The Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Character Is the Zombie King - Chapter 9

Yan Qing’s fans were dumbfounded when they saw Ye Wei’an’s Weibo post.
The onlookers who had been gossiping these past two days, secretly waiting for Ye Wei’an’s response, were also stunned.
【Good heavens, I’m calling you good heavens. So this is what a domineering CEO looks like!】
【What a pure and unpretentious domineering CEO! Debut already, we’re your fans now.】
【I’m laughing myself to death. This CEO doesn’t play by the rules at all. Yan Qing’s fans must be absolutely furious right now.】
【But honestly, I really want to know whether the CEO actually likes Yan Qing or Lin Chang. What’s the deal with Yan Qing and Lin Chang’s scandal anyway? Could this be… a love triangle?】
Unfortunately, Ye Wei’an didn’t respond. Instead, he immediately told Assistant Long to help him delete his account.
It usually takes time to deactivate a Weibo account. But Ye Wei’an was the head of the Ye Group. There were always ways to get things done.
So, in less than half a day, Ye Wei’an’s account was gone.
The system stared blankly at Ye Wei’an’s outrageous move, unable to recover for a long while.
This host was just too powerful.
It crackled and said, 【Host, I suspect Yan Qing might actually die of anger. You’ll never be able to chase him again.】
Ye Wei’an didn’t care in the slightest. “Relax. He’ll come looking for me.”
System: 【……】
The host was hopelessly stubborn.
System: Despair.
Ye Wei’an held the gemstone in his hand, thinking about another matter. “A-Chen’s daily voice message only has two words—‘good night.’ Is he really that busy?”
Earlier, Zhou Huaichen had promised to send him a voice message every day, and he really did keep his word.
But a message with just two words… might as well not send one at all.
The system felt that something wasn’t quite right: 【Host, why are you always so focused on President Zhou?】
Ye Wei’an replied as if it were obvious: “He’s worth my attention.”
System: 【……If the host paid as much attention to Yan Qing, you probably would’ve won him over long ago.】
Ye Wei’an said blankly, “Impossible. Wasn’t the original host good enough to Yan Qing? Did he manage to win him over?”
The system was struck by that soul-piercing question and instantly deflated.
True enough. No matter how good the original host had been to Yan Qing, Yan Qing never ended up with him.
Suddenly, it thought that perhaps the host’s way of leaving Yan Qing hanging might actually work.
And indeed, when Yan Qing saw that Ye Wei’an had deleted his account, he was so furious that his whole body trembled.
Brother Ming had a dark expression as he said, “President Ye’s move just pushed the rumor between you and Lin Chang straight into the spotlight. Now all the netizens are talking about your love triangle.”
“Your fans are reacting strongly, too. They’re all wondering if you’ve fallen out of favor.”
“I suggest you hurry and go make peace with President Ye. Ask him to come forward and clarify things.”
Originally, netizens were just happily gossiping about a romance scandal. But Ye Wei’an’s act of deleting his account made the relationship among the three even more confusing and ambiguous.
The gossip crowd had already imagined an entire love triangle drama, complete with every kind of melodramatic plot twist imaginable.
This, without a doubt, gave Lin Chang a huge boost in popularity.
Yan Qing clenched his fists tightly and said, “No. I refuse to bow my head.”
Brother Ming tried to reason with him patiently. “What’s so bad about lowering your head just a little?”
“In just a few days, Lin Chang’s fame has skyrocketed. Lemon Entertainment helped him clear up the rumors about arrogance and a messy private life. They even sued several of the rumormongers directly. In the eyes of the netizens, his image is already cleaned up. The only ones still scolding him are your fans. The ones who got sued are your fans, too.”
“Do you really think we can compete with Lin Chang when he has President Ye backing him? If this continues, his popularity will surpass yours sooner or later. Can you accept that?”
Of course, Yan Qing couldn’t.
He suddenly thought of Zhou Yongnan and of Zhou Yongnan’s uncle, that man even more powerful than Ye Wei’an.
It seemed he had to act quickly.
That very day, Yan Qing went to find Zhou Yongnan, subtly probing for news of Zhou Huaichen’s whereabouts.
When he learned that Zhou Huaichen had gone abroad on a business trip, disappointment flooded him. He could only complain to Zhou Yongnan about how excessive Ye Wei’an had been.
Zhou Yongnan put an arm around his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. When my uncle comes back, I’ll definitely ask him to step in!”
In the original novel, Zhou Huaichen had indeed stepped in to help him deal with Ye Wei’an.
A satisfied smile curled at the corner of Yan Qing’s lips.
