Chapter 66: He Likes Him

"S-Song Zhehan, don't talk nonsense!" Zhang Qiran glared at Song Zhehan.

The guests present all turned their heads, their gazes landing on Zhang Qiran.

With the garden lights fully illuminated, everyone could clearly see the fleeting panic on Zhang Qiran's face under the bright streetlights.

Ye Leyao was also taken aback by what he saw.

"Hmm, that remark from Song Zhehan was clearly meant to scare Zhang Qiran, but why do I feel like Zhang Qiran was genuinely startled? Could it be that there's some big scandal about him, making him feel guilty?"

He Yan and Qin Yao simultaneously raised their eyes to look at Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao fell into deep thought.

Song Zhehan seemed somewhat surprised by Zhang Qiran's reaction; a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes before he smiled gently. "I wasn't talking nonsense. I just felt moved when I saw Yu Bai being taken away."

Li Siyuan chuckled directly. "What a touching moment indeed."

Zhang Qiran: "…"

After several seconds, Zhang Qiran barely managed to curve his lips, took a step to the side, putting some distance between himself and Song Zhehan, and whispered, "That joke isn't funny."

The corner of Song Zhehan's mouth curved up as he laughed happily. "Well, it was just a joke. There's no need for such a big reaction, is there?"

"When did I overreact?" Zhang Qiran couldn't hold back anymore, his tone slightly rising. "I just, I just…"

"What's the matter with you then?" Song Zhehan blinked innocently, seemingly very curious.

Zhang Qiran stuttered for a moment before suddenly shifting his gaze. "Don't get so close to me!"

"Alright, alright, I know you dislike me." Song Zhehan wore an expression of helpless amusement, turning to Zhou Zijian beside him. "Brother Zhou, look at this. He claims he didn't react much! Is this not considered a big reaction?"

Zhou Zijian: "…"

Why did you suddenly drag me into this?!

Zhou Zijian sighed inwardly and spoke up to mediate. "Alright, alright, it's getting late, and everyone must be hungry. I'll go ask the director how we're handling tonight's ingredients."

Without waiting for Song Zhehan's response or paying any attention to Zhang Qiran beside him, Zhou Zijian walked briskly toward the director's group.

He moved quickly.

As soon as Zhou Zijian left, Wen Xiangyue naturally followed suit.

Liu Yan, fearing that Song Zhehan might turn his attention to her next, also walked away with Wen Xiangyue.

Qian Yue said to Xia Yang, "Let's go, we should chat too."

Yu Bai had been temporarily taken away, but this matter was far from over.

Both Qian Yue and Xia Yang needed time to think about what to do next.

More importantly, their fans were waiting for their responses, and they had to give them an explanation.

Additionally, since they were still in the middle of filming the show, they had to act quickly.

Xia Yang nodded and left with Qian Yue.

Looking back at Zhang Qiran,

after a brief loss of emotional control and panic, he had now regained his composure. Watching Qian Yue and Xia Yang leave, he finally muttered, "I'll go help Brother Zhou," before running off.

A hint of regret flashed in Song Zhehan's eyes.

Li Siyuan leaned in. "He doesn't handle surprises well."

"That's not quite right," Song Zhehan corrected him. "I didn't scare him."

Li Siyuan knew that Song Zhehan had a dark heart. Since he had already said that, there was no need to expose him.

He smiled and changed the subject. "Alright, shall we go help out too?"

Song Zhehan had no objections this time and glanced at Ye Leyao.

At this moment, Ye Leyao had put away his phone, and there was a rare look of confusion and bewilderment on his face.

"It's strange, I didn't find any scandals about Zhang Qiran."

"Other than taking over a few roles and endorsements from Song Zhehan and maintaining his public image, he doesn't have any other moral or character-related scandals."

"So here's the question, what exactly is Zhang Qiran panicking about?"

After hearing Ye Leyao's thoughts, He Yan and Qin Yao were also somewhat puzzled.

