Chapter 7: A Dog at Heart

Chapter 7: A Dog at Heart

Chi Jue’s wariness and hostility towards Xu Huaiting were obvious to anyone paying attention.

It was no wonder he was so tense.

The young CEO straightened his clothes and sat down in a chair with an air of authority.

Looking over, he realized he had gotten too caught up in the fight, while Xu Huaiting, with his arm firmly around the little beauty’s waist, slightly raised his head, his gray eyes unreadable, making anyone’s heart skip a beat.

Elder Xu had sent Xu Huaiting to the military in his early years, where he spent a few years training and another two on the front lines. After being injured, he retired and took over the Xu Family’s business in Beijing, finally settling down over the past two years.

In his youth, he was far from the composed and refined man he is today.

As the young CEO put it, this guy’s a dog at heart.

Beware of the vicious dog—strangers, keep your distance.

Who would dare get close to him?

When Xu Huaiting, his sister, and their mother were first brought back from Sicily by his father, they faced plenty of trouble in their social circle. Some picked fights on behalf of the Xu Family’s young masters, while others simply couldn’t stand the unusual looks of him and his sister.

But they all underestimated the ferocity of Xu Huaiting and Xu Ziyi.

Their mother was gentle, having been a lady of high standing in Sicily. After her family passed away, Xu’s father took her in because of her beauty, leaving the mother and her two children in a tough spot in Sicily, relying on the protection of the two young wolves.

How could the young masters of Beijing’s elite circle possibly match someone who had survived in that kind of environment? Xu Huaiting fought like a man possessed, shutting down anyone who dared to pick a fight.

If it weren’t for Xu Huaiting’s capabilities, how could someone of mixed heritage like him have taken the helm of the Xu Family? Elder Xu wasn’t one to take such matters lightly.

Xu Huaiting’s fierce reputation was well-known, and though the Chi Family was among Beijing’s top-tier wealthy families, their momentum over the past two years still paled in comparison to the Xu Family’s dominance.

The little beauty, whom Chi Yan referred to as his younger brother, was held tightly by the head of the Xu Family, unable to run or push away, his eyes red like a rabbit’s. Could anyone blame his family for being on edge?

What was the difference between this and watching one’s pampered pet rabbit being snatched by the neck by a wolf from its den?

Chi Jue looked at Ye Man and said, "Xiao Man, get down from Mr. Xu right now."

After a moment of silence, the room suddenly filled with the sound of banging. The noise was coming from a door on the left.

Ye Man wanted to quickly get down, as Chi Yan had told him to stick with Chi Jue when he left. Not only had he wandered off on his own, but he’d also ended up in this mess, feeling guilty.

But as the sound of the door being banged on echoed, he flinched and shrank back.

Faintly, he heard someone chuckle.

With a loud "bang," Meng Yao burst out of the room he’d been locked in, his face bruised, shouting, "Chi Jue!"

Chi Jue, who had been anxiously fearing that Ye Man would get involved with Xu Huaiting, was stunned for a long time, his emotions complex as he said, "Meng Yao? What are you doing here?"

Ye Man twitched his ears, huh? Meng Yao?

He didn’t show up when he was supposed to, and now he’s here?

The system was annoyed: "He was locked in a dark room by Xu Huaiting’s men! I told you we were in the right place!"

"But Xu Huaiting is too ruthless, beating up his own nephew just to separate Chi Jue and Meng Yao? How evil."

Ye Man overheard a bit of the wealthy family gossip.

Suddenly, I realized something was off.

"Tong, is the issue with Chi Jue and Meng Yao’s relationship because of Xu Huaiting?"

The system wasn’t sure.

Though Old Man Meng had tasked Xu Huaiting with breaking up Meng Yao and Chi Jue, Xu had no plans to lecture the other party directly.

Meng Yao was about to say something, but Xu Huaiting waved him off and dragged him back into the dark room.

Chi Jue paled, about to speak.

The man smiled at Chi Jue, who had shielded Ye Man, and said, "An uncle disciplining his nephew—you don’t have a problem with that, do you, Mr. Chi?"

Chi Jue’s expression tightened. "...No."

After apprehending the person tailing Xu Huaiting with malicious intent, Secretary Chen quickly questioned Ye Man about what happened and then allowed Chi Jue to take him away.

After this, even if they found Meng Yao, Ye Man couldn’t go on with his mission.

The system insisted the plot had to make sense.

If he barged over and plopped onto Meng Yao’s lap now, Chi Jue wouldn’t get jealous—he’d just think Ye Man had lost his mind.

As they headed downstairs, Ye Man passed by a spot and heard the sickening sound of someone being beaten.

"You’re the one who spiked Mr. Xu’s drink, right?"

"You’re asking for it."

Bang!

Someone screamed hoarsely, "Yeah, I embezzled company money for loans, but I told you, give me time, and I’d pay it back ten or twenty times over! You don’t have to be this brutal!"

"Xu Huaiting! You—!"

Secretary Chen descended the stairs and coolly instructed, "Gag him. Mr. Xu can’t stand the noise."

Ye Man ducked his head, tuning out the noise.

The system tutted, "You can’t see it, but Xu Huaiting’s brutal."

Ye Man thought, "He had it coming."

The system paused, surprised.

Ye Man shot back, "Where do you think that ten or twenty times the money he’s talking about comes from?"

