Mr. Jiang had initially thought Ye Zhou would have some sort of reaction after hearing his confession. After all, despite the difficult and fantastical process, he had just confessed.
Based on his nearly non-existent romantic experience, confessions were usually quite serious events, meaning the relationship between the two people confessing would make a qualitative leap.
Therefore, after saying those words, Mr. Jiang was quite expectant to see Ye Zhou’s reaction.
However, after Mr. Jiang finished speaking, he realized Little Buddy Ye Zhou seemed to have frozen, remaining motionless for a long time without rejecting or responding.
Considerately, Jiang Tingyuan thought he might have scared him and that Ye Zhou needed some time to digest this matter.
However, Mr. Jiang waited in the same position for about five minutes. Just as he wanted to check the reaction of the person in his arms, he heard faint snores by his ear.
Jiang Tingyuan: “…”
Looking at the soundly sleeping Ye Xiao Zhou in his arms, Jiang Tingyuan felt both exasperated and amused, momentarily at a loss for what to do with him.
What else could he do? The person was already asleep, so of course, he had to bring him home.
Although Mr. Jiang was annoyed by Ye Zhou’s carelessness, he still couldn’t bear to wake the sleeping person. Resigned, he picked up the little rascal and walked towards where the car was parked.
Jiang Tingyuan’s steps were very slow and his hold on Ye Zhou very steady, moving as smoothly as possible to ensure he wouldn’t wake Ye Zhou.
Seeing this from afar, the driver immediately stubbed out his cigarette and quickly strode towards Jiang Tingyuan’s location.
“Sir, let me.” The driver said, moving to take Ye Zhou from Jiang Tingyuan’s arms.
But Jiang Tingyuan dodged to the side first, avoiding the driver’s outstretched hands.
“No need.” He coolly rejected in an unquestionable tone.
The driver was also somewhat surprised. Having followed Mr. Jiang for so long, he had never seen his employer care for someone to this extent.
Moreover, if he remembered correctly, his boss had a mild case of mysophobia, this fussiness manifesting not only materially but also mentally.
His boss usually disliked close contact with others, let alone intimately holding someone like this.
Although feeling doubtful, as Jiang Tingyuan’s personal driver, he quickly concealed his surprise. By the time they reached the car, he nimbly opened the door for them.
After the two got in the car, the driver couldn’t help but feel this was a fantastical night.
…
The next day when Ye Zhou woke up, it was already 11 o’clock in the morning.
The headache caused by the hangover made his brows furrow tightly. It took him a good while to finally get over the discomfort.
Right after opening his eyes, before his muddled mind had completely cleared, a cool object was pressed into his hand.
It felt like a cup. Ye Zhou thought it contained water and accepted it without any doubt, tilting it straight into his mouth.
The grassy flavor produced from the mixture of vegetables exploded in his mouth, making Ye Zhou shudder. Then his whole person instantly sobered up.
“Who was it…” Ye Zhou forced down the vegetable juice and let out an indignant roar.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he said these two words, he met a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling. Boss Jiang was standing at the bedside, arms crossed, quietly watching him.
Ye Zhou: “…So thoughtful of you to prepare my favorite vegetable juice for me!”
The stubborn Ye Zhou completely turned his original words around, transforming accusation into gratitude.
Jiang Tingyuan revealed a smile. “It was me, but I feel like you’re not happy.”
“Oh, so it was Jiang-ge.” Ye Zhou forced a smile and stubbornly explained, “No, I’m…so happy!”
After glancing at the cup and seeing over half the green vegetable juice still inside, Ye Zhou’s face turned as green as the juice.
“I see. Then drink up quickly.” Jiang Tingyuan said approvingly.
With the boss staring at him like that, even if Ye Zhou was reluctant, he still drank down the entire cup of vegetable juice with an attitude of facing death.
Vegetable juice was truly the most disgusting thing in the world, bar none!
