Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cheng Yan nodded. “I heard clearly.”

It was precisely because he heard clearly that he felt surprised.

Cheng Yan indeed had no way to invite Song Zhenzhen’s boyfriend, because he had just had an unpleasant incident with him a few days ago.

That time Song Zhenzhen deliberately messed with He Wei. Although the matter hadn’t blown up, and Cheng Yan had turned a blind eye, it didn’t mean he truly didn’t care at all.

So the next day, when he ran into Song Zhenzhen’s boyfriend Wu Zhiyuan at a dinner gathering, he casually brought it up.

Cheng Yan came from a good background. He never beat around the bush when speaking, and his words were sharp. At the time, he made that investor’s face turn iron-blue.

Wu Zhiyuan wasn’t very old, just over thirty. He had only recently divorced his ex-wife and had a three-year-old daughter.

He was probably quite serious about Song Zhenzhen, so he couldn’t stand others speaking badly of her. His face alternated between green and white, like a knocked-over palette.

Cheng Yan didn’t care how colorful his expression was.

Who Song Zhenzhen disliked was her business, but he wouldn’t allow her to stir up trouble in his production team.

She was already like this before even joining the set — who knew what she’d be like afterward.

The two parted on bad terms.

Since that day, whenever Cheng Yan ran into him again, even their greetings were lukewarm.

So in this situation, it was impossible to invite him. Cheng Yan glanced at Yan Huai again. Seeing his indifferent expression, he really didn’t seem to be joking. Turning to Cheng Nuo, he said, “I’ll try.”

After the call ended, Cheng Nuo quickly sent the time and address.

Tomorrow night at eight, Jinyu Clubhouse, Room 306.

Both the time and location carried a strange and ambiguous atmosphere.

Cheng Yan’s expression twisted for a moment, then he handed the phone over. “Ah Huai, are you serious?”

Yan Huai lowered his gaze. When he saw the line of text, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Cheng Yan coughed, trying to phrase things more tactfully. “Places like this… people do go there to eat and chat.”

It was just that the cost of eating and chatting there was extremely high.

Jinyu Clubhouse was Tongcheng’s highest-end, most expensive club. Those who went there were either rich or powerful. Cheng Yan thought about it and felt something wasn’t quite right. He rubbed his chin. “Wait, that’s not right. Weiwei hasn’t even gotten a role yet — how does she have money to go to a place like this?”

Cheng Yan didn’t know what He Wei was planning. After thinking it over to no avail, he simply sent a message to Cheng Nuo to ask.

Cheng Nuo directly called back. “Brother, why are you asking this?”

Cheng Yan answered matter-of-factly, “You want me to do this kind of thing, you’ve got to give me a reason.”

He deliberately didn’t mention Yan Huai.

“No one else is beside you, right?”

Cheng Yan coughed. “No.”

Cheng Nuo didn’t think much of it and said “Mm.” “Actually, Yan Chen and Song Zhenzhen arranged to meet at that place. Weiwei thinks Song Zhenzhen is interested in her boyfriend, so she asked her boyfriend to go too… anyway, it’s a four-way love confrontation, you get it?”

Only then did Cheng Yan relax.

After Cheng Nuo repeatedly emphasized that he mustn’t tell anyone else, Cheng Yan hung up and looked up at the man opposite him.

Yan Huai’s eyelids were half-lowered at this moment. He held his phone in his hand and rotated it lightly. His expression was unreadable. When the screen lit up, the three characters “Wu Zhiyuan” were glaringly displayed in the contacts list.

He was waiting for Cheng Yan to finish this call, and then decide whether to invite Wu Zhiyuan.

Cheng Yan took a sip of water and instantly treated Cheng Nuo’s words as nonsense. Less than half a minute after hanging up, he relayed the content of the call to Yan Huai word for word.

Only then did the man’s brows, which had been furrowed for quite a while, relax slightly. He dialed the number. During the few seconds waiting for it to connect, he lifted his eyes toward Cheng Yan. “Don’t tell Cheng Nuo.”

