Suddenly, the sound of door hinges turning came from inside, and the door to the room facing the foyer was pushed open—the room was dark and quiet, with no lights on.
He Guangyin stood in the pitch-black night, tears streaming down his face.
In that instant, all color drained from Bai Chen's face, leaving only the vibrant red of his lipstick. His hands convulsed involuntarily, his mind went blank, and he was completely incapable of thinking.
He never expected that two seemingly unlikely people would get involved together!
Zhang Chaohe was clearly so close to him, yet he seemed so far away, his smile both elegant and cold-blooded.
"I forgot to tell you, I'm not interested in just anyone."
"How many entertainment reporters do you think I could summon with just one phone call these days?"
Bai Chen looked up in a panic; this time, he was truly terrified.
He knew, he must have known! He had handled things flawlessly, except—Bai Chen suddenly turned around and saw He Guangyin walking out of the shadows, looking utterly dejected, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, showing a kind of despair at the end of his rope.
"Is it true?" He Guangyin's voice choked with emotion. "Are you telling the truth?"
Bai Chen's limbs were ice-cold, as if he had been immersed in cold water and was stiff. Fear quickly overwhelmed the faint, throbbing pain. He shook his head helplessly: "No—I'm not—"
What is it not?
He himself had no explanation.
"Bai Chen, I'm not angry that you don't like me or hate me. I'm not as rich as President Zhang, not as handsome as President Zhang, and I don't have the same advantages as President Zhang to give you more good resources." He Guangyin's voice didn't contain much anger or grievance, but rather a deep weariness. He lowered his eyes in annoyance, feeling his vision blurring rapidly.
"But you can't trample on other people's feelings! You can't lie to me, take my efforts, and then callously belittle me!!" He Guangyin finally couldn't hold back and let out an angry roar!
"I don't……"
Zhang Chaohe watched coldly from the sidelines, then added slyly, "To curse someone while holding the bowl, that's fine."
After inquiring about Ji Xue's wishes regarding the matter that day, he had originally planned to let Bai Chen off the hook and only give him a minor punishment.
However, during a casual chat a couple of days ago, Cheng Jixue unintentionally mentioned that He Guangyin had come to the company building to apologize to him and confessed about the entertainment reporter incident.
Zhang Chaohe's palms were sweating after hearing this—how could anyone be so malicious?
For a baseless possibility, or for one's own selfish desires, one can ruthlessly destroy a stranger, even at the cost of exploiting one's own friends?
He only knew that the entertainment industry was a big dye vat, capable of turning white into black and good into bad, but he never expected this unexpected disaster to come so casually and so easily.
Zhang Chaohe considered himself to have a bad temper and be vindictive, so when Bai Chenzhen came along, he even calmly thought: He's taken the bait.
High-level hunters often appear as prey, and Zhang Chaohe watched with a smile as he stepped into the trap step by step.
"What do you plan to do, Young Master He?" Zhang Chaohe asked the same question.
Last time, Cheng Jixue's answer was to defeat him with fair and square means. Sorry, Cheng Jixue can't bring herself to do it, so let him do it.
He Guangyin... will you let him go so easily?
He Guangyin replied without hesitation: "I will withdraw all the resources I have provided."
He had wiped away those cowardly tears and resolutely cut away the long-festering, rotten flesh: "In addition, I will hire a lawyer to recover all the gifts and expenses incurred during the time I was pursuing you—no, during the time we knew each other—and donate all the recovered money to a charitable foundation."
Bai Chen slumped to the ground, letting out a choked sob: "Why bother? You have everything, why do you have to kill me?!"
Zhang Chaohe squatted down, and answered his almost delirious question with a chilling smile: "Because everyone is experiencing life for the first time, why should I give way to you?"
He Guangyin stood there blankly, and only when he blinked occasionally could one tell that he was a living person and not a sculpture.
The doorbell rang at an inopportune moment, and Zhang Chaohe stood up and dusted off his sleeves.
As he brushed past He Guangyin, He Guangyin suddenly bowed to him solemnly: "I'm so sorry for offending you, I'm an idiot."
Zhang Chaohe paused for a moment, then gently patted his shoulder and went to open the door.
Outside the door stood Li Ye, beaming with a bright and sunny smile.
The other person leaned casually against the door, their wispy bangs giving them a carefree and roguish beauty. Li Ye handed the box to Zhang Chaohe, about to say something, when he suddenly heard a very ambiguous, weak, and painful sobbing sound coming from inside the room.
