Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Feeling down, the system decided to cheer itself up with a blast of "The Hottest National Wind."

Ye Weian: "…"

He quickly comforted the system, "It’s not your fault. If they were conspiring to harm people, they’d never use phones to communicate—too easy to leave traces. You only checked their phones, so it’s normal you didn’t find anything useful."

The system mused, "You humans are so complicated."

It added, "Seems like just monitoring phones isn’t enough. I need to expand my surveillance. Ideally, I’d become a hacker, freely wielding power over the internet."

Ye Weian: "?"

Ye Weian: "Have you been watching something online again that you shouldn’t?"

The system: "…"

It had recently read a story in the Super Topic where the protagonist was a hacker, and Zhou Huaichen played a ruthless killer—the two locked in a battle of love and conflict.

Unfortunately, the hacker plot lasted only the first two hundred words; the remaining twenty thousand were… explicit.

As a system, it wasn’t particularly interested in that kind of content.

It was far more intrigued by becoming a hacker.

Still, the story as a whole was quite good.

When you find something good, you should share it with your host, so the system promptly sent the link to Ye Weian: "Hackers are really cool! Otherwise, how could you make Zhou Huaichen, that ruthless killer, fall so hopelessly in love?"

Ye Weian: "?"

Ruthless killer?

He clicked the link and discovered it was a story starring himself and Zhou Huaichen.

Skimming through the later explicit scenes, he couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.

"What kind of nonsense is this?" he scolded the system, his ears turning red. "With such a serious situation at Ye Corporation, how can you even think about reading this kind of thing?"

Before the apocalypse, he’d been completely inexperienced.

Later, as the Zombie King, he’d never even considered such matters.

The suggestive descriptions in the story hit him hard.

Outwardly expressionless, inwardly his mind involuntarily conjured the scenes described.

—*A Chen held him on his lap, pressing his waist, doing this and that…*

Ye Weian: "…"

It felt as if a whole new world had opened before him.

Unaware of the impact it had caused, the system asked, puzzled, "What’s so messy about hackers?"

Ye Weian: "…"

Is that even the point?

He ignored the system, struggling to regain focus, and turned to Zhou Huaichen. "Those two directors probably have some issues."

Unfortunately, his mind kept flashing images of Zhou Huaichen holding him and misbehaving.

He grew distracted.

—*"A Chen is so horny, wanting it again and again."*

—*"All night long! What a beast!"*

—*"But… A Chen really has stamina!"*

Zhou Huaichen: "?"

He had just put on gloves, ready to peel shrimp for Ye Weian.

Hearing Ye Weian’s inner monologue, his hand paused slightly, and he lifted his eyes to look at him.

Ye Weian met his gaze with a straight face.

—*"Hmm, A Chen has such a great figure—no wonder he has stamina."*

Zhou Huaichen: "…"

They stared at each other.

Zhou Huaichen’s eyes were dark and intense, as if capable of pulling someone in.

Under that gaze, Ye Weian felt a flutter in his chest and lightly coughed. "A Chen, why are you looking at me like that?"

—*"A Chen’s gaze is so intense, like he wants to devour me in one bite!"*

—*"Zhou Zhou can't hold back, can he?"*

Zhou Huaichen’s throat moved slightly.

He wanted nothing more than to pull this person into his arms and never let go.

But not now.

He was afraid of frightening him.

Zhou Huaichen lowered his gaze, masking the heat in his eyes, peeled a shrimp for Ye Weian, and brought it to his lips.

Ye Weian swallowed it in one bite.

His soft lips brushed against Zhou Huaichen’s fingertips, igniting a storm in Zhou Huaichen’s eyes.

He stared at Ye Weian intensely for a long moment before slowly looking away and said, "I only found out that the two directors were classmates with Chi Li. I’m not sure if they’re involved in the case."

From another angle, the connection between the two directors and Chi Li was easy to uncover. Perhaps the situation wasn’t as simple as they assumed—maybe Chi Li wasn’t using those two at all.

Ye Weian nodded in agreement. "Then we’ll investigate further."

After finishing one shrimp, Zhou Huaichen automatically fed him another.

Sister Long and Brother Zhang silently observed their interaction.

Thinking they were hungry, Ye Weian quickly gestured to them and Fei Anming. "Come eat."

Long Jie and Brother Zhang exchanged a look, then waved their hands, signaling they weren't hungry.

