“Big Brother, you could not possibly be… in love with Yan…”
When recalling the past, Ming Yi could now remain quite calm.
Ming Yi’s foster parents were from the countryside. Above Ming Yi, there was an older sister and an older brother. Because the foster parents already had a son, they were not particularly welcoming toward a second one.
At that time, the family had no money, yet there was an extra mouth to feed. The foster parents once considered giving him away to another family. However, after hearing a fortune teller say that he possessed a destiny of great wealth and nobility, they decided to keep him.
The name “Ming Yi” was also given to him by that fortune teller. Ming Yi, the 36th hexagram of the I Ching, represents light entering darkness or a phoenix with drooping wings, a sign of brilliance being hidden.
The most pampered child in the house was Ming Yi’s second brother. Even during the busy farming seasons in the countryside, the foster parents would rather send their eldest daughter into the fields than let their second son work.
Ming Yi was too small to help with farm work, so he was left at home to cook. Before the family returned from the fields, Ming Yi had to have the meal ready, or he would be scolded and beaten.
In the beginning, Ming Yi could not even reach the stove. He had to stand on a small stool to cook. Later, as Ming Yi grew taller, he no longer needed the stool.
Back then, after Ming Yi finished cooking, he had to feed the chickens and cut grass to feed the pigs. His second brother, beloved by their foster parents, did not have to do any of this. He could even ask for money from their foster parents and spend it on various useless trinkets.
At that time, Ming Yi thought that when he grew up, he would definitely earn a lot of money so he could buy anything he wanted.
Later, Ming Yi’s biological parents found him. Ming Yi thought everything would change, but it did not. Ming Yi still failed to receive a complete love. Between Yan An and himself, the one being abandoned was still him.
Ming Yi was so unwilling to accept this. He tried desperately to prove that he was better than Yan An and more deserving of being loved. But only now did Ming Yi understand that favoritism is just favoritism. It is not something that can be changed by whether one is deserving or not.
Ming Yi recounted the past to another person plainly, as if telling someone else’s story. However, after Ji Nian heard it, he was even more indignant than Ming Yi himself. He could not help but curse.
“Damn it! There are actually such things in this world?”
Ji Nian’s expression became very complicated. He had heard rumors about Ming Yi, but he had no idea that there was such a twisted, dramatic fate between Ming Yi and Yan An.
Ji Nian’s impression of Yan An worsened instantly. Regardless of whether Yan An was one of the victims, he was the beneficiary of the situation. When Ming Yi was being insulted by fans, Yan An was never seen standing up to speak for him.
The fourteen years of swapped identities could no longer be compensated, but the future could be changed. No matter what, Yan An should not occupy that position so complacently, allowing the Yan parents to ignore Ming Yi while he continued to consider himself the third young master of the Yan family.
Yan An enjoyed flowers, applause, and the love of Ming Yi’s parents there. But what about Ming Yi? He had nothing left. Even after returning to the Yan family, he only became a stepping stone for Yan An.
Yes, a stepping stone.
If the Yan family truly loved Ming Yi, they would never have let him go on this variety show. The director of On the Road wanted Ming Yi specifically to act as a contrast to Yan An. If Ming Yi did anything wrong, his reputation would be utterly destroyed after the show aired.
Even if they did not love him, they should not hurt him like this. It was wicked, truly wicked. The entire Yan family possessed an irrational level of malice. Just imagining it made Ji Nian feel faint with anger.
Ji Nian had only glimpsed a tiny portion of Ming Yi’s past, yet he felt suffocated. He dared not imagine how Ming Yi felt.
“It is too much! It is truly too much!” Ji Nian did not know what else to say and kept repeating that single phrase. Shen Pan was drawn in by Ji Nian’s voice and asked in confusion, “What are you two talking about? Why are you so worked up?”
Before Ming Yi could speak, Ji Nian had already blurted everything out. Now, there were two angry people instead of one.
Facing their gazes filled with sympathy, Ming Yi was rarely at a loss for words. He did not know how to handle this situation because he had never been pitied before.
He could only say dryly, “It is all in the past.”
“It is in the past,” Shen Pan said, being more emotional as her eyes turned slightly red. “But the fourteen years you missed can never be taken back.”
Ji Nian gritted his teeth. “If my parents treated me like that, I would turn the world upside down. How did you endure it?”
Ming Yi was truly not used to this atmosphere. He awkwardly changed the subject. “It is getting late. Let us go dig for bamboo shoots.”
Ji Nian and Shen Pan saw that Ming Yi did not want to discuss the matter further. To respect his feelings, they cooperated and stopped talking about it.
The three of them picked up their baskets and hoes again and walked toward the back of the mountain. With their previous experience digging shoots and Ji Nian’s constant joking along the way, the heavy atmosphere dissipated significantly.
