Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Zhou Huaichen held him for a long time.

Ye Weian’s imagined scenes simultaneously flashed through his mind.

His throat tightened repeatedly, his body screaming to carry this person into the car, tear off his clothes, and make him cry.

But in the end, he released the person in his arms.

Ye Weian met his dark, bottomless eyes.

Though they seemed like an unfathomable abyss, he could sense a scalding volcano restrained beneath that calm surface.

Ye Weian’s face grew warm for no reason.

—"A-Chen’s stare is so intense."

—"Does he want to kiss me?"

Zhou Huaichen’s gaze slowly drifted to his flushed lips.

He did.

He wanted to kiss him, to love him.

But he still held back his urges, just reaching out to stroke the other’s face, his voice hoarse as he said, "Get some proper sleep."

Ye Weian battled the warmth flooding his cheeks. "Mhm."

—"I’m not overthinking this."

—"Nothing matters more than sleep."

Zhou Huaichen let out a soft laugh and said gently, "Go ahead inside."

Ye Weian waved to him and stepped into the yard.

Grandpa Lin was still up, waiting for him.

Learning that Zhou Huaichen had driven him home, Grandpa Lin couldn’t help but praise, "A-Chen’s a good boy."

Since Zhou Huaichen had stayed over at the Ye residence last time, he and Grandpa Lin had quickly grown close. Grandpa Lin now affectionately called Zhou Huaichen A-Chen.

Ye Weian thought of the embrace at the courtyard gate and was in good spirits. "Yes, A-Chen is very good."

The system suddenly commented teasingly, "Host, I never thought I’d see you blush."

Ye Weian: "..."

A-Chen’s gaze was too blatant—can you blame me for blushing under such a stare?

Fortunately, the lighting was dim, so A-Chen must not have noticed.

Grandpa Lin handed him a cup of warm water, his eyes filled with concern. "I heard there’s trouble at the company..."

Ye Weian quickly reassured him, "Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control."

Seeing his confidence, Grandpa Lin said with relief, "I trust you, young master."

Under Grandpa Lin’s urging, Ye Weian returned to his room and took a hot bath to relieve his fatigue.

After stepping out of the bathroom, Ye Weian received a public sentiment report sent by Sister Long.

Online, everyone was digging into the bad blood between Ye Corporation and Boqing.

All sorts of rumors were swirling everywhere, making the whole thing messy. Opinions were divided over which company was responsible for the medical accident.

However, Ye Corporation’s reputation remained unaffected, and its stock hadn’t dropped.

This was good news.

The system was lavish with its praise. "Host, you’re awesome!"

Ye Weian shook his head. "It’s not me—it’s that Chi Li’s moves are just weak."

Chi Li merely wanted to use public opinion to crush Ye Corporation and cause its stock price to collapse.

In the novel, Yan Qing and Zhou Yongnan had indeed smeared the original owner, ruining his reputation and ultimately destroying Ye Corporation.

But he wasn’t the original owner.

The original owner had been head over heels for Yan Qing. Though capable of fighting back, he had given up fighting out of heartbreak.

He was different.

If Chi Li wanted to pressure him with public opinion, he would pull Chi Li down into the mud too.

No one’s getting out unscathed.

Ye Weian rubbed the red gemstone in his hand, his voice cold. "The stupidest thing Chi Li did was using two innocent human lives to smear Ye Corporation."

The truth would eventually come to light, and Chi Li would be reviled by the public.

The system couldn’t quite follow all these twists, but that didn’t stop it from thinking its host was totally badass.

The system asked, "Host, how do you, a zombie king, know so much?"

Shouldn’t you be as clueless as me?

Ye Weian: "...We’re not the same species to begin with."

Before becoming a zombie king, he had also been human.

The system: "...Oh."

Humans really are something.

It suddenly thought of something and asked, "Chi Li targeted you because of Yan Qing. Do you plan to let everyone know the truth?"

Ye Weian shook his head. "No."

He intentionally focused the attention on the business rivalry between Ye Corporation and Boqing precisely to avoid giving Yan Qing any spotlight.

The system mused, "Host, I think being around Zhou Huaichen has made you so devious... wait, clever."

Ye Weian: "?"

Was he not clever before?

The system was a straightforward one, crackling, "Not very smart, huh?"

Ye Weian: "..."

He snorted coldly, lowered his head to fidget with the ruby, and ignored the system.

The ruby gleamed under the light.

He suddenly thought of that priceless blue diamond.

Zhou Huaichen had spared no expense just to make him happy.

