On her third day in the capital, Tong Yang moved into the Peking University dormitory.
An older student helped her collect bedding and a cotton mattress, and she also got her student ID card, which allowed her free access to the campus during the semester. Tong Yang loaded 300 yuan onto the card and ate at the school cafeteria every day.
During this time, she didn’t receive any calls from unknown numbers—that guy surnamed Ye had clearly dismissed her as a scammer.
But Tong Yang wasn’t in a hurry. She’d already done what she could.
Hearing that the university had a gym, she signed up for a three-month membership and spent most of her time there. After all, she’d need plenty of strength in the future.
On July 6th, Tong Yang walked out of the gym, water bottle in hand, and checked her phone to find a missed call.
The number was from the capital, one she’d never seen before.
After a moment’s thought, she called back.
"Hello?" A young man’s cool voice came through the phone.
"Who is this?" Tong Yang asked.
"Ye Huai. We met not long ago."
Ye Huai?
He must be the Ye family’s eldest son, the one with the heart condition.
"What do you want?"
"I’d like to talk to you in person about what happened that day."
"Sure. When?"
"Are you free tomorrow? I can send a driver to pick you up."
She was free not just tomorrow but every day lately.
Aside from the gym, she occasionally wandered around the campus to familiarize herself with the area and even took a quick trip to Peking University’s affiliated elementary school.
"I’m free."
"Could you share your address?"
"Peking University’s West Gate."
"Understood. May I ask for your name?"
"Tong Yang."
"Very well, Miss Tong. Please keep your phone handy tomorrow."
"Mm."
After hanging up, Tong Yang headed to the cafeteria for dinner before returning to her dorm.
Since other new students wouldn’t arrive until the semester started, she had the place to herself.
That evening, as usual, she called Tong Le, then sat at her desk and flipped through an English textbook borrowed from an upperclassman.
Though she hadn’t decided on a major yet, English was essential no matter what she chose.
The next morning at 9:30, while doing laundry in her dorm, Tong Yang received another call.
"Hello?"
"Miss Tong? I’m the Ye family’s driver. I’m currently at Peking University’s West Gate. When can you come out?"
"Half an hour. I’m doing laundry."
"Understood. Please call this number once you arrive."
"Got it."
Her dorm was close to the West Gate, so after finishing the laundry, she reached the entrance in five minutes.
She called the driver, and within moments, a sleek, understated business car pulled up in front of her.
"Miss Tong, please get in."
"Thanks."
Once she settled into the car, the driver started the engine.
A pleasant fragrance filled the air—the same scent she’d noticed in Ye Huai’s car before.
"Where’s Ye Huai?" Tong Yang asked casually.
The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Xiao Huai is at home."
Tong Yang blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to meet her at his residence.
Noticing her confusion, the driver explained, "Please don’t mind. Xiao Huai’s health isn’t good. His doctor advises him to stay where the air is clean, so he rarely leaves the house."
Tong Yang nodded. "Seems he gets along well with his brother, sending him to school and all."
The driver smiled. "Yes."
At 11:30, the car entered the grounds of a villa styled after medieval European architecture.
Nestled in the mountains, the estate was surrounded by dense woods alive with birdsong and insects. The crisp scent of grass and earth lingered in the air—a stark contrast to the polluted city.
"Miss Tong, this way." The driver gestured, and a housekeeper led her inside.
The villa was eerily quiet, with no signs of life apart from the occasional antique structure and meticulously trimmed greenery.
The housekeeper guided her to an open-air garden, where flowers bloomed in defiance of the season.
Ye Huai sat at a round stone table, dressed in an off-white sweater, his complexion still pale. A book lay open in his hands, his slender fingers resting on the pages—so pale they almost blended into the paper.
To Tong Yang, he seemed like a scene plucked from a film, too surreal for reality.
"Xiao Huai, your guest is here," the housekeeper said softly.
Ye Huai placed a white bookmark between the pages, closed the book, and stood to face her.
Under the sunlight, his eyes appeared even more translucent and distant. He gave a slight nod. "Miss Tong."
"Auntie, please prepare some pastries for us."
