Chapter 1

In mid-August, the film studio was still as hot as a giant steamer. Everyone on set, from the lead actors and extras to the production crew, was practically dying from the heat. Even so, during their break, people gathered in groups of two or three, excitedly discussing the latest juicy gossip. To them, this sensational news was like a big slice of chilled watermelon on a summer day—so delicious they simply couldn’t get enough.

“President Cheng is so fucking handsome! There are barely any men in the entire entertainment industry who can compare to him, and he’s filthy rich, too!”
“Exactly! I happened to walk past him earlier and caught a glimpse. Even the way he walks is incredibly commanding. He’s so handsome my legs went weak. That aura of his is absolutely incredible!”
“And he’s only thirty! Oh my God…”

“Wait, are you talking about that billionaire bachelor Cheng Yu? The president of Cheng Group?” An extra dressed as a servant suddenly joined the conversation in an excited whisper, only to receive several exaggerated eye rolls.

“Holy shit! What’s a big shot like him doing on our set?”

“What else could he be here for?” Several people simultaneously turned to look in a certain direction. There, a man in historical costume was frowning as he drank some water. Every little movement he made was enough to send countless fans of good looks into a frenzy. Two assistants stood beside him, holding up portable fans and an umbrella.

“Looks like the rumors are true.”
“Of course they’re true! Why else would a billionaire businessman come all the way to our set in forty-degree heat? Besides, I heard President Cheng invested fifty million yuan in this drama. Tsk, tsk. Must be nice to have money to throw around.”
“All hail our sugar daddy!” a young woman exclaimed, only to be met with a snort from someone beside her.
“He’s not our sugar daddy. He’s that guy’s.”

Their gazes returned to the same direction. Everyone knew perfectly well what kind of relationship that man had with the big shot. Their expressions quickly turned disdainful, though perhaps a trace of envy lurked deep in their eyes.

“He’s an actor with no acting skills, a terrible personality, and an awful temper. He’s mean, arrogant, and acts like some huge star. Other than his looks, what does he even have going for him? What on earth does President Cheng see in him?”
“Fuck! Keep your voices down! Do you want to lose your jobs?” someone immediately scolded.

However, they had discussed these things plenty of times in private, and they were widely acknowledged as facts. Another person continued sarcastically, “Isn’t being good-looking enough? Besides, maybe he’s great in bed.”

“Pfft~” As soon as he said that, everyone Read on BaiLianTalesburst into knowing laughter. Their smiles made it seem as though they were so much more respectable than the man who had secured his place in the entertainment industry by selling himself.

Ke Jian frowned and set down the water in his hand. The oppressive heat coursing through his body hadn’t eased in the slightest, though that wasn’t entirely because of the weather. Of course, it certainly wasn’t because of the gossip drifting around him, either.

“Brother Jian, President Cheng has been here for almost half a day. Why hasn’t he called you over yet?” one of his assistants asked in confusion.
Ke Jian raised his eyes indifferently. The young assistant’s hand immediately trembled in fright. “I’m sorry, Brother Jian.”

Ke Jian was extraordinarily handsome, exceptionally so, but his temper was another matter entirely. His strikingly beautiful eyes and brows could leave people mesmerized, yet the slightest narrowing of his eyes made him appear cold to the point of being harsh. His aloof, superior demeanor made people both afraid and unwilling to approach him.

Ke Jian said nothing. Just then, his manager, Xu Rui, hurried over, looking somewhat anxious. The two young assistants tactfully withdrew.

Only then did Xu Rui lean close to Ke Jian’s ear and whisper, “Ah Jian, I just heard that President Cheng brought someone to the set.”

“So what?” Ke Jian raised an eyebrow, though his heart couldn’t help skipping several beats. Was it finally about to begin?

Xu Rui hesitated, seemingly finding it difficult to speak. Especially when he saw Ke Jian frown, he paused before offering some reassurance. “But there’s no need to worry. Although President Cheng has always been… well, unpredictable, as far as I know, you’ve definitely stayed by his side longer than anyone else. Besides, he personally came to visit the set this time. That proves he still values you.”

Ke Jian thought without the slightest ripple of emotion, How do you know whether he came to visit me or personally escort that person onto the set? On the outside, however, he lowered his eyes, looking deeply troubled.

Xu Rui was about to say something else when he saw Director Yu Kaiming approaching with someone beside him.