Zhang Chaohe, who also heard this, and Li Ye, with a solemn expression, said: ...
"Mr. Zhang, you actually have a taste for this?" Li Ye, for the first time ever, felt the situation was extremely tricky: "Did I come at the wrong time?"
Zhang Chaohe was terrified by his words—you can't take medicine or say things carelessly!
He kicked the door open, revealing Bai Chen, who was slumped on the ground, with a blank expression: "Why don't you just consider it me doing a service to the people?"
Li Ye's eyes were wide open—he and He Guangyin were locked in a passionate gaze, and the other man also looked like he had just been crying. The person on the ground couldn't be seen clearly, but the sobbing was definitely coming from him…
He recalled how he had tried every means to humiliate the He family a few days ago in order to subtly curry favor with Boss Zhang, and it was as if he saw a big monkey leaping and bounding in the forest.
Who the hell would have thought that Zhang Chaohe would take a different path and get involved with that guy surnamed He again?!
Li Ye cleared his throat, and Zhang Chaohe looked at him with a lifeless expression: "Does it have to be said here?"
Li Ye: He hurriedly went inside. He had been posing outside for too long and had strained his back. Even though he only took a few steps, he still exuded the heroic aura of a bully making his entrance.
The young man sitting on the ground glanced at him timidly. Li Ye scrutinized him carefully, then smiled at him—the smile didn't reach his eyes, and there was a hint of cold warning in it.
Bai Chen dared not look any further and quickly lowered his head, anxiously searching for a way out. Little Zhang hadn't gone all out; although he'd summoned that idiot He Guangyin to confront them, he showed no intention of intervening.
If he can use money to get rid of He Guangyin and then reconcile with Boss Zhang, wouldn't that mean he can still survive in the industry? One day Boss Zhang will get tired of that guy surnamed Cheng and forget about him just like he would forget about a wildflower by the roadside.
Bai Chen felt he had made a good plan and was about to start his acting performance when the dangerous-looking man that Boss Zhang had just led into the room spoke up: "Weren't you the one who was with my cousin... that drama school student?"
Zhang Chaohe and He Guangyin both looked at Bai Chen in shock. Bai Chen froze for a moment, then frantically waved his hands, "No, no, I really didn't!"
I sell my art, not my body! Only clean goods are truly valuable—Bai Chen has always known how to maintain his worth!
He Guangyin stared wide-eyed in disbelief, finally breaking down. His voice cracked as he cried out, "You have several more good brothers?!"
Bai Chen was also devastated: "I told you, he wasn't talking about me, it really wasn't me!"
Li Ye subtly curled his lips, then continued to add fuel to the fire with an innocent yet confident tone: "Not you? Didn't he also give an endorsement to your dad's company?"
He Guangyin was no longer willing to investigate. The last bit of good image he had of Bai Chen collapsed, and he became utterly detestable.
He stood there blankly for a while, and Ren Baichen nervously clung to his trouser leg like a homeless stray dog. Finally, he spoke like a lost soul: "Mr. Zhang, could you... could you leave first? I'd like to talk to him alone."
Zhang Chaohe grabbed Li Ye's hand and pulled him out. Li Ye stumbled as he was pulled, but luckily he had long legs and caught up with him after running a few steps. Just as he touched the doorknob, Zhang Chaohe suddenly stopped.
"You took revenge on Cheng Jixue and Chen Xingting because of the period drama you're currently filming, right?" Zhang Chaohe spoke quickly, but immediately denied what he had just said: "Ah, it doesn't matter anymore. You have to keep filming this drama. Either film one episode or don't film any. It's your choice."
After he finished speaking, he closed the door, shutting out Bai Chen's astonished expression along with it.
Li Ye carefully examined him from head to toe, from Zhang Chaohe's neatly combed hair to his handsome and sharp eyebrows and eyes, and then to his full and exceptionally soft lips.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "How could Mr. Zhang be so protective of his own?"
Zhang Chaohe tossed the box he had been holding up and down—Li Ye's gaze involuntarily followed the rise and fall of the box.
Zhang Chaohe: "I tend to hold grudges."
Goodbye to that bastard! Although he might be useful in the short term and there was no need to kill him outright, Zhang Chaohe was already cheering in his heart!
He was eager to see Cheng Jixue, so he quickened his pace as he went downstairs: "Someone is waiting for me, Mr. Li, please make yourself at home."
Li Ye was infected by his excitement, and a genuine smile appeared on his face. He stood still and raised his voice, calling out, "Mr. Zhang, are you free tomorrow? I'd like to invite you to dinner!"
