Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Zhou Huaichen's hand hovered lightly at Ye Weian's waist. Through the thin sweater, he could feel the scorching heat of the skin beneath his palm.

The fresh scent of pine from Ye Weian still clung to him, making his heart flutter.

He, too, yearned to be pounced upon.

But the next instant, he took a subtle step back, releasing Ye Weian.

Ye Weian had been nestled against Zhou Huaichen’s shoulder, greedily inhaling the grape scent.

Perhaps due to their proximity, the grape fragrance emanating from Zhou Huaichen was almost identical to his beloved Purple Crystal Core.

He was on the verge of losing control.

Fortunately, Zhou Huaichen let go just in time.

A hint of regret flickered within him.

—[That’s it? No more hugging?]

But perhaps it was for the best, preventing him from succumbing to temptation. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

—[Close call, I almost bit him!]

Zhou Huaichen chuckled softly, whispering into his ear, “Next time, I’ll hold you again.”

Ye Weian: “…”

How did A Chen know what he was thinking?!

Did he sense Ye Weian’s desire to pounce back?

As a zombie king who knew nothing of embarrassment, he rarely felt such a flicker of awkwardness.

Zhou Huaichen’s gaze fell upon Ye Weian’s slightly reddened ear tips, and the smile on his lips deepened.

Ye Weian: “…”

Though they had moved apart, one was smiling while the other appeared to be blushing.

The live chat viewers went wild.

[Mom, am I allowed to see this???]

[Their chemistry is incredible—so ambiguous and tantalizing. I wish I could dive into the screen and push their heads together!]

[They’re so perfect! So perfect!]

[One minute—I need information on the handsome guy! As a devoted fan of President Ye, I must know who this dashing man trying to steal my husband is.]

Upon seeing the unexpected turn of events, marketing companies and the water army immediately contacted Yan Qing’s agent.

The agent was in the adjacent room, also monitoring the live stream.

When he saw the camera suddenly zoom in and sharpen, he was utterly dumbfounded, taking a long moment to process it.

Receiving the call from the water army company, he snapped back to reality, flung open the door, and rushed towards Yan Qing’s green room.

Unfortunately, as soon as he reached the hallway, he was intercepted by Zhou Huaichen’s bodyguards.

“Let me in!” the agent cried anxiously.

Yan Qing was no longer in the frame, and he had no idea how Yan Qing was doing. He needed to check on him immediately.

Zhou Huaichen instructed his bodyguards to open the door, then fixed a cold stare on the agent.

The agent was so intimidated by Zhou Huaichen’s powerful aura that his legs inexplicably felt weak.

Ye Weian was still savoring the tactile memory of touching Zhou Huaichen earlier.

—[A Chen has such a great physique!]

Zhou Huaichen paused slightly, lifting his gaze to Ye Weian.

Unaware that Zhou Huaichen had heard his thoughts, Ye Weian was already contemplating another opportunity for a touch.

System: “…”

System: [Host, wake up! This is no time to zone out!]

System: [The phone is in the corner of the sofa. Go grab it quickly—it’s crucial evidence.]

Ye Weian: “Oh.”

He snapped back to attention and headed towards the sofa.

Yan Qing was whimpering and groaning at his feet, clearly in considerable pain from the kick.

Ye Weian: “…”

He stepped over Yan Qing impassively, following the system’s instructions to locate the phone.

The phone was cleverly concealed within a cushion, with only its camera lens peeking out.

Had it not been for the system’s use of some advanced tech, it would have been nearly impossible to find.

Seeing Ye Weian effortlessly retrieve the phone, Zhou Huaichen lowered his eyelids slightly, masking the expression in his eyes.

From saving Lin Chang earlier, to kicking Yan Qing away just now, and then directly locating the phone—each incident underscored that Ye Weian harbored many secrets.

But he was not in a hurry.

He would wait for Ye Weian to open up willingly.

Ye Weian returned, holding up the phone, and asked the agent, “This is yours, right? You started a live stream?”

The agent hadn’t anticipated that Ye Weian would discover the live stream and accurately locate the phone. He began to tremble violently.

