ASPWL Ch56: Eating Melons on the Spot

Everyone who needed to be taken away had been taken away, and as the ones who reported the incident, Cui Fan and Cui Shu naturally had to go to the police station as well.

Before leaving, Cui Fan didn’t forget to address all the guests present, saying, “I’m really sorry for today, everyone. I’ve wasted your time. My sister and I can’t stay to entertain you, so please forgive us…”

Before he could finish speaking, someone from the audience said, “It’s okay, you two go ahead and take care of things.”

Everyone was reasonable and completely understood Cui Fan and Cui Shu’s situation.

Another person chimed in, “Yeah, don’t worry about us.”

After all, they had already witnessed the most exciting part of the drama. Now they could still sit down and enjoy the banquet, so they weren’t losing out!

The other guests echoed these sentiments.

They told Cui Fan and Cui Shu to go ahead and take care of things, and that there was no need to entertain them.

Cui Fan and Cui Shu thanked everyone one by one and then followed the police off the stage.

When they reached the table where Ye Leyao was sitting, Cui Fan suddenly stopped and looked at Ye Leyao. “Thanks.”

Ye Leyao was a bit surprised.

[Hmm? Why is he thanking me?]

[Could it be just because I said a few words to help?]

“No problem, don’t worry about it.”

Ye Leyao had simply been unable to stand the injustice. Father Cui and mother were just too shameless, so he couldn’t help but speak up. At the same time, Ye Leyao felt rather reflective.

[Have people been thanking me a bit too much lately?]

Papa and Mama Huo glanced at Ye Leyao.

Who else had thanked Xiao Yao?

Huo Yan shook his head.

He really didn’t know.

Papa and Mama Huo retracted their gazes and saw that Cui Fan smiled.

This time, his smile was much more genuine than when they had met at their house earlier. After also greeting Papa and Mama Huo, Cui Fan and Cui Shu left with the police.

At this point, all the hosts of the banquet jointly organized by the Zhong and Cui families had left, but not a single guest had left early.

Not only because it was a rare opportunity for everyone to gather, but also because today’s drama was just too interesting!

With the hosts absent, the guests became even more animated in their discussions.

Some even called their own legal teams on the spot to ask about the legal repercussions for the Cui and Zhong families in this situation and how many years they might each be sentenced to.

It must be said that the legal teams were indeed professional.

Although their employers’ sudden inquiries left them a bit puzzled, the legal teams dutifully answered all possible scenarios.

The final conclusion was—

If Father and Mother Cui’s actions were proven, they would face less than three years in prison.

As for Zhong Ziwei, if his situation was confirmed, he would face at least ten years.

As for Father and Mother Zhong, it would depend on the evidence. If there was proof that they had intentionally concealed the situation, they wouldn’t escape legal punishment either.

Upon hearing this, all the guests laughed.

They really hadn’t expected that they’d come to a wedding banquet and end up watching such a major drama.

In any case, they were certainly entertained!

Ye Leyao was equally delighted. After the banquet, he specifically kept an eye on the situations of the Zhong and Cui families.

The Cui family’s business had already been on the brink, and now, with both key figures taken away, the company immediately lost its backbone. In less than two days, a large number of mid-level managers had left.

According to Papa Huo’s analysis, the Cui family’s situation was now irreversible. Bankruptcy was inevitable, but the problem was that the Cui Group had such a huge financial hole that even bankruptcy wouldn’t attract any companies willing to take over the mess.

As for the Zhong family.

Father and Mother Zhong weren’t skilled at running a business, so after the death of Old Master Zhong, their family had always relied on hired managers.

In the short term, the Zhong family’s business wouldn’t fall into chaos, but it wouldn’t last long either.

After all, the Zhong family’s business wasn’t like the Cui family’s, which was an empty shell burdened with debt. There were plenty of people eager to seize the opportunity to take a bite out of this pie.

As soon as the board of directors pushed Father and Mother Zhong out of the decision-making process, the Zhong family’s company would be rebranded.

The Huo family wasn’t particularly interested in the Zhong family’s business, so they didn’t get involved, but they didn’t miss out on any gossip related to them.

Three days later, Ye Leyao had just finished his acting class when he saw the latest news about Zhong Ziwei shared by Mama Huo.

Ye Leyao almost burst out laughing in the classroom while holding his phone:

[Hahaha, he’s been directly detained for a criminal investigation! Just as expected, Cui Fan had the key evidence in his hands!]