"Of course."
Tong Yang walked to the table and cut straight to the point. "Have you made up your mind?"
Ye Huai pressed his lips together. "Sit first."
She took a seat. "Just say what you need to. No point wasting time."
Ye Huai met her gaze. "I apologize, but I looked into your background."
"Go on." Tong Yang narrowed her eyes.
"On June 21st, a child abduction case occurred in the old district of Yaocheng, Beiwang Province. You intervened and saved those children."
Tong Yang didn’t see where this was going. "And?"
"Forgive me, but how does this connect to my brother’s potential disappearance?"
She paused. "Why do you think it does?"
"The news said you arrived at the kidnapping site beforehand. Did you also… divine it?"
"You believe me now?"
"I didn’t at first. But if you’re not lying, my brother could be in danger."
Tong Yang studied him, searching for any hint of deception.
"Do you know who might abduct him?"
"No."
"The location?"
"Hailin International School."
"If we keep him away from there, can we prevent it?"
She shook her head. "I don’t know. Probably not."
Because the issue wasn’t the location—it was the "disappearance" itself. If he was pulled into a parallel world, it could happen anywhere.
Ye Huai fell silent for a moment. "How much would it cost to save Ye Wen?"
Tong Yang stared at him, surprised he’d accepted her claims so readily.
"Ten million."
According to future reports, the family had initially offered 17 million in rewards to find their youngest son, eventually raising it to over 100 million. Tong Yang considered her price fair—after all, rescuing the boy meant entering the parallel world with him. Based on her experience with Chu Shiyu, she knew it was possible as long as they stayed within a certain range.
But it was best if they went in together. If she had to enter afterward, she’d need to find her own way.
Ye Huai’s lips thinned. "If I accused you of extortion, you could face a suspended death sentence."
Tong Yang shrugged. "If you agree, we’ll need a contract first."
Ten million wasn’t a small sum, especially for something as intangible as "divination." No sane person would pay that much for superstition.
She’d already considered this. "You can pay a deposit—100,000. If nothing happens, I’ll refund 90,000."
"In other words, no matter what, I still have to give you ten thousand for free."
"That's the initial funding. My time is precious."
Ye Huai lowered his gaze. "There's no need for you to ruin your bright future over ten thousand. I'll have the money transferred to your account."
"Thank you."
Ye Huai then asked, "So? What's your plan?"
"It'd be best if I spend the next couple of days with your brother."
Ye Huai nodded. "Fine. Stay here today. I'll tell my parents you're the tutor I hired."
"Do you need anything prepared?"
"Toiletries."
"Alright, I'll have someone arrange that for you."
After lunch, Tong Yang was led to the prepared room. Ye Wen and his father had gone to the horse ranch and hadn’t returned yet.
The sudden shift in Ye Huai’s attitude made her feel something was off.
She had no confidence in her own explanation—it was just something she’d blurted out on the spot. Yet, Ye Huai had believed her without hesitation. Even if he was naive and rich, he shouldn’t have taken the bait so easily.
Did he know something? Or did he have another motive?
Not long after returning to her room, Tong Yang received a deposit transfer of a hundred thousand, with a note specifically stating, "Voluntary gift."
[Yang-jie, tomorrow’s July 8th. How’s the progress on that matter?]
[Feels like this won’t be easy to pull off. The other party isn’t just anyone.]
[Right? Yang-jie can’t even meet them easily.]
[Huh? Didn’t Yang-jie say she ran into them on the street before? Even got their contact info?]
[When?? I didn’t hear about this??]
[You must’ve missed the messages. But they probably thought she was a scammer or someone hitting on them.]
[Yang-jie, what have you been up to these past two days? Always lurking. Weren’t you free in the capital?]
Studying to Get Rich: [Image.jpg]
[Yang-jie’s here! Where is this?]
[Why’s the background on a mountain?]
[This architecture… a villa?]
[Yang-jie, did you strike gold in just two days?]
Studying to Get Rich: [Doing part-time tutoring.]
[Ah, that explains it! No wonder you’ve been MIA.]
