ATIBESLM 30

Ye Cen rarely looked at his phone. If there was any information requiring his attention, Xu Mei would naturally relay it to him. By the time he saw the WeChat message sent by Ye Lingwei, it was already one o’clock in the morning.

The expensive, ornate carpet was stained with cream. A cake made by a private pastry chef from a high-end clubhouse was lying there miserably, face-down on the carpet. Ye Cen hadn’t lived these thirty-plus years for nothing; he could tell at a glance that the cake landing on the carpet was not an accident—it was deliberate.

As for who the culprit was, it was very obvious.

That younger brother of his, who was now so arrogant and defiant, wouldn’t care in the slightest whether Ye Cen felt suspicious or confused after seeing the message. He had done it on purpose to begin with.

As for buying the cake for Ye Lingwei, even Ye Cen himself couldn’t articulate a specific reason. Perhaps it was just that while dining with a client, he happened to spot the pastry chef making a cake, watching the soft, fluffy cream transform at will under the chef’s hands.

The pastry chef rarely came out to make cakes personally. While the cakes displayed in the window were indeed his creations, most cakes for customers were actually made by his apprentices.

Ye Cen paid a high price to request the old master, who had only come by to have a meal and show his face, to make an almond cake. Standing to the side, Xu Mei struggled to search her memory for the preferences of her boss’s younger brother, Ye San.

As a special assistant, her purpose wasn’t limited to just work duties. In Xu Mei’s view, as long as Ye Cen’s request was legal, she had to do it—and she had to succeed.

Ye San did quite like almonds. However, if asked to pinpoint a specific favorite food, there really wasn’t one. As for things he disliked, it seemed Ye San… didn’t dislike anything.

Or was there a gap in her memory?

Whether it was Ye Xuan or Ye Lingwei, she could memorize almost every piece of information she had access to. Ye Xuan’s likes and dislikes were easy to remember: he loved racing, and he hated anyone who touched his cars or belittled the sport.

However, Ye Lingwei stumped her… It wasn’t as if Xu Mei automatically knew information just because it existed; most of it was provided by Ye Cen. It was impossible for a person to have no dislikes, so the only explanation was that Ye Cen simply didn’t know.

Ye Cen looked at that photo. After a moment, he indifferently turned off his phone.

The driver was a long-time employee of the household, they all called him Uncle Ran. Uncle Ran saw Ye Cen leaning back in the seat with his eyes closed in exhaustion, and asked, “Tired?”

Ye Cen shook his head. “I’m fine, just thinking about some things.”

He hadn’t participated in the period when Ye Lingwei was learning to speak. Later, when the boy came back from kindergarten every day with a big red flower reward from the teacher stuck to his forehead, he pretended not to see the little child’s radiant joy.

However, Ye Cen could still recall one or two small incidents. For example, Ye Lingwei was very good at acting obedient and clever to get his way when he was little. He would cause a ruckus at home, with the nanny chasing behind him holding a bowl. Even if he was caught, he wouldn’t cry or throw a tantrum. Instead, he would solemnly raise his index finger and start reasoning with the nanny.

“Auntie, it is wrong for you to force me like this.” Ye Lingwei’s little mouth chattered away, “Listen to me…”

The nanny was so angry her vision went black. “If you don’t eat this bowl of rice for me today, I am not going to reason with you!”

Just as the commotion was getting out of hand, the door opened and Ye Cen walked in. The nanny turned her head to call out to him, but when she turned back, she saw Ye Lingwei pursing his little mouth, scampering over to Ye Cen on his two short little legs with a thump-thump-thump. He looked like he wanted to pounce for a hug but didn’t dare, while his tears fell as if they cost nothing.

“Da-ge, Auntie is bullying me…”

The nanny: “…”

If the nanny hadn’t later found a moment when only Ye Cen was there, counting off on her fingers to list Ye Lingwei’s crimes one by one, Ye Cen would have almost believed that little brat.

When he was hoisted up and strapped into the high chair at the dining table, Ye Lingwei actually cried out of anger. “You don’t believe me! Auntie really bullied me this time!”

Ye Lingwei’s crying could be heard throughout the entire living room.

Ye Cen was thinking, what did I say back then? He remembered. He hadn’t said anything. He just gave Ye Lingwei a faint, indifferent glance and went to school. That was all before Ye Lingwei’s personality changed drastically.

Uncle Ran stole a glance at the rearview mirror and was surprised to find that Ye Cen was actually smiling. He couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “What’s making you so happy?”

“…” Ye Cen opened his eyes, reverting to his usual unapproachable coldness. “Nothing.”

