Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 456 The Difference Between the Second Generation, Yang Wei's Advice

A corner of the cocktail party.

Xu Lei's arrogance vanished the moment he saw that the person was Yang Wei, like a balloon punctured by a needle, replaced by a gloomy expression of being caught in an embarrassing situation in public.

He quickly scanned his surroundings.

Sure enough, although many guests immediately turned their heads away, pretending to talk to their companions or tidy their clothes, their shifty eyes and slightly turned-to-the-side posture clearly showed that they had their attention firmly locked on this side.

Do these people treat Lao Tzu as a joke?

Xu Lei swept his gaze fiercely around the room, and many of the furtive glances immediately subsided, but the silent sense of being spied on in the air became even stronger.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, his gaze darting back and forth between Yang Wei and Zhou Ye, forcing a forced smile onto his face.

"Heh...who do we have here?"

His tone was sarcastic.

"So it's Vice President Yang who has graced us with his presence."

He emphasized the words "vice president" to remind the other party.

"No wonder Miss Zhou Ye is so confident, it turns out she's one of your people, Yang Wei."

After saying that, he spread his hands, pretending to be relaxed.

"This is truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple; we're all family members who don't recognize each other. If I had known that Miss Zhou Ye had this kind of relationship with you, Vice President Yang, I would never have pulled this stunt today. It's a misunderstanding, purely a misunderstanding!"

Zhou Ye frowned as she listened, and was about to clarify that her relationship with Yang Wei was not the kind he described, but Yang Wei spoke first, laughing out loud as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"What the hell is this misunderstanding?!"

Yang Wei started cursing without giving Xu Lei any face at all.

"Xu Lei, you've been abroad for a few years and haven't learned anything but spewing filth, have you? Give me back my man? Besides these lewd thoughts, can't you think of anything else?"

He took two steps forward, spitting all over Xu Lei's face.

"Your dad went through so much trouble to bring you back from abroad, hoping you'd do something useful in the company. And what have you done? You haven't even accomplished anything significant, and you've already learned to use your authority to coerce actresses? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You've made your old man lose face all the way to the Pacific Ocean!"

This string of vulgar and blunt insults came crashing down like hailstones, leaving Zhou Ye, who was standing to the side, stunned.

She had known Yang Wei for quite some time and knew he was a free spirit and a bit of a chatterbox, but she had never seen him so... vulgar.

It seems a bit... well, it's hard to describe.

The girl's mouth was slightly open, her eyes wide, staring at Yang Wei's all-out attack, and she was momentarily speechless.

Xu Lei's face turned red and white as he was scolded, especially in front of so many prominent people. Even from a distance, he felt as if Yang Wei was rubbing his face on the ground.

This bastard didn't give him any face at all?
He retorted, his neck stiff and his face ashen.

"Yang Wei! Don't go too far! Don't think that just because you're the vice president now you can boss me around! Let me tell you, I'm not afraid of you!"

"What, you think I'm afraid of you?"

Yang Wei was so angry at Xu Lei's stupid words that he laughed as if he had heard an extremely absurd joke.

With an incredulous expression on his face, he took a few steps forward, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over the guests who were eavesdropping, before lowering his voice and asking the fool in front of him in a curious tone.

"Xu Lei, I'm telling you... none of the people around you have the sense to remind you... who is Zhou Ye?"

Xu Lei was taken aback by his question, and then an ominous premonition crept into his heart, but he still refused to back down and retorted with a fierce but weak voice.

"Who is she? Isn't she just an actress? Even if... even if she has something to do with you, Yang Wei, so what? Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Yang Wei didn't say anything, but looked Xu Lei up and down carefully with the same gaze one would give a rare animal. He stared at him for a good ten seconds, making Xu Lei feel uneasy.

Finally, he spoke in a tone that marveled at the wonders of the world.

"Hey buddy, it's one thing to be living a life of debauchery abroad and not paying attention to news in China. But now that you've taken over part of the coordination work for the 'Long Season' project, haven't you even done any basic background checks on the main creative team? Don't you even know who you're dealing with?"

Xu Lei's unease grew stronger, and his tone unconsciously became hesitant.

"Why...why should I know so much? It's just a movie."

Yang Wei was completely speechless, rolled his eyes dramatically, and didn't bother to waste any more words on him.

We're all second-generation rich kids, but your behavior is really tarnishing the reputation of our group.

He looked around, his gaze settling on Xu Lei's assistant, who was hiding behind the crowd with a deathly pale face, and beckoned to him with his finger.

"You, yes, you, come here."

The assistant shuddered in fright and practically ran over in a fluster, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Mr. Yang... Mr. Yang..."

“Come on, let me give your young master Xu a heads-up.”

Yang Wei pointed at Zhou Ye with his chin, his tone playful.

"Tell him who this Miss Zhou Ye is."

