The Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character Is the Zombie King - Chapter 13

Zhou Huaichen’s attention quickly shifted again.
He looked at Ye Wei’an deeply, the corners of his lips curling slightly, and reached out to lightly support Ye Wei’an’s back, saying, “Go sit over there.”
Ye Wei’an let out an “oh” and sat together with Zhou Huaichen in the two main seats.
The six people in the private room all stared at Ye Wei’an.
Zhou Huaichen began introducing them to each other.
Ye Wei’an’s gaze first fell on a certain man and woman.
Zhou Huaichen chuckled softly and pointed to the man, saying, “This is Qi Changbai. The crew for 《Nine Heavens》 is still being assembled. He has three months of free time. If you think it’s feasible, you could let him direct 《The Year the Wind Rose》.”
Ye Wei’an looked at Qi Changbai curiously.
So this young and handsome man was Qi Changbai. He had previously thought the other person was a celebrity.
Ye Wei’an said, “Sure, as long as he’s willing.”
Qi Changbai smiled at him and said, “As long as President Ye doesn’t mind me, that’s enough.”
Ye Wei’an waved his hand, “I don’t mind.”
He felt like he had hit the jackpot.
Although Qi Changbai had never directed a movie, the quality of the TV dramas he had helmed was quite good. 《The Year the Wind Rose》 wasn’t intended to make money. As long as the quality was solid, it would be a perfect match for Qi Changbai.
Qi Changbai glanced at Zhou Huaichen, then gave Ye Wei’an a meaningful smile: “Last time at the film city, I had a brief encounter with President Ye. I wanted to get to know you then, but unfortunately, Brother Chen didn’t introduce us.”
Brother Chen.
Ye Wei’an pondered for a moment.
It seemed that Qi Changbai and Zhou Huaichen had a very close relationship.
The girl beside him giggled and spoke up: “Me, too. I wanted to meet President Ye last time as well.”
Ye Wei’an turned to look at her.
She was the woman who had followed Zhou Huaichen with Qi Changbai last time.
The girl was very forward, introducing herself before Zhou Huaichen could: “My name is Zhu Ziyan. I’m Brother Chen’s neighbor.”
Before Ye Wei’an could react, the system was already shrieking: 【Zhu Ziyan! The current popular actress who secretly loves Big Boss Zhou!】
Ye Wei’an tilted his head: “She’s not in the book.”
The system replied: 【You only saw the part where the original owner dies. There’s actually more plot afterward. After Big Boss Zhou helps Zhou Yongnan defeat the original owner, Yan Qing marries into the Zhou family. Zhu Ziyan always feels that Yan Qing is trying to seduce Big Boss Zhou, so she opposes Yan Qing at every turn. In the end, she gets dealt with by Yan Qing.】
Ye Wei’an: “……”
So there’s another layer to this.
From this, he grasped two pieces of information.
First, Zhu Ziyan secretly likes Zhou Huaichen.
Second, Zhu Ziyan would oppose Yan Qing in the future. She’s also going to be cannon fodder.
Although an enemy’s enemy is a friend, Ye Wei’an didn’t want to be friends with Zhu Ziyan.
He retracted his thoughts and said lightly, “Hello.”
—【Neighbor, neighbor, so what? Is she as cute and handsome as me?】
Zhou Huaichen glanced at him, the smile at the corner of his lips deepening.
No.
No one was cuter than him.
Seeing that Ye Wei’an wasn’t very warm, Zhu Ziyan squinted her eyes.
She suddenly laughed and turned to Zhou Huaichen, acting coquettish: “Brother Chen, I heard you’re starting a new drama. Do I have the honor of being the female lead?”
Zhou Huaichen pointed at Qi Changbai and said, “He’s the director. Ask him.”
Qi Changbai replied, “Then you can come audition when the time comes.”
The two spoke in turn, gently deflecting Zhu Ziyan’s question.
Zhu Ziyan pouted, clearly displeased.
