Chapter 7: Pay the Tax on What’s Taxable

Ye Leyao was engrossed in watching the opening ceremony and didn't notice that Qin Yao had stopped behind him.

The production of "The Wealthy Old Lover of the Sick Beauty" was grand, and the opening ceremony was particularly impressive. Apart from representatives of the financiers, many media outlets within the industry were also invited.

The financier's representative led the incense offering, followed by the director's team and the main cast, who paid their respects one after another.

Despite the distance, Ye Leyao could clearly see the appearance of the two lead actors.

"You can't deny it; even though Yu Bai isn't a good person, he does look quite good! No wonder so many fans were heartbroken when his reputation crumbled."

Upon hearing the male voice again, Qin Yao finally confirmed that he hadn't misheard.

What puzzled him, however, was that the young man in front of him hadn't opened his mouth. How did he hear the voice then?

Could it be that he was hallucinating from staying up late last night?

Seeing that Qin Yao remained stationary, his assistant, standing behind, couldn't help but whisper, "Brother Yao?"

Hearing the voice, Ye Leyao realised that Qin Yao hadn't moved on. When he turned around, he met Qin Yao's eyes under the brim of his cap.

These eyes were very beautiful, with thick lashes casting a small shadow beneath them, deep enough to seem as if they could suck a person in.

Assuming he was blocking the way, Ye Leyao shifted further to the side and continued watching the opening ceremony.

Qin Yao gestured for his assistant to go ahead, but he himself remained still.

It wasn't until the assistant had walked far away that he looked at Ye Leyao and cautiously asked, "Are you a fan of Yu Bai?"

The young man in front of him appeared to be not much older, dressed casually, with delicate features. A ray of sunlight fell through the gaps in the tree shade onto his cheek, making the fine hairs on his fair face particularly noticeable.

Hearing Qin Yao's voice, Ye Leyao turned to look at him, somewhat uncertain. "You're asking me?"

Qin Yao nodded. "Yes."

The voice matched exactly what he had heard earlier, and it was rather pleasant to listen to.

Only then did Ye Leyao carefully examine the man in front of him. Tall and upright, wearing a mask and a hat, his face was obscured, but just from the pair of eyes visible, it was clear that the man in front of him was very handsome.

Ye Leyao went through all the artists he could remember in his mind and, upon confirming that he indeed had no recollection of this man, became instantly wary.

Although Ye Leyao knew little about the entertainment circle, he had read plenty of novels!

The film city was vast, and those inside were either artists or staff members within the industry, journalists, paparazzi, or perhaps even fans who had sneaked in.

As a newcomer about to step into the entertainment circle, Ye Leyao was particularly self-aware.

He was entering the entertainment circle to make money. To earn money in the entertainment circle, he had to always hold himself to strict standards: don't sleep with anyone you shouldn't, pay taxes on what's taxable, don't say what shouldn't be said, and don't speak out of turn about what should be said!

In short, there mustn't be any stains on his record!

Even though Ye Leyao hadn't yet entered the circle, he needed to remain vigilant at all times. What if he became famous in the future?

He wanted to be an artist without any blemishes!

Thus, Ye Leyao put on a fake smile that he had only recently started practicing and wasn't quite standard yet, and replied with a smile, "No, I'm at most... a casual fan?"

"I'm not blind, how could I like someone like Yu Bai?"

The two voices came one after the other, and Qin Yao looked at the young man in front of him with a complicated expression.

He seemed so well-behaved, yet he had two faces.

At the same time, Qin Yao also concluded that the voice he had heard earlier was indeed that of the young man in front of him.

But what was going on?

Could it be that he had developed telepathy after staying up all night?

Qin Yao couldn't help but reach out to feel the temperature of his forehead.

Mm, he wasn't running a fever.

What concerned Qin Yao more was the information Ye Leyao had just revealed.

Qin Yao took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and asked again, "Then what do you... like about Yu Bai?"

