The Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character Is the Zombie King - Chapter 17

Zhou Huaichen had originally only wanted to investigate whether Ye Wei’an was hiding a secret.
Whether it was noticing the driver’s odd behavior in advance or using his foot to block the car, there was an undeniable air of mystery about Ye Wei’an.
But after hearing Ye Wei’an’s inner thoughts, Zhou Huaichen’s gaze couldn’t help but sweep over Ye Wei’an’s entire body, before quickly darting away.
With just a glance, he could see how alluring Ye Wei’an was.
Recalling Ye Wei’an’s fair face and the slightly exposed collarbones, Zhou Huaichen’s throat moved. He gave an awkward, light cough.
Ye Wei’an asked curiously, “A-Chen, do you have a cold?”
Autumn was also the season when colds were common. Ye Wei’an wondered whether he should ask the old housekeeper to get some medicine.
Zhou Huaichen composed himself and shook his head, saying, “No.”
He waved at Ye Wei’an, “Come over.”
“Your hair is wet. I’ll dry it for you.”
Without thinking much, Ye Wei’an took the hairdryer from the drawer of the TV cabinet and handed it to him, saying, “Sure.”
Zhou Huaichen gestured for him to sit on the sofa, while he stood to dry his hair.
Ye Wei’an leaned lazily against the sofa, as if he had no bones.
Zhou Huaichen chuckled, “Sit properly.”
Only then did Ye Wei’an obediently sit up straight.
Zhou Huaichen had intended to focus entirely on drying Ye Wei’an’s hair. But as he lowered his head, his gaze inevitably swept over Ye Wei’an’s slightly open collar and the view beneath it.
Zhou Huaichen: “……”
His breath hitched slightly. Forcing himself to look away, he hurriedly finished drying Ye Wei’an’s hair.
Ye Wei’an said very politely, “Thank you.”
He tugged at the corner of his mouth, intending to smile at Zhou Huaichen. But having grown used to a neutral expression, he ended up looking rather quirky.
Zhou Huaichen: “……”
Even with that quirkiness, this person was still astonishingly attractive.
After placing the hairdryer aside, Zhou Huaichen came back and sat next to Ye Wei’an. “I have something to ask you.”
Seeing the serious tone in his voice, Ye Wei’an nodded. “Go ahead.”
Zhou Huaichen took out his phone, pulled up the post from earlier, and opened the video. “So, was it you who made the car stop?”
Rather than guessing back and forth, it was better to ask directly.
Ye Wei’an watched the video, then glanced at the comments from netizens, muttering, “Full of Sherlocks.”
He didn’t want to hide it from Zhou Huaichen. Returning the phone, he admitted directly, “Yes, it was me.”
But he had no intention of explaining why he had such an ability.
Zhou Huaichen looked at him deeply.
Ye Wei’an: “…Just pretend I was born with this strength, okay?”
Zhou Huaichen continued to watch him silently.
For once, Ye Wei’an felt a little guilty and stood up. “I’ll go check if the kitchen has finished cooking.”
—【I have too many secrets. There’s no way I can tell A-Chen.】
—【Like the small mirrors in the bathroom. I’ll never tell him about those!】
Zhou Huaichen: “……”
He couldn’t help but smile.
Since it was a secret, he shouldn’t press the matter.
Perhaps one day, when he finally caught up to the person, they would reveal the secret to him voluntarily.
Ye Wei’an had only taken two steps when he suddenly remembered something and sat back down. “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. The sticker pack is ready.”
This morning, Assistant Long had already sent the sticker pack over.
He opened his phone and showed it to Zhou Huaichen first. “Look, look! Isn’t it cute?”
There were two sets of emojis. One set featured round, plump, purple cartoon grapes that looked soft and adorable.
The other set, however, was an anthropomorphic version of “Pig”. Only the pointed ears slightly resembled a pig. Everything else looked like a manga character—an incredibly handsome one at that.
Ye Wei’an pointed at the Pig emoji and said, “I originally asked someone to draw a cartoon character, but what they ended up drawing was a manga character.”
He turned his face slightly, studying Zhou Huaichen. “But you’re good-looking and you kind of resemble this manga character, so I decided not to have it redrawn.”
At that moment, he was practically leaning against Zhou Huaichen’s shoulder. The faint scent of pine from his shower gel kept drifting toward Zhou Huaichen’s nose.
Zhou Huaichen shifted subtly to the side, his tone calm as he said, “Really? You think it looks like me?”
“Yeah.” Ye Wei’an praised him again, “You’re very good-looking.”
Zhou Huaichen couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.
He was genuinely glad he looked the way he did. Glad he could catch this person’s eye.
Ye Wei’an sent him a link and said, “Just click it and download it.”
Zhou Huaichen responded with an “okay”.
He glanced at Ye Wei’an, then changed the subject. “You’re trending.”
“Huh?” Ye Wei’an was surprised.
He logged into Weibo with his alternate WeChat account, searched his own name, and found that everyone online was calling him a great beauty.