Before Cheng Yan could answer, the call connected. Yan Huai tugged at the corner of his mouth, his voice cold and thin. “President Wu, are you free tomorrow night?”

He Wei didn’t expect Cheng Nuo’s efficiency to be this high.

By the time she finished taking a cold shower and came out, Cheng Nuo had already sent her an OK emoji.

Worried about He Wei, she immediately asked again: [Weiwei, do you want me to go with you tomorrow?]

[Don’t you have to do makeup for a charity gala tomorrow? I can go by myself.]

Cheng Nuo indeed had something to do tomorrow night, and it wasn’t easy to postpone. With no other choice, she stepped back: [Pay attention to your safety. If anything happens, call me. If mine doesn’t go through, call my brother’s.]

He Wei quickly typed back: [Okay.]

Although she agreed readily, she actually didn’t take the latter half of Cheng Nuo’s words to heart at all.

She and Cheng Yan had only met a few times. They weren’t close enough that she could casually ask him for help when something happened.

He Wei tossed her phone aside. Having just taken a cold shower, she was now shivering from the cold.

The original female lead’s body wasn’t very good. After only a few minutes, her nose started to get blocked, and her throat felt itchy. Afraid that the cold wouldn’t become serious enough, He Wei didn’t even dare cover herself with a blanket. She left herself exposed and watched an entire movie.

By noon, her nasal voice was heavy, and she had already used more than half a pack of tissues.

When Yan Chen called, He Wei was holding a cup of hot water and sneezing. Her hand shook, and a bit of the hot water spilled onto her.

He Wei didn’t bother with it and spoke in a muffled voice, “Hello?”

Although her voice was hoarse, it was still soft and delicate, causing Yan Chen to pause for a few seconds before reacting. “Caught a cold?”

He Wei spoke quietly, “I forgot to close the window last night.”

“Did you take medicine?”

“I did.”

Yan Chen felt sorry for her, and his voice softened as well. “What do you want to eat? I’ll buy it and bring it to you.”

“No need,” He Wei said dully. “I just took medicine and feel a bit sleepy.”

The implication was that she was going to sleep.

Yan Chen didn’t notice anything unusual at all and coaxed her gently, “Okay, get a good rest.”

He Wei tightened her grip on the phone. After a few seconds, before he hung up, she stopped him again. “Yan Chen, are you free tomorrow night?”

Yan Chen was stunned for a moment, then pleasantly surprised. “As long as you call me, I’m always free.”

Smooth-talking — who knows how many girls he had fooled.

He Wei curled her lips. After telling him the time and place, she softened her voice and added, “Then… see you tomorrow night.”

Her voice was light and thin, like a cat’s paw scratching at Yan Chen’s heart.

Yan Chen instantly felt a bit dazed. After hanging up, even when Song Zhenzhen inexplicably sent him a blowing-kiss emoji on WeChat, he didn’t find anything strange. He tossed his phone aside and went into the bathroom.

He Wei had a runny nose the entire day.

Early Saturday morning, she was forcefully woken up because her nose was blocked.

He Wei was afraid that when the time came, she wouldn’t fail the mission and reload, but instead die from being suffocated by a cold. In the end, she couldn’t hold on any longer and found a few pills to take.

Cold medicine made her drowsy, and she slept for an entire morning.

When she woke up at noon, He Wei’s whole body felt limp, her head heavy and feet light. She pulled a tissue to wipe her nose, then sent Cheng Nuo a message, acting coquettish: [Nuonuo, I’m sick.]

Cheng Nuo immediately sent three questions in a row with concern: [How did you get sick? Did you take medicine? Are you better now?]

He Wei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Afraid Cheng Nuo would worry too much, she quickly replied: [Just a cold, nothing serious.] She tried to describe this cold that had nearly suffocated her as something light and trivial.