He suddenly regretted agreeing to Yan Qing’s plan.

Lately, every one of Yan Qing’s schemes had backfired, with not a single one ending well.

But he couldn’t entirely blame himself.

For the past five years, Yan Qing had always been this headstrong, yet he’d been lucky—admirers always came to his rescue, pampering and loving him, ensuring his smooth sailing.

Come to think of it, it seemed Yan Qing’s fortunes had begun to wane ever since his conflict with President Ye.

The agent couldn't help but steal a peculiar glance at Ye Weian.

Zhou Huaichen instructed his bodyguard to lift Yan Qing from the floor and stand him next to the agent.

He swept a cold gaze over both of them: “You deliberately set up this live stream to frame Wei An. This debt, we’re settling today.”

Having said this, he glanced at the bodyguard.

The bodyguard understood and immediately called the police.

The agent’s face turned ashen, and he pleaded with a trembling voice, “No… don’t call the police…”

Zhou Huaichen’s eyes were icy: “Since you intended to ruin Wei An, you should have known that the truth would eventually come out.”

“Calling the police is just the beginning.”

Ye Weian’s eyes sparkled, fixed intently on Zhou Huaichen.

Zhou Huaichen, defending him like this, seemed to radiate light.

The grape scent around Zhou Huaichen also seemed to grow even more fragrant.

The system was also deeply moved, crackling: [Boss Zhou is a good person.]

System: [With Boss Zhou here, Host, you’re completely safe. You no longer have to fear Yan Qing’s underhanded tricks.]

System: [Hee hee hee hee hee.]

In reality, the original host, as the head of the Ye family, wasn't so easily framed.

The reason the original host’s reputation was so swiftly ruined was entirely because the author wanted to write him out of the story.

The author wrote that the original host still harbored feelings for Yan Qing, unable to hate him even after being framed, and even held back when seeking revenge, which gave Yan Qing and Zhou Yongnan their opportunity.

Now that Ye Weian had transmigrated, he naturally wouldn’t allow Yan Qing and Zhou Yongnan to frame him.

He fully endorsed Zhou Huaichen’s approach: “Calling the police is a good idea.”

“We are good citizens; we must obey the law.”

He firmly remembered the system’s reminders and strictly adhered to them.

The system: “…”

Yan Qing, kicked in the stomach by Ye Weian, was in too much pain to speak for a long while.

But his eyes blazed with intense hatred, fixed unblinkingly on Ye Weian, as if he wished to devour him whole.

Ye Weian made sure to point the phone’s camera directly at him.

Thus, netizens witnessed Yan Qing’s contorted and vicious face.

[Holy cow, Yan Qing’s expression is terrifying. It looks like he wants to grind President Ye to dust in the next second.]

[So the live stream was premeditated by Yan Qing? He wanted to frame President Ye for sexual assault?]

[What an elaborate scheme!]

[Yan Qing looks so refined, but he’s actually so ruthless. My whole family is shocked.]

One netizen typed a lengthy comment in several segments—

[Am I the only one curious why Yan Qing hates President Ye so much?]

[Didn’t we hear that President Ye pursued him for five years, gave him countless resources, and made him famous?]

[Could it be because President Ye gave resources to someone else, and Yan Qing resented him?]

Everyone debated the reasons heatedly, ultimately agreeing that regardless of the grievances, Yan Qing’s act of ruining someone’s reputation was unacceptable.

Of course, a portion of netizens remained captivated by the relationship between Zhou Huaichen and Ye Weian.

[Did anyone notice how protective the handsome guy is of President Ye?]

[Right, right! Just now, the handsome guy stood up for President Ye with such a cold expression. So badass, wasn’t he!]

[Protecting his man, confirmed.]

[One minute has passed, and still no one has uncovered the handsome guy’s identity?]

At that moment, the director, staff, and other guests rushed over, having heard the news.

The hashtag #YanQingLiveStream had been trending, and the staff shared the link in a group chat. By now, the entire crew knew what had happened.

