ISWTDB Ch82

Chapter 82: The President is Very Fierce (5, 6)

However, impotence? Ying Zhao thought with schadenfreude as his gaze subtly swept over his man’s legs, crossed in an attempt to hide something. Don’t think I didn’t notice what was bulging when we shook hands.

Tsk, everything seems fine, and the size is quite considerable. Looks like the rumors aren’t true!

As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Xiao Bai in his consciousness urgently report, “Host, I just detected an energy fluctuation from the target fragment, and it seems to have consumed a small amount of energy.”

Ying Zhao immediately felt a bit nervous and asked, “What do you mean? Aren’t the soul fragments supposed to be dormant in these small worlds? He was just in front of me, and there was no external stimulus that could have affected him!”

Xiao Bai, who was also aware of all the plot and the details about Shi Yanchen, paused for a moment before saying uncertainly, “Host, when I previously scanned the target’s body, I found that the defect in this world is impotence. Could it be that the energy fluctuation was due to the soul fragment releasing some power to partially repair itself? After all, in so many worlds, the target’s obsession with having you…”

Xiao Bai didn’t finish the sentence, but Ying Zhao already understood. Although he was reluctant to admit it, the man’s desire to fully possess him had never changed across worlds.

Thinking that the man might have repaired himself just to do that with him, Ying Zhao’s mouth twitched, and he had the urge to cover his face.

“So, his body in this world is now complete without any defects?” Ying Zhao still wanted to confirm and asked Xiao Bai again.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Bai shook his head and said, “No, host. The soul fragment cannot occupy a complete body, nor can it make significant changes without reason, so it should be targeted.”

“…” Ying Zhao didn’t want to admit that he understood what Xiao Bai meant, which was that the man would only react to him. But why did that make his heart feel a bit sweet?

On the other side, Shi Yanchen had no idea what Ying Zhao was thinking. At this moment, all his attention was focused on the person in front of him, thinking that Ying Zhao was perfect in every way.

Shi Yanchen had never been in a relationship, never pursued anyone, and had never encountered anyone who stirred his heart even a little. So now, facing Ying Zhao, he felt somewhat at a loss, with his mind only screaming to have and possess him.

He thought of some of the social gatherings he attended, where he often saw others bringing along so-called companions. Among these male and female companions were quite a few celebrities, and everyone knew these weren’t relationships of love but rather for appearances.

However, Shi Yanchen never had such a person by his side. He was considered a young and promising bachelor, a true diamond in the business world. Since his life was always quiet, naturally, many people had set their sights on him.

But no matter how hard they tried to seduce him, Shi Yanchen remained unmoved. If anyone went too far, he would even punish them without hesitation, with no sense of pity whatsoever.

Everyone knew that this business elite, though impressive and with a bright future, had such an infirmity. It was an open secret, and over time, this rumor became more widely accepted.

Shi Yanchen was, of course, aware of these rumors. Although they displeased him, he didn’t go out of his way to stop them.

After all, he indeed had never experienced any desire from childhood to adulthood. During his youth, out of curiosity, he had tried, but his body had never shown any reaction.

Therefore, in Shi Yanchen’s mind, he subconsciously believed that he might indeed be impotent. However, he didn’t actually care much about this matter. Even though such rumors were accompanied by disdainful looks from his competitors, which displeased him, he took revenge on them one by one. This inevitably earned him a reputation for being ruthless, but then again, he was never an easy person to deal with.

After all, he was an orphan, didn’t even know who his parents were, and never thought about passing on his lineage. In fact, with less desire, he could devote more time to work, which made Shi Yanchen somewhat satisfied. But at this moment, facing Ying Zhao, he was having thoughts that he had never had in over thirty years.

The efficiency of Shi Yanchen’s subordinates was indeed very high. Except for the information that the original owner deliberately concealed, they couldn’t find anything. However, they managed to gather all the information available about Ying Ruihan’s identity and background in the entertainment industry, and within less than an hour, it was all sent to his email.

Using his phone, he opened his email and carefully reviewed Ying Zhao’s information. When Shi Yanchen saw that many netizens said that Ying Ruihan’s acting was bad, describing him as a soulless puppet in front of the camera, he frowned in displeasure.

He had just been on set, watching the other person during filming. That person was clearly so dazzling, capturing all his attention. He felt that the information online couldn’t be entirely trusted.

However, seeing that it was mentioned that Ying Ruihan’s background seemed quite ordinary, and that he had been signed with Yixing for many years, although he received decent jobs, the frequency was very low. Aside from his looks, nothing else stood out; he wasn’t exactly a huge star.

