Zhou Zhou couldn't just tell Wen Luo that he was just a substitute; the other party might not believe him and might even think he was crazy. So he could only continue to patiently remind him, patting his shoulder and saying earnestly, "A person should be able to balance love and career, but we can put love on hold for now..."
"Zhou Zhou! Let Luo Luo go!"
"..." People behind your back have met the real person.
Zhou Zhou raised his hands to show his innocence, and smiled awkwardly but politely, "Hello, Actor Ye."
[Author's Note: Zhou Zhou: An old cow eating young grass, how despicable!]
Chapter Twelve: They Don't Even Spare Other People's Children
Zhou Zhou wisely released his hand from Wen Luo's shoulder, opening his palm and raising it in front of his chest to show his innocence.
Ye Qisheng didn't care whether he was innocent or not. His eyes were full of Wen Luo, and he frowned slightly as he asked with concern, "Luo Luo, did he bully you?"
"No." Wen Luo obediently shook her head.
Ye Qisheng didn't believe it. He looked Wen Luo up and down, as if he was determined to find evidence that Zhou Zhou had bullied him.
Zhou Zhou rolled his eyes to the sky. What do you mean by bullying? Don't talk like he's a bad guy. You're the worst one.
Hi, we meet again.
“…” Zhou Zhou turned around upon hearing the voice, and said with a forced smile, “Hello, Second Young Master Ye.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Misheng raised the corners of his mouth, and coupled with the other person's exquisite appearance, it was hard not to be moved.
Zhou Zhou's heart trembled with fear. He turned away, trying to avoid the other person's smile, his gaze secretly shifting between the three people in front of him.
All the main characters are here! How did they manage to gather such a large group?!
Zhou Zhou kept smiling and planned to escape. He had said everything he needed to say. Wen Luo, my little cutie, you'd better be more careful.
"Wen Luo, I have something to do, I'll be going now." Zhou Zhou waved his hand, preparing to slip away. "Goodbye, Actor Ye, Second Young Master Ye."
Never again, never again, don't stop me, don't stop me.
Zhou Zhou silently recited the instructions, put on his mask, and disappeared from the three people's sight at a race-walking pace.
The Xingtu exit is located in a back alley. A few steps further is Guangming Avenue, where four lanes are bustling with traffic and pedestrians. There are quite a few people like Zhou Zhou who are rushing to the market. People in developed areas lead fulfilling and busy lives, racing against time.
After leaving the alleyway, Zhou Zhou walked about a hundred meters east, stopped, turned around and looked around. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he made sure there were no familiar faces.
He stood by the roadside with his hands in his pockets and took out his phone to contact the driver.
He had already planned out the rest of the day. Since he didn't have a computer in his bedroom and figured Fu Hengzhi wouldn't let him into the study, he planned to go to the nearest shopping mall to pick out the tools he needed for work, make some adjustments and a schedule today, and officially start work tomorrow.
"Hey, Uncle Zhao, the location has been sent. You'll be here in about twenty minutes? No problem, no problem, I'll wait for you."
Zhou Zhou hung up the phone, thinking that twenty minutes wasn't a long time, so he decided to find a shady spot to wait.
I remember when he first came here, there was a coffee shop at the entrance of the back alley; you could go there and sit for a while.
No sooner said than done, Zhou Zhou headed in that direction as soon as the idea came to mind. The coffee shop had a rustic style and was hidden away there, giving people a sense of leisure amidst their busy lives.
Zhou Zhou felt that working here, away from home, was a good option.
Zhou Zhou pushed open the glass door with cute characters on it. The wind chimes hanging in the door jingled as the door opened. There weren't many people in the small coffee shop. They were sitting scattered around. The oak shelves were full of green plants, and even each table had a small and cute succulent or cactus.
In just three seconds, Zhou Zhou was certain that she had fallen in love with this place.
Zhou Zhou walked towards the counter, where someone was standing waiting for their order.
These are the people waiting for orders...
Zhou Zhou's steps suddenly stopped, and he watched as that familiar figure turned around.
Wow, what a coincidence!
Ye Misheng took the packaged coffee from the waiter and prepared to leave, giving the waiter a warm smile before departing.
As she smiled and looked toward the doorway, she suddenly froze. There was no one there, only the tinkling wind chimes swaying in the air.
Zhou Zhou fell in love with this place one second, and left without a trace of regret the next.
This is what Zhou Zhou admires most about himself—he's incredibly fast.
LOL, without any hesitation.
The plot is trying to drag me into this? No way!
Just as Zhou Zhou was feeling happy, the melodramatic world told him that what the plot couldn't do, the NPCs would do.
Seeing Ye Misheng catch up with him by taking advantage of his long legs, Zhou Zhou appeared calm on the surface, but was actually panicking.
"Is there something you need, Young Master Ye?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Ye Misheng said with a smile, looking completely nonchalant. He took a step forward and, seeing Zhou Zhou forced back, his smile deepened. "Am I some kind of monster that you run away from me?"
"..." You're not a monster, you're the villain.
Zhou Zhou distanced himself from the two and said helplessly, "Young Master Ye, you should know who I am. Considering what happened the night before last, shouldn't we avoid each other?"
“But there’s nothing between us.” Ye Misheng didn’t react to Zhou Zhou’s words, but instead approached with a grin. “Besides, isn’t deliberately avoiding risk even more suspicious?”
"..." has appeared! The villain's utter nonsense!
