He really is putting on an act

Ye Jing’an looked up and met Yan Qingdu's gaze, giving him a polite but awkward smile.

Yan Qingdu looked away and poured boiling water from the kettle beside him into the teapot. After letting the tea steep, he filled the cup in front of Ye Jing’an, then his own, and silently took a sip.

Ye Jing’an tapped his phone and replied coldly, "No need."

The words had barely left his mouth when a new message from Ye Yizhou arrived.

"Bro, you're being really antisocial. That's not conducive to building a harmonious family atmosphere. As the saying goes, a harmonious family prospers, while a discordant family fails at everything. The consequences are serious. Quick, send me a 200-yuan red packet and show me what you've got."

Expressionless, Ye Jing’an promptly sent him a red packet.

It was claimed within a second.

He also received an adorable animated sticker of a kitten rolling around from Ye Yizhou.

The corners of Ye Jing’an's mouth lifted slightly despite himself.

Yan Qingdu arched a brow and raised his eyes slightly. "Your little brother is pretty cute."

"He is, but he can also be truly infuriating."

Once his little brother came up, Ye Jing’an became noticeably more talkative, sounding both annoyed and helpless. "He's twenty-four and still going through his rebellious phase. After graduating, he insisted on trying his hand in the entertainment industry. No one could stop him."

"Qingdu, you spent a little time in the entertainment industry yourself. Give me your take."

Suddenly remembering this, Ye Jing’an hurried to ask Yan Qingdu for advice.

Yan Qingdu lowered his gaze and toyed with the empty teacup in his hand, seemingly thinking. Then he slowly raised his eyes and spoke unhurriedly:

"By 'spent time in the entertainment industry,' do you mean my summer job in college?"

"Yes. You casually took a summer job and won a best actor award. My brother's been at it for two years and still hasn't accomplished anything. Give him some pointers."

Ever since Ye Yizhou entered the entertainment industry, Ye Jing’an had started learning to use Weibo and check the trending topics.

He had never paid any attention to such things before.

Ye Jing’an deftly opened Weibo, tapped a topic that remained high on the trending list, and handed the phone to Yan Qingdu. "There was an interview over the past couple of days where he even said the Oscars owed him an Oscar statuette. Now the whole internet is still trashing and mocking him. I really don't know what he's thinking."

Yan Qingdu took the phone and saw the number-one trending topic:

#Ye Yizhou says the Oscars owe me an Oscar statuette#

The most popular post under that trending topic was an interview clip.

The host asked, "What do you think about netizens calling you a beautiful airhead?"

"That's very accurate." Ye Yizhou's eyes sparkled, and he looked rather pleased.

The host's question was blunt and pointed. "Other netizens say you're awkward on variety shows, your acting is awkward, and you have no tact when you speak. They don't know what you're doing in the entertainment industry. What do you think about that?"

"I don't agree with that." Ye Yizhou shook his head.

The host pressed on. "Then how do you define your place in the entertainment industry? Could you elaborate?"

"I consider myself an actor."

"Then how would you rate your acting?"

"The Oscars owe me an Oscar statuette."

Ye Yizhou sounded confident and cocky.

Yet in the close-up shot, Ye Yizhou was fair-skinned and beautiful, starlight rippling in his long, narrow eyes. The smile he gave the camera was sweet and alluring.

The moment this brief interview clip was released, it sparked a fierce wave of mockery online.

-Who gave Ye Yizhou the confidence to call himself an actor?

-He's aiming for an Oscar statuette with footage from two years of acting that wouldn't even add up to twenty minutes if you edited it all together?

-Still, you really can't fault Ye Yizhou's looks. Slurp~

-What good are looks when he has no brains or tact? That flop only knows how to leech off my idol. Disgusting. Ye Yizhou, get out of the entertainment industry.

"Your little brother... a beautiful airhead?"

Clear bewilderment appeared on Yan Qingdu's face. From those two voice messages earlier, he sounded quite mischievous, nothing like a brainless fool.

And...

As it happened, he had run into him just yesterday.

He had left a deep impression, like a little fox, utterly wild.

Ye Jing’an couldn't help complaining. "Of course not. You didn't actually think that family bonding activity he mentioned earlier was something heartwarming, did you?"

Yan Qingdu arched a brow and smiled without replying.

He wasn't so clueless that he couldn't tell the difference. That tone clearly held the smug delight of someone who had pulled off a prank.

"That little menace has been a terror since he was a kid. I don't know what's gotten into him these past two years, insisting on playing some adorably dumb little bunny in the entertainment industry."

This criticism and complaint came from his own older brother. "He really is putting on an act."

"Then the Oscars really do owe him an Oscar statuette."

Yan Qingdu's lips curved into a soft chuckle as he spoke meaningfully.

Ye Jing’an pressed his lips together and thought for a moment before realization dawned. He shook his head helplessly. "Oh, so that's what he meant!"

"But with your family's capabilities, a few resources and a bit of marketing should be enough. Even if the young master of the Ye family wants an unappealing persona like a beautiful airhead, he shouldn't be getting mocked and trashed all over the internet like this."

Yan Qingdu had no intention of brushing off Ye Jing’an's earlier request for advice. He took the initiative to analyze Ye Yizhou's current situation in the entertainment industry, though a few questions needed answering.

"It's all because of the two stubborn mules in our family."

On this subject, Ye Jing’an really didn't know what to do with that father-and-son pair. He shook his head helplessly. "One was unhappy that his younger son rebelled and insisted on entering the entertainment industry, so he ordered everyone not to give him any help or get involved."

"The other had just graduated, young and full of confidence, and was nothing but bullheaded. He insisted on making it in the entertainment industry on his own merits and wouldn't let the family get involved either."

"And that's how we ended up here."

Yan Qingdu nodded, having more or less understood. "In that case, you don't need to worry too much. One look at the young master of the Ye family tells you he isn't a pushover who'll let people bully him."

"That's something I've never worried about. He must have his reasons for doing this. But right now, the whole internet is full of people trashing and insulting him, and it bothers me to see it."

Ye Jing’an still couldn't help frowning, anger filling his expression.

"The internet isn't beyond the law. Maliciously spreading rumors, defaming people, and insulting them are all unlawful or criminal acts. They should all bear legal responsibility for their actions. I suggest you start collecting and securing evidence to establish a chain of evidence, then deal with them all at once when the time is right."

Yan Qingdu lightly tapped his slender fingers against the tabletop a few times as he offered Ye Jing’an a strategy.

Ye Jing’an nodded in agreement. "That makes sense."

"Qingdu, sorry for taking up your time. Let's get back to discussing the other details of this joint project."

Only after his worries had been resolved did Ye Jing’an remember their business, and he hurried to apologize.

"Not at all. It was quite interesting."

Yan Qingdu didn't mind.

He had heard Ye Jing’an mention his little brother before, but had never met him.

He hadn't expected that, over these past two days, he would not only meet him but also hear an interesting story, and...

He was pretty cute.