Fei Anming also had no appetite and said with concern, "I still think those two directors from Benevolent Heart are fishy. They were classmates with Chi Li and are very likely involved in setting us up. When the police come to me later, I’ll definitely mention this connection."

Ye Weian nodded: "Go ahead."

While being hand-fed by Zhou Huaichen, he thought to himself.

As long as Kerui’s quality is up to standard, the company has nothing to worry about, no matter how the police investigate.

As for Chi Li privately seeking to suppress the Ye family, the Ye family has connections of their own.

So there’s no need to panic too much. The most important thing now is to control the narrative and avoid affecting Kerui’s stock price.

He scrolled through online news.

Everyone was discussing the two medical malpractice cases, with both Ye's Group and Kerui both trending simultaneously.

Chi Li had hired a water army, targeting Ye Weian and constantly smearing him.

"Where are those stupid fans who used to praise Ye? The ones who said he had good character? Their faces must be stinging now!"

"Two lives lost—how dare those fans even make a sound?"

"I hope the authorities thoroughly investigate Ye's Group and Ye. Such monsters who disregard human life deserve universal condemnation."

Yan Qing’s fans, who are archenemies of Ye Weian, naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity and took the chance to criticize him as well.

"This Ye guy never had good character to begin with—all he knows is how to build hype."

"Ye, you should focus on managing your company instead, or it’ll go bankrupt sooner or later."

"Bankruptcy would be for the best. Relevant authorities, please step in and shut down this killer company!"

Ye Weian scrolled through the comments with no expression, not even blinking.

Zhou Huaichen said softly, "Stop reading."

Ye Weian shook his head: "It’s fine."

He continued scrolling through the comments.

Some netizens were following the crowd and joined in condemning him and Ye's Group.

But there were also other netizens who said they would wait for the official announcement.

Of course, he had his own fans too.

Some admired his looks, while others were fans of his relationship with Zhou Huaichen.

These fans got into arguments with Chi Li’s water army and Yan Qing’s fans.

"Hey, Yan Qing’s fans, stop acting like randos. If you have something to say, come on your main."

"The truth hasn’t even been revealed yet, and you’re already sentencing Ye's Group? How impressive of you."

"Waiting for the official announcement. We’re all waiting for the truth."

Ye Weian also came across one trending comment: "Stop insulting President Ye!"

The words themselves were ordinary, but the netizen’s username was ‘World’s Greatest Hacker’...

Ye Weian: "...System, is that you?"

The system admitted proudly: "It’s me."

System: "Host, I’ve located Chi Li’s water army. Should I ban all of them? I can also delete all the comments posted by the water army."

After all, it was the World’s Greatest Hacker—finding a water army was easy.

Ye Weian had a plan in mind and said, "Don’t."

The system was puzzled.

Ye Weian: "The crazier the water army gets, the harder the slap in the face will be when the truth comes out."

The system understood.

Previously, Yan Qing had also hired a water army to drag the host, but the host had clapped back decisively.

The system immediately praised: "Host, you’re so smart."

Ye Weian: "."

He turned to Long Jie and asked, "Are there reporters camped out downstairs?"

Long Jie nodded.

Ever since news of Kerui’s incident broke, reporters had immediately descended on the headquarters.

Chi Li had deliberately steered the conversation, directing all criticism toward Ye's Group and Ye Weian. Very few people were focused on Kerui, and no reporters were stationed at Kerui’s entrance.

Ye Weian said, "Invite them in. I’ll do an interview."

Long Jie asked, "Do you intend to respond to this matter personally?"

Ye Weian gave an affirmative hum.

Long Jie hesitated and said, "The PR department has already issued a statement clarifying that Kerui’s products meet national standards. Kerui has proactively reported to the police and requested an investigation. Once there are results, we will inform the public as soon as possible..."

She felt it wasn’t the best time for Ye Weian to respond.

The Kerui incident doesn’t need to drag down the entire Ye's Group.

But Ye Weian shook his head and said, "Chi Li is targeting me. If I don’t step forward, he’ll continue to control the narrative and affect the entire group."

Long Jie understood and said, "I’ll get it set up right away."

She immediately contacted the security and PR departments to arrange an impromptu press area.

Ye Weian coolly calculated that when it came to public opinion, he wasn’t about to be beaten by Chi Li.

As for the next step, it would depend on how Chi Li played his hand.

As he was lost in thought, Zhou Huaichen suddenly spoke up: "I’ve already asked Hong Ke to come back early."

