The Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character Is the Zombie King - Chapter 3

Yan Qing and his manager stood at the entrance to welcome Ye Wei’an. Yan Qing’s expression carried both grievance and melancholy. It is a kind of helpless beauty.
In the past, whenever he showed this look in front of the original Ye Wei’an, it would tug at the latter’s heartstrings, and anything Yan Qing asked for afterward would be granted.
But Ye Wei’an wasn’t about to indulge him now. After a single glance, he looked away expressionlessly.
Yan Qing: “……”
The manager gave Yan Qing a light push on the back, hinting for him to go and curry favor with Ye Wei’an.
Yan Qing bit at the corner of his lip. “President Ye…”
Ye Wei’an said coldly, “Go to the lounge.”
Yan Qing narrowed his eyes slightly. This was the first time Ye Wei’an had ever treated him so indifferently.
A wave of unease rose in his heart.
Inside the set, when everyone saw Ye Wei’an and Yan Qing walking in together, murmurs immediately broke out.
Yesterday, Ye Wei’an had pulled out his investment. Everyone had been speculating whether the two had broken things off. However, Ye Wei’an had now personally come to visit the crew. Clearly, the two had likely reconciled.
For a moment, the crowd’s gazes toward Yan Qing were filled with admiration.
Yan Qing’s methods were truly impressive. Stringing along so many people, yet still managing to keep the Ye family’s head wrapped around his finger. Quite a few people were even thinking that Yan Qing should publish a Player’s Guide to Keeping Them Hooked.
Ye Wei’an, expression steady and gaze fixed ahead, walked straight past everyone without a glance.
Once they entered the lounge and the door closed behind them, Ye Wei’an handed over a thick stack of documents and said, “These past few years, in order to promote you, I’ve spent a total of 1.2 billion. You’ve earned back 500 million, so you still owe me 700 million. I’ve already had someone organize all the detailed records. Take a look first. If you have no objections, then pay me back.”
Yan Qing: “…”
Manager: “…”
The room fell into a strange, heavy silence.
Ye Wei’an didn’t rush him. He sat down on the sofa, unhurriedly waiting for Yan Qing to finish looking through the documents.
These were what he had asked his assistant to compile yesterday.
—The author had wanted to highlight how obsessed the original Ye Wei’an was with Yan Qing, and how generous he had been. Every time the original invested in Yan Qing, it was in the billions.
The system was the first to react and couldn’t help but ask, 【Host, when did you print out these account statements?】
It paused for a moment, then quickly added, 【You’ve pulled out your investment and are now asking Yan Qing to pay you back. I think there’s a good chance he’s going to hate you.】
If Yan Qing ended up hating the host, how could the mission be completed?
Ye Wei’an replied, “Only after losing something does one learn to cherish it. Maybe Yan Qing will end up crying and begging to be with me again.”
System: 【…】
It had a strong feeling that the host was about to crash and burn.
Yan Qing and his manager both stared at the stack of documents, their expressions dark and unpleasant. Clearly, Ye Wei’an’s outrageous move had left them both stunned.
After a long while, Yan Qing held the papers in his hands, looking at Ye Wei’an with a mix of grievance and coy reproach. He said softly, “Are you… Are you still angry with me?”
Ye Wei’an didn’t respond.
For a zombie king, emotions like anger were far too foreign. His only thought was to complete the mission as soon as possible.
Ignoring Yan Qing’s question, he continued discussing the debt instead. “As far as I know, you have two hundred million in savings. Borrow some more from Zhou Yongnan and pay me back as soon as you can.”
Yan Qing’s face turned pale in an instant.
Ye Wei’an added, “Oh, right. The villa and the car I gave you, I won’t be taking them back. You can sell them to raise the money.”
His tone was utterly indifferent, devoid of any warmth.
Yan Qing was overcome by both anger and grievance.
Normally, Ye Wei’an was like a dog, always trying to please him. But ever since that night when he had taken the initiative to climb into Ye Wei’an’s bed, Ye Wei’an had suddenly changed, as if he found him utterly repulsive.
He couldn’t help but wonder if Ye Wei’an’s brain had gone haywire.