Just as Ye Leyao was thoroughly enjoying the news, someone suddenly walked up to him: “Aren’t you leaving?”

Ye Leyao looked up, and the boy in front of him was called Ran Jing, also an artist attending the acting class like Ye Leyao.

However, while Ye Leyao had already debuted, Ran Jing had not officially debuted yet.

After spending some time together, the two had become quite familiar with each other.

Ye Leyao immediately stood up from the floor. “I’m leaving, but my brother said he’s at the company today as well, and he said he needs to go home, so he asked me to wait for him.”

Ran Jing knew Ye Leyao’s identity and nodded, “So, are you going to wait for him in the office?”

Ye Leyao shook his head.

Huo Jing’s office was always busy with people coming in and out to report this or that. Although it wouldn’t restrict Ye Leyao in any way, he always found it boring and would rather not go there.

“I’ll just wait for him in the garage.” Ye Leyao sent Huo Jing a message, urging him to come down quickly.

Ran Jing smiled when he saw this and said, “Alright, let’s go then. My electric scooter is parked in the garage too.”

Ye Leyao looked at him in surprise. “Didn’t your agent tell you not to ride the scooter anymore? Didn’t you have your assistant take you?”

“I wear a helmet when I ride, I follow traffic rules, and I don’t carry passengers,” Ran Jing snorted. “Besides, I haven’t even debuted yet; he can’t control me!”

Ye Leyao burst out laughing.

Ran Jing was a year older than Ye Leyao and was in his first year of college. His favorite thing to do was to ride his little electric scooter to the company for various training sessions. His agent had already warned him several times not to be so obsessed with that “broken” scooter, but Ran Jing was just too rebellious.

Ye Leyao actually admired him quite a bit. Once, out of sheer curiosity about the scooter experience, Ye Leyao got Ran Jing’s permission and took his scooter for a spin around the city.

While other vehicles were stuck in traffic, Ye Leyao zipped through the streets on the scooter, and it was genuinely enjoyable!

However, the downside was that Ye Leyao was recognized by fans and was nearly surrounded.

Afterward, Ye Leyao was scolded by Li Li and decided there wouldn’t be a next time.

The two of them chatted and laughed as they reached the garage. Huo Jing hadn’t arrived yet, so Ran Jing let Ye Leyao sit on the back of the scooter, and they started chatting in the underground parking lot.

As they were having a good time talking, Ye Leyao suddenly heard Huo Jing’s voice from behind: “Xiao Yao.”

Ye Leyao quickly stood up and waved at Huo Jing, “Big Brother, I’m over here!”

Looking back, Ye Leyao noticed that Huo Jing was accompanied by several people. Leading the group were Huo Jing and a man. The man was dressed in a black suit with handsome features and particularly deep-set eyes. But that wasn’t the main point; the main point was that the man was holding a cane.

Even though he tried to hide it, it was still clear from his gait that his right leg was somewhat disabled.

Ye Leyao’s gaze swept over the man quickly, but what puzzled him was that the man didn’t withdraw his probing gaze. In fact, the man’s brows even furrowed slightly.

Ye Leyao was baffled.

[Uh, I don’t know him, do I? Why is he looking at me?]

[Wait a minute…]

Ye Leyao suddenly realized something and shifted slightly to the side.

The man’s gaze didn’t move; he walked even closer, and now Ye Leyao could even see the faint anger in his eyes.

Ye Leyao was certain now.

[He’s not looking at me; he’s looking at Ran Jing!]

[Hmm? Didn’t Ran Jing say he was just a poor college student discovered by a talent scout? I don’t know this man, but if he can stand next to my big brother…]

Ye Leyao suddenly felt like this scenario was somewhat familiar.

He should have read about it in some book, but which one exactly?

While Ye Leyao was pondering this, the group had already approached.

“Why are you riding that lousy scooter again?” The man’s voice was cold, devoid of any warmth.

Ran Jing remained seated on the scooter, not moving an inch, his head bowed in silence.

Seeing this, the coldness in the man’s eyes deepened.

Ye Leyao looked at Ran Jing, then at his big brother.

[Who is he?!]

Huo Jing received the signal from Ye Leyao, cleared his throat, and said, “Mr. Meng, we’ve finished discussing things, so we’ll see you next time.”

Only then did Meng Yue withdraw his gaze, replacing it with a smile. “Alright, Mr. Huo, please go ahead.”

