Gu Xuanzhe didn’t stay too long in Lu Youze’s room. “The Days Walking the Jianghu Together” is set to start filming tomorrow, and after that, he’ll be staying on set for quite a while. Although his vice president is trustworthy, and the company can reach him if there’s an emergency, Gu Xuanzhe doesn’t like “unexpected” situations. He prefers to follow a step-by-step plan, that’s the rhythm he enjoys.

So, he still needs to handle the tasks that require his attention before joining the crew.

As for why he came to the Lu family villa during off-hours, it’s because he was tired from work and wanted to rest and recharge by seeing Lu Youze. Now that he’s recharged, he naturally has to return to work.

By the time Gu Xuanzhe finished arranging company matters, it was already past three in the morning. He tiredly massaged his shoulders and left the CEO office. Perhaps due to exhaustion, Gu Xuanzhe drove particularly slowly. The area around the company was very quiet, with occasional pedestrians passing by, and the sounds of laughter were especially clear in the night. Gu Xuanzhe looked at them through the car window; they might not have as much money as him, but their simple happiness made him a little envious.

At that moment, a car suddenly rushed up behind him and parked right in front of Gu Xuanzhe’s car. If he hadn’t reacted quickly, his favorite car might have been totaled. Gu Xuanzhe unconsciously frowned, already guessing who the owner of the car was. He parked his car on the side of the road and got out first.

As expected, the next second, Ye Xing got out of the car.

The two leaned against their respective car doors, neither intending to walk toward the other. They stared at each other for nearly a minute before Ye Xing finally walked over to Gu Xuanzhe.

“Young Master,” Ye Xing greeted him with a smile.

Gu Xuanzhe sneered, responding with a mocking tone.

Ye Xing wasn’t bothered by this; he wasn’t here to catch up with Gu Xuanzhe.

“Young Master, are you sure you want to talk here?”

“Ye Xing, did I really underestimate how thick-skinned you are? Since you’ve broken our agreement, I thought you would have the self-awareness not to appear in front of me again,” Gu Xuanzhe said, showing no intention of being kind. He was exhausted after a day of work, with more things to do tomorrow, and had no patience or time to waste on Ye Xing.

Ye Xing’s expression changed. The only person who could make this cunning fox change his expression was probably Gu Xuanhao, the second young master of the Gu family. Of course, he quickly concealed his emotions and smiled at Gu Xuanzhe. With his refined and handsome appearance, every time he smiled, he exuded a gentle aura, but to the Gu brothers, he seemed like a refined scoundrel.

“Agreements are fine when they benefit me, but when they don’t, why should I keep them?”

Look at that—those words weren’t even proper. Ye Xing said them nonchalantly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if he had Gu Xuanzhe wrapped around his finger.

If this were before, he wouldn’t have dared to be so arrogant and would have followed that “unequal agreement,” since he had fallen into Gu Xuanhao’s hands.

But now, things were different. With leverage in hand, he could afford to be bolder. In his time away, he had gathered some interesting intel and obtained some useful things.

Gu Xuanzhe, a very smart person, also made a mistake, leaving himself vulnerable and giving Ye Xing an opportunity.

A simple word like “love” had unknowingly harmed so many people. For example, him, and Gu Xuanzhe.

Ye Xing’s attitude made Gu Xuanzhe uneasy. It was as if he suddenly felt a dull ache in his temples.

“Ye Xing, are you trying to threaten me?”

Smart people are different. They can understand a lot without having to say it directly.

“Young Master, you’re hurting my feelings. This isn’t a threat, it’s just a mutually beneficial cooperation.”

“Mutually beneficial?” Gu Xuanzhe sneered. “Cooperation? Ye Xing, you really think too much of yourself.”

“No, I know very well that in your eyes, I’m nothing,” Ye Xing said seriously, locking eyes with Gu Xuanzhe. “I just want to see what kind of position Lu Youze holds in your heart.”

“What if I don’t care?”

“Then I don’t mind exposing everything.” Ye Xing’s eyes flashed with coldness. “I’m quite curious to see how Lu Youze will react. After his downfall, his supposed savior will turn out to be the very one who caused him to fall this way. Do you think he’ll break down again? Young Master, I know your capabilities. You don’t care about the media or public opinion, and you can handle it. But does it matter if Lu Youze knows the truth? After all the manpower and resources you’ve invested, you’re really going to give up everything just like that? Are you really going to gamble with me?”

“Don’t you fear that Ah Hao will hate you for life?”

“That’s why it’s a gamble. A gamble to see how much you care about Lu Youze and whether you’re willing to let him suffer this humiliation.”

At this point, Ye Xing smiled again, a touch of mockery and coldness in his expression. “If I don’t get what I want, I don’t mind there being more people like me in this world.”