This actually boosted Shi Yanchen’s confidence a bit. With his wealth, he should be able to meet that person’s needs, probably…

He was then pleased to see in the report from his subordinates that Ying Ruihan never participated in any social events or parties unrelated to work, nor did he accept any offers from wealthy businessmen. So, despite his good looks, he had always stayed clear of such dirty scandals.

Moreover, over the years, Ying Ruihan had never shown any signs of having any ambiguous or romantic relationships. This made Shi Yanchen both excited and a little nervous. He wondered if proposing to keep the other as a lover might earn him the man’s disdain.

But then he smacked his forehead hard. What keeping a lover? He didn’t want to humiliate the other person with such a relationship. Such a perfect person should be revered, not insulted. It would be better to have his subordinates draft a contract, inviting him to be his nominal boyfriend.

He also needed to come up with a good reason—perhaps as a shield? After all, it was quite annoying when people tried to push all sorts of unwanted company on him during social events. If the pay was right, the other person should be willing to accept it as a job, right? And spending so much time together would give him the advantage of proximity.

Yes! That’s what he would do!

Shi Yanchen thought to himself, trying to bolster his courage, not even considering that there was a normal way to pursue someone.

Moreover, for some reason, he had a vague feeling that if he were to directly confess to the other, the person would probably reject him or even disappear.

Disappear! Just the thought of the other person avoiding him, or even the possibility of never seeing him again, caused a dull pain in Shi Yanchen’s heart.

It felt as though a deep, suppressed longing was about to pour out, and the frustration of being unable to attain it was starting to tear at his rationality, making his brows furrow even more.

Ying Zhao, who always kept his attention on his man, naturally noticed that Shi Yanchen’s mood seemed a bit off. However, since he was in the middle of filming, he couldn’t go over to check on him. He could only speed up his work, intending to address it later.

At this time, the female lead, Su Ying, had already finished getting ready in the dressing room and arrived on set. Su Ying was dressed very nicely, wearing a white ancient-style dress with a touch of cherry blossom color on the hem, which made her look even more harmonious with the scenery. Her delicate face had a slight ethereal quality to it. However, compared to the god-like appearance of Ying Zhao, she was still lacking.

As soon as she arrived on set, Su Ying noticed Shi Yanchen. As a diamond bachelor in the business world, Su Ying had naturally seen his photo in magazines and knew that the advertisement they were currently filming was for a product from his company.

Su Ying didn’t have any background, so she hadn’t heard the secret rumors about Shi Yanchen’s impotence. She only knew that his life was unusually quiet, with no gossip surrounding him.

Seeing his handsome yet rugged face and tall, strong build, Su Ying blushed. Noticing that he was frowning at Ying Zhao, she didn’t catch the intensity in his gaze and assumed that Ying Zhao’s acting had been off again, displeasing the president.

Thinking this, Su Ying couldn’t help but laugh to herself, feeling that it made sense. How could that Ying Ruihan possibly have any acting skills? Everything that had just happened was probably a coincidence.

Although Su Ying had always had a crush on the film emperor Ying Chenghao, she knew that she was still a nobody. A man like Shi Yanchen also had a fatal attraction for someone like her.

Looking at Shi Yanchen, who was sitting there exuding an air of authority, Su Ying straightened her hair, looked at the unopened coffee in her hand, and smiled.

Following her usual habit of flattering Ying Ruihan, she put on a gentle and considerate expression and walked over to Shi Yanchen. She softly said, “President Shi, why are you here? You must be tired after staying on set for so long. Have a cup of coffee to refresh yourself!”

As Su Ying spoke, she offered the coffee to Shi Yanchen. However, all of Shi Yanchen’s attention was on Ying Zhao, so he didn’t even notice someone approaching. Everything Su Ying had just said was completely ignored by him.

However, although Shi Yanchen didn’t notice, that didn’t mean others on set didn’t. The surrounding staff, seeing Su Ying’s behavior, naturally understood her intentions—it was nothing more than trying to cozy up to Shi Yanchen.

For days now, the female lead had always been acting like a white lotus. Normally, she pretended to care a lot about Ying Ruihan, while also showing some fear of him, leading everyone to believe that Ying Ruihan was very strict, making them feel somewhat sympathetic toward Su Ying.

