Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Meng Ke Pursues His WifeChapter 70: Meng Ke’s Pursuit

    Meng Ke smiled brightly as he watched Meng Chao walking toward him. When Meng Chao reached his side, Meng Ke casually draped an arm over his shoulder, like a buddy.

    "Why did you come here?" Meng Chao didn’t brush off Meng Ke’s arm but instead asked curiously.

    Meng Ke replied matter-of-factly, "Came to check on your set, of course."

    "Ha." Meng Chao chuckled lightly, unmoved. "I think you just came here on the side." He glanced meaningfully at Han Zhi while speaking.

    Having acted for so many years, Meng Chao could count the times his brother visited him on set on one hand. This time, Han Zhi had only joined the crew for a few days, yet Meng Ke was already bounding over. It was as blatant as Sima Zhao’s intentions—no secret to anyone.

    Even when his motives were laid bare, Meng Ke didn’t feel embarrassed. Instead, he confessed openly, "I came here just for Han Zhi."

    Meng Chao teased him, "So, he’s not your pampered little lover anymore? A busy man like you wouldn’t travel so far just for a little fling."

    Meng Ke resignedly said, "A little lover couldn’t possibly stay a little lover anymore—not in this lifetime."

    "So, you’re serious about this?" Meng Chao’s tone suddenly became solemn.

    Meng Ke’s demeanor also grew unusually serious, "Prepare to call him sister-in-law when the time comes."

    Meng Chao patted Meng Ke on the shoulder. "Good luck to you."

    After the brothers chatted for a while, their eyes turned toward the filming set. At the moment, Lin Qin and Han Zhi were doing a scene together. Han Zhi was still adjusting to being in front of the camera, and Lin Qin was subtly guiding him through it.

    At first, Han Zhi seemed a bit stiff, but under Lin Qin’s patient guidance, he gradually got into character. The final shot turned out better than Han Zhi had anticipated.

    Turning his head, Meng Ke noticed his younger brother staring fixedly at Lin Qin. The usual polished refinement was absent from his gaze, replaced with unrestrained tenderness, affection, and possessiveness.

    "So, you’re settled then?" Meng Ke suddenly asked out of the blue.

    Meng Chao understood instantly and chuckled softly, "It’s settled—for life."

    Meng Ke didn’t doubt Meng Chao’s words. His younger brother had always been like this—once he decided on something, he wouldn’t change his mind, his resolve unshakable.

    "Then, for Dad’s sake, you go first. Break the ice, so when it’s my turn, he won’t resist so much." Meng Ke calculated his odds with precision. Given that both brothers were going to come out to their family, Meng Ke figured he could let Meng Chao draw the initial fire, lessening the resistance for himself later.

    After all, whether one son comes out or two, it was all the same to their father.

    Meng Chao smiled knowingly and gave Meng Ke a pointed jab, "You better catch your wife first before worrying about coming out. Right now, you don’t even have a single stroke of your ’eight-character’ plan settled; what are you so happy about?"

    Meng Ke felt like he’d taken an arrow to the knee. His expression faltered, and the smile on his face dropped instantly. It was true; his path to winning love was still long. Unlike his younger brother, who already had his beauty secured.

    Meng Ke sighed deeply. Looking at Han Zhi once more, his gaze became more intense. His pursuit needed to ramp up—this time, he wasn’t going to let Han Zhi avoid him!

    Han Zhi, who was in the middle of filming, suddenly felt a familiar, scorching gaze on his back. For reasons he couldn’t explain, his entire body froze, and he messed up the take.

    The director didn’t get upset with Han Zhi and instead comforted him, "Han Zhi, don’t be nervous; you were doing fine just now."

    Han Zhi quickly dropped his irrelevant thoughts, apologized to the director, and refocused himself for the next round of filming. Sёarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    This time, the scene passed smoothly. Han Zhi let out a breath of relief.

    Han Zhi didn’t have many scenes, but over a week of filming, under the director’s perfectionist demands, he worked tirelessly and exhausted himself without uttering a single complaint.

    During that week, Meng Ke’s figure occasionally appeared on set. Since Han Zhi had only recently risen to fame, Meng Ke didn’t want to cause any negative press for him. Every visit, Meng Ke used the excuse of checking up on Meng Chao.

    In public settings, Meng Ke exercised immense restraint. Even though he longed to stick with Han Zhi, he maintained the fa?ade of the dignified boss, standing stoic on the sidelines.

    As a result, the crew honestly believed that Meng Ke was there for Meng Chao. They even admired the brotherly bond between Meng Ke and Meng Chao, completely unaware that there was anything ambiguous between Meng Ke and Han Zhi.

    The only one who knew the truth was Han Zhi. Even though Meng Ke seemed controlled, his fiery gaze would covertly linger on Han Zhi, silently watching him, with an intensity that several times made Han Zhi’s back feel like it might catch fire. Whenever Han Zhi turned to check, Meng Ke would flash an unbothered smirk as if to say, "I’m staring at you—what can you do about it?" A roguish look indeed.

    Moreover, Meng Ke had a habit of getting handsy.

    Often, when they brushed past each other on set, Meng Ke would deliberately let the back of his hand graze against Han Zhi’s, before walking away like it was nothing.

    Han Zhi found it both aggravating and amusing. While Meng Chao, the younger brother, seemed composed and mature, the elder sibling, Meng Ke, could be surprisingly childish at times.

    Of course, all of this occurred in public settings. In private, when no one else was around except Meng Ke and Han Zhi, restraint was the last thing on Meng Ke’s mind. He would try every trick imaginable to be closer and more intimate with Han Zhi.

    Faced with an earnest Meng Ke, Han Zhi felt rather helpless.

    Their relationship was complicated. In an unembellished sense, Meng Ke was Han Zhi’s benefactor, and Han Zhi was Meng Ke’s so-called "kept lover." Meng Ke, armed with his wealth, often showered Han Zhi with resources, though Han Zhi repeatedly declined. To this day, Han Zhi hadn’t accepted any of Meng Ke’s gifts outright—or at least not knowingly. As for whether Meng Ke had secretly paved the way for him, Han Zhi wasn’t certain, though he had his suspicions.

    Han Zhi always understood that without Meng Ke, Chutian Entertainment would never have paid such a hefty penalty to terminate his former contract or gone to such lengths to promote him.

    For this, Han Zhi was grateful to Meng Ke. It was Meng Ke who had pulled him out of the mire and offered him the chance to chase his dreams.

    But beyond gratitude? Han Zhi wasn’t sure what other feelings he might have. His lifelong passion for music seemed to consume all his emotional capacity, leaving little room for anything else. Outside of music, everything else felt inconsequential and optional.

    Now, with the sudden addition of Meng Ke, Han Zhi was unsure how to process his feelings.

    Since he didn’t know how to respond, his default approach was to ignore it—it was the simplest, least mentally taxing solution.

    This choice, however, meant that Han Zhi had been able to deflect all of Meng Ke’s advances with ease. But the heart is a tender thing, and despite convincing himself he was indifferent, Han Zhi found himself increasingly tolerant of Meng Ke’s childish antics. Gradually, he allowed Meng Ke to inch closer and closer to him.

    Meng Ke was cunning. His pursuit might have been relentless, but he was careful never to make Han Zhi feel pressured. He understood Han Zhi’s mindset and worked on subtly weaving himself into Han Zhi’s routine, making himself a fixture Han Zhi couldn’t do without.

    Though Meng Ke’s journey to winning Han Zhi’s heart was long, it was filled with moments of both joy and clever strategy.