Manipulative Harem God



Leng Mei's brows furrowed, and her eyes darted around the commotion.

She parked the car at a nearby spot, getting out of it and bursting with curiosity.

Alas, they found their path blocked. Her companion, Zhang Wei, also stepped out of the vehicle and looked spooked.

"Why are there so many cameras?" Leng Mei craned her neck to try and see what was happening. "Don't tell me a celebrity is here?"

Zhang Wei's mind exploded at the word 'celebrity'. He grabbed Leng Mei's hand, impulsive and driven by curiosity, and pulled her towards the epicenter of chaos.

She was taken aback by his boldness and couldn't help feeling awkward as he pulled her along.

"Are you not afraid your wife will be jealous?" Leng Mei tried to make small talk, but it came out more like a question.

Zhang Wei stopped abruptly, and she almost bumped into him.

He stared at their hands for a brief moment before his gaze darted to the seventh floor of the building. It seemed like he was contemplating something.

Briefly, Leng Mei thought that he would let go of her hand, but instead, he slapped her butt and said, "Don't say nonsense and walk!" His words were firm, and she sensed that he would not take no for an answer.

Zhang Wei had no desire to watch the dramatic events unfolding in front of his residence, but he had already stepped on the pedal, so he couldn't back off now.

His heart raced with curiosity about what was happening in front of him, and he pushed forward, heedless of anything else.

As they approached the throngs of people, whispered rumors reached their ears. "What's going on here?" asked one resident, oblivious to the situation.

The media guy finished taking pictures and laughed, "The same old story... a small-time actor jumped from the balcony and died. Police say she was drunk, but it's always the same: depression, over drinking, and in the end, suicide..." He muttered about how people came to the big city and were ultimately crushed by its pressures.

Zhang Wei furrowed his brows, wondering, 'An actor? Is it...'. In that moment, he quickened his pace and pushed through the crowd with brute strength.

One person grumbled in frustration, "Hey, watch it, man!" but Zhang Wei didn't care.

His heart pounded as he finally caught a glimpse of the dead body, lying on the hard concrete floor cordoned off by police personnel.

But nothing mattered until he saw the woman's face, illuminated by the flashing police lights.

"Damn it!", he cursed under his breath and withdrew from the scene while pulling Leng Mei along with him.

"What are you doing?! Don't tell me you know her?" Leng Mei exclaimed with suspicion, standing beside Zhang Wei as he finally stopped at a safe distance from the bloody scene.

The image was burned into his mind - the broken head of the red-haired Rong Meili, with blood splattered all over the place - it was a gruesome sight, and yet he could still recognize her.

This realization made him break into an instant sweat, as he tried to think of how to get out of the situation.

Frantically, he pulled out his phone and trying to call Yu Lei, hastily planning his temporary hiding place.

Leng Mei couldn't help but feel puzzled by Zhang Wei's erratic behavior.

[Host, stop!] the system's voice boomed in Zhang Wei's mind, snapping him out of his thoughts.

[She didn't leave any notes behind, so you don't need to worry about getting exposed], the system reminded him, as Zhang Wei tried to calm himself down.

[But the camera recordings may still make you a suspect], the system added, [although that can be taken care of quickly with Leng Yan's help.]

Zhang Wei asked, with a brief pause in his voice, 'There is no note?'

[No, host! There is none!] the system confirmed, finally putting Zhang Wei's mind at ease.

The cameras weren't a major concern for him, as he knew that his connections could help him escape suspicion.

But had there been a suicide note that already gone public, then he would have been forced to withdraw from the scene - it was a narrow escape indeed.

"Is everything okay?" Leng Mei asked, her expression filled with genuine concern.

Zhang Wei shot her a quick glance before nodding with a hint of bitterness in his eyes.

This was a turn he hadn't expected, one that had caught him off guard completely.

He had considered all possible outcomes, but never did he imagine that someone would take their own life.

A chill ran down his spine as he pondered the risk involved in blackmailing Leng Yan.

If there were no safety precautions, the end could have been the same.

Sure, given Leng Yan's temperament, it was unlikely to happen, but who knew what kind of game she played?

Sweat beads accumulated on his forehead, and he swiped them away, feeling his nerves get the better of him.

He realized only then why Rong Meili had given him so many extra villain points.

[Host, you should take this as an opportunity to learn, instead of falling apart over it], the system suggested, bringing him to his senses.

He had thought that blackmailing was just about threatening someone to do what you want, but it was far from that.

He had attempted extreme methods without considering the possible repercussions.

The worst part of blackmailing was the uncertainty, not knowing when the victim would hit their breaking point and take matters into their own hands.

The thought of the victim taking their own life hit him hard. He knew what kind of trouble he would be in, in case the media got involved.

Zhang Wei had learned his lesson the hard way...

[So did the poor Author :( ]

Zhang Wei forced a brittle smile as he was ready to move into his apartment, but suddenly felt a tap on his back, causing his muscles to tense up.

