Chapter 57 He’s Really Intense

Chapter 57 He's Really Intense

"We're home, kitty."

Ye Man responded with an "Oh," but remained seated, unmoving. "What does that 'kitty' mean?"

Xu Huaiting tapped his cheek: "I'm not telling you."

Ye Man snorted to show he was angry, then listened intently for Xu Huaiting's reaction, his fingers fidgeting nervously, unsure if this was acceptable.

"Brother Tong, did I just land a boyfriend tonight?"

"The big shot told me he likes me and wants to be my boyfriend!"

"I've never been in a relationship before, and it's with a guy. I'm not entirely sure if this is right... Am I rushing into this? But he's really nice..."

"I like him, I want to be with him."

He was well aware that if he wanted something, he had to hold onto it tightly and never let go. He was never the type to hesitate and consider everything carefully before making a decision.

Opportunities don't wait, and often by the time he slowly figured things out, it was too late. Most of the time, he relied on his instincts and preferences.

He wasn't entirely clear about his feelings for Xu Huaiting, his thoughts were still jumbled, but if he felt even a flicker of attraction, he was determined to pursue it.

— Unless it was really too difficult, beyond his capabilities.

But the big shot came to him on his own.

"The big shot has no idea who he's dealing with," Ye Man lamented in his heart to Brother Tong.

He doesn't realize how intense he is.

"..."

"Brother Tong?"

"..."

"Really gone this time?"

"..."

It seems so.

Xu Huaiting could clearly see his nervousness and found it completely endearing, "Really want to know?"

"I've shown you how to ask me nicely."

He played with Ye Man's earlobe, watching him shy away and then hesitantly return to his touch, as if it were the most amusing thing.

Ye Man furrowed his brows, his curiosity overpowering his embarrassment, and he blushed as he stammered, "Ricardo, please, just tell me."

Then he heard the person beside him chuckle quietly, "Hmm, what else?"

Why does he enjoy teasing me so much!

Ye Man, flustered and irritated, grabbed Xu Huaiting's hand that was by his ear and boldly took a bite.

He opened his mouth wide, putting on a big show, but when it came down to it, he barely put any pressure, using his neat little white teeth to playfully gnaw on Xu Huaiting's hand, leaving his hand wet with saliva.

"Micio," Xu Huaiting leaned on the steering wheel, propping his face, deliberately calling him that, ramping up the teasing, "You can bite harder, it's fine."

Ye Man chewed on his hand for a while, realizing that he wasn't scared at all; he wasn't afraid that he might actually hurt him.

Since his threat didn't work, Ye Man saw no point in holding his hand and thought about letting go.

As he loosened his teeth from the palm, Xu Huaiting wasn't letting go.

Adjusting his direction, he advanced instead of retreating.

Ye Man grabbed his wrist, trying to stop him, mumbling, "You better think twice, being with me... there's no turning back..."

"I'm... a really tough person..."

"Once you know, you can't regret it..."

His tongue felt numb.

Ye Man's eyes welled up with tears.

Xu Huaiting pulled his fingers out, letting Ye Man slump to the side to catch his breath, grabbed a tissue to dry his hand, and calmly said, "Don't worry, I won't regret it."

"On the contrary, I should be the one saying this to you, hoping you won't regret it later."

Ye Man was full of questions—why would he regret?

Xu Huaiting gave him a long look.

He knew that Ye Man might have just impulsively agreed to his pursuit in the heat of the moment.

His *Micio* is a bit silly, easily swayed by small favors and shiny tricks, so much so that he agrees to anything on a whim.

Back then, just a royal blue could make him follow him around.

He was so worried earlier because he wasn't sure if the childhood friend's emotional card would really charm him.

But Xu Huaiting didn't plan to kindly remind his *Micio*, nor give him time to cool down.

Ye Man couldn't figure out why he said that, so he got his disclaimer out first: "If one day, you realize you've misjudged me, that I'm not what you like, then you can't blame me, you can only blame your own poor judgment, and you're not allowed to trouble me!"

Xu Huaiting: "Don't worry, my judgment is excellent. Having seen the worst scoundrels in the world, it's easy to fall in love at first sight with a simple fool."

Ye Man: "?"

Did he just call me a fool?

He might not be sensitive to other things, but he's very sensitive to this.

Xu Huaiting: "As for you, I hope I don't get a breakup call from you tomorrow."

Ye Man loudly said: "I would never break up with you!"

Xu Huaiting raised an eyebrow: "You said it."

Ye Man lifted his head: "I said it, don't think only you are a person who values promises, I'm also someone who keeps my word!"

Xu Huaiting: "That's great, we're made for each other."

Ye Man opened his mouth: "..."

Before getting out of the car, Ye Man said he wanted to take a photo of him with his own phone.

We had agreed on this earlier.

Mentioning photos, Xu Huaiting recalled something.

"Can I see the photo you got from that guy, Jiang something?"

Ye Man handed him his phone to take a clear photo of himself.

When he mentioned this, Ye Man pulled out the photo from his pocket and handed it over. "I’m not sure if it’s still clear, but it’s just a childhood photo of me."

Xu Huaiting snapped a photo of himself with Ye Man’s phone and handed it back.

