In the lounge.
Director Li smiled and lifted a kettle from the tea table. Lowering his head, he poured two cups of steaming tea, one of which he pushed toward Xu Linshen.
“Mr. Xu, what brings you here today? I heard from Xiaomeng that you’ve been quite busy lately.”
Xu Linshen leaned back in his chair with a relaxed demeanor, smiling as well. “Just busy with random things. It’s an honor to be invited by Director Zhao.”
“By the way, I heard Director Li has a project on hand. How’s the preparation going?”
Although his words were courteous, Director Li interpreted them in his own way. Indeed, he was working on a film with international cooperation that he held in high regard. Its potential success in the international market hinged on this project.
And today, even before Xu Linshen spoke, the company he brought along made it quite clear who he was dealing with. There was no ambiguity in Director Li’s mind.
Although Xu Linshen was relatively young, his maturity in handling situations was remarkable. Over the past few years, he has accomplished quite a lot in the business world. With the solid foundation of the Xu family and the fact that Mr. Xu had gradually stepped back and handed over most of the real power to Xu Linshen, in B City, nobody could afford to completely disregard him.
“The main challenge with this film is the subject matter, which isn’t easy to handle. Mr. Xu should be somewhat aware,” Director Li continued.
His primary goal for this film was reputation and awards. In this regard, films with profound themes that expose human nature were favored by international filmmakers. While such films are likely to win awards and receive positive reviews, they might not always attract a wide audience, especially in the case of his current project. The political aspects of the film were quite prominent, and many investors were concerned that even getting past the censorship phase would be difficult. Not to mention that upon release, these types of films often couldn’t compete with commercially oriented films in terms of box office performance.
Xu Linshen nodded. “However, Director Li’s films have always been of high quality. The subject matter shouldn’t be a problem.”
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Director Li raised his eyes and saw Ye Jingyun standing at the door, wearing a smile on his face. He was dressed in a well-fitted black shirt, exuding a clean and sharp demeanor.
“Director Zhao is outside looking for someone, and I guessed you two might be here,” Ye Jingyun said as he walked over to Xu Linshen. His movements were natural and friendly.
Observing this, Director Li sat on the side, shaking his head with a smile. Xu Linshen was outstanding in every aspect, but his personal relationships were just too complicated.
There was first that guy, Zhong Yu, followed by the recent addition, Le Huo.
As for Xu Linshen and Ye Jingyun, their relationship was even more intriguing…
—
Half an hour into the cocktail party, a team of waitstaff entered the hall from the entrance, pushing in a five-tiered cake.
“Zhong Yu.”
Suddenly, Chu Yan’s attention was diverted as he turned to see Ye Jingyun standing beside him, holding a wine glass. Ye Jingyun’s expression paused for a moment when Chu Yan’s gaze met his, before he smiled.
A hint of surprise flashed in Chu Yan’s eyes, and he stepped back slightly, nodding politely to him. “Mr. Ye.”
With a smile, Ye Jingyun responded, “It’s been a while. I was too busy with work the last time, otherwise I would have come to see you. So, how’s your recovery? Should be all healed by now, right?”
Chu Yan responded calmly, “Yes, I’m better now. Thank you for your concern.”
Zhong Yu’s manner towards himself seemed unusually distant and indifferent. Ye Jingyun smiled, seemingly unperturbed. “Do you have some time to chat?”
They walked through the long corridor and the grand hall, arriving at a semi-open outdoor balcony. Here, it was quiet, separated from the noise and clamor of the banquet hall, with only the gentle sound of the evening breeze rustling through the leaves.
“Do you want something to eat?” Ye Jingyun brought a plate of cake and a cup of fruit tea, placing them in front of Chu Yan.
Chu Yan smiled faintly. “Thank you.”
A cool breeze brushed past from above, and the lights from the opposite building cast a gentle glow, making Zhong Yu’s features appear as though they were coated with a soft, cold light—beautiful and almost unreal.