Yu Bai was an artist signed by his company last year. Before signing with his company, Yu Bai had already played the second male lead in a hit drama, gaining some popularity in the drama. Because of his cheerful personality and approachability, treating fans like friends, he attracted a large number of fans from different age groups.

Combined with Yu Bai's usual humility and hard work, many industry personnel who worked with him spoke highly of him, which is why Qin Yao entrusted him with the leading role in the S-level project "The Sick Beauty."

Why would the young man in front of him call such a humble and hardworking artist a "scumbag"?

Ye Leyao blinked.

"There's nothing I like about him."

"What virtues does Yu Bai have? He has a multitude of flaws instead."

"Hmm... let me think."

"Slept with fans?"

Qin Yao was taken aback, thinking he might have misheard.

"Cheated on multiple people? Had a bunch of girlfriends and boyfriends?"

Qin Yao furrowed his brows, pursing his lips tightly.

"In junior high, he was still the main perpetrator of school bullying, driving that student to jump off a building... Hmm, obviously a scumbag!"

As Ye Leyao's last words fell, Qin Yao's heart skipped a beat.

The points Ye Leyao listed, any one of them if exposed alone, would be a massive scandal that could explode on the trending topics.

Ye Leyao curled her lips:

"Indeed, I can't bring myself to like such a rotten person at all."

But he had to put up an act, after all, it was still over a year before Yu Bai's true downfall. Ye Leyao said dismissively, "He's decent looking, I guess."

"Of course, that's not his merit; it's mainly due to good genetics."

Qin Yao looked at the boy in front of him, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

If what Ye Leyao said was false, then where did she hear these rumors?

Had Yu Bai's rival already started preparing smear campaigns even before his new drama began filming?

This speculation arose, but Qin Yao immediately dismissed it.

It was unlikely.

If it really was the rival's doing, they would have already started creating momentum, and the public relations department wouldn't have received no news at all.

That left only one possibility—

Everything Ye Leyao said was true, something they failed to uncover before signing with Yu Bai!

No.

Qin Yao's aura suddenly dropped low. How could Yu Bai have the ability to hide these matters? Someone must have helped him deliberately suppress them, which is why they didn't find out.

After finishing her spiel, Ye Leyao continued watching the filming ceremony, completely oblivious to Qin Yao's change in mood.

A moment later, Qin Yao had already regained his composure, and when he looked at Ye Leyao again, there was a hint of scrutiny in his gaze.

Was it just a coincidence that Ye Leyao knew about Yu Bai, or—

Just then, a familiar voice sounded: "Ye Leyao! Where have you been running off to?"

Ye Leyao instantly turned around at the sound: "Second Brother."

Qin Yao followed her gaze and saw that Huo Yan was still in his costume, rushing over hurriedly.

Noticing Qin Yao's gaze, Huo Yan also looked over, and upon seeing him, his brows furrowed, "President Qin?"

Ye Leyao quickly glanced at the man beside her.

"Huh? You know him, Second Brother?"

Huo Yan said irritably to Ye Leyao, "Qin Yao, the film emperor, you don't recognize him?"

Ye Leyao's eyes widened suddenly.

"He's actually someone from the industry! Good thing I didn't talk nonsense just now!"

Huo Yan: "..."

Qin Yao: "..."

Was it possible that they both heard her?

But at this moment, Huo Yan didn't know that Qin Yao could hear Ye Leyao's thoughts, and Qin Yao similarly believed that only he could read Ye Leyao's thoughts.

So the two of them were very in sync, not saying anything more.

After a simple greeting to Qin Yao, Huo Yan took Ye Leyao away.

As they walked, Huo Yan couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

Ye Leyao patted her pants pocket and said softly, "I forgot my phone."

Huo Yan said irritably, "Remember to take it next time. The film city is so big, if it weren't for me..."

Mentioning this, Huo Yan felt a headache coming on.