[Yang-jie, you’re working hard!]
[Any updates on the Ye family’s youngest son? I’m drooling over that 17 million ( ). My chance to get rich depends on you, sis.]
[You only care about how much money sis makes? ( )_[ ( )]? Only I care if she’s tired.]
Studying to Get Rich: [Aren’t you going to ask whose family I’m tutoring for?]
[???]
[Whose family?]
[Wait… holy crap… is it what I’m thinking?]
[What?? The Ye family??]
[Yang-jie, are you tutoring for the Ye family??]
Studying to Get Rich: [Mhm.]
[……]
[Oh my god.]
[I thought the plan hadn’t even started, but you’re already halfway there?]
[(Clutching your leg) Sis, I’ll be the sturdiest accessory on you.]
[Damn! You actually got in?]
[What do you mean “got in”? Isn’t my sis, the science prodigy, qualified to tutor their kid?]
Studying to Get Rich: [Not actual tutoring.]
Studying to Get Rich: [Help me dig up info on Ye Huai.]
[Ye Huai? The Ye family’s eldest son?]
[What’s up with him?]
[Is there something wrong with him?]
[No way… is he from a parallel world or something?]
Studying to Get Rich: [Stop the nonsense. Just look it up.]
Tong Yang had tried searching for information about him, but aside from his heart condition, there wasn’t even a single blurry photo of him online, let alone any news.
[Got it!]
[The heavens roar, and your humble servant arrives in a flash.]
[This is the least I can do for you, sis. Hold on.]
[Give me a minute, and I’ll even find out the color of his underwear.]
[Minors, close your eyes—there’s a pervert ahead.]
Tong Yang was used to their banter and waited quietly.
Less than two minutes later, seven or eight photos were posted in the group—all candid shots of Ye Huai from various angles.
In the pictures, he wore a black suit, his frame slightly frail but his posture impeccable. Paired with his pale complexion, he exuded a fragile, sickly beauty.
[Couldn’t find any front-facing photos.]
[Gotta say, he’s gorgeous.]
[How can you tell? They’re all side profiles and super blurry.]
[It’s the aura. Just from his back, you can tell he’s handsome.]
[Guess the saying’s true—beautiful people die young, even the men.]
Studying to Get Rich: [He’s dead?]
[No, but after the Ye family’s youngest son went missing, his parents were consumed with grief, and Ye Huai’s condition worsened. Probably doesn’t have many years left.]
[Ugh, so young. What a shame.]
[Yang-jie, I found some news about him.]
[Ye Huai, 19, birthday April 19th. Born with a heart condition. Never appeared in public before 17. After his younger brother Ye Wen disappeared, he attended a few press conferences with his parents. Every time his brother was mentioned, his parents broke down, but he remained expressionless throughout. His calmness was so unsettling that after the last press conference, his father, Ye Tianlin, beat him so badly he was hospitalized. He hasn’t been seen since—just rumors that he’s in a sanatorium, but no one knows the details.]
[Yikes… seriously? With a heart condition, even a little strain could be fatal. And Ye Tianlin hit him?]
[I watched the press conference. He always wore a mask, and his voice was eerily calm, like he felt nothing about his brother’s disappearance. Some even suspected he was involved, since Ye Tianlin had already decided to leave all of White Horse Group’s shares to Ye Wen.]
Studying to Get Rich: [If Ye Huai has a heart condition, doctors would’ve trained him to stay emotionally stable. He probably wasn’t unaffected—just couldn’t show it. Today, I demanded ten million, and he didn’t refuse, even though I had no solid proof.]
[Yang-jie’s got a point. His parents really suck—his brother’s disappearance wasn’t his fault.]
[I heard he helped the police a lot in the early stages, until Ye Tianlin hospitalized him.]
[My heart aches for him.]
[Guess being a rich family’s heir isn’t all glamour.]
That was all they could dig up. There was nothing else about Ye Huai.
Tong Yang stared at the photos, more confused than ever. Why had Ye Huai agreed so easily? Why let her stay in his home?
Was it a case of "better safe than sorry"? Or had something unusual already happened around him? Could he really have been involved in Ye Wen’s disappearance?
