The Scummy Top Desperately Tries to Win Back His Ex After the Breakup - Chapter 18

Even though he was extremely reluctant to admit it, the words Yan Wenhe had said to him earlier affected him to some degree.

He did not believe in love, nor was he willing to become a clown toyed with by romance. As for Jiang Zui, he was nothing more than an obsession from his youth. Pei Youting believed that his recent absentmindedness and constant thoughts of the man were likely due to how tragic and violent their breakup had been; it certainly was not because he had fallen in love with Jiang Zui.

Perhaps he truly should try to move on, for there were thousands upon thousands of beauties in the world.

Therefore, when Su Leyan approached him, he did not refuse. He applied his most practiced kissing techniques to Su Leyan, who quickly found himself overwhelmed. When they finally pulled apart, Su Leyan was flushed and leaned into his chest, seemingly reluctant to let go.

Yet, as Pei Youting looked at him, his heart remained as still as stagnant water. He felt that the whole thing was rather dull. He even had an incredibly absurd suspicion: had the scene of Jiang Zui catching him in the act made him somewhat impotent?

There was no point in overthinking it. He thought listlessly that Su Leyan was not so bad. He was obedient, sensible, and knew when to advance or retreat. There was no need to hide anything in front of him. Even if he could not muster any interest now, perhaps he would later. For now, he would keep him around.

Su Leyan could feel that Pei Youting’s attitude toward him had improved since then. He was overjoyed, assuming that his proactive display of vulnerability that night had evoked a sense of pity in Pei Youting.

Pei Youting truly was a man of immense charm in every gesture. The warmth he occasionally showed was enough to make anyone sink into it involuntarily. Thus, whether it was Jiang Zui before or Su Leyan now, they fell for him one after another.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction. Su Leyan occasionally thought with a bit of self-satisfaction that if things continued this way, he might have a chance of staying by his side permanently.

At the same time, he learned that Jiang Zui would be playing the role of a fox demon in Xu Xizhe’s new movie. Ever since accidentally overhearing the conversation between Yan Wenhe and Pei Youting that day, he had been quietly monitoring news about Jiang Zui.

He actually wanted to meet Jiang Zui to see what kind of charm the man possessed to affect Pei Youting so deeply. Therefore, he proactively asked Pei Youting to help secure him the lead role in Xu Xizhe’s new film.

With a wave of his hand, Pei Youting ordered his subordinates to handle it. After the breakup, he had been deliberately avoiding news of Jiang Zui, so he naturally did not know that Jiang Zui was part of the same production.

And so, in early July, Su Leyan entered the set surrounded by a massive entourage, a display of grandeur that even first-tier superstars could not match.

When he arrived, Jiang Zui was looking down at his phone and did not notice. However, the actor beside him playing the prince, Peng Siyuan, spoke up with a high-pitched, sarcastic tone. “Putting on such a big show. If I did not know better, I would think the Empress herself had graced us with her presence.”

The role Peng Siyuan had originally auditioned for was not the prince, but the male lead, the Heavenly Master. He had been the most likely candidate among those auditioning, but Xu Xizhe, in his pursuit of perfection, had hesitated. Who knew that while the director deliberated, the position would be snatched away by someone else?

He harbored a grudge and was naturally a chatterbox. Once he started ranting, he could not stop. His mouth moved a mile a minute, eventually causing even the focused Jiang Zui to look up.

Whether it was a coincidence or fate, that single glance led to his eyes meeting Su Leyan’s in mid-air. Jiang Zui was surprised. Just as he was about to look away, he saw Su Leyan smile at him.

Jiang Zui froze. Out of politeness, he gave a stiff, forced smile in return. He thought that would be the end of it, but Su Leyan walked through the crowd toward him.

He stood before Jiang Zui, reached out his hand, and gave another thin smile. “Hello, my name is Su Leyan.”

Seeing him, Peng Siyuan did not even bother to hide his feelings. He rolled his eyes and muttered, “The weasel pays a New Year visit to the chicken; he comes with no good intentions.”

Su Leyan ignored him and remained standing there. Jiang Zui felt a bit uneasy under his gaze, but he still reached out to return the handshake politely. “Pleasure to meet you, Jiang Zui.”

“I have heard so much about you, Teacher Jiang. I am a fan of yours. I have watched your dramas and movies several times.”

“Haha.”

Jiang Zui truly did not understand why the man was being so enthusiastic. He claimed to be a fan, but he certainly did not look like one. Nevertheless, Jiang Zui exchanged some polite formalities. “I am flattered by your interest. I am only just starting out, after all.”

He hoped in his heart that this bizarre conversation would end quickly, but Su Leyan grew more animated as he spoke, showing no sign of stopping. He continued, “How could that be? Teacher Jiang, you are far too modest.”

“President Pei always mentions you to me,” Su Leyan said with a smile. “He says you have a great talent for acting and are a natural-born actor.”

The moment those words were spoken, Jiang Zui’s expression turned cold. He finally understood why Su Leyan had come: to show off and gloat, like a newly elevated concubine flaunting her status before a discarded wife.

Oh, that was wrong, Jiang Zui thought with a self-deprecating smirk. He was not even a wife. From beginning to end, he was no different from the group of people he looked down upon.

Truly a lingering nightmare.

Since Su Leyan was asking for trouble by trying to make him miserable, there was no need for him to endure it. Thus, he curled his lips into a smirk.

“Oh, is that so?” he said. “Pei Youting seems quite concerned about me, does he not? Even while with his new lover, he does not forget to mention my affairs.”

“I am truly flattered.”

He stood up, ignoring Su Leyan’s shattered mask of a smile and his cold gaze. He ignored the slight ache in his own heart and the lingering sense of frustration as he walked away with his phone.

The naive Peng Siyuan was stunned, his jaw dropping as he struggled to process the situation. He even forgot to continue his verbal attacks until Jiang Zui gently tugged at his sleeve. “Let us go. Filming starts soon. Let us go over the scenes.”

“Oh, oh, oh! I am coming, I am coming!”

Peng Siyuan scrambled to his feet and followed closely behind Jiang Zui, eager for gossip. He stole a glance at Su Leyan’s livid face and then turned to Jiang Zui. “Brother Jiang, you, you, you, him, him, him, what is the deal?”

Jiang Zui’s footsteps paused for a moment before he let out a light scoff. “Just some past nonsense. It is nothing.”

Su Leyan had indeed intended to show off and provoke him. He harbored a grudge and always felt a competitive urge when facing Jiang Zui. He had not intended to drop the act so quickly, but when he saw Jiang Zui sitting there with that aloof, cold demeanor as if looking down on everyone, he could not help but want to crush his pride.

He clenched his hanging hand, his nails digging deep into his palm and leaving marks.

On the surface, Jiang Zui remained unmoved, but he could not help but feel a pang of sadness.

Emotions were not something one could control. He hated Pei Youting, but he had to admit that he could not let go of his feelings for him so easily. Knowing that Su Leyan was Pei Youting’s current lover still bothered him and caused him pain.

He already knew that Pei Youting was a hypocritical bastard, but he had not expected he would forget him so quickly and find another lover. Jiang Zui felt that he was utterly pathetic. In this relationship, only the deeply devoted version of himself was a clown.

Pei Youting truly was even more cold-blooded and ruthless than he had imagined.

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