Chapter 26: The Spoiled Ye Man

Chapter 26: The Spoiled Ye Man

As expected, not long after the plane took off, Ye Man, who had almost glued his nose to the cabin window, slumped back into his seat, uninterested.

This was his first time on a plane.

He would never enjoy flying again.

It was utterly dull.

The harsh, blinding glare hurt his eyes and gave him a headache, like a needle stabbing from his eye into his brain, making him feel nauseous.

Ye Man curled up in his seat, grimacing in discomfort.

The first-class seat offered ample space and privacy. Sinking into it, he felt completely enveloped, the cocoon-like design giving him a feeling of lying in a cradle. This was probably the only thing Ye Man liked about the plane—the sense of being wrapped up made him feel comfortable.

He pulled the blanket over himself, and the deafening roar and vibrations became less uncomfortable, making him wish he could just lie there forever.

"It's all Chi Jue's fault. He's the biggest jerk in the world," he muttered darkly in his heart.

The system exhaled in relief: "Yes, yes, it's all Chi Jue's fault. He's just too bad!"

Without bothering to figure out who was to blame, Ye Man, feeling grumpy and irrational, randomly decided to blame Chi Jue.

The system, of course, mindlessly agreed!

In moments like these, even if Ye Man berated it, the system would just say, "Yes, yes, it's all my fault!"

As long as this little liar didn't put on that world-weary face and stayed quiet, the system felt suffocated.

Ye Man, pleased with the agreement, enjoyed having someone to gossip with behind others' backs.

After a chuckle, his eyelashes gently rested on his eyelids, casting a thick shadow.

The system, unsure how to comfort him, attempted to divert his attention: "Host, the two assistants sitting behind you are secretly watching you. This is a great chance to rack up some cannon fodder points."

The gossip surrounding wealthy families always piqued the public's endless curiosity, especially in the sensational case of the Chi Family.

From the moment the news leaked, it ignited a frenzy of online discussion. Along with Chi Jue's frequent appearances at tech product launches with his company, the drones his company produced were a hit with the younger crowd.

A wealthy second-generation heir, good-looking, with a charming personality and impressive skills, and rumored to have a connection with the reclusive, legendary prince of the Beijing circle, he was like a walking powerhouse, naturally generating massive buzz and attention.

His family had also provided a professional team to manage his accounts, so Chi Jue had quite a few fans.

Ye Man knew this too, and it would later become a contrast between him and Chi Jue.

Whatever Chi Jue had, Ye Man wanted too. Ye Man also wanted to use his identity as the young master of the Chi Family to gain more people's favor, often playing the victim online and subtly criticizing Chi Jue, but eventually, sharp-eyed netizens saw through his tea-scented true colors.

Later, Chi Jue's assistant, unable to stand by and watch him being bullied, would step forward to testify for Chi Jue.

In the plot, Ye Man's assistant, Xiao Wu, was a villain who colluded with him.

If the system hadn't reminded him, Ye Man would have almost forgotten about this.

He had been looking forward to seeing the sky after takeoff, completely forgetting about his assistant.

His eyes had gone bad too recently, and he wasn't completely blind yet. Having been a healthy person for over a decade, his mind couldn't quite adjust, always thinking he could still see as before.

Hearing the system mention this, Ye Man opened his eyes, his spirits immediately lifting.

He was about to gain a bootlicking little brother who would mindlessly flatter him by his side!

"Chi Jue is next to you, and we're up in the sky. He's strapped in by the seatbelt, so you can bully him as much as you want. He can't do anything about it."

The system softened its voice to comfort him: "...If you feel upset, just vent it out. Don't keep it bottled up."

"Brother Tong, you're so kind."

But how could Ye Man pick on Chi Jue while in the air?

During the cabin safety demonstration by the crew, Ye Man was the most focused passenger on the plane. With Chi Jue's help, he followed every step: fastening the seatbelt, locating the life vest, noting where the oxygen masks would drop, asking Chi Jue to point out the location of the emergency exits, what to do and what not to do, and how to handle emergencies...

He was so thorough that he even silently repeated the instructions to himself, feeling like he could conduct the demonstration himself next time. This caught the attention of the flight attendant in charge, who kept sneaking looks at him.

