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The host also broke out in a cold sweat. After hearing Ye Mingzhao's answer, he immediately restored order. "All right, thank you, Teacher Ye Mingzhao, for your answer. Let's move on to the next question..."

Luo Lingling, seated to Ye Mingzhao's right, could not help shooting him an admiring look. She had worried that Ye Mingzhao was still new to the industry and would not know how to handle tricky reporters. She had not expected his level to be even higher than she had imagined.

Yu Mingze's expression was exceedingly ugly. Gritting his teeth, he whispered to Ye Mingzhao, "Zhaozhao, don't worry. I'll definitely dig out the bastard behind this and give you an explanation."

They actually dared target Ye Mingzhao at his opening press conference. They really were tired of living!

Yu Mingze silently swore vengeance. In comparison, Ye Mingzhao, who had clearly been targeted, remained calm and even had the mood to console Yu Mingze. "Isn't this quite a hot topic? At the very least, it's much better than those harmless questions you arranged."

"What's good about it? We're a proper production crew, not some fly-by-night outfit that relies on stirring up actors' private lives to attract attention." Yu Mingze spoke with righteous indignation, completely forgetting that he had previously planned to hype up the actors' romances and discord, as well as release heavily edited behind-the-scenes photos during filming to maintain the crew's popularity.

"This opening press conference is being livestreamed!" The more Yu Mingze spoke, the more frightened he became. "One careless move, and your reputation could be ruined."

Ye Mingzhao smiled faintly. "It won't be."

It was only an appetizer not fit for the table. Who would choke to death on an appetizer?

After the opening press conference ended, Ye Mingzhao took out his phone, glanced at the dozens of missed calls on the screen, and casually returned one.

After three rings, the call was immediately answered. "It wasn't me."

Chu Hengyi's deep, rich voice sounded from the other end. "If you don't believe me, I can help you find the person who ordered the reporter to—"

"That isn't important." Ye Mingzhao cut him off with a smile. "Compared to that, I'm more curious about something else."

"Are you afraid," Ye Mingzhao deliberately paused, then asked leisurely, "that I'll misunderstand you?"

Chu Hengyi's voice abruptly stopped. After a long silence, he quietly hung up.

Listening to the busy tone in his ear, Ye Mingzhao's expression turned slightly cold. Just as he was about to put away his phone, it rang again.

This time, it was his second brother, Ye Mingxi.

"Which newspaper does that ignorant reporter belong to?" Ye Mingxi was so furious on the other end that he was practically jumping in place. He arrogantly threatened, "I'm definitely going to blacklist that stupid fool who doesn't know how to speak."

"A bunch of idiots who can't tell right from wrong. They dared bully you. I won't let them off..."

Ye Mingxi rambled on over the phone for ages without getting to the point. The other members of the Ye family waiting nearby grew impatient, and his eldest brother, Ye Mingchen, snatched the phone away. "Send me your crew's location. The whole family will come visit you on set tomorrow."

They called it a set visit, but they were really going to support Ye Mingzhao.

Chairman Ye and Mrs. Ye nodded repeatedly, strongly approving their eldest son's suggestion. Although Ye Mingzhao was not blood-related to the Ye family, he had lived with them for eighteen years. They had long treated him as their own son. How could they possibly let outsiders bully him?

Not to mention that, out of consideration for Chu Hengyi's feelings, Ye Mingzhao had voluntarily withdrawn from Ye Group and used acting as an excuse to leave the Ye family home. This considerate and sensible retreat had also filled the Ye family with guilt.

The Ye family's affection and protectiveness were all within Ye Mingzhao's calculations. He did not object to them visiting the set, but toward the end of the call, he casually mentioned Chu Hengyi—

"Brother Hengyi called me just now too." Ye Mingzhao's voice over the phone was soft and innocent, carrying a trace of heartbreaking obedience. "When you come visit tomorrow, will Brother Hengyi come too?"

Before his eldest brother could answer, Ye Mingzhao cautiously added, "I just think that a family should be all together."

*

"If you want to visit the set at Hengzhou Film and Television City, just go yourselves. Why do I have to go too?"

