The Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character Is the Zombie King - Chapter 10

Seeing that Zhou Huaichen remained silent for a long time, Ye Wei’an felt a bit puzzled inside.
—【Why isn’t he sitting down?】
—【Is he not hungry?】
—【Well, if he’s not hungry, that’s fine. He can just sit here and keep me company. As long as I can look at his face, I can finish this entire table of food today!】
Hearing his thoughts, Zhou Huaichen couldn’t help but chuckle softly and shake his head. “As it happens, I’m hungry, too.”
Ye Wei’an blinked and sat down with him.
The old butler brought out the last dish, smiling kindly at Zhou Huaichen. “Please, eat more, sir.”
It was rare to see the master bring a friend home for a meal, especially one like the head of the Zhou family. The butler was delighted.
If the master could keep in touch with the Zhou family’s master more often, and stop chasing after that Yan Qing, he’d finally be at ease.
Zhou Huaichen thanked him softly.
Ye Wei’an had already picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
After a few bites, he glanced at Zhou Huaichen. Though his face remained expressionless, his eyes sparkled brightly, unable to hide his lively happiness.
Zhou Huaichen’s lips curved slightly as he reached over to serve Ye Wei’an some food.
Ye Wei’an could feel that Zhou Huaichen was surrounded by a sweet grape scent. He is no longer carrying that faint bitterness from before.
—【So fragrant. It’d be nice if I could sleep holding him.】
Rubies were lovely, but they couldn’t compare to the crystal core’s grape fragrance.
Zhou Huaichen’s hand, which was serving food, froze midair.
…Sleep holding him?
Did he mean what it sounded like?
But Ye Wei’an had stopped his inner thoughts altogether and was now fully focused on eating.
Zhou Huaichen looked at him deeply but said nothing more. He simply placed the piece of garlic spare rib he had picked up into Ye Wei’an’s bowl, smiling softly as he watched him eat, while he himself barely touched his food.
System: 【……】
It quietly watched this harmonious scene, yet something about it felt off.
But the host was clearly enchanted by the great Boss Zhou’s looks. The system knew it could never drive away this “bewitching creature”, so it could only retreat into silence.
And so, Ye Wei’an happily finished his meal.
During that time, he and Zhou Huaichen barely talked. It was mostly because he was too busy eating.
He also didn’t ask about Zhou Huaichen’s business trip. After all, it involved the Zhou Group’s trade secrets. It wouldn’t be proper for him to pry.
It wasn’t until after they finished eating that Ye Wei’an finally invited Zhou Huaichen into the study. He took out a stack of documents and handed them to him, saying, “I had someone organize the materials for the Africa project. Take a look.”
Zhou Huaichen had thought Ye Wei’an was merely using dinner as an excuse to meet, never expecting that he truly intended to cooperate with the Zhou Group.
Seeing Ye Wei’an’s serious expression, Zhou Huaichen immediately grew earnest as well and carefully examined the documents.
The Africa project was a government-led initiative involving infrastructure across several African countries.
If the Zhou Group could participate, it would indeed be all benefit and no harm.
Whether or not it made money was another matter. At the very least, it would establish connections between the Zhou Group and several African nations, which would be advantageous for long-term development.
Zhou Huaichen made up his mind on the spot. “I’ll bring a team to Ye Group tomorrow to discuss the details and finalize the cooperation as soon as possible.”
He already had a plan forming in his mind.
Since Ye Wei’an was the one taking the initiative to offer benefits to the Zhou Group, naturally, Zhou would see to it that Ye’s company received a fair share in return.
Ye Wei’an replied, “Sure.”
He trusted Zhou Huaichen’s character. After all, in the book, the great Boss Zhou wasn’t just powerful, but also upright and principled.
Zhou Huaichen lightly tapped his fingertips on the table and said, “The two shipping companies recently acquired by the Zhou Group are preparing to expand into the Asian market. I wonder if Wei’an might be interested?”
These two shipping companies had once been global giants, bringing in considerable profits each year.
Any smart person would know that what Zhou Huaichen was doing now was purely giving the Ye Group free money.
If an ordinary person had heard such words, they would’ve been overjoyed.
But Ye Wei’an didn’t say anything. In fact, he even felt a faint sense of resistance deep down.
—【No, no, that sounds exhausting.】
—【My dream is to be a salted fish. I just want to lie down and make money.】
Zhou Huaichen: “…”
He curled his right hand into a fist, pressing it against his lips to hide the smile tugging at the corners.
So, Wei’an’s dream was to become a salted fish.
Ye Wei’an didn’t notice the deeper meaning behind Zhou Hhuaichen’s gaze and was still rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
—【Is there a way to poach his core team?】
—【The Zhou Group’s assistant team and legal team are world-class. If I could steal them over, I could really lie down and make money!】
Zhou Huaichen: “…”
So this man didn’t just dream of being a salted fish. He even wanted to poach his team.
He couldn’t help but clear his throat lightly before smiling. “If Wei’an isn’t interested in the shipping industry, you could also consider the film projects.”
“The Zhou Group recently acquired two well-known overseas film production companies. We’re also involved in the expansion of a film studio complex and are preparing to invest in several movie productions. If Ye Group is interested, we can discuss it together.”
He was thinking far ahead. The two groups could continue collaborating in other fields in the future.