Zhou Huaichen didn’t notice her mood and continued introducing the remaining four people to Ye Wei’an.
After hearing their names, Ye Wei’an carefully recalled the plot. These four weren’t recorded in the original book, so they probably wouldn’t fall for Yan Qing.
No wonder they were friends of the Big BOSS. They could resist Yan Qing’s charm.
The system fretted beside him, explaining: 【These four are childhood friends of Big BOSS Zhou. They all come from good families and are exceptionally capable.】
System: 【Qi Changbai is younger than Zhou Huaichen. His older brother, Qi Changsong, is Zhou Huaichen’s actual childhood friend. He didn’t come today, but Zhou Huaichen helped Qi Changbai a lot when he first started filming out of respect for his older brother.】
System: 【Zhu Ziyan is also younger than Zhou Huaichen. Her brother, Zhu Hongke, is Zhou Huaichen’s real childhood friend. He’s the second one to your right.】
Ye Wei’an looked to his right.
The first to his right was Zhou Huaichen, and next to him was Zhu Hongke.
Zhu Ziyan was a great beauty, and Zhu Hongke was also handsome, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and exuding a refined and noble aura.
Zhu Hongke noticed Ye Wei’an’s gaze and smiled at him.
Ye Wei’an asked the system, “Does Zhu Hongke know his sister likes A-Chen?”
System: 【Not mentioned in the book.】
The implication being, it doesn’t know.
Ye Wei’an: “.”
Zhou Huaichen saw that he kept looking at Zhu Hongke, his gaze darkening slightly. He said, “Hongke is also interested in investing in 《Nine Heavens》.”
Ye Wei’an responded with a simple, “Invest then.”
This project was being coordinated by the Zhou family. He just needed to provide the funds and didn’t care about anything else.
Yet he was still looking at Zhu Hongke.
Zhou Huaichen’s gaze grew even darker. He lightly tapped the table with his fingers and said, “You’re very interested in Hongke.”
After spending some time with Ye Wei’an, he already understood Ye Wei’an’s style. If there’s something to know, just ask directly, because Ye Wei’an didn’t do roundabout.
Everyone at the table turned to look at Ye Wei’an.
Zhu Hongke smiled: “The honor is mine.”
Ye Wei’an tilted his head and bluntly said, “Not interested.”
Zhu Hongke: “……”
The others: “……”
Zhou Huaichen said softly, “Then why have you been staring at him?”
Ye Wei’an: “I want to see if he knows his sister likes you.”
Everyone: “……”
Zhu Ziyan’s face suddenly flushed bright red. She shyly glanced at Zhou Huaichen.
The childhood friends obviously knew Zhu Ziyan’s feelings. Their gazes playfully flicked between Zhou Huaichen and Zhu Ziyan.
Zhou Huaichen didn’t look at Zhu Ziyan. His eyes remained on Ye Wei’an as he said, “You’ve misunderstood. Ziyan doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her either.”
He was directly stating his stance.
Zhu Ziyan’s flushed face instantly turned pale.
Seeing this, the childhood friends immediately withdrew their teasing gazes.
The room fell silent.
Zhu Hongke cleared his throat lightly, stepping in to smooth things over: “Right, A-Chen and I are brothers. My sister is just his sister.”
It was clear he was trying to protect his sister.
But Zhu Ziyan was unhappy, opening her mouth as if to say something.
Zhu Hongke shot her a sharp look: “Ziyan!”
He was acting partly to protect his sister’s dignity and partly out of respect for Zhou Huaichen, his childhood friend.
Zhou Huaichen was the most outstanding younger generation of a prestigious family. The Zhu family had actually hoped that Zhu Ziyan could marry Zhou Huaichen, but Zhu Hongke knew very well that Zhou Huaichen didn’t like his sister, so he never brought it up in front of him.
Now that Ye Wei’an had exposed it, Zhu Hongke felt both embarrassed and worried that his sister might say something shocking, which was why he stopped her.