When he had ignored Ye Wei’an before, the man had chased after him relentlessly. Now that he was finally willing to show him some attention, Ye Wei’an started disliking him. Was this what they called “Lord Ye loving dragons only in name”?
The manager, so anxious that his voice nearly caught fire, pressed down on Yan Qing’s shoulder and said in a low tone, “Did you do something to upset President Ye? Hurry up and apologize. President Ye is generous. He’ll definitely forgive you.”
Yan Qing bit down hard on the corner of his lips, glaring resentfully at Ye Wei’an, refusing to say a single word.
Why should he be the one to apologize to Ye Wei’an? Ye Wei’an had come to demand repayment, humiliating him in public. He was the one who should be waiting for Ye Wei’an to apologize to him!
Unfortunately, Ye Wei’an didn’t sense Yan Qing’s grievance at all. He simply leaned back against the sofa, his expression as cold and indifferent as ever.
The agent grew increasingly anxious. President Ye was, after all, Yan Qing’s financial backer. His most generous one at that. If Yan Qing offended President Ye, how could they possibly have good days ahead?
He tightened his grip on Yan Qing’s shoulder, reminding him again, “Qing Qing, hurry and apologize.”
Yan Qing was already annoyed to death by his agent, yet Ye Wei’an still showed no intention of speaking up or giving him a way out. Taking a deep breath, Yan Qing ground his teeth and said, “Fine. I’ll pay you back as soon as possible.”
There were plenty of people chasing after him. Zhou Yongnan was the eldest young master of the Zhou family, and several of his other admirers were rich second-generation heirs. Even Director Bai Yuan looked at him with affectionate eyes. There was no way that, without Ye Wei’an, he couldn’t survive in this circle!
For some reason, Zhou Huaichen’s handsome yet distant face suddenly flashed through Yan Qing’s mind.
Zhou Yongnan couldn’t compare to Ye Wei’an. But Zhou Huaichen was far more powerful than Ye Wei’an!
As long as he… as long as he managed to hook up with Zhou Huaichen, wouldn’t that mean he could trample Ye Wei’an beneath his feet?
The thought filled Yan Qing with excitement. The grievance and resentment Ye Wei’an had just stirred up in him vanished without a trace.
Once he was together with the head of the Zhou family, even if Ye Wei’an knelt and begged him, he wouldn’t spare him a single glance!
Ye Wei’an had no idea what Yan Qing was thinking. Even if he did, he wouldn’t care.
“Considering the two years we’ve been entangled,” he stood up and said, “I’ll give you two choices. Either you pay me back, or you stay with me wholeheartedly and cut ties with everyone else.”
He had thought it through. The system’s mission was for him to capture Yan Qing. As long as the ending was that he and Yan Qing ended up together, it didn’t matter whether there was real love between them or not. The system probably couldn’t tell the difference anyway.
Yan Qing bit his lips and stayed silent.
Ye Wei’an didn’t press him, only said, “I’ll give you three days.”
Then he turned and left.
Yan Qing stared fiercely at his back as he disappeared through the door, his clenched fists digging so hard into his palms that his fingers nearly broke the skin.
The system felt that Ye Wei’an’s approach was far too rough. It didn’t seem like he was trying to win Yan Qing over. It felt more like revenge. Uneasy, it said: 【Host, I think you should use flowers and money instead.】
Ye Wei’an replied, “I choose to dig out his heart.”
System: 【……】
Forget it, might as well let the host try his way. Maybe Yan Qing really is the kind to fall for that.
As Ye Wei’an walked out of the filming set, preparing to drive home, he suddenly stopped in his tracks when he looked up and saw Zhou Huaichen not far away.
A crowd surrounded Zhou Huaichen as they walked in his direction. On his left was a beautiful woman with curled hair, every gesture dripping with seduction. On his right was a handsome young man with delicate features and black hair, whose bright, earnest demeanor radiated youthful confidence.
That man and woman were probably celebrities.
Ye Wei’an stared blankly at Zhou Huaichen, as if watching his most beloved purple crystal core being snatched away right before his eyes. He couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
Sensing something, Zhou Huaichen lifted his gaze toward him.
