Inside the pavilion, a young man wore an expression of deep resentment, having struggled with a problem for a long time. In his frustration, his hand knocked over a teacup.
Just as the tea was about to spill on him, his chair was suddenly shifted back half a foot, along with him in it. The tea splashed onto the ground, not a single drop touching the young man.
Sui Yuye: “Be careful.”
The words “What’s it to you?” were about to escape the young man’s lips, but they caught in his throat when he saw Sui Yuye’s face. He stammered dryly, “Who are you?”
Sui Yuye glanced at the problem on the table. “A world Olympiad question? Can’t solve it?”
The young man snorted. “Even a professor might not be able to solve it.”
Sui Yuye studied it for a moment, then took a pen and began writing on the draft paper. The young man was about to bristle, but as Sui Yuye leaned close to him, his cheeks inexplicably grew warm.
“Here, take a look. The reasoning is correct, right?” Sui Yuye handed him the paper after finishing.
The young man was taken aback. He took it and looked, his jaw nearly dropping. “Where are you a teacher?”
Sui Yuye snapped his fingers. “A bodyguard. I taught my Sheng Xian everything from childhood. I’m the one who cultivated him into a top student.”
Hearing the name “Sheng Xian,” the young man’s expression dimmed briefly before vanishing in an instant. “It’s just your handwriting… it doesn’t match how you look…”
He glanced at Sui Yuye’s profile, swallowing back the words “so handsome” and instead said, “…it doesn’t match your dignified image.”
Sui Yuye coughed awkwardly. “My handwriting is a bit ugly, but as long as you can read it, it’s fine.”
After the young man finished the problem, Sui Yuye expected him to be happy, but instead, he looked dejected and pitiful. “What’s wrong? Still don’t understand?”
The young man shook his head, lowering his voice as he said, “No matter how hard I try now, it’s useless. Besides, I’m a Normal. There’s no place for me, and I won’t receive any praise.”
Sui Yuye stared at him thoughtfully for a moment before suddenly saying, “Hold out your hand.”
“What for?” The young man complied.
“Both hands.”
The young man spread both hands open.
Sui Yuye grabbed a large handful of candies from his pocket and stuffed them into the young man’s hands.
The young man was stunned.
So many candies spilled that a few fell to the ground. Sui Yuye picked them up and placed them back on the table, saying, “You don’t necessarily need others’ approval. Just acknowledge your own strengths. After all, you don’t want others to look down on you, right?”
He had originally saved these for Fu E and Fu Zhong tonight, but he could buy more on the way.
“So don’t feel inferior, understand?” Sui Yuye said.
For some reason, the young man suddenly began to cry. Sui Yuye didn’t know which of his words had been wrong. He bent down to wipe away the tears, but his hand was suddenly pulled away.
“Brother.”
A magnetic and pleasant voice sounded in his ear. Sui Yuye turned and saw Qi Shengxian beside him. His eyelashes, both upper and lower, were thick and dense, already light in color but made even lighter by the sunlight, blending with his eye color into a soft golden hue.
His Sheng Xian was truly becoming more and more handsome.
Qi Shengxian glanced briefly at the young man before turning his gaze back to Sui Yuye, his tone gentle. “Brother, let’s go. I’ll take you somewhere first.”
“How did your talk with her go?”
“Very smoothly. No need to worry, brother.”
“…Then will you still leave me afterward?”
Qi Shengxian paused mid-step. He looked back at Sui Yuye, a fleeting look of satisfaction crossing his face, and assured him, “No, I will never leave you.”
Sui Yuye had already guessed they were heading to the mansion.
But when the car entered a vast private estate that stretched as far as the eye could see, circled several fountain pools, and stopped before a building reminiscent of European aristocratic centuries, Sui Yuye’s psychological expectations still fell short.
An estate—the kind from novels where the female lead could never escape and would inevitably get lost.
He was led by the hand through the main gate by Qi Shengxian. The hall was so large that merely walking around its perimeter would be exhausting, an endless expanse stretching beyond sight.
Sui Yuye stood in place, momentarily speechless.
“We’ll live here from now on,” Qi Shengxian said.
Sui Yuye glanced around, feeling a strange discomfort in his heart.
It had always been Qi Shengxian who depended on him, but now the roles had reversed—he was the one depending on Qi Shengxian.
“Brother.” Qi Shengxian took a step closer and asked softly, “Are you unhappy?”
“No, I’m happy for you. You deserve to live this well.”
“What’s mine is yours too.”
Sui Yuye smiled but didn’t respond. He reached out, lightly touching an expensive ornament on a shelf before withdrawing his hand. “Everything here is great, really. It’s just that I’m not quite used to it.”
Qi Shengxian: “What?”
Sui Yuye was greedy for wealth, loved money, and longed to be part of a wealthy family.
But the one providing all of this was Qi Shengxian—the younger brother he had raised and always seen as someone who needed his care. Now, the other was nurturing him in return, leaving him with a sense of displacement and unease.
“It’s too big, too empty. Let’s wait until I’ve grown accustomed to it before we move in, okay?” Sui Yuye began walking toward the door.
“Stay.”
Sui Yuye’s footsteps halted abruptly as he turned back in shock.
Qi Shengxian hadn’t released any dazzling light, yet Sui Yuye’s body still obeyed the command.
Because he could never refuse Qi Shengxian.
But that only made him angrier.
“You… gave me an order?” Sui Yuye couldn’t understand, suppressing his anger as he glared at him.
Qi Shengxian approached him. “Brother, I don’t understand.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted a big house? I gave it to you. Why won’t you accept it?”
“I never said I wouldn’t accept it. I just need some time to adjust. But what do you mean by giving me an order?! You know I hate—”
“Sh.”
Sui Yuye opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
Qi Shengxian reached out, took Sui Yuye’s hands, brought them together, and grasped both his wrists with one hand.
“Brother, I can hold you down with just one hand now.”
Sui Yuye looked down at his tightly bound hands.
Qi Shengxian: “Try to break free.”
Sui Yuye twisted his wrists, but the hand gripping him was long and tight, squeezing painfully. For a moment, he couldn’t find the leverage to escape.
Qi Shengxian tilted his head. “Why did you stop trying?”
Sui Yuye gradually stepped back, attempting to pull free from the restraint, but Qi Shengxian steadily closed in on him. “Is it because you can’t break free?”