Ye Misheng, who is over 1.8 meters tall, is half a head taller than Zhou Zhou. At this moment, Zhou Zhou's reaction and behavior are like a small wild beast that has become alert and is ready to pounce.
"Pfft." Ye Misheng was unexpectedly amused by this idea and asked, "What are you thinking about right now?"
"I'm wondering if I can beat you," Zhou Zhou said truthfully, his expression seemingly telling Ye Misheng.
I'm telling the truth, I'm super fierce, I'll smash your head into your stomach!
"Hahahaha." Ye Misheng stopped playing around and distanced herself from the other person. "You're quite interesting, much more interesting than that kid my brother likes. Why doesn't he like you?"
Zhou Zhou chuckled twice, "Would you believe me if I said I'm straight?"
"Hehe, you're so funny." Ye Misheng smiled, her eyes crinkling, and handed over the coffee in the brown paper bag. "Want some?"
"No, thank you." Seeing that he wasn't bothering her anymore, Zhou Zhou walked around him and returned to the curb to wait for Uncle Zhao, the driver, to arrive.
"What are you waiting for?"
"car."
Zhou Zhou took a step to the left, and Ye Misheng followed suit.
Zhou Zhou didn't know if the other person had obsessive-compulsive disorder, but insisted on maintaining that exact 30-centimeter distance from him.
"Are you quite free?"
"No, I'm very busy," Ye Misheng said, sipping her coffee.
“…I can’t tell.” Zhou Zhou glanced at the time; Uncle Zhao would be arriving soon.
Are you going home?
"I won't reply."
"Then will you give me a ride?" After finishing his coffee, Ye Misheng threw the paper bag into the trash can next to him. Looking back at Zhou Zhou, who was in shock, he said with a grin, "Actually, our two families have a pretty good relationship. Giving me a ride shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Zhou Zhou didn't know whether the Fu family and the Ye family had a good relationship, but there were only a few pillars in the upper echelons of J City, so the two families must be familiar with each other.
"Where's your car?" Zhou Zhou remembered that when the other person appeared with Ye Qisheng, they had a car key on their finger.
"My brother drove off," Ye Misheng winked at him, "taking his little friend with him."
The two were just having a casual chat, with Zhou Zhou chatting with him casually to learn about the plot and avoid any potential pitfalls.
What do you think of Wen Luo?
"I didn't look closely, but she seems quite pretty." Thinking of this, Ye Misheng chuckled softly, the meaning of which was unclear.
Zhou Zhou remembered that in the original novel, Ye Misheng knew from the beginning that Ye Qisheng was looking for Wen Luo because she was 50% similar to that white moonlight.
Ye Misheng, the villain, only revealed his ambition in the later stages of the story.
As is a common trope in books, the protagonist and the villain are incompatible. Although they are brothers, Ye Misheng will try to take anything that the protagonist Ye Qisheng likes or wants.
Therefore, Ye Misheng's feelings for Wen Luo in the book are ambiguous. He says he likes him but doesn't show the same crazy possessiveness as Ye Qisheng. He says he doesn't like him but lets Wen Luo go when Ye Qisheng imprisons him in a dark room, and even fights with Ye Qisheng over it, almost turning the two brothers into enemies.
Zhou Zhou hadn't finished reading the original novel, but he had read the related forums. When the book was still being serialized, and it got to the part where the brothers were fighting, many readers expressed their demands for the author to change the male lead and let Ye Misheng take the place.
Unfortunately, the author's attitude was already evident in the original text.
The Movie King and His Stand-in, the White Moonlight
Replacing the lead actor with a movie star is like going off-topic in an essay, which is a major taboo for an author. Is that acceptable?
"Why did you like my brother?" Ye Mi asked casually. "I don't like him anymore."
"Because I'm a straight man."
"Heh," Ye Misheng asked, "Then what about Fu Hengzhi?"
“President Fu is a good person. Sigh, you’re still young and don’t understand.” Zhou Zhou, like a seasoned veteran, patted Ye Misheng on the shoulder and said, “You’ll understand when you get married.”
"..." This was indeed a blind spot for him. Ye Misheng was stumped for the first time. "I'm twenty-four."
Zhou Zhou seemed to have seized the opportunity to strike back, and sneered, "Then you don't have a boyfriend yet, while Wen Luo had one when he was nineteen."
Ye Misheng smiled upon hearing this and shrugged, saying, "It's because my brother doesn't even spare other people's children."
"Damn?" Zhou Zhou suddenly felt that he and the other person were on the same page in some way. "You also think your brother is a beast?"
Ye Misheng: "?"
No, I didn't, don't talk nonsense.
[Author's Note: Later]
Zhou Zhou: What kind of villain is he in the original story? He's clearly a cute kid.
Chapter Thirteen: Men's Friendships Are Actually Very Simple
At this moment, Zhou Zhou found Ye Misheng so pleasing to the eye, his eyes widening with joy.
Ye Misheng was only stunned for a second, but seeing Zhou Zhou's expression, he found it very interesting, and then smiled and said, "My brother is indeed not doing well."
"That's right!" Compared to his brother who had a terrible experience of chasing after his wife, Zhou Zhou suddenly felt that Ye Misheng was not a bad person, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "The mission of protecting Wen Luo is now in your hands."
Ye Misheng raised an eyebrow playfully. Although the other person's expression was clearly joking, he felt that he had discovered something.