Seeing Ye Zhou obediently hand over the empty cup, Boss Jiang rewarded him by rubbing his head and saying, “Clean up. I’m taking you out after this.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhou was somewhat surprised. “Where are we going?”
The movie had just finished filming yesterday. Following his usual habits, Ye Zhou would normally give himself about three days off before continuing with follow-up work. So, he really had nothing scheduled today.
“You’ll know when we get there.” Saying so, Jiang Tingyuan walked outside.
Ye Zhou’s curiosity was aroused, and he jumped off the bed. After washing up, he quickly grabbed a set of regular clothes from the closet and put them on himself.
By the time he finished getting ready and came out, Boss Jiang was already waiting in the dining room.
The two ate lunch together before finally getting in the car.
However, no matter how Ye Zhou asked along the way, Jiang Tingyuan did not let him know where the destination of this trip was.
The car drove for about half an hour before finally stopping in front of a towering building.
After getting out of the car, Ye Zhou looked at Boss Jiang blankly. “What is this place?”
Jiang Tingyuan finally enlightened him. “This is the Jingzhe Dream Incubation Building. All projects that successfully pass three rounds of review will be incubated here.”
Ye Zhou: “…”
Damn, could Boss Jiang’s purpose in bringing him here today be…
“At the end of last month, Jingzhe Dream Incubation Project completed its three rounds of review. The first round of funding was already transferred in early this month.”
“The three projects you invested in are also here.” Boss Jiang affirmed Ye Zhou’s guess.
Ye Zhou looked at the boss with stiff eyes, momentarily at a loss for words. This was really…too f*cking surprising!
If possible, Ye Zhou actually really didn’t want to face those three projects he had carefully selected because every time they were mentioned, an unspeakable sense of shame would instantly envelop him.
But now that they were already here, it was clearly too late to run away now.
Ye Zhou could only suck it up and follow behind Boss Jiang, walking into the Dream Incubation Building.
As soon as he entered the door, Ye Zhou was overwhelmed by the high-end decoration inside. He couldn’t help but sigh in his heart that Boss Jiang really lived up to his title as a boss. His generosity was simply too much.
It was just the Incubation Building under Jingzhe Picture, not even a subsidiary company. However, whether it was decoration, layout or space, it was larger than several entertainment companies that Ye Zhou saw in his previous life.
Although he had transmigrated for less than a year, Ye Zhou would still occasionally be shocked by Boss Jiang’s wealth.
When the two of them entered, a scholarly-looking man in his mid-thirties wearing silver-framed glasses was already waiting. Seeing them come in, he immediately stepped forward to greet them.
Hearing his introduction, Ye Zhou finally understood that Boss Jiang still had work to take care of today.
Normally, as the project initiator and president of the Jiang Corporation, Jiang Tingyuan would come over to check on the progress one month after the funds for the projects were released.
This would affect subsequent investments, so everyone placed great importance on it.
Upon hearing that Boss Jiang had work, Ye Zhou’s eyes brightened. He faked propriety and squeezed next to the boss, considerately lowering his voice, “Jiang-ge, go ahead and work. Don’t mind me, I can head up by myself later.”
Jiang Tingyuan knew him so well that he could tell at a glance that he must be plotting something again.
“Are you sure you don’t need me to go with you?” Boss Jiang calmly asked.
Ye Zhou quickly shook his head, spewing flattery. “No need, don’t worry, I can handle myself alone. Even if I really encounter something I can’t resolve, just reporting your name will surely help everything go smoothly. Don’t worry about me!”
Jiang Tingyuan raised a brow but didn’t expose his little trick. He nodded in agreement.
Glancing at his watch, he reminded, “Finish before 6. Don’t be late for dinner.”
Ye Zhou obediently nodded. “Got it!”
Saying so, he turned and ran for the elevator without looking back. After going upstairs, he finally stopped in front of a door on the 17th floor, according to the address given by the person at the entrance.