Ye Weian met his gaze.

Zhou Huaichen's eyes softened, and he said softly, "Hong Ke has handled cases like this before. I've asked him to come back and assist you."

Ye Weian stared at him blankly, silent for a long moment.

Fei Anming exclaimed, surprised, from the side, "Is it the famous Lawyer Zhu from Hongda Law Firm?!"

Both Hongda Law Firm and Zhu Hongke himself are very prestigious.

Zhu Hongke is known in the legal world as the "Undefeated General"; cases he handles are almost always resolved successfully.

Although the Ye Group is powerful, its legal department isn't that strong.

"If Lawyer Zhu steps in, we can sue 'Benevolent Heart' for defamation right away!" Fei Anming said excitedly.

Long Jie, having just finished her phone call, overheard Fei Anming's words and exchanged a look with Brother Zhang.

Even Lawyer Zhu was being called in to help—it was clear how much Zhou Huaichen cared about their CEO Ye.

Zhou Huaichen didn't respond to Fei Anming, focusing entirely on peeling shrimp for Ye Weian.

Ye Weian took a shrimp he offered, then gently pressed his hand and said, "That's enough."

Zhou Huaichen looked up.

Ye Weian's voice was quiet: "Thank you."

He knew Zhu Hongke was abroad handling a cross-border economic case.

A lawyer of Zhu Hongke's standing and reputation wouldn't be swayed by money alone if he wasn't willing. The Ye Group likely couldn't have persuaded him.

Only Zhou Huaichen could bring Zhu Hongke back.

Zhou Huaichen was doing this for him.

A tender emotion welled up in Ye Weian's heart.

—"A-Chen's so wonderful!"

—"I want to jump him!"

Zhou Huaichen's throat bobbed.

He also wanted to hold him.

But he couldn't.

There were still others in the office.

He leisurely took off his gloves and said gently, "You never need to thank me."

Ye Weian looked at him.

Zhou Huaichen met his gaze, then raised his hand and lightly brushed it against Ye Weian's cheek.

Ye Weian's face grew warm inexplicably.

Though his expression remained neutral, Zhou Huaichen didn't miss the hint of shyness in his eyes.

This person was shy because of him.

Realizing this, Zhou Huaichen stirred physically and emotionally.

It took him a long time to just barely control the urge.

He headed toward the restroom, not wanting anyone to see the desire in his eyes: "I'm going to wash my hands."

Ye Weian watched his back as he left, his heart racing.

Brother Zhang and Long Jie, seeing the two acting so lovey-dovey, immediately looked away.

As third wheels, they were well aware of their roles.

Though Fei Anming didn't fully understand the extent of Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen's relationship, he could sense the weird vibe.

He quietly leaned toward Brother Zhang and whispered, "When did President Zhou and our CEO Ye get so close?"

Brother Zhang just looked at him.

If the Ye and Zhou families were to get married in the future, President Fei would probably be even more surprised.

The system lifted its own blocking and returned, having witnessed the charged moment between the host and Zhou Huaichen. It couldn't help but remark, "It's a pity the brothers and sisters in the Super Topic can't see this, or they'd have turned into screaming fangirls by now."

The system added, "Good thing this system keeps its cool."

Ye Weian zeroed in on the important part: "What Super Topic?"

The system: "Of course, it's the CP Super Topic for you and President Zhou. That hacker fanfic was written by your CP fans."

Bringing up the hacker fanfic made Ye Weian recall all the scenes described in it, and his face heated up again.

The system didn't notice the host's daydreaming; it was pondering something else.

Since the host had read the hacker fanfic, shouldn't it share it with President Zhou as well?

You gotta share the good stuff.

So, when Zhou Huaichen finished washing his hands and pushed the door open, his WeChat pinged.

His file transfer assistant had inexplicably received a link and a message.

The message read: "This isn't a virus!"

Zhou Huaichen frowned.

Not a virus?

It had appeared out of the blue on his phone—it definitely looked like a virus.

He just deleted both messages and decided to change his phone tomorrow.

The system waited for Zhou Huaichen to click the link and discover a whole new world, but instead, Zhou Huaichen deleted the messages outright.

The system: "..."

President Zhou, do you have any idea what you just missed?!

Zhou Huaichen indeed had no idea he'd missed out on a new world.

As he walked out of the restroom, he heard Brother Zhang reporting to Ye Weian: "My people are investigating the two directors. The two doctors involved in the incident have been taken in by police for questioning. I suspect the police will next approach President Fei."

