Chapter 28

Chapter 28

After changing his pants, Ye Weian emerged to find the dishes had been re-served.

He joined Zhou Huaichen for the meal, pointing at the braised shrimp and remarking, "These are really good."

Zhou Huaichen set down his chopsticks, wiped his hands with a wet napkin, and began to peel a shrimp for him.

Ye Weian demurred, "...You should eat them."

He was already full, merely going through the motions to keep Zhou Huaichen company.

The system couldn't help but gush: [President Zhou is truly a good man.]

Ye Weian concurred: "A-Chen is indeed a good man."

Ye Weian continued, "Now tell me, who has this good man set his sights on?"

The system: [...]

*Host, you're getting a bit ahead of yourself!*

Ye Weian ate one of the shrimp Zhou Huaichen had peeled, then returned the rest to Zhou Huaichen's bowl. "You haven't had dinner yet. Hurry up and eat; don't mind me."

He then mimicked Zhou Huaichen, peeling shrimp and serving dishes for him.

Zhou Huaichen's eyes brimmed with tenderness.

The two fed each other, oblivious to their surroundings, conversing in soft tones, appearing both perfectly in sync and intimately close.

Lin Chang diligently attended to the staff, occasionally glancing up, feeling as though his eyes were being dazzled.

The others also stole glances at the pair, gaining a clearer understanding of their relationship.

The newly arrived Best Actor, Xi Shichao, and young actor Ming Yao exchanged a look, then simultaneously averted their gazes.

Xi Shichao, like Xie Siming, was a highly popular Best Actor, but his resources had always been inferior to Xie Siming's.

Xie Siming had the backing of the Xie family, while Xi Shichao came from an ordinary background.

When he joined the show, he had considered trying to curry favor with President Ye or President Zhou.

Though he merely sought career connections and harbored no ulterior motives, he now abandoned the idea.

He was certain that if he approached President Ye or President Zhou, neither would make things easy for him.

Ming Yao's resources were even scarcer than Xi Shichao's.

He had managed to secure a permanent spot on the show through various connections and had once entertained the same thoughts as Xi Shichao.

But now, he no longer dared to hope.

Whether it was President Ye or President Zhou, their possessiveness was overtly displayed—who would dare to provoke them?

As the one who had stuck his neck out, Wu Yi, after rushing out of the private room, quickly rendezvoused with his agent.

The agent approached him, asking, "How did it go? Did it work?"

The plan to "accidentally" spill wine on Ye Weian was a scheme Wu Yi and his agent had concocted together.

Wu Yi shook his head, crying in despair, "...I'm finished."

...

By the time Zhou Huaichen had eaten his fill, Director Chen had largely sobered up.

Spotting Zhou Huaichen seated nearby, he immediately scrambled up from the sofa, stammering, "President Zhou, when... when did you arrive? My apologies, I drank too much and neglected you..."

Zhou Huaichen waved a dismissive hand. "It's fine."

Ye Weian glanced at Director Chen, then gestured toward Zhou Huaichen. "It was A-Chen who suggested you direct this show."

The implication was clear: *You should thank A-Chen.*

Director Chen, a shrewd man, immediately thanked Zhou Huaichen.

Yet, he remained exceedingly respectful toward Ye Weian, reiterating his desire to acknowledge Ye Weian as his "dad."

Ye Weian: "?"

*Is calling someone "dad" really this casual in your industry?*

Director Chen smiled sheepishly, "No, no, you two are my benefactors. Calling you 'dad' is only proper."

He cautiously glanced at Zhou Huaichen. "By rights, I should call President Zhou 'dad,' but he probably wouldn't appreciate it." He then turned back to Ye Weian, smiling sheepishly again. "If I call you 'dad,' President Zhou will eventually become my other dad. It amounts to the same thing, right?"

Ye Weian was dumbfounded.

*So Director Chen was serious about wanting to call him "dad"? He wasn't joking?*

Director Chen: "..."

He wasn't joking at all. In the industry, acknowledging sworn fathers, mothers, older brothers, and sisters was common.

Most of those people harbored ulterior motives, even inappropriate emotional entanglements, but he was different. He purely wished to express gratitude to President Ye and President Zhou, with absolutely no feelings beyond a father-son bond.

...Of course, it would be even better if both "dads" could provide him with more resources.

Zhou Huaichen cast a cool glance at Director Chen.

