Chapter 86

Xie Fuyi glanced at the protagonist Jiang Yu, who should have been rescued, crawling slowly from the ground, thinking that the plot had to continue.

He pushed the person away, his black eyes glaring at the man, his expression turning icy, and a mocking curve formed at the corner of his lips. “Ye Chiyan? What, are you two close? You want to play the hero now?”

Ye Chiyan’s indifferent expression froze for a moment, then he naturally explained, “I don’t know him.” He didn’t even glance at Jiang Yu.

Xie Fuyi felt choked up. Ruining the plot from the start?

He guessed that according to the usual course of events in past worlds, this protagonist attacker was probably already done for, and now he could only rely on himself.

He didn’t listen, didn’t care, just acted unreasonably, taunting, “Oh, even though you don’t know him, you’re helping him so much already. What else would you do if you did know him? Help him teach me a lesson? Then you two can stay here and get to know each other better.”

After a few sarcastic remarks, without giving Ye Chiyan a chance to speak, he turned and walked away.

Ye Chiyan reflexively took a step to follow, then hesitated. He found it strange. Both the Ye family and the Xie family were top-tier wealthy families. He had no impression of this Third Young Master Xie before.

When he heard the commotion on the rooftop earlier, he wasn’t planning to meddle, feeling annoyed and wanting to leave. But when his gaze fell on Xie Fuyi, he couldn’t look away, and his heart inexplicably began to beat faster.

Upon realizing that the other person might be brought down with him, he didn’t have time to think and quickly stepped forward to hug the person and pull them into his arms.

But did the other person think he was trying to save someone else?

Ye Chiyan felt he had to clarify with the other person. He didn’t linger, quickly chasing after them. From start to finish, he didn’t even glance at Jiang Yu.

Seeing their boss leave, the other followers lost interest in troubling Jiang Yu and dispersed in groups.

On the rooftop, only Jiang Yu remained. Seeing Xie Fuyi’s angry demeanor just now, combined with his words, he could guess why he had faced this ordeal today—Xie Fuyi liked Ye Chiyan, and since Jiang Yu had been sitting next to Ye Chiyan today, that’s why Xie Fuyi came to bother him.

Jiang Yu fell silent for a moment, feeling like he should keep his distance from them in the future.

On the other side, Ye Chiyan caught up to Xie Fuyi at the school gate.

He reached out and grabbed Xie Fuyi’s arm. “Listen to me, let me explain.”

How could Xie Fuyi obediently listen? Of course, it was “I won’t listen, I won’t listen, I won’t listen…”

“Get lost!” He tried to break free with force.

Helpless, Ye Chiyan could only grasp both of his wrists and press him against the wall, detaining him in front of himself. He spoke in a deep voice, “Will you listen to me? I don’t know him, nor did I intend to help him.”

Xie Fuyi was immobilized by this posture, with Ye Chiyan’s slow, steady breaths close by. He looked at the man in front of him, who was staring at him earnestly without blinking, and his ears turned slightly red. Despite maintaining a cold snort on his face, he mumbled to himself, “Who cares who you want to help? I’ll discipline whoever I want!”

Ye Chiyan’s deep gaze was drawn to the redness on Xie Fuyi’s fair earlobes. The other seemed quite unreasonable on the surface, but was he actually quite shy?

His gaze gradually softened, and he said earnestly, “I’ll help you.”

Xie Fuyi was stunned, unable to speak for a moment.

Just as the atmosphere between the two became extremely ambiguous, a sleek black car slowly pulled up at the entrance. The window rolled down, revealing a handsome face wearing glasses, exuding an air of elegance and refinement.

“Big brother?” Xie Fuyi exclaimed in surprise at the person inside the car, then quickly pushed Ye Chiyan aside and went forward.

Ye Chiyan furrowed his brow slightly, then turned to look at the person in the car.

Xie Tingbai wore a faint smile on his lips, but even through the lenses of his glasses, his gaze was still imposing.

As their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze, filled with inexplicable hostility.

In the end, it was Xie Fuyi who broke the silence. His clear voice was incredulous, “Big brother, did you come specifically to pick me up after class?”

Xie Tingbai’s gaze swept past Ye Chiyan and met the expectation in Xie Fuyi’s beautiful eyes. After a moment’s pause, he nodded slightly and said, “Get in the car.”

The expression on Xie Fuyi’s face instantly changed from surprise to joy. He quickly got into the car, only then realizing that he hadn’t said goodbye to Ye Chiyan. However, the car had already driven away. He turned back and saw Ye Chiyan still standing in place, watching the vehicle leave, his expression unreadable.