Such a devoted, earnest man—Ye Weian was completely defenseless against him.

Ye Weian stroked his chin, thinking he needed to quickly wrap up the mission and deal with Yan Qing.

Just as he was deep in thought, his phone rang. Zhou Huaichen had sent two WeChat messages.

Zhou: "Made it home."

Zhou: "Zombie King baby, get some sleep.jpg"

Ye Weian looked at the meme, his mood improving further.

But Zhou Huaichen had sent text, not a voice message.

He typed: "Want to hear your voice."

Zhou Huaichen replied quickly: "Good night, baby daddy."

The man's voice was raspy and utterly captivating, carrying a rich, sweet grape-scented tone.

But Ye Weian’s attention was caught by the term he used.

...Baby daddy?!

Zhou Huaichen sent a few more pictures—photos of Wednesday and Thursday lying on their backs in their bed, little feet raised in the air.

Each one was absolutely precious!

Ye Weian typed rapidly: "The two daughters are so cute! Give them kisses for me!"

Zhou Huaichen typed back: "Okay, kisses."

Ye Weian: "..."

Did Zhou Huaichen mean "kisses" for the daughters, or... for him?

Ye Weian recalled that hacker story again, where before the steamy scene, Zhou Huaichen bit his lip and kissed him until he was breathless...

He patted his flushed face, burrowed under the covers, and pulled the blanket up to his chest.

Time for sleep!

But as soon as he lay down, he bolted upright again.

He grabbed his phone from the nightstand, opened WeChat, and changed Zhou Huaichen’s contact name to "Baby Daddy" before lying back down.

The system: "..."

It slowly displayed a paternal smile on the screen (*￣︶￣)

That hacker story was really something special.

It decided to give President Zhou another chance and would send the story to him again later.

...

After returning home, Zhou Huaichen deliberately took pictures of his two daughters sleeping to cheer up Ye Weian.

Ye Weian was indeed charmed by their cuteness and even wanted to blow kisses from afar.

...No need to kiss the daughters; kissing him would be better.

His fingers gently traced Ye Weian’s Zombie King avatar, a subtle smile forming at the corner of his lips.

After saying good night to Ye Weian, his Special Assistant suddenly called, saying that Chi Li’s people had contacted him to ask if he intended to intervene in the dispute between Ye Corp and Boqing.

Zhou Huaichen said calmly, "Ignore it."

He knew Ye Weian could handle this crisis and didn’t need his help.

But he had no intention of letting Chi Li know that.

Let Chi Li stay wary.

After hanging up, he went to freshen up, quietly resolving to ask Uncle Wang to prepare an even more sumptuous meal the next day—his darling deserved to be pampered.

Once he finished washing up, he returned to the bedroom to check his phone and found his childhood friends’ group chat blowing up with messages.

The first message was from Qi Zhangsong.

Qi Zhangsong had @ him in the group: "Are you and the Ye Corp CEO for real?"

The university professor, who half an hour ago had seriously lectured his younger brother not to gossip, was now directly asking the person involved in the group.

Other childhood friends lined up one after another to show concern for Zhou Huaichen’s relationship.

Only Zhu Hongke, on a flight back to the country, didn’t participate in the topic.

After scanning through hundreds of messages, Zhou Huaichen @ Qi Zhangsong: "Does your younger brother know you’re such a gossip?"

Zhang Song: "..."

Zhang Song: "Don’t deflect—what’s going on with you and CEO Ye?"

Zhang Song: "Going to Ye Corp in the middle of the night to have his back—don’t tell me you’re not serious."

Zhou: "Screenshot taken, sending it to Zhang Bai now."

Zhang Song: "= ="

Zhang Song: "I'm throwing hands.jpg"

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

Qi Zhangsong appeared very rigid and serious in front of outsiders, even stern in front of his younger brother Qi Zhangbai. Only their group of childhood friends knew that this guy actually had a split personality.

Zhou Huaichen came back to himself and casually typed two lines: "Yeah, it's real."

Zhou: "I've set my heart on him in this lifetime."

The childhood buddies: "..."

Even through just cold text, they could sense Zhou Huaichen's seriousness.

Last time Zhou Huaichen brought Ye Weian to their gathering, the atmosphere between them was ambiguous, but since nothing was made official back then, the friends weren't sure if the two would end up together.

Now, seeing Zhou Huaichen's heartfelt declaration, they were certain he had really fallen for him.

Qi Zhangsong privately messaged Lu Cong: "A Chen has been single all this time. So many young masters and misses tried to get close, but he showed no interest. I thought he’d end up alone."