No one knew it, but Director Chen's last remark had amused him.

He lightly tapped the table with his knuckles. "Ziyun Entertainment is preparing to launch a new variety show. I'll have President Li come talk it over with you."

President Li, the general manager of Ziyun Entertainment, had also been invited to the gathering and was listening nearby. Hearing Zhou Huaichen mention his name, he immediately hurried over: "President Zhou, rest assured, I'll discuss the new show thoroughly with Director Chen."

Ye Weian gave Zhou Huaichen a meaningful look.

—[A-Chen and I are truly in sync.]

—[I rewarded Lin Chang with a script, A-Chen rewarded Director Chen with a show. We're both such generous people.]

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

The system commented drily: [You and President Zhou really are in sync.]

The system: [You gained an admirer, President Zhou gained a son. You both have a bright future ahead.]

Ye Weian: "..."

After giving instructions to President Li, Zhou Huaichen turned his gaze to Ye Weian and said softly, "Shall we go?"

Ye Weian gave a soft "Mm."

There was still an afterparty, but he had work the next day and lacked the energy to keep partying.

Ye Weian complained to the system, "As a billion-dollar CEO, why do I have to deal with the annoyance of going to work?"

*It would be better to be the Zombie King.*

System: [...Host, you got this!]

Ye Weian: "."

Zhou Huaichen took Ye Weian's coat, and the two walked out of the restaurant together.

It was late autumn, and the night wind was chilly.

Zhou Huaichen helped Ye Weian put on his coat, then retrieved a brand-new scarf from the car and wrapped it around him.

Ye Weian touched the soft wool scarf, then noticed the other scarf in Zhou Huaichen's hand. "We have matching ones."

Zhou Huaichen nodded with a smile.

Ye Weian took the scarf from his hand. "Let me put it on for you."

Hearing this, Zhou Huaichen lowered his head slightly, allowing Ye Weian to do it.

The two stood facing each other, very close.

Zhou Huaichen looked down, watching Ye Weian.

Under the light, Ye Weian's face appeared even more strikingly beautiful.

Zhou Huaichen couldn't resist raising his hand to gently touch Ye Weian's cheek.

Not far away, inside a black car, two reporters were staking out.

The younger one, sharp-eyed, recognized Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen. "I heard they have a good relationship, but judging by how affectionate they are, it's more than just a good relationship. They must already be together."

The older, middle-aged reporter said, "It's a pity neither of them is in the entertainment industry, and we dare not offend them. We don't dare take photos."

The younger one pondered, "Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen have a very popular CP Super Topic, and there are plenty of wealthy fans there. If we take a few shots that capture the mood, we could sell them for a good ten grand. It wouldn't be a waste of our stakeout tonight."

The older one urged, "Snap some pics, quick!"

Ye Weian finished tying Zhou Huaichen's scarf and happened to meet his gaze.

—[So terrifying, A-Chen must be thinking about how to make a move on me!]

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

He quirked a smile, slowly took two steps back, and masked the emotion in his gaze. "Let's go, let's go home."

Ye Weian nodded.

He distractedly got into the car, still replaying the look in Zhou Huaichen's eyes moments earlier.

—[I'm really worried A-Chen might be repressing himself too hard.]

—[It's all because I'm too irresistible.]

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

He coughed lightly, thinking he should tone it down in the future to avoid scaring the one he loved.

Before getting into the car, he shot a glance back at his bodyguard.

The bodyguard understood and walked toward the black car.

...

Zhou Huaichen sat beside Ye Weian and told the driver to drive.

Ye Weian caught the sweet, grape-like scent on him and was in a good mood.

Zhou Huaichen said gently, "Wanna come over tonight?"

Ye Weian held his gaze for a few seconds. "It's too late."

—[Not going.]

—[It's not like we can even cuddle.]

Zhou Huaichen remembered that night when he had coaxed Ye Weian into feeling his abs. Even though they hadn't slept together, it had still been agonizing.

He said softly, "Then I'll pick you up tomorrow?"

Ye Weian also missed Uncle Wang's cooking and agreed.

The car soon arrived at the Ye family's old residence through the night.

Ye Weian got out of the car, fingered the scarf around his neck, and said, "Thank you, I really like it."

Zhou Huaichen smiled slightly, his eyes gentle. "Get some sleep. Goodnight."

After watching the car drive away, Ye Weian turned and walked into the courtyard.