But now, it seemed that Su Ying was actually quite thick-skinned. On the contrary, considering that Ying Ruihan had experienced such a serious wire accident today, yet didn’t insist on holding the staff accountable, and didn’t even scold anyone.

Reflecting on it, he didn’t really put on airs on set. Although he usually maintained a serious, distant demeanor as if warning others to stay away, on closer inspection, Ying Ruihan never made unreasonable demands and always followed the director’s instructions. In fact, he was actually a very easygoing star.

As everyone was thinking this, Ying Zhao’s shoot wrapped up. While filming, he had also been paying attention to his lover’s situation and naturally noticed the covetous look the female lead gave his man, which made him somewhat unhappy.

But before he could do anything, Shi Yanchen, seeing that Ying Zhao’s scene had ended, immediately stood up. He quickly walked over to Ying Zhao, and after a moment of hesitation, finally managed to say, “Good job.”

Ying Zhao couldn’t help but press his lips together, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. He found the man’s awkward attempt at small talk rather endearing.

Shi Yanchen really wanted to show concern for Ying Zhao, thinking about having a proper conversation with him during his break. But facing Ying Zhao, for some reason, the usually silver-tongued businessman suddenly found himself tongue-tied.

Feeling a bit frustrated, Shi Yanchen glanced around, trying to find something to talk about. He then noticed a woman standing next to him, holding an unopened cup of coffee, seemingly intended for him.

Being accustomed to the attentiveness of those around him, Shi Yanchen didn’t even look at Su Ying as he took the coffee from her and handed it to Ying Zhao, saying, “You’ve been shooting for a while; you must be tired. Have some coffee to refresh yourself.”

Shi Yanchen’s face didn’t show it, but there was a hint of eagerness in his heart. His entire focus was on Ying Zhao, completely unaware that he had just repeated Su Ying’s exact pickup line.

Ying Zhao glanced at Su Ying, whose face had darkened, then looked at Shi Yanchen, momentarily stunned by his actions.

“Pfft!” Someone on set was the first to snicker, and soon, suppressed laughter could be heard all around.

The staff members, who had witnessed Su Ying’s entire fawning act, couldn’t help but laugh. Despite Shi Yanchen’s intimidating demeanor, they struggled to hold back their laughter, though a few chuckles escaped now and then.

Shi Yanchen, inexplicably ridiculed by everyone, looked around in confusion, not understanding why they were laughing. But Su Ying knew exactly why. She clenched her fists, trying to calm the anger in her heart.

Shi Yanchen had just ignored her completely, and she already felt humiliated for offering her kindness in vain. But when Ying Zhao finished his work, Shi Yanchen immediately rushed over, took her coffee, and gave it to Ying Zhao.

He almost repeated her exact words of flattery, making Su Ying feel like a complete fool. Seeing Ying Zhao calmly accept the coffee, though he showed little expression, Su Ying was certain that he must be feeling smug.

Her anger flared up, and she even began to resent Ying Zhao. She thought that despite being a man, he had such a seductive appearance, and even the usually upright President Shi had fallen for his charm. Su Ying was indignant but tried hard not to show it.

Meanwhile, Shi Yanchen’s gaze remained firmly fixed on Ying Zhao, watching the man leisurely sipping the coffee. When it seemed Ying Zhao had no intention of starting a conversation with him, Shi Yanchen felt a bit dejected.

After hesitating for a while, he straightened his posture and asked Ying Zhao with determination, “When you finish work later, could I take you out for dinner?”

Ying Zhao raised an eyebrow at Shi Yanchen. Although he was inclined to accept, he shook his head and politely replied, “Sorry, I’m feeling a bit tired and would like to go home and rest after work.”

Shi Yanchen knew that the man before him never accepted such social invitations, and although he had anticipated that his invitation would likely be rejected, he still couldn’t hide his disappointment. He nodded understandingly at Ying Zhao and then just stood quietly beside him, watching him.

When Gao Sheng said it was time to continue filming, Shi Yanchen naturally took the half-finished coffee from Ying Zhao, his demeanor suggesting that they had known each other for years.

Watching Ying Zhao immerse himself in filming again, Shi Yanchen lingered with the coffee in hand, reluctant to leave. However, when he finally left, he took the coffee with him.

Sitting in the car, Shi Yanchen took a deep breath, lifted the coffee, and pressed his lips against the spot where Ying Zhao had just drunk, closing his eyes as he did so.