Ye Weian: "Good work."

He then turned to Fei Anming and said, "If the police come to you, just be honest." After a pause, he reassured him, "Don't stress too much. Ye's Group will back you up no matter what."

Fei Anming’s eyes reddened. "Yes."

Back when Elder Ye passed away and Ye Weian took over Ye's Group, Fei Anming didn’t have much faith in the brooding young heir.

Now that Kerui was in trouble, it was this young heir who stepped in to take charge. Fei Anming felt ashamed yet genuinely impressed by Ye Weian.

Zhou Huaichen didn’t miss the gratitude in Fei Anming’s eyes.

He couldn’t help but smile. It seemed Wei An had won over a veteran.

At that moment, Ye Weian stood under the light, illuminated by its glow, exuding a stunning presence.

Zhou Huaichen suppressed the flutter in his heart and walked over quietly.

Ye Weian didn’t look at him but moved over a bit.

Zhou Huaichen's lips curved slightly as he moved to stand beside him, shoulder to shoulder.

Their hands accidentally brushed against each other.

Zhou Huaichen’s fingers carried a hint of moisture, slightly cool.

Ye Weian leaned close to his ear. "Are you cold?"

Zhou Huaichen locked eyes with him, his eyes deep and intense. "Yes."

He wanted Ye Weian to warm his hands with his own.

Ye Weian tsked, "I'm guessing you just washed your hands with cold water. That’s not good—you’ll catch a cold. Luckily the room has heating. Next time, use warm water, okay?"

Zhou Huaichen: "...Alright, I’ll remember that."

System: "..."

Host, you’re such a typical straight guy! Shouldn’t you be holding Zhou’s hands to warm him up instead?

It couldn’t help but feel bad for Zhou again.

Long Jie took a phone call and walked over to report, "The venue is ready. The reporters are all waiting downstairs."

Ye Weian nodded and said to Fei Anming, "Let’s go down together."

Fei Anming acknowledged.

Ye Weian’s gaze fell on Zhou Huaichen. "A Chen, you stay here—"

Before he could finish, Zhou Huaichen interrupted, "I’ll go down with you."

Ye Weian hesitated slightly.

This was Ye's Group’s affair. Zhou Huaichen was the Zhou family head and shouldn't get involved.

Zhou Huaichen looked at him and repeated, "I’ll go with you."

His gaze was gentle yet focused, as if telling Ye Weian he would always have his back.

Ye Weian’s heart fluttered, and he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

—"Zhou Zhou is so sweet. This little cabbage wants to snuggle Zhou Zhou."

Zhou Huaichen’s lips curved slightly.

If Long Jie and the others weren’t around, he would have pulled Ye Weian into his arms and let him snuggle as much as he wanted.

The group headed downstairs.

In the elevator, Ye Weian received a call from Lin Chang. "President Ye, I know I can’t be of much help, but if you need me to clarify anything or if there’s any way I can assist, just say the word."

The incident had made waves, and even Lin Chang, at the film set, had heard about it.

Ye Weian was somewhat touched.

Lin Chang was the first to reach out to comfort him.

This fan of his seemed quite alright.

Soon, he received a message from Director Chen: "Papa Ye (respected figure), are you okay? I absolutely believe in Ye's Group and Kerui. Stay strong!"

Ye Weian: "..."

The original owner had few friends, but the few he’d unintentionally made seemed truly sincere.

Still, he was curious—why was he "Papa Ye"?

He typed out his question quickly.

Director Chen replied promptly: "I’ve got a Papa Zhou too."

Ye Weian: "..."

Director Chen, please have some self-respect.

He suddenly thought of Ye Yi and Ye Er at home, Wednesday and Thursday from the Zhou family, and the System that wanted to be called Weekend.

It seemed Director Chen wanted in on the fun.

He typed again: "Director Chen, from now on, you’ll be called Chen Five (as in the fifth member)."

Director Chen: "?"

Ye Weian didn’t explain but promptly changed Director Chen’s contact name to "Chen Five." Then he turned to Zhou Huaichen and said seriously, "We have a Number Five in the family now."

Zhou Huaichen: "?"

Ye Weian: "Director Chen."

Zhou Huaichen was puzzled at first, but then, thinking of the cats and dogs at home, he chuckled.

He lifted a hand and gently touched Ye Weian’s cheek. "You're such a tease."