As if the universe was conspiring against him, it was Yu Lei, her curious gaze focused on the pair of them. "You two are quite close," she commented, her voice carrying a hint of amusement as Zhang Wei turned around.

Leng Mei, who was caught off guard by the sudden interruption, raised her sharp brows, making her forehead furrow and her face turning slightly awkward.

However, she composed herself quickly, regained her composure, and then spoke up, "Yeah! he even dragged me to meet you," she added with a hint of sarcasm, casting a sidelong glance at Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei's eyes finally landed on Yu Lei's form, and he could tell from her bitter expression that she was displeased by his absence the previous night.

Trying to mask her gloom, she greeted him half-heartedly, "Hi?"

Zhang Wei scrutinized her from top to bottom before uttering, "You haven't left for work today?"

"Why am I disturbing you guys?" Yu Lei spoke jokingly before turning to the car. "Just leaving already. There was a huge mess here this morning; I got late," she complained, her lips forming a pout.

The mess was undoubtedly created by the crowd that had gathered due to Rong Meili's death. "I didn't even know she was our neighbor until today," Yu Lei spoke with a dry laugh as she realized her last words were quite rude, subconsciously sensing the tension in the air.

Zhang Wei only cast a fleeting glance at the crowd before shifting his gaze to the Bentley parked nearby. Despite the windows being rolled up, he could sense the presence of two people inside.

Suddenly, Yu Lei moved closer and planted a kiss on Zhang Wei's lips, whispering, "The boss is in the car, can't delay! ...The key is beneath the vase, cya!"

Leng Mei, who had been watching the two interact, stood there, feeling slightly uncomfortable and out of place until Yu Lei turned to her and muttered an apology before heading to her car.

As she watched Yu Lei drive away, Leng Mei let out a sigh of relief, glad to be rid of the awkwardness.

As the car door finally opened, Leng Mei's eyes squinted in suspicion as she asked, "Lin Ruoxi? Lin Group? Does your wife work for them?" She gazed at Zhang Wei with a curious expression, but not one of genuine interest.

Zhang Wei merely nodded his head, barely registering her words as his attention was drawn to the woman in question.

Even though she was wearing sunglasses, he couldn't help but grin at the sight of her face.

And, to his satisfaction, he quickly realized that Lin Ruoxi didn't have any cultivation whatsoever.

However, Ye Feng's presence in the car made him frown deeply. 'Why is he always in my way?' he thought with a scowl on his face.

Zhang Wei didn't want to risk revealing his existence to celestials by directly confronting any guardians or dealing with any more bullshit than he had to.

The system had given assurances, but he knew better than to blindly trust technology or the powers that be.

But, he knew he couldn't delay things any longer; now was the time to deal with Ye Feng, along with the Song family if needed.

"Do you have more influence than the Lin Group?" Zhang Wei asked Leng Mei, hoping to get some information from her.

Leng Mei raised her eyebrows in surprise at his sudden question, but quickly put on a pouty face and replied, "Why? Do you want to use me and my resources to bully people? Let me tell you, I won't help you!" And with that, she stuck her tongue out playfully at him, teasing him.

Zhang Wei's lips twitched in annoyance at her behavior.

He couldn't help but smack her lightly on the head, hoping to get a serious response out of her. "Just answer the question," he said in a no-nonsense tone.

*Ouch!*

Leng Mei gave him a grudgeful look and kicked his foot, but quickly realized her own mistake when her back received the full brunt of the kick.

Zhang Wei's body was as hard as steel, and she was in no position to challenge him at the moment, atleast not until she uses her powers.

Regret washing over her, Leng Mei spoke with a mixture of astonishment and bitterness. "Your wife is surprisingly calm," she said, her words acidic as she anticipated a tongue-lashing from Yu Lei.

Throughout their conversation, Leng Mei continued to hold onto Zhang Wei's hand, tightly.

Zhang Wei couldn't help a wry smile as he replied. "She's not calm, just knows when to ask the right questions... Sigh, let's go," he said, pulling Leng Mei towards the apartment.

As she followed him, Leng Mei momentarily forgot that she was only here to drop off Zhang Wei, and not to go inside his apartment.

Two metaphorical bombs had dropped on Zhang Wei, leaving him with two things to explain to Yu Lei.

With a shrug, Zhang Wei whispered resignedly. 'Let the bomb explode if it must. If worst comes to worst, I'll just have to tie her up and lock her in, if she rebels too much.'

Yu Lei's obsession and dependence on him left Zhang Wei unsure as to how she would react.

Would she go all out and explode, trying to keep him to herself, or would she settle for less because losing him was not an option?

Zhang Wei started to weigh his options carefully, his mind working overtime as he tried to find a way to redirect his wife's attention, before something terrible happened.

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Disclaimer: Ye Feng is my own original character, so don't assume its backstory would be same as some other novel, its mix of many elements.