Looking at the door with a plaque labeled ‘Chenzhou1Might have been taken from the Chinese idiom “破釜沉舟” (pò fǔ chén zhōu) lit. to break the cauldrons and sink the boats (idiom); fig. to cut off one’s means of retreat / to burn one’s boats. Using this name indicates the club’s determination to only move forward and not retreat. And the Zhou is same character with Ye Zhou’s Zhou. But it’s funny because, without the whole context, it could be taken as Sunken Boat. ESports Club’, Ye Zhou froze.
It was undoubtedly an esports club, but why was it called such a name!
Just as Ye Zhou was hesitating on whether to confirm the address with Boss Jiang again, the tightly shut door was suddenly opened from the inside. A young man with curly hair wearing a pink t-shirt walked out.
The two looked at each other, both somewhat dumbfounded.
But the young man soon reacted, a flash of delight in his eyes. “Ye Zhou! You must be Ye-ge, right!”
Ye Zhou was even more confused when his name was called. He had no impression of the young man in front of him.
“…You are?”
The young man excitedly extended a hand to him. “Hello, Ye-ge! I’m called Wei Xun, my nickname is Pao Zhang2If you don’t remember, this is Firecracker. I’m not sure if I should continue using Pao Zhang or change it to Firecracker, knowing now that it is his nickname. Let me know which you prefer.! Although you don’t know me, I’ve heard Cheng-ge often mention you recently!”
“Who are you talking to? Are you going to the bathroom or not? If not, get back here and train!”
Before Ye Zhou could respond, the door was pushed open again. This time it was finally a face familiar to Ye Zhou. He quickly recognized him as the esports club leader he had briefly seen in Jingzhe a few months ago, a restaurant owner with the dream of esports, Xu Cheng.
Xu Cheng had just cursed out halfway when he saw Ye Zhou standing at the door. His voice grew lower and lower until it disappeared completely.
“Ye-ge, you’re here.” A rare hint of embarrassment appeared on Xu Cheng’s unruly face. He looked like a bad boy who got caught in a fight and was caught by his teacher.
Led inside by Xu Cheng, Ye Zhou discovered that aside from Xu Cheng and Wei Xun, there were two other young men inside. One was chubby and seemingly simple-minded, while the other was very handsome and had an outstanding temperament.
Xu Cheng swept the snacks piled on the sofa onto the floor. “Sorry, Ye-ge, it’s a bit messy here.”
After saying that, he turned to the two people who were sitting in front of the computer and had not yet reacted: “Why are you sitting there stupidly? Come here quickly!”
“No need, no need, just do what you were doing, don’t be nervous.” Ye Zhou waved his hand to indicate he didn’t care.
Xu Cheng explained to Ye Zhou, “We’re currently training in preparation for the November qualifiers. If we can get first place in the qualifiers, we should be able to start competing professionally next year.”
“Mm-hm.” Ye Zhou nodded and looked toward Xu Cheng. “Is this our team’s entire roster?”
Although he didn’t know much about the rules of the e-sports circle in this world, he had picked up some general knowledge from TV in the past. A professional esports team’s composition definitely shouldn’t be this simple.
Seeing only four people in the room, Ye Zhou inevitably felt a little heartache.
Xu Cheng hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully, “To be precise…I’m currently the only one.”
Because the contracts for the other three hadn’t expired yet. With their value in the industry, their clubs wouldn’t easily let them go. If they wanted to leave, they would have to pay a sky-high price in liquidated damages alone.
It was fine when Xu Cheng didn’t say anything, but once he did, Ye Zhou instantly felt even more heartache.
Damn, it was an e-sports club, after all, but after all this time, the project leader Xu Cheng was still a one-man army.
This was really too miserable!
Ye Zhou patted Xu Cheng on the back and earnestly said, “Captain Xu, I heard that players could transfer between teams in your esports circle. We can do that too!”
Xu Cheng was a little hesitant. “But our club just formed. There are still many expenses…”
“Money isn’t a problem. Didn’t Jingzhe allocate the first round of funding? Just name a number. If it’s not enough, feel free to ask me for more!” Ye Zhou said very lavishly.