Among the passengers who were either glued to their phones, sleeping, or zoned out, Ye Man's earnest and studious face stood out conspicuously.

Ye Man adjusted his seatbelt.

The crew had just reminded everyone that during the flight, the seatbelt should remain fastened at all times unless absolutely necessary. Bullying Chi Jue didn't seem to count as 'necessary.'

If he were to act up, would it inconvenience the other passengers?

...

Xiao Wu, the assistant sitting in the back row, was keeping an eye on him.

Chi Jue's personal assistant had been by his side for several years. Ye Man's personal assistant, Xiao Wu, had been handpicked by the family just a couple of days ago.

When Xiao Wu learned that he was to be the personal assistant to the newly acknowledged true young master of the Chi Family, he freaked out.

Being a personal assistant to a wealthy second-generation heir was actually a highly sought-after position, as generous families often paid well, and most of the young masters were easy to get along with.

However, this young master of the Chi Family had only been acknowledged this year, and his first official trip involved accompanying both the true and false young masters of the Chi Family to a conference!

When this news broke, the company was buzzing.

Before being assigned to Ye Man, Xiao Wu had been mentored by Chi Yan's assistant, originally being groomed as a special assistant to the CEO. Suddenly, he was informed he would be transferred to serve as Ye Man's assistant, with his salary tripled.

He was already well-versed in the duties of a special assistant and handled them with ease. The problem was the dramatic and complicated dynamics of the Chi Family.

Before boarding the plane, the company's work group chat was blowing up with messages.

Everyone was speculating whether the Chi Family's arrangement was a subtle message to the newly acknowledged biological son to behave, or an attempt to squeeze the last bit of value out of Chi Jue, the adopted son, and use him as a stepping stone for the true son. After all, there were rumors that the Meng Family was considering canceling their engagement with the Chi Family.

Before coming, Xiao Wu had prepared himself for a trip fraught with drama, intense family rivalries, and the underlying tension between the two awkwardly positioned young masters.

He felt a bit overwhelmed.

It's often said that when gods fight, the little guys get crushed.

If he didn't handle this well, he could easily imagine his own fate. Regardless of how the two young masters competed, they would ultimately be fine, but he wouldn't be so lucky. He could easily become the scapegoat.

He couldn't afford to lose this job; it was too important to him.

In such a situation, wavering between sides wouldn't do him any good. He might as well take a firm stance, gamble everything, and choose a side.

Either sell out the young master he was serving and pledge loyalty to Chi Jue, who had been raised by the Chi Family and was known for his shrewdness, or take advantage of the young master's recent return, shallow roots, and lack of trusted allies to become his most relied-upon senior advisor.

All of Xiao Wu's plans fell apart the moment he saw the young master in person.

Xiao Wu looked at the group chat that was still buzzing with messages, then at the young master in front of him, who was seriously holding out his hand to the security officer standing nearby.

He said flatly, "Third Young Master, I'm here. I'm your assistant."

The Third Young Master blinked his eyes, let out a soft 'ah,' and gave him a sweet smile, "I'm sorry, I’m blind. I didn't mean to mistake you for someone else. I’ll need your help from now on. You can call me Xiao Man."

Xiao Wu was a bit nervous, "No worries, Third... I mean, Xiao Man."

Even though he had been briefed on some situations and received quick training before coming, he was still so nervous that his palms were sweating when it was time to step up.

On the plane, everyone thought the two who didn’t get along would clash. One was taking a pineapple bun from the flight attendant, trying to get the other to eat something, while the other turned his head away, purposely ignoring him.

Ye Man: "It’s bland, I won't eat it." He had just taken a bite of the chicken cold noodles, which were completely flavorless, like chewing cardboard.

Throwing it away would be too wasteful, and he felt bad about it, so he playfully made Chi Jue eat it.

He even deliberately used a fork to feed it to Chi Jue's mouth, saying, "You won’t say no, right? I'm also worried about you," and "My arm’s getting sore," to shut him up.

Chi Jue watched him go from listless to animated and couldn't help but laugh.

He ate the noodles Ye Man refused and then ordered a pineapple bun.

Chi Jue: "You didn't eat much this morning. Eat a little something, or your stomach will hurt. When we get there, I'll take you to eat something delicious."