The assistant's legs went weak, and he shakily leaned close to Xu Lei's ear, urgently explaining the situation in a very low but still faintly audible voice to those nearby.

"Producer Xu...Ms. Zhou Ye...she...she has a very close relationship with President Jiang of Wuwen Technology...President Jiang Qing...it's been all over the internet..."

"Wuwen Technology... Jiang Qing..."

These words exploded in Xu Lei's ears like a thunderclap.

The color drained from his face in an instant, and he abruptly turned to look at Zhou Ye, his eyes filled with terror.

He instinctively shoved his assistant, who was still nagging in his ear, away and growled.

"Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?!"

The assistant stumbled as he pushed her, and was so aggrieved that she almost cried, and whispered her explanation.

“I…when I was organizing the documents before, I mentioned to you that Miss Zhou Ye’s background was unusual, and asked you to be a little careful…but you…you said not to worry about such trivial matters…”

Xu Lei stood there, his face changing color, sometimes pale and sometimes flushed.

Even if he was ignorant, he knew what the name Jiang Qing meant.

Wuwen Technology is now at its peak, and Wanxiang is popular all over the world. Even CEO Ma has to give Jiang Qing some respect. How can a second-generation heir who relies on his father's influence dare to touch a woman who is related to Jiang Qing?
This is like an old man eating poison, or he's tired of living!
A tremendous fear surged through me instantly.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately turned around, rushed to Zhou Ye in a few steps, and his previous arrogant and domineering demeanor vanished without a trace, replaced by an almost humble fawning attitude. His face was covered with a fawning smile, and his waist unconsciously bent down.

"Ms. Zhou... Ms. Zhou Ye! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

He bowed repeatedly, his tone hurried.

"I was blind! I was so stupid! I didn't know you and President Jiang... I deserve to die! I'm a bastard!"

As he spoke, he even pretended to lightly pat his cheeks twice.

"Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me!"

Looking at the dramatic scene before him, and at Xu Lei's ugly behavior of going from arrogance to obsequiousness, Zhou Ye felt no relief. Instead, he was overwhelmed by a complex and indescribable emotion.

Anger, resentment, a hint of satisfaction, but mostly a deep sense of powerlessness.

She knew very well that Xu Lei's sudden change in attitude was not because of Zhou Ye herself, or even because of Yang Wei who stood up for her, but simply because of the label attached to her: "a female celebrity with close ties to Jiang Qing".

This realization left her feeling like a jumbled mess of emotions, a mix of feelings.

She looked at Xu Lei, who was still apologizing incessantly, and felt it was all pointless. She waved her hand and said indifferently, "It's alright, Producer Xu, you can go back to work."

Xu Lei felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and thanked Miss Zhou Ye several times for her "generosity." Then he turned around sheepishly and left the banquet hall as if he were fleeing.

He hurriedly pulled out his phone as he walked, seemingly rushing to call his father to report the sudden disaster.

The guests who had been secretly watching the situation closely didn't quite catch what Xu Lei's assistant said, but Xu Lei's terrified expression and humble apologetic posture were enough to explain everything.

The group exchanged knowing glances, each immediately keeping their eyes down, pretending to focus on their wine glasses or chatting with their companions. But deep down, they were now even more certain about the rumors surrounding Zhou Ye's relationship with that General Manager Jiang.

Xin Shuang and Qin Hao exchanged a glance, their meaning clear: "You see, we don't need to do anything at all."

The farce ended, and the corner returned to quiet for the time being.

After Xu Lei disappeared from sight, Yang Wei straightened his flashy bright red suit jacket, sauntered over to Zhou Ye, and resumed his usual playful expression, as if he wasn't the one who had just been cursing and spewing insults.

"How are you, Yezi? You weren't scared, were you?"

He spoke casually and with familiar concern.

"Looking for a place to chat?"

Zhou Ye looked at Yang Wei, his feelings complicated.

She was truly grateful to Yang Wei for stepping forward; without him, the situation tonight could have become very troublesome.

However... her relationship with Jiang Qing is no longer the same.

He forced a smile, his lips curving upwards.

"I'm fine, Wei Ge, thank you for earlier."

She pointed to a relatively quiet set of sofas next to her.

"sit down."

The two sat down facing each other.

Zhou Ye subconsciously curled up in a corner of the sofa, hugging a cushion. The composure he had just put on gradually faded, revealing his true exhaustion.

Yang Wei looked her over and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey Yezi, it's been a while since I've seen you, you've lost so much weight! You're practically a paper doll. Did you have a fight with Lao Jiang?"

He asked tentatively, his tone casual, but his eyes showed concern.

As someone who knew Jiang Qing very well, he vaguely sensed from the last phone call that the two of them seemed to be acting strangely lately, but he didn't know the specific details.

Zhou Ye's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his arms tightened unconsciously around the pillow.