As he drank the remaining coffee, his face flushed as he childishly imagined that the faint fragrance on the cup was still lingering from the other’s lips. He thought to himself, in a rather immature way, that this could be considered an indirect kiss…

Shi Yanchen’s rush to leave certainly didn’t mean he was giving up on Ying Zhao; rather, he felt there was something more important he needed to do.

Ying Zhao’s refusal made Shi Yanchen realize that it would be difficult to date him through conventional means, so he began to consider other ways to make him compromise.

Ying Ruihan was an artist and naturally had to obey his company’s arrangements. Realizing this, Shi Yanchen couldn’t wait to get in the car and leave, eager to finalize the contract with Ying Zhao and then use it as leverage to approach Yixing Entertainment, so they could negotiate with Ying Zhao on his behalf.

On the other side, after Ying Zhao had finished filming all his scenes, it was naturally time for some solo scenes for Su Ying, as well as a few scenes between Su Ying and Ying Zhao.

However, after filming Ying Zhao, filming Su Ying felt much less interesting. Even Gao Sheng couldn’t muster any enthusiasm, and after hastily filming a few shots of Su Ying, he announced that they could wrap up for the day without even filming any scenes with both actors.

Su Ying clearly remembered that there were still a few scenes with Ying Zhao, so she didn’t understand why the director suddenly called it a day. She knew that Gao Sheng wasn’t an ordinary director, so she had been trying her best to perform well on set.

What she didn’t know was that, in contrast to Ying Zhao’s outstanding performance, her previously passable performance now seemed completely unimpressive to Gao Sheng. He even felt that having Su Ying and Ying Zhao appear in the same frame was detrimental to his overall vision.

Moreover, Gao Sheng, a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry, could easily see through Su Ying’s blatant attempts to get close to Shi Yanchen. So, he didn’t bother to put much effort into filming her scenes.

Later on, during the editing process, Gao Sheng didn’t even include Su Ying’s scenes in the commercial. When the ad aired, it featured only Ying Zhao, but that’s a story for another time.

Back then, the commercial became somewhat popular on television due to its creativity and content. Su Ying, riding the coattails of the ad’s success, caught the eye of a film director and was cast in a supporting role in a movie.

It was through that movie that Su Ying won a modest award, which was her first and marked the beginning of her success.

Ying Zhao had no idea that his stellar performance on set today had unintentionally disrupted the female lead’s small rise to fame.

After finishing his work for the day, Ying Zhao returned home to rest, as was the original host’s routine. Of course, he didn’t return to the main house of the Ying family, but to a small apartment the original host had been living in for years.

The first thing Ying Zhao did after arriving was to go to the mirror and carefully examine his appearance in this world. He had to admit that the title of “national visual god” had piqued his curiosity.

Looking at the flawless, somewhat angelic face in the mirror, Ying Zhao understood that the title was indeed well-deserved.

Ying Ruihan had delicate features that weren’t effeminate, yet not overly rugged—appealing to both men and women. His eyes and hair were naturally light-colored, paired with his skin that was as fair as milk, making him stand out wherever he went.

Taking off his outerwear and changing into casual clothes, Ying Zhao noticed the original host’s slender and tall figure. Due to Ying Ruihan’s consistent exercise habits, his muscles were well-defined, with even a faint outline of abs on his stomach—a typical case of looking slim in clothes but muscular without. Such a physique would be striking even in the celestial realm.

Seeing his current appearance, Ying Zhao nodded in approval. Although he still found his original look more pleasing, as long as he didn’t appear too feminine, he had no complaints.

The place where the original host often stayed was a small duplex, not even considered a villa. Since Ying Ruihan had always lived alone, he didn’t like overly large houses, finding them too empty.

Ying Ruihan wasn’t one for vanity; for him, it was enough if the place was functional. Besides, this apartment was left to him by his father, making it particularly meaningful to the original host.

Aside from the housekeeper who occasionally came to clean, almost no one set foot here. This was Ying Ruihan’s private space.

Since the original host had no mother from a young age, it was his father who raised him, so they had a very close relationship. The apartment was decorated with many photos of his father from when he was alive, as well as pictures of the original host with the old master from his childhood.

The Ying family was originally just a small, notable family, but its current success was entirely due to his father’s leadership and sharp business acumen.

No wonder the original host cherished the Ying family’s businesses so much; they were all painstakingly built by his father. Ying Zhao didn’t touch the apartment’s arrangement out of respect for the original host.

Having spent the entire day filming, Ying Zhao felt a bit tired. After a quick dinner, he comfortably lay down on the sofa and used Xiao Bai’s monitoring system to check in on his lover.