Uncle Ran: “…”

Ye Lingwei didn’t bother with the cake on the carpet because he was confident that when he returned from school the next day, the living room would definitely have a brand-new carpet.

The floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom had been left open. The wind blew in recklessly, and the pages on the nightstand were fluttering with a loud rustling sound.

After closing the windows and curtains, Ye Lingwei’s gaze fell on that book. Barefoot on the floor, he sat cross-legged by the bed holding the book. Its content has been updated again. He had gone from initial shock to his current state of unruffled calm. He used to think the book updated according to a pattern, but in reality, the updates were completely random.

This time, the new content was about Fei Lan.

As he browsed, he also discovered that while Fei Lan was originally an inconspicuous character, the plotlines involving him were becoming more frequent and increasingly important. From the moment he appeared, his existence was a main storyline that the book absolutely could not ignore.

Ye Lingwei leisurely flipped through the pages one by one.

Since elementary school, Fei Lan had been the quintessential child from another family. His mother was gentle and kind, and had her own career, yet she never neglected Fei Lan’s education for the sake of work. When she married Fei Qiang, she was well aware of the selfishness, paranoia, and coldness flowing in the Fei family’s blood. Although she intentionally tried to guide Fei Lan, from a young age, Fei Lan exhibited small habits that were different from other children.

For instance, regarding things he liked—whether it was grades, a flower, or a fish—if he liked it, he would use any means necessary to get his hands on it. Seeing his eyes constantly glued to the Ye family child, Ai Shu felt a vague sense of unease.

Finally, Ai Shu heard it with her own ears and saw it with her own eyes.

Both of them were not yet ten years old, yet Fei Lan acted like a little adult. He unhurriedly unwrapped a candy, stuffed it into Ye Lingwei’s mouth, and said, “You call me Gege. From now on, you aren’t allowed to call anyone else that, understood?”

At first listen, didn’t this sound like the kind of childish nonsense only a kid would say?

However, that wasn’t the case. If anyone else had said this, Ai Shu would have just treated it as children playing around, but not Fei Lan. Fei Lan didn’t say things just to joke or play.

Ai Shu hoped the Ye child wouldn’t agree. Don’t agree. If he didn’t agree, Fei Lan wouldn’t say anything.

However, all she heard was the well-behaved little child, mumbling an answer through the candy in his mouth, “Okay.”

Once one promised Fei Lan something, they had to follow through.

When Ye Lingwei reached this page, his finger trembled slightly. He tilted his face upward, looking at the crystal chandelier on the bedroom ceiling. After a long while, the boy muttered to himself, “How many people have I called ‘Gege’ again?”

Who cares?

Ye Lingwei continued reading.

This part was Ai Shu’s inner monologue. Ye Lingwei guessed that no one else, including Fei Lan, knew about it. By this time, Ai Shu’s health was already very poor; even the slightest blow could crush her instantly.

She was hunched over the desk, writing a letter.

“I feel deep guilt toward Fei Qiang. When he asked me if I could refuse the marriage alliance between our two families, I said no. I knew who he loved deeply, but I still believed he might change for me. I never considered gender to be a barrier to love. However, in reality, the men of the Fei family are terrifyingly faithful. It was my stubbornness that led me to marry him. We each took what we needed. Even now, as my oil runs dry and my lamp flickers out, I have never regretted it. If I had to choose again, I would do the same. What is sorrowful and heartbreaking is that, until his death, that person never knew Fei Qiang loved him.”

“Fei Qiang has changed. He is no longer the responsible, dependable man I knew. After that person passed away, he took over everything that should have been handled by that person’s family, including that person’s child and that person’s lover. What I find unbelievable is that Fei Qiang, who always put profit above all else, would actually give away signed contracts to others on a silver platter and attack unrelated companies for no reason. I was confused, but before long, I finally understood: he is paving the road for that person’s child.”

Ye Lingwei felt a headache coming on as he read. Throughout the text, whenever Ai Shu referred to the other lover of Fei Lan’s father, she used the term that person. However, he wasn’t stupid. He read this passage once, thought for two minutes, and easily found the answer.

Ai Shu believed that the person Fei Lan’s father truly loved was Ye Fengmian, who was also the original host’s father.

“…”

What kind of joke is this?

The pitifully scant information gleaned from this book was not enough to convince Ye Lingwei.

There is really no need to explain absolutely everything with love. Is there really nothing else in this world besides love that is worth shedding one’s blood and sacrificing one’s life for?

However, what Ye Lingwei was very clear about now was this—Fei Lan’s father definitely did not love his mother.

That was all there was to it.