Ye Weian stayed silent, but his mind was buzzing.

—"Zhou Zhou definitely wanted to touch my face."

"Go ahead and touch him. It's not like I'd hit him."

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

His gaze involuntarily fell on Ye Weian's face.

Fair and beautiful.

He didn't just want to touch it; he wanted to—give it a little bite.

***

The reporters were waiting in the lounge. As soon as Ye Weian entered, they immediately aimed their cameras at him.

Ye Weian walked up to the stage, picked up the microphone, and said, "I'll only make three points."

"First, the medical accident is still under investigation. As for the truth, let's all wait together for the police's investigation results."

"Second, anyone who spreads rumors about Ye Group and Kerui before the results are out will be held legally accountable by Ye Group."

His face was handsome, his gaze sharp, locked on the camera at the front. "Third, Chi Li, I know it was you."

He deliberately brought Chi Li into this.

Since Chi Li had targeted him and Ye Group, he naturally had to fight back.

Want to wage a war in the court of public opinion?

He was more than willing to engage.

The reporters were indeed buzzing with excitement.

Chi Li was the President of Boqing Equipment and Boqing Hospital, which happened to be competitors of Kerui and Benevolent Heart.

The name was like a dose of adrenaline. The reporters excitedly buzzed among each other and asked Ye Weian if this was implying that the medical accident at Benevolent Heart was related to Boqing, and whether Boqing was framing Kerui and Benevolent Heart.

Ye Weian didn't answer, leaving a cryptic remark before stepping off the stage.

Zhou Huaichen was waiting for him below.

Ye Weian walked over.

Zhou Huaichen said softly, "Nice counter."

Ye Weian blinked. "Payback in kind."

Since Chi Li wanted to take him down with public opinion, he would retaliate in kind.

The truth would eventually come out, and when it did, Chi Li would face the consequences.

Someone recognized Zhou Huaichen beside Ye Weian and aimed their camera at him.

Zhou Huaichen shot a brief glance but didn't signal his bodyguards to stop them.

Later, Fei Anming also took the stage to say a few words, emphasizing that Kerui's equipment meets all national standards.

The reporters had little interest in Fei Anming; they were more curious about the feud between Chi Li and Ye Weian. Some reporters took out their phones to livestream, and Ye Weian's interview video was quickly uploaded to major websites.

Before the press conference even ended, numerous posts gossiping about Chi Li and Ye Weian had already appeared online.

After watching the video, online users were also stunned.

"Is President Ye implying that the medical accident was a setup? I checked—Chi Li is the President of Boqing, which is also a medical equipment company and a competitor of Kerui, under Ye Group."

"I have a theory: maybe Chi Li wanted to bring down Kerui, so he deliberately used two human lives to frame them?"

"Is that even possible? Those are two human lives! Could someone really be that evil?"

"Why not? Big companies have plenty of shady business. I've even heard some hospitals engage in illegal organ trade... You're all just too naive."

Chi Li's water army immediately mobilized, leaving comments under various videos.

"Ye is clearly trying to drag others down with him. How pathetic!"

"When something goes wrong, pull your competitor into it to divert attention. Classy move."

"Only someone like Ye would resort to such underhanded tactics."

Fortunately, most online users remained calm, stating that if there was more to the story, Ye Weian calling someone out by name was actually quite straightforward.

After all, two human lives were at stake—no one could take that lightly.

The truth would eventually come out. Everyone could wait for the results before casting blame; there was no need to start attacking immediately.

Ye Weian's fans had always believed that Ye Group wouldn't be careless with human lives. After watching his interview, they became even more convinced of Ye Group's innocence.

Fans @-ed Chi Li's water army and Yan Qing's fans: "Stop spreading rumors, or you might end up in court."

The water army company, paid to do a job, simply ignored them.

Yan Qing's fans, however, became more cautious. After all, they were ordinary people who couldn't risk a lawsuit.

***

Lin Chang was filming a night scene on set.

During a makeup touch-up break, he took out his phone and browsed Weibo. Seeing Ye Weian's interview video, he couldn't help but praise, "President Ye is so awesome!"

Qi Zhangbai had also heard about the incident at Kerui. Hearing this, he glanced at Lin Chang and asked, "President Ye responded?"

Lin Chang nodded and said, "Yeah," handing him the phone. "Take a look."

Qi Zhangbai watched the video carefully and was surprised to notice Zhou Huaichen in the frame.