……
Far away overseas, Zhou Huaichen finally had some free time after completing a few busy days of acquisition work.
It was ten o’clock at night locally. Zhou Huaichen gave his team a break, allowing them to relax and enjoy themselves for a few days. All expenses are covered by the company.
As for him, he returned to the hotel to rest.
On the way back, his assistant, sitting in the front passenger seat, reported, “It seems President Ye has run into a bit of trouble.”
Earlier, Zhou Huaichen had instructed his assistant to keep an eye on Ye Wei’an’s situation. The assistant rarely saw his boss show such interest in someone, so he naturally remembered it well.
So, as soon as Zhou Huaichen finished his work, the assistant immediately told him about Ye Wei’an being scolded by Yan Qing’s fans.
Zhou Huaichen frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then dialed Ye Wei’an’s number.
It was afternoon back in China. Ye Wei’an’s voice was as calm as ever. “You’re done with work?”
Zhou Huaichen gave a quiet “Mm.”
From Ye Wei’an’s tone, Zhou Huaichen couldn’t tell whether he was upset or angry. After a moment’s thought, he asked directly, “Are you in a good mood?”
Ye Wei’an was at the company, handling piles of documents. At that, he replied, “Not really.”
He had spent ten years in the apocalypse doing absolutely nothing. He was completely a salted fish.
And now that he had come here, he actually had to work!
…He wanted to go on strike!
Zhou Huaichen, however, thought he was upset because of Yan Qing’s fans. His eyes grew slightly sharp, though his voice remained gentle. “Don’t be angry. If it’s inconvenient for you to step forward, I’ll have the Zhou Group’s legal team handle it for you.”
Ye Wei’an was puzzled. “The Zhou Group’s legal team? I think your core assistant team would be more helpful to me!”
Zhou Huaichen’s personal assistants were famous for their competence. If he could poach them to work for the Ye Group, then Ye Wei’an would finally be free.
The system kindly reminded him: 【President Zhou is definitely talking about you being scolded by Yan Qing’s fans.】
Ye Wei’an: “Really?”
System: 【Definitely.】
System: 【See, I told you. President Zhou cares about you.】
…Wait, why was it saying again that President Zhou cared about the host?
Ye Wei’an believed the system and asked Zhou Huaichen, “You mean the online thing? I’m not angry. I already deleted my account. There’s nowhere for them to scold me now. I think the ones who should be angry are they.”
For some reason, from Ye Wei’an’s calm, unruffled tone, Zhou Huaichen heard a faint trace of schadenfreude. He couldn’t help but let out a low chuckle. “That’s good, then.”
Ye Wei’an asked, “Are you worried about me?”
Zhou Huaichen’s breath hitched slightly. His grip on the phone tightened. After a few seconds, he finally replied, “Mm.”
Ye Wei’an was very pleased. “When will you be back? I’ll treat you to dinner.”
Zhou Huaichen, with a grape flavor, was so appetizing. He could eat two more bowls with him around!
Zhou Huaichen’s voice softened even more. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Let’s meet in the evening, alright?”
Ye Wei’an naturally had no objections.
After hanging up, Zhou Huaichen’s expression turned uncharacteristically gentle.
He had originally planned to return with his team, but now he just wanted to get back as soon as possible. So, he told his assistant to change his flight.
Through the rearview mirror, the assistant caught a glimpse of Zhou Huaichen’s expression and couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
The relationship between the boss and President Ye… seemed a lot deeper than he’d imagined.
……
After the call with Zhou Huaichen, Ye Wei’an was in an excellent mood.
But when he got off work, Bai Yuan came to find him, instantly ruining that good mood.
Bai Yuan was the director of 《The Year the Wind Rose》and also one of Yan Qing’s pursuers.
Previously, when Ye Wei’an had decided to withdraw his investment from the film crew, Bai Yuan, as the director, had been powerless to stop him and could only accept it.
But now, Ye Wei’an wanted the film to continue shooting, only with the male lead replaced by Lin Chang. That was something Bai Yuan absolutely couldn’t accept.
He blocked Ye Wei’an in the underground parking lot, his face dark as he questioned him angrily, “President Ye, I heard you’re replacing Yan Qing?”
“How could you fall for someone else?” He glared fiercely at Ye Wei’an, as if staring at a heartless betrayer. “Without you, how can Qing Qing survive in the entertainment industry? You’re betraying him!”
He had seen the gossip online claiming Ye Wei’an had fallen for Lin Chang, and immediately felt wronged on Yan Qing’s behalf.
Ye Wei’an’s face was expressionless. “Not only am I replacing him, I’m replacing you as well.”
