People inside the yard and outside the yard looked at each other through the door, and they all fell silent at the same time.
Cheng Yue looked at Tan Minmin and then at the driver who had gotten out of the car.
“Who are you?” The driver asked impatiently.
Cheng Yue ignored his question, staring directly at Tan Minmin, and asked in a low voice, “Why are you here?”
“Are you…” Tan Minmin’s expression became more and more despondent, “Want to come in for a cup of tea?”
“Why are you here?” Cheng Yue took a few steps closer.
Before Tan Minmin could say anything, the driver beside her exploded first, raising his head and shouting at Cheng Yue, “Are you sick or something?”
“Tan Wenwen!” Tan Minmin shouted, her face showing a mix of embarrassment and anger. “Get away from me!”
“Why are you yelling at me? You want to be both a bitch and a saint? This kid is Cheng Yue, right? What are you afraid of? His family went bankrupt; it has nothing to do with you! His parents’ deaths were an accident!” Tan Wenwen, seeing Tan Minmin’s frightened expression, was furious.
“He’s just a little kid. Do you really need to keep twisting things and send him to America?”
“Shut up!” Tan Minmin suddenly yelled sharply.
Cheng Yue frowned, piecing together the fragments of their conversation in his mind.
“Ah Yue…” Tan Minmin, with red eyes and clenched fists, slowly walked towards Cheng Yue. “I really don’t know about your parents’ situation. The bankruptcy wasn’t my doing. Don’t come looking for me again.”
Seeing Tan Minmin’s reddened eyes, Cheng Yue sneered, “Stop crying. It’s not your parents who died. I’m asking you again: why are you here?”
“I…”
Tan Minmin was about to speak when Tan Wenwen interrupted her.
“This house was bought by my sister. Stop looking for trouble.” Tan Wenwen glared at Cheng Yue.
“Bought my family’s house?” Cheng Yue looked at Tan Minmin with a rare and sharp sneer. “Are you crazy?”
Tan Minmin, who had been looking down, suddenly lifted her head as if provoked. “Yes, I’m crazy! Anyway, I bought the house; it’s mine now!”
“Enough, stop acting like a lunatic every time this topic comes up.” Tan Wenwen hugged his sister and glared at Cheng Yue, shouting, “Get lost! If you don’t leave, I’ll call security. I don’t even know how you got in here.”
In the past, Cheng Yue would have used a brick to beat this idiot to a pulp, but now, despite his hands shaking and his mind a mess, he managed to control himself.
Cheng Yue took out his phone and took a photo of the two idiots, then turned to leave. Just as he turned, he bumped into someone’s arms.
“What’s wrong?” Bai Zhen frowned, holding him and giving the man and woman the middle finger.
“I’m going back.” Cheng Yue’s face was not good as he pulled Bai Zhen’s hand away.
“I’ll take you.” Bai Zhen, ignoring the man and woman, quickly followed Cheng Yue.
On the way, Cheng Yue was pale and had a cold expression but was otherwise okay, though he felt a bit nauseous.
When they arrived, Cheng Yue got out of the car and handed Bai Zhen the helmet. He was about to say thank you but didn’t, fearing he might vomit. Instead, he nodded at Bai Zhen and turned to leave.
Bai Zhen, with a somewhat complicated expression, held him back. “You…”
He started to speak but stopped when he saw Cheng Yue’s face. He smiled and changed the subject. “Let’s hang out together next time.”
Cheng Yue nodded and went into the apartment, rubbing his eyes as he took the elevator.
After getting off the elevator, he took out his keys, opened the door, and slowly changed his shoes. Just a few steps in, he froze.
Ji Xu was sitting on the sofa, looking at him.
“Where have you been?” Ji Xu furrowed his brows, putting a paper bag on the table and walking towards him.
Cheng Yue had no real reason to be upset, but seeing Ji Xu come towards him made his nose suddenly sting.
He rubbed his nose, blinked hard to suppress his emotions, and spoke casually, “I went out with some classmates. Didn’t you say you’d be back for dinner?”
“Which classmates?” Ji Xu, noticing Cheng Yue’s deliberate nonchalance and the redness under his eyes, assumed he had had an argument with someone. He smiled faintly and ruffled Cheng Yue’s hair. “What happened? Did someone bully you?”
Cheng Yue was about to regain his composure, but Ji Xu’s gesture made him feel even more aggrieved. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he couldn’t hold back. He reached out and hugged Ji Xu, unable to stop himself from crying.
Ji Xu was initially startled but quickly realized the person in his arms was crying, and he hugged Cheng Yue tighter.
Cheng Yue felt increasingly aggrieved, though he wasn’t sure why. He felt as though his belongings had been taken from him, and that the house no longer belonged to him.
Ji Xu, feeling heartbroken by the suppressed sobs, furrowed his brows and said nothing, holding Cheng Yue even tighter.
After crying for a long time, Cheng Yue’s breathing became shallow from the exertion, and he gradually calmed down.
“It’s okay now.” Ji Xu, noticing Cheng Yue’s stillness, gently soothed his back and then pulled him away from his embrace.
Cheng Yue pouted, turning his head to hide his tear-streaked face from Ji Xu.
Ji Xu cupped Cheng Yue’s face, looking at his red eyes, damp eyelashes, and the red tip of his nose. He wiped away the tears with his thumb.
“Are you thirsty?” Ji Xu pinched the flesh on Cheng Yue’s neck.