A zombie king who cared about his looks would, of course, enjoy being complimented.
But he was just a tiny bit dissatisfied. “Wouldn’t it sound better if they called me ‘handsome guy’ instead?”
He had no idea how adorable he looked, saying that with such a straight face.
Zhou Huaichen chuckled and called out to him, “Handsome guy.”
Ye Wei’an: “!”
—【Say it again, say it again.】
Zhou Huaichen: “……”
Fortunately, the old butler came over just in time to call them for dinner.
When Ye Wei’an heard there was food, he happily led Zhou Huaichen toward the dining room, completely forgetting all about “great beauty” and “handsome guy”. His head was now filled only with the thought of eating.
Zhou Huaichen shook his head with a laugh and followed him inside.
The old butler was very fond of Zhou Huaichen. He had long heard the late Master Ye mention that the Zhou family’s youngest son was among the most outstanding of the younger generation. Now that Ye Wei’an and Zhou Huaichen were on such good terms, the butler couldn’t be happier.
He had specially told the kitchen to prepare a few extra dishes—all hearty, flavorful ones. Since he’d previously asked about Zhou Huaichen’s tastes and learned he preferred lighter flavors, the kitchen had made dishes like braised chicken with chestnuts, red-braised lion’s head meatballs, and pigeon in Western-style sauce.
It was autumn now. The perfect season for hairy crabs.
That morning, the old butler had someone airfreight in a whole basket of hairy crabs, which were now being steamed, just in time to treat Zhou Huaichen.
“I’m not sure if the taste will suit your liking,” the butler said with a warm smile as he invited Zhou Huaichen to take a seat.
Zhou Huaichen sat down beside Ye Wei’an and replied politely, “Everything looks delicious.”
Ye Wei’an stared at the hairy crabs, his mouth practically watering.
During the ten years of the apocalypse, he hadn’t eaten hairy crab even once!
He was determined to have his fill today!
Seeing him fixated on the crabs, Zhou Huaichen chuckled softly and picked up the tools to help him crack one open.
He carefully scooped out the golden, glistening crab roe and placed all of it into Ye Wei’an’s bowl.
Ye Wei’an’s eyes sparkled. “You should eat some, too.”
Zhou Huaichen curved his lips into a faint smile. “You eat.”
The old butler stood to the side, watching Zhou Huaichen feed Ye Wei’an with a pleased grin, nodding quietly to himself.
The Zhou family’s youngest son was far better than that celebrity Yan Qing!
In the end, Ye Wei’an ate until he was completely stuffed, slumping back in his chair, unwilling to move.
The butler, hoping to give the two more time together, suggested they take a walk in the garden.
Ye Wei’an waved his hand in refusal. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Zhou Huaichen pulled out a napkin and handed it to him to wipe his hands.
Ye Wei’an didn’t feel that anything was wrong.
When Zhou Huaichen finished wiping his left hand, Ye Wei’an even naturally stretched out his right one.
The smile at the corner of Zhou Huaichen’s lips deepened slightly. After he finished wiping his hands clean, he said in a low voice, “I’m stuffed. Need to walk a bit.”
Ye Wei’an still didn’t want to move.
Zhou Huaichen gave him a small smile. “Walk with me, alright?”
When he smiled, he looked just like the glistening core of a grape, gleaming and impossibly tempting.
Ye Wei’an: “!”
—【What’s going on with A-Chen? How did he become so delicious!】
—【I can’t refuse him at all!】
Zhou Huaichen smiled faintly.
He had only wanted to test it out. He discovered that his face still had some use after all.
In the end, Ye Wei’an succumbed to Zhou Huaichen’s irresistible allure and went out with him.
The old butler stood by the entryway, watching the two leave side by side, his face full of satisfaction.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he called out, “Master, take President Zhou along to walk the dog, too!”
There was a husky and a golden retriever at home. Both are full of energy.
Ye Wei’an and Zhou Huaichen each held one of the leashes, strolling slowly through the courtyard.
The Ye family’s old mansion sat halfway up the mountain, claiming nearly half the hillside as its own. As a result, the courtyard was astonishingly vast.
The two of them walked halfway along the small stream when Zhou Huaichen received a call from Qi Changbai. He said that Bai Yuan had been arrested, but Bai Yuan still refused to confess.
Ye Wei’an frowned in dissatisfaction. “No way. He has to be brought to justice!”
Zhou Huaichen gave a quiet hum and said, “The police have already found the transfer records he sent to the driver. It’s only a matter of time before he confesses.”
Only then did Ye Wei’an seem satisfied.
Rubbing his chin, he said, “Lin Chang got dragged into this mess for no reason. I should tell Assistant Long to give him more opportunities and find two bodyguards to stay with him.”
Zhou Huaichen stopped walking, turned to look straight at him, and asked, “You like Lin Chang a lot?”
He hadn’t forgotten that Lin Chang was watermelon-flavored.
And Ye Wei’an liked eating watermelon.
Ye Wei’an shook his head. “I don’t like him. But he can make me money.”