“Wow, who’s that? He’s so handsome!”
“He looks kind of familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen [stolen content]him.”
“Oh my God, those eyes are gorgeous! He could even give Ke Jian a run for his money!”
“No, no, he’s even better-looking when he smiles! Ahhh, I’m dying! I’d totally go for this cutie!”
…

Ke Jian followed everyone’s gazes and saw a young man with a slightly shy demeanor walking beside Yu Kaiming. There was no denying his looks; he was easily one in ten thousand. Perhaps because he had only recently graduated and hadn’t yet suffered the harsh realities of society, his eyes were exceptionally bright and dazzling, while his smile radiated an indescribable warmth and innocence.

“Let me introduce someone to everyone.” Director Yu cleared his throat and addressed the crew. “This is Wei Li. From now on, he’ll be playing our third male lead.”
“Hello, everyone. I look forward to working with you all.” His voice was pleasant to the ear, making him particularly appealing to the young women.

Ke Jian narrowed his eyes slightly. Just as expected…

Before the director had even finished speaking, hushed discussions had already broken out among the crowd.
“What’s this guy’s background? Doesn’t seem like he’s been in much.”
“Don’t tell me he’s another one of those people some big shot pulled strings to get in?”

The previous third male lead had been forced to withdraw from the production because of an illness. Fortunately, filming had only recently begun, so reshooting his scenes wouldn’t be too difficult. Still, countless people had been vying for the vacant role, and the topic of “Who Is Most Suitable for the Third Male Lead?” had even trended on social media.

Yet no one had expected this Wei Li to suddenly parachute straight into the role. It was completely unexpected.

At that moment, Xu Rui leaned close to Ke Jian’s ear and whispered, “That’s him. The one President Cheng brought.” There was a distinctly guarded note in his voice.

Ke Jian raised an eyebrow. In fact, he was the least surprised person present, and he knew perfectly well the story behind the newcomer that everyone was so curious about.

He had arrived in this world a week ago, but it was only now that he had barely managed to accept that fact.

When he woke up, he found himself transported into a melodramatic danmei novel titled “The Domineering CEO’s Substitute Little Star,” featuring a scumbag gong and a spineless shou. He was neither the scumbag nor the spineless one. He was merely a minor cannon-fodder character whom the scumbag gong had kept as a lover before ​unauthorized copy​meeting the spineless shou. After stirring up trouble for just a few chapters, he ended up bringing about his own demise.

At the time, Ke Jian had wanted to end his life on the spot. What if he woke up back in his original world? Unfortunately, the [Cannon Fodder Counterattack System] 357, which had suddenly appeared in his head, stopped him. Ke Jian subsequently learned that as long as he successfully won over the scumbag gong and became his most cherished person, he could avoid his cannon-fodder fate. More importantly, once he succeeded, he could return home.

He couldn’t care less about the cannon-fodder ending. What mattered was that he wanted to go home. And so, Ke Jian came here and became this world’s Ke Jian. He hadn’t been an actor in his original world, but then again, the original Ke Jian hadn’t been particularly well-liked by the people around him either, so assuming his identity wasn’t all that difficult. As for acting skills, just as those people had said, Ke Jian had never been much of an actor in the first place.

And just now, both male leads of the novel had made their appearances. One was the scumbag gong, Cheng Yu, who was also his conquest target. The other was Wei Li, who was currently standing before him.

“Everyone, take some time to get acquainted. We can arrange to reshoot the scenes tomorrow.” After saying this, Director Yu walked toward Ke Jian.

“Ke Jian, President Cheng wants to see you.” Director Yu was a somewhat old-fashioned man in his early sixties, so the way he looked at Ke Jian was always a little strange.

Ke Jian composed himself. “Understood. Thank you, Director Yu.” Behind him, however, Xu Rui looked delighted, completely ignoring the various looks being cast their way.

“See? I told you President Cheng values you.” Xu Rui accompanied him back to the crew’s hotel to change clothes, then went with him to the hotel where Cheng Yu was staying. “But that kid isn’t simple either. We need to be on our guard.”

Ke Jian neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, he found himself growing inexplicably nervous. It wasn’t as though he was someone who had never experienced major occasions before.

“Ah Jian, be careful. I’ll wait for you outside.” Xu Rui escorted him to the entrance, where a man in a perfectly tailored suit, wearing an utterly expressionless face, was already waiting. Ke Jian knew this was the scumbag gong’s personal secretary.

“Mr. Ke, please follow me.”
“Thank you.”

Secretary Xiao escorted Ke Jian to the door and then left. Ke Jian took a deep breath and spent several seconds mentally preparing himself. He was just an actor switching careers, that was all.

[You can do it, Host! You’ve got this!]
With the voice echoing in his mind, Ke Jian opened the door.

