Ye Zhou was awakened by a series of noisy footsteps accompanied by a rough, hoarse male voice.
“Mr. Jiang, we’ve found the person. He’s right outside.”
Before Ye Zhou could even comprehend his situation, ice-cold water was poured over him, instantly jolting him awake.
Ye Zhou painfully forced his eyes open against the chill to see a pair of long, slender legs and spotless black Martin boots.
“Did you sleep well?”
The man’s clear voice reached Ye Zhou’s ears, soft yet unmistakably distinct.
Ye Zhou looked up at the source of the voice and was met with an exceptionally handsome face. The man had thick, ink-black eyebrows and eyes that seemed to be veiled by a thin mist. His pale lips were pressed in a cold, aloof line.
After a hurried glance, Ye Zhou quickly sifted through his memory, trying to find any clues related to this man. But no matter how much he wracked his brains, he came up empty. He had absolutely no idea who this man was.
Just then, the door opened and two men looking like bodyguards dragged something inside, leaving a long, dark wet trail on the otherwise spotless floor. With a heavy thud, they threw the sagging bundle next to Ye Zhou.
Only then did Ye Zhou see that it wasn’t a something but a someone – a half-dead person even more worse off than himself. Aside from being drenched as if freshly fished from water, the exposed skin was mottled with bruises.
“Do you recognize him?” The long-legged man’s voice was very calm, giving no hints to his mood.
Ye Zhou scrutinized the man on the ground and honestly shook his head. “No…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp pain surged through Ye Zhou, accompanied by an inexplicable memory that didn’t belong to him.
Once the pain subsided and he had processed those memories, Ye Zhou suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
This familiar plot… where had he seen this before? Just a little while ago, his brainless ex-boyfriend had sent him a disgusting novel called “The Overbearing President’s Contract Lover,” a combination of vulgar, melodramatic, and Mary Sue storytelling, all to disgust him due to sharing the same name as a miserable cannon fodder character in the book.
To retaliate, Ye Zhou sent his ex-boyfriend a box of explicit fanfiction starring his ex as the main character. He had thought that was the end of it, but he never could have imagined that one day, he would end up inside this vulgar and melodramatic novel and, worst of all, as the same-named cannon fodder character. Realizing this, Ye Zhou wished he could just faint on the spot.
The reason was simple: the original owner of this body had a terribly tragic ending, one that almost made Ye Zhou burst into tears at the memory.
In the story, the original body was an obscure eighteenth-tier director who, by chance, met the biggest villain in the book, Jiang Tingyuan. After establishing a sponsorship relationship, with Jiang Tingyuan’s assistance, the original owner’s career finally began to flourish. In just two years, he became a somewhat famous up-and-coming director in the industry.
But as a cannon fodder in the book, self-destruction was inevitable. The original owner’s rising popularity led to increased temptations, and as a director, he was surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women throwing themselves at him.
Initially, he managed to stay clear-headed, but with increasing temptations, he became complacent and, getting carried away, made Jiang Tingyuan wear a green hat1“bei da diao lü maozi” (被戴绿帽子), literally meaning “made to wear a green hat,” is used as slang implying that one’s spouse or partner has cheated on them or was unfaithful. .
Despite the original owner’s carefulness during his affairs, as the saying goes, if you walk along the river long enough, your shoes are bound to get wet2“常在河边走,哪有不湿鞋” (cháng zài hé biān zǒu, nǎ yǒu bù shī xié), which literally translates to “if you often walk along the riverbank, how can your shoes not get wet.” This is used to say that if you frequently engage in risky or questionable behavior, there will inevitably be negative consequences. . He was eventually caught in the act by Jiang Tingyuan’s secretary. Being caught cheating behind his sponsor’s back undoubtedly led to disastrous consequences.
The original Ye Zhou was kicked out of Jiang Tingyuan’s villa overnight. His career took a nosedive as scripts were given to other directors, investors pulled out of his current productions, and his leads broke their contracts one after another. But the killing blow came when the man he had cheated with suddenly came forward to accuse the original Ye Zhou of using his position to coerce him, crying to the media.
Overnight, the once promising newcomer director became a hated, morally corrupted scum in the eyes of the public. Having lost everything, the original owner not only failed to reflect on his actions but developed a deep-seated hatred for Jiang Tingyuan. At the instigation of the protagonist, the original owner, already resentful, recklessly drove his car into Jiang Tingyuan’s. The driver died on the spot. Jiang Tingyuan, who was sitting in the back seat, was lucky enough to save his life but lost both legs.
When Jiang Tingyuan was being rushed to the hospital, the protagonist gong threatened to expose Jiang Tingyuan’s financial debts, causing the company’s stock price to plummet as key executives jumped ship. By the time Jiang Tingyuan woke up, bankruptcy was a foregone conclusion with no way to recover. Since then, the boss has completely gone dark.
Having turned into a villain, the first thing the vengeful Jiang Tingyuan did was to personally end the original Ye Zhou with his own hands.
In another context, Ye Zhou would have been applauding Jiang Tingyuan for his decisive actions, but now, he had become the same cannon fodder who courted death, and the prospects of what lay ahead left him unable to find any humor in the situation.
His eyelashes quivered, and he trembled as he finally recognized the half-dead companion beside him, connecting his face with the character from his memories.
The only consolation was that he had not arrived too late; it was only the original owner’s first failed attempt at cheating, caught red-handed by the big shot… so far.
