The Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character Is the Zombie King - Chapter 11

Ye Wei’an ultimately didn’t manage to poach anyone.
He felt a little regretful, though his two assistants were both highly capable.
These two were talented subordinates whom the original host’s grandfather had personally trained for his grandson. They had both worked at the Ye Group for over a decade, utterly loyal to the company and exceptionally competent.
Ye Wei’an said, “Then let’s meet tomorrow.”
He and Zhou Huaichen had confirmed their intention to collaborate in the film and television field, agreeing to discuss the details at the Ye Group headquarters the next day.
In fact, he also wanted to show Zhou Huaichen his collection of gemstones.
He regarded Zhou Huaichen as a friend and wanted to share the things he loved with him.
But considering that Zhou Huaichen had just gotten off a flight and still came to have dinner with him, he must be tired. So Ye Wei’an decided to invite him another day.
Zhou Huaichen smiled, got up, and said goodbye. “Alright, see you tomorrow.”
Some things couldn’t be rushed.
He was also willing to give both himself and Ye Wei’an some time.
Ye Wei’an walked him to the door but forgot about the purple ping’an pendant.
Zhou Huaichen, too, pretended not to notice and left in the car.
It wasn’t until Ye Wei’an returned to the villa that the system reminded him.
Ye Wei’an: “…Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The system sounded a little guilty: 【I just remembered, too.】
Of course, it wasn’t about to admit that it had been so shocked by its host’s boldness that it had short-circuited for a moment.
System: 【I think President Zhou left the pendant on purpose. You might as well keep it.】
Ye Wei’an ignored it. He simply and carefully put the box away, intending to return it to Zhou Huaichen tomorrow.
*
On Bai Yuan’s end, seeing that neither Ye Wei’an nor Lemon Entertainment had made any response, he grew more and more upset the longer he thought about it.
In the end, he directly posted on Weibo and tagged Lemon Entertainment: 【President Ye, you’re replacing Yan Qing with Lin Chang, and now you’re replacing me, too? Don’t you think an explanation is in order?】
Bai Yuan was a rising director who had made quite a few stars famous. He also had many friends in the industry.
Before long, several directors and well-known actors came forward to repost his message. The whole matter ended up dragging in nearly half of the entertainment circle.
The one whose repost had the biggest impact was Film Emperor Xie Siming: 【I know Yan Qing fairly well. He’s an actor with great talent and incredible perseverance. If he’s been replaced for personal reasons, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.】
Xie Siming was currently the youngest film emperor with both popularity and skill. Five years ago, he’d skyrocketed to fame through a drama that took the nation by storm, so much so that everyone from seventy-year-old grandmothers to three-year-old children knew his name.
His fanbase was even larger than that of the most popular male idols.
Because of his repost, netizens across all platforms began heatedly discussing the incident.
Yan Qing’s fans were furious. So enraged, they were practically ready to explode. They relentlessly cursed Ye Wei’an and Lemon Entertainment.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuan unleashed the internet trolls he had prepared in advance to stir up the situation online, deliberately fueling conflict between the Ye Group, its artists, and the general public—
【Small-time artists without any backing are really pitiful, getting bullied by their companies like this.】
【Director Bai Yuan is someone with a certain standing in the industry, yet even he’s being pushed around by capital.】
【Those big-shot CEOs have powerful families behind them, so of course they can throw their weight around. We ordinary folks better stay quiet, or we might get caught in the crossfire.】
Bai Yuan was intentionally spreading panic among netizens, placing them in direct opposition to the Ye Group.
And unfortunately, the public really took the bait, uniting to attack the Ye Group online.
Especially the fans of celebrities who themselves lacked backing or influence. They resonated deeply with the situation.
Together with Bai Yuan’s paid trolls, they tagged Lemon Entertainment one after another, demanding an explanation.
At home, Bai Yuan scrolled through the comments, the corners of his lips curling into a smug smile. “Ye Wei’an, let’s see how you explain this to the public!”
Just then, Yan Qing called. His voice was soft and sweet as he said, “Thank you, Director, for standing up for me.”
