Mom actually told him and Big Brother to watch their distance
Yan An saw those trending topics on his way home. His eyes were glued to the glowing white screen of his phone as his fingers scrolled uncontrollably. Comments like “fake young master,” “cuckoo in the nest,” and “high society white lotus” stung his eyes.
His assistant sat beside him, hesitating before whispering, “Looking at your phone in the car is bad for your eyes. Why do you not rest for a while?”
Yan An followed the suggestion and turned off the screen. He leaned back against the seat, closed his eyes, and exhaled a long breath of stagnant air. He spoke softly, asking his assistant, “Does Big Brother know about this?”
The assistant stammered, “He knows, but President Yan really stepped in to handle it immediately!”
If it had been handled, why was the online discourse only intensifying? Yan An could not understand. Was Yan Zhiheng not always the one who cared for him the most?
He pressed his brow with his fingers, a bitter smile touching his lips. “Ming Yi, he really does hate me after all.”
Otherwise, why would he deliberately leak those stories to put Yan An in such an awkward position? As for high society grievances, the assistant never dared to comment, simply urging Yan An to rest and not overthink.
Agitated, Yan An managed to nap fitfully. When he arrived home, he did not head upstairs to wash up; instead, he went straight to the conservatory.
Shen Lirong was rarely at home without a banquet to attend. She was tending to her plants with leisure. When Yan An entered, he immediately called out, “Mom,” his voice full of grievance.
Shen Lirong turned at the sound. Seeing Yan An, she instinctively offered a gentle smile. “An An is back.”
“Mom,” Yan An walked over, pouting sullenly. Seeing this, Shen Lirong put down her shears and said with concern, “What is wrong? Who bullied our An An?”
As soon as she spoke, Yan An’s eyes reddened. “Mom, have you seen the live stream of my new variety show?”
At first, Shen Lirong was confused, but the mention of the show brought a flicker of hesitation to her face. Yan An saw it immediately. She knew.
If Mom knew, why had she not done anything about the rumors?
Seeing the boy looking at her with tearful eyes, Shen Lirong softened her voice to comfort him. “Those things online are just rumors. What do they know? As long as you know that Mom and Dad do not treat you as an outsider, that is enough, right?”
“It is different,” Yan An said sadly, speaking out of pique. “The rumors are everywhere. How will the other families look at me when I go to banquets in the future?”
Shen Lirong coaxed him for a bit. Seeing him still sulking, she took his hand, intending to lead him to the sweet soup she had prepared earlier.
Just then, Yan Zhiheng returned from work.
“Big Brother!” Yan An called out in surprise.
Shen Lirong felt her hand go empty. In the next second, the young man beside her lunged forward like a fledgling bird returning to the forest, throwing himself into the arms of her eldest son.
Yan An wrapped his arms tightly around Yan Zhiheng’s waist, his face pressed against his brother’s shoulder, rubbing against the gray suit like a cat. The intimacy of the gesture felt inexplicably jarring to Shen Lirong.
In the past, she might have felt relieved that the brothers were close. But after hearing Ming Yi’s words, she found the scene increasingly uncomfortable to watch. She instinctively clenched her fists.
Yan Zhiheng, hugged tightly as soon as he entered, reflexively returned the embrace. He said softly, “Our An An is back? Have you eaten?”
Yan An replied obediently, “No, Mom said she wanted to wait for you.”
Yan Zhiheng looked up and noticed his mother’s presence. Seeing her grim expression, he suddenly realized something. He instinctively pulled his hands back and even gave Yan An a hasty push when the boy did not let go.
To Shen Lirong, this only looked like a clumsy attempt to hide something.
“Big Brother?” Yan An was pushed away, looking at Yan Zhiheng with confusion and hurt.
Avoiding his mother’s scrutinizing gaze, Yan Zhiheng forced himself to stay calm. “An An, let us eat.”
By the time they sat at the table, Shen Lirong’s expression had returned to normal, but her eyes were clearly clouded with worry.
“Is Dad not coming home for dinner?” Yan An asked.
“Your father flew to another city. He will not be back tonight,” Shen Lirong answered absentmindedly. She suddenly remembered something and turned to her eldest son. “Zhiheng, how did you find the daughter of the Liu family you met last time?”
Yan Zhiheng was picking up a piece of tofu; at the question, his chopsticks slipped, and the tofu fell onto the table. He pursed his lips, looked down, and took a sip of water. “Not great. We did not have anything to talk about.”
Shen Lirong’s dissatisfaction grew. “Conversation is something you build over time. You are always like this, meeting once and never again. How could you have things to talk about?”