The system, having witnessed the couple's lingering farewell, couldn't help but ask, "Host, I still don't understand. If you plan to complete the mission, why are you getting close to Zhou Huaichen? Have you thought of a way to have it both ways?"

Ye Weian shook his head. "No."

Ye Weian: "But I have a guess, and I want to test it out."

The system didn't understand.

Ye Weian didn't elaborate.

He changed the subject and asked, "How has Yan Qing been lately?"

System: [He's been lying low recently, shooting a film deep in the mountains.]

It could only monitor Yan Qing through his online presence.

Yan Qing hadn't stirred up any drama lately, nor had he contacted any of his admirers. He hardly touched his phone these days.

But Ye Weian felt that, knowing Yan Qing's personality, it was unlike him to be this quiet.

So the next day after work, he called Sister Long again to inquire about Yan Qing's situation.

Sister Long said, "Yan Qing has indeed been straightforward. This morning, he transferred 100,000,000 RMB to Lemon Entertainment's corporate account."

Earlier, when Ye Weian had asked Yan Qing to repay the money, he had provided Lemon Entertainment's corporate account.

Manager Wang had reported Yan Qing's transfer to Sister Long as soon as it happened that morning.

Ye Weian was lost in thought.

Seeing his silence, Sister Long hesitantly asked, "Are you still attached to Yan Qing?"

After a pause, she blurted out, "Then what about Zhou Huaichen?"

Only after asking did she remember that she and Brother Zhang seemed to oppose Ye Weian's relationship with Zhou Huaichen.

System: [...Heh.]

*It really wanted to recommend the "One Leaf Embraced" Super Topic to Sister Long.*

*People like Sister Long, who unconsciously ship the couple, would definitely become addicted to the sweetness once they entered the Super Topic.*

Ye Weian rested his chin in his hand and said to the system, "I plan to go see Yan Qing this weekend."

System: [?]

Ye Weian had already turned to Sister Long and said, "Please book two tickets to Longcheng for the weekend."

Longcheng was the provincial capital where Yan Qing was filming. From the provincial capital, it would take over three hours by car to reach the shooting location.

Sister Long acknowledged and asked in a serious tone, "Does Zhou Huaichen know you're going to see Yan Qing?"

Ye Weian gave her a silent look.

Sister Long: "...Don't you think you should tell Zhou Huaichen?"

Ye Weian: "Of course."

Aside from matters related to the system, which he couldn't disclose to A-Chen, he wouldn't hide anything else from him.

Sister Long nodded, indicating she had no further questions.

System: "..."

*Sister Long, the fans in the Super Topic would definitely adore you.*

Only after leaving the office did Sister Long realize—why two tickets?

Ye Weian packed his things and left work.

The system asked curiously, "Host, why are you going to see Yan Qing?"

Ye Weian: "To complete the mission, of course."

System: [???]

System: [Host, are you finally taking action?]

System: [Wait! Yan Qing seems to dislike you. How are you going to complete the mission?]

Zhou Huaichen's stretch Bentley was already waiting downstairs at the Ye Corporation.

Ye Weian gave the system a "confidential" response and strode toward the Bentley.

Zhou Huaichen opened the car door.

Ye Weian got in, saying cheerfully, "Uncle Wang made mapo tofu. I want to eat it."

That morning, he had sent Uncle Wang a message saying he suddenly felt like eating spicy dishes.

Uncle Wang had sent him a long list of options, including poached fish fillets in chili oil, kung pao chicken, and mapo tofu, adding that he and Zhou Huaichen could enjoy the dishes when they returned home in the evening.

Ye Weian was most looking forward to the mapo tofu.

Zhou Huaichen smiled and handed him a small cake box, saying, "I heard the grape mousse from this shop is pretty good. Have some to tide you over."

Ye Weian took it: "Thank you."

He took a bite.

—[Delicious!]

—[But not as delicious as A-Chen.]

Zhou Huaichen's lips curled up slightly.

After finishing the cake, Ye Weian said offhandedly, "This weekend, I plan to visit Yan Qing."

Zhou Huaichen watched him silently.

Ye Weian turned his head and met his gaze.

Neither of them spoke.

The silence lasted for a while.

The system couldn't take it anymore: [Let me play some music for you.]

System: [Playing 'The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style,' my favorite! Let's get hyped!!!]

Ye Weian: "..."