“Chef Yan, can we eat bamboo shoots this tall? One should be enough for several meals, right?” Ji Nian stood next to a shoot that was half the height of a person, gesturing as he asked Ming Yi.
Ming Yi quickly stopped him from digging. “That one is already old. It does not taste good. Usually, those are used for making dried bamboo shoots.”
Ji Nian reluctantly gave up on the giant shoot.
Shen Pan crouched under a tree and picked a mushroom to show Ming Yi. “This mushroom looks very safe. Can we eat it?”
Ming Yi’s pupils dilated. “That is a poisonous mushroom! Throw it away quickly!”
“Oh my god!” Shen Pan was so startled that she threw the poisonous mushroom far away.
Since things like this happened too often, Ming Yi simply let the two of them watch while he took full responsibility for gathering the ingredients. By the time they went down the mountain, they could be said to have returned with a full harvest.
Spring bamboo shoots, shepherd’s purse, Chinese toon, and purslane were collected. The three of them moved stools and sat around the faucet, cleaning the ingredients together. Because Ji Nian was very talkative and dominated the conversation, the atmosphere was harmonious, and their initial awkwardness gradually vanished.
Ming Yi could not help but be dazed. In the original plot, although he had also teamed up with Ji Nian and Shen Pan, their relationship had never reached this level.
Without the fake Xie Yunxie letting him off the hook, his injuries would not have recovered by the time the show started. When the live broadcast began, Ming Yi would have been running a lingering low fever. His state would have been very poor, making him appear gloomy and withdrawn. Ji Nian and Shen Pan would have mistaken him for being arrogant and only maintained a surface level harmony with him.
The plot can be changed, Ming Yi suddenly thought. But to what extent the plot could be changed, and whether a cannon fodder destined to die early could survive, probably only Xie Yunxie knew.
In the evening, Ming Yi sliced some salted meat and made a delicious Yan Du Xian soup, along with scrambled eggs with Chinese toon and a cold purslane salad.
The cameraman zoomed in. As the lid was lifted, the dense steam rose, and the soup in the pot bubbled merrily, giving off a wonderful homey aroma.
The viewers watching this scene were all salivating.
[Damn it, I want to eat Yan Du Xian too.] [I cannot imagine how good it tastes.] [This is strange. Is this not a “begging for food” variety show? Where did this live stream take me? They are actually letting the guests eat well?] [Ming Yi, the Greek god of cooking! At least in this show, I will not allow anyone to oppose you!] [Everything is peaceful here, but on Yan An’s side, the tomato stir-fry is burnt. Can someone save the other three guests? They look like they are about to crumble.]
Ming Yi used a traditional earth stove to cook, which looked easy and effortless, but there was actually great skill involved. If the heat was not controlled properly, things would go wrong quickly. Zhu Yu was a novice at cooking, so it was no surprise that she was struggling with such difficult cooking conditions.
The final results on their end were slightly burnt tomato and eggs, oil-braised bamboo shoots that were prickly because they were not blanched, and stir-fried lettuce that was barely edible.
Yan An, Ji Zhanyun, and Zhu Yu looked at the pitiful dishes on the table and fell into silence.
Ji Zhanyun took a bite of the bamboo shoots. After chewing a few times, his expression changed drastically. After forcing himself to swallow, he slowly put down his chopsticks and said heavily, “Maybe we should go and beg for food from the other group of guests?”
Yan An reached for the lettuce, not forgetting to comfort the devastated Zhu Yu. “It is not that bad. It is still very tasty!”
Zhu Yu gave a forced smile. “You do not have to comfort me. I know my own cooking level.”
Since things had come to this, there was no need to struggle. They went to beg for food.
On the way, Yan An said cheerfully, “Second Brother said he can cook. It is the perfect time to taste his skills.”
Hearing this, the comments in the live stream, which had been full of laughter, suddenly stopped for a moment. If they had not known the truth before, it would have been fine. But now that they all knew what kind of life Ming Yi had lived after their lives were swapped, this seemingly innocent remark felt a bit disgusting.
[Emm… I will leave before I say anything mean. This is full of problems.] [I do not understand. How does Yan An have the nerve to call Ming Yi “Second Brother”? Is he his biological brother? Has he been a young master for so long that he really thinks he is the real one?] [Begging for food is one thing, but if I were him, I could not eat Ming Yi’s food with a clear conscience.] [?? Are the people above all paid trolls hired by Ming Yi? How much is he paying you to blacken Yan An’s name like this?]
Yan An knew nothing of this. The three of them soon arrived at the small house where the other group was staying.
The door opened, but only Ji Nian and Shen Pan were inside. Ming Yi was not there.
