After dinner, Ye Mingxuan accompanied Grandpa Tan for a stroll in the garden while Tan Sizhe walked the dog nearby. They reached the pavilion and sat down to rest.
Grandpa Tan sipped his tea while Ye Mingxuan rested his hands on the stone table, watching Tan Sizhe play with Ah Jin. Tan Sizhe crouched on the ground, tossing a frisbee into the air. Ah Jin shot forward with a whoosh.
Ye Mingxuan suddenly recalled the first time he visited the Tan household. He had witnessed this same scene from the third-floor bedroom.
Back then, after throwing the frisbee, Tan Sizhe had glanced toward the window, prompting Ye Mingxuan to retreat back inside.
But now, when Tan Sizhe looked over at him, Ye Mingxuan met his gaze with bright eyes and a wide smile.
Tan Sizhe returned the smile, his gaze fixed on him. Old Master Tan watched their interaction while sipping his tea, sighing, “Seeing how close you two are puts my mind at ease.”
“Mingxuan, let me tell you something,” Grandpa Tan said cheerfully. “When I first asked Sizhe if he wanted to marry you, he said it didn’t matter.”
Ye Mingxuan turned his head.
“At the time, I thought if Sizhe didn’t feel strongly about you, maybe it was better to let it go. Marriage could hold both of you back.”
“But later, when I brought it up again, guess what he said?”
Ye Mingxuan’s heart began to race. “What did he say?”
Old Master Tan set down his teacup. “He said, ‘Grandfather, I’m very satisfied with this marriage arrangement. I want to sign the marriage agreement as soon as possible.’”
Ye Mingxuan’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson. “Really?”
“Absolutely. Ask him yourself if you don’t believe me.” Grandpa Tan smiled as Tan Sizhe approached.
Tan Sizhe had been listening to their conversation the whole time. He walked over and sat down with a resigned sigh. “It’s true.”
Grandpa Tan: “So tell me, did you have your eye on Mingxuan back then?”
Tan Sizhe remained silent, merely curving his lips into a smile—a smile that spoke volumes.
Ye Mingxuan sucked on his straw with a series of taps, his cheeks flushing crimson like evening clouds.
Though over eighty, Old Master Tan still had sharp eyes. He knew it was time to leave the young couple alone. Rising, he said, “Ajin, come play with Daddy.”
Hearing Old Master Tan refer to himself as Ah Jin’s father, Ye Mingxuan frowned: “?”
Old Master Tan led Ah Jin away. Tan Sizhe solemnly peeled an apple, waiting for Ye Mingxuan to ask about their wedding plans. Instead, he heard: “If Ah Jin is Grandpa’s son, then wouldn’t Ah Jin be your uncle?!”
The apple peel snapped cleanly with the knife. Tan Sizhe: “…”
“Must we discuss family ties with Ah Jin?”
Ye Mingxuan looked up: “What—mmph!”
Tan Sizhe set down the apple, pulled Ye Mingxuan close, and planted two firm kisses on his lips. “Aren’t you going to ask why I agreed to marry you in the first place?”
“Why?”
“Truthfully, back then I thought if it could put Grandfather’s mind at ease, getting married wouldn’t matter. It was just a title. I never gave any thought to what would happen after the wedding.”
“But what truly made me resolve to marry was you,” Tan Sizhe said.
Ye Mingxuan froze: “Me?”
Tan Sizhe: “Because I saw your photo. Bai Yu took it secretly at your school.”
He pulled his wallet from his pocket and opened it—the photo was still inside.
Ye Mingxuan took it and saw himself walking beneath the lush Chinese tallow trees on campus. He couldn’t recall what he’d been doing then—maybe rushing to class, maybe heading to the supermarket.
To Ye Mingxuan, it had been just another ordinary day.
He didn’t know that after seeing his photo, someone had told Old Master Tan they wanted to get married quickly.
He didn’t know all the events that would unfold later, nor did he know his destiny was about to change.
“It’s all because someone is too beautiful.” “ Tan Sizhe curved his lips. ”It makes me want to chase after them faster.”
