He worries about getting old, and the more he looks around, the more sorrowful he feels. Before he has even finished starting his business, he is already surrounded by treacherous officials!
Cheng Jixue, who has ulterior motives; Li Ye, who doesn't seem like a good person; and Mei Jinghan, who is obviously unreliable!
Only Jiang, the special assistant he sent, was wholeheartedly devoted to the country, yet he was ruthlessly excluded from the pepper fish clique by the incompetent emperor!
Zhang Yinshan sighed in exasperation.
Zhang Chaohe finally got to eat the fish he had been craving all noon, and felt refreshed. However, he immediately noticed that his older brother, Zhang Yinshan, was sitting opposite him, looking down and secretly sighing.
"What's wrong, brother?" Zhang Chaohe, playing the role of a dutiful younger brother, specially picked out a piece of tender fish belly for his sugar daddy brother.
Zhang Yinshan gritted his teeth, thinking to himself that today he would eliminate one of the corrupt officials who had been impeccably loyal to the emperor. He then gave Zhang Chaohe an impeccably polite smile. Upon seeing this smile, Zhang Chaohe's eyelids twitched involuntarily!
His older brother has always been a master of scheming with a smile since he was a child. In the first ten years of his life, when he was still relatively naive, his greatest hobby was watching people suffer, and the more polite and sincere his smile, the more ruthless his tricks.
Zhang Yinshan took a refined sip of the fish, then gently put down his chopsticks: "Cheng Jixue?"
Zhang Chaohe was shocked: "Brother, why did you suddenly decide to pull the tiger's hair out of its head?!"
Cheng Jixue nodded obediently: "President Zhang."
Li Ye, who had been enjoying watching the show, also joined in, adding insult to injury: "This is Cheng Jixue? So, the reason why CEO Zhang beat the He family kid to the hospital in a fit of rage last time was because of you. It was definitely worth it."
Faced with malicious instigation, Cheng Jixue replied calmly and confidently, "Young Master Zhang has always been a man of great integrity. If it weren't for him that day, I probably would have..."
He lowered his eyes slightly, looking annoyed, and a blush of embarrassment appeared on his face.
It would have been better if he hadn't brought it up, but Li Ye's words were like pouring oil into a hot pan. Zhang Yinshan's eyes instantly became even more dangerous—rationally, he knew that Cheng Jixue was also a victim, but emotionally, he simply couldn't accept that his younger brother would impulsively hurt himself because of someone with ulterior motives.
Seeing that he had quelled Zhang Yinshan's anger with just a few words, Li Ye smiled elegantly and said, "That kid from the He family did something really inhuman. My old man was also indignant when he heard about it—ah, it seems that he also ruined a piece of land belonging to the He family these past two days."
Even Zhang Chaohe couldn't stand this blatant act of putting others down. He had been having a pleasant conversation with Li Ye the other day, but today he felt that this person was even more audacious than a free-range chicken with its tail feathers spread out.
Why do you have to come and dance in front of my Sichuan-style spicy fish if you want to get closer to my older brother? I can't even have a peaceful lunch while eating fish; Mei Jinghan almost snatched it all away!
Zhang Chaohe lightly tapped his Coke cup, gave Li Ye a cool glance, and said in a tone that carried a warning: "Mr. Li, if you have any business to discuss, you can go to the meeting room later. My fish is going to get cold."
Li Ye casually made a zipping motion on his lips, then smiled and picked up a pastry roll from the takeout box and handed it to Zhang Chaohe: "Young Master Zhang, try this."
Zhang Chaohe took a bite and felt that the outermost layer of flaky pastry might have become a bit soggy from being left out for too long, so it wasn't very tasty. But since it was Li Ye who offered him a way out, he still ate the rest in two bites.
A rare moment of quiet at the table.
Just when he thought he had finally gotten to one side, Zhang Yinshan launched another attack: "Then, Mr. Cheng, in what capacity did you accept Xiao He's help?"
