Chapter 24: Men of the Yi Family Don’t Hit Their Wives

Chapter 24: Yi Family Men Don’t Abuse Their Partners

"System 748: Host! Green Tea Points! They're rising!"

"Jian Ye: Holy crap, this seriously wasn't planned! My head still hurts!"

"System 748: I know, I know. You must be one of those... heaven's favorites?"

"Jian Ye: Well then, thank you very much, heavens!"

Whether it was due to bad luck or destined conflict with the male lead, the last time Jian Ye got hurt by accident, that young master from the Yi family had also been there.

Jian Ye didn't want to dwell on such superstitious nonsense. What he *was* certain about was that this trophy wasn't some cheap imitation—it was solid, like a brick, heavy enough to kill someone if it fell on them.

Each trophy represented Yi Siyu's victories, and their weight was something no ordinary person could handle.

Someone as fragile as Jian Ye definitely couldn't.

The fact that he wasn't screaming at the top of his lungs was the last bit of dignity he had left!

"Let me see the injury." Yi Siyu's expression was unreadable, but his eyes were filled with concern as he looked at the boy crouched on the floor.

He took Jian Ye's wrist gently and pulled his hand away.

The wound wasn't serious—Yi Siyu could tell immediately it wouldn't leave a scar.

But seeing the boy in tears still felt like a blow to his chest.

"I'm sorry. I should have helped you hold the trophy steady. I—"

Jian Ye interrupted him. "It's not your fault, Brother Siyu. I'm just used to being unlucky."

Soon, thundering footsteps echoed from downstairs—someone was rushing up.

"Xiao Yu, what was that noise just now?" Yi Sizhe and others had heard the loud thud from below.

The rooms in the Yi household were well soundproofed, so if they could hear it downstairs, whatever had fallen must have been extremely heavy.

Yi Siyuan followed closely behind his elder brother. As soon as they entered the room, they saw the scene—

Their younger brother stood there, looking stern, holding the trophy in one hand while reaching toward the tearful boy on the floor with the other.

The boy's forehead was already bleeding, disheveled and vulnerable, as though he'd been mistreated.

They couldn't really be blamed for jumping to conclusions—they'd heard some troubling rumors before.

About Jian Ye.

They said the young master of the Jian family was dramatic, prone to suicidal stunts, and had a terrible temper, exhausting everyone around him with constant troublemaking.

Had the kid been pretending downstairs earlier?

And now, in this room, revealing his true nature, he’d triggered Xiao Yu’s rage…

In an instant, the two brothers sprang into action—one rushed over to restrain Yi Siyu, while the other snatched the trophy from his hand and threw it aside.

Yi Sizhe: "Xiao Yu, get a hold of yourself!"

Yi Siyuan: "If there's a problem, talk it out! Why resort to violence?"

Jian Ye froze, speechless: "..."

Yi Siyu: "Huh?"

Realizing the misunderstanding, Jian Ye quickly tried to explain, "No, Brother Siyu, he—"

"Xiao Yu, no Yi family man should ever hit his partner, no matter how angry."

"That's right, Xiao Yu. You’re not the type to do something like that."

Just then, the family doctor arrived.

A vein pulsed visibly on Yi Siyu’s temple as he held back his temper. "Move. You’re in the way."

The two turned and saw the family doctor, instantly falling silent.

Then, seeing their brother's expression of unwillingness to explain further...

They felt like complete morons for jumping to such an absurd conclusion.

The family doctor opened the medical kit and began cleaning the wound and wrapping it neatly.

Meanwhile, Yi Siyu placed the trophy back in its original spot, slamming it down hard enough to rattle the shelf.

His movements carried such anger that the trophy itself seemed to tremble.

At this point, if they didn’t get it, they were hopeless.

"Xiao Yu, sorry... We messed up—totally misread things." Yi Siyuan said before turning to his elder brother. "Big Brother, it's one thing for me to be stupid, but why did you follow along?"

Yi Sizhe: "Must’ve caught your stupidity."

"Snort—" Jian Ye couldn't hold back a laugh but quickly apologized in a hushed voice, feeling a bit embarrassed.