—【Make money, buy gems, rubies, sapphires, amethysts.】
Zhou Huaichen fell into thoughtful silence.
Gems, huh?
A few years ago, he had acquired a one-of-a-kind blue diamond. Perhaps Ye Wei’an would like it.
Ye Wei’an had no idea what he was thinking and continued talking about Lin Chang. “Tomorrow, I’ll talk to President Wang about assigning Lin Chang a strong agent, and then find him a well-reviewed variety show to join, something he can record every week when he has time.”
“《Open Your Eyes Today》 is about to start filming, too. I’m planning to make him a regular on that show.”
The two of them were chatting by the stream. The two dogs, growing restless, tugged hard on their leashes.
Ye Wei’an and Zhou Huaichen had no choice but to keep walking.
Zhou Huaichen said, “Alright. I’ll have Ruan Min join as a regular, too.”
Ye Wei’an asked, “Who’s Ruan Min?”
—【Another secret admirer like Zhu Ziyan.】
Zhou Huaichen glanced at him with a faint smile. “She’s the female lead in Lin Chang’s movie. You met her earlier today.” He had even considered poaching her.
Ye Wei’an: “…Oh.”
He only knew that the female lead’s acting was good, but hadn’t paid attention to her name.
Zhou Huaichen explained, “She’s an artist under Ziyun Entertainment. Since she happens to co-star with Lin Chang in the movie, having them record the variety show together should make for good chemistry.”
Ye Wei’an had no objections and said, “I’ll go with your plan.”
*
The next few days, Ye Wei’an was in quite a good mood. Zhou Huaichen sent him voice messages every day and came to have dinner with him after work. Every time he got his “dose of grape flavor”, all his fatigue from the day seemed to melt away.
Yan Qing, however, was nowhere near as happy.
After Ye Wei’an had trended on social media last time, Yan Qing was mocked with sarcasm. Some netizens even went straight to his Weibo to tell him to publish a book.
He was so furious that his chest ached.
Not long after, he heard that Bai Yuan had been arrested. Soon after, Bai Yuan confessed.
When the news reached him, he sat silently in his study for a long time before finally forcing out two words through clenched teeth: “Useless trash!”
With Bai Yuan now hopeless, he had no choice but to look elsewhere for help.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yongnan was overseas, unable to offer even a few words of comfort in real time.
In the end, he dialed Xie Siming’s number.
After hanging up, he toyed with his phone for a moment, then let out a cold, gloomy laugh. “Yongnan’s away on a business trip… that makes this the perfect chance to get close to President Zhou.”
*
The next day, the weather was dreary. From early morning, a fine autumn rain had been falling without pause.
Zhou Huaichen had invited Ye Wei’an out.
The last few times, they had eaten at the Ye residence, but this time, Zhou Huaichen had called over the old house’s chef, planning to personally prepare a royal-style meal for Ye Wei’an.
After work, he first went to pick Ye Wei’an up before heading home.
The villa he’d bought wasn’t far from the company. In a city where every inch of land was worth gold, one could easily imagine how expensive a villa in the downtown area must be.
Ye Wei’an thought about Zhou Huaichen’s net worth and gave a silent nod.
—【A-Chen is a super, super, super rich little pig.】
Zhou Huaichen: “……”
He glanced at Ye Wei’an in amusement. He was just about to say something when suddenly, he noticed someone charging straight toward the car.
By then, they had already reached the villa’s gates.
The residents of this neighborhood were all wealthy. The security staff were carefully selected, so it was highly unlikely for anyone to recklessly block a car.
Zhou Huaichen brought the car to a stop, only to see that it was Yan Qing standing in the middle of the road.
Yan Qing was holding an umbrella, tapping on the car window again and again.
Frowning, Zhou Huaichen rolled the window down.
Yan Qing looked at him pitifully. “President Zhou, I haven’t seen Yongnan in so long. Could you please let me see him?”
He was wearing only a thin white sweater, the autumn wind turning his face pale. Raindrops fell onto his shoulders, adding to his fragile, delicate beauty.
Ye Wei’an, sitting in the passenger seat, looked him over curiously. “You’re looking for Zhou Yongnan? Then just call him directly. What are you doing looking for A-Chen?”
Yan Qing hadn’t expected him to be in the car. His face immediately changed.
Ye Wei’an ignored him, turning his gaze toward Zhou Huaichen.
—【Let’s see how good A-Chen’s discernment really is.】
—【If he can’t see through Yan Qing’s intentions, I’m giving him a zero.】
Zhou Huaichen: “……”
System: 【……】
Host, you big straight man. Where did you get the courage to grade President Zhou?!
Ye Wei’an gestured toward the window. “Yan Qing looks cold.”
—【Quick, show some concern. Invite him into the car to warm up.】
—【And the moment you let him in, I’m giving you a zero!】
Zhou Huaichen gave him a long, deep look. He then promptly rolled the window back up.
Ye Wei’an: “……”

Author’s note:
Ye Wei’an: Why aren’t you following the script?!