Cheng Jixue's eyes flickered, and he was about to retort when he heard Zhang Chaohe sigh softly and press down on the back of his hand in a comforting manner.
"As a friend, bro, the fish is really going to get cold."
Zhang Yinshan understood that Zhang Chaohe didn't want to continue the topic. His gaze inadvertently swept across Cheng Jixue's eyes, but was suddenly pulled back—those beautiful eyes contained a kind of mockery, and that unobstructed gaze was shooting straight at him.
Zhang Yinshan was momentarily stunned. Was he provoking him?
In the blink of an eye, Cheng Jixue regained his usual innocent and obedient expression. He looked down at the fish on the paper plate with a trembling expression, while Zhang Chaohe was full of worry and patiently comforting him.
Zhang Yinshan sneered inwardly. He took a tissue, wiped his fingers, and elegantly put the tissue down.
You beautiful idiot, once you get tired of me, you won't even be able to cry anymore!
A note from the author:
That concludes today's two updates! Just a quick explanation: the older brother isn't a bad person—he's just an overly concerned, brother-obsessed mother figure. After all, some people don't have partners, they only have cold, hard documents and money, right?
Chapter 27
From then on, Zhang Chaohe developed a deep psychological aversion to Sichuan pepper fish and secretly added it to his list of forbidden dishes.
Although he could understand the source of Zhang Yinshan's hostility towards Cheng Jixue, and knew that he had indeed been paying too much attention to Cheng Jixue recently.
But he's the one who will determine whether I can enjoy my old age in peace! Zhang Chaohe thought righteously, and Cheng Jixue is really in a terrible situation!
Zhang Yinshan would probably be furious if he heard this—he's in a terrible situation.
He had just taken on a three million yuan debt, which Zhang Chaohe paid off; he wanted to debut as a star, which Zhang Chaohe promoted; someone tried to sexually harass him, and regardless of whether it was true or not, Zhang Chaohe beat them up.
It seems that the shrewdness of the Zhang family generation was inherited by Zhang Yinshan, while Zhang Chaohe didn't inherit it at all.
However, Zhang Yinshan also knew that it was better to guide than to block. Anyway, with him around, his younger brother couldn't suffer any loss, so letting him experience the novelty wasn't out of the question.
Therefore, everyone was exceptionally harmonious in the second half. Since Zhang Yinshan, a cunning old fox, was currying favor with Cheng Jixue, Li Ye naturally stopped stirring up trouble, and everyone was in high spirits, showing no trace of the tense atmosphere just moments before.
Before leaving, Zhang Yinshan told Zhang Chaohe to make time for the evening after tomorrow to accompany Ms. Zhao to the charity auction. Zhang Chaohe was very nervous, after all, he was a complete country bumpkin and didn't know the rules of the auction.
It seems I can only secretly observe how much other people have spent before making a move!
Finally, the terrifying atmosphere, which had been like a battlefield, came to an end. Mei Jinghan quickly made her escape, but Cheng Jixue did not leave immediately.
Lu Xun's film cannot be filmed immediately because the male lead, Jing Sui, is unavailable. He will likely work with Chen Xingting's "Zan Ying" crew first.
“President Zhang,” Cheng Jixue tidied up the mess on the table and neatly tied the last knot, “What Director Chen said last time, are you really not going to reconsider?”
It took Zhang Chaohe a while to remember what Chen Xingting was talking about—the other party wanted to invite him to play the role of Commander Gu, and their sincerity was so great that even 50 million could not diminish it.
"No, I think so." Zhang Chaohe was actually a little hesitant. He had indeed had a brief curiosity about acting—but after analyzing various movies while working as a film and television content creator, he realized that this was not an industry he could easily master.
He might be able to get by with his past analysis and knowledge of classic films in popular dramas, but he definitely can't put on a great show with veteran actors.
In particular, Chen Xingting's drama is positioned as a pure acting production, and even the actors he selected are limited to the middle-aged and young age range. In order to cater to the distorted demands of the market, some middle-aged actors choose to compromise and continue to play teenagers by selling their youthful fame; while other middle-aged actors who are unwilling to compromise have no roles to play.
