Tan Sizhe lowered his lashes. “Mr. Ye, perhaps it’s time for Ye Yufan to apologize now.”
Ye Xiangkai felt a flush of embarrassment. He stole a glance at the pensive Old Master Tan, then immediately called out to Ye Yufan, “Yufan, admit your mistake and apologize to your brother.”
Ye Yufan’s eyes reddened, his nostrils flared, and his lips pressed tightly together as he refused to budge.
Ye Xiangkai lowered his voice, a hint of anger creeping in: “Yufan, admit your mistake now!”
Zhao Dongxuan glanced back and forth between Ye Xiangkai and Old Master Tan before urging Ye Yufan, “Yufan, apologize to Mingxuan right now. Don’t upset Grandpa Tan.”
Ye Yufan finally stirred, his throat clearing with a dry gulp as his face burned. “I’m sorry.”
Tan Sizhe: “Who are you apologizing to?”
Ye Yufan’s face paled as he bowed toward Ye Mingxuan: “Mingxuan, I’m sorry!”
Tan Sizhe turned sideways and asked Ye Mingxuan: “Did you hear that?”
If he hadn’t, Ye Yufan would have to repeat it.
Ye Mingxuan’s bright eyes met his, and he gave a soft nod.
“Well… let’s just consider this settled then.” Zhao Dongxuan chuckled awkwardly. “Harmony brings prosperity. We’re all family here. Harmony brings prosperity.”
Tan Sizhe ignored him, turning to Ye Mingxuan. “Let’s go,” he said, stepping inside. Vibrant crimson saplings leaves fluttered down where he walked, blanketing the bare pebbles beneath his feet.
Fallen leaves reflected in Mingxuan’s eyes. He lowered his gaze and walked forward, his shoes landing on the carpet of autumn leaves as he followed Tan Sizhe.
“Sir, sir…”
Ye Mingxuan hurried to catch up beside Tan Sizhe. “Thank you, sir.”
Tan Sizhe pressed the elevator button and stepped inside. “What are you thanking me for?”
Ye Mingxuan stood beside him, watching the elevator doors close. “Just now.”
The two were enclosed in a small space, their breaths almost audible to each other.
Tan Sizhe stood tall, his head nearly touching the ceiling. He balanced on his toes. “Should I say ‘you’re welcome’?”
“…?” Ye Mingxuan froze for two seconds, staring blankly at the man.
Fearing misunderstanding, he tried to explain: “No, no—I should be thanking you. You don’t need to say ‘you’re welcome,’ sir.”
It sounded like a tongue twister. Ye Mingxuan was bewildered by his own words, replaying them in his mind several times.
“Hmm,” Tan Sizhe curved his lips. “I never intended to say ‘you’re welcome’ in the first place.”
Watching Ye Mingxuan’s bewildered expression, Tan Sizhe pressed the button, closing the elevator doors just as they were about to open.
The space narrowed back into a confined square, casting a shadow over Ye Mingxuan’s field of vision.
Tan Sizhe bent down, his handsome face drawing near as his phoenix-like eyes narrowed. “I do expect a token of gratitude.”
“Kiss me.”
……
A cup smashed onto the carpet.
Zhao Dongxuan paced the room furiously. ” Why? Why?! Tan Sizhe is actually protecting Ye Mingxuan?! What does he think he’s doing?!”
Ye Xiangdong picked up the cup, inspecting the tea cup—which cost more than his computer—to see if it was broken. Satisfied it was intact, he placed it back on the tray: “Keep your voice down. We’re in the Tan residence. Don’t let anyone with ulterior motives overhear!”
Zhao Dongxuan halted her pacing and listened to the room’s soundproofing. “It’s fine. This room is perfectly soundproof. Close the door and no one will hear a thing!”
“You saw it too—Tan Sizhe actually made Yufan apologize to that brat Ye Mingxuan. Isn’t he just slapping us in the face?”
