Chapter 20: He Is My Fiancé

Chapter 20 He's My Future Husband

The person who stepped out from the passenger seat on the other side was none other than their good roommate, Jian Ye.

The two stood together, sharing some private words before walking toward the entrance of the dormitory building.

Wait, they’re coming into the dorm???

Li Xiangchi, Liu Mingchang, and Zheng Yan, who caught sight of this scene, were suddenly buzzing with nervous excitement.

“W-Wait a second, is A Ye bringing that guy to our dorm?” Li Xiangchi stammered.

“From how they’re walking, yeah,” Liu Mingchang nodded.

Zheng Yan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “He might even introduce him to us. Must be someone important to Jian Ye—otherwise he wouldn’t bring him back to the dorm.”

It had to be said, this guy was just one step away from the truth.

Li Xiangchi naively argued, “Let’s not jump to romantic conclusions. Maybe it’s A Ye’s older brother? Cousin? Could be either!”

The second he said that, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from outside.

As soon as the door opened, the three instantly scrambled back to their spots, pretending to be busy.

Li Xiangchi held his book upside down, Liu Mingchang pretended to sip from an empty cup, and Zheng Yan polished his already spotless glasses.

Jian Ye was too distracted to notice his roommates’ odd behavior when he walked in.

“This is my dorm…” he kept explaining to the man behind him.

Noticing his roommates peeking over, he smiled and greeted them, “You’re all here? I… brought someone over. Hope you don’t mind?”

Li Xiangchi: “Not at all, not at all! Make yourself at home!”

Liu Mingchang: “Yeah, yeah, feel free to look around!”

Zheng Yan: “No problem, go ahead.”

“Mr. Yi, our dorm is pretty cramped. Maybe you should wait downstairs instead?” Honestly, after all those stares on the way up, even someone as thick-skinned as Jian Ye felt awkward.

But it was Jian Ye himself who had agreed to bring Yi Siyu up to meet his roommates—regretting it now was too late.

The man immediately refused. “No need. I’ll just sit here for a bit. Didn’t your roommates just say they don’t mind?”

A faint smirk tugged at the man’s lips before he quickly straightened his face.

“Starting tomorrow, our relationship will change. Are you sure you still want to call me ‘Mr. Yi’ and use honorifics?”

The three roommates’ gossip antennas shot up high.

What? What? How will their relationship change tomorrow? Do tell!

Jian Ye bit his lower lip, hesitated for a moment, then looked up with flushed cheeks and softly said, “Brother Siyu.”

In the next instant, the entire dorm fell silent.

Even the man who had just kept his cool froze.

When the boy spoke those four words with eyes brimming like spring water, his voice carried the enchanting allure of a siren—utterly captivating.

Gentle and endearing, with a clear, boyish voice—it was surprisingly pleasant to listen to.

"Does calling you that make you uncomfortable? How about Brother Siyu? I-I'm sorry, I really don't know how to address you in front of others, I..." Jian Ye nervously picked at his fingers, wearing a troubled expression.

The man shifted uncomfortably and lightly coughed. "As you like, as long as it's not an honorific, anything is fine."

Jian Ye let out a relieved sigh. "Alright then, I'll call you Brother Siyu from now on. Today was our first meeting, so using honorifics was just habit. I'll get used to the new way of addressing you gradually."

The three roommates were already stunned by the sheer volume of information they'd just heard.

First meeting? And he brought him straight to the dorm? And called him "brother"? What the actual hell?!

The *liu liu mei* (a preserved plum snack) Li Xiangchi had just popped into his mouth rolled right back out—fruit and pit together—and landed on the floor with a tiny bounce.

He had suggested earlier that this guy might be Jian Ye's brother, but he never imagined it would be... that kind of 'brother.'

Wasn't Jian Ye supposed to have a boyfriend? So what was this ambiguous relationship with this man now?

This was huge—was this some kind of love triangle?

Yi Siyu hadn't planned to stay long. Initially, he just wanted to escort the boy back safely, but his playful teasing had backfired, leaving him unexpectedly flustered.

Now his ears still burned.

Choosing his moment, he politely addressed Jian Ye's roommates. "I have some matters to attend to today, so I won't stay long. A Ye has a minor foot injury and isn't very mobile. Please take good care of him. I’ll treat you all to a meal another day as thanks."

Jian Ye nearly choked on his own saliva. Cough—what did he just call him?

And of course, his system had to rub it in.

"System 748: He called you 'Ye Ye'~"

"Jian Ye: Screw off!"

His roommates, meanwhile, were collectively dumbfounded for a moment before Zheng Yan, the quickest to react, replied, "No need for formalities. Roommates should look out for each other."

Li Xiangchi blurted loudly, "Yeah, yeah, no problem! We’ll make sure A Ye is plump and healthy—like a well-fed baby—no second injuries, guaranteed!"

Only after speaking did he realize how weird his phrasing sounded. Why did it feel like he was promising to take care of someone else’s wife? And "plump and healthy"—was this some kind of fertility blessing?

Liu Mingchang swiftly covered Li Xiangchi’s unfiltered mouth and smiled politely. "Don’t let us keep you. There’ll be plenty of chances to meet later, and Jian Ye can introduce you properly then."

Right, Jian Ye?

The three roommates gave him loaded stares that made his skin crawl.

The moment Yi Siyu left the dorm, they cornered Jian Ye against the wall, grilling him with questions.

Liu Mingchang: "So you were on a date with that man—er, this gentleman—at the café today?"

Li Xiangchi: "What’s your relationship with him, really? Are you two... you know... that kind?"