Without even glancing at Bai Yuan again, he told his bodyguards to hold the man back, got into the car, and left.
Bai Yuan: “……”
He stared at the departing stretch Bentley, furious enough to stomp his feet.
The system didn’t miss the hatred flashing in Bai Yuan’s eyes and said worriedly, 【You shouldn’t have angered him like that. He’s one of Yan Qing’s admirers and has a close relationship with him. He’ll definitely speak ill of you in front of Yan Qing.】
Ye Wei’an remained calm and unbothered. “He never liked me to begin with.”
In the novel, when Zhou Yongnan and Yan Qing teamed up to slander the original host, Bai Yuan had been one of the first to add fuel to the fire, jumping out to testify for Yan Qing and confirming the accusation of assault.
The system thought about it and realized that it was true. Then it praised, 【Host, well done! That’s right. Turn the car and show him the back bumper!】
Ye Wei’an: “……”
He said calmly, “Just watch. This isn’t over yet.”
Bai Yuan would definitely stand up for Yan Qing.
And sure enough, that very night, Bai Yuan released the news of the casting change online, implying that Lin Chang had gotten the role through shady means, and further hinting that Yan Qing had offended Ye Wei’an and was being shelved by Lemon Entertainment.
Yan Qing’s fans exploded with fury.
At the same time, Brother Ming had the major fan leaders spread a new “insider story” in the fandom group chat: supposedly, the company’s boss had pursued Yan Qing for five years, but Yan Qing, being upright and self-disciplined, had refused to give in to the unspoken rules. The boss, running out of patience, found a new lover and now wanted to crush Yan Qing out of spite.
The target of that accusation was, of course, Ye Wei’an.
Previously, Ye Wei’an’s silence toward the fans’ suspicions and his deliberate deletion of his account had already ignited their anger.
Now that they learned Ye Wei’an supposedly wanted to bury Yan Qing’s career, the fans completely lost control.
Following the big fan leaders’ lead, Yan Qing’s fans flooded Lemon Entertainment’s official Weibo page, shouting—
【Ye Wei’an, come out! What right do you have to bully our Qing Qing!】
【You fall out of love and still disgust your ex? What kind of man are you!】
【This so-called CEO must be a eunuch. Only a eunuch would be this twisted!】
The system stared at the comments, sparks practically crackling with anger: 【Host, should I delete all these?】
As a high-tech product, it certainly had the ability to erase the comments.
Ye Wei’an was carrying his favorite ruby into the bedroom and said casually, “No need.”
Let them scold him. None of it affected him anyway.
System: 【……】
The host’s mentality was truly unbeatable.
Ye Wei’an placed the ruby beside his pillow, intending to turn off the lights and go to sleep.
The system couldn’t help but tease: 【Host, you really look like a child going to sleep clutching his favorite toy.】
System: 【Did you also keep the purple crystal core by your pillow before?】
Ye Wei’an replied righteously, “Of course.”
System: 【……】
System: 【You said President Zhou is like a purple crystal core. If you had the chance, would you want to sleep holding him too?】
Ye Wei’an closed his eyes and said, “Sure.”
Thinking about it carefully, he even felt a little happy at the idea.
System: 【……】
After a long while, the system finally spoke faintly: 【Host, the only person you’re supposed to sleep holding is Yan Qing.】
Unfortunately, Ye Wei’an was already asleep.
The next day, when Zhou Huaichen left the airport, his assistant informed him that Ye Wei’an had once again been scolded by Yan Qing’s fans.
He had originally planned to meet Ye Wei’an that evening, but changed his mind and decided to visit Ye Group instead.
On the way, he called Ye Wei’an, only to hear Ye Wei’an say he was at home and told him to come straight over.
So, Zhou Huaichen had the driver change course toward Ye’s residence.
An hour later, the car arrived at Ye Wei’an’s villa.
Ye Wei’an had been waiting at the door for some time. When he saw Zhou Huaichen get out of the car, he immediately went up to greet him.
Zhou Huaichen carefully studied his face, worried that he might be upset because of the online backlash.
But Ye Wei’an grabbed his arm right away and said, “Come on, let’s go inside. The food’s already ready.”
Before Zhou Huaichen could even react, he was pulled straight into the dining room.
The table was covered with an extravagant spread of delicacies.
Ye Wei’an looked at him with bright, eager eyes. “Let’s eat together.”
His expression said it all. The appetizer has arrived. Time to dig in.
Not the slightest hint of unhappiness.
Zhou Huaichen: “……”

Author’s Note:
Zhou Huaichen: That’s right. I am the appetizer.