After all, it was still a club. Even if they couldn’t get any rankings, they should at least gather enough people first!
Xu Cheng was a little confused. “Ye-ge, this…doesn’t seem right.”
For the project to successfully obtain investment already made Xu Cheng feel incredulous. And now, for their sponsor Ye Zhou to trust him so much, Xu Cheng’s voice grew hesitant.
Seeing him like this, Ye Zhou sighed. It was like looking at his just transmigrated past self. This inexperienced appearance really made one’s heart ache.
He earnestly advised, “There’s nothing wrong with it. Back then, out of so many projects, I singled out yours. This represents my absolute trust in you. I believe you will work hard. Initial investment is necessary for anything. I believe you won’t disappoint me either, right?”
Although he spoke this way, Ye Zhou was actually already calculating that if it really required a lot of money, should he blow some pillow wind3“Blow pillow wind” (吹枕头风) is a Chinese slang term that means to flatter or persuade someone by whispering sweet words in their ear, especially when they are in bed. It is often used to describe the actions of a lover or a mistress. next to Boss Jiang or something.
Although strictly speaking, ever since transmigrating into the book, he hadn’t climbed into Boss Jiang’s bed even once.
After discovering some time ago that Zou Rong appeared much earlier than depicted in the novel, he began to become very uneasy, and his heart sank.
Although he had verified at the auction after first transmigrating that the storyline was not set in stone, Ye Zhou had not dared act rashly, afraid he would become the butterfly flapping its wings.
He didn’t dare confirm if his presence was good or bad. Even more so, he didn’t dare confirm that if he caused the plot to deviate too much from the original, the world would take notice and erase him or even expedite the big boss’s tragedy.
Therefore, Ye Zhou always made an effort to follow the original storyline, living his own life, and filming his movies. He mostly adopted an avoidant attitude towards the protagonist couple and avoided them whenever possible.
However, despite Ye Zhou’s utmost caution, Zou Rong, a character who should not have appeared, still showed up prematurely and immediately targeted ruining Ye Zhou’s reputation.
This seemed to imply that as long as this butterfly Ye Zhou dared flap his wings even a little, the storyline would retaliate.
For a long time after Zou Rong’s appearance, Ye Zhou had nightmares almost every day but didn’t dare alarm the boss, and moving to the crew hotel also had this reason.
Fortunately, Ye Zhou had great self-regulation skills and managed to convince himself after half a month.
If tragedy was destined to be unavoidable, he might as well enjoy himself to the fullest before it arrived.
When it’s time to spend money, when it’s time to have a good time, try not to leave any money for the protagonist couple so that there would be no regrets even if they were left with nothing in the end.
His desires were very simple. If the money was gone, then so be it. As long as he and Boss Jiang stayed alive, it was fine. Money and possessions were external. He had even planned out life after Boss Jiang went bankrupt.
But before Boss Jiang went bankrupt, it would be a waste not to spend, no? The more they spent, the less the protagonist couple would get in the future!
Thinking this, the last bit of psychological pressure in Ye Zhou’s heart also dissipated. Although spending money still pained him, his hand would no longer hesitate.
Hearing Ye Zhou’s words, Xu Cheng’s eyes widened tremendously.
Not just him, the other three people in the room reacted similarly upon hearing this.
Such unconditional trust made the most sentimental fatty to red-rimmed eyes. He was currently bent over, secretly wiping away tears.
After sending Ye Zhou off, Xu Cheng closed the door.
His expression uncharacteristically solemn, he said to the three people in the room, “You all heard Ye-ge’s words just now, right?”
“If we don’t produce results, think for yourselves, will you have let Ye-ge down with his trust in us!”
“If we have the slightest conscience, we absolutely cannot let Brother Ye lose money. Do you understand what I mean?”
Right after his voice fell, the other three almost simultaneously answered, “Understood!”
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