In the entertainment industry, it was common for artists to have roles and endorsements snatched away from them. Although such incidents were criticized, they didn't necessarily rise to the level of moral or character issues.

So, what was Zhang Qiran panicking about?

Could it be that there was a scandal that even Ye Leyao didn't know about?

Qin Yao and He Yan looked at Ye Leyao at the same time.

Upon seeing him, Qin Yao immediately furrowed his brows.

It was He Yan who spoke up first. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Ye Leyao's arm, and frowned. "What happened to your arm?"

Hearing He Yan's exclamation, Ye Leyao finally snapped back to reality. Looking at his own arm, he was also startled. "Ah, I got bitten by a mosquito!"

"It's so itchy. I was too busy munching on melon earlier and didn't notice I got bitten."

Huoyan: "…"

Yele Yao had always had very fair skin. Whenever he was bitten by mosquitoes or bugs, a large lump would swell up at the site of the bite, making it particularly noticeable. It wouldn't subside for less than a week.

"Did you bring any medicine?" Huoyan asked, his tone filled with exasperation.

Yele Yao thought for a moment. "I think I did… right?"

"What kind of 'right' is that!" Huoyan was speechless. "I'll go ask the doctor."

Qinyao then spoke up, "I brought some. How about we go to my room to get it?"

Huoyan nodded. "That works. You two go fetch the medicine, and I'll follow to check out the ingredients."

The two groups separated.

As Yele Yao followed Qinyao upstairs, he couldn't help but wonder what Zhang Qiran had been panicking about just now.

But after pondering for a while, he still came up empty-handed.

Could it be that he had missed something?

Yele Yao decided not to dwell on it anymore. He turned to look at Qinyao beside him and lowered his voice to ask, "President Qin, have your people started leaking information?"

Qinyao gave a slight nod.

For today's incident, he had made many preparations in advance.

As soon as Yubai stumbled during the show recording, related leaks would immediately surface online.

Qinyao wanted to ensure that Yubai could never make a comeback, and at the same time, give a warning to the people behind him.

Yele Yao, of course, had no idea what Qinyao was thinking. All he knew was that there was more juicy gossip to consume!

So Yele Yao quickly took out his phone and opened Weibo.

Out of the top ten trending topics, seven were related to Yubai.

Yele Yao couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curl up, somewhat maliciously. "Yubai is really famous now."

Qinyao couldn't resist smiling, not denying it.

Clicking on the first topic, the first Weibo post that popped up was a summary of all the gossip about Yubai.

Not only did the summary provide detailed introductions to the main characters in Yubai's past relationships, but it also introduced Zhang Tao to the public, the boy who had been bullied by Yubai in school years ago. A series of evidence was listed, making the accusations as solid as they could be.

They had already arrived at Qinyao's room.

Qinyao told Yele Yao to sit wherever he liked, and Yele Yao sat down on the sofa before asking Qinyao, "President Qin, you must have had these pieces of evidence in your possession for a long time, right?"

It had only been a few short minutes since Yubai was taken away. No matter how quickly things escalated online, it was impossible for a summary of all the gossip to be put together in such a short span of time.

So this Weibo post could only be the work of Qinyao. These pieces of evidence should have been in Qinyao's possession for a long time, but he hadn't released them until now.

Qinyao pulled out his suitcase and then glanced at the room's camera, confirming that it was turned off before nodding. "Yes, I've been waiting for this opportunity today."

Qinyao paused, then looked up at Yele Yao and smiled. "Speaking of which, I have to thank you."

Although Qinyao had indeed prepared for quite some time, he still needed an opportunity.

Originally, Qinyao planned to wait for Qianyue and Xia Yang to slowly come to their senses and confront Yubai.

But unexpectedly, Yele Yao's accidental intervention had smoothly resolved the situation.

Yele Yao was a bit confused.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"I don't think I did anything?"

"It was just good luck, right?"

Qinyao took out the medicine from his suitcase, a smile playing on his lips.

