Chapter 116: Brother, Don’t Be Mean to Me
“As I grew up, I realized that feeling was ‘liking’.”
Listening to him, a spot in Ye Ran’s heart went soft, as if it were being soaked in warm water.
Ye Ran lifted his head, his gaze falling on Chi Yuheng’s profile.
Chi Yuheng’s silhouette looked exceptionally soft. His long eyelashes cast a light shadow on his eyelids, his nose was high, and his lip line was clear.
He only realized now that this man’s tenderness had only ever been given to him.
Chi Yuheng looked at him, his eyes full of doting and tenderness, as if he were the center of the universe.
Seeing that his wife was about to fall into his embrace after this speech, Ye Ran paused.
He realized belatedly—had he been marked since he was small?
Until recently, he had still been sillily telling Chi Yuheng he wanted to pursue him.
This man must have been incredibly smug at that time.
He stared straight at Chi Yuheng. “So you’re saying I’ve been yours since I was five?”
The corner of Chi Yuheng’s mouth curled. “If you must frame it that way, yes.”
Ye Ran: “…”
“And you pinched my face, pinching it into a bun. Should I collect a face-pinching fee?”
This fee was naturally effortless for Chi Yuheng.
“Your husband’s money is your money. Spend it however you like,” Chi Yuheng said.
Ye Ran had almost forgotten that Chi Yuheng had the attribute of “exploding gold coins” (being extremely generous with money).
The more Ye Ran thought about it, the more he felt he was at a disadvantage. “I went from straight to gay and only dated you. And I was marked by you since I was a kid. I’m such a loser.”
He was getting carried away, completely ignoring his own words and the look on Chi Yuheng’s face.
“I’ve suffered such a huge loss. I haven’t even seen the scenery outside…”
Halfway through his complaint, his words were suddenly blocked by Chi Yuheng.
Chi Yuheng’s warm lips descended, carrying a fresh scent of mint, swallowing all the words he hadn’t finished.
Ye Ran’s eyes widened to circles, and he even forgot to breathe.
It wasn’t until Chi Yuheng lightly bit his lower lip that he snapped out of it. He wanted to move, but his waist was held firmly by the other man, making it impossible to budge.
After a moment, Chi Yuheng slowly let him go. His thumb lightly stroked the reddened lip, his gaze carrying a hint of danger. His tone was still gentle, but it held a bit more undeniable dominance.
“You still want to see the scenery outside?”
Was it not true?
Wasn’t he the one who lost out?
However, under Chi Yuheng’s dominant gaze, his previous righteousness vanished instantly. “Just… just a joke…”
Chi Yuheng: “Do you think it’s funny?”
Ye Ran: “Isn’t it funny?”
Chi Yuheng repeated, “Do you think it’s funny?”
Ye Ran blinked and immediately became a coward. “I don’t think it’s funny.”
Chi Yuheng’s expression was serious; he planned to haul the boy straight back to the bed to settle the score.
Ye Ran wore a bitter expression. “Brother, don’t be mean to me.”
President Chi, who was about to exert his authority, paused for a moment. Then he sighed. “Hurry up and change your clothes. Let’s go down and eat.”
…
When Ye Ran went downstairs after changing, he checked his phone and found that Qiao Yubai had sent him messages ten minutes ago.
He clicked on them and saw a photo.
In the photo, Qiao Yubai was wearing a waiter’s uniform with a cute bowtie at the collar.
Qiao Yubai was making a peace sign at the camera, his lips curved into a smile, his eyes filled with stars.
He was holding a small cake that looked delicious even through the photo.
( [It’s Qiao Not White]: Brother, I learned how to make small cakes at the shop. I’ll make some for you one day! ) ( [It’s Qiao Not White]: I guarantee they’re delicious. If they aren’t, you can hit me. ) ( [It’s Qiao Not White]: Or you can just come to the shop to find me! The shop where I’m working part-time is right in the commercial street across from Jingda. )
One photo plus three sentences—it was quite a lot of information.