Lu Cong, the eldest of the Lu family, was now its head.

Cong bro: "Staying single for years, just to meet the right person, huh."

Qi Zhangsong pondered and found the idea rather romantic.

Unaware of their private chat, Zhou Huaichen continued typing in the group: "My wife is your sister-in-law. You know what to do."

The childhood buddies: "..."

Understood.

Sister-in-law—one of us.

Since Chi Li was bullying their own, they should do something back.

The friends lined up to reply: "Understood, we’ll go make trouble for Boqing now."

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to let them make some noise a bit.

At the very least, it would show Chi Li that Wei An had many people behind him.

Yan Qing had Bai Yuan, Xie Siming, and Chi Li protecting him.

His Wei An had him.

*

The next noon, when Ye Weian arrived at the company, he found Sister Long and Brother Zhang waiting at his office door, both with strange looks.

Ye Weian asked curiously, "What? Has Chi Li has new tricks?"

He had checked the news on his way but found nothing unusual.

Sister Long: "...I just got word that the Lu, Qi, and Zhuang families all went after Boqing this morning."

Boqing’s main focus was the medical industry, but it had other ventures too. These three families were putting pressure on Boqing in those areas.

Brother Zhang added, "Though it’s just small moves, it’s putting significant pressure on Boqing. Chi Li is probably having headaches."

Ye Weian: "?"

How many powerful families had Chi Li offended?

Sister Long whispered, "The heads of the Lu, Qi, and Zhuang families are all Zhou Huaichen’s childhood friends."

Ye Weian understood.

So it was A Chen’s work.

No wonder Chi Li hadn’t made any moves all morning.

He must have been tangled up with A Chen’s friends.

Feeling a sweet feeling in his heart, he sent away Sister Long and Brother Zhang, then took out his phone to message Zhou Huaichen.

Ye: "Zombie King peeking out quietly ·jpg"

Ye: "Thank you."

This was thanks both to Zhou Huaichen and his childhood friends.

He didn’t have their contact information, so he could only ask Zhou Huaichen to tell them thanks for me.

Zhou Huaichen replied quickly.

Dad: "They benefited from it too, no need to thank them."

Joining forces to target Boqing and take bites of Boqing's business was also advantageous for the three families.

Ye Weian knew, of course, that the Lu, Qi, and Zhuang families didn't help just for him.

They were business folks, after all; profit was always a consideration.

But he was still grateful.

He also knew the three families had done it for Zhou Huaichen.

Ye: "Let’s find a chance to take them out to eat next time."

Ye: "You’ll have to come with me."

Zhou Huaichen, who was looking over a file, couldn’t help but give a light laugh at the message.

Asking him to accompany—this was treating him as one of us.

He lowered his head to type.

Zhou: "Okay."

Zhou: "But the one who really pressured Chi Li was you."

This was not just empty praise.

Last night, Ye Weian had decisively held a press conference to address the medical accident, pulling Boqing and Chi Li down with him.

Not only did Boqing and Chi Li gain nothing from it, they were thrust into the center of public opinion and forced to be tied to Ye Group.

The counterattack was fast and accurate.

Ye Weian’s quick thinking and bravery were shown perfectly.

Pleased by the praise, Ye Weian typed not humble at all.

Ye: "Damn right."

Ye: "“Zombie King is awesome” ·jpg"

Zhou Huaichen’s smile never left his lips.

He sent a voice message: "Uncle Wang made the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, your favorite. Should I pick you up after work?"

Ye Weian hadn’t had Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in a while and agreed immediately.

Zhou Huaichen sent another voice message: "I want to see photos of the boys."

Ye Weian was taken aback for a moment before realizing Zhou Huaichen was referring to Ye Yi and Ye Er.

Before leaving home that morning, he had taken the Husky and the Golden Retriever for a walk and had taken some photos.

He promptly sent them over.

Zhou Huaichen replied quickly: "How about we bring the two goofballs to my place next week so all four of them can bond? What do you think?"

Ye Weian: "..."

Anyone unaware of the situation might think they were divorced parents, only allowing the children to meet at specific times.

Amused by his own thoughts, he was about to reply when Sister Long suddenly knocked on the door: "Attorney Zhu is here."

Ye Weian quickly informed Zhou Huaichen, put down his phone, and stood up to greet him.

Zhu Hongke had just gotten off the plane and came straight to Ye Corp without even adjusting to the time difference.

His diligence was, of course, as a favor to Zhou Huaichen.