But the last possibility seemed unlikely.
At 3 p.m., a maid knocked on her door, inviting her to meet Ye Wen in the main hall.
Tong Yang followed her and, as she reached the doorway, overheard voices inside.
"Sir, Madam, the tutor is here."
"Let her in."
Tong Yang walked into the front hall, maneuvering around a blue-and-white porcelain vase taller than herself, and spotted several people seated by the antique sofa.
Ye Huai sat on one side, while the other three occupied the central sofa.
Ye Wen was perched on a middle-aged man’s lap, acting spoiled without a care for the others around him. The man gazed at him with adoration—until Tong Yang entered, prompting him to set Ye Wen down.
Beside them sat a well-dressed lady.
This middle-aged couple was undoubtedly Ye Huai and Ye Wen’s parents.
"Madam, Sir, hello. I’m Tong Yang," she greeted with a nod.
The man’s smile faded as he gave her an unreadable glance.
The lady nodded slightly. "Teacher Tong, please have a seat."
"It’s you!" Ye Wen whipped his head around, eyes wide with shock and anger, clearly not having forgotten how Tong Yang had mocked him and forced him to apologize.
"Hello again, little one," Tong Yang said with a gentle smile, her eyes curving warmly.
Ye Wen looked as if he’d seen a ghost. "Why are you in my house? I don’t want you here! Get out—"
"Ye Wen."
Before he could say anything worse, Ye Huai cut him off with a frown.
Tong Yang’s expression remained unchanged, though she gritted her teeth inwardly. This spoiled rich brat wasn’t one-tenth as adorable as her own Tong Le. She should’ve demanded an exorbitant fee—after all, his parents were willing to shell out a fortune for him.
"Ye Huai, what’s going on?" Ye Tianlin ignored Tong Yang’s greeting entirely, addressing his son instead.
"His teacher mentioned Ye Wen’s grades have slipped. With finals approaching, he risks being demoted from the top class. So, I hired a tutor," Ye Huai replied flatly.
Madam Ye chimed in, "Wen’s grades have indeed dropped. I was just about to find him a tutor."
"Why wasn’t I consulted? Wen doesn’t attend an ordinary school—not just any tutor can teach him. Did the school recommend anyone?"
The implication was clear: they wouldn’t entrust their precious son to some unqualified stranger.
Before Ye Huai could respond, Ye Tianlin shifted his gaze to Tong Yang, his smile not reaching his eyes.
"Teacher Tong seems quite young. May I ask which prestigious institution you graduated from?"
The sarcasm was palpable.
Tong Yang decided the man was definitely unhinged. But for the money, she could endure it. She’d just make sure his darling son suffered a little later.
"I recently graduated."
"From university?"
"High school."
"Is that so?"
Ye Tianlin’s eyes flicked toward Ye Huai. "High school, huh?"
"Oh, I remember!" Madam Ye suddenly straightened. "I saw your name in the papers recently. You’re that Tong Yang from Yaocheng, aren’t you? This year’s top scorer in the college entrance exams?"
"You’ve heard of me? Just luck, really."
Ye Tianlin narrowed his eyes. "Which province’s top scorer?"
Madam Ye answered, "Her total score was exceptionally high—over 740, the highest in the nation! Huai, you’ve done well."
Ye Huai nodded. "Father, it wasn’t easy to secure Teacher Tong’s services. Please show her some courtesy."
Ye Wen stared at Tong Yang in disbelief.
Ye Tianlin’s expression darkened, though he restrained himself for the sake of appearances.
"My apologies, Teacher Tong. I’m just concerned for my son and don’t wish to waste your time. Since Ye Huai vouches for you, I’ll trust his judgment. Don’t disappoint us."
"Dad!" Ye Wen protested.
Ye Tianlin patted his hand soothingly. "Don’t worry. Teacher Tong will surely help you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here."
"Let’s proceed with a trial session. I have matters to attend to in my study." With that, Ye Tianlin excused himself, shooting Ye Huai a cold glance before leaving.