Xie Tingbai’s eyes slightly darkened. Just then, the car suddenly jolted, causing Xie Fuyi to lose his balance and lurch forward. Fortunately, a warm and strong arm promptly caught his waist and pulled him to the side.

Xie Fuyi breathed a sigh of relief as he was half embraced by the other, tilting his head slightly to smile. “Thank you, big brother.”

Xie Tingbai’s lowered eyes met the smile in the other’s bright eyes. Despite the flamboyant blonde hair, the smile seemed so innocent.

Feeling a little ticklish inside, he responded lightly, “Sit properly, and stay safe.”

Xie Fuyi nodded obediently on the surface, but inside, he wondered—could Xie Tingbai really be this gentle? And has the second male lead also been sidelined?

As the de facto head of the Xie family and the CEO of Xie Corporation, he appeared gentle to others but was actually aloof and indifferent. Towards his annoying third younger brother, he usually just exchanged perfunctory greetings when they met.

Lost in thought, Xie Fuyi suddenly felt his wrist being grasped.

“Uh, big brother?” Xie Fuyi let out a soft sigh and looked at Xie Tingbai with some confusion.

“It’s red from being pinched,” Xie Tingbai said lightly, his slender fingers gently massaging the swollen area.

Xie Fuyi’s skin was delicate, and Ye Chiyan had exerted some force, leaving a large red mark on both his wrists.

Feeling the atmosphere was strange, Xie Fuyi shrugged, attempting to retract his hand. However, he found he couldn’t break free as Xie Tingbai applied a bit more pressure, his gaze penetrating through the lenses of his glasses, fixed on Xie Fuyi. In a deliberate, nonchalant tone, he asked, “Who was that man just now?”

“Hmm?” It took Xie Fuyi a moment to understand what Xie Tingbai was asking. His eyes flickered, and his ears turned slightly red as he responded awkwardly, “Just a classmate.”

His response was evasive, but Xie Tingbai wasn’t going to let him off so easily. Each word was a follow-up question. “What kind of classmate would press you against the wall like that?”

As he spoke, one of his hands was already behind Xie Fuyi’s head, almost encircling him, while his dark eyes stared intently, as if seeing through everything.

This question felt somewhat embarrassing, and Xie Tingbai’s proximity brought a sense of pressure. The faint scent of woodsy cologne filled the confined space of the car, heating up the air.

Xie Fuyi’s black eyes widened slightly, and his animal-like instincts made him instinctively want to retreat. But the space was limited, and Xie Tingbai kept closing in.

Not one to tolerate such treatment, Xie Fuyi felt annoyed and his brows furrowed with impatience as he stared at Xie Tingbai. “Big brother, you know him, it’s Ye Chiyan.”

The only son of the Ye family?

Xie Tingbai had some impression, but what he wanted to know wasn’t the man’s identity, but his relationship with his younger brother…

Xie Tingbai’s gaze fell on Xie Fuyi’s slightly irritated black eyes. After a pause, he straightened his posture and calmly said, “Yiyi, you’re a young master of the Xie family. In the future, don’t associate with those unsavory characters.”

It was the first time Xie Fuyi had been addressed so intimately by his brother, but who were these “unsavory characters”? Was he referring to his friends or Ye Chiyan?

Feeling somewhat insulted by Xie Tingbai’s description of his friends, Xie Fuyi couldn’t help but feel a bit rebellious. But under Xie Tingbai’s imposing presence, he could only give him a glance and purse his lips without saying anything.

Seeing the sulky expression on Xie Fuyi’s face amused him a bit. Xie Tingbai couldn’t help but admit that when he saw his incompetent little brother being restrained by a stranger, he had a momentary surge of anger and an inexplicable mix of jealousy and displeasure.

Had his little brother always been this attractive?

He couldn’t remember.

And perhaps soon he wouldn’t be his brother anymore.

After a moment of silence, Xie Fuyi couldn’t help but feel that his brother seemed different today. He couldn’t help but ask, “Big brother, did something happen today for you to come and pick me up?”

Xie Tingbai had never come to pick up this brother of his before, so Xie Fuyi, who knew the plot, naturally understood that Xie Tingbai had come personally because he had already discovered his true identity and had come to confront him.

There was a hint of indiscernible emotion in Xie Tingbai’s deep eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and smiled faintly. “Let’s talk about it when we get home.”

Suddenly, he didn’t want to see the look of collapse on this face so soon.