This good luck wasn't something everyone could have, so he still wanted to thank Yele Yao.

Handing the ointment to Yele Yao, Qinyao asked, "Can you apply it yourself?"

Yele Yao took the ointment and nodded.

After leaving the garden, under the bright lights, the swollen red spots on Yele Yao's arms and legs became even more apparent.

Qinyao carefully examined them and noticed that not only were his arms and legs affected, but there was also a large red spot on the back of Yele Yao's fair neck.

Yele Yao winced as he applied the medicine to himself. "You know, these mosquitoes are quite picky about where they bite. They didn't touch my face."

Qinyao found it amusing and reached out towards Yele Yao.

Yele Yao looked up in confusion.

Qinyao said, "There's another one on the back of your neck. Let me help you apply it."

Yele Yao responded with an "oh," obediently handing the ointment to Qinyao and turning around to face away from him.

The villa they were staying in this time was larger, so it naturally had more amenities indoors.

Not only did Qinyao's room have a small living room, but it also came equipped with a bathroom.

Ye Leyao turned around, facing the glass door of the bathroom. Their reflections appeared on the glass door, allowing Ye Leyao to clearly see every move Qin Yao made.

He watched as Qin Yao applied ointment onto his fingers, slightly lowering his head, with his slightly long, disheveled hair covering his deep-set eyes. Then, with a cool touch, the ointment on Qin Yao's fingers came into contact with Ye Leyao's neck.

Ye Leyao couldn't help but flinch forward slightly.

Qin Yao's voice sounded right behind his ear. "Does it hurt?"

Ye Leyao blinked.

It wasn't pain he felt.

Just a bit cold.

And for some inexplicable reason, this scene seemed oddly familiar to Ye Leyao, as if it wasn't their first time experiencing this.

Could it be that Qin Yao had applied medicine to him when they were kids?

Ye Leyao didn't quite understand, but he didn't dwell on it, because he actually enjoyed Qin Yao applying medicine to him; it was like a part of his heart was being filled.

Ye Leyao smiled and said, "No pain."

Qin Yao nodded, continuing his actions.

His warm fingers spread the ointment evenly over the swollen area before quickly withdrawing.

"Done," Qin Yao said, then handed the ointment to Ye Leyao. "Keep the medicine. Remember to apply it again before you sleep tonight."

Ye Leyao took the ointment, turning to flash a smile at Qin Yao. "Alright, thank you, President Qin."

Qin Yao didn't say anything more, turning to wash his hands in the bathroom before following Ye Leyao downstairs.

Zhou Zijian and the others had already brought back the ingredients, and surprisingly, even Qian Yue was helping out in the kitchen.

Seeing this, Ye Leyao's eyes widened slightly.

Before he could ask, Song Zhehan approached him. "Her brother personally came to help her sort things out, so she doesn't have to worry about anything. It's truly enviable."

Ye Leyao couldn't help but laugh, sincerely suggesting, "Then why don't you find a lawyer as your partner?"

Zhang Qiran glanced at the two of them before quickly looking away.

Song Zhehan noticed Zhang Qiran's gaze, the corner of his mouth curling up as he rolled his eyes at Ye Leyao. "Forget it."

Upon hearing their conversation, Li Siyuan casually asked, "Why? Are you afraid you won't win in an argument?"

Song Zhehan snorted. "Do you think I would lose?"

"You still underestimate our Teacher Gou Shi," Ye Leyao said, looking at Li Siyuan, and shook his head.

Song Zhehan raised an eyebrow, aiming his gun at Ye Leyao. "What did you just call me?"

Ye Leyao blinked slowly twice, then turned and ran toward the kitchen. "I'm going to help out!"

Li Siyuan couldn't hold back a laugh. "What's wrong? You don't like your new nickname?"

Song Zhehan didn't spare him a glance, turning to leave. "Shut up, Mr. Violence."

Li Siyuan: "…"

Viewers in the live stream could no longer contain themselves upon seeing this.