Ye Yufan buried his face in the table, sobbing. Zhao Dongxuan hugged him tenderly. “Sweetie, you’ve been wronged.”
“What kind of magic potion did Ye Mingxuan slip to Tan Sizhe?” Ye Yufan looked up defiantly. “Why is Tan Sizhe defending him?”
“Not only that, Tan Sizhe even bought clothes for Ye Mingxuan—clothes more expensive than mine! I’ve never worn clothes like that, but Ye Mingxuan got to wear them.”
He wondered aloud: “Could Tan Sizhe really have feelings for Ye Mingxuan?”
Zhao Dongxuan frowned. “Impossible. Ye Mingxuan’s personality? He’d find him boring at first glance. How could Tan Sizhe possibly like him?”
“Otherwise, why would he still be keeping a mistress on the side?”
“Right! Mistress!” Zhao Dongxuan’s eyes flashed with insight as she seized on this. “Because Tan Sizhe has a mistress!”
“So everything he’s done is compensation for Ye Mingxuan!”
Ye Yufan gradually quieted his sobs. “It does seem that way.”
“So Tan Sizhe never liked Ye Mingxuan at all. He just pitied him, giving him food and clothes—like keeping a stray dog.”
He wiped away his tears, crumpled the tissue, and tossed it on the table. “All that worry for nothing.”
Zhao Dongxuan comforted her son: “Don’t worry. Don’t we know what kind of person Tan Sizhe is? Ye Mingxuan will suffer for it.”
Ye Xiangkai took a sip of black tea and remained silent.
Regretful as it was, Ye Xiangkai still felt a twinge of resentment if Ye Mingxuan truly gained Tan Sizhe’s favor.
After all, Ye Mingxuan was merely a substitute bride, not a biological child.
What parent would want someone else’s child to fare better than their own?
“Enough,” Ye Xiangkai said. “Behave yourself at dinner tonight. Don’t give Old Master Tan any reason to mock us.”
Ye Yufan rolled his eyes. “Got it.”
As they chatted here, they remained utterly unaware that directly above their room, Ye Mingxuan was trapped between Tan Sizhe and the wall, unable to escape.
“Sir,”
The curtains were drawn, plunging the room into gloom. Ye Mingxuan, trapped in the darkness, clutched the man’s shoulder sleeve, his eyes pleading. “Let me go.”
He tried to escape, but Tan Sizhe’s rock-hard chest pinned him down. “I let you slip away in the elevator earlier. I won’t let you now.”
Ye Mingxuan’s face pressed against the man’s muscular chest, his nostrils filled with the woody scent of the man’s cologne.
“Wah!” He turned his face away, gasping for air, his eyes and brow damp with moisture. In the dim room, only his eyes glowed faintly. “Sir, please… let me go…”
This soft, pleading voice paired with his helpless expression was enough to send waves of heat through Tan Sizhe’s entire body.
“Let you go?” Tan Sizhe’s eyes darkened. “If I let you go, who will I ask for my reward?”
“Kiss me.” He pinched Ye Mingxuan’s chin, lifting it. “My patience is limited.”
Ye Mingxuan bit his lip, his lashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Not wanting to anger the man, he closed his eyes, tiptoed, and pressed his lips to the man’s.
Tan Sizhe curved his lips, staring unblinkingly at Ye Mingxuan’s crimson face as he sucked gently on his lips.
Ye Mingxuan shuddered, his lashes quivering even more violently as he tremblingly extended his tongue.
Over the past month, he’d been commanded countless times—to kiss, to extend his tongue—until it had become an instinctive response.
His body, trained by the man, had grown far more sensitive.
Tan Sizhe parted his lips, inviting Ye Mingxuan’s small tongue inside before wrapping his own around it.
Their tongues entwined like fish tails, pulling a silver thread between them when they parted.
Ye Mingxuan’s face was flushed and glistening with sweat.
A chill swept over his stomach before the man’s warm palm pressed against it. ” Let me see if you’ve gained weight.”