Ye Zhou comforted himself, thinking at least the boss hadn’t yet experienced bankruptcy, disability, or moral corruption.
He understood how it all worked, but still couldn’t help trembling when met with Jiang Tingyuan’s piercing gaze, his legs nearly buckling as he almost knelt before this powerful man.
Ye Zhou tried to comfort himself – at least Jiang hadn’t gone bankrupt, been crippled and turned evil yet, right? He understood how it all worked, but still couldn’t help trembling when met with Jiang Tingyuan’s piercing gaze, his legs nearly buckling as he almost knelt before this powerful man.
Jiang Tingyuan coolly ordered his men, “Wake him up.”
A bucket of prepared salt water was promptly emptied onto the figure pretending to be dead on the floor, who immediately jerked awake with a cry.
Idly playing with the ring on his left hand, Jiang Tingyuan casually asked the drenched, bedraggled man sprawled on the floor, “Do you know who he is?”
The man nodded rapidly. “D-director Ye…”
Clearly dissatisfied with this response, Jiang Tingyuan halted the motion of his hand as his body shifted slightly forward, dark brows raised.
“How did you get to know each other?”
This young man was called Liang Sen. The original Ye Zhou had met him half a year ago at a university casting call for one of his films. Liang Sen had been all sweet talk and obedience, gazing at the original with unconcealed worship and admiration. Gradually, the original Ye Zhou had taken a liking to him.
It was true that Liang Sen was a good-looking kid, but it also depended on who he was compared with. Ye Zhou couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong with the original Ye Zhou’s eyes to pick Liang Sen over Jiang Tingyuan – rich, handsome, and so elite it made his legs tremble. How could he have become infatuated with such an ordinary man like Liang Sen instead? The very thought made Ye Zhou furious.
He shared the same name as the original Ye Zhou but not the same fate.
Before he transmigrated, Ye Zhou was also a director with the same name. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same luck as the original owner and faced many difficulties. The original owner could choose actors and actresses at will, and he didn’t have to worry about investment at all. He could film whatever he wanted and where he wanted to film. However, Ye Zhou had to ask for money from people and behave in a very humble and respectful way towards potential investors.
On occasion, investors would even demand he hire certain individuals. It was a life of constant compromise and appeasement. Compared to the original owner, Ye Zhou had suffered greatly.
After graduating from university, he delved straight into the film industry, slowly building up his reputation over more than a decade’s work. He had a fair number of noteworthy and solidly selling works under his belt and even picked up a couple of awards. He could still be considered a second-rate director.
But even so, every time Ye Zhou prepared for a new film, he still had to desperately curry favor with investors to fund it, presenting himself as a licking dog begging for sponsorship. Sometimes investors would force their picks into his crew. For the sake of money, Ye Zhou couldn’t refuse their demands and had to grin and cajole them into agreement instead.
The original Ye Zhou’s current carefree days with no worries about funding was exactly the kind of life Ye Zhou had always dreamed of! The original might not recognize a good deal, but Ye Zhou sure did.
A financial backer of Jiang Tingyuan’s caliber? Ye Zhou would be perfectly happy to sell not just his body but his organs to stay in the man’s good graces. As long as he could cling firmly to this rich and elite man before his downfall, Ye Zhou would be guaranteed at least three full years of smooth production.
There’s an old saying that goes, “When God closes a door, he opens a window.” Yet, in Ye Zhou’s case, more than just leaving a window, God simply closed a door and built a small villa next to it!
It was perfect. With this realization, Ye Zhou immediately discarded all fears as he twisted and turned in his bindings, trying to sit up straighter to appear more sincere.
“Ahem, Yuan-ge, let me explain. This situation isn’t what you think it is…”
Jiang Tingyuan lifted his chin, looking at him with an inscrutable smile. “First, you didn’t recognize him, and now you’ve suddenly remembered?”
Ye Zhou was rendered speechless by this verbal blow as he silently cursed out the original Ye Zhou ten thousand times in his heart.
Thankfully, Boss Jiang seemed to be in good spirits and was willing to listen to his explanation. Under pressure, Ye Zhou meticulously recounted the original owner’s introduction to Liang Sen, tactfully skirting around their intimate exchanges.
After all, wasn’t staying alive most important?
“…so that’s basically what happened.” Unsure if Jiang Tingyuan believed him, Ye Zhou wiggled his way next to Jiang Tingyuan and vowed with fervor, “Yuan-ge, please trust me! Surely you must know what kind of man I am?”
Jiang Tingyuan looked at the confident Ye Zhou and found his earnestness slightly amusing. He knew all too well what kind of person Ye Zhou was, which he found both ironic and laughable.
Seeing Jiang Tingyuan’s relaxed composure, Ye Zhou finally heaved a sigh of relief. But he obviously didn’t expect that just when he was relaxing, he suddenly felt a cold touch on his face and heard Jiang Tingyuan’s slightly cold voice in his ears.
“It seems like your skin has thickened over the last few days.”
Jiang Tingyuan pinched Ye Zhou’s chin, forcing him to meet his gaze.
Ye Zhou: …Is there something wrong with this plot?
Wasn’t the original owner supposed to be Jiang Tingyuan’s beloved lover?
Was this how he treated his significant other on a regular basis?
The author has something to say:
Ye Zhou: Dog man, you deserve to be cheated on!
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