Chu Hengyi stared at the four members of the Ye family blocking his way, his face full of bewilderment. Was he that free? Why should he set aside his own business and run to Hengzhou Film and Television City to visit that fox on set?

"Stop being so stubborn." Mrs. Ye looked at the contrary Chu Hengyi with a loving expression. "Zhaozhao already told us that you called to comfort him just now. Since you're so worried about him, why not come with us and see him? Zhaozhao said it himself: a family should be all together!"

Chu Hengyi: ...If he remembered correctly, wasn't that phrase supposed to be a bad omen?

"I'm not going!" Chu Hengyi impatiently picked up his suitcase. "I have things to do!"

The following afternoon—

Having learned the Ye family's flight number, Ye Mingzhao, who had requested leave from the crew in advance, personally went to the airport to pick them up.

When he spotted Chu Hengyi, who stood a head taller than everyone else at the back of the crowd, Ye Mingzhao curled his lips.

"Do you know who paid off the reporter to ask that question at the opening press conference?" Ye Mingzhao took the initiative to speak.

Chu Hengyi raised an eyebrow expressionlessly, feeling that the smile on Ye Mingzhao's face was somewhat irritating—despite the fact that Ye Mingzhao had worn that same unruffled smile for years.

"It was Chu Qingyi." Ye Mingzhao had no intention of dragging things out and directly revealed the answer.

Chu Hengyi paused slightly as he shoved the suitcase into the trunk. Then Ye Mingzhao continued, "But the person who helped Chu Qingyi contact the reporter was Zhou Yueze, the eldest son of Zhou Group."

And in the original novel, the person Chu Hengyi was supposed to meet today was precisely the eldest son of Zhou Group.

Only, in reality, that meeting appeared to be falling through.

Because with Ye Mingzhao's help, Yu Mingze had already found out that the people behind the reporter's disruption at the opening press conference for Beggar Prince were Chu Qingyi and Zhou Yueze.

This left Yu Mingze utterly enraged.

He simply could not understand why his fiancé—who was also an investor in Beggar Prince—would tear down his own production crew just to stand up for another man.

With one phone call, Yu Mingze took his complaint straight to the chairman of Zhou Group.

After being viciously scolded by his father, the eldest young master of the Zhou family could only put aside all his work and personally fly to Hengzhou Film and Television City to apologize to Yu Mingze.

Ye Mingzhao felt deeply regretful over unintentionally ruining Chu Hengyi's revenge plan.

Noticing the perfectly measured apology in Ye Mingzhao's expression, Chu Hengyi suddenly smiled.

By then, the Ye family had already gotten into the van.

With one hand in his pocket, Chu Hengyi slammed the trunk shut. Using the vehicle as cover, he approached Ye Mingzhao step by step. As they brushed past each other, he leaned close to Ye Mingzhao's ear and softly said, "As far as I know, the person who gave the reporter's contact information to the eldest young master of the Zhou family was clearly you."

The two figures separated the instant they touched.

The smile on Ye Mingzhao's face suddenly deepened.

It seemed that Chu Hengyi had finally gotten in touch with that private detective of his, who had absolutely no professional ethics or integrity.

The Set Visit ### The five members of the Ye family arrived in grand fashion. Though they claimed to be visiting Ye Mingzhao on set, before they had even reached the crew, the pre-booked Michelin five-star chef had already driven a catering truck straight onto the set, ostensibly to provide an extra meal for the entire crew.

It was noon, and the actors and staff who were collecting boxed lunches on set stared wide-eyed as the Michelin chef in a tall white hat directed his apprentices to carry crates of precious air-freighted ingredients into the open space.

Pounds of black truffles, lobsters longer than an adult's forearm, golden wild large yellow croakers, vividly colored leopard coral groupers... The dazzling array of lavish ingredients had everyone swallowing hungrily.

The six members of the Ye family who arrived afterward calmly stepped out of their van beneath the delighted gazes of everyone on set.

Yu Mingze led the director and the main creative team forward to greet them first. "Uncle Ye, Aunt Ye, Brother Ye, Second Brother Ye..."

At that point, Yu Mingze glanced at Chu Hengyi, whom he had never met but had long heard of, and hesitantly said, "Hengyi, long time no see. You're still as handsome as ever."