Everyone stared at Yan Qing and the agent, held by the bodyguards, along with the impassive President Ye and the ice-cold President Zhou, not daring to utter a sound.

Lin Chang was also trying to keep a low profile.

He stared at Yan Qing’s twisted face, inwardly admiring him—it hadn’t been long since the Bai Yuan incident, and now Yan Qing was stirring up trouble again.

Last time, Bai Yuan targeted him; this time, Yan Qing targeted President Ye.

Bai Yuan was already in prison, and Lin Chang was curious about what fate awaited Yan Qing.

As a top celebrity, Yan Qing’s live-streamed attempt to frame President Ye would likely be difficult to gloss over.

Perhaps Yan Qing would be blacklisted or even end up in jail.

Considering that Yan Qing was a guest on "Today’s EyeOpener," Ye Weian worried that the incident might affect the show’s broadcast, so he asked the system to cut the live stream.

The system: [Received.]

The next second, the live stream screen went black.

Netizens were stunned, and after realizing what happened, they frantically spammed the comments.

[Why did it shut down???]

[Didn’t they call the police? I really want to know what happens next!]

[So the truth is that Yan Qing staged this whole thing to frame President Ye?]

[To the person above, if you watched the entire live stream, you’d know it was indeed Yan Qing putting on an act!]

[Where are the people who earlier called President Ye a rapist? Come out and see the truth.]

[After President Ye saved Lin Chang last time, I thought he had good character. Good thing I didn’t join the hate mob to criticize him.]

These netizens were all discussing Yan Qing’s actions.

Of course, some netizens were disappointed they couldn’t see the handsome guy and President Ye getting cozy anymore.

In any case, due to the discussions among netizens, the hashtag #YanQingLiveStream exploded.

Some netizens screen-recorded the scene of Yan Qing tearing his clothes while shouting, “President Ye, don’t!” and it was disseminated across various platforms.

For a while, everyone was discussing the incident.

Some felt that Yan Qing’s character was questionable and he was unfit to be an idol.

Some were fawning over Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen’s looks.

Some were secretly shipping the handsome guy and President Ye.

Under normal circumstances, if Yan Qing had such a scandal, his studio would have already deleted posts on a large scale.

Unfortunately, Yan Qing and his agent were being held by Zhou Huaichen’s bodyguards. Even though they knew netizens were probably roasting Yan Qing, they were powerless to do anything.

Ye Weian looked at the director and said, “Everyone, go and rest. Leave this matter to President Zhou and me to handle.”

The director nodded and waved the staff away.

The other guests wanted to stay and watch the drama, but since Ye Weian was the money guy, they had no choice but to leave.

Only Xie Siming remained.

Zhou Huaichen shot a cold glance at him.

Xie Siming walked to Yan Qing’s side, gave him a sympathetic look, and said, “This is all my fault. *I* threatened Yan Qing to do this.”

Ye Weian tilted his head, studying him.

Was he planning to take the blame for Yan Qing?

Zhou Huaichen said calmly, “Is that so?”

Xie Siming replied firmly, “Yes.”

“I couldn’t stand Ye Weian, and Yan Qing also disliked him. So I privately threatened Yan Qing to frame Ye Weian, intending to destroy his reputation.”

Yan Qing had already regained his composure.

Seeing that Xie Siming was willing to take the blame for him, he immediately cried and said, “I… I really was threatened by Actor Xie…”

Ye Weian: “…”

Was Yan Qing really shifting the blame to Xie Siming like this?

Surprisingly, Xie Siming showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief, as if glad that Yan Qing did not confess and that he could protect Yan Qing.

Ye Weian: “…”

What a devoted cannon fodder love interest!

Ye Weian asked curiously, “Don’t you regret it?”

Xie Siming is an A-list actor. If he takes the blame for Yan Qing this time, his reputation will surely be ruined.

The status and achievements he’d built up in the industry would also vanish.

Xie Siming played dumb: “I don’t understand what you mean.”

He was determined to act this out to the end, firmly refusing to admit he was taking the fall for Yan Qing.

Ye Weian: “…”

Impressive.