Cheng Yue nodded and buried his head in Ji Xu’s chest, trying to hold back the remaining sobs.
“Sit on the sofa.” Ji Xu patted his head.
“I don’t want to move.” Cheng Yue was exhausted from crying and didn’t want to let go.
Ji Xu chuckled softly, lifting Cheng Yue’s body with ease.
Cheng Yue closed his eyes, preparing to lean in again, but when he felt himself being lifted, he instinctively grabbed Ji Xu’s neck, his voice filled with a heavy nasal tone, “Ji Xu?”
“Hmm?” Ji Xu responded, placing Cheng Yue on the sofa and pouring him a glass of water. “Your throat must be sore from crying.”
Cheng Yue took the water, feeling a bit embarrassed. He rubbed his eyes and said, “I forgot to stop crying later on, wasn’t paying attention.”
Ji Xu noticed the water stains on Cheng Yue’s lips as he drank and wiped them away, then softly asked, “What happened?”
Cheng Yue’s smile faded as he recounted the encounter with Tan Minmin to Ji Xu, then explained, “I’m not crying because of her. I just felt…”
“I understand.” Ji Xu held Cheng Yue’s hand and squeezed it gently. “It’s okay.”
“Hmm?” Cheng Yue was momentarily stunned.
“Leave it to me,” Ji Xu said softly, looking at him. He didn’t say anything more on the matter.
As both of them were lost in their thoughts, a rumbling sound suddenly broke the silence in the room.
Ji Xu glanced at Cheng Yue’s stomach, following the sound.
“I’m hungry…” Cheng Yue lowered his head, feeling embarrassed.
After dinner, Cheng Yue, feeling dizzy and not wanting to worry Ji Xu, went to a small room to stare blankly at an unfinished painting.
The more he thought, the more chaotic his mind became. Eventually, Cheng Yue forced himself to calm down and picked up the paintbrush.
He continued painting until Ji Xu called him out for a shower.
Seeing Cheng Yue’s visibly low mood, Ji Xu frowned but said nothing. He then remembered that they were supposed to go shopping for a dress today, which made his expression even darker.
The plan to postpone their outing was immediately moved up when Cheng Yue cried in his arms.
The mastermind behind Cheng Yue’s family’s bankruptcy was definitely not Tan Minmin; no one would bring down a company just to become a magazine editor.
But Tan Minmin was undoubtedly involved.
Ji Xu had already known that the house Cheng Yue’s family owned had been bought, and he knew who bought it.
But he hadn’t paid much attention until he learned today that Tan Minmin was now living in that house. Everything fell into place for Ji Xu.
The house wasn’t bought by Tan Minmin; the person named on the property deed was Liang Siwei, the current CEO of Tianrong Trading, and the person who sold the plot of land to Cheng Yue’s father.
Tan Minmin used to be an assistant to Ke Miao and was very close to him, according to Cheng Yue.
If Tan Minmin was living in that house, her relationship with Liang Siwei must be significant.
The implication of their cooperation was obvious.
Ji Xu sneered at the stacks of documents on the table, then sent the documents he had compiled overnight to Tang Jing’s private detective, asking the detective to take photos of Tan Minmin and Liang Siwei in close contact.
That night, Cheng Yue’s head ached with the stress. He had cried so hard that he tossed and turned for a long time before falling asleep.
The next morning, Cheng Yue woke up very early, mostly because he hadn’t slept well. His mind was occupied with why Tan Minmin would buy his family’s house. He was usually easygoing but not foolish.
For someone like Tan Minmin to buy his family’s old house was highly unusual.
“I’m full,” Cheng Yue set down the bowl with half of the porridge remaining.
“Finish the porridge,” Ji Xu said, looking at Cheng Yue’s clearly tired face with concern. He thought it might be a good idea to distract Cheng Yue.
For example…
Ji Xu frowned, recalling a tactic Tang Jing used when pursuing someone.
Appeal to their preferences, give them something they like.
“Oh…” Cheng Yue drank a few more sips when he heard this.
“Change into your pajamas later, and I’ll take you somewhere.” Ji Xu said, then immediately picked up his phone and messaged Zhang Mengmeng, asking where to buy dresses.
Zhang Mengmeng was the only friend who was both familiar and liked wearing dresses.
“Where are we going?” Cheng Yue asked, puzzled.
Just as Ji Xu was about to respond, a message from Zhang Mengmeng arrived, listing addresses and pictures of various stores.
Ji Xu handed the phone to Cheng Yue. “Buy whatever you like.”
“Actually…” Cheng Yue hesitated, looking at the variety of dresses on the phone. “I don’t really…”
“Don’t like these?”
Ji Xu furrowed his brows and remembered Cheng Yue’s past mention of liking uniforms. He reassured Cheng Yue, “There should be stores for uniforms as well. I’ll ask around.”
Cheng Yue: “…”
Cheng Yue tried to save himself, “No…”
Before Cheng Yue could finish, Ji Xu’s phone beeped again. Ji Xu opened the voice message from Zhang Mengmeng.
Zhang Mengmeng’s excited voice came through.
“There are! There are all kinds of uniforms: maid outfits, sailor suits, bunny costumes, schoolgirl JK outfits. Oh, and recently they have a cat-themed outfit that’s super cute! I have pictures; wait a moment!”
The more Ji Xu listened, the brighter his eyes became.
The more Cheng Yue listened, the more desperate he felt.