Huo Jing signaled to Ye Leyao that they could leave.

Ye Leyao said goodbye to Ran Jing.

Ran Jing winked at him, indicating that he was fine.

Only then did Ye Leyao follow Huo Jing, turning back to look every few steps.

As they walked, Ye Leyao suddenly exclaimed in shock:

[Could it be the book ‘Disabled Overlord’?!]

Huo Jing’s eyelid twitched.

What disabled overlord?

Meng Yue’s right leg did have a bit of a disability.

The driver opened the car door, and as soon as Ye Leyao got in, he skillfully pulled out his phone and opened his notes.

After browsing for a moment, Ye Leyao looked up and glanced at Huo Jing beside him.

Huo Jing had already taken out his computer and started handling some files.

Noticing Ye Leyao’s gaze, Huo Jing paused slightly and looked up to ask, “What’s wrong?”

After searching through his notes for a while and finding no clues, Ye Leyao decided to ask Huo Jing directly, “Big brother, what’s the relationship between Ran Jing and that Mr. Meng we just met?”

[Big brother wasn’t surprised at all when he saw the two of them. He definitely knows something!]

Huo Jing rarely found himself at a loss for words.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know, but rather that he knew too well.

Not only did he know, but he also knew some of the inside story.

But Huo Jing didn’t want to tell Ye Leyao about these sordid adult matters.

So he simply said, “I’m not too sure.”

Ye Leyao: “…”

[Alright, as expected, big brother knows, but he’s just not being honest!]

Huo Jing: “…”

Did he make it that obvious?

The more Ye Leyao thought about it, the more the words “Mr. Meng” and “disabled overlord” seemed familiar, but he couldn’t recall which book they were from at the moment.

After thinking for a while, Ye Leyao switched to another question: “What’s that Mr. Meng’s full name?”

This time, Huo Jing didn’t hide it from Ye Leyao: “Meng Yue,” he paused for a moment, then added, “The eldest son of the Meng Group and the future head of the Meng family, but… you should probably avoid interacting with him too much.”

Ye Leyao thought to himself:

[I’m not involved in the company’s affairs, so why would I interact with Meng Yue?]

[But Meng Yue…]

Ye Leyao repeated the name twice, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

[I remember now!]

[It’s not ‘Disabled Overlord’, but ‘The Stand-In and the White Moonlight HE’!]

Huo Jing’s typing fingers paused.

What?

Stand-in and White Moonlight?

Huo Jing knew about the relationship between Meng Yue and Ran Jing because Ran Jing was personally brought into the company by Meng Yue.

Meng Yue didn’t ask for much, only that Huo Jing sign Ran Jing to the company. All of Ran Jing’s subsequent training and resources would be provided by the Meng family.

The Meng family had been an old partner of the Huo Group, so adding someone to the company’s training program wasn’t a big deal, and Huo Jing agreed.

Ran Jing had been with the company for six months, and Meng Yue had come to pick him up a few times, but he never formally introduced Ran Jing to anyone in the circle, so Ran Jing’s status was clear.

To put it nicely, Ran Jing was someone Meng Yue kept around.

Huo Jing didn’t look down on Ran Jing and never stopped him from interacting with Ye Leyao, but he never imagined that Ran Jing also had a stand-in role.

A stand-in for whom?

Meng Yue’s White Moonlight?

How come Huo Jing had never heard that Meng Yue had a White Moonlight?

At this point, Ye Leyao had already become excited by the gossip and completely ignored Huo Jing’s surprised look.

[Aha! Found it! Here it is!]

Ye Leyao skimmed through the plot and couldn’t help but sigh.

[As expected, poor Ran Jing is really just a stand-in!]

[Ran Jing’s family background isn’t good. His father passed away early, his mother is weak and sickly, requiring constant expensive medical treatment, but Ran Jing is hardworking. Not only is he good-looking, but he also excels in his studies. Since high school, he’s been doing part-time jobs to help support his family… Good-looking, in need of money, and a little pitiful. This setup is basically the standard for a tragic but strong protagonist!]

[So when Meng Yue approached him, Ran Jing didn’t hesitate to agree. A hundred thousand a month, no physical contact—not only would Meng Yue arrange work for him, but he’d also buy him luxury goods. The only requirement was that Ran Jing needed to be available whenever Meng Yue called. How could Ran Jing refuse such a good job?!]

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but laugh at this point.