"Ye Leyao lives up to his 5G surfing speed; he even calls Teacher Gou Shi by name!"

"Don't forget, our King of Gossip is a man who stands at the pinnacle of all rumors. What doesn't he know?"

"Yes, yes, but seriously, I find their bickering quite entertaining—hahaha…"

"Agreed! I can't control my smiling anymore."

The chat was unusually calm for a moment.

Then someone said,

"Quick, go look! Xia Yang's side has issued a statement!"

"Not only has Xia Yang's side issued a statement, but Qian Yue's studio has too!"

With Yu Bai's situation escalating to this point, while some netizens hadn't finished digesting the drama, it was now clear that Yu Bai would have no chance of making a comeback.

In these two statements from Xia Yang and Qian Yue, they not only detailed the exact times they were with Yu Bai but also provided all evidence of Yu Bai pursuing them.

There were screenshots, and even audio recordings!

Despite Yu Bai being thoroughly exposed, upon seeing the evidence presented by both sides, netizens and fans couldn't help but feel angry.

"They were together on consecutive days?"

"So Yu Bai was chasing after Qian Yue while also pursuing Xia Yang, and he actually managed to win them both over?"

"D*mn, it makes me so mad! I can't even get one partner, yet you, Yu Bai, had two at once? You're truly scum!"

"He didn't just have two; there were also two ex-boyfriends and an ex-girlfriend he hadn't completely cut ties with…six people at once."

"…It's infuriatingly hilarious. I can't believe I used to be such a genuine fan of Yu Bai…"

"It's not too late to stop being a fan now! We can just switch to supporting someone else, qaq."

The online community buzzed with lively discussions throughout the night.

After dinner, Ye Leyao spent his time scrolling through Weibo in bed until midnight, finally putting down his phone with satisfaction to catch some sleep.

The next morning, Ye Leyao was roused from his slumber by Huo Yan's knock on the door.

Glancing at the clock, it was only half past six in the morning.

With bleary eyes, Ye Leyao opened the door for Huo Yan, his face a picture of grievance. "What do you want this early in the morning?"

Huo Yan was speechless as he thrust a tube of ointment into Ye Leyao's hands. "Mom and Dad heard about the mosquito bites yesterday. They specially brought this over early this morning."

Huo Yan then yawned long and hard.

Ye Leyao suddenly became more alert. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

At this, Huo Yan's tone turned somewhat resentful. "They're out for a walk. For some reason, they've been waking up exceptionally early lately, calling me at five in the morning to fetch the medicine..."

Ye Leyao looked at Huo Yan in disbelief. "So that's why you came to wake me up at six?"

Huo Yan chuckled. "Brothers share each other's burdens!"

"Thanks a lot!"

Ye Leyao glared at Huo Yan, saying nothing as he reached to close the door.

Unfazed by the glare, Huo Yan lowered his voice and said to Ye Leyao, "Don't go back to sleep. The weather is nice today. You, a young man, should get out and move around more."

In response, Huo Yan received a heavy huff.

Huo Yan smiled, not bothering Ye Leyao any further, and headed downstairs to catch up on his sleep.

After being disturbed, Ye Leyao found it difficult to fall back asleep. He decided to get dressed, freshen up, apply the ointment, and head downstairs for a stroll.

When they arrived at the villa the previous day, it was already late, so he hadn't had the chance to explore the surroundings properly.

As Ye Leyao descended the stairs, the videographer followed him out.

He first made his way to the river behind the villa.

It was an artificial river, lined on both banks with numerous rose bushes. It was mid-summer, and the flowers were in full bloom.

After wandering for a while, Ye Leyao headed towards the nearby forest.

But before he could take more than a few steps, a familiar voice, tinged with despair, rang out—

"I won't! I'm going to break the contract! So what if I do? I can afford the penalty fee! I just don't want to film anymore!"

Ye Leyao paused, then swiftly turned to look at the videographer.

The camera teacher's hands trembled with excitement.

