Chapter 49

Guo Yixi was trending again—first over He Lao, then her interactions with various directors, and now she was about to spill the real story behind He Wei and Wei Yan's divorce.

Netizens looking for drama seemed to have nothing better to do than lurk online all day. Guo Yixi's follower count didn't drop; it climbed, gaining nearly 300,000 followers in half a day—all drawn in by her so-called bombshell.

Meanwhile, her Weibo was being flooded from all sides.

—Miss Guo, explain yourself. What did you mean by 'bombshell'?

—Attention-seeker! When the Wei Wei and Wei Yan scandal broke, you said nothing. Now you're hinting at 'inside stories'? Hilarious!

—He Wei's fans can keep dancing, keep it up. Maybe she does know something, and when it comes out...

—Pfft, she's just a nobody. Let's see how she pulls this off.

Comments like these poured in without end, more people piling on for the fun of it, refreshing their feeds to catch a front-row seat for Guo Yixi's next post.

The internet was in a frenzy, but the man sitting by the television only glanced up briefly, saying nothing. The woman beside him had slender, jade-like hands, her nails a precise, elegant crimson. She watched Guo Yixi on screen finish speaking and burst into tears, then snapped the TV off.

"Explain this. How does she know?"

He Wei turned to look at Wei Yan. His handsome face was unchanged, his physique more solid from this year's training, muscles taut. Wei Yan lowered his head. "There's no way she knows."

He Wei shook her head. "I don't believe it. She must know something. I won't feel safe with her out there."

Wei Yan rose, moved to sit beside He Wei, wrapped an arm around her waist, and murmured by her ear, "Wei Wei, trust me. She doesn't know a thing."

As he spoke, his hand slid onto He Wei's thigh. She turned her head to look at the man before her.

She had fallen for Wei Yan at first sight.

Not in person, though.

On screen.

His first role was a second male lead, and he wasn't particularly famous then. She stumbled across one of his dramas, spent a few days catching up on it, then wanted to meet him in person.

They were in the same line of work, so pulling some strings made getting in touch easy. Coincidentally, there was a TV drama looking for a lead actress around that time, and she happened to learn that Wei Yan was the lead actor.

She paid a price for that role.

But it was worth it.

She got to act with Wei Yan, fall in love with him, and even marry him.

Everything went according to the plan she had imagined.

But life is life—there are always slip-ups.

When He Wei discovered that this slip-up wasn't enough to keep them apart, she felt lost.

At that moment, she was like a gambler standing at a casino table.

All in, win or lose.

Fortunately, she won.

He Wei pushed Wei Yan away, her eyes cold and clear. She was no longer the woman from three years ago who would be charmed senseless by a few sweet words from him. She said flatly, "I think I need to reconsider the remarriage you proposed earlier."

With that, she stood up, grabbed her bag from the sofa, and made for the door. Wei Yan shot up after her. "Why?"

"Wei Wei, I thought you'd already made up your mind."

He Wei stood straight. "Once you've dealt with Guo Yixi, then I'll have made up my mind."

Wei Yan watched her walk out of the apartment, her high heels clicking, and let out a sigh as he sank back onto the sofa. Not long after, a knock came at the door, and Jiang Yuan called from the entrance, "Wei Yan."

The door opened, and Jiang Yuan stepped in, carrying a few bottles of beer. He walked in with practiced ease, sat down on the sofa, placed the beers down, and said, "Come on, let's drink."

"I know you're feeling pent up."

Wei Yan gave a bitter smile. "How did you know?"

Jiang Yuan pointed at his own eyes. "The speculation online is everywhere; I'm not blind. And I know He Wei well enough to predict her reactions."

"So, what conditions did she set?"

Wei Yan cracked open a can with one hand, took a sip, and said, "Nothing much."

Jiang Yuan stared at the beer can in front of him, his voice low. "Wei Yan, I'm the one who brought you up in this industry. I don't want to see you fall. You should know you're about to become the youngest Best Actor in the industry. This is no time for mistakes."

"What's the real story behind Guo Yixi? What 'inside story' about the divorce is she referring to?"

"You have to tell me everything, completely. Only when I know all the details can I counterattack in the shortest time."

Wei Yan tilted his head back and downed an entire can. His relationship with Jiang Yuan had indeed long surpassed ordinary friendship—they were confidants. Over the years, Jiang Yuan had never proactively asked about his divorce.

If not for Guo Yixi leaking it this time,

he probably wouldn't have asked either.

Wei Yan believed that, apart from his parents, the only person in the world who wouldn't harm him and truly wanted the best for him was Jiang Yuan.

Because they were in the same boat—when the wind and waves came, they'd weather them together; if they couldn't hold on, they'd sink together.

Jiang Yuan didn't press him either. He silently waited as Wei Yan finished three cans, then listened to him explain the course of events in a hoarse, simple manner. The more he listened, the darker his expression turned.

Wei Yan didn't notice Jiang Yuan's expression change. When he finished, he tilted his head back and collapsed onto the sofa. "That's it."

Jiang Yuan turned to look at him. "Are you sure that woman won't sell you out?"

Wei Yan curled the corner of his mouth. "She won't. I have leverage on her."

Jiang Yuan asked, "What is it?"

Wei Yan rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's... forget it. You just need to know she can't betray me. There's nothing else. That's all."

Jiang Yuan let out a silent sigh. "I understand. For now, let me keep an eye on Guo Yixi's side. If necessary, we'll need to meet her."

Wei Yan waved a hand. "Make the arrangements."