Only then did Cheng Nuo relax and remind her: [Remember to take medicine. Wear more clothes when you go out tonight.] The chat ended quickly.

At noon, He Wei cooked a packet of instant noodles. After taking medicine, she burrowed under the blanket and slept again.

She had set an alarm for four in the afternoon. When it rang, He Wei still wasn’t fully awake.

But this wasn’t the time to stay in bed. He Wei got up, went into the bathroom to wash her face, and after coming out, she weakly sat down in front of the dressing table.

Because she had been running a nose constantly, the tip of her nose was red, and her face had a slight flush. He Wei raised the back of her hand and touched her forehead.

Sure enough, it was hot.

This body couldn’t withstand much strain. As expected, she had developed a fever.

Her breath felt hot, and her throat burned as if a fire had been set inside. She felt extremely overheated.

She took a deep breath and applied a simple makeup in front of the mirror.

He Wei’s makeup skills were average, but she couldn’t help having good features. With just some casual touches, her face looked beautiful.

The phrase “light makeup or heavy makeup, both suit her” fit her perfectly.

Because she was sick, her complexion wasn’t good. Once foundation was applied, her entire face looked even cleaner and paler, appearing more fragile than usual.

Yan Chen would probably like this the most.

He Wei simply skipped lipstick and blush. She stood up, took a red coat from the wardrobe and draped it on, then went out with her phone.

Song Zhenzhen and Yan Chen had arranged to meet at 7:50, while Wu Zhiyuan was invited for eight o’clock. In those ten minutes, a lone man and woman sharing a room should be enough for something to happen.

He Wei left early and even went to watch a movie midway.

At exactly 7:30, the taxi stopped at the entrance of Jinyu Clubhouse.

He Wei handed over one hundred yuan. “Driver, I’ll get out in a bit.”

She wore a mask, her hair tied up revealing a smooth forehead. Her peach blossom eyes curved slightly. Even though most of her face was covered, it was still obvious she was a pretty girl.

Facing a beauty, the driver was extremely agreeable and nodded repeatedly. “Sure, sure.”

He Wei’s eyes curved again, and she turned to look outside.

At 7:35, Song Zhenzhen entered the clubhouse.

At 7:43, Yan Chen followed in.

He Wei’s heartbeat suddenly sped up. Her nose was blocked, and she subconsciously held her breath. Her cheeks flushed, and she was almost on the verge of tears from holding it.

She glanced at the time on her phone again.

7:50. When she looked up again, she caught sight of a man entering the clubhouse.

It was Wu Zhiyuan.

He Wei had seen him once in her previous life. She pressed her lips together and quickly opened the car door to follow him.

As soon as she entered, a waiter came forward. “Miss, do you have a reservation?”

He Wei reported the private room number.

The waiter made a gesture of invitation. “Three guests have already arrived in 306.”

He Wei said nothing and pulled her mask up a little more.

The two of them took the elevator upstairs together. When the elevator doors opened, Wu Zhiyuan was pushing open the door to Room 306.

He Wei’s steps paused. In less than two seconds, she heard the man’s angry questioning voice: “What are you doing!”

Another waiter stood nearby, completely at a loss.

Wu Zhiyuan had already rushed in, but his voice still faintly came from the private room whose door hadn’t been closed—

“Wasn’t I good to you! I gave you every good resource! When you filmed kissing scenes and bed scenes with other male actors, I always indulged you. I was even planning to propose to you after you finished this drama. And you’re this promiscuous!”

He Wei clenched her palms.

The waiter outside was quietly trying to persuade him: “Sir, please calm down. Our clubhouse prohibits loud disturbances…”

“My girlfriend is hugging another man, and you still want me to calm down?”

He Wei lifted her foot and continued walking forward.

Logically speaking, the most innocent person in this matter was Wu Zhiyuan, but there was no helping it. If He Wei didn’t want to keep reloading, she had to get rid of Song Zhenzhen as soon as possible.