His tone was so gentle and pleasant that Bai Yuan’s heart fluttered. Smiling, he replied, “As long as you remember how good I am to you.”
Yan Qing continued to act coquettishly and flatteringly for a few more sentences.
Bai Yuan felt thoroughly pleased, then suddenly remembered something and sounded a bit jealous: “Xie Siming also spoke up for you.”
Yan Qing paused for a moment on the other end, pretending not to understand, and said, “I’ll make sure to thank him properly, too.”
Bai Yuan’s jealousy only deepened.
But he knew Yan Qing had many admirers. Even someone as powerful as Ye Wei’an, a major boss, had been completely captivated by him before. So rather than taking it out on Yan Qing, Bai Yuan felt his determination ignite.
Yan Qing was his male idol. He felt he had to make more box-office hits and critically acclaimed films, becoming the most prestigious director in the industry. Only then would he be qualified to pursue Yan Qing.
Of course, helping Yan Qing get justice now was also important.
Especially after receiving Yan Qing’s call of thanks, he felt even more motivated and instructed his trolls to ramp up the online momentum.
That night, the whole internet was abuzz with discussions about Yan Qing being replaced in the role.
After hanging up, Yan Qing smugly said to Brother Ming, “See? I told you I didn’t need to bow to Ye Wei’an. Sooner or later, he’ll have to bow to me.”
With so many directors and actors in the industry backing him, and his fans and netizens sympathizing, how could Ye Group, no matter how powerful, go against the public opinion of so many netizens?
As the situation escalated, Yan Qing was certain that Ye Wei’an and Lemon Entertainment wouldn’t stay silent.
Brother Ming nodded in satisfaction. “Let’s see how President Ye handles this.”
Previously, Ye Wei’an’s reckless move of deleting his account had left him feeling utterly frustrated.
Now, with a chance to turn the tables, he was more than happy to watch Ye Wei’an take a hit.
He thought of how all this was thanks to Bai Yuan and sighed, “Bai Yuan treats you well.”
Yan Qing didn’t really think much of Bai Yuan, though.
Although Bai Yuan was talented and had some standing in the industry, he couldn’t really offer him many resources.
The person he truly wanted to reach for was still Zhou Huaichen.
At the thought of Zhou Huaichen, his eyes couldn’t help but flicker.
He had heard that President Zhou had returned to the country. He planned to “accidentally” run into him at the Zhou Group tomorrow.
…
Lin Chang looked at the hundreds of thousands of abusive comments on his Weibo and couldn’t help but sigh.
He somewhat regretted agreeing to the CP hype.
Although in just a few days he had gained a lot of attention and his fame had skyrocketed like a rocket, the negative consequences were also glaring.
Whether it was his scandal with Yan Qing or taking over Yan Qing’s role as the male lead in 《The Year the Wind Rose》, he had already become a thorn in the eyes of Yan Qing’s fans.
The comments under his Weibo were already impossible to look at. His private messages were flooded with all kinds of curses and insults.
Yan Qing’s fans even took his photos, drawing red crosses over them or photoshopping them into memorial images.
It looked extremely shocking and disturbing.
Fortunately, President Wang at the company had been keeping an eye on the situation on his side and immediately reported it to Assistant Long at headquarters.
So, before going to bed, Ye Wei’an received a call from Assistant Long.
He was a little stunned. “Xie Siming?”
He had already anticipated that Bai Yuan would continue causing trouble.
He just hadn’t expected Xie Siming to get involved as well.
According to the records, Xie Siming was also an admirer of Yan Qing and had had a brief flirtation with him.
He came from the Xie family, with a very respectable background.
If it weren’t for the Zhou family being too powerful and Zhou Yongnan’s influence being even greater, Xie Siming would have already risen to the top.
Assistant Long said, “The PR and legal departments have prepared a clarification statement. When do you plan to release it?”
Ye Wei’an replied, “Send it out tomorrow.”
Bai Yuan, disregarding the well-being of netizens, chose to confront him at night, forcing them to stay up to watch the drama unfold. But Ye Wei’an couldn’t bring himself to do such a heartless thing.
Assistant Long: “……”
At a time like this, President Ye still has the mind to worry about netizens losing their hair?