The system couldn’t help but whisper in Ye Wei’an’s ear: 【Host, you’re too blunt. Zhu Ziyan is unhappy.】
Ye Wei’an: “.”
He looked at Zhu Ziyan: “You’re unhappy.”
Zhu Ziyan’s face darkened. She didn’t even spare him a glance, clearly angry.
Ye Wei’an didn’t understand: “But liking someone isn’t something to be ashamed of. If you like someone, just go after them openly and confidently.”
Zhu Ziyan was stunned.
She had liked Zhou Huaichen since her first feelings of love, but she was afraid of being rejected and had only dared to approach him secretly, never confessing.
Ye Wei’an’s words were like a hammer striking her heart.
The others stared at Ye Wei’an in shock.
Only Zhou Huaichen quietly tapped the table, expression unreadable.
Zhu Ziyan suddenly fixed her gaze on Ye Wei’an and said, “I heard you like Yan Qing, and you’ve been chasing him for several years.”
Ye Wei’an: “Yeah.”
Ye Wei’an: “I wanted to be with him, but unfortunately, he doesn’t like me.”
Everyone: “……”
Zhu Ziyan was also stunned. She hadn’t expected him to admit it so frankly.
Her gaze shifted. She noticed Zhou Huaichen quietly watching Ye Weian. Suddenly, a strange feeling arose in her heart.
…Brother Chen seems to care about Ye Wei’an a lot.
Zhou Huaichen lowered his eyes, hiding all emotion, allowing no one to peek inside.
Zhu Ziyan bit her lip and said to Ye Wei’an, “But I saw online that you’re planning to shelve Yan Qing… If you like him, how could you bear to shelve him?”
“Or are you playing that whole ‘if I can’t have it, I’ll destroy it’ game?”
Ye Wei’an glanced at her: “You mean you think I’m a pervert.”
Zhu Ziyan: “……”
The others: “……”
…There was no need to be so blunt.
Ye Wei’an shrugged: “You don’t get it. Shelving him is also a way of pursuing him.”
Everyone: “……”
They really didn’t understand!
The atmosphere in the private room grew heavy and strange.
Especially Zhou Huaichen, who kept his eyes lowered, his thoughts unreadable.
The childhood friends were skilled at reading the room and quickly changed the topic to business matters, finally moving past the subject of romance.
Zhu Ziyan’s gaze shifted between Zhou Huaichen and Ye Wei’an. Suddenly, she stood up and said, “Sorry, I’m going to the restroom.”
When she returned, she had someone with her.
Smiling brightly, she said, “Look who I’ve brought with me.”
Everyone turned to the door.
Yan Qing stepped out from behind Zhu Ziyan, smiling and greeting everyone.
Zhu Ziyan invited Yan Qing into the private room and said, “I just ran into Superstar Yan in the hallway. He said he was looking for someone here. Since I know President Ye likes him, I brought him over.”
Yan Qing glanced at Ye Wei’an in surprise.
Ye Wei’an had openly said in front of so many people that he wanted to be with him.
He couldn’t help but feel a little pleased and hummed quietly to himself.
He already knew that Ye Wei’an couldn’t let go of him, yet the things Ye Wei’an had done these past few days made him especially annoyed.
If Ye Wei’an didn’t take the initiative to make it up to him, he would not forgive him!
He blinked, his gaze landing on Zhou Huaichen, and feigned surprise: “President Zhou, you’re here, too?”
In fact, he had tracked Zhou Huaichen’s whereabouts and deliberately followed him here.
Zhou Huaichen gave a faint acknowledgment.
Yan Qing walked up to his side and said softly, “Yongnan will be here soon. We had planned to have lunch here. Since you’re here, can Yongnan and I join you?”
His cheeks flushed, clearly showing interest in Zhou Huaichen.
Everyone present was perceptive. Remembering that Ye Wei’an had said he liked Yan Qing earlier, they couldn’t help but glance at Ye Wei’an.
Ye Wei’an wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he watched with great interest.
