After the meal, He Jianguo and Bai Xiaomei shooed the two children off to do their homework.
Lin Xiyue found herself cornered by He Mingchu in her own bedroom.
He Mingchu rarely visited her room.
With a quick glance around, he noted the layout remained unchanged, though it now held more of Lin Xiyue’s personal belongings.
These so-called personal items were actually new additions since she came to the He household.
There were newly made clothes, the skincare products he had given her, and books on the desk.
“Lin Xiyue,” He Mingchu got straight to the point, unceremoniously sitting on her bed with his hands propped behind him as he looked up at her, “You’re not allowed to use anything from the Jin family. I know exactly what condition your skin is in. By the end of the year, I’ll make sure your skin is even better than Jin Yao’s.”
Lin Xiyue was taken aback, not expecting He Mingchu to say such things to her.
She hadn’t planned on using the Jin family’s items anyway.
Lin Xiyue sat down on the chair, leaning sideways against the backrest.
She had always been contrary by nature. Even if she hadn’t intended to use them, He Mingchu’s blunt command not to made it different.
“Oh? Why should I refuse their kind intentions?”
He Mingchu narrowed his eyes. Was she challenging him?
“Fine, I’ll go tell your mother right now that your mind isn’t on studying, that you’ve developed other interests, that you don’t want to study hard or take the college entrance exam—”
Lin Xiyue panicked, springing to her feet.
“That’s slander!”
It was He Mingchu’s word that had facilitated Bai Xiaomei and He Jianguo’s marriage, making Bai Xiaomei particularly trusting of him.
If He Mingchu said this to Bai Xiaomei, she would definitely look at Lin Xiyue with tearful, helpless eyes. Even if she said nothing, Lin Xiyue knew what she would be thinking.
“Moon Maiden, it’s not easy for us to stay in the city. We’ve finally settled down, and your chance to study was given by your Uncle Jianguo and his son. You must work hard and get into university—only then will we truly have a place in the He family…”
Lin Xiyue deflated. “I understand. I won’t use anything Jin Yao gave me… I wasn’t planning to anyway.”
The last part was spoken softly, but He Mingchu still caught it.
“If I hadn’t said anything, you wouldn’t have used them either. Why?”
Lin Xiyue paused, then told He Mingchu about what happened at the Jin family villa that day.
Naturally, she didn’t mention that she knew about Jin Yu’s perverted persistence from having read the original book.
Remembering the plot from the book, she couldn’t help but shudder. “When I saw her second brother, I felt uncomfortable inside, like he was… a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
She struggled to find the right words to describe him.
Just from listening, He Mingchu could sense the fear in her tone, and his eyes darkened.
So, someone else had taken an interest in his little pet?
He wondered just how perverted that wolf in sheep’s clothing was, to make his little pet feel afraid after just one meeting?
Did that mean he himself had been disguising his nature quite well?
At least he hadn’t made his little pet feel disgusted.
He curled his lips in pleasure.
Noticing his expression, Lin Xiyue felt annoyed. She was being completely honest with him, and he was laughing at her?
“He Mingchu, what are you smiling about? Do you think I’m lying?”
He Mingchu came back to himself and suppressed his smile.
“No. Since you also think the Jin family is no good, keep your distance from them from now on. With me here, that second brother from the Jin family won’t be able to cause any trouble.”
That’s right—she was clinging to the male lead’s thigh, after all!
No matter how resourceful Jin Yu was or how many obstacles he created for the male and female leads, didn’t they ultimately overcome all difficulties and end up together?
Lin Xiyue felt a sudden warmth in her heart, thinking how wonderful it felt to have an older brother backing her up!
Her mouth moved faster than her brain, and she blurted out emotionally: “Thank you, brother!”
He Mingchu’s face darkened.
Over the following period, Lin Xiyue didn’t see Jin Yu again. She assumed that Pervert had already forgotten about a minor character like her and breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she felt she had been making too big a deal out of it.
How would anyone remember a cannon fodder character who only appeared in a few scenes in the original book?
She had been too nervous.
As summer gradually approached, the weather grew hotter. Worried the beef would spoil, the family ate it for several days straight until Lin Xiyue started gaining weight.
During PE class one day, while He Mingchu had ordered her to study in the classroom, she suddenly saw Jin Yao giving her a meaningful look.
Just as Lin Xiyue was puzzling over it, Jin Yao had already left the classroom. Moments later, the sound of a kitten mewing came from outside.
In a flash of understanding, Lin Xiyue realized what Jin Yao meant.
Lin Xiyue stood up and told He Mingchu: “I’m going to the restroom.”
Reaching the doorway, she deliberately exclaimed: “Wow, He Mingchu, there’s a kitten out here!”
Then she slipped away, leaving the space for the two of them.
Not bad for playing matchmaker, right?
She hadn’t actually needed to use the restroom. After wandering around for a bit, she returned to the classroom and peeked inside, only to gloomily discover the room was completely empty.
“Where did everyone go?”
Lin Xiyue scratched her head. “They couldn’t have progressed that fast already… hehe…”
Some rather anachronistic conjectures popped into her mind.
She quickly shook her head – impossible! Those things would be considered crimes in this era.
The male and female leads wouldn’t be so indiscreet.
“Blocking the doorway for what?”
He Mingchu’s voice came from behind her.
“How long does it take you to use the restroom? Why not just wait until school’s over to come back?”
Lin Xiyue’s jaw dropped in surprise, her brain momentarily short-circuiting.
The male lead loved small animals – the type who couldn’t walk away when he saw one, as mentioned many times in the original book.
Had they already taken care of the kitten properly?
Lin Xiyue collected herself: “Hey, I just saw a kitten here earlier. Didn’t you see it?”
He Mingchu: “No. Do you have time to worry about that? Come study.”
Lin Xiyue frowned, sensing something was off.
Jin Yao had disappeared too.
For the rest of the time, she fidgeted restlessly.
He Mingchu glanced at her: “Are there nails on your chair?”
Lin Xiyue pointed at her book: “It’s so hard to memorize…”
He Mingchu nodded: “If it’s hard, spend more time on it so you won’t make mistakes during the exam.”
How annoying! Today’s material consisted of poetry lines that were commonly mistaken in exams. Having been out of school for years and studying different versions, she kept getting them mixed up.
With her mind preoccupied by other matters, she naturally found it difficult to concentrate.
The PE class ended amid her anxiety, and soon all the classmates returned.
Jin Yao was among them.
She looked at Lin Xiyue and rolled her eyes.
Lin Xiyue: ?
What was that about?
Before she could approach Jin Yao, Jin Yao came over and linked arms with her.
“Come on, Xiyue, let’s go to the restroom together.”
The moment they stepped out, Jin Yao immediately released Lin Xiyue’s arm and said coldly: “Do you actually understand He Mingchu at all?”
Lin Xiyue was full of questions: “Of course I understand him! No one knows him better than I do!”
Not just He Mingchu, but all of them—she understood every single one!