Flipping further, he reached the final plot segment. It was after the incident between Jiang Hui and Fei Qiang, marking the first meeting between the original host and Fei Lan.

The original host’s usually obedient face was filled with disappointment and resentment. “So for all these years, my mom was actually with your dad?”

Fei Lan said indifferently, “I didn’t know.”

“But the truth is your dad stole my mom!” Ye Lingwei was hysterical, crying and screaming. He was young and spoke without a filter. If his mother had been there, he wouldn’t have suffered grievances at home for so many years and he wouldn’t have had to endure people’s cold looks.

“I hate her, and I hate you too.” Even if it had nothing to do with Fei Lan, the original host couldn’t possibly continue to get along with him without holding a grudge.

Fei Lan looked at the original host. “Think it through before you speak.”

“I have thought it through.” The original host wiped the tears from his face vigorously with his sleeve, rubbing his small face until it was red. “I don’t want to see you anymore. Don’t tutor me anymore, and I certainly won’t apply to the same middle school as you.”

Fei Lan frowned slightly. “Ye Jiaojiao…”

Stop crying.

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted. “Don’t lie to me anymore. You definitely hate me now too, just as much as I hate you. You people from the Fei family are all big liars!”

“You wait right there.” Ye Lingwei ran back home, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, with the nanny chasing behind him, crying out in alarm. Teardrops were still clinging to his eyelashes as he tilted his small face up to look at Fei Lan. “We have to prove that we have severed ties.”

From a young age, Ye Lingwei was someone who cared particularly about a sense of ritual.

He squatted down, holding the kitchen knife, and sawed at the lawn beneath his feet, forcefully hacking a shallow groove into the turf. When he was done, he threw down the knife and clapped his hands. “See that, Fei Lan? Cutting the robe to sever ties.”

Such a shallow slit, lying across the space between them, was like an uncrossable chasm, cruelly separating the two.

The story of “Cutting the Robe to Sever Ties” was actually something Fei Lan had told Ye Lingwei.

The brilliant galaxy of stars that used to be in Fei Lan’s eyes shattered piece by piece in that moment, falling beneath his eyelids, shattering at his feet and onto the lawn. He gave a short laugh. “As you wish. As long as you’re happy.”

Seeing him treat it so lightly, Ye Lingwei stared at the kitchen knife by his feet. He shouldn’t have used the knife to dig up the lawn; he should have used it to hack Fei Lan instead.

Fei Lan went alone to the middle school they had planned to attend together. He won every competition award there was to win and earned the adoration and praise of all his teachers and classmates, but Ye Lingwei truly never appeared in his life again.

His name became known in other middle schools across Shencheng as well. He kept thinking that one day, that boy who had clung to him since childhood would pop out from somewhere, appearing pitifully before him to say, “Gege, there’s a question I don’t understand. Teach me.”

For three whole years, the two never contacted each other again.

When they met again, it was at No. 3 High School. Fei Lan had been admitted through guaranteed entry, while Ye Lingwei had gotten in through the back door. Fei Lan recognized him the moment he saw him. He found it hard to imagine that this silent, dreary boy, who seemed to be shrouded in a thick layer of shadow, was the ‘Ye Jiaojiao’ he had once held in the palm of his hand and pampered with all his heart.

“Brother Lan, that guy from Class 7—what’s his name again? You definitely wouldn’t know him. I heard that on the first diagnostic test of the semester, he ranked dead last in the grade. He was more than two hundred points behind the person in second-to-last place! Good Lord, how did he even get into No. 3 High?”

Fei Lan was absent-minded and nonchalant, yet he felt a twisted sense of pleasure that hurt to the point of suffocation. “People who get in through the back door are all like that. Is this your first time seeing one?”

“True enough. Hahahaha.”

At this point, there was no more added plot. Ye Lingwei hugged the book and sighed for a long while. “This pair of pitiful brothers… Fate really plays tricks on people.”

He finished sighing and wrapped himself in the quilt. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, he realized with a delayed start, wasn’t he the Ye Lingwei in the book?

He had been so absorbed in reading that he almost forgot.

However, once the realization hit, Ye Lingwei felt he couldn’t continue ordering Fei Lan around at his beck and call. After all, objectively speaking, Fei Lan was the person who had treated the original host—and him—the best, both then and now.

However, Ye Lingwei felt that he couldn’t control it. He just couldn’t control the urge to bully him.

After reading Ai Shu’s description of Fei Lan, Ye Lingwei felt he should probably rein it in a little. Although Fei Lan allowed himself to be bullied, who knew what he was actually thinking deep down?