Ye Jingyun raised an eyebrow slightly and took a seat opposite Chuyu. “Big Brother Xu also came today. Did you see him?”
Chu Yan lowered his head without changing his expression, taking a bite of the cake and calmly responding, “I saw him.”
Perhaps due to the lighting, Ye Jingyun somehow sensed a faint trace of melancholy beneath Chu Yan’s composed demeanor.
Ye Jingyun was briefly caught off guard, momentarily forgetting the words he was about to say. However, it was just a fleeting moment, and he quickly squinted his eyes, suppressing the unusual emotions that surged within him. He spoke again, “I heard from Xiaomeng that he has tried to meet you a few times but couldn’t?”
Xiaomeng was Xu Linshen’s secretary and assistant. He had studied finance management with Xu Lingshen when they were abroad, and Ye Jingyun had a good relationship with him as well.
Chu Yan lifted his gaze and replied nonchalantly, “Is that so?”
Ye Jingyun’s gaze passed over him and landed on the glass door behind him. After a moment, he turned back and nodded. “I don’t know what misunderstanding exists between you two, but if it’s because of Le Huo, can’t you see that he’s just trying to provoke you?”
Ye Jingyun looked at Chu Yan, his expression carrying a trace of helplessness. “Although what he’s doing is indeed hurtful…”
But as he finished speaking, an awkward and peculiar silence fell between the two.
Chu Yan lowered his gaze upon hearing this, and there was a prolonged pause before he looked up and said, “Don’t you find it… particularly ironic for me to say these things?”
“Ironic?” Ye Jingyun furrowed his brows in confusion, hesitating as he replied, “I just think that you shouldn’t have ended up like this. I can sense that Big Brother Xu genuinely cares about you…”
Chu Yan interrupted him, letting out a soft laugh and then asked, “Genuinely?”
As if finding the situation ironic, he chuckled after his question. “I guess, apart from you, no one else would think that way.”
“Why not?”
Chu Yan casually responded with a nonchalant “Hmm,” and calmly said, “Considering you’ve known him for much longer than I have, shouldn’t you understand him better?”
“You think that Le Huo and I are different, but others don’t see much of a difference. If you insist on looking for differences… perhaps it’s because I still know you…”
Ye Jingyun stared at him in disbelief, making sure there was no trace of joking in his eyes. He choked for a moment before absurdly asking, “What does that have to do with me?”
“Please don’t ask me about the things between the two of you anymore. How he treats you, you should be quite clear about it, right?” Chu Yan stood up from the chair, gazed at the bewildered expression on Ye Jingyun’s face, remained silent for a moment as if at a loss for words, and then finally smiled, “Many people say we look alike, but I can’t see it at all.”
Ye Jingyun remained dazed for a while, as if not comprehending what Chu Yu had just said. After a moment, he rose from his seat upon seeing Chu Yu standing, stammering, “Zhong Yu, what are you really thinking?”
“You won’t misunderstand the relationship between me and Big Brother Xu, will you?”
In a daze, it was as if he had unintentionally unraveled many details that he had previously overlooked. Suddenly, a strong sense of dread swept over his entire heart, rapidly and unexpectedly.
This sensation hit him like a wrecking ball, leaving his mind blank, enveloped by an immense panic that surged without warning.
Xu Linshen seemed to be caught off guard by the flood of emotions he was experiencing. He was stunned, his mind overwhelmed by the abrupt and intense realization.
Meanwhile, Chu Yan didn’t seem surprised by his appearance at all. He coldly chuckled at Xu Linshen and said, “I won’t disturb you two.”
With those words, Chu Yan turned around resolutely and without hesitation, taking large strides to walk away.
Xu Linshen watched him leave, his eyes wide open, his mouth slightly agape. He wanted to say something, but he found himself paralyzed, his body seemingly devoid of any strength, rendering him unable to move or even utter a word.
