A Foolish Confession and a CEO’s Dilemma

“So, why did you two break up?”

Xiao Chun waited, expecting Yu Wei to reveal a litany of Jian Ye’s supposed misdeeds: abandoning someone after seducing them, cheating, or being a scumbag. To his surprise, Yu Wei choked back sobs for a moment, then wiped away tears, confessing with deep regret, “It was all my fault! I was the one who abandoned him. He didn’t want to break up; I forced him to! How could I… how could I be so foolish!”

Xiao Chun fell silent. ‘He certainly was foolish enough.’ ‘How could Jian Ye have fallen for someone like this? What good was his handsome face if his judgment was so poor, destined to be kicked to the curb?’

Hearing Yu Wei admit that he was the one who dumped Jian Ye, Xiao Chun felt a slight measure of comfort. This Yu Wei… he must come from a wealthy family. The necklace around his neck, the watch on his wrist, the shoes on his feet—all were luxury brands and designer items.

Could Jian Ye have been with Yu Wei purely for money?

Xiao Chun continued to prod, “When you two were dating, did Jian Ye often spend your money?”

Hearing this, Yu Wei grew even more regretful. He shook his head, his eyes red. “He didn’t spend my money; if anything, I was the one spending his.”

Xiao Chun: “???”

Yu Wei: “He would send me gifts worth five figures or more every few days. Now that I think about it, I really wasn’t much of a man! If I could turn back time, I’d let him spend all my money!”

Xiao Chun fell silent. ‘He never would have guessed that Jian Ye used to be such a love-struck fool.’ ‘Why was this gossip so utterly bizarre?’

Xiao Chun asked a barrage of other questions but ultimately only learned that the two had dated for a while, broken up, and hadn’t been in contact since. He failed to extract any other information, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

However, since he had encountered Yu Wei, he couldn’t let such a useful resource go to waste. A ruthless glint suddenly entered his eyes. He addressed Yu Wei, “Jian Ye is about to star in a new drama, and the actor he’s working with is Mo Huan. It seems the two of them are already on the verge of getting together. If you don’t make a move soon, your precious Jian Ye might just walk away with someone else.”

“No! No! Ah Ye, don’t go!” Yu Wei, fueled by alcohol, started to act out again, seizing Xiao Chun’s arm.

Xiao Chun disdainfully shook him off. “Don’t touch me. I’m not your ‘Ah Ye.’ I’m just kindly reminding you that if you don’t do something, it might be too late.”

“What… what should I do?” Yu Wei’s mind was muddled, and Xiao Chun’s words had thoroughly scared him.

“It all depends on whether you’re willing to take action. You know… ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ There’s a very quick and simple method right now; do you want to hear it?” Xiao Chun sneered.

“Yes! You… tell me!” Yu Wei pressed urgently.

Xiao Chun leaned in and whispered into Yu Wei’s ear. Yu Wei froze, seemingly contemplating whether such a thing could be done. “You… want me to sabotage Jian Ye’s acting opportunity?”

Xiao Chun spread his hands. “I didn’t say that. It’s up to you what you want to do, of course. Sabotaging it is the quickest way, though. If they’re not in the same film crew, you can take advantage of the situation, can’t you?”

Yu Wei was somewhat swayed by these words, but a subconscious feeling told him that if Jian Ye found out he was behind it, it would only anger him more. He stated decisively, “It’s not convenient for me to act. How about… I give you money, and you do it for me? Just separate the two of them, that’s all. And, you… don’t actually harm Jian Ye; that’s not my intention.”

Xiao Chun had been waiting for precisely that. “Alright, it’s a deal.”

‘Hypocrite,’ he cursed inwardly. ‘This man truly has no brains. Doesn’t he realize that from the moment he agreed to this, he was already hurting the person he supposedly loved?’ ‘It seems his affection wasn’t as deep as he claimed; it was just the constant yearning for what he couldn’t have. Disgusting.’

The day after Yi Siyu returned from his business trip, Jian Ye shared the news of his successful audition.

“My spouse is truly amazing.” The man never held back his praise for Jian Ye. This earnest yet doting tone made Jian Ye’s handsome face flush.

“The filming location is in S City. I might need to go a few days early to get familiar with the environment.”

“Alright, I’ll have the private jet take you there,” Yi Siyu said, as if discussing something utterly mundane, yet Jian Ye nearly choked.

“Cough, cough! No need! It’s not that far; I can go myself…” A private jet… that was far too ostentatious! Wealthy families truly had everything custom and private.

Yi Siyu suddenly recalled that Jian Ye was acting in a youthful romance drama and couldn’t help but ask, “Will you have intimate contact with other male actors in it? Will there be kissing? Any bed scenes?”

Jian Ye was stunned by the CEO’s triple inquiry, his small head instinctively shaking like a rattle-drum. “I’m just cannon fodder! I’m out of the picture after a few episodes.”

Upon hearing Jian Ye’s explanation, the CEO finally relaxed. If there were truly overly intimate scenes, he wouldn’t hesitate to intervene as an investor, insisting that the scenes be cut no matter what. He had only kissed Jian Ye once; letting another man get such a ‘bargain’ was out of the question. Even if it was just acting, Yi Siyu absolutely could not tolerate it.

The mere thought of Jian Ye in someone else’s arms made his blood boil. Unaware of this, Jian Ye began to sulk. He simply walked into the room and started diligently reading the script. It was his habit.

Yi Siyu bathed but couldn’t bear to disturb him. He simply grabbed a book and sat against the headboard with Jian Ye, reading together. The only sound in the room was the rustling of turning pages. The two sitting together were as picturesque as a painting, truly resembling a loving couple of many years.

