The Stand-in Side Character Only Wants to Make Money – CH67

Chapter 67: One Million

Some smiles are so genuine, you can easily tell if they’re real or not.

After analyzing the video with his usual flair, Zhang Wenxuan took another sip of his coffee and said, “He was at your place during New Year’s, wasn’t he?”

To him, this was solid evidence.

Some things don’t need to be said outright—people will make their own judgments.

As the video ended, Zhang Wenxuan took back his phone, watched the clip again while leaning on his hand, and then looked up, asking, “Why does it have to be you?”

Huo Chuan might look presentable and rich, but when it came to relationships, he was as clueless as ever—distant and not at all proactive. Zhang Wenxuan couldn’t figure out what Chen Bai saw in him.

Oh, he was proactive all right—but only with other people.

Which just made it more frustrating.

Thinking about it made Zhang Wenxuan’s head hurt. He put his phone down on the table and said, “Can’t you sort things out with Yang Shu already?”

A matter that had dragged on since middle school and was still unresolved today—Zhang Wenxuan, who hated complicated situations, couldn’t stand it. He had been saying the same thing since middle school.

He said, “How many years do you think people have? If you don’t clear things up now, you should just let them move on and find someone else.”

For someone who loved money so much to say that friends and money were tied for first place, they had to be serious. Even Zhang Wenxuan wouldn’t dare let someone like that down, and he hated to see them strung along.

This conversation had completely veered off the topic of the document. Huo Chuan simply set the file down and loosened his tie slightly, repeating the same old line: “There’s nothing like that between us.”

“Fine, let’s assume it’s not the kind of relationship I’m thinking,” Zhang Wenxuan smoothly changed his tone, following Huo’s lead, and then added, “But you do know how they feel, right?”

“Your time is valuable, but their time is valuable too.”

He downed his coffee in one gulp and said, “You and Yang Shu need to stop entangling each other. What you two have isn’t real love. Life is long, and if you keep dragging this out, neither of you will be happy for the rest of your lives. And you’ll only end up wasting Chen Yi Bai’s time.”

Huo Chuan slowly lowered his head and took a sip of water.

“I’ll give you a little insider info,” Zhang Wenxuan continued. “You know my Uncle Wang, right? The one in the film industry? I happened to bump into him in the old man’s office today and overheard something.”

He said, “He’s planning a new show and has basically settled on Chen Yi Bai as the lead. The auditions should be in the next few days, and if all goes well, filming will start next month. You know this industry—once filming starts, he’ll be on set for a few months with hardly any time off. This might be the last month he has some free time.”

Huo Chuan set down his glass of water and picked up the document again.

—

Chen Yi Bai passed the audition. The contract was signed quickly—two days after the audition, both sides swiftly reached an agreement, and the deal was sealed.

This time, the production company was a top player in the industry, offering a generous budget. There was no need for his business partners to haggle; they were met with mountains of gold right from the start.

Out of respect for this treasure trove, his business partners kept his schedule light for the next month, giving him ample time to prepare for the new script.

With more free time, he received his first gig from the God of Wealth after the Lunar New Year. Though he wasn’t quite sure what it was for, he was pleasantly surprised that his pay had increased again. Even during off-peak seasons, the rate was the same as the New Year’s bonus—a steady one million per day.

Earning 1/400th of his total goal in a single day was hard to pass up, so Chen Bai accepted without hesitation.

Spring had arrived, and with it came constant rain.

It started raining in the early hours of the day he was scheduled to work, and by daylight, the rain still hadn’t stopped. The sky outside was gloomy, making it hard to tell day from night.

“Whoosh—”

His workday started at 11 a.m., and he woke up naturally. While brushing his teeth, Chen Bai glanced out the window, toothbrush hanging from his mouth as he ran a hand through his messy hair, observing the rain.

The rain was steady but not too heavy—probably not enough to qualify for the extra pay for working in extreme weather.

Feeling a bit disappointed, he rinsed out the foam from his mouth, quickly washed his face, wiped the water from his face, and returned to his room to change out of his pajamas.