Once he was gone, Madam Ye frowned worriedly and scolded softly, "Huai, you know how your father is. Why provoke him?"
Ye Huai lowered his gaze. "Teacher Tong is my guest. She shouldn’t have to endure his disdain."
"You…!" Madam Ye sighed in exasperation.
Ye Wen immediately rushed to his brother’s side, declaring righteously, "Mom, don’t worry! I’ll smooth things over with Dad. He won’t punish Brother!"
Tong Yang was surprised—this little devil actually cared about his brother.
"Teacher Tong, please forgive the awkwardness. Don’t take his words to heart. He’s just strict about Wen’s studies."
"It’s fine. I won’t dwell on it."
"Then, you two get started. I’ll go check on him."
"Of course."
Madam Ye followed Ye Tianlin to the study shortly after he left.
"Your dad’s insane. What’s his problem?"
Ye Huai didn’t refute her. Ye Wen, however, gaped, stunned that Tong Yang would dare insult his father behind his back.
"Because when you entered, you greeted Madam first," Ye Huai said calmly.
Tong Yang: "?"
"He’s definitely insane."
Ye Huai pressed his pale lips together, momentarily dazed. "...Yes. He is."
"Hey! Your dad’s the insane one!" Ye Wen stomped up to her, hands on his hips, looking down his nose. "I’m your employer now. You have to listen to me."
Tong Yang ignored him, turning to Ye Huai. "Can I discipline him?"
"You may."
"Brother?!"
After a pause, Ye Huai added, "But you’d better silence him afterward."
Ye Wen, betrayed by his brother’s lack of support, stammered a threat, "D-Don’t you dare touch me! I’ll tell Dad!"
Tong Yang narrowed her eyes, pinching his chin as if considering. "If I rip out your tongue, I wonder if you’d still get the chance to tattle."
Ye Wen paled. "You wouldn’t! Dad will make you pay!"
"Tsk! Where to start? Ah, I should knock you out first to keep you quiet..."
"Don’t rip out my tongue…" Ye Wen trembled, convinced she meant it.
"But you’ll snitch..."
"I won’t! I promise!"
"Then will you behave?"
"Wah… I’ll behave..."
"Good." Tong Yang released him, ruffling his hair. "Kids should be obedient. It’s cute."
Ye Wen, too relieved to care, felt like he’d narrowly escaped losing his tongue.
"How old is your brother?"
"Just turned six."
Two years later, Ye Huai would be nineteen—meaning he was only seventeen now, a full eleven years older than Ye Wen.
No wonder Ye Tianlin treated them so differently. Did he think he’d struck gold with a late-life son?
Though this was her first tutoring job, Tong Yang had occasionally helped Tong Le with schoolwork before, so she wasn’t entirely inexperienced.
She never expected that the supposedly talented youngest son of the Ye family would be this dull. He couldn’t even read a basic Chinese comprehension passage smoothly, stumbling over non-everyday vocabulary. The 300,000 yuan annual tuition spent on him might as well have been thrown into the wind—he wasn’t half as sharp as Tong Le.
Then again, Tong Le had always been top of her class. Maybe Ye Wen was just an average kid.
But the boy in question didn’t think he was slow. On the contrary, he ranked among the top fifty students in his grade at school. Even if he was about to be demoted from the elite class, he still considered himself bright. Clearly, Tong Yang was just too impatient!
"Say it again. What does this character read?" Tong Yang’s face was icy, her tone laced with barely restrained frustration. "I’ve already read it to you three times."
"Pu! Even if the sky falls, it’s still pu!"
Tong Yang wrote down the words "ordinary" and "promotion" on paper, pointing at the first one. "What does this say?"
"Ordinary!"
"And this one?" She pointed at the second word.
"Pu… Pu-motion."
"Does that sound right to you?"
"Yeah, sounds fine…"
Tong Yang took a deep breath and turned to Ye Huai. "Forget it. I’m not cut out to be a teacher."
Ye Huai didn’t argue. "It’s about time. Go rest."
Ignoring Ye Wen, Tong Yang stood and left without another word.
