

He turned to Zhou Huaichen: "Let’s go."

Throughout Ye Weian and Yan Qing’s conversation, Zhou Huaichen had remained silent.

Only then did he quietly respond: "Alright."

He pushed the door open and walked out with Ye Weian.

Yan Qing watched their retreating figures disappear around the corridor corner, stomping his foot in frustration.

Zhou Yongnan reached out to hug him: "Qingqing..."

Yan Qing violently pushed him away, sobbing: "You’re so useless! All you do is watch Ye Weian bully me!"

Zhou Yongnan felt a pang of guilt.

With his uncle there, he didn’t dare confront Ye Weian either.

Thinking about his uncle telling him to come home that evening, he was filled with dread.

His grandfather and parents opposed his relationship with Yan Qing, and now even his uncle disliked Yan Qing. He wasn’t sure if he and Yan Qing could last.

...No!

Even if he had to defy the whole world, he wouldn’t leave Qingqing!

Zhou Yongnan’s face was etched with resolve.

...

Once Ye Weian left the private room, the System sighed gloomily: "Host, I don’t think you can complete the mission."

Yan Qing now hated the host’s guts—how could this end happily ever after?

Ye Weian remained calm: "No worries. I've got this."

System: "..."

Ignoring it, Ye Weian turned to Zhou Huaichen and asked, "Did you still have something to discuss with me?"

He thought they had wrapped things up earlier that morning.

The two of them were now waiting by the entrance for a car.

Zhou Huaichen lifted his gaze, meeting his eyes quietly for a few seconds: "Business was just an excuse."

Ye Weian: "?"

Zhou Huaichen's voice was deep and pleasant: "I just wanted to spend more time with you."

Ye Weian's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He was unusually flustered and asked the system: "He's too much like a Purple Crystal Core—so fragrant and tempting. I want to tackle him, what should I do?"

System: "...Resist!"

Ye Weian: "But I really want to take him home and collect him. I want to hold him while I sleep."

System: "..."

System: "No!!!!"

System: "Host, calm down!!!!"

Ye Weian stared at Zhou Huaichen.

—*Still really want to take him home, really want to hold him while I sleep.*

Zhou Huaichen subtly raised an eyebrow.

Ye Weian swallowed hard, almost unable to resist the tempting grape scent he was emitting.

The system had no choice but to shriek in Ye Weian's ear: "Close your eyes, don’t look at Zhou Huaichen! Clear your mind, imagine yourself lying in a pile of Purple Crystal Cores, and Zhou Huaichen is a pig digging up cabbage!"

Ye Weian: "..."

After the system’s outburst, he finally managed to resist the temptation.

Just then, the car arrived. Zhou Huaichen personally opened the door for him and said, "I’ll take you back to the company."

Ye Weian was still a bit dazed and responded distractedly before getting in the car.

Only after the car started moving did he come back to his senses and say, "Oh, by the way, this is for you."

He handed the purple peace pendant to Zhou Huaichen.

Zhou Huaichen didn’t take it, saying softly, "This is a gift. You keep it, okay?"

Meeting his dark eyes, Ye Weian blurted out, "Are you trying to pursue me?"

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

Ye Weian: "..."

It was all the system’s fault, calling Zhou Huaichen a pig digging up cabbage, filling his head with nothing but cabbages and pigs!

He felt unusually awkward, his eyes showing a hint of unease.

Of course, his stoic face still revealed nothing.

Zhou Huaichen chuckled softly, locking eyes with him, and said, "Will you let me pursue you?"

Ye Weian: "..."

He blinked once, then again, and stayed silent.

The system was frantic: "Quick, say no!"

Ye Weian: "But I don’t mind it."

System: "You have to go after Yan Qing!"

Ye Weian sighed, asking the system for the Nth time: "Why can’t I change my target?"

If he pursued Zhou Huaichen, everyone would be happy.

System: "Anyway, you can’t agree to Zhou Huaichen."

System: "You’d better refuse quickly, before Big Boss Zhou falls too deep and love turns to hate, making you 'Ye wither in the cold'."

Ye Weian: "..."

Big Boss Zhou was so capable—if he went dark, he really might make Ye wither in the cold.

He looked at Zhou Huaichen, hesitant, and said, "It’s not possible."

Zhou Huaichen’s expression remained unchanged, and he said softly: "Alright, I understand."

He didn’t push for reasons or force Ye Weian to agree.

Because he wasn’t in a hurry.

His voice was still gentle: "Then, can I ask for something else?"

Ye Weian: "Hmm?"

Zhou Huaichen: "I want to be a grapevine." Not a pig.

Ye Weian tilted his head to look at him.

Zhou Huaichen’s voice was hoarse: "A grapevine grows lots of delicious grapes. When the grapes ripen, you can bring me home and even eat me."

Ye Weian: "!"

System: "!"

Damn, Big Boss Zhou is too slick, way too slick.

Its host is going to get swept off his feet sooner or later!

Author’s Note: Ye Weian: No, I’ll hold my ground.

System: Pfft! Like I believe that!

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