Chapter 21 – You Are a Beam of Light
by LightWhen Yan Dun saw the reply, he instantly relaxed.
『 Oh, so it’s not that I offended you. 』
『 It’s just the plot requirement. 』
And if it was required by the plot, then there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Bai Lisu was simply doing her duty as the evil female side character.
The plot was this: when Mary Sue went to The Best Dessert Shop in Town, she had already contacted paparazzi in advance. Originally, she wanted them to capture intimate photos of herself and An Chi so the two of them could trend online together and officially announce their relationship. That way, she could both secure her “main girlfriend” position and gain publicity.
Who knew her plan would fail?
So afterward, she came up with another scheme: deliberately frame Yan Dun with this dirty trick, making herself into the pure and innocent “official girlfriend” while turning Yan Dun into a universally despised homewrecker.
As everyone knows, webnovel netizens are all idiots. Whatever gossip accounts say, they believe. Point them somewhere, and they attack there.
When the evil side character frames the protagonist, netizens swarm to insult the protagonist. Then the protagonist casually fights back a little, and the netizens all rush to insult the evil side character instead.
It always works absurdly well.
Yan Dun, however, felt troubled.
“So what should I do now?”
An Zao smiled faintly and asked:
“What do you think?”
Yan Dun thought for a moment.
“I don’t know.”
At that moment, Yan Dun looked like a little puppy with drooping ears.
Unable to resist, An Zao reached out and patted his head.
“I’ll handle it for you.”
“Really?”
Light instantly appeared in Yan Dun’s eyes.
Customer Service had said before that Yan Dun didn’t need to do anything at all — a domineering CEO would naturally come rescue him.
But he never expected the one rescuing him would be An Zao…
And if it was An Zao, then somehow, he felt especially reassured.
Yan Dun smiled slightly, his eyes curving shut.
An Zao couldn’t help but be infected by that smile too, and his own eyes narrowed with amusement.
“I’ve only said one sentence. I haven’t actually done anything yet, and you’re already this happy. Aren’t you afraid you’re celebrating too early?”
Yan Dun replied:
“No. I know that anything you say, you can accomplish.”
Even in the real world, you fulfilled your ridiculous promise of giving a mere secretary like me a million-yuan annual salary…
Yan Dun gazed intently at An Zao, warmth filling his eyes.
To him, An Zao seemed like an omnipotent hero.
An Zao smiled.
“Thank you.”
Yan Dun looked puzzled.
“Why are you thanking me?”
“Thank you for the way you look at me,” An Zao said gently. “It makes me feel important.”
An Zao always appeared refined and elegant, like polished jade — warm, yet unshakably firm.
But even the strongest defenses have moments of collapse.
When he started his business, things had been unimaginably difficult. Objective circumstances and public criticism alike poured toward him like torrential arrows. As the leader, he always acted calm and composed, as though victory was assured.
Yet late at night, staring at endless rows of losses on financial statements, he too had felt lost and terrified.
He wasn’t some luck-blessed domineering CEO.
He was just a person — a diligent entrepreneur.
Whenever that happened, An Zao would look up and glance at the little secretary sitting nearby.
Yan Dun was younger than him, more prone to confusion and uncertainty. Yet every single time Yan Dun looked at him, his gaze was unwavering.
As though An Zao were the one and only hero in the world.
As though all light originated from him.
Sometimes An Zao couldn’t help asking:
“Why do you believe in me so much?”
Yan Dun would answer:
“Boss Zao has the aura of a successful person.”
But An Zao knew the truth.
It wasn’t that he himself emitted light.
It was that there was light in Yan Dun’s eyes.
And that beam of light illuminated both their hearts.
Of course, the An Zao in this virtual world had no memory of any of this.
Yet he could still see that light.
The lamp inside his heart could still be lit by Yan Dun’s gaze.
──── ୨୧ ────
Since An Chi had gone on so many blind dates yet only expressed interest in “getting to know” Bai Lisu further, An Zao had originally thought she might be special to him.
But now that Bai Lisu was harming Yan Dun, An Zao couldn’t simply stand by and watch.
So during a break in filming, An Zao personally went upstairs to the top floor of the An Corporation building to find An Chi.
He asked directly:
“How far have things progressed between you and Bai Lisu?”
An Chi found the question baffling.
“Didn’t I already tell you? We’re still in the getting-to-know-each-other stage.”
In other words, An Chi and Bai Lisu weren’t actually close and had no deep feelings yet.
That reassured An Zao somewhat.
“No need to continue getting to know her,” An Zao said calmly. “Have PR release a statement distancing you from her.”
An Chi froze.
“Seriously? Big brother, you made me go on blind dates in the first place. I finally find one person who’s acceptable, and now you’re telling me to break it off? Are you messing with me?”
An Zao could tell An Chi wasn’t actually reluctant to part with Bai Lisu. He was just trying to bargain.
So An Zao smiled lightly.
“Then what do you want?”
An Chi was straightforward.
“If this relationship ends, it’s because you ordered it. So don’t arrange any more blind dates for me anytime soon.”
“No problem,” An Zao replied just as straightforwardly. “I won’t arrange any more blind dates for you this year.”
Getting the answer he wanted, An Chi immediately agreed.
“Fine. That’s enough for me.”
An Chi truly wasn’t attached to Mary Sue.
The only reason he had agreed to continue seeing her was because he was tired of endless blind dates, and Bai Lisu happened to seem relatively pleasant.
What he himself didn’t realize was that the reason Bai Lisu seemed pleasant was because she came equipped with the “white lotus filter” and “green tea strategy guide.”
──── ୨୧ ────
Meanwhile, netizens were still passionately insulting Yan Dun and sympathizing with Bai Lisu—
when suddenly, the An Corporation released an official announcement firmly stating:
『 An Chi is currently single. 』
This meant that:
- Yan Dun and An Chi had no improper romantic relationship.
- Bai Lisu was not An Chi’s girlfriend either.
The internet exploded.
But everyone’s focus immediately shifted.
Bai Lisu had publicly announced her relationship with An Chi one moment, only to be publicly slapped in the face by the An Corporation the next.
Wasn’t that humiliating?
She was instantly mocked by the entire internet:
⤷ So she staged everything herself and falsely accused someone else of being the male mistress? Her skin is so thick even the Earth is ashamed.
⤷ An obscure nobody pretending to be the official wife of a domineering CEO! Pretending to be an innocent white lotus too! Even eco shopping bags can’t compete with how much she can “pretend”!
⤷ Yan Dun really suffered unfairly. Sitting quietly at home and somehow blame falls from the sky.
Honestly, even Yan Dun himself couldn’t quite understand how things had developed this way.
He asked in confusion:
“Even though they issued a clarification, there wasn’t actually any proof. So why did the people calling me a homewrecker suddenly believe I was innocent?”
Customer Service answered:
Dear Customer, the netizens in entertainment-industry novels aren’t people. They’re tools. Point them somewhere, and they attack there. They have no brains.