Because he suddenly remembered that a few days ago, Ran Jing had asked him if the company had enrolled him in social insurance.

At the time, Ye Leyao was puzzled: wasn’t regular insurance enough?

But Ran Jing insisted, saying he must have social insurance.

He needed some security.

Now, Ye Leyao understood.

[So Ran Jing always saw “playing the role of White Moonlight” as just a job! Since he even asked for social insurance, does that mean there’s also performance bonuses and annual incentives? Hahahahaha, this is too funny!]

Huo Jing also found it hard not to laugh.

Ran Jing was quite an interesting person.

[But after all, work is work. Who among the workers doesn’t want to slack off sometimes? Ran Jing also got tired of acting at times, like today, when he just wanted to let loose and be himself but unexpectedly got caught by Meng Yue.]

At this point, Ye Leyao suddenly realized:

[No wonder, even though Ran Jing has been taking acting classes for six months and his acting skills are now better than mine, he still hasn’t gone on to film anything. It turns out Ran Jing has been using all his acting skills to play the White Moonlight!]

[No wonder Meng Yue was upset with Ran Jing earlier, and he didn’t get angry.]

[Well, what can you do? Meng Yue is his boss!]

Huo Jing really couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore.

So this is what Ran Jing thinks—does Meng Yue know?

Huo Jing quickly came to a conclusion—Meng Yue definitely didn’t know.

After all, if Meng Yue knew what Ran Jing was thinking, he wouldn’t end up losing both the White Moonlight and the stand-in in the end.

With this in mind, Huo Jing became even more curious.

So who exactly is this White Moonlight?

But Ye Leyao didn’t say anything else after that, instead frowning and flipping through his notes while jotting something down.

Even after they got home, Ye Leyao remained silent.

Huo Jing had come back today to discuss some matters with their father, so since Ye Leyao didn’t speak up, he composed himself and went to the study to talk to their father.

At dinner, the family started talking about Huo Ze.

Their mother said, “The finals are in two days. Xiaoyao, are you going to watch?”

Ye Leyao frowned slightly, “What time does it start?”

Their father picked up his phone, looked at the message Huo Ze sent, and said, “It starts at six in the evening.”

Ye Leyao calculated the time while picking at his rice, “So it should be over by ten at the latest, right?”

Their mother nodded, “It should be; even if they play all five games, there should be enough time.”

Ye Leyao immediately smiled, “Alright, I’ll go too!”

[I believe in Third Brother’s skills; he should be able to finish the match by ten so I can go enjoy the fun!]

Upon hearing this, there was a moment of silence at the dining table.

Enjoy the fun?

What kind of fun requires going out at ten at night?

Today, Huo Jing had brought Ye Leyao home, so both Papa and Mama Huo turned their gazes towards Huo Jing.

Huo Jing: “…”

Didn’t they just get home a short while ago?

He had been discussing matters with Papa Huo and only came downstairs for dinner just now…

Mama Huo shot a reproachful glance at Huo Jing.

Even if you’re busy, couldn’t you have sent a quick message in the group, summarizing things in a few words?

Huo Jing picked up the cup beside him and took a sip of water.

Alright, I’ll remember for next time.

The three of them turned their attention back to Ye Leyao.

By now, Ye Leyao had already opened a notebook he had just completed that afternoon. Looking at the key points of all the events that had taken place, he nodded in satisfaction.

[In two days, the white moonlight will return to the country! But——]

[Meng Yue has no idea that the white moonlight is returning, so that night, Meng Yue, with Ran Jing in tow, runs into the white moonlight at a bar… Ah, just thinking about it is thrilling!]

Papa and Mama Huo also found it thrilling.

Because they knew Meng Yue, but what about the white moonlight and Ran Jing?

Mama Huo couldn’t hold back any longer and picked up her phone, sending a “1” in the group.

Huo Jing’s phone vibrated.

Papa Huo also looked at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing sighed inwardly and resignedly picked up his phone, briefly summarizing what had happened in the car earlier for the two of them.

Papa and Mama Huo were wide-eyed as they read.

They used to think Meng Yue was a sensible kid!

How did he end up messing around in relationships?

But——

When they thought of Meng Yue’s ultimate fate, they couldn’t help but laugh.

One was a carefully nurtured substitute who increasingly resembled the white moonlight, and the other was the white moonlight he could never have.

In the end, these two people ended up together!

All that could be said was that Meng Yue was a true clown.