Ye Mingxuan curled up, covering his stomach, but also trapping the man’s hand. He shook his head: “No, I haven’t…”
“I’ll know if I touch it.” Tan Sizhe pinched gently. “Remember what I told you before?”
Ye Mingxuan shook his head.
Tan Sizhe said, “Like I’m feeling the baby in your belly.”
“!” Ye Mingxuan bit his lip, recalling that memory in the car.
So… so embarrassing…
Tan Sizhe embraced him, his palm caressing. “You’re not really pregnant, are you?”
Ye Mingxuan was stunned. What on earth was he talking about!
This reaction was exactly what Tan Sizhe wanted to see. Teasing Ye Mingxuan was something he never tired of.
Tan Sizhe lifted his shirt. “Let me listen to the baby.”
He crouched down, pressing his ear against the fabric. Whether it was psychological or not, he seemed to truly hear a steady heartbeat.
Tan Sizhe tilted his head back, meeting Ye Mingxuan’s panicked eyes. His mind filled with all sorts of naughty thoughts.
“Suddenly feeling a bit thirsty.”
He gave a playful smile and leaned in.
…
The setting sun dipped below the horizon, scattering rays of golden light.
In the dining room, Ye Xiangkai, Zhao Dongxuan, and Ye Yufan had been seated at the table for some time, waiting for Old Master Tan to arrive. Ye Xiangkai chatted with him attentively before asking, “Where are Mr. Tan and Mingxuan? Why haven’t they come down for dinner?”
Zhao Dongxuan set down her teacup, her expression troubled. “Is Mr. Tan angry with us?”
Old Master Tan waved it off. “Not at all. Sizhe isn’t that petty.”
“That’s a relief,” Zhao Dongxuan said. “I plan to apologize to Mr. Tan again during dinner.”
Old Master Tan: “No need. Sizhe doesn’t care about such things.”
Zhao Dongxuan nodded, touched.
Old Master Tan: “But Mingxuan has indeed been wronged. You should show him more concern.”
Zhao Dongxuan nearly choked on her drink. Wiping her mouth, she suppressed the irritation in her eyes. “Alright, I’ll look after him.”
Ye Xiangkai greeted him: “Mr. Tan.”
Ye Yufan looked up to see Tan Sizhe approaching alone, with no sign of Ye Mingxuan behind him.
Old Master Tan beamed as he gestured for Tan Sizhe to sit. “Hmm? Where’s Mingxuan?”
Tan Sizhe took a towel from the servant and wiped his hands. “Mingxuan isn’t feeling well. I had him rest upstairs. I’ll have someone send dinner up shortly.”
Old Master Tan inquired with concern, “Is he alright? How was his mood after returning home?”
Tan Sizhe didn’t even look up. “He’s fine. There’s nothing in his room that would make him uncomfortable.”
Old Master Tan didn’t catch the implication, but Ye Xiangkai and Zhao Dongxuan’s expressions stiffened.
“Since Mingxuan isn’t joining us, let’s begin eating.” Old Master Tan instructed Uncle Ma, “Prepare some light dishes for Mingxuan. I recall he quite enjoyed fish head soup at lunch. Have a pot simmered and sent up to him.”
Uncle Ma immediately headed to the kitchen.
Zhao Dongxuan offered a forced smile: “Grandfather Tan is so kind to our Mingxuan. Marrying into the Tan family is truly his good fortune.”
Grandfather Tan replied: “I don’t see Mingxuan often, so naturally I should be kind to him.”
“Mingxuan still relies on Sizhe for daily care.”
Zhao Dongxuan chuckled twice, then clenched the hand resting on her lap so tightly her nails nearly dug into the flesh.
The maid placed a bowl of soup before Tan Sizhe. He glanced at it, pushed it aside, and bowed his head to eat his vegetables.
Mr. Tan noticed and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”
“No,” Tan Sizhe replied, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I just had enough to drink earlier.”
