Chapter 13: Is This How You Treat People?

Chapter 13: Is This How You Treat People?

Ye Man’s chest, which had been puffed up, deflated again, and the clouds above his head seemed ready to burst into a downpour.

Xu Huaiting glanced down at him: "You don’t know how to do it?"

Ye Man widened his eyes and responded loudly: "I do!"

Even if an employer asked him during an interview if he knew how to take care of a baby, he’d confidently say yes!

Xu Huaiting: "Then show me. Treat me the way you usually treat Chi Jue."

Ye Man’s initial momentum weakened again. He hesitated and said, "Let’s agree first—no matter what I do, you won’t get mad."

Xu Huaiting: "I won’t get angry."

Secretary Chen watched Ye Man hesitate and struggle, finally mustered his courage, lifted his chin, and said to his boss: "My stomach hurts. Come and rub it for me."

Xu Huaiting: "..."

Secretary Chen adjusted his glasses, his boss’s silence deafening.

No, no, this must be just the beginning. Secretary Chen frantically tried to convince himself that this was just Ye Man’s tactic. There had to be some deeper meaning he’d missed, and there were surely more tricks up his sleeve!

His boss probably thought the same.

As Ye Man started to feel anxious, wondering if he’d gone too far and angered the big shot, Xu Huaiting stepped forward, standing in front of Ye Man.

From afar, it was manageable, but as he got closer, the aura and pressure from his long-held position of power and wealth made one instinctively want to retreat. A gaze as sharp as a predator’s lingered on Ye Man, as if deciding where to pounce, leaving him feeling even more vulnerable.

Xu Huaiting stood in front of him, blocking most of the light in the room. Ye Man was swallowed by a small, dark shadow. Even though Xu Huaiting hadn’t done anything, he felt trapped in an invisible cage, stiff and not daring to move. When Xu Huaiting reached out, Ye Man flinched in fear.

"What are you doing?" Ye Man asked in a small voice.

Xu Huaiting’s hand paused mid-air, looking at Ye Man’s increasingly lowered head. "Didn’t you say your stomach hurts and asked me to rub it?"

"I did say that..."

But he hadn’t expected the feared big shot to actually listen to him.

The man in front of him leaned down, and a faint scent of tobacco wafted over. Ye Man instinctively leaned back as the other approached, and soon, he was trembling and curled up in the sofa.

If it weren’t for the sofa back behind him, he would probably have shrunk into a corner by now.

Xu Huaiting could sense his fear.

As he approached, Ye Man shrank like a small animal, scared but not knowing how to run, his eyes moist, exposing his soft belly to the predator at the top of the food chain, allowing the other to bully and wreak havoc, as if this would soften the heart of the cruel predator.

He remembered he hadn’t laid a hand on him before, right? Xu Huaiting recalled their previous meetings—he had always been quite civilized.

So why was he afraid of him?

In the end, a thick, hot hand covered the belly of this seemingly fierce but actually timid kitten through a layer of clothing.

There wasn’t much flesh, just a handful of bones.

Xu Huaiting was tall and had a large frame, everything about him was a few sizes larger than average, including his hands. When he spread his hand, it almost covered Ye Man’s entire stomach.

He had a habit of regular exercise and fitness, and his body temperature was naturally higher than average. Ye Man, on the other hand, had grown up with irregular meals and frequent beatings, resulting in poor physical health and a naturally low body temperature. Now, with Xu Huaiting’s hand covering his stomach through his clothes, he was even scalded enough to shiver.

He wanted to hide but had nowhere to go. He wanted to ask if Xu Huaiting was angry and about to hit him, but he didn’t dare.

"Does it hurt here?" Xu Huaiting asked, pressing lightly. Ye Man flinched violently, clutching his shoulders, tensing his upper body, and trying to curl up.

It was a subconscious protective reflex from being hit.

Xu Huaiting paused briefly while pressing to locate the injury.

Once Ye Man realized it was just a light press with no further moves, he hesitantly and cautiously began to relax his tense body.

He was skilled at reading people’s expressions, aiming to please by understanding others’ preferences, avoiding saying things they disliked, and steering clear of actions that might annoy them.

But now, unable to see, he couldn’t gauge others’ expressions to guide his actions. He could only rely on his instincts to guess, which left him feeling even more uncertain.

He couldn’t tell what answer Xu Huaiting was expecting or guess what he was going to do. Afraid of saying the wrong thing, he hesitated.

What did he mean? Should he say it hurt or not?

Xu Huaiting didn’t rush him, carefully controlling his strength as he skillfully pressed and rotated on Ye Man’s belly, the body beneath his palm gradually relaxing.

After a moment, a soft voice whispered in his ear: "It hurts," Ye Man murmured.

Xu Huaiting paused again.

Ye Man quickly corrected himself: "No, it doesn’t hurt anymore," he said quickly.

At this, Xu Huaiting pressed harder, and Ye Man shivered, whimpering as he frowned.

Xu Huaiting raised an eyebrow. "Doesn’t hurt?"

Ye Man looked away.

What’s the point? Xu Huaiting could see through his act—why did he have to call him out?

He grumbled inwardly, full of complaints. He’d even thought Xu Huaiting was a good person before.

He wanted to revoke that 'good person' label.