He threw on a white sweatshirt—quick and easy. Originally, he thought he could just head out like that, but as he was about to leave the room, something occurred to him. He turned on his heel and went to the balcony to check the outdoor temperature.

Chen Bai “…”

It seemed a bit chilly—enough that if he went out dressed like this, his good neighbor would probably nag him.

Even though his neighbor wasn’t around to supervise, he still threw on a jacket, doubling the warmth. With a hat and mask on, he was ready to go.

This time, he had a private car service, and the driver was already waiting at the entrance of his complex. All he had to do was hop in, though he did sigh about missing out on the transportation allowance. He stepped into the car.

The car had been switched out, but the driver was still the same—an uncle who had chatted with him the whole way last time. The uncle clearly remembered him well and greeted him with a smile as soon as he got in. After he sat down, the driver said, “We might need to make a quick stop at Mr. Huo’s company first.”

Chen buckled his seatbelt and glanced sideways. “What’s the deal?”

“Mr. Huo has some urgent business to attend to that might take a while,” the driver explained. “You should’ve received a message.”

Chen Bai pulled out his phone.

Sure enough, there was a new message—not from the God of Wealth’s assistant, but directly from the God of Wealth himself, sent about ten minutes ago.

He had kept the God of Wealth waiting for over ten minutes. He lifted the brim of his hat slightly and quickly replied to the message as the driver stepped on the gas.

The scenery on both sides of the road blurred as it passed by, and raindrops streaked diagonally across the car window, gradually turning into a hazy blur.

Chen Bai had seen the God of Wealth’s company a few times before, mostly when entering and exiting nearby office buildings. This was the first time he’d actually be stepping inside.

The cluster of nearby buildings had become landmark structures without anyone really noticing. From afar, they were impressive, but up close, the feeling of pressure was even more intense. Staring out through the rain-splattered car window, Chen Bai suddenly realized that he had never asked what exactly Ms. Jiang and her husband did for a living.

After descending from the overpass and passing through a slightly congested area, the car drove directly into the building’s underground parking lot without any obstacles.

As always, Chen Bai jumped out of the car. The driver uncle had started to reach out to open the door for him but was a step too slow, so he awkwardly retracted his hand and waved goodbye instead.

Chen Bai waved back with a smile. He seemed to have endless energy, his presence bringing warmth even to the cold parking lot.

The God of Wealth’s private assistant was already waiting for him and led him into the elevator that went directly to the God of Wealth’s floor.

The assistant was an old acquaintance, the same one who had told him a year ago that the 120,000 salary was post-tax.

Always thoughtful, the assistant remained so now, briefly explaining, “This elevator goes directly to Mr. Huo’s office, so no one else will see you.”

Chen Bai nodded and pulled down the brim of his hat. He wasn’t too worried—dressed like this, it would be hard for anyone to recognize him anyway.

The elevator ascended, gradually slowing before stopping and opening. Just a few steps out of the elevator, he could already see the office door.

They had already been notified, so there was no need to knock. He could walk right in.

“Click—”

The sound of the doorknob turning echoed. The person sitting behind the desk slightly lifted his gaze, looking over with a sidelong glance.

The outside was gloomy, but the office was bright. Chen Bai, dressed in a white sweatshirt and jacket, took off his mask with practiced ease after stepping inside. Smiling, he looked over and said, “Mr. Huo.”

A smile both unfamiliar and familiar, faint and gentle, calm and natural. His voice was steady, though on the softer side.

Huo Chuan paused almost imperceptibly, lowering his raised eyebrows slightly. He retracted his gaze and nodded subtly at his private assistant, gesturing toward the sofa on the other side of the office.

The assistant understood immediately and led the guest to sit on the sofa before going to prepare tea. The person wearing the hat gestured with his fingers and said, “Just a glass of plain water is fine.”

The assistant went and prepared a glass of warm water. As he handed it over, the person sitting on the sofa softly said, “Thank you.”

