Chapter 7.1

Yan Zhao was not surprised to receive the “warm greetings” from Aunt Tang.

After all, they were comrades who had dug pits, stabbed knives, and buried soil together. However, suddenly, he fiercely defended that little unlucky guy, and if Tang Jingyan wasn’t angry, there must be something fishy.

When her high-pitched voice raged out of the microphone for three days without stopping, Yan Zhao felt that it was a wise decision to have just run out of the practice room. Otherwise, in the empty lounge, her words would definitely echo.

He wasn’t interested in letting others witness his excitement.

Tang Jingyan was an impatient person, and she went straight to the point: “Yan Zhao, you really disappoint me! Why are you protecting Shen Yuanting? Do you suddenly overflow with sympathy, or do you want to repent and be a good person?”

It seems that even the antagonist has self-awareness, knowing that they’re doing bad things.

Yan Zhao was facing the window. The weather today was bright, dispelling the gloom of the past few days, and his mood improved a lot.

With a playful tone, he pretended to be innocent: “No, I’m infiltrating the enemy camp, taking the opportunity to gain Shen Yuanting’s trust.”

Tang Jingyan wasn’t fooled and said angrily, “Are you shooting a TV drama? Do you think I’m a fool?!”

Yan Zhao looked up at the sky, where clouds floated. His black eyes were illuminated, not as dark as a pool of ink indoors but revealing a subtle shade of brown, enhancing his already handsome appearance: “Anyway, whatever I say won’t satisfy you. Is it so bad to pick a reason you like?”

“So you’re saying that your bullshit actually shows concern for me?!” Tang Jingyan gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t forget how you married into the Shen family and who helped you rise in the entertainment industry! I can easily ruin you if I want to!”

“Hmm…?” Yan Zhao furrowed his brow, then relaxed and said cheerfully, “If you can do it, then go ahead.”

He wasn’t afraid of her so-called threats. To put it bluntly, if Tang Jingyan really capable, she wouldn’t have suffered as a mistress for several years and then struggled for her son’s inheritance rights after becoming the main wife.

If she had that kind of spare time, why not become a pampered mermaid ^[1]Pampered mermaid is an upgraded version of a salted fish? How delightful that would be.

“Fine, you!” Tang Jingyan was furious. Somehow, a spark of inspiration flashed through her mind, and she suddenly uttered a long “Ooh” like a scheming aunt in a palace drama, saying, “Are you expecting Shen Yuanting to give you benefits?”

Yan Zhao answered quickly and arrogantly, his jet-black hair tinged with a hint of golden color in the sunlight: “No need.”

He wasn’t a canary waiting to be fed by its owner.

Tang Jingyan sneered, clearly not believing his words. “Let me tell you, no matter what you’re plotting, don’t expect Shen Yuanting to help you. He’s too busy taking care of himself!”

Yan Zhao asked, “What happened to him?”

Tang Jingyan proudly said, “It’s all thanks to your ‘help’ that day. Mr. Shen^[2]Mr. Shen = Shen Yuanting’s father was furious, and now the board is working together to suspend his position!”

Yan Zhao rested his hand on the window sill, his knuckles slightly flexing inward, with his fingertips touching the slightly cool edge of the window.

Shen Yuanting being suspended was part of the plot when the information was leaked. He had helped Shen Yuanting avoid it, but now fate had returned to square one?

Tang Jingyan heard his silence and said, “What, regretting now? Let me tell you, even if you beg me now, it’s useless!”

Yan Zhao casually tapped the window frame with his fingers, not feeling any regret worthy of mention. “Aunt, don’t get too happy too soon. It’s just a temporary advantage. The outcome is still uncertain.”

Unconvinced, Tang Jingyan scoffed, “You’re just being stubborn. Wait until Zhongkai inherits the company, then we’ll see where you end up crying!”

Tang Jingyan hung up the phone, touched up her makeup in front of the mirror, opened the car door, slung her Hermès bag over her shoulder, and gracefully entered the company.

The employees in the building greeted her with smiles, and she couldn’t help but smile, caressing the diamond ring on her ring finger as if she were a queen touching her crown.