A man sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his eyes fixed on the documents in his hand. His perfectly tailored suit exuded understated luxury, accentuating his tall, slender figure in a way that made hearts race. Particularly enticing were the glimpse of skin revealed by the undone top button of his shirt, the firm line of his lips, and the sharp contours of his Adam’s apple, all of which gave off an inexplicably seductive air of restraint.
Even when Ke Jian approached, the man didn’t bother looking up.
Ke Jian couldn’t help admiring him inwardly. As expected of a character from a novel, he was every bit as described: devastatingly handsome, with an overwhelming presence. Even sitting down, his striking looks were impossible to conceal. In fact, just sitting there motionlessly, he radiated the unmistakable aura of a domineering CEO who could destroy an entire company with a casual remark.

“President Cheng.” Ke Jian stopped about two meters away from the man, wondering how a little celebrity being kept as someone’s lover was supposed to behave for it to seem natural.

Hearing his voice, the man finally deigned to raise his head. The instant his gaze landed on Ke Jian, an intense pressure washed over him. Those dark, unfathomable eyes made his heart tremble for no apparent reason.
However, Ke Jian failed to notice the way the man’s pupils contracted ever so slightly the moment he saw him.

“Come here.” The man’s voice was deep, carrying an unmistakable note of command.

Ke Jian stiffened. He hated being ordered around, especially in such an arrogant, overbearing tone. He absolutely despised it.

[357, confirm one more time. Are you sure this is the scumbag?] Ke Jian wasn’t convinced that a complete amateur like himself could successfully win over a man like this.
[Don’t worry, Host. It’s definitely him.]
[…] How the hell was that supposed to reassure him?

The enormous room was so quiet that it made Ke Jian uncomfortable all over. What he failed to notice was that the man on the sofa had frozen almost imperceptibly when he spoke to the system. Immediately afterward, the corners of his stern mouth curved into the faintest trace of amusement.

After a moment’s hesitation, Ke Jian walked over to stand before the man. Just as he was ​Read on BaiLianTales​wondering whether he should sit beside the scumbag gong, and if so, whether he should sit close or maintain some distance, the scumbag gong suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“Mm~”

Caught completely off guard, Ke Jian felt every hair on his body stand on end. Before he could react, however, a powerful force yanked him downward, sending his body off balance.

The next second, Ke Jian found himself sitting on Cheng Yu’s lap, feeling as though his soul had left his body. An arm was wrapped around his waist, and the unfamiliar scent of the man assailing his senses almost suffocated him.

With a sudden rush, blood surged to Ke Jian’s head. Without thinking, he tried to get up, but the arm around his waist effortlessly pressed him back down.

“Don’t move,” the man ordered sharply.

[Host, calm down! Calm down! He’s your sugar daddy now! Your sugar daddy!] The system’s anxious voice repeated endlessly in his head. Ke Jian took several deep breaths and finally managed to regain a little of his composure.
No, he hadn’t!
[I want to kill him. Can I?] Ke Jian asked through gritted teeth.
[No, Host! If you kill the protagonist, the system will collapse, and the entire world will collapse with it!]
[Then what if I chop off his hand?] Ke Jian grimly registered the arm wrapped around his waist, every nerve in his body stretched taut.
[Host, calm down! He’s an incredibly powerful, domineering CEO gong, and he’s at least ten centimeters taller than you. You can’t beat him!]
[…Fuck!]

The man’s long, slender fingers twitched involuntarily. For some reason, he felt as though he had narrowly escaped a disaster.

“Baby?” The deep voice sounded beside Ke Jian’s ear, and he could even clearly feel the man’s warm breath against his neck.

A shudder ran through Ke Jian’s entire body. He nearly turned around and slapped the man across the face, but he restrained himself. With the system frantically trying to soothe him, he took a deep breath, then forced his body to relax. Turning slightly, he put on a smile.

“President Cheng~” Ke Jian called out in an affected, coquettish tone. Everything was for the sake of going home. Then, with trembling hands, he wrapped his arms around the scumbag gong’s neck. “I’m just too heavy. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to hold me~.” The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to seal his lips shut.

The man holding him shuddered as well, nearly throwing him off his lap.

Cheng Yu tightened his hold on the person in his arms. Looking at the man desperately trying to act “soft and delicate” in front of him, he couldn’t help wondering whether the guy had seriously misunderstood what those words meant.

The corners of Cheng Yu’s mouth twitched.
This big shot’s acting skills… were really that terrible?

However, there was one thing Cheng Yu could confirm. He seemed to have appeared in this world as a BUG, but the person in his arms and the thing inside his head were completely unaware of it.