There was no need to prepare any snacks, so after handing over the water, the assistant quietly left the office and closed the door behind him.

The office fell silent. As soon as his body touched the sofa, his natural instinct was to relax and slouch, but Chen Bai still remembered where he was. Holding the water cup, he sat up straight, aware that it was still work time, and refrained from touching his phone.

He didn’t know how long the God of Wealth would be working, so he didn’t want to disturb him. Taking a small sip of water, with nothing else to do, he started mentally going over the script he had read the night before.

The steam from the cup rose, and the water level dropped to less than half.

When people are deep in thought, their hands tend to perform unconscious actions, like drinking water. Just as he was about to take another sip, Huo Chuan, who had been quietly working behind the desk, called his name.

It wasn’t exactly his name; the God of Wealth had previously called him “Chen Bai,” but this time, it was “Chen Yi Bai.”

His mental script review paused. Chen Yi Bai looked up slightly and asked, “Is there something you need, Mr. Huo?”

His mind hadn’t fully caught up, but his professional instinct kicked in. His voice was soft, and his smile was faint but dedicated.

Huo Chuan “…”

Huo Chuan closed the file in front of him and put down his pen. He lowered his eyes and said, “You don’t have to act.”

Chen Bai “?”

The smile on Chen Yibai’s face disappeared instantly. He raised his hand in a gesture like pressing ‘pause’ and announced, “Logging out for now.”

After his announcement, he opened his eyes wide and, in a different tone, asked, “Am I being fired?”

Huo Chuan “…”

For a moment, Huo Chuan didn’t follow his train of thought. But once he caught on, his eyebrows twitched slightly, and he finally said that his salary would still be paid.

His 1/400th of the total goal was secured. Even so, Chen Bai didn’t let his guard down and asked, “The last supper?”

Before prisoners are executed, they get a good final meal. The analogy here was that he’d get high pay before being fired.

—No wonder the client raised his salary out of the blue, and no wonder they had him come to the company today. It was all premeditated.

But there was no premeditation. Before his thoughts could spiral any further, the client stopped his pointless speculation.

He wasn’t being fired, and from the looks of it, there were no plans to fire him anytime soon. Chen Bai let out a breath of relief, then felt something was off and said, “Getting paid without doing work—that’s unearned income, isn’t it?”

Everyone loves unearned income, but that doesn’t really align with the working man’s principles. If the money comes too easily, it’s hard to hold on to.

Huo Chuan didn’t say much in response. He simply flipped to the next document and glanced sideways. “Time is also a cost.”

Chen Bai thought that made sense. Although he hadn’t figured out if his time was really worth a million per day, it was still hard to say no to money from the God of Wealth.

Suddenly, work became a lot easier. It was like switching to lounging on a sofa in a different place. Grateful for his generous boss, he immediately set down the water cup, leaned back, took off his hat, and started reading the digital version of the script on his phone.

Some people are completely different with or without a hat. A messy head of hair sprang out, covering up the cold and distant look that usually came with his eyebrows. With his eyes lowered, he looked like someone who hadn’t had enough sleep.

Huo Chuan shifted his gaze away.

With the luxury of paid time to prepare for other work, Chen Bai studied the script more seriously than ever, transitioning from lounging to sitting upright.

Huo Chuan “…”

The office was quiet. When Huo Chuan walked past the sofa holding a cup of water, the person who had been lying down had already sat up, bending forward, automatically picking up a blank A4 sheet and a pen from the table to start sketching.

After taking a sip of water, Huo Chuan stood to one side, lowering his gaze, and noticed what the person was drawing on the paper.

It was a roughly inverted triangle shape with strange, continuous, spiky protrusions, looking both sloppy and serious.

Huo took a second look at the masterpiece, thought for a moment, and asked, “Are you planning to join Huo Qing in the abstract art world?”

Chen Bai “Rude.”

The person drawing immediately lifted his head and held up his sketch for display, eyes wide, saying, “This is a sacrum and coccyx.”