Ji Nian was not surprised by their arrival. “We knew you would come to beg for food. Ming Yi left a bowl of Yan Du Xian for you. It is right there in the pot.”
Ji Zhanyun lifted the lid and was surprised to see a dish that looked, smelled, and tasted perfect. It was so perfect that it did not seem like something that should appear in this show.
Zhu Yu stepped forward and was also surprised. “Did Ming Yi really make this? He is so good at it. Is this even reasonable?”
Yan An looked around for Ming Yi. “Where is my Second Brother? Where did he go?”
Shen Pan said calmly, “He went to wash up.”
Yan An immediately said, “I will go find him and thank him for the soup.” As he spoke, he started to walk out.
Ji Nian’s eyelid flickered. He wondered if this person could not understand human speech. He had just said the man was washing up, yet he still wanted to go find him? He stepped forward quickly and blocked Yan An. “I will tell him later. You should go back and eat first before the food gets cold.”
Yan An froze, then slowly lowered his eyes. “Is it that Second Brother… does not want to see me?”
Ji Nian instantly got goosebumps all over his body. Why had he never noticed that Yan An was so dramatic?
The atmosphere was strange. At this moment, Ji Zhanyun also could not stand it anymore and smoothed things over by taking Yan An away. In the night, Yan An’s eyes were red, as if he were heartbroken by Ming Yi’s avoidance.
In front of the camera, Ji Nian and Shen Pan could not say much. They only exchanged a glance that said, I know you know what I know. The water in wealthy families was indeed very deep.
On the other side, Ming Yi came out after washing up and was drying his hair. Suddenly, a staff member came over and told him there was a phone call he needed to take.
Ming Yi took his phone back from the staff member. He already knew exactly who was calling him. There was no one else who would call him so urgently at this time except Yan Zhiheng.
Ming Yi draped the towel over his elbow and answered the phone. Sure enough, Yan Zhiheng’s voice, suppressed with anger, came through in the next second.
“Yan Ming Yi, have you gone mad? Why did you say those things on the show? Do you have any idea what kind of negative impact those words will have on An An?”
Yan An. It was Yan An again. Aside from revolving around Yan An, was his big brother’s head incapable of thinking about anything else?
Ming Yi felt disgusted. He spoke bluntly and coldly. “I have wanted to say this for a while. Can you stop talking to me in that tone?”
As if he did not expect Ming Yi’s attitude to be so sharp, Yan Zhiheng choked. “What did you say?”
“Actually, Big Brother, I really do not understand you,” Ming Yi said, looking up at the night sky with emotionless eyes. “Did the project you got by selling your brother earn you a lot of money? Having received that money, you should be satisfied. Who gave you the nerve to talk to me like this after using me for profit?”
“I was at the Xie house for so many days without any news. You did not even care to ask. And the rare time you call is to stand up for Yan An?”
Ming Yi’s tone was mocking. “Just how much nonsense has Yan An fed you?”
“Oh, I see,” Ming Yi said as a thought flashed through his mind. He narrowed his eyes. “Big Brother, you could not possibly be… in love with Yan An, right?”
Yan Zhiheng was caught off guard by Ming Yi’s string of words. After hearing that sentence, he suddenly flew into a rage. “Yan Ming Yi! What kind of crazy talk is that? An An is my brother!”
“He is not your biological brother,” Ming Yi said, laughing softly as if he had discovered a secret. He spoke with pure malice. “No wonder you protect Yan An in everything. It turns out you love him. If you had said so earlier, I would not have been jealous. After all, how can a biological brother you have never met compare to the fake brother you have loved for many years?”
There was a crashing sound from Yan Zhiheng’s side, as if he had thrown something. At this moment, Ming Yi finally felt the pleasure of mentally bullying someone else.
No matter what Yan Zhiheng said, Ming Yi did not listen. Finally, he just said casually, “Brothers in love do not have a good ending. Big Brother, you should stop while you can. Repentance is the shore.”
Then he hung up the phone. The call screen lit up again. Ming Yi was fast and blocked the number decisively.
His blood was pumping quickly through his veins, showing his unusually excited mood. Ming Yi took several deep breaths to suppress the pleasant sensation of letting out all his negative emotions.
Before this, Ming Yi had never said such harsh words to his family. Rumors, malicious slander, and mutual attacks; Ming Yi had done them all today.
Finally, he had only one feeling: it felt great!
Ming Yi stared at his phone for a while and then pulled up his contact list. Since Yan Zhiheng had made him so unhappy, then no one should have a good time.
Ming Yi dialed Shen Lirong’s number. His so-called biological mother had always favored the fake son, Yan An. So, how would she react when she found out that her eldest son might be in love with that fake son?
Ming Yi was already starting to look forward to it.