Yan An, not understanding the tension, asked curiously, “Mom, Big Brother went on a blind date?”
Shen Lirong sneered. “Yes. His standards are so high, I do not know what kind of celestial being he is waiting for to be satisfied.”
Seeing Yan Zhiheng’s poor complexion and his clear resistance to the topic, Yan An could not help but speak up for him. “Mom, you do not need to be in such a rush. Big Brother is busy with his career. He probably does not have the headspace for anything else.”
Yan An was just trying to smooth things over as usual, but Shen Lirong suddenly slammed her chopsticks onto the table. Her face flushed with anger as she said pointedly, “No headspace? I think his head is full of ideas!”
With that, she went upstairs to her room, her very back radiating fury.
Yan An was startled. Once she was gone, he asked tentatively, “Big Brother, what is wrong with Mom?”
Yan Zhiheng’s face remained dark. “It is nothing. She is just rushing me to get married again. Ignore her.”
The atmosphere in the house was bizarre. After Yan An showered, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. He had intended to ask about the rumors during dinner, but the situation at the table had prevented him from speaking.
Most importantly, neither Yan Zhiheng nor Shen Lirong had brought it up. They seemed completely indifferent to his damaged reputation. It was very strange. His mother and brother had always doted on him.
Yan An could not help but think: had Ming Yi done something else? He had to find the underlying cause to be at peace.
He decided to go to Shen Lirong’s room to test her attitude toward Ming Yi.
Shen Lirong was currently agitated, her mind filled with the image of Yan An hugging Yan Zhiheng. Seeing Yan An only made her head hurt more. “Why do you keep asking about Ming Yi? What can he say to me? That child did suffer in the past. If he complains a bit on a variety show, we cannot really blame him.”
At that, a thought flashed through her mind that she did not voice: And what they say online is true. You really are not a biological child of the Yan family.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Shen Lirong said, “An An, are you being too delicate? Ming Yi has been scolded online before, and it was much nastier than what you are facing. Zhiheng did not step in then, did he?”
“…” Yan An opened his mouth, but found himself speechless.
“As actors, falling into controversy is common. You must have some resilience in this industry,” Shen Lirong said earnestly. “You should learn from Ming Yi in this regard. Just ignore the comments.”
“By the way, there is one more thing I want to say.” Shen Lirong’s voice dropped, her expression flickering with hesitation.
Yan An suddenly had a bad premonition. Sure enough, he heard her say slowly, “You and Yan Zhiheng are adults now. You should pay attention to boundaries and distance. Do not be like when you were children. It is not appropriate for your current status.”
In an instant, Yan An felt like he had been struck by lightning.
His mother actually told him and Big Brother to watch their distance.
Was she really treating him as an outsider now?
Having said her piece, Shen Lirong looked even more unsettled and waved her hand, telling Yan An to leave.
Yan An left in a daze. He instinctively walked toward Yan Zhiheng’s study to talk to him about this, but as he reached the door, he was stopped by the butler who had hurried over.
“The Eldest Young Master is busy. Young Master An, please go back and rest,” the butler said with a polite smile.
Yan An looked at the butler, his heart turning cold. For the butler to do this, it had to be on Shen Lirong’s orders.
Mom was preventing him from seeing his brother? Why? Did she think something would happen between them?
Yan An’s eyes grew red and welled with tears, half from anger, half from a sense of being wronged. What did she take him for! He wiped his tears and ran back to his room. The butler watched him go and sighed.
“What a tragedy.”
Ming Yi had no idea how much trouble his divisive phone call had caused the Yan family.
He rarely put his messy troubles out of his mind, but he spent the night organizing puppy supplies and happily playing with Little Pine Bear until midnight. Only when he was exhausted did he fall into a deep sleep holding the puppy.
However, Little Pine Bear had not learned house training yet. In the middle of the night, Ming Yi was woken up by the puppy urinating.
“…”
After a hectic night, Ming Yi stepped out the next day with large dark circles under his eyes.
Xie Yunxie was taken aback, studying his tired face. “Are you that happy to have a puppy? Did you play with Little Pine Bear all night?”
Ming Yi said sleepily, “He wet the bed.”
“Is that so?” Xie Yunxie looked at the puppy in Ming Yi’s arms and said jokingly, “It seems Little Pine Bear is undoubtedly a bad puppy.”
Little Pine Bear gave a weak whimper, his wet eyes fixed on Xie Yunxie as he shrank into Ming Yi’s arms in fear.
“He is not a bad puppy,” Ming Yi said, gently stroking the puppy’s head. He glared at Xie Yunxie. “Do not say that about him!”