Ye Mingxuan blinked his moist eyes and covered his face. “Sir…”
He burrowed into Tan Sizhe’s embrace, nuzzling his head against him, his soft hair occasionally brushing against the other’s chin.
Tan Sizhe lowered his head, and Ye Mingxuan instinctively kissed his lips before blushing and pulling back.
“Such a good boy.” Tan Sizhe took his hand. “It’s getting late. Let’s go back inside.”
Ye Mingxuan nodded. “Mm.”
…
The night was hazy, the pitch-black sky like a painted canvas, scattered with stars like splashes of yellow paint.
A major media outlet suddenly released a sensational gossip story: [Ye Dong Group Chairman Causes Ruckus at Old Master Tan’s Birthday Banquet! Pictures Prove It!]
The accompanying photos showed the confrontation between the three individuals and Tan Size, Ye Mingxuan on the staircase.
The media caption stated: “It is reported that Ye Dong Group Chairman Ye Xiangkai and his family were invited to attend Old Master Tan’s birthday banquet. Though they came as guests, they became insolent, not only stealing from the Tan household but also assaulting the Tan family’s servants.”
Multiple marketing accounts simultaneously reposted this Weibo post with trending hashtags. Concurrently, the hashtags #YeDongGroupSubstandardMaterials and #YeDongConstructionOwingWorkersWages trended again, drawing widespread netizen attention.
“Damn, I knew Ye Dong Group must have offended someone. Turns out it was the Tans! No wonder!”
“Who’d dare cross the Tans? Yedong Group is finished this time.”
“What?! Beating servants and withholding workers’ wages?! This family is rotten to the core! They treat ordinary people’s lives like nothing!”
“Chairman Ye isn’t exactly a saint, and neither are his family. Hmph.”
A netizen chimed in: “I went to school with Ye Dong’s son, Ye Yufan. I heard he tore up someone else’s performance costume and even plagiarized another student’s artwork—got caught red-handed! The school’s disciplinary record is still on file!”
They posted the disciplinary notice from University A.
This Weibo post quickly went viral.
“Just as expected—not a single decent soul in that family!”
“LOL, I’ve always disliked Ye Yufan. Finally got what he deserved.”
“This is so satisfying—keep pouring oil, keep enjoying it!”
“Exactly! I remember Ye Yufan ruined Ye Mingxuan’s clothes and then stole his artwork too. What a coincidence—both incidents involve Ye Mingxuan as the other protagonist.”
“Hey, who’s Ye Mingxuan?”
“Ye Mingxuan is our school’s heartthrob—drop-dead gorgeous and super talented artistically. We secretly call him the Melancholic Prince!”
“When did you guys give him that nickname? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Holy crap!! Isn’t that guy in the photo Ye Mingxuan?!”
The square erupted instantly when someone pointed out that the person Tan Sizhe was hugging in the photo was Ye Mingxuan!
“My 20/20 vision tells me he doesn’t just look like Ye Mingxuan—he is Ye Mingxuan!”
“Can someone explain why Ye Mingxuan was there?!”
“Wait! Why is Tan Sizhe hugging him?! Could it be—”
Soon, dozens of mainstream media outlets simultaneously reported: [Tan Group’s Head Tan Sizhe Publicly Declares Love for Wife, Envy of All!]
Hundreds of marketing accounts reposted: “Wow, is this straight out of a novel where the cold-hearted tycoon only shows tenderness to one person?! So sweet, waaah!”
Tan Sizhe stared at the messages on his phone, his face darkening as he contacted Bai Yu: “What kind of headline did you give them? Can you be a little more normal?”
Bai Yu replied: “It takes a sensational headline to draw netizens in! Everyone loves seeing the cold-faced tycoon chase his wife! So thrilling!”
Tan Sizhe: “…”
Meanwhile, the A University campus forum exploded. Someone posted photos and blog posts: [Holy crap, who can explain what’s going on here? Why is this photo packed with all these big names?! Ye Mingxuan is Tan Sizhe’s wife?! What?!!】