He dangled the pineapple bun in front of Ye Man, who sniffed and hesitated.

He couldn’t unbuckle his seatbelt, and even if he did, what could he do? Would he have Chi Jue run around the cabin?

Better not. The plane was in the air, and he didn't dare make any big movements, let alone let Chi Jue move around.

"Then you feed me," he finally said after thinking for a while.

Enjoying the protagonist's service, Ye Man asked, "Brother Tong, has Xiao Wu been impressed by my commanding presence?"

System: "...Yes."

The two assistants behind them secretly watched the whole scene, exchanging glances, with a lot to say in the company group chat, unable to wait until they got off the plane.

Ye Man happily took a bite of the tasteless pineapple bun.

Even a minor villain needs henchmen!

The system, seeing him like this, remembered what he had said earlier and couldn't help but speak up, "Ye Man, didn’t you say you knew how to mess with people?"

"I’ve got plenty of tricks," Ye Man defended himself, afraid the system would think he was useless and abandon him for someone else.

"Like what?"

"Splashing paint on someone’s door?"

"..."

"Banging on their door at midnight?"

"..."

"Bombarding them with harassing calls, and..." Ye Man thought for a moment, "If it's really cold, I could lock them outside and tell them they can't come in if they don't behave. It's cold and dark, they'd definitely cry, and..."

Ye Man ticked off on his fingers.

Finally, he said with a serious tone: "I can't just splash paint on the Chi Family's front door, nor can I bang on Chi Jue's door in the middle of the night, right? That would land me in the loony bin in no time, Brother Tong."

He didn’t have much wiggle room.

Ye Man: "If I get the chance, I’ll really show what I’m made of... I have great potential... Believe me, I can do well..."

He was diligent and thorough, never slacking off, and could accomplish anything well.

Ye Man drifted off to sleep as he talked.

He missed the system’s applause.

...

Ye Man stumbled after Chi Jue to the hotel, still groggy from the flight.

Once they settled in, Chi Jue knocked on Ye Man’s door.

"Xiao Man, there's a charity auction in Zhonghai tonight. If you’re up for it, let’s grab a bite and head over together," Chi Jue placed a card in his hand and smiled, "Here’s big brother’s spare card—no limits tonight, so go wild."

This wasn’t part of the plan.

"Brother Tong...?" The system’s henchman wasn’t sure if he should tag along, as he was here specifically to follow the plot, with official duties.

System: "Off the clock. Call back during business hours."

Ye Man tried to hold it in, but a smirk crept onto his face.

"Really?"

Chi Jue smoothed down his messy hair: "Really."

Ye Man let out a quiet cheer, starting to count what he wanted to buy.

Chi Jue had given him a watch, the big shot had gifted him pricey gems and even painted him something, Auntie Zhou had whipped up some cookies for him, Auntie Li had taken him out for braised pork rice, Xiao Wu was his right-hand man, and big brother was the financier who couldn’t be left out...

He had a ton of gifts to pick up!

...

Airport.

A private jet touched down.

Inside the Cullinan, Secretary Chen hung up the phone and turned to the back seat to report: "The Chi brothers are planning to hit up the auction in Longde tonight."

Secretary Chen ventured, "Should we..."

Xu Huaiting opened his eyes, "Did I ask?"

Secretary Chen turned back, ready to drop it.

Then came the voice from behind: "To Longde."

Secretary Chen: "...Okay."

Xu Huaiting opened his phone, which displayed a message received not long ago.

Ye Man: "To finish the task Mr. Xu assigned, I flew to Zhonghai, but my tongue got messed up. It’s such a big work-related injury."

"Pfft."

Who ever heard of someone messing up their tongue on a flight? Can his tongue even be detached and used as a cushion?

Xu Huaiting tapped his fingers: "Send me a pic."

Halfway through the drive, a slightly blurry photo came through.

In the dim light, the young man stuck out a bit of his bright red tongue. He tried to sneak a selfie but couldn’t get the angle right, so it came out all blurry.

Ye Man: "See, it’s really messed up. I couldn’t taste anything for hours. It’s so sad."

Xu Huaiting didn’t reply.

After some thought, he changed the sender’s name from "Ye Man" to "Micio."

He felt better.