The character he was playing this time was a forensic doctor and had a scene where he had to draw by hand. If he really couldn’t draw it, they could find a hand double, but that would involve extra costs and might give the scene away. He didn’t want that, so he was planning to draw it himself. This was practice.

In the quiet room, Huo Chuan’s eyebrows raised slightly.

Seeing that Huo Chuan didn’t seem to understand, Chen Bai picked up his phone and said, “It looks like this.”

On his phone was a 3D illustration of a sacrum and coccyx, clear and detailed. Simply put, it looked nothing like what he had drawn on paper.

Huo offered his critique: “You’re definitely more suited to join Huo Qing in the abstract art world.”

The two of them could collaborate, and who knows, maybe they’d become famous.

Having received high praise from the client, Chen Bai lowered his head and glanced at his masterpiece again, deciding to give it another try.

The pen moved across the paper again, drafting another upside-down pyramid. Midway through, Chen Bai looked up and saw the client still standing there.

Why hadn’t he left yet? After thinking for a moment and trying to gauge Huo Chuan’s intentions, he hesitated and offered the pen, asking, “Mr. Huo, do you want to give it a try?”

Huo Chuan lowered his gaze.

Mr. Huo hadn’t planned on trying, but he still accepted the pen.

The person sitting down instinctively made room for him, handing over a fresh sheet of paper.

The paper in the office never imagined it would see such an abstract day.

Originally planning to just watch and see what masterpiece the God of Wealth could produce, Chen Bai adjusted his position after a few strokes, propping his head up with one hand, causing his messy hair to sway slightly.

The outline of the masterpiece began to take shape. He shifted his hand slightly, which was resting against his face, pressing his fingers to the corner of his lips.

When the drawing was about halfway done, he spoke up and sincerely suggested, “Boss, how about the three of us team up and bravely venture into the abstract art world?”

He added, “We might even become rising stars together.”

As long as the boss was willing to invest the money, they could probably force their way into becoming three dazzling new stars.

It turned out that it wasn’t just about playing the piano—apparently, the God of Wealth simply had no artistic sense whatsoever, and it likely wasn’t limited to just piano and drawing.

After creating a similarly vague sketch, Huo Chuan heard the voice from the side. He added the last stroke to his drawing, glanced at his own work, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Thinking that the boss was laughing at his masterpiece, Chen Bai, who had successfully suppressed his smile, patted his shoulder in comfort and said, “At least it looks very unique.”

He then asked, “So, have you thought about the idea of forming a team?”

After comforting him, he added one last sincere “knife twist” with his words.

Huo Chuan didn’t have any current plans for crossing into other fields. He put down the pen, stood up with his water cup, and after glancing at his wristwatch, said, “There’s about half an hour left of work.”

That meant there were about 30 minutes left before dinner. Chen Bai, who was just there to eat and drink, nodded and went back to his grand creative endeavor.

The rain kept falling, and by noon, it had gotten a bit heavier, though it luckily didn’t affect their travel plans. Except for using his umbrella when walking from his home to the entrance of the complex, Chen Bai hadn’t touched his umbrella since.

The lunch spot was in a mall, one more refined than the usual ones where he went to shop. This mall looked much more upscale, and there were far fewer people, probably due to the rain.

The indoor parking lot had an elevator that went directly to the dining floor. From the elevator, you could get a good view of the interior of the mall.

After taking a quick look around, he still felt more comfortable in the usual mall he frequented.

At least the prices there were more comforting.

This time, they weren’t eating Western food but at a Chinese restaurant on the top floor, just outside the elevator.

The restaurant had excellent privacy, with private rooms, and the same waiter served them throughout.

Since he didn’t have to pay, Chen Bai could enjoy anything on the menu.

After the meal came some post-lunch activity. Instead of leaving the mall right away, the two of them took the elevator down to the lower floors.

After taking only a few steps, Chen Bai spotted someone familiar.

Very familiar—he recognized them at a glance.

—After all, it was himself.