The more projects they worked on together, the more often he would get to see Ye Wei’an.
Considering that Ye Wei’an had previously invested in film and television dramas, Zhou Huaichen thought he would likely be interested.
After a pause, he added, “The Zhou Group already has a detailed proposal prepared. If Wei’an is interested, you can simply invest. Nothing else is required.”
Ye Wei’an’s eyes lit up.
Wasn’t this exactly what he wanted? To do nothing and just lie down and make money?
He began seriously thinking it over.
From what he knew, the entertainment sector was only a small part of the Zhou Group’s business portfolio. It had only started to gain attention in the past two years. Last year, Zhou Group acquired two overseas production companies for six hundred million each, then bought up several domestic cinema chains and expanded their film studio complex, preparing to enter the film industry in earnest.
Although the market was sluggish these days, as long as the productions were of high quality, there would always be profit to make.
Ye Wei’an immediately made the decision. “Sure!”
—【I can get Yan Qing to play the lead role later.】
Deduct Yan Qing’s pay, make him work for free. Perfect!
For a brief moment, Zhou Huaichen’s gaze froze.
So the reason he agreed to invest was because he wanted to keep paving the way for Yan Qing?
When Ye Wei’an noticed that Zhou Huaichen had stayed silent for quite a while, he looked over in confusion.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but the grape scent on Zhou Huaichen seemed to have turned a little bitter.
He couldn’t help tilting his head slightly.
—【Why does he look unhappy? Does he not want me to get a share of the profit?】
Zhou Huaichen lowered his eyes and said softly, “I’m very glad you’re willing to invest in Zhou Group’s film project.”
But to Ye Wei’an, he didn’t look glad at all. Even his voice no longer carried that pleasant sweetness.
Just a moment ago, during dinner, he’d been all soft and sweet.
The system suddenly interjected: 【Maybe he’s upset because you’re too unambitious.】
Ye Wei’an ignored the system and met Zhou Huaichen’s gaze directly. “Do you have something on your mind?”
Zhou lifted his eyes to meet his.
Ye Wei’an’s gaze was clear. The concern in his eyes was pure and unmistakable.
It felt as though something softly scratched at Zhou Huaichen’s heart.
He decided to be honest. “I don’t want you to be with Yan Qing.”
Ye Wei’an let out a soft “huh,” then suddenly realized, “Your nephew is Yan Qing’s boyfriend, right? You’re afraid Zhou Yongnan will be hurt, aren’t you?”
In the book, Zhou Huaichen had indeed acted against the original Ye Wei’an because he felt sorry for Zhou Yongnan.
Looking somewhat troubled, Ye Wei’an said, “But I have to be with Yan Qing!”
Zhou Huaichen fixed his gaze on him. “Why?”
Being stared at like that made Ye Wei’an feel inexplicably nervous.
There was a small dimple on his left cheek. It was usually invisible when his face was expressionless, but when he got nervous, it faintly appeared and disappeared.
—【I don’t want to lie, but I also can’t tell him the real reason. I don’t want him to be unhappy either.】
—【Huh… that sounds kind of like what a scumbag would say.】
That was exactly what Yan Qing had said before. He didn’t want to break up with Zhou Yongnan, but since the original protagonist treated him so well, he wanted all three of them to just get along.
Zhou Huaichen: “…”
System: 【…】
Zhou Huaichen couldn’t help but laugh. Suddenly, he didn’t have the heart to press him any further.
He changed the subject instead. “Director Bai Yuan has accused you online. Do you plan to respond?”
When Ye Wei’an saw that Zhou Huaichen wasn’t pushing the earlier topic anymore, he let out a small breath of relief.
Without even thinking about it, he shook his head. “Let him be.”
Such baseless accusations couldn’t really harm him anyway.
Zhou Huaichen pondered for a moment before saying, “I’m also interested in 《The Year the Wind Rose》. Would it be possible to increase the investment?”
Ye Wei’an looked at him in surprise.
It was just an art film, not something that made much profit. Why would Boss Zhou be interested?
He nodded. “Sure.”
—【You’re rich, you’re willful, you make the calls.】
Zhou Huaichen chuckled softly. “I brought you a gift. I wonder if you’ll like it.”
He took out a velvet box.
Ye Wei’an was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected Zhou Huaichen, after going abroad, to have brought something back for him.
Zhou Huaichen gestured for him to open it.
Inside the box lay a purple jade ping’an pendant, looking quite valuable.
Ye Wei’an stared blankly for a moment, then looked up at Zhou Huaichen. “This is for me?”
Zhou made a small sound of affirmation.
He knew Ye Wei’an liked things in shades of purple. He’d had this one specially chosen and brought over.
But Ye Wei’an closed the box and pushed it back toward him. “Thank you for your kindness, but I can’t accept it.”
—【I already have plenty of gemstones. My collection room is so full of rubies and sapphires. There’s barely any space left.】
He stared straight at Zhou Huaichen.
—【Why don’t you give me a few of your trusted aides instead?】
Zhou Huaichen: “…”
System: 【…】
Turning President Zhou into your appetizer and even coveting his inner circle. Host, you’ve really got some nerve.

Author’s Note:
Ye Wei’an: There’s nothing I don’t dare to imagine.