After his romantic failure, he did indeed wallow for two days.

But he didn't wallow for too long. His agent came to his house personally and "invited" him to the set.

Once filming got busy, the pain brought on by love was temporarily cast aside. Over time, Huo Yan actually adapted.

But before he could fully adapt, Mother Huo called and sent Ye Leyao over. The gist was for Huo Yan to take Ye Leyao out for a couple of days, and then the family would arrange for Ye Leyao to enter the industry.

Huo Yan's feelings were quite complicated.

Ye Leyao did help him see Su Rui for who he was, but precisely because of this, Huo Yan was somewhat reluctant to meet Ye Leyao again.

But Mother and Father Huo gave him no chance to refuse.

Today, as soon as the Huo family's car entered the film city, Huo Yan was originally on a wire harness, but he heard Ye Leyao's muttering from afar. He stumbled on the wire harness, almost turning into a head-first dive.

On the way to find Ye Leyao, he accidentally overheard a major industry scoop. Now, Huo Yan's feelings weren't as complicated as before, and he found Ye Leyao more agreeable.

"Has Qin Yao been with you the whole time?" Huo Yan asked, "What did he say to you?"

Although he could hear Ye Leyao's thoughts, Huo Yan couldn't hear Qin Yao's questions.

Ye Le Yao simply recounted the questions Qin Yao had asked.

In his heart, Huo Yan scoffed lightly. Combined with Ye Le Yao's earlier complaints, he felt inexplicably pleased.

In their circle of wealthy families, Huo Jing from the Huo family and Qin Yao from the Qin family were both top-tier heirs of their respective prominent clans.

And the other children were always compared to these two since they were young.

Especially since Qin Yao entered the entertainment industry and became a three-time consecutive Best Actor winner, Huo Yan had become Qin Yao's exclusive comparison group. Thus, Huo Yan never had any good feelings towards Qin Yao.

It was just that Qin Yao was an all-rounder among the heirs, not only having a flourishing career in the entertainment industry but also being adept at investments and business operations!

He had even started taking on projects from the Qin Group last year.

Huo Ba had praised Qin Yao in front of Huo Yan not long ago. Now, thinking about how he was about to face a major downfall, Huo Yan felt unusually relieved.

Indeed, human happiness is more profound when it's built upon others' misfortunes!

Huo Yan wanted to delve deeper into the gossip about Yu Bai and asked, "You..." He couldn't let Ye Le Yao know they could hear his thoughts, so Huo Yan phrased his question more tactfully, "Were you watching Yu Bai over there just now?"

Ye Le Yao suddenly lifted his head, scrutinizing Huo Yan from head to toe with his gaze.

Huo Yan felt perplexed under his scrutiny and asked, "What's up?"

Ye Le Yao shook his head.

But inwardly, he thought, "I didn't expect my second brother to fall out of love so quickly?"

"His taste is getting worse by the day!"

Huo Yan stumbled over a small pebble, nearly losing his balance.

Ye Le Yao hurried to support him. "Second Brother, are you alright?"

In Ye Le Yao's mind, what kind of scoundrel was he to him!

Huo Yan almost ground his teeth to dust. Indeed, he shouldn't have agreed to let Ye Le Yao come over! Wasn't this just asking for trouble?

Back on set, Huo Yan didn't have time to chat idly with Ye Le Yao. He left him with his assistant and continued shooting.

Ye Le Yao followed the assistant around the set for half a day, watched Huo Yan film for a while, and then made up his mind.

He was determined to enter this entertainment industry!

Before dinner, Ye Le Yao returned to the Huo residence. As soon as he stepped through the door, he saw someone sitting on the living room sofa who looked somewhat familiar.

Ye Le Yao took a closer look.

"Huh, isn't this my second aunt who comes to the Huo residence once a month to mooch off luxury goods because she's jealous that Huo Ma married better than her!"

Huo Ma's smile froze instantly on her face.

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