Chapter 19: Is He Scheming Something Again?

Chapter 19: What Scheme Is He Cooking Up Now?

Qin Yan's heart slammed against his ribs.

Looking into Su Zhiyu's eyes, he couldn't help but think—if it weren't for his mom, Su Zhiyu probably wouldn't even want to go on living.

The car got even quieter.

Even the driver's breathing got quieter, scared of setting off the young master at a moment like this.

Back in the day, the original owner would've blown his top by now.

But the guy sitting here now wasn't the original owner—it was Qin Yan from another world.

He didn't answer Su Zhiyu's plea. Instead, he shot back, "What makes you think I'd agree just because you said so?"

Knowing the original owner, he'd never let Su Zhiyu off that easy.

The car gradually slowed until the engine died.

The driver was sweating bullets—he'd already tried to drive as slow as he could, but the young master's business wasn't done, and they'd pulled up. He had no choice but to stop.

Qin Yan glanced at Su Zhiyu. "Get out first."

Su Zhiyu gave a small "mm" and opened the door to get out. Neither of them brought the earlier question up again.

Qin Yan rubbed his aching forehead.

He did want to cut Su Zhiyu loose soon, but now wasn't the time. Su Zhiyu had pissed off the production crew because of him—this was the biggest turning point in his career.

He had to protect Su Zhiyu.

Besides, there was that frail body. He ought to at least make up for some of the original owner's sins—get him back to health and use this time to funnel more money his way.

As the male lead of a comic, Su Zhiyu wasn't some helpless little flower. Sure, he'd fallen from grace and been pushed around and controlled by the original owner, he'd never stopped trying to save himself while stuck in the lion's den. He'd even secretly cashed out through the original owner, quietly stacking up a nice little fortune for a comeback.

At the end of the day, the original owner had it coming.

Qin Yan sighed. He'd give it a little more time—and if he could wipe out Su Zhiyu's hatred for him, even better.

"Young master?"

The driver said carefully.

Qin Yan looked up. "What?"

"Uh, your phone's been going off." The driver pointed at the phone buzzing nonstop on the back seat.

"Oh."

He'd been so lost in thought he hadn't noticed.

It was Qin Mo's secretary calling. Looked like everyone was here—time to head in.

"Let's go."

"Yes, young master."

Qin Yan walked into the show's recording hall. This was the official recording, and it was going live, so there were tons of people—the crew had doubled.

Almost every celeb had brought a bunch of assistants and makeup artists. Qin Yan and Su Zhiyu, who'd shown up solo, were practically the exception.

Even Yang Yichen had brought three people.

He glanced behind Qin Yan and said, shocked, "Brother Yan, you didn't bring a makeup artist?"

Qin Yan didn't get it. "Is makeup required?"

He wasn't into makeup—sure, he got why other guys liked to look polished, but he just didn't enjoy the whole slathering-it-on thing.

Yang Yichen nodded. "We're going live today, so you should at least put on some makeup to brighten up your face. It's fine if you didn't bring any—with a face like yours, Brother Yan, a little foundation's all you need. The crew's got makeup artists too."

Qin Yan gave a dismissive "mm."

"Oh, and Brother Yan, did you take care of that thing? And what about Su Zhiyu—I just saw him get pulled aside by the director the second he walked in."

Qin Yan frowned. "Where'd they go?"

"Over there, backstage. Probably to talk about the Weibo post. I didn't see Cheng Xiang when I got here, but I saw his assistant, so he's definitely back there too. You heading over?"

"Yeah."

Qin Yan made a beeline for the backstage area.

Quite a few contestants spotted him—some came up to say hi, others avoided him like the plague, scared of being associated with him, and a few watched on the sly, waiting for drama.

Qin Yan brushed past a few people who said hi and made a beeline for the director's office, pushing the door open without knocking.

Several people were inside—sure enough, Su Zhiyu was there, Cheng Xiang too, along with the show's director, Director Liu.

The director frowned, annoyed. "Why didn't you knock before coming in?"

Qin Yan strolled over with a grin. "Didn't want to keep Director Liu waiting. Why's everyone here? Not getting ready for the recording?"

"Qin Yan, what are you so cocky about?" Cheng Xiang sneered. "Even if there's a recording, you won't be part of it today."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Don't think threatening Zhiyu into speaking up for you on Weibo will do you any good. What you did has done massive damage to the show's reputation. If you've got any shame, you should apologize and drop out right now."

He moved closer to Su Zhiyu as he talked, even reaching out to put an arm around his shoulder.

Su Zhiyu subtly dodged his touch and moved to stand next to Qin Yan.

Qin Yan was a little surprised—he hadn't expected Su Zhiyu to choose him over Cheng Xiang.

Cheng Xiang's face soured. Qin Yan stepped forward, shielding Su Zhiyu behind him, and said with a smile:

"My patience has its limits. I want you to kneel and apologize to Su Zhiyu, and... also write him a ten-thousand-word apology letter."

Qin Yan said it like it was nothing, but everyone in the room stared at him in shock.

Cheng Xiang's eyes bulged with rage. "Qin Yan, have you lost your mind? I'm not the one who did this—if anyone should be on their knees, it's you."

"Is that so?"

Qin Yan turned to look at the door, where someone happened to knock at that exact moment. Everyone exchanged confused looks, unsure what was going on.

It was the director who finally spoke: "Come in."

A man and a woman in suits walked in, their sharp gazes swept the room before landing on Qin Yan. They approached him with a slight nod: "Young master, all the evidence is ready."

?

Cheng Xiang's face showed shock, but before he could ask, the director's expression changed and he hurried over to greet them: "Hello."

Qin Yan sat down directly.

Since the people to handle the matter had arrived, the name Qin Mo was the biggest deterrent. He couldn't be bothered to worry about the rest.

"Hello." The man in the suit spoke first, taking out a folder and placing it on the table, staring at Cheng Xiang. "This is proof of your violations. Take a look."

Cheng Xiang: ?

The female secretary also took out a legal document: "This incident has caused great harm to Mr. Qin. Our firm has the right to hold you legally accountable. The relevant evidence has already been submitted to the court."

Cheng Xiang: ?

The director clearly recognized these people as Qin Mo's men, and offered a fawning smile: "This was indeed an oversight by our production team. Rest assured, we will give Mr. Qin an explanation. As for the legal action..."

The office door was pushed open again, and a middle-aged man came rushing in.

Qin Yan started cracking sunflower seeds.

The man wiped sweat from his forehead, though there was none, exchanged pleasantries with the two visitors, then turned to Director Liu with a stern face: "You're fired. Get the hell out."

Director Liu caught on and immediately panicked: "Mr. Wang, I—how can I be fired? I still have—"

"Shut up!" The man barked. "You dared to frame Young Master Qin. Get the hell out of here."

Tsk.

Qin Yan shook his head.

Qin Mo's people were really efficient—a couple of words and it was handled. If he'd known the show's higher-ups would kowtow to the Qin family, he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble.

Ah, bad move.

Qin Yan spat out a sunflower seed shell, and thinking of his fake identity, couldn't help but laugh. This feeling of throwing your weight around with backup was way too satisfying.

No wonder rich kids loved stirring up trouble.

With someone having your back, others couldn't touch you—they could only glare in frustration. Who wouldn't love that?

What a blast!

Standing nearby, Su Zhiyu watched Qin Yan thoughtfully. His usually indifferent brows slowly knitted together, his expression growing more and more complicated.

Why was Qin Yan smiling so slyly and cunningly?

What scheme was he cooking up now?