Ye Man seriously asked the system: "Brother Tong, is Xu Huaiting really not the villain boss in our book?"

"In your group pet and everyone's favorite novel, where is there such a thing? You are already the most sinister, the worst, the most scolded one in the whole book!"

While everyone was fighting for the attention of the beloved protagonist, only Ye Man, the malicious cannon fodder, was seriously focusing on his career, diligently and tirelessly causing trouble for the protagonist. Every appearance of his angered readers to the point of heart attacks, prompting them to write ten-thousand-word essays cursing him!

Hearing from the system that many people were cursing him, Ye Man’s fingers uncomfortably pinched the sofa: "Are there still many people cursing me in places I don’t know about?"

"Not that many now..."

Ye Man’s fingers pinching the sofa tightened even more.

Noticing his small action, the system fell silent, just about to comfort him, when a flash of hidden shame quickly passed over Ye Man’s face.

He gritted his teeth with unwilling hatred: "Is it because I always fail in my tasks, they look down on me and don’t curse me? Just wait, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west, I will definitely succeed next time!"

System: "...No, you don’t need to compare in this aspect..."

The script said that Ye Man, the malicious cannon fodder, was internally insecure and sensitive, competitive... but he didn’t need to use his competitiveness in this way!

"Then no one curses Xu Huaiting? Isn’t he also breaking up the protagonist couple?"

"Unfortunately, Host, because you dared to target his nephew Meng Yao, you ended up with a broken leg, sent to a psychiatric hospital, and even died from a fall in the end. The series of punishments you suffered are suspected to have been orchestrated by Xu Huaiting. Although the script doesn't explicitly state this, it subtly hints that he received widespread acclaim and successfully redeemed himself by punishing you."

Ye Man: "..."

Why didn't you say so earlier!

The man who was diligently rubbing his belly noticed that the person who had just slightly relaxed his guard instantly became guarded again, even more so than before.

The young man pressed his hand, carefully attempting to lift it slightly, ignoring his own cast, and clumsily rolled out from under his grasp, scurrying to the opposite end of the couch.

"Mr. Xu, have I met the standard?"

Xu Huaiting straightened up, put his hands back in his pockets, and asked without much emotion, "Is this how you usually mistreat Chi Jue?"

Ye Man nodded seriously and solemnly, "Yes."

Bossing others around to do things for him, isn't that bullying?

Secretary Chen, who had been watching the whole scene, inhaled sharply.

Yes? He actually admitted it!

Is that it?

Is that—?

Secretary Chen looked at Xu Huaiting, on the verge of speaking but holding back, "Sir, I think Young Master Chi..." He's hardly up to the task of separating Meng Yao and Chi Jue!

Xu Huaiting shot him a glance, and Secretary Chen shut his mouth.

Xu Huaiting gazed down at the youth bargaining with him, his eyes thoughtful, "Your proposal, I'm willing to accept it, and after it's done, I'll give you an opportunity to ask a favor of me."

Secretary Chen drew a sharp breath, looking at Xu Huaiting in disbelief.

Xu Huaiting didn't look at him, his gaze still fixed on Ye Man, "Any request is possible. If you want the Chi Family estate, you will be the legitimate heir to the Chi Family. Even if you want shares in the Xu Family's group..."

"As long as it's not too excessive, I can fulfill it."

Holding shares in the Xu Family, even a fraction, would be a vast fortune that would enable Ye Man to live in ease indefinitely. But more than that, it's a signal, a proclamation to all about who backs this individual, something many people could only dream of.

Secretary Chen couldn't help but sigh in his heart, the boss really went all out for Meng Yao.

Seeing Ye Man's lack of reaction, Secretary Chen quietly gave him a look.

Isn't he jealous of Chi Jue and wants to leave him with nothing? Achieving that on his own would probably require reincarnation, but for Xu Huaiting, it's as simple as lifting a finger. The opportunity is right there, why not grab it and hold on tight?

Halfway through, he remembered that Ye Man is actually blind and can't see.

Perhaps realizing that the offer was too high for Ye Man to understand, Xu Huaiting thought for a moment, then took out a velvet box from his pocket.

"Do you like the gemstone brooch Meng Yao gave to Chi Jue?"

The box landed heavily in Ye Man's palm.

Xu Huaiting casually said, "Royal blue, fifty carats, consider it a down payment."

Ye Man didn't understand any of this until the system, which usually treats money like dirt, gasped and told him, "Eight figures—down payment?!"

Eight figures, a number so large that Ye Man would need to count on his fingers to comprehend.

Even Meng Yao wouldn’t casually give such an expensive item to someone he had only met a few times.

Although he lavishly gifted a precious gem, it was for his beloved, to make his lover happy, unlike Xu Huaiting who played the sucker.

Ye Man stared blankly upward, clutching the eight-digit sum, utterly bewildered.

Xu Huaiting finally got to see the shocked expression on this little liar's face.

He stopped in front of him, "Hand over your phone."

Ye Man quickly handed over his phone, terrified that a single second’s hesitation might cost him the eight-digit sum.

Xu Huaiting typed in a series of numbers and tossed the phone back.

"Next time you plan to..." Xu Huaiting paused subtly, "bully someone, run it by me first."

"And, go home and think hard about what you’ll ask me for later."