As for everyone else, he would bully them as he pleased. Those who owed the original host, not a single one would escape.

Buried deep in the quilt, he let out two satisfied little hums. A sense of groundedness and security, springing from an unknown source, quietly sprouted and spread.

—

The next day, it began to rain. The wind squeezed in through the cracks in the window, blowing directly onto Ye Lingwei and waking him up.

He rummaged through the closet and pulled out the autumn uniform. The original host was very thin. The size was right, but the width certainly wasn’t; the length of the drawstrings on the trousers was terrifying. Pulled tight, they could wrap around his waist twice.

Facing the full-length mirror, Ye Lingwei measured his waist with his hand. Damn, it was so thin. He quickly covered it up with his jacket.

He pulled open the bedroom door. The housekeeper was just packing breakfast for Ye Lingwei. Seeing Ye Lingwei come out, she furrowed her brows and started nagging.

“The meals I make for you every day and have sent to your school—have you never actually eaten them properly?”

“Look how thin you are. I told you not to be picky, not to be picky, but you won’t eat this and you won’t eat that. When you have your surgery next year, where is your physical foundation going to come from?” The housekeeper said while using a spoon to skim the foam off the milk; Ye Lingwei wouldn’t drink milk that had bubbles on it.

“It’s so cold today, what are you wearing underneath?” The housekeeper handed the milk to Ye Lingwei, watching as he frowned and downed it in one gulp. “Is it really that awful to drink? You, ah, you’ve just been spoiled rotten.”

Ye Lingwei trailed after the housekeeper, hovering around her. “That’s right, I was spoiled by Auntie Li, after all.”

Since birth, almost no one had looked after Ye Lingwei. His daily needs—food, clothing, shelter, and transport—had all been single-handedly managed by Auntie Li since he was small. In the last two years, Auntie Li had to worry about Ye Cen working day and night, worry about Ye Xuan passing the front door three times without entering for the sake of his racing, and worry even more about the health of this little rascal, Ye Lingwei. Visibly, her grey hairs had increased.

“Shoo, shoo, get out of here. You’re almost late, why aren’t you leaving yet?” Auntie Li deliberately kept a straight face as she shooed Ye Lingwei away.

Holding a piece of honeyed bread in his hand, Ye Lingwei took a lick. “So sweet.”

“I’m off, then.”

Auntie Li watched him enter the elevator, and the smile on her face slowly faded. She thought of last night, and the message Jiang Hui had sent her.

[Jiang Hui: Auntie Li, Jiaojiao only listens to you. Can you please speak to him for me and tell him I want to meet with him?]

Just how much Ye Lingwei missed Jiang Hui, Auntie Li had always seen with her own eyes. However, if he knew—if he knew that his heart condition was caused by his mother trying to maintain her beauty and figure by recklessly taking drugs that produced toxic side effects, would he still love his mother this much?

Auntie Li was the only person who knew about this. She had never told the children because it was simply too cruel.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine if Ye Lingwei were to learn the truth, what kind of despair and disappointment he would feel.

After a long while, her hand gripping the doorframe gradually tightened. The Ye family was doing well now, and the Ye children were getting better and better. If Jiang Hui dared to disturb them again, she would tell the truth to all of them.

Ye Lingwei strolled leisurely into school. Gao Linhao had arrived early today and was gnawing on a steamed bun. He saw Ye Lingwei’s figure appear at the school gate, and just as he raised his hand to say hello, he watched Ye Lingwei brazenly, right in front of everyone, unzip his school uniform jacket—all while smiling with a look of shy embarrassment.

“…”

“What are you looking at?” Fei Lan pushed open the door to the supermarket, holding a pack of yogurt in his hand. Following Gao Linhao’s line of sight, he looked over just in time to see the discipline committee member’s face flushed red, eyes darting around, not knowing where to look, while the instigator even raised a hand to touch the person’s hair before finally departing with a look of reluctance.

“…”

Gao Linhao swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and mumbled, “Lan-ge, tell me, if Ye Lingwei gets to university, will the number of people chasing him have to be counted by the truckload?”

Even if someone didn’t intend to pursue him, they couldn’t withstand Ye Lingwei flirting like that.

Fei Lan smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You should take notes then.”

The atmosphere fell into an inexplicable silence for a long while, until Gao Linhao theatrically slapped himself. “Oh, this damn ugly face of mine!”

“…”

Morning self-study began at six-thirty. The rain outside was coming down harder. The classroom windows were tightly shut, and the warm breath of the students gathered together, hitting the window glass and forming a layer of hazy white mist on the surface.