In order to achieve the quality expected of a historical drama, Chen Xingting stated that he would only select suitable actors from the latter group, and even employed a thirty-something actress who was considered past her prime by investors.
Under such rigorous screening, Zhang Chaohe indeed discovered when reviewing the materials of the invited actors that the actors who had not been ravaged by assembly-line dramas were more naturally beautiful, having been honed by the years.
His awkward acting skills and overly idol-like image are bound to clash, and in severe cases, they may even affect the overall viewing experience of the show.
Zhang Chaohe clearly explained his concerns, but Cheng Jixue shook her head: "Mr. Zhang, you're overthinking it."
“You’re thinking too much about art. You think that to create a realistic feel, you need to have traces of life’s experiences. You’re worried that your appearance will clash with other people’s. But you’re ignoring the fact that actors don’t rely entirely on their physical appearance to portray a character.”
"General Gu came from a wealthy family and studied abroad in his youth. He was a womanizer and had several female confidantes. His fighting style was so brave that later generations commented that he was reckless and disregarded the consequences. In the end, he died from carelessness and an ambush. Such a person does not need to be portrayed by an overly worldly actor. Compared to the cunning and scheming general, the audience may prefer to see a spirited young man to lighten the heavy atmosphere of the whole drama."
“Mr. Zhang, you are really suitable for this role. If you are willing to give it a try, why not reconsider?” Cheng Jixue joked, “Even if you don’t act well, I’m not afraid of Director Chen scolding you. Anyway, he wouldn’t dare!”
Zhang Chaohe asked suspiciously, "Did Chen Xingting send you?"
Cheng Jixue smiled but remained silent. When Director Chen talked about it that day, he said he felt very sorry. When Zhang Chaohe suddenly appeared and beat He Guangyin, he seemed to see the moment when Commander Gu ordered his adjutant to snatch the man from under his sword.
They are equally unrestrained and willful, possessing an arrogance that is hard to dislike.
For Cheng Jixue, Zhang Chaohe was like an elusive shooting star, constantly and bizarrely crashing into his world.
Therefore, Cheng Jixue was eager to completely control Zhang Chaohe, hoping that he could get some unexpected surprises.
“Of course not,” Cheng Jixue finally spoke up. “It’s because I want to act with you… Commander Gu saved Chang Xiaoyue, and didn’t you save me too?”
"It's my good fortune to have met you both on and off screen."
A seemingly ordinary statement turned Zhang Chaohe's face pale. He drifted off, lost in thought, and sat alone in his chair, lost in thought.
Thinking about it, he did do a lot for Cheng Jixue, but it seems that none of them were completely from the heart. He was more like playing a strategy game that couldn't be reloaded, trying his best to win over the other party in every way he could in order to get a relatively happy ending.
Cheng Jixue wasn't even a target of his affections; he was more like a spokesperson—the truly terrifying one was the Second Master Ji standing behind him.
After all, it came from the threat of death.
He felt guilty for failing Cheng Jixue's gratitude and trust.
Zhang Chaohe felt increasingly ashamed and remorseful, as if his barely existing conscience was being tormented and tortured. He suddenly sat up from the recliner and decided to go downstairs for a walk to clear his head.
For example, give Li Yimao a little more work – since he was just away and couldn't help the boss.
The boss is coming to you with a lot of worries!
Li Yimao's popularity surged again after he angrily criticized Xu Shen a few days ago. Cheng Xuelan immediately arranged for him to release a digital album to attract fans, so Li Yimao has been locked up for several days to create songs.
Zhang Chaohe quietly arrived at the recording studio door, peeked inside through the glass, and saw Li Yimao pitifully eating a bucket of instant noodles without any ham sausage—and crying as he ate!
He had intended to play a trick on Li Yimao, but the current situation made him too embarrassed to do so. Zhang Chaohe quietly pushed open the recording studio door, but for soundproofing purposes, even the door was covered with thick soundproofing material. As soon as he pushed it open, he heard a long, mournful sound coming from something stuffed in the crack of the door—
Li Yimao looked up, with two noodles still dangling from his mouth, his eyes red-rimmed, and what looked like glistening snot bubbles hanging from the tip of his nose.