She didn't look at Yang Wei; her gaze was fixed on a point in the void, and her voice was low.

"nothing."

Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Yang Wei did not press her further, but simply sighed.

"You two... Old Jiang, he can be a bit dull sometimes, and when he's working, he doesn't care about anything else. But when it comes to you, he's absolutely amazing."

He seemed to remember something and then added.

"Oh, right, if he hadn't called me specifically beforehand to ask me to keep an eye on your activities here, I wouldn't have happened to be here today and run into this mess."

Zhou Ye suddenly looked up at Yang Wei, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

Jiang Qing... asked Yang Wei to take care of her?
Therefore, it's not just the invisible deterrent effect of "having an ambiguous relationship with Jiang Qing" that's causing the problem; even Yang Wei's timely appearance today was due to Jiang Qing's prior arrangements.

This realization made her feel even worse, and a bittersweet and inexplicable emotion spread through her chest.

Therefore, the unusually polite attitude of the Penguin staff towards her was probably partly due to Yang Wei's private intervention.

Judging from her reaction, Yang Wei had a rough idea of ​​what was going on.

He hesitated for a moment, but decided to say a few more words.

He leaned forward slightly, his tone no longer joking as before, but more serious.

"Yezi, we've known each other for quite a while now, and I consider you one of my own before I say a few more words. Old Jiang was so busy with company matters in recent years that he had neither the time nor the inclination to date; otherwise, his first girlfriend would have been Chen Duling, not you. As for now… given his situation, he's bound to have all sorts of people and things around him, but…"

He emphasized his tone.

“He definitely treats you specially. I heard from Zhao Quan and Zhang Bin that Lao Jiang specially took you to dinner with them. You're the first one like that in all these years. You should understand what I mean, right?”

Yang Wei observed Zhou Ye's expression and saw that she was pursing her lips with a complicated look in her eyes, so he continued to remind her in a more direct way.

"Besides, think about it yourself, are you really willing to leave him? Can you resist the urge to pay attention to him? Or... are you willing to give him away to someone else?"

These words were like a pebble thrown into Zhou Ye's already turbulent heart, creating even bigger ripples.

She subconsciously followed Yang Wei's words and began to think.

After being with Jiang Qing... her gaze and her thoughts rarely lingered on anyone else.

That man was so dazzling that he occupied almost all of her vision.

Even now, with cracks of doubt, pain, and betrayal between them, her heart still aches so much when she sees his scandals with other people.

Do I really want to leave him and give him to someone else?
Seeing her lost in thought with a blank look in her eyes, Yang Wei knew that his words had worked, so he stopped talking and left it at that.

Saying too much can have the opposite effect.

He patted the sofa armrest and slowly stood up.

"Yezi, I was just saying that casually, don't overthink it. Anyway, don't get stuck on things. If there's anything you want to say, find an opportunity to talk it out with Lao Jiang. I have another engagement to attend to, so I have to leave now. Are you alright on your own?"

Zhou Ye was still reeling from the impact of Yang Wei's words when he heard them and nodded somewhat absentmindedly.

"Um...it's nothing, thank you for today, Wei Ge."

"Hey! Wild Child, why are you being so polite with me! We're all on the same side!"

Yang Wei waved his hand, turned around, and left gracefully.

Zhou Ye sat alone on the sofa, the noise of the surrounding party seemingly becoming a blurred background sound.

Yang Wei's words echoed repeatedly in her mind, "Are you willing to hand him over to someone else?"

She thought of the heart-fluttering moment when she and Jiang Qing gazed at each other on the grass in Peach Blossom Village, of the fireflies filling the sky above the fields, of the February Orchid, of the Ferris wheel high in the sky, and of the starry watch that is still kept in her home... All those fragments of the past surged into her mind like a tide, intertwining with the painful images that followed, leaving her in turmoil.

She thought leaving would bring her relief, but the reality was that although she had left Luyang, her heart seemed to be still tied there by an invisible thread, tugged and ached with every move Jiang Qing made.

Everything that happened today clearly tells her that it's almost a pipe dream for her to completely get rid of his influence.

Everything related to him is almost everywhere. Even when she opens Weibo now and tries to search for something, the newly launched "Smart Search" function seems to remind her that it is based on the Wanxiang platform.

A tremendous sense of powerlessness enveloped her.

What had just happened was like a blow to the head, instantly bringing her to her senses and making her realize many things.

It turns out that this circle has never been a good place. If it weren't for Jiang Qing, I might have witnessed even more unpleasant things.

She said she was leaving him, but she was always under his protection.

Moreover... after carefully considering Yang Wei's words, she realized that she seemed reluctant to give him up to someone else.

Whether it's Meng Ziyi, Liu Haocun, Chen Duling, or... Zhang Jingyi who always says "it's all predestined"!
(End of this chapter)