When Yan Qing was caught by the Zhou family’s bodyguards, he was indeed a little scared.

He wasn’t afraid of Zhou Huaichen’s anger because he still had Zhou Yongnan as a shield.

He also wasn’t afraid of Ye Weian blaming him because Ye Weian clearly had feelings for him and wanted to be with him.

The only thing that scared him was that the live stream was seen by thousands of netizens, and he was afraid of being canceled by netizens.

But now he wasn’t afraid anymore.

Because Xie Siming was willing to take the blame for him.

He even felt somewhat proud.

After being repeatedly rejected by Zhou Huaichen, he thought his charm had declined.

But Xie Siming’s actions now told him that his charm was still strong.

After all, Xie Siming is a popular A-list actor and the young master of the Xie family, yet he was willing to give up his reputation and future for him. Wasn’t that enough to prove his immense charm?

Instantly filled with confidence, he put on a tearful expression and looked at Zhou Huaichen, saying, “President Zhou, please believe me, I am truly innocent.”

He had practiced in front of the mirror countless times and knew that his crying face looked most pitiful.

He didn’t believe President Zhou could resist his pitiful look.

But Zhou Huaichen didn’t even spare him a glance.

Just thinking about how Yan Qing deliberately set a trap to frame Ye Weian in front of thousands of netizens, nearly ruining Ye Weian’s reputation, Zhou Huaichen couldn’t control his inner rage.

He couldn’t even be bothered to expose Xie Siming, coldly saying, “The police are here. You can explain it to them.”

Whether it was Yan Qing or Xie Siming, he wasn’t going to let either get away.

Xie Siming was unyielding; even when the police arrived, he insisted that he was the one who threatened Yan Qing.

He kept hammering one point: Yan Qing was innocent.

He even immediately posted on Weibo: [I am the mastermind behind the Yan Qing live stream incident. Yan Qing was threatened by me. I will accept legal punishment and leave the entertainment industry.]

As soon as this message was posted, Weibo crashed, and the entire internet erupted.

Xie Siming is a household-name A-list movie star who once played the romantic lead in an idol drama, regarded as the ideal boyfriend by many viewers.

His sudden confession and decision to quit showbiz came out of nowhere and shook the internet.

When the engineers finally got Weibo back online, netizens flooded into Xie Siming’s comments section.

[What kind of plot twist is this?]

[The tea I was sipping was about Yan Qing live-streaming to frame President Ye. So the mastermind was Actor Xie? What madness possessed Actor Xie to do such a thing!]

[I love his portrayal of Mu Linfeng so much, ahhh, why did he have to be so reckless! I'm just numb right now.]

[Waiting for an official police report.]

Xie Siming’s fans were hit the hardest.

At first, they doubted they had read the words “leave the entertainment industry” correctly, but as the entire internet began discussing it, they finally believed Xie Siming was serious.

The fans couldn’t bear it and bombarded the comments section with messages.

[As a longtime fan of Actor Xie, I have faith in Actor Xie’s character. I don’t believe he did this.]

[Fan +1, don’t believe it either +1. I hope Actor Xie can give us fans an explanation. Even if he really retires, it shouldn’t be in such a devastating way.]

[From the moment I saw his Weibo, I’ve been crying my eyes out. I don’t accept his apology, I don’t accept that he harmed anyone, and I don’t accept him retiring.]

Unfortunately, Xie Siming never responded again.

Just as his Weibo stated, he retired from the industry and disappeared from public life.

Ye Weian looked at Xie Siming’s firm decision with mixed feelings.

Xie Siming was willing to throw away his career to protect Yan Qing—such deep devotion was truly striking.

Ye Weian asked the system, [Is this the power of the original book’s world?]

Yan Qing was the universally loved character in the book, the main character, as if blessed by fate.

Everyone, even if they acted against their better judgment, had to adore and love him.

Ye Weian: “It seems like my transmigration hasn’t had much effect on Yan Qing.”

Yan Qing’s luck seemed as strong as ever.