—【Yan Qing really likes using Zhou Yongnan as an excuse to get close to A-Chen.】
—【Zhu Ziyan should have noticed Yan Qing’s intentions by now.】
—【Is a love triangle about to unfold? Exciting!】
Zhou Huaichen: “……”
Zhu Ziyan had indeed noticed Yan Qing’s intentions. A cold glint flashed in her eyes.
She stared at Yan Qing with a half-smile and said, “I heard you’re involved with Brother Chen’s nephew. In that case, you’re technically our niece-in-law.”
It was deliberately meant to put Yan Qing a generation below them.
Yan Qing’s expression changed slightly.
Zhu Ziyan glanced at Ye Wei’an again and clicked her tongue: “Poor President Ye, all devoted heart and loyalty.”
Ye Wei’an waved his hand: “I’m used to it.”
—【So painful. I don’t like Yan Qing at all, yet I have to tell everyone I’m chasing him!】
His gaze rested on Zhou Huaichen.
—【Luckily, A-Chen is sweet. Later, I’ll have an extra bowl of rice to calm myself.】
—【Huh, why hasn’t the food come yet?】
—【Not happy. We clearly agreed to have lunch together.】
Zhou Huaichen: “……”
He let out a soft laugh, breaking the tense standoff between Zhu Ziyan and Yan Qing, and called the waiter to bring the dishes.
As the meal went on, the expressions of everyone in the private room varied.
Zhou Huaichen kept serving food to Ye Wei’an.
Anyone could see how much he cared about Ye Wei’an.
Zhu Ziyan and Yan Qing both looked very unhappy.
As everyone was finishing their meal, Zhou Yongnan arrived.
The moment he saw Ye Wei’an, he glared: “Why are you targeting Qing Qing online?”
What made him even more furious was that Bai Yuan and Xie Siming could openly support Yan Qing online, yet as Yan Qing’s official boyfriend, he couldn’t step forward to defend him.
He was fully aware of Bai Yuan and Xie Siming’s intentions toward Yan Qing and felt a strong sense of crisis.
Ye Wei’an wiped his mouth with a napkin, then slowly looked up at him: “Break up with him, let him be with me, and I won’t target him anymore.”
Zhou Yongnan was flustered and frustrated, turning to Zhou Huaichen to complain: “Uncle, look how arrogant he is.”
Yan Qing looked at Zhou Huaichen with wide, pleading eyes: “President Zhou, can you help me? President Ye keeps targeting me, and… I feel so sad…”
His eyes were brimming with tears, making him look extremely pitiful.
Zhu Ziyan, standing nearby, rolled her eyes.
Her brother whispered a reprimand: “Where are your manners?”
Zhu Ziyan snorted coldly but finally managed to maintain the composure of a noble young lady.
Zhou Huaichen ignored Zhou Yongnan and Yan Qing, lifting his eyes to Ye Wei’an: “You want them to break up?”
Ye Wei’an didn’t overthink it and nodded.
Zhou Huaichen stared at him deeply and said, “Do you want to know my opinion?”
Ye Wei’an: “Yes.”
Zhou Huaichen: “If they break up and Yan Qing turns to be with you, then I hope they never break up.”
The system exclaimed: 【Host, Zhou Huaichen must have fallen for you! He really is a pig that only guards cabbage!】
Ye Wei’an: “.”
The system continued shouting in excitement: 【So many people are watching. Zhu Ziyan and Yan Qing are both here. President Zhou is essentially confessing to you! Oh my, a love battlefield! So thrilling, right?!】
System: 【Wait, why am I so excited? You’re supposed to be with Yan Qing…】
System: 【…I am guilty. I shall go meditate against the wall.】
The next second, it truly disappeared.
Ye Wei’an: “……”
He stared blankly at Zhou Huaichen.
—【So in A-Chen’s eyes, I’m a fresh, juicy cabbage?】
—【A-Chen really is a pig!】
Zhou Huaichen: “……”

Author’s note:
Zhou Huaichen: That’s right. It’s me.