Gu Xuanzhe’s face showed no expression. Ye Xing couldn’t even sense any change in his emotions. He silently examined Ye Xing, who seemed to be a fox, but was more like a madman in his world—only Gu Xuanhao and others mattered to him.

A deep love, but sadly, it was all misplaced.

“What do you want?” After a long silence, Gu Xuanzhe suddenly spoke.

“I did indeed do some bad things to the second young master out of impulse, but don’t worry, I really didn’t break the agreement, and I promise I won’t act so impulsively in the future.”

Ye Xing knew that although he had leverage over Gu Xuanzhe, the latter’s concern for Lu Youze was even less than he expected. This so-called “threat” wouldn’t have any effect, so since Gu Xuanzhe was willing to compromise, he couldn’t continue being arrogant. He still had to be careful with his words, because if it came down to a “mutually destructive” situation, they would both lose: “But the reason I came today is to ask you for a small favor.”

Gu Xuanzhe didn’t believe a word of Ye Xing’s assurances, but what surprised him was that Ye Xing’s request this time had nothing to do with Ah Hao.

“Ye Xing, stop wasting time.” Gu Xuanzhe said coldly, already growing impatient. “I don’t have the time for word games or riddles in the middle of the night. Just tell me what you want?”

If it had nothing to do with Ah Hao, he wouldn’t need to hesitate for long, because nothing else could be weighed on the same scale as Lu Youze.

“I just like how straightforward the young master is,” Ye Xing said, no longer playing mysterious after the other person had already said as much. “Isn’t your new drama starting tomorrow? I want to insert someone in. It shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Gu Xuanzhe suddenly became alert: “The person you’re trying to insert isn’t Yu Li, right? When did you two get together?”

“It’s just a mutually beneficial arrangement, just like with you and me,” Ye Xing didn’t intend to explain the relationship between him and Yu Li in detail. “Young master, if you agree, I’ll give you the surveillance footage and guarantee that, unless you want him to know, he will never find out the things you don’t want him to.”

Gu Xuanzhe said nothing for a long time. Finally, he replied, “I understand. I’ll arrange it.”

After leaving those words, Gu Xuanzhe didn’t say anything more. He just drove off, leaving in a hurry.

Watching the disappearing luxury car, Ye Xing’s expression grew complicated.

In this round, it seemed he had won the bet.

When Gu Xuanzhe returned home, he didn’t shower or rest. Instead, he went straight to the study. Although he was exhausted and didn’t feel like speaking, he couldn’t sleep without handling things first. He made a call to the bodyguard who had been secretly following Gu Xuanhao, telling him to stay alert and not allow anyone to get too close, especially Ye Xing and Gu Xuanhao from meeting. Then, he dialed a mysterious number, asking the other party to investigate Yu Li thoroughly.

Gu Xuanzhe had always known that Yu Li was not simple, but it seemed that he was even more complicated than he had imagined. What exactly was his goal? Gu Xuanzhe still couldn’t understand the various things Yu Li had done to Lu Youze. However, thanks to Yu Li’s actions, he now had an opportunity.

After briefly dealing with the changes caused by Yu Li’s unexpected involvement, Gu Xuanzhe had no choice but to make a late-night call to Wu Liyi. Though it was impolite to call so late and Wu Liyi surely wouldn’t give him a good reception, Gu Xuanzhe figured that if he waited until morning, Wu Liyi’s eccentric temper would only drag the conversation longer.

As expected, Wu Liyi mocked Gu Xuanzhe, but when he heard that Gu Xuanzhe wanted him to offer a role to Yu Li, he agreed without hesitation. For Wu Liyi, he hadn’t forgotten how he had been “set up,” and he recognized Yu Li’s looks and acting skills.

Once everything was arranged, Gu Xuanzhe didn’t feel relieved. What truly troubled him was how to tell Lu Youze about it.

Gu Xuanzhe closed his computer, grabbed his phone, and stared at Lu Youze’s WeChat profile picture. He had handled deals worth millions or even billions, but now, just sending a simple message to WeChat was something he had to think about for a long time.

“Youze, are you asleep?”

After hesitating for a while, Gu Xuanzhe finally sent the message.

“President Gu, you’re still awake this late?”

To his surprise, the reply came instantly.

“Youze, why aren’t you sleeping so late? Staying up late isn’t good for your health, especially since you’re pregnant now. You should take more care.”

The concerned words came out almost instinctively.

This also reminded Gu Xuanzhe that the production team must prohibit night shoots in the future. Slow work produces fine results, and the Gu family had the money for it.

“President Gu, is that all you wanted to say at this hour?”

“Youze, is it convenient for you to take a call?”

As soon as Gu Xuanzhe sent the message, Lu Youze called him.