After reading for a while, Yi Siyu lost interest. He couldn’t help but glance at the handsome young man beside him, a slight curve on his lips. When he took a selfie with his phone, he deliberately included Jian Ye in the frame.

He initially thought of posting it on his Moments, but then changed his mind, sending the picture to his childhood friends’ group chat instead. Other than Xie Fei, his contact with his other childhood friends wasn’t frequent. Some had gone abroad, some were developing their careers in other provinces, and others were in Yunjing but too busy with their businesses, making opportunities to gather almost nonexistent.

However, these good friends had a group chat where they would occasionally pop up online, preventing their relationships from completely fading.

[Yu]: [Image]

[Second Handsomest Guy in Yunjing]: ?
[My Dog Wants to Go Home]: ?
[CEO Qi Who Doesn’t Want to Be CEO]: ?
[The Highest Good Is Like Water]: ?
[Retired Gardener K]: ?

Out of the seven people in the group, five had surfaced besides Yi Siyu. He slowly typed—

[Yu]: The kid at home got picked by a director and is now diligently reading the script.

Xie Fei immediately replied—

[My Dog Wants to Go Home]: Is this Yi Siyu’s spouse?
[CEO Qi Who Doesn’t Want to Be CEO]: Underage?
[The Highest Good Is Like Water]: Be careful, Siyu might kick you out.
[Second Handsomest Guy in Yunjing]: I’m the group admin; he can’t kick me out. But I can kick out this married man. [Smug]
[Retired Gardener K]: Is your spouse from the performing arts department? No wonder they’re so handsome.
[Yu]: No. They’re from the dance department. Don’t any of you check Weibo?
[Yu]: As leaders of listed companies, you should also keep up with the times, or you’ll fall behind.

Everyone: …

Soon after, Yi Siyu found himself muted.

[My Dog Wants to Go Home]: Oh, come on! Just because you have a spouse who can dance?
[CEO Qi Who Doesn’t Want to Be CEO]: Why are you showing off so much! Humph!
[The Highest Good Is Like Water]: As CEOs of listed companies, we only look at the financial news, who looks at entertainment news?
[Second Handsomest Guy in Yunjing]: Siyu means for you all to be sensible and butter him up in advance. If his spouse becomes famous, whichever of you has an entertainment company under your banner, sign them! Wouldn’t that be a sweet deal? Right, Siyu?
[Retired Gardener K]: This script looks familiar… Farewell to Summer? Hiss, I remember now, this is Director Wu Xiaozhi’s upcoming IP drama!
[Second Handsomest Guy in Yunjing]: Oh, right, isn’t that a director under your film company, K?
[Retired Gardener K]: Since they’re one of our own, I’ll definitely look out for them. Eh? Siyu, why aren’t you saying anything?

The muted Yi Siyu: “…”

Jian Ye finished reading the script and looked up, finding the CEO with a helpless expression. He couldn’t help but ask, “Are you having trouble with work?”

Yi Siyu put away his phone and reached out to ruffle the young man’s soft hair. “No, I was just chatting with some old friends.”

Jian Ye was slightly surprised. “You have a group of old friends?”

Yi Siyu: “Yes, we all grew up together, similar to Xie Fei.”

Jian Ye knew Xie Fei; he had been Yi Siyu’s best man at their wedding and ended up getting drunk. He had never imagined that people who could be friends with Yi Siyu would have such vastly different personalities. Yi Siyu could be as gentle as a spring breeze, but Jian Ye had mostly seen him as stern and serious with others. He had actually thought CEO Yi didn’t have many close friends. ‘Don’t they say that those at the top are lonely?’

“I’ll take you to meet them if there’s an opportunity. Most of them are in other cities, but if they could all come back for a gathering, they’d probably want to meet you,” Yi Siyu said.

“That sounds good, I’m quite curious about your friends. Are they all big bosses?”

“Just CEOs of listed companies, though some have stepped down to do other things, and some have gone abroad for further studies.”

Jian Ye: “…” ‘He shouldn’t have asked.’

How many ‘low-class’ individuals could possibly be in the same circle as the Protagonist Gong? Anyone with half a brain knew they were all incredibly wealthy and active in various industries. In comparison, if he were to attend as Yi Siyu’s partner, he might seem out of place. However, since Yi Siyu didn’t care, there was no reason for him to feel embarrassed.

A few days later, the official Weibo account of Farewell to Summer posted an update, tagging many actors, both prominent and new. Director Wu had cast many newcomers this time. Aside from Wei Jingguang, the renowned TV emperor playing the adult male lead Lin Zhirun, most others were new faces, predominantly student actors, as the campus portion held significant weight in the story.

Jian Ye was among those tagged.

The entertainment industry truly held no secrets from the sharp eyes of online fans. Jian Ye had recently gained a little popularity, accumulating nearly a hundred thousand followers. He had become well-known for his dancing and exquisite looks. Some of Jian Ye’s fans, who had read the original novel of Farewell to Summer, were also following news about this IP drama. When one of them saw the Weibo post stating that Jian Ye would be playing the teenage Luo Ying, they instantly turned into a screaming fangirl.

‘Oh my god! Luo Ying! My baby is going to play Luo Ying! My white moonlight! This double-fandom joy is insane!’

Soon, Jian Ye also reposted the official Weibo as requested.

[Jian Ye JY]: Luo Ying, whose life is like a summer flower yet as fleeting as an epiphyllum. I look forward to the fusion of our souls. //Reposted Weibo: @Farewell to Summer Official Crew: Filming is about to begin! @WeiJingguang @MoHuan @JianYeJY @…………