Being glared at, Xie Yunxie felt strangely lighthearted. He actively admitted his mistake. “Fine, fine. I was wrong. He is a good puppy.”
Ming Yi glared at him once more as a warning, put on his shoes, and left with the dog.
Xie Yunxie was busy with work and could not accompany Ming Yi to the vet, so he arranged for a driver to take him. It was a private veterinary hospital with top tier service that protected client privacy. Ming Yi successfully had the puppy examined. The results showed that Little Pine Bear was very healthy with no issues.
A puppy that has just arrived home cannot be vaccinated immediately. After the check up, Ming Yi brought him home and specifically researched how to house train a dog.
The day passed in a flash.
When Xie Yunxie returned, he was surprised to find the lights on. Ming Yi, who usually hid in his room, had actually come out and was in the kitchen cooking. The rich aroma of food made the large, empty villa feel like a warm home.
Little Pine Bear was in the living room, fiercely biting a plush fish toy. Seeing Xie Yunxie enter, he immediately gave a tiny, brave bark.
Ming Yi heard the sound and stepped out of the kitchen. While taking off his apron, he asked Xie Yunxie, “Have you eaten?”
Ming Yi was wearing an off white sweater today. He looked exceptionally soft, and with the steam from the kitchen behind him, he seemed remarkably grounded. Xie Yunxie stared at him and answered blankly, “No.”
“I made Yan Du Xian. You can eat with me.”
Xie Yunxie agreed, his steps feeling light as he entered. Little Pine Bear barked and retreated, backing up until he was behind Ming Yi’s heels, a classic case of being all bark and no bite.
Ming Yi brought out a bowl of dog food and led the puppy to another room. With food available, Little Pine Bear ignored Xie Yunxie and trotted after Ming Yi.
At the table, Xie Yunxie tried to make conversation. “How were the check up results for Little Pine Bear?”
“The doctor said there were no problems. He is very healthy,” Ming Yi said, a small smile touching his lips. “In ten days, I will take him for his vaccinations.”
Xie Yunxie realized that Ming Yi really did look better when he smiled. On the table sat a bowl of bright, colorful Yan Du Xian. Xie Yunxie stared at it. “The bamboo shoots in the soup are”
“There were leftovers when the show ended. I shared them with Ji Nian and Shen Pan and brought some back.”
Actually, Ming Yi had not intended to take any, but remembering Xie Yunxie asking about the taste of the dish, he had brought a few shoots home.
Xie Yunxie felt a bit flattered as he carefully ladled a bowl of soup. These were shoots Ming Yi had thought of him and carried back across a great distance! Not everyone was lucky enough to eat soup made by their waifu!
He took a careful sip and praised him sincerely. “It is delicious!”
Ming Yi looked down and drank his soup. He did not react further to the praise. After eating quietly for a while, he spoke. “You said before that the plot line had deviated. Did it ever return to normal?”
Xie Yunxie sighed theatrically. “How could it? It is deviating further and further.”
Ming Yi asked casually, “Is there no way to force it back?”
Xie Yunxie replied calmly, “If the System had that power, why would it bring in an imposter like me? When encountering uncontrollable factors that cannot be solved, even the System cannot intervene.”
“By the way, why did you suddenly drop that tea? If you do this, how can Yan An be the perfect protagonist? I will let it slide this time, but do not do it again, okay?”
Ming Yi sneered. “I do not even want to live anymore. Am I not allowed to reminisce about the past? If there are things I am not allowed to do next time, I suggest the System explains them early.”
The System was so enraged by Ming Yi’s attitude that it began swearing in Xie Yunxie’s mind. Xie Yunxie hurriedly played the mediator between the person and the machine, coaxing both sides.
“System, do not be angry. Why bother with him? He just does not want to live! Have some understanding.”
“Ming Yi, do not blame the System. It is just anxious. The plot line is like a spider web, pulling one thread moves the whole thing. You have heard of the butterfly effect, right? Do not look at how little it has deviated now; there is no telling what it will look like in the future.”
The System chimed in excitedly: [Exactly! Exactly!]
Ming Yi said coldly, “What do your tasks have to do with me? If I help you, what is in it for me?”
There was, of course, nothing in it for him, so the topic was dropped.
That night, following the vet’s advice, Ming Yi put Little Pine Bear in a crate. Crating a puppy helps them learn house training habits, but the puppy was not used to it. As soon as he was put inside, he pawed at the bars and whimpered to get out.
Ming Yi knelt by the crate and said reluctantly, “A good puppy sleeps by himself. I will let you out tomorrow morning.”
The puppy barked louder, his movements becoming more desperate. Ming Yi tried to ignore the noise. He turned off the light and lay on his bed, closing his eyes and trying to recall Xie Yunxie’s words from dinner.