Zheng Yan’s question was more pointed but equally accurate: "Did you break up with your boyfriend? Is this the new one?"

Admittedly, the roommates' judgment was sharp—they just lacked deeper analysis.

Jian Ye didn’t bother wondering how they knew about his "Rainy Night Café" meetup with his ex.

Not beating around the bush, he dropped the bombshell: "The man I just brought here is Yi Siyu—my fiancé. We're getting our marriage license tomorrow."

The three of them: "..." Damn!

That’s insane!

Li Xiangchi, who was in the same class as Jian Ye and genuinely cared for him, said with concern, “You’ve only just met yesterday and you’re already rushing into marriage? A Ye, don’t let yourself be fooled by some guy who looks well-dressed and polished on the outside!”

Liu Mingchang chimed in, “Those worldly outsiders love targeting naive college guys like you. Have you even checked if he’s already married? Be careful not to end up being someone’s side piece without realizing it!”

Zheng Yan didn’t think Yi Siyu was a fraud. His instincts were sharp, and he asked sincerely, “Jian Ye, do you like him?”

Actually, Jian Ye hadn’t planned to keep this from his roommates forever. After all, he’d be living with these three for years to come, so they’d inevitably learn about his family background sooner or later.

“Me and Yi… Brother Siyu are in an arranged marriage,” Jian Ye said with a small smile, his eyes looking innocently pure. “I never even considered whether I like him or not.”

As Jian Ye continued explaining the situation between their families, he also revealed that his parents had passed away.

This made Li Xiangchi and the others feel deeply sympathetic toward him.

System 748: Host, while you were telling your story, your Green Tea Points increased by 68. You're really something.

Jian Ye: If you're going to praise me, do it properly. No sarcasm.

System 748: Wahh, I wasn't being sarcastic~

Jian Ye mentally rolled his eyes—he still remembered how the system rubbed salt in the wound earlier with that cutesy “Ye Ye” nonsense.

That man was definitely doing it on purpose!

Seriously? Calling him “Brother” and putting on airs like that.

If Jian Ye hadn’t known beforehand that Yi Siyu had a White Moonlight, he might actually have been taken in by that gentle tone of voice.

The main character is truly unfathomable—downright scary, even. For the sake of family interests and the person he truly loves, he can endure such a charade without slipping up even once.

Third Young Master Yi deserves to be called “impressive.”

Jian Ye reminded himself not to fall for a fictional character. If he got caught up in that man’s tenderness, he could easily end up losing more than just his life.

After collecting himself, Jian Ye remained the pitiful little white flower—obedient and acting helpless.

Other than Green Tea Points, he loved no one.

Ah well, gotta do what you gotta do...

Li Xiangchi saw Jian Ye lower his head silently and assumed he was upset again over the painful memories. He quickly comforted him, “A Ye, we really appreciate that you trust us enough to share all this. We won’t betray your trust. If you don’t mind, from now on, you can treat us like real brothers.”

“Starting today, as long as I, Liu Mingchang, have meat to eat, my little brother will always get soup too!” Liu Mingchang declared firmly.

But then he got smacked on the back of the head by Li Xiangchi. “Wrong! Both the meat and the soup go to our little brother!”

“Ah right, right! With your language skills, don’t even try to correct me!”

The two bantered playfully.

Zheng Yan took the chance to say to Jian Ye, “Since your arranged marriage is already set in stone, I won’t waste words. Just remember—if you ever get treated unfairly in the Yi family, tell us first.”

Jian Ye hesitated slightly.

Zheng Yan smiled faintly. “Friends might not be powerful, but helping each other out is exactly what friends are for.”

The former Jian Ye never interacted with his roommates and had no genuine friends around, so when faced with life's troubles, he had no one to confide in, making him more likely to break down.

Listening to his roommates' words, Jian Ye felt a surge of warmth in his heart. This time, it was genuine emotion as he nodded heavily at them.

Things were already changing in the direction he hoped. He wished that the fate of "Paohui Jianye" would end with him, shedding the label of "everyone's least favorite."

[System 748: Wahh! Such touching brotherly love! I'm totally saving this moment.]

The touching atmosphere was inevitably interrupted by something bizarre.

[Jian Ye: You have time for that? Why not beg headquarters to lower prices in the system store? I’m exhausted earning Green Tea Points™ only to still barely afford anything good in there.]

[System 748: Hmm… I can’t decide that, but there are seasonal sales! How about you splurge during 618 on the items you want?]

[Jian Ye: Hah! Since when is 618 a holiday?! You systems even copy Earth’s promotional dates now?]

[System 748: Hehe ^_^ Learned from you! Last time, I reported your learning abilities to the higher-ups, and now all systems are caught up in internal competition. My "Host Field Notes" are already fetching high prices on the system network. Once I make money, I can occasionally spot you the difference for items you can’t afford.]

[Jian Ye: …]

He was often amazed at how this non-human thing could so adeptly apply Earth’s internet slang.

[Author’s Note]

————

System 748’s Field Notes (Today’s Entry)

Host coquettishly calls him “Brother Siyu,” and he affectionately replies, “Ye Ye.” Question: What is the conversion rate of Green Tea Points here?

The answer is in the “Solution Manual.” To find out, pay extra.

————

Er Tong: ^_^ Pure profit scheme—just blame the host.

————

Present-day Ye Ye: Th-thank you, brother... *(For Green Tea Points jpg.)*

Future Ye Ye: Brother, be gentle~ *(Face-down whimpering on the bed jpg.)*