Jiang Yuan stood up, looked down at Wei Yan, and said, "By the way, I've brought you the script for 【Dawn】. Should I put it in your study?"

Wei Yan had a slight headache after drinking—he was never good with alcohol—and hummed in response. "Put it in my study."

Seeing his state, Jiang Yuan frowned and said, "【Dawn】 hasn't announced any casting news externally yet. It can't leak from your side. How about this—I remember you usually lock up important things. I'll put it away for you."

"This absolutely must not be shown to anyone else, not even your assistant."

Wei Yan noticed how serious he was, frowned, but then stood up. "I'll take it."

Jiang Yuan grabbed his wrist. "No, don't. Look at you—you can barely walk. Where's the key? Give it to me, and I'll go put it in."

Wei Yan had no choice but to sit back down on the sofa. He handed the key to Jiang Yuan. "Here."

Jiang Yuan's lips curled up slightly. As he turned away, his gaze turned cold. He walked straight into the study, stood expressionless in front of the cabinet, and unlocked it with the key.

He just slightly positioned his body to block the security camera's view.

After placing the item inside, he turned and left.

Wei Yan seemed to have dozed off. Jiang Yuan handed the key back to him. "I'll head off then."

"Okay."

Wei Yan answered with his eyes closed. When he heard the apartment door click shut, he got up and walked into the study. He didn't look at the cabinet, but instead turned to the computer and pulled up a video clip.

In the footage, Jiang Yuan entered the room with an impassive expression, took a file out of his briefcase, and before putting it away, glanced down at the document—nothing out of the ordinary.

Wei Yan shut off the computer and left the study.

Outside the apartment, Jiang Yuan sent a message to Chi Wanzhao: "CEO Chi, got one."

Chi Wanzhao looked at the text and the photo on her phone, and the furrow between her brows finally eased a little.

Her fingers tapped on the office desk, one after another, rhythmically, her gaze fixed on the photo on the screen—a costume test shot. Kong Xiyan was dressed in luxurious ancient attire, eyes bright and captivating, lips red, teeth white; just a single photo conveyed the aura of a prime minister's daughter.

Chi Wanzhao furrowed her brows, looked at her phone, and tapped her finger on Kong Xiyan's name. After thinking for a moment, she pressed the screen off.

A short while later, Zhou Sheng entered, holding documents, and knocked on the door. He placed the documents on the desk and, seeing Chi Wanzhao still busy, lowered his head and called out, "CEO Chi."

Chi Wanzhao turned her head. "Hmm?"

Zhou Sheng asked, "You previously mentioned wanting to change your wife's assistant."

Chi Wanzhao recalled Kong Xiyan's attitude last night and looked down. "Hold off for now."

"She likes her, so let her keep her."

Zhou Sheng, seeing her tense profile, lowered his head. "Understood."

At the apartment, Kong Xiyan was washing vegetables.

She had just gone out with Yanyan to buy a lot of groceries, planning to have dinner ready before Chi Wanzhao came home—consider it her way of apologizing.

She had tossed and turned over last night's events for a long time and had come to realize that Chi Wanzhao wasn't wrong. She had even been thinking from Kong Xiyan's perspective when she suggested replacing Fu Qiu. After all, whether as a woman still tainted by the homewrecker scandal or as the exalted Mrs. Chi, she couldn't afford to have someone as slow as Fu Qiu around.

A careless word could blow up into a major story.

Staying out of trouble herself wouldn't be enough. Fu Qiu was still her assistant, after all—there was no way it wouldn't drag her down too.

But last night, Chi Wanzhao's tone had reminded her of that night in Changning Village, when she had said coldly, "Miss Kong, if you were really so good at reading people, you wouldn't have been deceived three years ago."

It was stubborn pride.

That was why she hadn't controlled her temper, flaring up at that moment.

Kong Xiyan washed her hands, placed the pork ribs into the pressure cooker, added the seasonings, set the timer, and then stood quietly in the kitchen, waiting. When Chi Wanzhao got home from work, she saw her standing there, looking vacant.

"What are you doing?"

Chi Wanzhao's sudden voice snapped Kong Xiyan back to reality. She lowered her head. "Nothing."

Chi Wanzhao scanned the kitchen briefly, then retracted her gaze without a word, set down her bag, and went upstairs.

At dinner time, Kong Xiyan went upstairs and knocked on the door. Seeing Chi Wanzhao come out in her pajamas, she pursed her lips. "Dinner's ready."

Chi Wanzhao's eyes met her bright gaze, her own full of complex emotions, and she gave a brief "Mm."

The two sat down across from each other. Yanyan jumped onto the dining table, lay off to the side, and with its round eyes looked back and forth between Kong Xiyan and Chi Wanzhao. Finally, it meowed twice and curled up to sleep.

Kong Xiyan served Chi Wanzhao a bowl of rice and handed it to her. The apartment was so quiet that the only sound was Yanyan's purring.

Both of them ate in silence at the table.

Kong Xiyan glanced at Chi Wanzhao's expression out of the corner of her eye, opened her mouth, and said, "About last night..."

"Last night..."

Chi Wanzhao spoke at the same time. She relaxed her brows. "You go first."

Kong Xiyan lowered her head. "I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have said that."

Chi Wanzhao set down her chopsticks. "It was my fault. I made a unilateral decision without discussing it with you first, and I didn't take your feelings into account. It's only natural you were upset."

Kong Xiyan quickly interjected, "No, I can understand."

Chi Wanzhao looked at her steadily, her eyes dark and bright. "No, you don't understand."

Kong Xiyan: ...