Zhang Chaohe strode forward, casually raising his hand to wave at him—forget it! The lesson from the last spicy fish was still fresh in his mind, and Zhang Chaohe was afraid that he would be forced to blacklist other delicacies again, so he firmly refused the other party's invitation.
As soon as he stepped out of the main hall of the clubhouse, he saw a solitary figure standing in front of a small flower bed not far away. The person wasn't playing on their phone; they were just staring blankly, head down, grinding pebbles on the ground with their toes.
He was also carrying a huge, rustic-looking, thick insulated bag.
Zhang Chaohe felt his heart racing. He walked past the car waiting at the door and headed straight for the pitiful figure—he had a strange intuition that it must be Cheng Jixue.
Sure enough, the young man looked up when he heard footsteps. The dazzling lights of the venue in the distance made his gentle and beautiful features look as sweet as maple syrup. The figure that was coming towards him against the light got closer and closer until it stopped in front of him.
Zhang Chaohe bent down to take the package from Cheng Jixue's hand, and was so heavy that he almost fell forward—he absolutely couldn't fall on the domineering CEO!
He suddenly stumbled to regain his balance, gritted his teeth, and looked at Cheng Jixue's hand. Her shapely and beautiful hand was red from being squeezed and was still trembling uncontrollably.
Cheng Jixue noticed his gaze and quickly put her hands behind her back.
Zhang Chaohe was so angry he saw stars. Was this guy stupid? He'd waited so long, and the package was so heavy, why didn't he just put it on the ground?
But he couldn't bear to say anything to Cheng Jixue, so he could only use his free right hand to pull Cheng Jixue's hand that was behind his back—the other's fingertips were burning hot from being constricted for so long, and Zhang Chaohe secretly rubbed them with his own cold palm.
"Did you have a good time tonight?" Cheng Jixue asked softly, smiling as he held her hand.
"Not bad... Hey, how much did you make? It's so heavy!" Zhang Chaohe originally wanted to tell him about his heroic deeds of beating up dog Bai Chen today, but after looking at the dark surroundings, he decided to wait and talk about it later, so he changed the subject.
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt something in the bag in his hand suddenly jerk.
Zhang Chaohe suddenly stopped, looking at the bag with a hesitant expression.
Seeing his questioning gaze, Cheng Jixue said somewhat embarrassedly, "I haven't made it yet. I was afraid it wouldn't taste good if it was left out for too long, so I bought a live fish."
Zhang Chaohe: ...
Cheng Jixue ignored her and continued to say virtuously, "I also brought seasonings and side dishes."
Zhang Chaohe: So you moved almost half of the kitchen!?
He was shocked: "Why did you bring the seasonings? I have all that at home!"
Are you looking down on the spice cabinet in a domineering CEO's home?
Cheng Jixue shook her head firmly: "Seasonings that aren't from the same brand won't taste good either."
Zhang Chaohe was deeply moved by this spirit of craftsmanship—his research into cooking was still limited to air fryers and instant noodles, and he really couldn't understand why different brands of soy sauce could taste different.
He was about to put the package in the trunk when he suddenly heard a loud "thud" coming from the small flower bed he had just passed.
Cheng Jixue narrowed his eyes and immediately recognized that the car parked there belonged to his unfortunate nephew. At that moment, the cool red Ferrari 812 was quietly hidden in the darkness, with no one around.
Zhang Chaohe didn't notice anything unusual, assuming it was just a stray animal passing by. He closed the trunk lid and asked, "Are they gone?"
Watching his second uncle and Mr. Zhang drive away, Ji Boyang scrambled to his feet from behind the car. He covered his head with his hands in pain, his mind filled with the surreal image of his second uncle and Mr. Zhang holding hands from behind!
He'd rather believe the company's stock price would fall than believe that the gentle, virtuous, and delicate beauty he'd just seen was his second uncle—am I blind??
Ji Boyang thought in despair.
Am I about to be silenced?!
⚹
Ji Boyang had no idea that at this moment, his "virtuous and gentle PLUS" version of his second uncle was happily strolling along the moat with Xiao Zhang.
The driver took the live fish home first, while Zhang Chaohe was taking a walk and vividly recounting to Cheng Jixue how he cleverly seduced Bai Chen and finally defeated him after a great struggle!
"It's a pity he still has some use, so we can't put a sack on him," Zhang Chaohe sighed. "One day we must put a sack on him!"