What kind of luck is this?!

Last night, Yu Bai and Xia Yang were encountered in the garden.

How could Ye Le Yao, just by waking up and wandering around this morning, bump into Zhang Qiran making a phone call here?!

And he even said he didn't want to participate in the show anymore, that he was going to break his contract—

The camera teacher stared intently at Ye Le Yao.

Ye Le Yao was even more stunned:

"Can it be? Am I really that lucky?"

"And what's wrong with Zhang Qiran? Could it be that he was really frightened by Song Zhehan's words last night?"

"But I really didn't think there was any dirt on Zhang Qiran... Could it be that I remembered wrong?"

At the same time.

Huo Yan, who had just fallen asleep, opened his weary eyes upon hearing this voice.

How did there suddenly become more dirt?

Is Ye Le Yao eavesdropping on Zhang Qiran?

Qin Yao quickly sat up from his bed, then reached for his tablet and tapped into Ye Le Yao's live stream.

As soon as he opened it, he heard Zhang Qiran's aggrieved voice, laced with a hint of sobbing:

"But... sniffle, sniffle, but I don't want to continue recording. Screw finding face, why do I have to find face in front of Song Zhehan? He's like a mad dog now, biting me whenever he gets the chance, I can't take it anymore..."

Ye Le Yao barely held back his laughter.

"Hahahaha—"

"Alright, we can now basically confirm that Zhang Qiran was scared by Teacher Goushi's words last night."

"So what dirt do you actually have?!"

Ye Le Yao, unable to get to the bottom of things, was somewhat anxious, but he couldn't rush now; he still had to listen further.

Not knowing what was said on the other end of the phone to Zhang Qiran, his emotions seemed to finally stabilize a bit, and he continued: "But... I really don't want to record anymore. I know that even if this matter is exposed, it wouldn't matter much, but... but I... but if this matter really gets out, Song Zhehan will mock me for the rest of my life! That Ye Le Yao is also a little scary..."

"Yeah, he's not important now, but I just don't want him to have something over me... Anything else would be fine, but not this! Not this!"

Zhang Qiran seemed to have touched on a sore spot, his voice choking with emotion.

Ye Leyao turned to look at the cameraman again.

"Why does he still look like he's about to cry?"

"Would it be inappropriate for me to listen further?"

Just as Ye Leyao was about to signal the cameraman to leave, she heard Zhang Qiran's voice from behind her—

"Their show is truly terrifying... I'm really scared!"

This time, Ye Leyao couldn't hold back and started coughing violently.

"How could you still be so frightened? Our show doesn't eat people!"

Because of Ye Leyao's coughing fit, Zhang Qiran, who was not far away, heard her. He turned around with a look of horror on his face. "You—Ye Leyao? What are you doing here?"

After coughing for a while, tears welled up in the corners of Ye Leyao's eyes before she gradually calmed down. Watching Zhang Qiran approach, she took a deep breath. "I... why don't you go back and watch my live stream recordings? I really just happened to pass by!"

"And besides, I didn't hear anything specific. All I heard was that you said you didn't want to participate in our show anymore."

After all, Ye Leyao had thoroughly reviewed all the plotlines related to Song Zhehan last night, and she hadn't come across any juicy gossip about Zhang Qiran.

But Ye Leyao vaguely remembered that Zhang Qiran did have some sort of scandal, though she couldn't recall what it was exactly.

However, one thing was certain: Zhang Qiran hadn't done anything morally reprehensible.

So Ye Leyao asked with genuine concern, "Are you alright?"

Zhang Qiran: "..."

Zhang Qiran's face flushed red.

Why did it have to be Ye Leyao who stumbled upon him again?!

Zhang Qiran had seen all the trending topics last night and realized that Ye Leyao was essentially a walking gossip queen, seemingly able to uncover any scandal!

If Ye Leyao found out about his secret—

For a moment, Zhang Qiran felt like he couldn't breathe.