Their eyes met.
Zhou Huaichen’s lips curved slightly as he turned his steps and walked straight toward Ye Wei’an.
The people behind him, startled at first, quickly followed in a flurry.
Ye Wei’an: “……”
As Zhou Huaichen approached, he could hear Ye Wei’an’s thoughts running through his mind: 【Calm down, calm down…】
The purple crystal core is coming closer. Calm down. Don’t make a move!
His current mission was to capture Yan Qing. He couldn’t touch Zhou Huaichen.
Zhou Huaichen greeted him with a pleasant smile. “President Ye.”
Ye Wei’an tilted his head slightly. “What are you doing here?”
He was genuinely curious. But because of his naturally expressionless face, it sounded almost like an interrogation.
Zhou Huaichen didn’t mind his tone at all and patiently explained, “The film city is expanding. The Zhou family has invested in it. I happened to have some free time, so I came over to inspect the site.”
Ye Wei’an said, “Oh.”
His gaze swept over the two celebrities standing beside Zhou Huaichen.
—【Zhou Huaichen probably wouldn’t be interested in them. They’re not even as good-looking as he is.】
Zhou Huaichen chuckled.
He glanced down at his watch. The time was a bit tight. After a brief pause, he took out a pen and a slip of paper, wrote down a string of numbers, and handed it to Ye Wei’an. “President Ye, this is my private number. You can add me.”
Since they weren’t very close, Ye Wei’an only had Zhou Huaichen’s official contact information on his phone. He didn’t have his private number.
Ye Wei’an replied, “Sure.”
He quickly saved the number, searched for Zhou Huaichen on WeChat, and added him.
The moment he put his phone back into his pocket, he suddenly looked at Zhou Huaichen and said, “If you ever need to reach me, could you not type? Send me a voice message instead.”
—【His voice sounds like grapes… it’s nice.】
Hearing his inner thought, Zhou Huaichen’s gaze lingered briefly on Ye Wei’an’s expressionless yet strikingly beautiful face. Smiling, he nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll send you a voice message every day from now on.”
Ye Weian: “!”
Every day!
For once, a subtle change flickered across his usually expressionless face.
—【Being able to hear that grape-flavored voice every day. Pure happiness!】
Zhou Huaichen pressed a fist lightly to his lips and let out a low laugh.
After laughing, he looked deeply at Ye Wei’an and said, “If I’m sending you a voice message every day, shouldn’t President Ye agree to one request of mine?”
Ye Wei’an responded, “Mm.”
Zhou Huaichen smiled. “Treat me to a meal, then.”
Ye Wei’an agreed immediately. “No problem.” Just a meal, after all.
The two of them conversed as if no one else were present, while the people standing behind Zhou Huaichen exchanged wide-eyed glances with one another in disbelief.
…Why did that conversation between President Zhou and President Ye sound so ambiguous?
Weren’t they supposed to not get along?
Noticing that Zhou Huaichen still had matters to attend to, Ye Wei’an bid him farewell under the crowd’s bewildered stares.
Zhou Huaichen remained where he was, watching the car drive away, the smile in his eyes lingering all the while.
*
When Ye Wei’an got home, he turned down the system’s suggestion to discuss strategies for capturing Yan Qing. Instead, he went straight to the study, idly playing with the gemstones while waiting for that grape-flavored voice message.
But until nightfall, his phone remained completely silent.
He frowned.
Hadn’t they agreed he’d send him a voice message every day?
Suddenly, he lost all interest in playing with his gemstones. Gripping his phone, he began pacing back and forth.
In the end, he decided to give Zhou Huaichen a little reminder.
Ye: 【President Zhou, send me a voice message.】
The system, seeing this, couldn’t help but comment: 【Host, your tone is too cold.】
Ye Wei’an thought about it and realized the system had a point. Although it was Zhou Huaichen who had suggested sending voice messages every day, the one who actually wanted to hear them was him.
So he reopened the WeChat chat window, his face still expressionless, and sent three more messages—
Ye: 【President Zhou, send me a voice message, okay?】
Ye: 【Cute pose·jpg】
Ye: 【Bunny being cute·jpg】