Ye Wen muttered under his breath, "Why isn’t she cut out for it? Other than being a bit strict, she teaches pretty well."
Ye Huai replied flatly, "Can’t you tell? She thinks you’re dumb."
Ye Wen: "…"
In any case, Tong Yang ended up staying the night at the Ye residence.
Back in her room, she suddenly remembered something.
Tomorrow, July 8th, was a Monday—Ye Wen would have to go to school. Given that Haillin International School was strict about outsiders, even parents had to wait at the gates. There was no way she’d be allowed in. She needed to find a way to keep Ye Wen home.
At first, she considered calling Ye Huai to discuss it, but the call went unanswered. Left with no choice, she decided to seek him out under the cover of night.
Hearing that Ye Huai was still in the garden where they’d met earlier, Tong Yang dismissed the housekeeper and went alone.
"You’re still up?" Ye Huai was seated at a stone table, playing chess against himself. He glanced at her briefly as she approached.
"Can you find a way to keep your brother home tomorrow for extra lessons?"
Ye Huai’s hand, holding a black chess piece, paused. "Why?"
"The time of his disappearance should be around noon tomorrow, between the third floor of the cafeteria and the first teaching building."
Ye Huai thought for a moment. "Why there?"
Tong Yang hesitated. "I don’t know."
That was just what the future news reports had said.
"Does it matter?" she asked, puzzled.
Ye Huai lifted his gaze, his eyes darker than they’d been in daylight. "Because the third floor of the cafeteria has a corridor that connects directly to the teaching building."
Tong Yang scoffed. "So now you find my words more credible."
"Because I didn’t know about that detail."
A faint smile touched Ye Huai’s lips, but he didn’t answer directly.
"Xiao Huai, your father wants to see you in the study," the butler interrupted, bowing slightly.
Ye Huai silently picked up another chess piece, murmuring as if to himself, "…Here we go again."
His voice was so quiet Tong Yang wasn’t sure she’d heard him right.
"I’ll try to bring it up with Father." He placed the black chess piece in front of her, his sweater sleeve riding up slightly as he reached out. "Miss Tong, make yourself at home."
Tong Yang stared at the chess piece, momentarily stunned.
On Ye Huai’s wrist, she caught a glimpse of a fading scar.
It didn’t look like a cut from a blade—more like the mark of a whip.
No one came to hurry her back to her room, so Tong Yang lingered in the garden. After all, Ye Huai had told her to "make herself at home."
Watching his retreating figure, she hesitated before finally following.
Ye Huai walked down the eastern corridor, stopping at the study at the far end. After a light knock, he entered.
Tong Yang couldn’t exactly trail him inside, but noticing the thick shrubs planted behind the study, she crouched low and hid among them.
Circling to the back, she found a window slightly ajar, golden light spilling out.
She pressed close, listening.
Eavesdropping was wrong, but it was obvious Ye Huai had wanted her to see this.
Why else would he deliberately show her his injury and then tell her to "make herself at home"?
"Father, I’d like to request leave for Ye Wen tomorrow so he can continue lessons with Miss Tong," Ye Huai said calmly.
"Ye Huai, bringing an outsider into this house without permission was bad enough. Do you really think some small-town prodigy can replace elite education?"
"Father, Ye Wen actually enjoys her teaching. Please don’t belittle others—"
SMACK!
A sharp sound cut off Ye Huai’s voice.
"Ye Huai, have you grown a backbone? Talking back to me again and again! Who else do you think would waste money raising a useless cripple like you?"
Tong Yang shifted slightly, peering inside.
Ye Tianlin was berating him, finger jabbing in accusation, while Ye Huai stood motionless, his pale cheek rapidly swelling.
"Father, please let Ye Wen stay home tomorrow," Ye Huai repeated, as if nothing had happened.
"Kneel!" Ye Tianlin roared.
His anger wasn’t about the request—it was the defiance.
Ye Huai knelt without protest, far calmer than Tong Yang expected.
"Take off your coat."
This, too, seemed routine. Ye Huai removed his sweater, revealing a thin white shirt underneath.