Papa and Mama Huo laughed secretly for a while, then felt a sense of sympathy.

People who don’t respect emotions will certainly be rejected by emotions.

So Meng Yue wasn’t worthy of their sympathy.

They suddenly began to look forward to the next two days!

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was the day of the esports tournament finals.

Since this was Huo Ze’s most important match, the whole family attended.

Before the match began, they were escorted backstage by the staff to meet all the members of the KT team.

After a brief chat with them, the Huo family took their seats in the audience.

At six o’clock in the evening, the match started on time.

KT’s opponent was an established powerhouse in the esports scene.

KT, as a new team, was under a lot of pressure.

But KT withstood this pressure and, led by their AD and Huo Ze, won the first game.

Papa and Mama Huo sighed with relief.

Since Huo Ze started competing, they have watched many of his matches, big and small.

Winning the first game was crucial for boosting morale, so when the second game started, KT played aggressively. Perhaps because they were confident, they made fewer mistakes and managed to push down the opponent’s base within twenty-five minutes, winning the game.

By the time the third game began, the Huo family was more nervous than Huo Ze on stage.

When they saw the opposing team take the first kill, Mama Huo couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

Ye Leyao was also incredibly tense.

In the original storyline, because Ning Xu was suspended, Huo Ze’s team never made it to the finals.

But now that Ning Xu’s issue had been resolved, Huo Ze’s team was in the finals for the first time.

“They have to win; come on!” Ye Leyao was on edge.

The third game dragged on, with the family’s hearts rising and falling several times until, at the forty-minute mark, Ning Xu capitalized on a defensive error by the opposing team, taking down three of their players. With the other team missing three core members, they couldn’t even defend their base.

At forty-one minutes, KT secured the third game!

With the commentator’s shout of “Congratulations KT,” the entire venue erupted.

Ye Leyao was so excited that he jumped to his feet.

The atmosphere was electric.

The whole arena was filled with shouts of “Congratulations” and “Amazing.”

When they saw Huo Ze and his teammates lift the trophy, Huo Ze seemed to notice Ye Leyao and the others and waved in their direction.

Ye Leyao grinned from ear to ear.

But then he suddenly remembered something and glanced at the time.

[It’s already nine o’clock! I need to go!]

Papa and Mama Huo snapped back to reality.

Huo Yan was a bit puzzled.

Go?

Go where?

Didn’t they plan to attend the victory banquet after Huo Ze’s win?

Huo Yan quickly looked at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing was speechless.

Didn’t you read any of the messages in the group these past two days?

Huo Yan whispered, “I’ve been shooting a commercial these two days!”

He had crammed all his work together to make time for Huo Ze’s match, leaving him exhausted.

But after Huo Jing’s reminder, Huo Yan quickly opened his phone.

After skimming through the group messages, Huo Yan made up his mind.

The victory banquet? Not important.

Going to the bar for the gossip—now that’s important!

The family first went backstage to find Huo Ze.

Huo Ze was thrilled to see them, “I’ve already arranged the venue for the victory banquet, we…”

“No need,” Mama Huo said with a smile, cutting Huo Ze off. “You and your teammates go ahead. Your dad and I… well, we’re going to a bar tonight to have a drink.”

Huo Ze looked at his mother, full of disbelief.

What?

Going to a bar for a drink?

Isn’t there enough alcohol at home?

Then Ye Leyao’s excited voice rang out, “Papa Huo, Mama Huo, which bar are you going to?”

[If it’s the same one, I want to go too!]

Mama Huo mentioned a name.

Ye Leyao immediately beamed, “Can I come too?”

“Of course,” Mama Huo said.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but smile wider.

[Great! Although I don’t know why Papa and Mama Huo want to go for drinks, with them going too, I have a legitimate reason to be at the bar for the drama!]

[If a paparazzi catches me there, I can just say I went with my parents!]

[I’m definitely not there to gossip!]

Huo Ze’s eyelid twitched as he looked at his family.

Huo Yan raised an eyebrow, as if asking if he was sure he didn’t want to come?

Papa and Mama Huo looked eager, as if persuading him to reconsider.

Huo Ze took a deep breath, thinking about all the interesting and amusing gossip that had been shared in the group lately, and couldn’t resist saying, “Well… since you’re all going, I guess I’ll go too!”

What’s more fun than hearing gossip?

The answer is nothing!

Finally, Huo Ze gets to eat melons on the spot too!