In a sudden realization, Xu Linshen remembered the first encounter he had with Zhong Yu. It was at a national banquet, where he had mistaken Zhong Yu for Ye Jingyun and patted his shoulder. He had casually said, “It’s okay, you’re not the first one. Many people tell me that we look alike.”
However, that was the only time he had ever made such a mistake. After that, he had never mistaken anyone for Ye Jingyun again.
But now he found it absurd that he had ever mixed them up. He couldn’t ignore the fact that he had indeed taken his father’s advice to pay more attention to Ye Jingyun and to treat him with familiarity.
Could it be that these occasional attentions and closeness had led Zhong Yu to misunderstand his intentions?
…
The truth dawned upon him, and the tangled web of his own actions and emotions became all too clear.
After returning from the banquet, on the second day, Chu Yan flew directly overseas to attend a fashion show. During this time, Xue Linshen called Chu Yan countless times, but Chu Yan didn’t answer any of them, and even turned off his phone to ignore them.
With three consecutive days of high-intensity work, Chu Yan hadn’t even recovered from the flight when he received a message that was sent directly at him.
Continuous updates [Images] Exposing Xue Linshen’s circle of friends, Ye Jingyun was spotted multiple times entering and leaving the Xue family’s old mansion, and recently seen attending a business party together with Xue Lao, suggesting a close relationship. Perhaps he also comes from one of B City’s top-tier elite families.
The previous post was brought back up, but this time, most of the attention was focused on Ye Jingyun’s background.
For a moment, netizens speculated incessantly, with various opinions, even going so far as to guess if Ye Jingyun might be an illegitimate child of the Xue family who had been living outside of B City.
Chu Yan tiredly rubbed his forehead. He had truly had enough of these speculations and rumors. He knew that these were just bored guesses from netizens, but seeing those words still made him feel stifled and uncomfortable.
He was about to shut off his phone when he received a text from Xue Linshen: “Chu Yan, are you doing well overseas?”
He looked at the message, hesitated for a moment, and then replied with a simple “No problem.”
However, he wasn’t really expecting a response from Xue Linshen, and indeed, there were no new messages on his phone. He sighed, placed his phone aside, and continued to busy himself with his work.
…
On the other side in China, Xue Linshen stared at his phone and sighed. He knew his unreasonable behavior had upset Chu Yan, and he understood that he needed to handle this issue calmly now. However, his heart was still far from calm.
Regardless, there was a crack in their relationship, and he was unwilling to just let it be. He began to think about how to solve this problem, but the question remained – did he still have time to salvage things?
In the past, speculations like this would usually be discussed for a day or two and then fade away, but this time it’s different. The Xu family’s official statement in the newspaper caught the media completely off guard.
Mr. Xu personally admitted that Ye Jingyun is indeed the child born to him and his ex-wife. Since he acknowledged her as his ex-wife, it implies that Ye Jingyun is not an illegitimate child but rather a legitimate child born within marriage.
As for whether it’s true or not, nobody can truly ascertain, but this is certainly the most favorable explanation for the reputation of the Xu family.
Not only the media, but the entire business community was left in astonishment. They had assumed that the Xu family had only one child, Xu Linshen, who was expected to be the sole heir of the Xu family. Who could have anticipated the sudden emergence of another?
Moreover, after so many years of not acknowledging him, why would they suddenly decide to do so now?
It’s understandable that Mr. Xu would have the thought of acknowledging him, but what is Xu Linshen thinking? Can he tolerate a younger brother suddenly appearing and competing for wealth and the family throne?
Chu Yan scrolled through Weibo and found that everything had come to a standstill again. He sighed and commented, [My little Xu is too impulsive. He fell right into Ye Jingyun’s trap. But it also shows that he truly loves me. He’s even willing to grit his teeth and acknowledge his brother.]
[Master Host, why don’t you just answer his call and listen to his explanation?] The system 2333, for the first time, felt a bit sorry for the male lead. It had never realized this before, but now it truly sensed a strong undercurrent of malice from the host.
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