Ye Man happily held the phone. "That way, if I can’t find you next time and someone asks what you look like, I can show them your photo."

Xu Huaiting reached out again and took his phone. "Let’s take a few more."

After taking the photos, he handed the phone back and finally looked at the photo Ye Man had given him.

When he saw the person in the photo, his expression softened.

The photo was old but still fairly clear.

It showed a five or six-year-old boy standing under a Ferris wheel in a park. It looked like winter, with him wearing a thick down jacket and scarf.

Most of the colors had faded, but the scarf was still a vibrant red.

Ye Man was moving Xu Huaiting’s photo to an easy-to-find spot on his phone and casually mentioned, "It’s me as a kid. My parents took me to the park. We used to have a lot of photos, but they were all thrown out when we moved. Now, this is the only one left."

Xu Huaiting touched the red scarf around his neck and gently asked Ye Man for the photo.

"If you like it, you can have it. It’s just an old photo," Ye Man said, feeling a little awkward at Xu Huaiting’s formality. "If Jiang Hao hadn’t gone crazy and returned the pencil case he threw away, I wouldn’t have remembered this photo."

Xu Huaiting carefully tucked the photo into his chest and suddenly realized that Jiang something was the one who’d thrown away something so important.

His face darkened. "That Jiang guy—give me his address."

Ye Man looked confused. "What are you planning?"

"Buy ten thousand pencil cases. Doesn’t he like throwing people’s stuff away? I’ll let him throw away enough at once."

He pulled out his phone, found Secretary Chen’s contact, and was ready to follow through. Seeing him act, Ye Man grabbed him. "Forget it! That was years ago!"

"But he bullied you. I still—"

Ye Man leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Xu Huaiting put down his phone.

Alright.

Ye Man got home a little late, sneaking back to his room unnoticed.

Two minutes later, Chi Jue came home and saw Chi Yan sitting on the sofa, almost giving him a heart attack.

Chi Yan, sporting dark circles under his eyes, silently gazed at him. Chi Jue discreetly tucked the DSLR into his backpack: "Oh, hey big bro, what brings you here…"

"Show me what’s in the bag."

Chi Jue hesitated, clutching his bag, but eventually caved and handed over the DSLR, giving a quick rundown of the night’s events.

"Bro, can you play dumb for now?"

Chi Jue knew it was difficult; knowing Chi Yan, he’d likely drag Xiao Man into the study for a ‘chat’ tomorrow.

If Xiao Man found out, he’d totally assume I was tailing him, trying to catch him slipping and snitch to big bro.

I swear!

Okay, the first part’s true, but the snitching part? That’s just wrong!

Chi Jue put on a thoughtful face: "It’s on me—I’m a bad influence on Xiao Man. He probably picked it up from me. Bro, whatever you’ve got to say, lay it on me. I’ll do better!"

Chi Yan scrolled through the DSLR photos, rubbing his temples: "Xu Huaiting."

"First, the Mengs want to call off the engagement, and now this Xu guy’s messing with my other brother. What exactly are they trying to do?"

He wasn’t sure before, but now it’s clear as day.

"Big brother..."

Chi Jue and Ye Man didn’t think twice, but Chi Yan always overanalyzed things. The more he dwelled on it, the more suspicious he became.

"I’ll catch Xu Huaiting for a private chat," Chi Yan said, "As for Xiao Man… keep him in the dark for now."

Chi Jue sighed in relief and reached for the DSLR, but Chi Yan held on tight.

Chi Yan: "Shoot me a copy of those photos."

...

"Brother Tong, you still not back?"

In the room, Ye Man was waiting for the system’s response.

"Brother Tong, you’ve been gone forever—it’s already night! I’m already lying in bed. When are you planning to come back?"

"...Ye... you..."

Ye Man sat up from the bed: "Brother Tong!"

After listening carefully for a while, the voice finally became clear.

System: "Wait, let me open the folder first."

Ye Man obediently lay back on the bed, "Brother Tong, where did you go? You’ve never disappeared for so long before."

System: "Didn’t I say I’d be AFK? You’re in a relationship—do I need to babysit you? Don’t look at what you shouldn’t! Ah, you’re really something. If I don’t tell you a story, you won’t sleep? It seems I need to find time to record some for you, no..."

"Why don’t you ask that Xu guy to tell you?"

Ye Man chuckled, "Obviously because Brother Tong’s the best—I’m all about Brother Tong!"

"Hmph, all talk."

As usual, the system spun a tale to lull him to sleep.

Ye Man lay in bed, "I'm sorry, Brother Tong, I failed again."

The covers rustled.

Ye Man, from under the blanket, said, "Actually, I don't really want to keep doing bad things."

The system paused.

"Then stop."

"But will I still die? You said the plot's momentum..."

Ye Guowen's gone. If he stays gone, it'll all be over.

Mom, Dad, big brother, and Auntie Zhou... and big shot, they won't hate me anymore, right?

Ye Man still felt unsure.

"What exactly is the plot's momentum like?"

"You're not going to die."

"...You won't die."

"Ye Man," the system's voice softened, "just live your life well, don't sweat the rest."

"It's almost New Year. Your grandpa, mom, and grandma are coming back, and you've got your big shot too. It'll be a lively New Year, so be happy and don't overthink it. Brother Tong's got your back."