Although Pokémon had explicitly forbidden everyone from eating breakfast in the classroom, in this kind of weather, hiding in the classroom to eat snacks couldn’t be more comfortable.

Ye Lingwei’s deskmate was eating crispy snack noodles.

The seasoning packet was dumped inside, and the bag was shaken frantically, the crispy noodle block making a crisp rattling sound. Chu Ran tilted his head back and poured it into his mouth, finishing off a pack in a few gulps, not forgetting to pour the seasoning left at the bottom onto his palm to lick.

Ye Lingwei, who had watched the entire performance: “…”

“Hey, Ye Lingwei.” Gao Linhao tugged at Ye Lingwei’s elbow. “For you.”

Ye Lingwei turned his head to look—it was an oat yogurt. “Thanks.”

“Psh, what’s there to thank? Lan-ge bought them for me. I can’t finish them all so I’m gifting you a cup,” Gao Linhao said very generously.

Ye Lingwei lowered his head and started tearing open the straw wrapper. Gao Linhao, failing to see a look of envy written all over Ye Lingwei’s face, was a little disappointed.

As soon as morning self-study ended, half the class rushed toward the restrooms. Ye Lingwei had drunk too much water, so he stood up and walked out as well. Gao Linhao called out to stop him, “Help me check if Lan-ge is there? Did he fall in or something?”

Ye Lingwei indicated that he heard him.

To get to the restroom, one had to pass the stairwell leading to the third and fifth floors. Chen Yiming had been standing at the stairwell entrance for a long time before he finally waited for Ye Lingwei. The boy walked leisurely toward him; amidst the crowd, under the dim light of the rainy day, his whole being was pale to the point of being nearly transparent.

There was a fragility about him that made one want to hold him in the palm of their hand.

“Ye Lingwei, this is for you.” Chen Yiming stuffed the paper bag he was holding into Ye Lingwei’s hands. “It’s a sweater my mom knitted herself. I looked online for the same style of clothes you gave me, but I couldn’t find it. However, you can try this sweater my mom made, it’s very warm.”

Ye Lingwei was somewhat surprised. “Thanks.”

Few people are willing to knit handmade sweaters nowadays; it is both a hassle and consumes so much time.

Chen Yiming smiled shyly. To be honest, he hadn’t expected Ye Lingwei to even give it a second look. That piece of clothing from Ye Lingwei was a very simple style, so simple it didn’t even have a single logo, but Chen Yiming knew very well that it definitely cost a fortune.

—

Carrying the clothes into the restroom, he realized there actually weren’t many people inside. Not only was it empty, it was also very quiet.

As soon as Ye Lingwei walked in, he saw Fei Lan washing his hands at the sink. He placed the paper bag on the counter as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Watch this for me. Be right back.”

Fei Lan: “…”

As the stall door clicked shut, a slip of paper drifted lightly down from the bottom of the paper bag. Fei Lan paused, then bent down to pick it up. The handwriting was very neat.

—Ye Lingwei, you are really good-looking.

The drawstring was simply too long. Ye Lingwei wrapped it around his waist twice and hastily tied a butterfly knot. Without checking if he had tucked it in or if his shirt was covering it, he walked out. While washing his hands, he attempted to strike up a chat with Fei Lan.

To warm the heart of this boy who had been so deeply hurt by the original host.

“Fei Lan, did you know? I ran into Chen Yiming in the hallway just now. He gave me…”

Before Ye Lingwei could finish his sentence, his wrist was seized by Fei Lan, who dragged him right up to his face.

At the sudden proximity, Ye Lingwei’s breath hitched. Once he gathered his wits, he smiled. “Are you jealous that I’m so popular?”

“Jealous husband.”

Fei Lan glanced at him and asked, “Do you even know how to use words properly?”

Could the term ‘jealous husband’ really be applied to him? Were they in the kind of relationship where that word could be used?

Ye Lingwei let out an oh. “Let go of me then.”

Fei Lan remained immovable. “Don’t move.”

His hands moved downward, and Ye Lingwei followed his gaze. Looking at the two long trouser drawstrings in his hands, Fei Lan said helplessly, “How old are you?”

Ye Lingwei blinked, pretending not to understand. Without a blush or a skip in his heartbeat, he said, “I’m seventeen this year.”

Fei Lan couldn’t be bothered to dignify that with a response, taking advantage of the fact that the boy wasn’t making a fuss. He hadn’t expected Ye Lingwei to be this thin—the drawstring in his hands wrapped around twice with room to spare. As his hands circled Ye Lingwei’s waist, Fei Lan lowered his gaze and murmured involuntarily, “So thin.”