Chapter 35: To Monopolize All His Rabbits

Chapter 35: To Monopolize All His Rabbits

After waiting in silence for a response, Ye Man assumed the other person disliked the gift and didn’t want to accept it, his cheeks growing even hotter.

His fingers curled slightly. "If you don’t like it, then..." forget it.

He doesn’t appreciate quality.

Ye Man silently complained about the big shot in his mind.

He doesn’t value his paper rabbit, but many others do, like the convenience store colleague he once met, the office lady who came to buy midnight snacks, the hotel lobby manager, and the security guard—they all loved his rabbits, praising them and expressing joy. If he doesn’t want it, he’ll just offer it to others on the ship later; surely someone would take it.

As for the big shot, he’ll have to choose something more suitable later, like a luxury watch, a designer belt, or something equally upscale.

Ye Man was on the verge of reclaiming the rabbit he had given.

A hand swiftly snatched the origami rabbit from his grasp, as if afraid he would take it back.

"Offering something and then trying to take it back?"

"You don’t like it..."

"When did I say I didn’t like it?"

Ye Man awkwardly said, "This isn’t valuable... just hand it back to me, and I’ll get you a more valuable thank-you gift later."

He reached out, trying to retrieve the paper rabbit.

Xu Huaiting dodged.

"Not returning it."

"I like it." He picked up the wallet on the table and placed the paper rabbit inside. "What I like is priceless; I want this, not for any amount of gold."

His calm tone was resolute, leaving no room for argument.

After tucking the rabbit away, he turned to see Ye Man lost in thought.

Seeing him like this, his fingers itched slightly.

"What are you thinking about?" Xu Huaiting asked.

Prompted, Ye Man murmured, "If someone offers a fortune for it, just let them have it."

After all, such a fool is too rare to come across. How many can one meet in a lifetime? If a top-tier VVVIP customer likes it, then just give it up; after all, they’re paying, so what?

"I can make you a new one; I can make as many as you want," he said seriously.

Ye Man yelped in surprise, clutching his cheek where it had been pinched. "What are you doing?"

Xu Huaiting lowered his eyes. "I’m keeping it, and you can’t give any to others."

Ye Man was full of question marks.

Who acts so unreasonably?

He folded one paper rabbit for him, and now he wants to claim all of them?

Is he some kind of tyrant?

*“Micio Mio.”*

“Meow... what?”

What did he mean by “meow”?

Was he mocking him for being uneducated, assuming he wouldn’t get it?

Xu Huaiting didn’t bother to explain. He casually pulled a card from his wallet and placed it in Ye Man’s hand: “Two million a year—from now on, every rabbit you fold is mine.”

Ye Man’s anger instantly dissipated: “Yes, boss.”

Well, looks like the big spender’s here.

…

Early that morning, Secretary Chen got a call, instructing him to grab a set of clothes from Ye Man’s room and deliver them to Xu Huaiting’s room.

The boss’s voice on the phone was tired and raspy.

Their boss was the kind of guy who could conquer mountains and seas, a man who had spent so much time in the military, who could stay awake for three nights during missions and still capture his target with precision, whose stamina and physique were far beyond ordinary. What could’ve worn him out so much in just one night?

And to have him fetch Young Master Chi’s clothes and deliver them to his room?

Secretary Chen hardly ever had to ask his boss to repeat himself, confirming that he hadn’t misheard before daring to proceed.

Ye Man wasn’t in the room.

Secretary Chen grabbed a set of clothes and delivered them to Xu Huaiting’s door.

As the door opened, Secretary Chen spotted someone familiar on the boss’s bed.

His boss had just showered, his hair still damp, and he was loosely wrapped in a bathrobe.

After dropping off the clothes, Secretary Chen bumped into Chi Jue on the way.

Even the usually confident Secretary Chen couldn’t look him in the eye.

Chi Jue walked over to greet him, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, Chi Jue said, “Secretary Chen, you go ahead. I’ll go wake Xiao Man up.” He glanced at his watch and smiled at Secretary Chen: “He’s probably waking up around now. If no one wakes him, he’ll skip breakfast.”

The Chi Family was used to a structured, planned-out life. They’d plan out the next day’s activities ahead of time, confirming the timing of each schedule, without needing any supervision or reminders. The two sons of the Chi Family had been making their own plans since childhood, then following those plans step by step to accomplish their tasks.

Even if they messed up or strayed from the plan, they’d quickly get back on track. In short, Chi Yan and Chi Jue could handle everything clearly on their own, rarely needing Chi Yanrong and Qin Fangrui to worry.

The same applied to their health. They ate based on what their bodies needed, not what they craved. The family had a dedicated nutritionist to make the arrangements. Even if they didn’t like something, they would eat it without complaint, and no matter how much they liked something, they wouldn’t overeat.

They’d never let themselves go hungry.

But Ye Man was different.

He didn’t care about nutrition when he ate, didn’t care what his body needed at the moment. If he liked something, he would stuff himself even if he couldn’t eat anymore, even if it meant lying in bed later, sweating from overeating, he would still do it the next time. When he didn’t feel like eating, he would rather go hungry all day, even if it meant stomach pain, without a word.