They were in the clothing section, right outside an EV store, where the electronic billboard showed his photo. It was a promotional image taken a long time ago, back when his hair color was different, still in the white-haired phase.

Suddenly coming face-to-face with himself in an unexpected place, he paused for a moment, then decisively averted his gaze.

This area seemed like a hotspot for familiar faces. He changed his route slightly, and after taking a few more steps, he spotted his study buddy, Zhou Jing.

Aside from the faint hint of a “cool guy” look during their first meeting a long time ago, Zhou Jing was usually far from cool in his private life. However, in the promotional image, he looked well-dressed and full of coolness.

Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to his study buddy. Chen Bai quickly took out his phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to him.

Zhou Jing [.]

Zhou Jing happened to be free and replied with a period. Feeling victorious, Chen Bai was just about to put his phone away when it vibrated again with another message.

It was an image from Zhou Jing, a screenshot from a previous livestream, showing Chen Yi Bai with his hands on his hips, looking like a stern elder.

The photo was a bit blurry, like it had a layer of digital distortion.

After looking at it for a few seconds, something felt off. He long-pressed the image.

Turns out, it wasn’t just a photo—it was a meme. Long-pressing allowed him to save it as a reaction.

Zhou Jing said he’d saved it from someone else, and apparently, many people in the crew liked to use it.

Chen Yi Bai “…”

It was a tie. Chen Yi Bai replied with another period and quickly put his phone away.

While he was on his phone, the God of Wealth had been looking elsewhere. After putting his phone away, Chen Bai followed Huo Chuan’s gaze and his eyes lit up.

Literally lit up. His gaze landed on a watch store, where the bright lights shone on a customer trying on a watch. As the customer turned their wrist, the watch face caught the overhead lights, dazzling the innocent bystander Chen Bai.

Next to him, the God of Wealth lowered his head and asked, “Do you like it?”

You didn’t really need a watch to tell time—your phone could do that. Objectively, Chen Bai liked hard cash more than these things. But since the God of Wealth wasn’t exactly the type of neighbor you could say just anything to, he chose a more tactful response: “It’s alright.”

He even closed his eyes briefly, having been dazzled by the watch’s shine.

The God of Wealth headed toward the watch store.

The store clerk had already noticed them earlier, and when they approached, their smile brightened instantly, leading them to a sofa to sit down.

It turned out that the God of Wealth was the one planning to buy a watch. Chen Bai was grateful that he’d chosen the more tactful response earlier. He glanced down at his own wristwatch, which was still functioning well.

Great, he thought, buy a few more—one for each day of the week, and never repeat.

Having no experience with these kinds of purchases, he didn’t involve himself in the selection process. As the sales associate presented the featured watches, he couldn’t sit still and went off to browse other sections of the store.

While the introductions were given with enthusiasm on one side, a lively conversation took place on the other. When Huo Chuan looked around the store again, he spotted Chen Bai chatting cheerfully with another sales associate. Even through the mask, it was clear he was deep in conversation.

Whatever they were talking about, the associate couldn’t hold back their professional smile and ended up covering their mouth to stifle laughter.

Huo Chuan “…”

While the social butterfly was still chatting with the store staff, the God of Wealth called him back with a gesture.

Sitting back on the sofa, Chen Bai noticed the water the store had kindly prepared. His throat felt a bit dry from all the chatting, and he was about to reach for the cup when he remembered he was still wearing a mask, so he stopped himself.

Most of the watches that had been on display were now gone, with only a few remaining. The God of Wealth asked for his opinion.

Not expecting to be asked, Chen Bai was momentarily stunned. Then, he finally took a closer look at the watches in the black velvet box.

The shiny, golden watch that had previously caught his eye, fitting perfectly with the God of Wealth’s persona, seemed to have been taken away. He glanced around regretfully before his gaze landed on a deep blue-faced watch that he felt a connection with and said, “This one looks good.”

The God of Wealth bought it. Surprised at the quick decision, Chen Bai looked up and asked, “Boss, do you trust my taste that much?”

The boss didn’t say much, only taking a sip of water.