Ye Ran went through it point by point.
Qiao Yubai had learned to make cakes. It was in a shop across from Jingda.
So he was working a part-time job in that shop.
Why would he go to work?
Ye Ran walked into the dining room downstairs. The servants had prepared breakfast.
Chi Yuheng was already waiting for him to eat. Ye Ran walked while looking at his phone, typing as he went.
( [It’s Ye Ran Not Ye Ash]: Why are you working a part-time job? ) ( [It’s Ye Ran Not Ye Ash]: Has the wind shifted outside? Is the Qiao family bankrupt? ) ( [It’s Ye Ran Not Ye Ash]: Is the Ye family bankrupt too? )
A string of question marks filled Ye Ran’s head.
No matter how you looked at it, given the economic conditions of these two families, Qiao Yubai shouldn’t have to work part-time as a freshman.
Soon, the “typing” status appeared above the chat box…
Ye Ran was looking down, his mind full of questions. He didn’t look at the path and was tripped hard by the carpet. His head headed straight for the dining table.
Chi Yuheng was quick. One hand blocked the edge of the table to protect Ye Ran’s head, while the other arm caught his waist, hoisting him up in the next second.
Ye Ran breathed a sigh of relief once he was standing steadily. He had almost lost his not-so-bright head.
Chi Yuheng saw his distraction and asked softly, “What is it?”
Just then, Qiao Yubai’s message came through.
( [It’s Qiao Not White]: My family isn’t bankrupt. I just like it here. It’s very lively with people coming and going. )
Ye Ran seemed to understand Qiao Yubai.
It wasn’t because of a lack of money, but because of loneliness.
Having been passed around various relatives’ homes since childhood without his parents’ company, he was indeed very lonely.
He worked part-time to find the meaning of his existence among the crowds, and also to find something he liked to do.
But wasn’t he living at the Ye family home?
How could the “Protagonist Shou,” who was fought over by two “Protagonist Gongs” in the original plot, be lonely?
Ye Ran was about to send a message when Qiao Yubai’s message arrived first.
( [It’s Qiao Not White]: Brother, it seems the Ye family is about to go bankrupt. )
Ye Ran: “???”
Good news arrived so fast that Ye Ran couldn’t process it for a moment.
Before he was kidnapped, Ming Qingyan had even come to him to ask for a partnership.
In her description, the Ye Group was flourishing. How could it go bankrupt overnight?
“What are you thinking about? Didn’t you say you were hungry early this morning? Why aren’t you eating?”
Seeing that Ye Ran hadn’t moved his chopsticks for a long time, Chi Yuheng asked.
A flash of inspiration suddenly hit Ye Ran’s mind. He instinctively turned toward Chi Yuheng.
“Qiao Yubai says the Ye family is about to go bankrupt.”
“Mm.”
From his expression, Chi Yuheng didn’t seem surprised.
Based on Ye Ran’s intuition, Chi Yuheng was likely the one behind this.
He asked tentatively: “Did you send people to pour hot water on the Ye family’s money tree?”
This question had a bit of a comedic element to it. Chi Yuheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you think business warfare is as simple as me watering your money tree or you tripping me up?”
Ye Ran understood. Chi Yuheng’s attitude was a tacit admission that he was the one who did it.
He finally understood the phrase: only capital can defeat capital.
What he didn’t understand was that he hadn’t heard of Chi Yuheng wanting to deal with the Ye family before. In the original plot, Chi Yuheng had targeted the Ye family and Qiao Yubai because he was bewitched by Ye Ran.
But now, he hadn’t done anything, yet Chi Yuheng had still made a move on the Ye family.
He was doing very well with Chi Yuheng now, and he was very happy.
He didn’t want the ending to be like the one in the original plot.
Ye Ran was silent for a moment. He slowly lifted his head and looked into Chi Yuheng’s eyes.
“Chi Yuheng, do you believe that we are living inside a novel?”
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