He ignored his own body so much, it made you wonder if he even felt pain. It seemed like his mind was filled with many important things, and among them, he was the least significant in his own heart.

Chi Yan had tried to get him to open up, but Ye Man always deflected with coquetry or roundabout talk.

There was no choice but to keep a closer eye on him.

Chi Jue was lost in thought, oblivious to Secretary Chen’s avoiding eye contact.

He figured Chi Jue probably didn’t need to go wake anyone up—they might already be up by now.

Seeing Chi Jue about to leave, Secretary Chen’s scalp prickled, and he raised his voice, "Chi Jue, hold up!"

Chi Jue glanced over, puzzled. "Is there something else?"

Secretary Chen adjusted his glasses, then adjusted them again. "Here’s the thing—I wanted to double-check the post-docking plans with you, Chi Jue."

Chi Jue: "?"

"No need, I know…"

Secretary Chen said firmly, "No, you don’t."

Chi Jue hesitated. "I still gotta wake Xiao Man up for breakfast. If there’s anything, we can talk about it later."

Breakfast? He’ll probably just eat in his room later!

Secretary Chen flailed, reaching out. "Chi—"

"What are you guys doing?"

A confused voice came from behind.

It was Ye Man.

He was holding Mr. Xu’s arm with one hand and his cane with the other, being guided over.

Secretary Chen glanced at Ye Man’s clothes, feeling an odd sense of relief.

Seeing Ye Man being brought over by Mr. Xu, Chi Jue quickly walked over. "Xiao Man, you’re up early today? What’s with you and Mr. Xu?"

Ye Man’s fingers twitched at the question.

What could he say? That he snuck out to do something shady last night? Got caught by the guy’s family? And then crashed in their room?

Ye Man’s mind raced, ready to spin a story to cover his tracks. He’d make it sound convincing, no doubt.

Just as he was about to speak, he remembered there was someone beside him who knew the truth.

The lie he’d cooked up got stuck in his throat.

His hand tightened again.

Mr. Xu, whose arm Ye Man had squeezed twice, glanced sideways.

Ye Man took a breath, ready to come clean. "Actually, I…"

Mr. Xu said calmly, "He got turned around on the ship, and I ran into him, so I helped him out."

Ye Man froze, turning his head.

No one would suspect Mr. Xu, who barely knew him, of lying, so his word was golden.

Ye Man knew Mr. Xu wasn’t going to hold last night’s mess—where he’d tried to drug Meng Yao—against him, but he didn’t expect him to help sweep it under the rug.

It wasn’t worth making a scene or blabbing about—Mr. Xu wasn’t like that. He figured Mr. Xu would at least tell Chi Jue and Meng Yao, the guy involved.

It wasn’t exactly a proud moment, and he was ready for the shame and lecture.

But it didn’t matter; he had done it to stir up trouble and be disliked anyway.

Ye Man was mentally prepared, thinking this might just help push the plot along.

Surprisingly, the big shot helped smooth things over for him.

Xu Huaiting felt the hand gripping his arm tighten, so he turned his head. He had only meant to take a quick glance, not wanting to stare in front of the family.

But once he looked, he couldn’t look away.

The person beside him had slightly lowered eyes, lips pressed tight, a vivid red slowly spreading under his eyes. From his angle, he could see the beautiful eyes shimmering with a watery light, so mesmerizing it was hard to look away.

Xu Huaiting caught his breath.

The young man seemed to give a faint smile.

It was a small, bashful gesture.

Chi Jue glanced between them, frowned, and quickly moved Ye Man’s hand from Xu Huaiting’s arm to his own. He forced a smile: "Thanks for your help, Mr. Xu. If there’s nothing else, Xiao Man and I will head out to eat."

Xu Huaiting paused before letting out a vague "Hmm."

The brothers walked away.

Hurried footsteps approached from another direction: "Chi Jue!"

As he passed Xu Huaiting, Meng Yao was grabbed by the collar and pulled back.

Meng Yao struggled: "Uncle, let me go! I’m in a rush!"

Xu Huaiting held him firmly: "If you’re in such a rush, then break free."

Meng Yao: "I can’t!"

Xu Huaiting smirked: "I haven’t checked on you lately, and Viola hasn’t been watching you either. Look how weak you’ve gotten—you can’t even break free from one hand."

Meng Yao was speechless.

How could it be the same? With his skills and build, few could match him.

Xu Huaiting dragged his nephew to the gym by the collar: "You’re so weak, yet you don’t even think about training."

Meng Yao: "Uncle, I’m hungry!"

Xu Huaiting: "If I were you, I’d be too stressed to eat, yet you’re still thinking about food. Hah, you’ve got a big heart."

Meng Yao: "Ahhh!"

Xu Huaiting smirked: "Shut up, or I’ll smack you."

Meng Yao: "..."

Xu Huaiting paused for a moment.

He turned to Secretary Chen: "Check with the shore on the fireworks show prep. Tell them to add another 500,000."