Zhu Hongke had checked the messages in the group chat with his childhood friends as soon as he landed.

A-Chen was more invested in President Ye than he’d thought.

Naturally, Zhu Hongke had to put in the effort as well.

Upon meeting Ye Weian, Zhu Hongke got straight to the point, saying he wanted to understand the situation first.

After hearing the details, he thoughtfully said, "So, you’ve collected evidence that Boqing deployed a water army?"

Ye Weian: "Yes."

The system tracked that Chi Li’s assistant had contacted a water army company and paid from a private account.

Although Chi Li didn’t give the order directly, if traced back, it could still be linked to him and Boqing.

Zhu Hongke said, "I’ll file a suit right away, suing Boqing for defamation."

He also suggested, "Ye Corp can publish the cease-and-desist letter online and let the court of public opinion decide."

The evidence of Chi Li’s assistant hiring a water army to defame Ye Corp was solid.

Whether Chi Li was directly involved or not, he would have to face public backlash.

Ye Weian immediately agreed: "That’s a good idea."

Zhu Hongke smiled and said, "I’ll follow up on the case too. Don’t worry, Pres— President Ye."

...He almost said "sister-in-law"!

Ye Weian didn’t notice anything amiss and said, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

The system noted Zhu Hongke’s dedication and knew it was all as a favor to Zhou Huaichen.

It decided to reward President Zhou.

Originally, it thought President Zhou didn’t appreciate its efforts and planned to delay sending him the hacker file for a few more days.

But since President Zhou was so good to its host, and even his childhood friends were so supportive, it was instantly moved.

This time, it changed its strategy and directly forwarded the document in image format to Zhou Huaichen.

The images were compiled by the author and posted in the Super Topic for fans.

...

Zhou Huaichen got a new phone that morning.

Strangely, the File Transfer chat window showed unknown messages again.

This time, it was several screenshots of text.

Zhou Huaichen initially intended to delete them but caught sight of Ye Weian’s name.

He opened them, his curiosity turning into suspicion, and finally, he froze.

Zhou Huaichen: "..."

After reading the images, he sat in his chair, silent for a long time.

He finally understood where Ye Weian’s thoughts from last night had come from.

Ripping clothes, riding reverse cowgirl...

So that’s what it was.

Zhou Huaichen raised his hand and slowly undid the top button of his shirt.

His throat moved slightly, and a storm gathered in his eyes.

The system couldn’t see Zhou Huaichen in person, but it knew he had opened the images and felt satisfied.

President Zhou, that’s all I can do for you!

...

After work, Ye Weian received a call from Zhou Huaichen, saying he was waiting downstairs.

Ye Weian wrapped up and headed downstairs, spotting Zhou Huaichen’s car parked at the entrance in the distance.

Seeing him, Zhou Huaichen lowered the window.

Even from a distance, Ye Weian could feel the man’s gaze scorching like lava, as if it wanted to devour him.

Ye Weian stopped in his tracks.

—"What’s up with A-Chen? What’s gotten into him?"

—"Is he trying to make a move on me right here?"

Zhou Huaichen lowered his eyelids, hiding the turmoil in his eyes.

He wanted to tear off this person's clothes, make this person sit in his lap, and passionately call out his name.

To do everything described in the story.

But not now.

When he raised his eyes again, the storm in them had subsided.

He looked at Ye Weian and said gently, "Get in the car."

Ye Weian, seeing that he had returned to normal, looked at him with slight confusion.

—"Was I imagining things?"

The system couldn't help but chuckle to itself.

Mr. Zhou must have read those steamy scenes and wants to lure the host into bed.

(*^▽^*) Hehehe.

Zhou Huaichen’s expression remained unchanged as he opened the car door for Ye Weian.

Ye Weian got into the car and looked at him. "We’re going to Yongshan tomorrow, expected to take two days. Have you made all the arrangements?"

Although Chi Li had suddenly attacked last night, Ye Weian didn't want to change his plans and still intended to go find Yan Qing.

Two days wasn't exactly long, but not short either. Both he and Zhou Huaichen were busy people and needed to arrange their work accordingly.

Zhou Huaichen nodded.

He started the car and casually asked, "Do you want to stay at my place tonight? We can go to the airport together tomorrow."

Ye Weian: "?"

Was he asking him to stay over?

Last time, A Chen had stayed at the Ye residence. This time, it wouldn't be strange for him to stay at the Zhou family’s home.

He even wanted to touch A Chen’s abs.

But... he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

Especially after reading that hacker story, his mind was filled with naughty thoughts.

