Chapter 13: Wealthy Backer

  Lin Yan noticed his nervous expression—it looked like he was genuinely scared—so he softened his tone. “Don’t listen to Cary trying to scare you. The CEO handles countless things every day. If it’s not something truly important, he won’t take it to heart.”

  “Really?”

  “Hey!” Cary spped Lin Yan on the shoulder. “Still pretending to be a bro? Why are you being so nice to Ye the Tagalong? Don’t tell me you actually think he’s turned over a new leaf just because he’s wearing a new outfit today? This is just another trick to get the captain’s attention. But hey, Tagalong, what are you so afraid of?”

  He leaned in with a nasty grin. “Isn’t there a rich sugar daddy backing you up? If the CEO wants to deal with you, just have your patron trade some benefits, huh?”

  “Ow—!”

  Before he could finish, Ye Xian mercilessly kicked him in the leg, making him yelp in pain.

  “Ye Tagalong, how dare you kick me!”

  “So what if I kicked you? I’ve got a wealthy backer, remember? You dare touch me?”

  Ye Xian raised an eyebrow, looking down at him with cool defiance.

  Cary stared at that bold, cocky posture and, for a moment, was at a loss for words.

  Interesting. The usually whiny, awkward Ye Xian was actually being cool today? Did she really change?

  “Gay and proud of it. Shameless!”

  …

  “Miss Cheng, what a pleasure~”

  “Director Guo, you ftter me.”

  Cheng Jingshu stepped off the red carpet, and a group of industry insiders immediately flocked to her. She exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries, eyes scanning the banquet hall as if searching for someone.

  Then she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

  In the southwestern corner, three striking figures were ughing and joking. Cary was clutching his leg and howling.

  The FOR boy band.

  But—who was that boy in the white suit? With such stunning looks, how had she never seen him before? Was he not from the industry?

  Click-cck—Cheng Jingshu strode over in her heels.

  “What are you guys chatting about that’s so fun?”

  A soft female voice interrupted. When Cary saw her, he quickly put his leg down and straightened up. “Sister Jingshu, you’re here.”

  “Yes. Where’s Wanze?”

  Lin Yan replied, “The captain and the CEO went to see the chairman. Are you looking for him?”

  “No, just asking. And who is this?”

  Cheng Jingshu looked curiously at Ye Xian.

  When Ye Xian saw her, all the memories reted to this woman instantly surfaced in her mind.

  Cheng Jingshu, an actress under Star Entertainment, currently a second-tier celebrity known for her strong acting skills. Last year, she won the Best Actress award at the Magnolia Awards. She was the woman Elder Bo intended to marry off to his youngest son, Jiang Wanze, pying the third female lead in the original novel.

  As Jiang Wanze’s prospective fiancée, she appeared cultured, sensible, and considerate—pretending she didn’t really like Jiang Wanze and was just complying with a business marriage. In reality, she was deeply obsessed with him and hated both the female lead and Ye Xian to the core. Early on, she often sowed discord between them, and ter instigated conflicts between Ye Xian and the heroine, sitting back to reap the benefits.

  Even the incident where the original Ye Xian drugged Jiang Wanze was her idea—she had fanned the fmes from the sidelines.

  > “There shouldn’t be discrimination in love. What’s wrong with a man loving another man?”

  > “Honestly, I hope you and Wanze get together. That way, he wouldn’t have to offend Chairman Bo just to resist our marriage. But... your progress seems so slow…”

  > “If you could just sleep with him and make it a done deal, a good man like Wanze surely wouldn’t back out, right?”

  Every word was full of manipution—but the original, love-crazed Ye Xian was too blinded to see through it.

  Cary chimed in, “Sister Jingshu, even you didn’t recognize him, huh? That’s Ye the Tagalong!”