"It’s wrung out of people like me."

"It’s a debt that’s impossible to pay off, no matter how hard you work—even if you slave away your whole life."

"If the Chi Family hadn’t come for him, he’d have been at his breaking point."

"Even though he knew staying with the Chi Family would eventually make him universally hated—and might even cost him his life—Ye Man never considered leaving."

"The system warned that the plot’s momentum was deadly, but Ye Man didn’t feel it. What he did know was that without money, he’d die for sure."

"If he couldn’t get the Chi Family’s money, he’d at least have to take what the system was offering."

But now, the mission had failed for the second time.

The system had also caught him lying and would no longer trust him or cut him any slack. Ye Man began to feel a pang of anxiety.

The system hesitated, "Ye Man..."

Ye Man rubbed his eyes, pressing them firmly, and muttered softly, "Hmm?"

The system paused, then said, "...Never mind."

Riding a horse was no longer an option.

Chi Jue yanked Ye Man away from Xu Huaiting, shoved him into the car without a word, and sped back to the Chi Family like his life was on the line.

Evening.

Ye Man sat between them as Chi Yanrong and Qin Fangrui gazed at their newly acknowledged youngest son, their faces filled with concern.

After Chi Jue filled him in on what happened between Xu Huaiting and Ye Man, Chi Yanrong hesitated, saying, "It’s probably just a misunderstanding, right?"

What kind of guy is Xu Huaiting? He’s not like Meng Yao—he wouldn’t have any interest in Ye Man.

As they talked, Ye Man accepted the hot soup from Auntie Zhou to warm up and thanked her politely.

Qin Fangrui, sitting nearby, noticed a bit of soup on his lips and instinctively grabbed a tissue to wipe it away.

Ye Man froze for a second, then murmured softly, almost awkwardly, "Thank you, Mom."

After a moment, Qin Fangrui felt a warm, gentle weight leaning into her side, like a small animal nestling close.

The person beside her was unaware that she had already noticed his furtive actions. He kept his head down, sipping the soup quietly.

Qin Fangrui's heart instantly softened.

She wasn’t quite sure how to connect with her new son.

As a mother, she had it all figured out—she needed to be fair to everyone and not cause any trouble that would make others laugh.

She had already raised two sons, both of whom turned out fine, so she thought she could handle this one the same way.

But when she actually met Ye Man, she realized that some things weren’t so simple.

Should she break down sobbing, "My son!"? She couldn’t muster that kind of warmth for a stranger, especially since she didn’t know her son had been switched. Chi Jue was exceptional and had always been her pride and joy, and over the years, she hadn’t lacked the joys of motherhood. Besides, even if Chi Jue wasn’t her biological son, there was still Chi Yan, who was her real son, which made Ye Man’s presence feel a bit awkward.

Between Chi Jue and Ye Man, she naturally felt closer to Chi Jue, while being more polite and distant with Ye Man.

She noticed Ye Man was making an effort to bond with her and win her over, and she knew that her behavior might hurt his feelings, but she found it difficult to control.

She made excuses to stay at work for a few days to avoid the situation and then went on a business trip without returning home.

After she came back, Ye Man appeared in front of her less often.

She thought the kid had taken a dislike to her.

But Ye Man was a good kid, much more sensible than she had imagined.

Chi Yan, who had hurried back, settled the matter: "In the future, try to avoid any occasions where Xu Huaiting might appear." He then looked at Chi Jue: "You should also reduce your interactions with Meng Yao."

Chi Jue's eyes darkened: "I understand, big brother."

Qin Fangrui spoke up: "At Xiao Man's age, he should be studying. Does he have any aspirations for the future?"

As long as he doesn't actively seek out Xu Huaiting and stays busy, naturally, he won't run into him. To put it bluntly, someone like Xu Huaiting wouldn't bother with someone like him. It's impossible.

This question left Ye Man stumped.

Chi Yan has been raised to be the heir since he was a kid and is set to take over the Chi Family. Chi Jue, young and talented, skipped two grades and hasn't even graduated yet, but his company has already made waves in the drone industry. He has been outstanding since he was young, and with his looks and abilities, he has mingled with the elite circle, becoming the apple of everyone's eye.

And Ye Man?

If he had to answer, it would be to make money.

If he could make money, pay off his debts, and live a peaceful life, he would do anything.

As for anything beyond that, he hasn't thought about it. Nor does he feel he has the right to.

The Chi Family probably wouldn't be too keen on such a down-to-earth and money-focused answer. Saying it would make people look down on him.

Ye Man stirred his soup with a spoon, racking his brain for a clever response.

His horizons, the things he's been exposed to, are pretty limited.

Cashier, waiter, cleaner... even setting up a small stall to sell pancakes and hand-pulled cakes feels like a pipe dream to him.

He stammered for a while, unable to come up with any respectable job that would wow anyone, his face turning redder by the second.

"Brother Tong, can you give me an answer? I promise I'll work my butt off to get the tasks done next time, and I definitely won't mess up again!"

The system wanted to say it didn't need his promise; it could just tell him, no strings attached.

This made it wonder if it had been too hard on Ye Man, making him walk on eggshells.

"Ye Man, actually, you can say you don't know."

The system spoke with rare sincerity: "Not knowing isn't a crime. No one's gonna hold it against you if you don't have your future all figured out."

"I said so."