He still needed to find Yan Qing to resolve the mission and couldn’t afford to act impulsively.

So he politely refused, "No, I need to go home and pack."

—"Boo hoo, I really want to touch A Chen’s abs."

—"I'm so bummed."

Zhou Huaichen gave him a deep look and smiled faintly. "As you wish."

...

That evening, Ye Weian ate the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall prepared by Uncle Wang at the Zhou residence, played with the two girls for a while, and then prepared to go home.

Zhou Huaichen walked him out. As Ye Weian got into the car, he asked softly, "Shall I pick you up tomorrow morning?"

Ye Weian thought for a moment. "Let’s just meet at the airport."

Going back and forth would be too much trouble.

Zhou Huaichen didn’t insist and said gently, "Alright, see you tomorrow."

Watching the car drive away, Zhou Huaichen’s gaze gradually grew calm.

If Ye Weian were going to see Yan Qing alone, he would naturally be worried.

But since Ye Weian was taking him along, his heart felt at ease.

The system, however, was complaining: "Host, bringing Mr. Zhou to see Yan Qing—two love rivals meeting face to face—you’re really something."

The host always had some bold moves.

The system: "No wonder Mr. Zhou is so devoted to you. He must have never met a man as pure and unpretentious as you."

Ye Weian: "..."

The system: "Yan Qing is going to be furious with you."

Ye Weian: "..."

What had he done wrong? He just didn’t want A Chen to misunderstand.

*

The next day, Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen met at the airport and flew to Province C.

It was a two-hour drive from the provincial capital to Yongshan. If nothing goes wrong, they would arrive at Yan Qing’s film set by noon.

Yan Qing was filming in a remote location in the mountains and had no idea the two were coming to see him.

His mind had been entirely focused on online developments lately.

As expected, Chi Li had begun attacking the Ye Corporation. Yan Qing had been eagerly anticipating a plunge in the Ye Corporation’s stock price and Ye Weian being condemned by everyone.

Unexpectedly, however, public opinion had not brought down the Ye Corporation. Instead, Boqing and Chi Li had been dragged into the mess.

Now, netizens were less focused on the medical scandal involving Kerui and more interested in the feud between Boqing and the Ye Corporation.

Yan Qing was fuming.

His bad mood made him particularly irritable.

Coincidentally, the fourth male lead had joined the set a couple of days ago. Yan Qing disliked him and had already lost his temper on set several times.

During a scene that required multiple takes, he once again lashed out at the fourth male lead: "Do you even know how to act? Your eyes are bulging like saucers—why don’t you go star in a horror film?!"

This fourth male lead happened to be Wu Yi.

Wu Yi had his calculated reasons for taking on this role.

His appearance was somewhat similar to Yan Qing’s—both had the "little white flower" look. When he debuted, he was even called "the little Yan Qing."

By acting in the same drama as Yan Qing, his company could use this similarity for publicity, essentially using Yan Qing as a stepping stone to boost his own fame.

Yan Qing disliked Wu Yi precisely for this reason.

Wu Yi had been tolerating Yan Qing all along, but this time, for some reason, he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Ye Weian was really into you, yet you didn’t appreciate him. Now that Ye Weian is with Zhou Huaichen, do you regret it?"

Yan Qing was taken aback.

Just then, the director walked over, clapping his hands cheerfully and said, "Two special guests have arrived on our set. Everyone, come quickly."

The investment in this project wasn’t particularly large, and Yan Qing had taken on the role when his reputation was already tarnished.

Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen suddenly visited, offering to invest more. The director was overjoyed.

The director didn’t care about the online gossip or any grudges between Yan Qing and the two CEOs.

As long as the investment came through, they were the bosses.

Yan Qing was just about to call Wu Yi out when the director interrupted. His pent-up anger had nowhere to vent, putting him in an even worse mood.

When he turned around, he saw that the two special guests were actually Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen!

His eyes widened instantly.

Ye Weian and Zhou Huaichen strolled leisurely onto the set. Noticing Yan Qing glaring in their direction, Ye Weian leaned close to Zhou Huaichen’s ear and said, "Look at Yan Qing’s expression. He must be really happy to see me."

Zhou Huaichen: "?"

System: "..."

Host, which eye of yours saw Yan Qing being happy?!

Yan Qing’s expression was more like he’d seen a ghost!!!

System: "Host, you really are different from other attention-seeking troublemakers."

Ye Weian: "?"

Author’s Note: 6k+!

First day of on-time update check-in √

^_^

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