The Yi brothers were way funnier than expected—nothing like the wealthy family lifestyle he’d imagined.

It was clear these two had Yi Siyu wrapped around their fingers. Growing up in such a happy family, he must have been free to pursue whatever he wanted.

Jian Ye glanced around at the trophies, quietly biting back a wistful smile.

Seeing the boy laugh made some of Yi Siyu’s tension melt away.

Earlier, he had been genuinely frightened—the sight of the boy hunched over, hands clamped over his head overlapped with the memory of him crouched in a corner after being bullied. Like that stray dog they’d seen licking its wounds, it nearly made Yi Siyu’s hands twitch with the urge to pull him close.

After finishing the treatment, the family doctor said to Yi Siyu, "It's not serious and won't leave a scar. Just avoid getting it wet for now."

Yi Siyu: "Got it. Appreciate it."

Family Doctor: "I'll take my leave then. Call me if anything comes up."

Jian Ye hovered behind Yi Siyu like a shadow and whispered, "Thank you."

After seeing the doctor out, Yi Siyu turned and glared at his two older brothers.

The brothers flinched.

Once the heat of the moment passed, Yi Sizhe and Yi Siyuan found their earlier misjudgment pathetically off-base.

Had they been brainwashed by the gossip painting their brother as some monster? What were they thinking, accusing him of—

The second brother, Yi Siyuan, darted away but blurted out before leaving, "Wishing you a happy marriage and lifelong harmony," nearly adding, "May you have a son soon," until a warning glare from his younger brother chased him off.

After Yi Siyuan left, the eldest brother remained.

He said, "If there's nothing else, you and Xiao Ye can rest upstairs. Some guests just arrived, so Mom and Dad went next door to greet them. I'll go handle things now."

Yi Siyu gave an indifferent "Hn."

Jian Ye mused inwardly, *No wonder only these two brothers came running at the commotion.*

Given how caring Yi's mother was, she would have rushed over immediately had she known he was injured.

The fact that neither Yu Xinran nor Yi Xiangcheng showed up meant they were no longer in this building.

He couldn't help but admire again how enormous the Yi estate was.

The main house was where the family lived, and there was even a separate wing for entertaining guests...

Just as his thoughts began to drift, a gentle hand turned his face back.

Jian Ye's chin was lifted by slender fingers, suddenly filling his vision with that unfairly handsome face.

They were so close that the other’s breath brushed against his skin, making his lashes quiver slightly.

He caught a hint of a fresh sea salt scent mixed into the breath—crisp and not overly sweet.

The sudden closeness led Jian Ye to believe a kiss was imminent.

But the man simply frowned, scrutinizing him intensely. To get a better look, he even brushed aside the soft bangs covering his forehead.

Jian Ye didn’t understand what there was to examine on a wound already covered by a bandage. He had intended to remain composed, but under that gaze, he faltered.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously like an anxious puppy.

Pretending not to notice, Yi Siyu withdrew his hand and said, “It’s your first time at my home, and something like this happened. I’ll take responsibility. Ask for anything today, and it’s yours.”

This time, Jian Ye didn’t hastily refuse. Instead, after lightly biting his lip, he nodded in agreement.

……

At the guest wing of the Yi residence,

Had Jian Ye been there at that moment, he would’ve muttered, “Fucking hell.”

The visitors to the Yi estate that day were none other than Yu Wei and his father, Yu Lin—distant relatives of the Yu family with barely any connection.

Back when Yu Xinran was still an unmarried daughter of the Yu household, she saw Yu Lin maybe once a year. He belonged to a minor branch of the family, and Yu Lin’s son, Yu Wei, had even less connection to the Yi brothers.

Perhaps their fathers had some distant ties long ago, but by this generation, they were practically strangers—they wouldn’t recognize each other even if they met on the street.

The intentions of this father-son pair were obvious.

The Yi family ranked among Yunjing’s elite, and countless people vied for a chance to connect. Naturally, there were also those like Yu Lin—connections so tenuous they barely counted—who tried to latch on.