An ominous memory surged back, and Zhang Chaohe felt a pang of tenderness but took a step back.
"I can't finish writing, I really can't finish writing!" Li Yimao cried out loudly, "Boss, can't we just not make this money? Writing is so painful for me!"
The tenderness he had just felt shattered instantly, and Zhang Chaohe immediately revealed his ugly capitalist face, sneering, "No way!"
"If you can't write yourself to death, then write until you die! How many times in life can you fight like this? If not today, when?!"
⚹
This charity auction was spearheaded by the wives of several wealthy women in the industry. Therefore, although the entry threshold was high, the scope of invitations was relatively small, and the scale of bidding was not large. It was more like a social gathering place for wealthy wives than a charity fundraising event.
The attendees can be roughly divided into two categories: one is wealthy wives and their sons and daughters; the other is celebrities who were invited to decorate the venue.
For Chairman Zhang and General Manager Zhang, it would be a loss of face for either of them to come, but it was just right for Zhang Chaohe, who had not yet made much of a name for himself in the business world, to come forward.
After all, everyone is very curious about what kind of trouble the second young master of the Zhang family, who just stirred up a storm in the entertainment industry a few days ago, can cause... Of course, we should also pay attention to the important life events of young Mr. Zhang!
Not only was Zhang Chaohe impeccably dressed, but Ms. Zhao also looked radiant today. She chose a pink diamond necklace to match a gentle and lively lake-blue haute couture gown, making her look like she was only in her early thirties, and successfully drawing envy from the group of wealthy women with silicone-faced faces from facelifts and injections.
Although the wives usually disliked Ms. Zhao, with Zhang Chaohe appearing today, no one dared to openly show her any displeasure. Everyone rushed over to greet "Mrs. Zhang," appearing as if they were sisters-in-law.
Ms. Zhao was equally skilled in acting. She linked arms with Zhang Chaohe as they weaved through the wives, maintaining a friendly and polite smile on the surface, but secretly using whispers to control Zhang Chaohe's direction in order to avoid the annoying wives.
While dutifully serving as a background figure and tool, Zhang Chaohe also encountered Zhao Xinyue, the top female executive of Jiasheng, and Song Fei, who were invited to walk the red carpet. Song Fei wanted to punch herself in the forehead when she remembered the stupid thing she did when she went to the office to question the young boss Zhang!
Upon encountering Mr. Zhang, he broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that the other party would also send him in for questioning.
Zhao Xinyue was even more uneasy. Xu Shen and she were roughly in the same weight class, yet he couldn't even last a single round under Little Zhang's iron fist of the rule of law...
Song Fei and Zhao Xinyue: Well-behaved and cute •jpg;
Fortunately, Xiao Zhang was busier than they thought—Zhang Chaohe falling into the group of wives was like fat meat entering a wolf's den; he was instantly surrounded by all sorts of aunties with ulterior motives.
Ms. Zhao was happy to watch the show from the sidelines. After all, in the eyes of the wives, she was just an outsider to the Zhang family. They all believed that Chairman Zhang could allow her to attend various occasions as Mrs. Zhang, but he would never allow her to interfere in the marriage of the second son of the first wife.
In other words, if you want to get on the Zhang family's good side, pleasing Zhang Chaohe is the deciding factor!
So, Mr. Zhang is surrounded by beautiful women... including some young masters from certain families?
In his previous life, Zhang Chaohe had never experienced a matchmaking banquet due to the early death of his parents. This time, however, it was upgraded to a super-premium rotating platter IMAX version.
Zhang Chaohe's smile was somewhat strained: he tried to ask Ms. Zhao for off-site assistance, but even someone as oblivious as him subtly realized that although Ms. Zhao was standing right next to him, she seemed almost invisible, naturally ignored by all the other wives.