Ye Tianlin pulled a whip as thick as a pinky finger from a drawer and brought it down hard on Ye Huai’s back.
The way he endured it—like he’d done this countless times before—made Tong Yang’s stomach twist.
She stepped back, unable to watch further. The relentless crack of the whip filled the air. Now she wondered if Ye Tianlin kept Ye Huai’s chronic illness untreated just so he’d always have a punching bag—someone to absorb his rage while he reserved all his fatherly affection for Ye Wen.
Not that Tong Yang cared about their family drama. She had no power to interfere, nor any interest in doing so. The only question nagging at her was: Why did Ye Huai want her to know?
Did he hope she’d pity him and lower her fee for saving his brother?
Too bad. Tong Yang didn’t pity him. If anything, she found his self-sacrificing act for Ye Wen utterly pointless.
"Take your medicine first," Ye Tianlin eventually panted, sounding exhausted.
Tong Yang nearly rolled her eyes. What a freak—beating someone and then forcing them to take meds. How was no one in this massive villa stopping this?
And where was Ye Wen, that little brat who’d sworn he’d talk sense into his father?
"Xiao Wen! Your father and brother are discussing something important—don’t go in!"
Just then, commotion erupted at the study’s entrance.
"Let go! I want to go in! Dad! Dad! Brother! What are you doing?" Ye Wen's frantic voice echoed outside the door.
"Put your clothes on first!" Ye Tianlin's tone grew urgent.
A moment later, the door swung open, and Ye Wen came running in with quick, light steps.
"Dad... Brother, what are you doing?"
"Nothing, just talking to your brother about Teacher Tong. Why are you awake? Didn’t you say you were tired?" Ye Tianlin’s voice softened, warm and fatherly.
"Brother, why do you look so pale? Is your heart bothering you again?" Ye Wen asked worriedly.
"I’m fine," Ye Huai replied hoarsely. "Don’t go to school tomorrow. Keep having lessons with Teacher Tong."
"Okay!" Ye Wen agreed immediately.
After all, he was just a child—unaware of his brother’s distress, easily distracted.
"Wen, do you like Teacher Tong? If you don’t feel like going to school these days, you don’t have to. Dad can find you a better tutor."
Ye Wen mumbled, "But Brother thinks Teacher Tong is good..."
"Don’t worry about your brother. If you don’t like her, we’ll replace her."
"I—I don’t dislike her!" Ye Wen said, a little embarrassed. "She’s a bit strict and scary, but the way she explains things is easier to understand than the teachers at school."
Nonsense.
Tong Yang had repeated the same sentence to him three times, yet when she asked him to read it back, he still mispronounced "promotion" as "ordinary."
"Is that so?" Ye Tianlin chuckled indulgently. "If you like her, we’ll keep Teacher Tong. No school tomorrow."
The difference in how Ye Tianlin treated his eldest and youngest son was night and day.
"Alright, let me take you back to your room. Don’t you want a bedtime story?"
"What about Brother?"
"Your brother? Let him rest here for a while."
As father and son left, the study fell into silence.
Tong Yang didn’t understand—what was the point of letting her see all this? Or had she misunderstood Ye Huai’s intentions?
How Ye Tianlin treated him had nothing to do with her. Even if he wanted to sacrifice himself for his brother, why do it like this? Revealing his hidden, tragic side to her—what good would her pity do? It wouldn’t change anything.
The study remained quiet for so long that Tong Yang wondered if Ye Tianlin had beaten him to death. She peeked through the window and saw him sitting silently on the sofa, as if waiting for something.
Confused, unable to grasp his motives, she lingered.
Time passed—how much, she couldn’t tell—before the heavy study door creaked open again.
"Dad," Ye Huai called.
This time, his voice was clear.
Tong Yang turned in surprise. Had Ye Tianlin come back?
The man walked silently to Ye Huai, his eyes glistening as he took in the swelling on his son’s face.
"Ah Huai... Did Dad hit you again?"
Ye Huai shook his head, offering a faint smile.
"It’s alright. You’re just sick."
Tong Yang stared at this version of Ye Tianlin—so different from before—and fell deep into thought.