Yu Wei’s family had moved to Yunjing only a couple of years ago. By loosely claiming “Madam Yi” as their “relative,” they managed to secure some business deals, giving them a smoother start.

The Yi family didn’t particularly care about such peripheral hangers-on—it wasn’t even worth their attention.

But human greed knows no bounds.

They had gotten a taste of success and wanted to get closer to the Yi family.

"Cousin, it's been so long! This is my son, Yu Wei."

"Our family has finally put down roots in Yunjing now, so it'll be much easier to stay in touch with you from now on."

"Cousin, you look just as youthful as ever, and brother-in-law still looks sharp—so dashing! Running such a huge company must be exhausting, right?"

"..."

Cornered by these surprise-visiting relatives, Yu Xinran couldn't outright refuse them. The visitors hadn't stated any purpose for coming; they were merely catching up while occasionally throwing in some forced compliments—yet their true intentions were written all over their faces.

The Yi family had always been gracious hosts. Since their guests didn't voice their real motives, neither did they.

Yu Xinran wouldn't make decisions on behalf of her husband, but Yi Xiangcheng, considering they were after all his wife's relatives, still threw them a bone.

By the end of the conversation, he mentioned: "Our third young master has registered his marriage and plans to throw a wedding ceremony soon. I'll have an invitation sent to you when the time comes."

These words carried multiple meanings—first, sharing the joy of their son's marriage; second, hinting that the ceremony would undoubtedly gather Yunjing's who's who. As for how they'd expand their connections, the Yi family could only help this much—the rest was up to them.

Yu Lin was sharp enough to see this as an enormous favor. This trip had clearly been worth it.

"Thank you, cousin! Thank you, brother-in-law! Ah, the third young master is getting married already? Just yesterday he was still a baby—how time flies! Wonderful news, I'll definitely attend the ceremony in person."

Seeing his father's brown-nosing act, Yu Wei couldn't help but feel exasperated.

Getting your panties in a twist over an invite? Really? It's not like they're handing us shares in Yi Group.

If it were up to Yu Wei, the fact that the Yi family didn't even receive them in the main building spoke volumes—they clearly didn't think much of his family.

But that third cousin (or rather, third young master) actually got married? Unbelievable.

Wasn't the rumor that he had a terrible temper—unpredictable, tyrannical, and unrestrained? Many socialites wanted to marry into the Yi family but dared not take on the third young master.

Who on earth had the courage to marry him? Not that Yu Wei gave a damn—he was quite content with his current life.

Getting by in Yunjing was already good enough. His dad had dragged him here today to show his face, ruining his plans to go drinking with his buddies.

Lately, he'd been thinking of changing boyfriends again—he was getting bored of that pink-haired fling at home. The guy had grown increasingly paranoid lately, digging through his phone for evidence of other men.

Yu Wei hated being controlled the most. Who did that guy think he was, the future young master of the Yu family? Since he was so suspicious, it was time to dump his ass.

At times like these, Yu Wei found himself missing Jian Ye a little. Thinking back, Jian Ye had been more considerate than any of his past boyfriends, always going along with whatever he wanted.

...

As they were leaving, Yu Wei caught sight of the Yi family's eldest son, prompting another ass-kissing session from his father.

They had already stepped out of the guest building. While waiting for Yu Lin to finish his groveling, Yu Wei absentmindedly looked toward the main building.

By sheer coincidence, he spotted a familiar figure—one he'd just been reminiscing about—on the second-floor balcony.

Yu Wei's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but no one was there.

Was it a hallucination?

Must've been thinking about that person too much just now.

Otherwise, how could Jian Ye be seen at the Yi residence? That's absurd.

A kid who's so broke he buys from street vendors would never have a chance to step foot in the Yi family home.

"Author's Note"

Jian Xiaogou: Wow, this balcony is so beautiful.

Third Young Master Yi: (pulling him back) Behave, don’t lean out like that—it’s dangerous.

Yu Wei: ??? Am I hallucinating? I must be!? (terrified face emoji)

P.S.: A pampered pup gets all the luck—not only is he at the Yi residence now, but he’ll also come and go whenever he wants in the future.