He couldn't help but stroke his chin and murmur, "Brother Chen seems to have got it bad."

Just then, his older brother Qi Zhangsong called. He immediately told him about it.

Qi Zhangsong was a university professor, usually the most serious and stern type.

He lectured his brother sternly, "Zhangbai, stop gossiping."

Qi Zhangbai: "..."

Brother, do you know that being this strict and serious might get you punched someday?

He decisively hung up the phone and realized he was still holding Lin Chang's phone. He returned it and said, "President Ye has made everything clear. You don't need to worry anymore."

During the previous scene, Lin Chang had been distracted at times, clearly concerned about Ye Weian.

Lin Chang smiled and nodded, "Yeah."

Qi Zhangbai noticed he had become more relaxed, no longer tense. He looked at him thoughtfully and said, "You really aren't interested in Ye Weian?"

Lin Chang: "?"

Qi Zhangbai said suggestively, "You'd better not like Ye Weian."

Nobody stands a chance against Zhou Huaichen.

Lin Chang: "...I'm straight."

He didn’t know what the director was imagining, but he wanted to tell him that letting your imagination run wild is a problem.

Qi Zhangbai: "..."

...

Wu Yi’s agent also watched Ye Weian’s clarification video and said uneasily, "President Ye has such powerful energy... We must avoid him in the future."

Previously, Wu Yi had tried to come on to Ye Weian but failed and was shut down by him instead. Both Wu Yi and his agent were anxious.

Although the production team hadn’t said they would cut Wu Yi’s scenes, they were still terrified, fearing that Ye Weian would order Wu Yi to be blacklisted.

When the medical scandal at Ye Corporation was exposed, the agent felt somewhat relieved, thinking that Ye Weian was too overwhelmed to bother with a B-list actor like Wu Yi.

After watching Ye Weian’s response, the agent realized that Ye Weian truly proved why he's the president of Ye Corporation—his aura and tactics were beyond ordinary people.

He regretted encouraging Wu Yi to provoke Ye Weian.

Wu Yi, however, ignored his agent. He kept replaying that part of the video.

When Ye Weian left the stage, the camera caught Zhou Huaichen in the corner.

Zhou Huaichen was watching with complete focus at Ye Weian, and Ye Weian strode toward him. Their eyes were only on each other.

After watching for a while, Wu Yi finally put down his phone and sighed, "...They’re so good together."

...

As the mastermind of the whole incident, Chi Li was naturally keeping an eye on the online developments.

He watched Ye Weian’s interview video as soon as it was released and snorted coldly, "He’s challenging me directly."

At that moment, the Chi family villa was brightly lit, and a dozen of Chi Li’s close advisors were gathered to discuss how to deal with Ye Corporation and Ye Weian.

One of the assistants watched the video and said, "President Chi, the president of Zhou Corporation seems to be there too."

Chi Li frowned and reopened the video.

Zhou Huaichen was indeed there and appeared to be really close with Ye Weian.

Recalling some rumors, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Is President Zhou trying to tell me he’ll be backing Ye Corporation?"

Ye Corporation was already tough to take on. If Zhou Corporation got involved, his chances of success would only diminish.

He immediately instructed his assistant, "Contact President Zhou."

He needed to know Zhou Huaichen’s intentions to plan his next move.

At this point, Chi Li had no idea that Zhou Huaichen had already called Zhu Hongke back to help Ye Weian.

What awaited him was more than just a war of public perception.

...

Those who noticed Zhou Huaichen accompanying Ye Weian weren’t just Chi Li and his associates—the "Overnight in Embrace" CP fans noticed too.

As soon as the video was released, observant fans spotted Zhou Huaichen’s presence: "Everyone, look at the video—President Zhou is there too!"

When everyone saw Zhou Huaichen and Ye Weian with eyes only for each other, the fans completely lost it.

"Is this love? Right? Right?"

"I heard the press conference was thrown together last-minute, at midnight. President Zhou was still by President Ye’s side—if that’s not love, what is?!"

"When Ye Corporation was slandered, President Zhou had his back. This relationship is so real, so real."

"Tonight, I’m crying over their storybook romance again."

...

Ye Weian wasn't paying attention to the online discussions or Chi Li’s reaction.

After the press conference, he told the driver to take Long Jie and the others home. He and Zhou Huaichen also prepared to leave.

It was already past 1 a.m.

After getting into the car, Ye Weian asked the driver to go to the Zhou family home first.

