Yan Zhao said calmly, “Exposure therapy. You know what that is? No matter how scary Wangzai is, it’s not going to eat anyone. Just grit your teeth, squeeze your eyes shut, and get through it.”
Shen Yuanting gave an unhurried “Oh.” “Exposure therapy? In the rain? You went looking for a cat and ended up with a fever?”
Just pretend my brain got struck by lightning and I’d die if I didn’t save a small animal, okay?!
Yan Zhao thought about the original host’s personality and feigned annoyance. “Do you think I wanted to? I did it for someone, didn’t I? Anyway, you owe me one. How are you going to repay me?”
It seemed a little unreasonable for someone afraid of cats to go looking for one, but what if he had an ulterior motive? With something to gain, fear didn’t stand a chance against greed.
Besides, he hadn’t gone looking for Wangzai just because he felt sorry for it. His main goal was to earn Boss Shen’s favor.
Yan Zhao glanced at the tuxedo cat licking its fur and silently apologized.
The bed dipped slightly as Shen Yuanting sat on the edge. “How do you want me to repay you?” he asked evenly.
Please be gentle with me when you turn evil someday. If you’re going to kill me, just make it quick. Don’t torture me psychologically!
Yan Zhao remembered a passage from the book:
【The gleaming pistol was shoved into his mouth. The young man’s eyes widened as his throat clenched and spasmed. He tried to retch it out, but how could he resist the man’s strength? All he could do was helplessly feel the cold, hard object slide deeper into his mouth.
The man gave a cruel little laugh, tinged with mockery. “Guess what’ll happen when I pull the trigger?”
The young man’s pupils contracted. His stomach lurched. He could only imagine the bullet hidden in the chamber shooting down his throat the next second, tearing him apart from the inside.】
Yan Zhao: “…”
Yan Zhao answered cautiously, “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll save it for later.”
Shen Yuanting nodded. “Fine.”
Still shaken, Yan Zhao burrowed back under the covers, put on his headphones, and started up a game. When the match ended, he looked up and realized Shen Yuanting was still there.
President Shen, don’t you need to catch up on your sleep?
He edged closer and turned his head. From where he was, he had a perfect view of Shen Yuanting’s profile.
The man’s lashes were lowered, his gaze subdued as he carefully examined the documents in his hands. He was nothing but a hardworking, conscientious man. How was he anything like the demonic, SJB villain in the book?!
Noticing the scrutinizing gaze coming from one side, Shen Yuanting turned and met Yan Zhao’s eyes. “What is it?”
Nothing. Just wondering how handsome the lead’s white moonlight was.
Yan Zhao rubbed his flat stomach and came up with an excuse. “I’m hungry.”
Shen Yuanting said coolly, “Look at what’s next to you.”
Yan Zhao turned. The water glass and unfinished medicine had been cleared from the bedside table, replaced by a thermos lunchbox.
Inside was plain congee and a few simple side dishes.
So Shen Yuanting had already thought of his hunger and prepared food for him? What a thoughtful overbearing CEO!
He scooped up a spoonful of congee and put it in his mouth. “Thanks.”
Shen Yuanting watched him quietly, his eyes like a sea with no visible end.
Yan Zhao was still sick. Once he’d eaten his fill, sleepiness crept over him, and he went back to sleep.
Shen Yuanting noticed that the covers had slipped down, leaving Yan Zhao’s neck exposed to the draft. He frowned and tucked the blanket around him.
Just as he was about to leave, the phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated, its screen lighting up.
After a nap, Yan Zhao felt much better.
Yan Zhao picked up his phone to check the time. It was already afternoon.
He hadn’t even had time to think about how to spend his day off when a message caught his eye.
It was a transfer notification, showing that someone had deposited a huge sum into his account.
Who that “someone” was, whether their name was Iron Ox Xuanyuan or Wang Xiaoming, didn’t matter. What really mattered was the person behind them:
Han Yuxuan, the original novel’s one and only designated legitimate top!
As mentioned earlier, the original host had already managed to (or so he thought) hook up with Han Yuxuan. But as Ning Yunfan’s destined partner, Han Yuxuan could never develop even the slightest genuine affection for the original host. In a male-lead, bottom-centered novel, you’ve got the lead and still want to have it both ways? Cut off your dick, strip you of your top status!
Han Yuxuan got involved with the original host because he thought Ning Yunfan didn’t care about him. Ning Yunfan already had Han Yuxuan, a half-blooded man from eight countries and a human jackhammer, so why was he still hung up on Shen Yuanting?! So Han Yuxuan planned to pretend he’d fallen in love with the original host, make the male lead experience the pain of being abandoned, and thereby help him realize his true feelings!
How was that? Childish, stupid, melodramatic, and utterly ridiculous, wasn’t it? But to move the plot along, authors could write any bizarre scenario they wanted!
While Han Yuxuan was deceiving him, the original host had stolen documents from Shen Yuanting’s company to prove his devotion and handed them over to Han Yuxuan. The two companies were evenly matched, and their battle was fought through corporate intelligence. Once the information leaked, the Han family snatched up the Shen family’s business, dealing the company heavy losses. Shen Yuanting was then impeached by the board and suspended, going from overbearing CEO to unemployed drifter in one fell swoop.