No one dared to stop her; she had a smooth and unobstructed path. Pushing open the door to the CEO’s office, in the spacious room, Shen Zhongkai was sitting in the chair behind the desk, leaning back with his head tilted and legs crossed, resembling a spread-out starfish.

He turned his head, maintaining a bold posture. “Mom, why are you here so late?”

Tang Jingyan surveyed the office layout. “Isn’t it because of some ungrateful person? He made a bad investment, and I kindly advised him. Instead of being grateful, he talks about some convoluted sense of victory. Ha, trying to win with a bad hand, how ridiculous.”

She let go of the doorknob, slowly closing the door. As the view compressed to a small slit, she stopped.

Shen Zhongkai quickly got up from his chair, standing upright with proper posture, no trace of his previous nonchalance. He called out, “Elder brother!”

Tang Jingyan stiffened, turned her head, and found a pair of light-colored eyes looking down at her, almost like the eyes of a snake.

Shen Yuanting passed by indifferently, walking to the desk. Shen Zhongkai immediately moved aside, avoiding any contact with him.

Seeing her son’s timid demeanor, Tang Jingyan couldn’t contain her frustration, furrowing her brows mockingly, “The bad hand has arrived, hasn’t it?”

Shen Yuanting had been standing behind her just now, naturally hearing her mocking remarks towards someone, but it was limited to hearing only.

Tang Jingyan had plenty of people she disliked. Without being explicit, a brief evaluation wouldn’t accurately identify who she was talking about.

But with that statement, the target of her mockery was unmistakably identified.

That person seemed foolish but oddly astute in certain aspects, like placing a bet on himself.

**

Yan Zhao retraced his steps. As he pushed open the door, he heard a clear voice saying, “Yan Ge, being opportunistic might gain popularity, but it’s all superficial. They’re just fair-weather fans; their true colors will show soon enough.”

“Yunfan!” Qiu Chengtian reminded, lowering his head, pretending to be busy.

Ning Yunfan turned around, looking embarrassed, and said, “Yan Ge, have you finished your call?”

—I don’t want to make a call now; I want to talk to you.

The warm atmosphere of the sunny day dissipated, and Yan Zhao’s mouth tightened as he spoke displeasedly, “It seems I should have waited a bit longer for you to finish speaking. But you have time for gossip, yet no time to practice? It’s not good for someone like me, who takes advantage of opportunities, to hold the C position.”

Ning Yunfan knew that Yan Zhao had heard everything just now. He lowered his eyelids, showing a gesture of concession, and softly said, “That’s not what I meant. My language skills are not good, and you know that. If I made you angry, I apologize.”

Qiu Chengtian and Ning Yunfan were good friends, and Qiu Chengtian couldn’t let him feel wronged. Upon hearing this, he immediately interjected, “Yan Zhao, why are you getting upset? Yunfan is just worried that your speculation about a scandal might backfire. Think about it, his point is valid. Relying on sensationalism rather than talent to attract fans, isn’t that opportunistic?”

Yan Zhao furrowed his brows slightly, shifting his dark gaze towards Qiu Chengtian, puzzled, “Scandal?”

He had been keeping a low profile these days, sticking to home and the training room. Where could a scandal come from? Unless it was… Shen Yuanting?

That day, he was overwhelmed by the public’s attention when he was wrapped up like a polar bear. He even heard rumors like [“CEO Shen has a secret boyfriend, had a heated argument with Director Sheng over endorsing him, and angrily suspended a meeting.”] While the keywords were correct, the rumor completely distorted the facts.

In the bustling Shen Corporation, with numerous visitors besides employees, being recognized wasn’t entirely impossible.

Qiu Chengtian straightforwardly said, “That’s right, it’s been circulating these past few days and even made it to the top search headlines. I mean, is the other person on your level? He looks aloof, has a bad temper, and holds influence. By approaching him like this, aren’t you afraid of being shut down?”

Aloof, difficult to deal with, influential.

After hearing these words, Yan Zhao became more certain that the subject of the scandal was Shen Yuanting. Given that his original self was a male idol, and the Shen family didn’t acknowledge his identity, both sides kept their marital relationship confidential. Most people still thought they were single.

So they had normal contact as a married couple, but it was misinterpreted as an impure relationship between two men!