A boy of about seventeen or eighteen emerged from inside, his head tilted slightly as his gaze met Xu Xiaoyue’s.  

A flash of admiration first appeared in the boy’s eyes before he straightened up, cleared his throat, and asked, “Little comrade, who are you looking for?”  

As he spoke, he turned and came face to face with Yan Ye.  

“Uncle… Uncle Yan? What brings you here?” The boy’s voice carried surprise.  

Yan Ye stepped forward, deliberately or not positioning himself between Xu Xiaoyue and the boy.  

“Looking for your uncle,” the man replied evenly.  

The boy hurriedly opened the gate wider and called inside, “Uncle! Uncle Yan is here to see you!”  

Following the man into the courtyard, Xu Xiaoyue curiously surveyed her surroundings.  

No wonder the place seemed sparsely populated – the backyard connected to a small hill, dotted with free-range chickens and geese flapping their wings, giving it the rustic charm of a future agritourism spot.  

The man referred to as “uncle” emerged from the house with a pronounced limp.  

Despite his mobility issues, he presented himself neatly groomed.  

“Regiment Commander Yan, and this is…?” The man’s questioning eyes fell on Xu Xiaoyue.  

“My younger sister,” Yan Ye summarized briefly.  

Once inside and alone, Xu Xiaoyue stretched wearily and plopped down onto a seat. Recalling the man’s earlier words, she looked up.  

“I don’t recall gaining an extra brother.”  

After a silent pause, Yan Ye poured her a cup of tea. “It’s not too late to have one now,” his deep voice resonated.  

“No thanks,” the woman refused without hesitation, shaking her head.  

She couldn’t wait to finish this meal and go their separate ways forever. Xu Xiaoyue remembered clearly – as a cannon fodder character, her ultimate fate was falling into Yan Ye’s hands and being sent straight to prison.  

The man raised an eyebrow, surprised by her swift disassociation. “Then what would you say our relationship is?”  

“Nonexistent,” Xu Xiaoyue retorted offhandedly.  

Hearing her blunt response left the man unsettled. “Proper young women don’t casually follow strange men around,” he remarked slowly.  

“What are you implying?” Xu Xiaoyue’s almond-shaped eyes glared at him.  

“Nothing.”  

Yan Ye threw her own tactic back at her, rendering her speechless.  

Silence descended upon the room.  

Xu Xiaoyue keenly sensed the man’s displeasure.  

Unsure what she’d done to provoke him, she stood up and moved to open the door.  

“Then take me back now. I don’t want to stay with you anymore.”  

Yan Ye chuckled lightly. “Save your energy. It won’t open.”  

She yanked hard, but the door remained immobile, as if mocking her efforts.  

“Stop fiddling with it. If you break it, I’ll leave you here to work off the debt,” the man said impassively, noting her flushed face from exertion.  

After struggling with the door mechanism to no avail, Xu Xiaoyue turned back to him.  

“I want to go back.”  

“I know. Later.”  

His stern expression showed none of his previous amenability, and Xu Xiaoyue felt an inexplicable fear of him.  

“You’re bullying me. I’ll call the police.”  

Yan Ye stepped closer, narrowing the distance between them.  

“How is this bullying? Seems to me you’re making false accusations.”  

With his presence enveloping her, Xu Xiaoyue couldn’t help recalling the incident with Wang Hao.  

This time, only the alley had been replaced by a sealed room – where even if she screamed herself hoarse, no one would come to her rescue.  

Noticing the woman before him trembling in fear, Yan Ye paused. *What’s the point of losing my temper with a little girl?* he thought to himself.  

He bent down, and with a *click*, unlocked the door.  

“Done,” the man said.  

Xu Xiaoyue remained silent, standing with her head bowed.  

Yan Ye looked at the crown of her head. “What’s wrong?”  

After a moment, faint sniffles broke the silence in the air.  

Yan Ye froze, then reached out to touch the corner of Xu Xiaoyue’s eye – his fingertips came away wet.  

“Why are you crying?”  

Xu Xiaoyue wiped her tears and wordlessly tried to leave.  

After just two steps, Yan Ye pulled her back, trapping her in the circle of his arms.  

Bending down, all traces of teasing gone from his face, Yan Ye looked at Xu Xiaoyue with slightly panicked dark eyes. “Don’t cry.”  

After some thought, he pulled out bills from his pocket. “Here, take all of this. Just stop crying.”  

Xu Xiaoyue squinted through her tears – his rough hand held a stack of small-denomination notes.  

She turned her head away. “Let me go! I want to go back!”  

Pushing against his arms with both hands, she struggled to break free.  

But her meager strength was no match for Yan Ye. Several attempts yielded no results.  

Anger surged in Xu Xiaoyue’s chest. Furious and frustrated, even knowing Yan Ye’s status, she couldn’t care less anymore.  

Her fingers clawed and scratched at the man’s arms, yet despite this, Yan Ye still refused to let go.  

He allowed her to vent her rage on him, letting her flail like an angry kitten.  

After exhausting her anger to no effect – like punching cotton – Xu Xiaoyue felt even more wronged.  

Ever since transmigrating into this book, these days of guarding against Zheng Jiaojiao’s schemes while living under others’ roofs had already oppressed her enough.  

And now coming here only to be toyed with by this man – was scaring her on purpose fun for him?  

At this thought, a few more golden teardrops escaped against her will.  

Yan Ye paused, looking down at the woman. Tear tracks streaked her fair, small face as she cried silently without a sound.  

Compared to this quiet weeping, he’d rather she hit him like before.  

“I’m sorry.”  

The deep voice reached her ears through her haze. Though spoken softly, Xu Xiaoyue heard the apology clearly.  

She looked up to study the man’s expression.  

Had she not heard it so distinctly, she might have thought the apology was imaginary.  

“W-what did you just say?”  

Wiping her teary eyes, her mind still felt muddled.  

The man rubbed his fingertips together – still slightly damp from her tears.  

“I said I’m sorry. I won’t scare you again.”  

He bent down, enunciating each word clearly as if to ensure she heard.  

Had Wang Jianhua and others witnessed this scene, they’d have doubted whether this was really Yan Ye standing before them.  

Though the Yan family had experienced difficult times, as heaven’s favored son, Yan Ye had never suffered grievances since birth.  

First due to his formidable family background, second because of his notoriously fiery temper – earning him the nickname “Demon Yan” for good reason.  

Even during his early military days when maliciously targeted during grueling two-week field training with heavy packs, he’d never bowed his head.  

For him to apologize? Wang Jianhua would swear this man didn’t even believe himself capable of being wrong.  

Hearing this apology, Xu Xiaoyue sniffled. Her gaze fell on the man’s exposed arms now covered with red marks –  

All from her earlier loss of control when she’d scratched him fiercely.  

She glanced up unexpectedly meeting Yan Ye’s waiting gaze midair.  

Xu Xiaoyue’s fingers curled slightly. Only after calming down did she murmur, “I didn’t mean to scratch you.”  

“You were the one blocking my way. I couldn’t help it.”  

Her grumbled words came out softly, but Yan Ye heard everything.