That move not only cemented Han Yuxuan’s status as the indisputable legitimate top, it also dealt a blow to his rival’s career. Two birds with one stone!
The million Han Yuxuan had transferred to him today was a signal. The theft was going smoothly. Once he’d taken down the other side’s tower, he’d transfer the rest of the money into the original host’s account, then pin a charge of embezzlement on him after the original host misappropriated the funds.
Come to think of it, the documents Shen Yuanting had been reading that morning seemed to have something to do with this…
Yan Zhao: “…”
Holy crap, was this really such a coincidence?!
He hurriedly shuffled around in his slippers looking for Shen Yuanting. When he couldn’t find him, he called. This time, there was no message saying the phone was switched off, but it rang and rang without anyone answering. Had Shen Yuanting really blocked him last night?!
As someone who got caught every time he snuck high-calorie snacks, skipped line-reading sessions, or zoned out on a variety show, Yan Zhao knew better than to count on good luck. If something started going wrong, you had to nip it in the bud before it blew up in your face and burned your ass.
“I’m sorry, but without an appointment, I can’t let you go upstairs,” the receptionist told him in a matter-of-fact tone.
As CEO, Shen Yuanting wasn’t someone you could just drop in to see. At his busiest, his appointments could be booked a year in advance. It was a life with absolutely no surprises. But hey, he was rich.
Yan Zhao clutched his scarf. “Could you call and let him know I’m here?”
“Um… All right, please wait a moment.” The young woman hesitated, but still called upstairs. After explaining the situation to the secretary, she turned back with an apologetic smile. “President Shen’s schedule is full lately, and the company isn’t looking to invest. Please come back another time.”
Had she mistaken him for an entrepreneur? Was his disguise really that good?
Yan Zhao was impressed that he still had it, even speaking a few lines and being mistaken for a business executive. He explained, “I’m not here to discuss business. I’m a friend of Shen Yuanting, your President Shen. I have something to tell him. Could you ask again?”
The young woman looked him over skeptically. He was bundled up in a hat, sunglasses, mask, and scarf, like a Siberian brown bear. He looked dangerous. The security guard had nearly stopped him from entering the building earlier.
Another scammer! Her attitude instantly turned as cold as winter. “President Shen has lots of friends, especially romantic partners. He could have three or four new ones in a day, but he doesn’t know a single one of them.”
Hearing her icy tone, Yan Zhao understood. His disguise hadn’t succeeded at all. It had failed spectacularly.
No, no, miss, I’m not one of those scammers who stuff a pillow under their shirt, collapse on the ground, and wail, “I’m carrying President Shen’s baby!”
Yan Zhao clenched his back teeth and cautiously looked around. The receptionist grew even more wary, ready to call security at any moment.
“I was planning to sneak out quietly…” Yan Zhao said dejectedly, taking off his sunglasses and pulling down his mask.
When the young woman saw his face, her eyes lit up at once. She opened her mouth, then quickly covered it with both hands, smothering her scream in her throat.
Yan Zhao knew that reaction all too well. He smiled. “I was just wondering what I’d do if you didn’t recognize me. Looks like we’re all right.”
The receptionist lowered her voice like a spy meeting a contact, though the end of her words still trembled with excitement. “Zhaozhao, I’m your fan!”
Yan Zhao softened his voice, his long lashes fluttering like a butterfly’s wings. “Thank you for liking me. I really do have something urgent to discuss with President Shen. Please help me out!”
What was so hard about acting cute? He’d played a shameless seductress before. Surely he could manage an adorable puppy.
The young woman nodded frantically. “Of course, of course!”
Good thing she was a fan. If she’d been an anti-fan, he’d have been kicked out the door by now.
Yan Zhao had just breathed a sigh of relief when someone cut in. “Huh? What are you doing here?”
Holy crap, who was it? Paparazzi, stay back!
Yan Zhao yanked his scarf up to cover his face. He turned warily and quickly recognized the person. “Director Sheng?”
Sheng Xin, Huaguo’s famously broke director. These days, when movie projects routinely boasted investments in the hundreds of millions, he still couldn’t land a sponsor and could only make films for ten or twenty million, sometimes even just a few million.
There was a reason no one would sponsor him: everyone agreed he was a terrible director. Even with the enormous buff of the phenomenally talented Young Heavenly King Ying in his films, they still only scored 4.8. Ying Hongyu’s countless fans were practically ready to throw rotten tomatoes at him.
The receptionist greeted him respectfully. “Director Sheng.” Sheng Xin nodded to her, his smile utterly charming. “Xiao Yun, you’re on duty today? I’m so lucky. Hey, did you get a new hairstyle? It looks great.”
He was the very picture of a smooth-talking flirt.
After teasing the young woman, Sheng Xin leaned against the reception desk and looked Yan Zhao up and down. He wore a smile that made anyone feel as if a spring breeze were blowing, but Yan Zhao keenly sensed a hint of danger.
Sheng Xin asked, “What brings you here? Don’t you need to get to the set?”
Yan Zhao straightened his crumpled scarf and answered honestly, “I took the day off. I came to see Shen Yuanting.”
“Oh, Old Shen.” Sheng Xin nodded, then said to the receptionist, “You can’t let anyone in without an appointment, even if they’re a celebrity.”
Yan Zhao: “…”
He had no idea what he’d done to offend him.