“When encountering uncontrollable factors that cannot be solved, even the System cannot intervene.”
“Butterfly effect, pulling one thread moves the whole thing.”
The plot line was not fixed. It could change based on a person’s actions. In irreversible situations, even the System could not force a correction. Perhaps he could use this as a clue to find a way to survive.
In the past, Ming Yi had neither the power nor the motivation to resist fate. He was abandoned by everyone and alone; if he died, it did not matter.
But now, Ming Yi had his puppy. In ten days, he had to take Little Pine Bear for his first vaccination. If he died, who would take him for the remaining two? Little Pine Bear had already lost his mother; since Ming Yi had taken him in, he had to be responsible for him.
For this, Ming Yi could try to live.
He sat up suddenly and took the whimpering puppy out of the crate. He sighed, pressing his face against the dog’s head to soak in that precious warmth.
After the live broadcast ended, the crew of We Are on the Road rushed the editing. The third episode was finally released a few days later. The timing was perfect; the heat from the True and False Young Master controversy had not faded, and new viewers flocked to watch.
Ji Nian happened to be home and was dragged by his mother to the sofa, forced to watch his own show on TV.
“Mom, how many episodes have you watched? Are you not tired of it yet?” Ji Nian said helplessly.
Mrs. Ji covered her mouth and laughed. “I can never see enough. Every time I see you in trouble, I can be happy for the whole day.”
“…” Ji Nian thought of something and suddenly felt smug. “Then your hopes might be dashed this time.”
As the pre roll ads played endlessly, Ji Nian yawned. He faintly heard his father’s irritable voice from the study and said, “Has Dad still not found a new actor?”
Mrs. Ji stared at the TV and rolled her eyes. “His standards are too high. One moment he says this one is ugly, the next he says that one has no presence. He has been picking and choosing, and he still has not found anyone.”
Ji Nian’s mother worked at a university, and his father, Ji Hong, was a famous director. It was because of his father that Ji Nian had entered the industry and had a relatively smooth journey.
Ji Nian had heard about the new project Ji Hong was preparing. He had wanted to use his father’s connections to get a role, but his father had chased him away, saying he did not suit historical costumes and would take the audience out of the story. It was ridiculous.
The project had been heavily promoted, but at the last minute, the actor for the villain was poached by another company. Ji Nian heard the role was critical to the original work, and his father had become extremely strict in finding a replacement.
Ji Nian thought for a bit and went to the study, knocking on the door.
“Come in.” Ji Hong had just finished a call, exhaustion showing on his face.
Ji Nian entered and rolled his eyes. “I say you should just settle. Is it really worth being this serious? If you delay any longer, are you ever going to film?”
Ji Hong immediately grew heated, slamming the table. “How can I settle? The soul of this story is the Immortal Lord Wu Wang, Ying Bu Ran. If he is played poorly, the whole film will be ruined! Given the choice, I must find the most suitable person!”
Ji Nian was used to his father’s outbursts. He crossed his arms. “Then what kind of person are you looking for?”
“First, they must be beautiful!” Ji Hong gritted his teeth. “Second, and most importantly, they must have a sense of shattered beauty!”
“But they cannot be completely broken,” Ji Hong gestured neurotically. “They must be on the verge of breaking, with a fire burning in their heart. Do you understand that feeling! They must be both fragile and powerful.”
Ji Nian said pitifully, “What fragile and powerful? Dad, go see a psychiatrist when you have time.”
The mention of psychiatry reminded Ji Nian of someone. “Speaking of shattered beauty, I actually thought of someone who fits the description quite well. He looks quite good too.”
Ji Hong frowned. “Who?”
“The Yan family’s Yan Ming Yi.”
Ji Hong searched his mind for a while before remembering the name. In his memory, the person looked good, but his acting was terrible. “He will not do. His acting is too bad.”
“Bad acting can be trained,” Ji Nian said. “His background is quite similar too. Swapped at birth, spent fourteen years in the countryside, unloved by his parents after returning to the Yans. No one knows what he went through, but his current mental state is not great.”
Hearing this, Ji Hong finally showed a bit of interest. “Swapped at birth?”
Ji Nian dragged him to the living room. The show had started, and the camera happened to be on Ming Yi.
On the mountain path, Ming Yi leaned against the seat, looking out the window at the scenery without expression. The dappled sunlight fell on his face without leaving a trace of warmth. He was like the distant mountains, silent and still.
A sense of dead inside radiated from him.
But a string in Ji Hong’s heart was suddenly plucked.
That was the feeling. That tension of being half dead and half alive.
It was the perfect vibe.