Zhao Xin hesitated for three seconds before saying, “Cousin, you look more like a villain this way.”
“Heh heh.” Xiao Qitang chuckled twice, his face full of mystery.
He said nothing more.
What he was really thinking was that since Ye Yunche had a chance, so did he.
At first, he had been trying to figure out how to drive a wedge between Ye Yunjin and Liuyue—ideally, he could get their families’ engagement called off.
But Xiao Qitang had plenty of malicious intentions and no good ideas. No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn’t come up with a decent scheme.
As the saying went, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
…
Daqi Mountain, Racing Club.
“Brother Che, someone’s looking for you outside.”
“Okay.”
Ye Yunche was standing in front of a mirror, examining the injuries on his face.
Whenever anyone asked what had happened, he gave the same answer: He’d accidentally crashed while racing.
To make the story more convincing, he had been hiding out at the club for the past two days.
As for his big brother, Ye Yunjin…
He was clearly a little smarter.
His official version was that he had joined a boxing club. The marks on his face weren’t injuries—they were badges of honor.
Ye Yunche: “…”
As the saying went, the older, the wiser.
Even if the difference was only ten minutes.
Ye Yunche was wondering who could be looking for him when he reached the club entrance. He opened the glass door and poked his head out.
He immediately found himself face-to-face with Xiao Qitang’s narrow, fox-like eyes, which held a hint of amusement.
Ye Yunche instantly moved to close the door. “What are you doing here? Are we even that familiar?”
Xiao Qitang quickly stepped forward and blocked the door.
“Wait. I’m here to tell you some good news.”
“What good news?” Ye Yunche asked suspiciously.
Xiao Qitang began by asking, “Has your brother accepted you yet?”
At the mention of this, Ye Yunche ground his teeth.
Liuyue had clearly agreed to let him stay by her side, but Ye Yunjin was acting like some overbearing husband, refusing to give in no matter what.
He had even said that Liuyue was a good woman and that occasionally spacing out was perfectly normal.
Liuyue wasn’t the one at fault. The one at fault was his scheming fox of a little brother, who had plotted everything so carefully.
So he should just forget about what had happened that night.
And what happened in the end?
Ye Yunjin and Ye Yunche got into another fight.
No one stopped them.
Ye Yunche won, and he had been thrilled, ready to gloat.
But the moment he turned around, Ye Yunjin had embellished the whole story and told Liuyue that he had been incredibly tolerant of his little brother, only for Yunche to remain resentful and beat him again after they got home.
When Ye Yunche tried to contact Liuyue, he discovered that she had taken his brother’s side too.
That was when he realized he had fallen into his big brother’s trap again.
Ye Yunche regretted everything!
Seeing his sour expression, Xiao Qitang knew that the matter still hadn’t been resolved.
“He hasn’t accepted you, has he?”
Ye Yunche gritted his teeth. “So what? As long as Liuyue stays with my brother, I’ll have plenty of opportunities. If it doesn’t work now, I’ll wait a year, two years, even ten.”
“As for you…” He gave Xiao Qitang a disdainful look. “What good is an ex-boyfriend who can only write songs?”
Xiao Qitang wasn’t angry in the slightest. He continued smiling.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right.”
This time, it was Ye Yunche’s turn to look suspicious.
What was going on? When had Xiao Qitang become so good-tempered?
He had deliberately mocked him, yet Xiao Qitang hadn’t even gotten angry.
Xiao Qitang continued coaxing him. “Actually, you don’t need to be so hostile toward me. I heard what you said in the parking lot last time.”
“I think it made a lot of sense. You’re not trying to break them up—you just want to join them.”
“But your brother seems rather narrow-minded and refuses to let you join.” He paused deliberately, keeping them in suspense before continuing, “If it were me… things would be different.”
“Stop with the nonsense and get to the point,” Ye Yunche urged.
Xiao Qitang said, “I like Liuyue. Even if she has someone else by her side, I can accept that.”
Ye Yunche looked skeptical.
Xiao Qitang continued, “Really. Besides, you and your brother look exactly alike, which makes you direct competitors. But if you and I join forces, we might actually have a chance.”
Ye Yunche: “…”
“I’m not your enemy. I’m here to help us join this family.”
He emphasized the word “us.”
Ye Yunche let out a cold snort. He understood now.
It sounded nice to say that Xiao Qitang had come to help him, but in reality, Xiao Qitang was afraid that the two brothers would guard against him so closely that he wouldn’t have any chance of getting in.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” he asked cautiously.
Xiao Qitang pointed at himself. “Who do you think is smarter—Ye Yunjin or me?”
“Of course my brother,” Ye Yunche replied coldly.
Xiao Qitang nodded, his tone light. “Exactly. You can’t beat your brother when the two of you go head-to-head. If I were involved, you might actually win. So which opponent would you choose?”
Ye Yunche fell into thought.
“That does make some sense.”
“So how are you planning to help us?”
A gleam lit up Xiao Qitang’s eyes.
His plan had worked.
He suppressed his excitement and said calmly, “When I go looking for Liuyue, find a way to get your brother out of the way.”
The moment Ye Yunche heard this, he pretended to close the door again.
“Wait!” Xiao Qitang hurriedly grabbed the doorknob. “If Liuyue accepts me, wouldn’t that prove she doesn’t love your brother that much? Then you’ll have a real chance too.”
Ye Yunche paused, then nodded. “That makes sense. So what are you planning to do?”
Xiao Qitang beckoned him closer. The two leaned their heads together and began whispering over their scheme.
…
Just when Xiao Qitang thought everything was going smoothly, Ye Yunche went home that evening and immediately sold him out.
Ye Yunche sat in the swivel chair in the study, propping his chin on one hand.
He tapped the desk with the pen in his hand. “That’s what Xiao Qitang said?”
Ye Yunche nodded with an innocent, guileless expression.
“Yep, yep.”
Ye Yunjin eyed him suspiciously. “Then why did you tell me?”
As he spoke, the muscles in his face twitched slightly. The bruise from the punch Ye Yunche had given him still hadn’t faded.
Ye Yunche answered sincerely, “We’re twins and biological brothers. How could we let an outsider scheme against us? Right, bro?”
Ye Yunjin lowered his guard a little.
Although they had fallen for the same girl, they were still biological brothers. Yunche shouldn’t lie to him.
“I’ll be on guard against Xiao Qitang, but…” Ye Yunjin paused, then said bluntly, “Yunche, I still can’t accept you. Love is selfish. If our positions were reversed and Liuyue were your fiancée, would you really be willing to give her to me?”
Ye Yunche wore a bright, smiling expression as he replied, “Of course I would.”
Inside, however, he snorted.
He wanted Liuyue all to himself too.
Give her up? In your dreams!