Just like this time—even though Yan Qing had tried to frame him in front of tens of millions of netizens, and even though he had solid evidence against him, Xie Siming stepped forward to take the blame. Yan Qing would likely get off scot-free once again.

The system sighed: [Yes, he’s the protagonist of this book. Anyone who goes against him will suffer.]

System: [That’s why I said, having Boss Zhou protect you is a good thing. After all, Boss Zhou is the only Big Boss unaffected by him.]

The system paused for a few seconds, then suddenly said in alarm: [Wait, your mission is to romance Yan Qing. Why are you opposing him?]

It had been foolish—the host could have used love to redeem Yan Qing.

Ye Weian: “…”

Use love to redeem Yan Qing?

…No way.

But if the power of the original book was so hard to change, did that mean he would still go bankrupt in the future?

Thinking about having to auction off all those rubies and sapphires, Ye Weian, the Zombie King, felt awful.

The system: […No, Host, you are the one I chose. You can resist the power of the original book.]

System: [Also, don’t forget, the readers' frustration is also supporting you.]

System: [As long as you get a happy ending with Yan Qing, you’ll be the man of the hour in this world.]

Ye Weian: “Oh.”

A happy ending with Yan Qing?

He was not one bit interested.

But A Chen—he was getting more and more curious about him.

After all, A Chen not only resembled his favorite Purple Crystal Core, but he was also a handsome, wealthy, cunning, capable, and muscular guy.

He! Really! Wants! To make a move!

…

The police took Xie Siming, Yan Qing, and their agent away for questioning.

Ye Weian still had to film the show, so he stayed at the scene.

Zhou Huaichen naturally stayed with him.

However, Ye Weian had notified Sister Long to handle the situation, and Zhou Huaichen also instructed Li Zeng to keep them updated in real-time.

“Yan Qing won’t escape punishment,” Zhou Huaichen said softly, looking at Ye Weian.

Even if Xie Siming took the blame for Yan Qing, he wouldn’t let Yan Qing off easily.

Ye Weian looked back at him and nodded: “Okay.”

Truthfully, he wasn’t very interested in what would happen to Yan Qing.

As the protagonist of the book, Yan Qing wouldn’t be taken out of the story so quickly.

But Zhou Huaichen’s kindness touched him.

—[A Chen is such a good guy!]

—[Oh no, I want to touch A Chen’s muscles again.]

Zhou Huaichen: “?”

He wondered if he had misheard.

After Yan Qing’s scheme, he expected this person to be angry or upset… but instead, he was eyeing his muscles?

Zhou Huaichen: “…”

He reached up and touched his face.

His face and voice had always attracted Ye Weian.

Now, perhaps his body could be added to the list.

…Not bad.

He couldn’t help but smile to himself.

Ye Weian was still savoring the tactile memory of touching Zhou Huaichen.

—[A Chen must have abs, right? I wonder if I’ll ever get a chance to touch them.]

—[How about mooching a meal at A Chen’s place today and leaving after A Chen finishes his shower?]

—[Good, it’s decided!]

As the Zombie King, he didn’t know the meaning of restraint!

Besides, they were both grown men—checking out abs wouldn’t make anyone lose weight!

System: “…”

Zhou Huaichen said with a smile in his eyes, his voice low. “The kitchen will be making Dongpo Pork Knuckle today. Would you like to come back with me?”

Ye Weian’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”

Zhou Huaichen laughed again.

Ye Weian was briefly dazzled by his smile and couldn’t help but blink.

Zhou Huaichen cleared his throat, his voice suddenly turning rough and husky. “The lounge is empty.”

Ye Weian: “?”

Zhou Huaichen looked at him tenderly. “Want to hug?”

Ye Weian: “?”

Ye Weian: “!”

System: “!!!”

No! I don’t agree!

Boss Zhou, do you hear me? The system does not agree!

The system was screaming its head off.

Author’s Note: First update of 5,500 words, there will be a second update tonight.

After the ranking list updates, I’ll keep up daily updates, posting every evening. Thanks for your support, everyone. Comments on this chapter will receive red envelopes.

Thank you all so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!