She wasn’t a saint; she couldn’t do something like repaying evil with kindness.

He Wei exhaled, quickened her steps, and only stopped again when she reached the doorway.

Inside the private room, Song Zhenzhen was dressed extremely revealingly, and lipstick marks were stamped on Yan Chen’s shirt collar.

Even a fool could see something was wrong between the two of them.

Before He Wei could get excited, she suddenly thought of something more serious and quietly asked the system, “Does this count as me being cheated on?”

“Not really, Host. The male lead didn’t initiate it, and there was no substantive physical transaction.”

Only then did He Wei relax.

Wu Zhiyuan was furious. He immediately shook off Song Zhenzhen who was clinging to him and stormed out of the private room. “Song Zhenzhen, just wait to be blacklisted!”

Song Zhenzhen was frightened by his words and had no mind to notice anything else. She hurriedly followed. “Zhiyuan, listen to my explanation…”

“Don’t touch me. I’ll just assume I was blind before!”

Their footsteps were chaotic, their voices gradually fading away.

He Wei stood at the door for more than half a minute before Yan Chen turned to look at her. “Hehe, you did this, right?”

No matter how muddled his mind was, he had figured it out by now.

Most likely, He Wei did it.

He Wei glanced at the favorability above his head. It hadn’t dropped yet. After weighing for a few seconds, she simply admitted it.

As a qualified actress, He Wei’s emotions came quickly. Tears welled up, and her eyes instantly turned red. “I saw the message she sent you.”

Yan Chen frowned.

He Wei’s voice choked. “Yan Chen…”

“I was afraid you’d fall for her.”

Yan Chen suddenly raised his eyes. A glimmer of light flashed in them, and He Wei clearly saw the favorability above his head rise from sixty-seven to seventy-one.

“……”

Yan Chen stared at her face for a few seconds. The girl’s nose tip and ear tips were red, her eyes watery, looking so innocent that it made people feel pity.

It looked like she liked him terribly.

Yan Chen’s heart had just softened when he heard the little woman in front of him speak softly, “Yan Chen, I’ve thought about it for a few days. We should break up first.”

Yan Chen was stunned.

“You make me feel very insecure.”

He Wei only mentioned breaking up as a test, so her tone was soft — soft enough that she could take it back at any time.

There was an answer on Zhihu that said breaking up during the passionate stage would make the other party unable to forget you.

The unattainable is always the best.

So He Wei tried it. She raised her eyes to look at Yan Chen.

The favorability didn’t change.

Very good. He Wei almost burst into tears of joy.

But the next second, she heard a “beep beep beep” sound in her mind. When she looked again, Yan Chen’s favorability was decreasing in an arithmetic sequence.

…Damn.

What kind of devilish development was this?

The system weakly reminded, “Host, you can’t break up if the favorability is below eighty.”

As soon as the words fell, there was the sound of a door opening behind them, mixed with the conversation of several men.

They were probably guests from another private room.

He Wei didn’t care about being embarrassed anymore. She immediately tried to remedy the situation and hurriedly threw herself into Yan Chen’s arms.

Not far away, when Yan Huai and his group came out of the private room, they happened to see the moment He Wei threw herself into Yan Chen’s arms.

Beside him, Cheng Yan was stunned for a few seconds, then silently averted his gaze. He coughed, his hint obvious. “Yan Chen must be feeling great right now.”

With a soft and fragrant beauty in his arms, any man would probably feel great.

Yan Huai said nothing, but his Adam’s apple moved slightly.

He suddenly remembered that in his dream, that woman had also thrown herself into his arms in the same posture.

The woman was delicate and soft, with a slender waist. Only a thin bathrobe separated her as she pressed against him. The fresh fragrance after bathing drifted over, and her warm, soft lips landed on his chest.

Exactly the same posture.

Only the person involved had become Yan Chen.

Whether Yan Chen felt great, he didn’t know.

But he himself didn’t feel very great right now.

Extremely, extremely unhappy.