After a long pause, Zhang Qiran barely remembered that there was still a cameraman present.

But at this point, he really didn't have the energy to hide anything. "Forget it, it doesn't matter if you heard. I didn't want to be part of your show anyway..."

As he spoke, Zhang Qiran seemed almost resigned to his fate, turning around and heading towards the villa.

Leaving Ye Leyao and the cameraman staring at each other in disbelief.

"He didn't even smile at me," Ye Leyao said to the cameraman.

Could it be that Zhang Qiran also planned to drop the act?

How would the cameraman know?

All he knew was that the number of people in Ye Leyao's live stream had started to surge again, and the director was telling him through his earpiece to stay hidden and not get caught.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Leyao coughed, giving himself away.

Ye Leyao hadn't expected the cameraman to give him an answer. Since it was still early, he wandered around nearby. It was almost seven o'clock before he leisurely returned to the villa.

By this time, most of the guests had already woken up.

Zhou Zijian was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, with Qian Yue, Liu Yan, and others assisting him.

He Yan and Qin Yao looked up at him simultaneously when they heard him return.

Ye Leyao scanned the room and asked, "Where's Zhang Qiran?"

Song Zhehan raised his head slightly upon hearing this. "Why are you suddenly concerned about Zhang Qiran?"

Ye Leyao cleared his throat lightly. "I just... accidentally bumped into him while he was on the phone..."

Li Siyuan widened his eyes. "You didn't happen to overhear something again, did you?"

Ye Leyao nodded.

It was truly a bit awkward!

Eavesdropping wasn't good, so Ye Leyao still wanted to find Zhang Qiran to sincerely apologize.

Just then, Qin Yao said, "His agent contacted the director, saying he's feeling unwell and wants to withdraw from this episode's filming."

Ye Leyao: "Ah? He really is going to withdraw?"

Li Siyuan instantly turned to look at Song Zhehan. "It can't be because you scared him off, right?"

Song Zhehan was speechless. "What did I scare him with?"

After a pause, Song Zhehan continued, "Besides, he hates me so much already. How could he possibly make a fuss about withdrawing from the show just because of me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Leyao's pupils constricted sharply.

"Hate?"

"Zhang Qiran hates Song Zhehan?"

"No, Zhang Qiran shouldn't hate Song Zhehan..."

The blocked memories suddenly flooded Ye Leyao's mind, and his pitch rose sharply. "I remember!!!"

Huo Yan closed his eyes.

I almost couldn't resist the urge to cover my ears with my hands.

Ye Leyao!

Can't you speak more quietly in your heart?

Qin Yao reached up to press his temples, telling himself in his heart to get used to this sooner rather than later.

Getting used to it is all that's needed.

Taking a subtle breath, Qin Yao, with his talent, looked at Ye Leyao once again.

So, what exactly is the matter that has Ye Leyao so astonished?

Zhang Qiran is Song Zhehan's mortal enemy, so why doesn't he hate Song Zhehan?

At this moment, Ye Leyao had already taken out her phone and started searching for something.

In no time, I heard him say:

"Found it! So it's this plot, and it's not even from the same book as Song Zhehan... No wonder it didn't come to mind!"

The explanation here for why Zhang Qiran chose to enter the entertainment industry is... Umm???

"What?!"

Huo Yan straightened his posture slightly.

Qin Yao lifted the glass of water and took a sip.

so

"Did Zhang Qiran actually enter the entertainment industry because of Song Zhehan?!"

"Has Zhang Qiran been harboring a secret crush on Song Zhehan since junior high school?"

Ah?

Qin Yao accidentally choked on the water and began to cough violently.

Huo Yan was so shocked that he nearly dropped his phone.

Emitted a sound of bewilderment similar to that of Ye Leyao:

Ah?

Does Zhang Qiran have a fondness for Song Zhehan?

Aren't they supposed to be bitter enemies competing for resources?

Could it be that due to Zhang Qiran's inability to obtain what he desired, his love has transformed into hatred?