Zhou Huaichen, however, said gently, "I’ll drop you off first."

Ye Weian turned to look at him.

Zhou Huaichen’s eyes were unreadable in the dim light, but they seemed gentle: "Listen to me."

Ye Weian blinked.

"Ahhh!"

"He’s so smooth!"

"I'd jump his bones!"

Zhou Huaichen’s eyes darkened.

Neither of them spoke, just quietly looked at each other.

After a long time, Zhou Huaichen finally held back the impulse to pull him into his arms.

He lowered his gaze, pulled out a box from his coat pocket, and handed it to Ye Weian.

Ye Weian: "?"

Zhou Huaichen: "Open it."

Ye Weian said "Oh" softly and opened the lid.

On the red velvet lay a blue diamond. Even in the dim light, its brilliance shone through.

The system screeched like a startled chicken: "Host, Zhou Huaichen is trying to hit on you again!"

Ye Weian: "..."

Zhou Huaichen's deep voice whispered in his ear: "I got this at an auction. I hope you like it."

He hadn't originally planned to give this gift so early.

Last time, with the purple jade peace buckle, he had to use some persuasion to make Ye Weian reluctantly accept it.

He knew Ye Weian wouldn’t accept it this time.

But after the unpleasant events today, he just wanted to make him happy.

Ye Weian didn’t say anything.

This blue diamond looked exactly like the rare blue crystal cores from the apocalypse.

He really liked it.

But he knew this blue diamond was worth a fortune.

He closed the box and shook his head. "I can’t accept this."

Zhou Huaichen’s voice was soft and gentle: "It’s just a diamond. I only want you to be happy."

Ye Weian’s heart skipped a beat.

He opened his mouth several times but didn’t know what to say.

The system tutted: "Host, just go along with Zhou Huaichen."

Ye Weian: "..."

The system went on: "Zhou Huaichen is just too smooth with his moves. You won’t be able to resist him anyway. You might as well just relax and go with it."

Ye Weian ignored it, lowering his head to look at the box, deep in thought.

Silence fell over the car.

Zhou Huaichen didn’t pressure him either, just quietly watched him, the tenderness in his eyes so tender it seemed to overflow.

After what felt like an eternity, the car arrived at the Ye Residence.

Ye Weian got out of the car, returned the box to Zhou Huaichen, and said, "I don’t want it."

—"Just seeing you every day is enough for me."

—"I prefer your purple grape scent."

Zhou Huaichen felt his heart melt completely.

He lowered his gaze, looking at the young man before him.

Under the night sky, Ye Weian’s eyes sparkled like stars, calm and docile, his face breathtakingly beautiful.

He couldn’t hold back any longer and reached out to draw him into a hug.

Ye Weian: "..."

The man’s grape scent surrounded him, so intoxicating he wanted to shriek.

He didn’t move, allowing Zhou Huaichen to hold him.

—"Whimper, Ah Chen's arms are so warm."

—"Just hold me a little longer."

Zhou Huaichen’s lips quirked into a smile as he tightened his arms, holding him tightly against his chest.

He had dreamed of holding him countless times.

Now that his wish was fulfilled, he only hoped time would slow down, just a little more.

The night was soft and gentle.

The two embraced quietly, like two swans nuzzling.

For some reason, Ye Weian suddenly remembered that hacker novel.

—"Next, A Chen should turn wild, carry me into the car, and have his way with me."

—"A Chen is so violent, ripping my clothes off."

—"Wait, why the cowgirl position?"

Zhou Huaichen’s body stiffened.

Turn wild?

Have his way with me?

Tear off... clothes?

Cowgirl position?

Why would his beloved think of these things?

The system listened to the host’s vivid imagination and, seeing Zhou Huaichen completely unaware, couldn’t resist gloating.

That's what you get for deleting my link!!

Zhou Huaichen, you have no idea what you're missing, you know that?

Author's note: 8,500 words!

My dear readers, first, I need to apologize for taking so long to update.

I caught a bad cold and had my monthly visitor at the same time, so I was bedridden for several days. It completely wiped me out, and I even lost weight—it was the worst I’ve been in years. So I’ve been resting up.

From now on, I promise a chapter a day, with the update time set at 9 a.m. If anything comes up, I’ll give you a heads-up~

I know some of you are skeptical about my updating, but for my last story, I updated 6,000 words daily. Boo-hoo, I won’t say more—just watch my performance from now on~

Once again, I apologize to you all, bows apologetically~~

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