Chapter 31: Is A Ye Unprotected to Be Bullied?

"Who's that?" Li Xiangchi couldn't help but ask.

At this school, aside from Jian Ye himself, no one should know Yu Wei.

Back when the original host was dating Yu Wei, they always met at Yu Wei's campus—Yu Wei never came to Jian Ye’s school.

Moreover, the original host had skipped class frequently last semester, ghosting in and out without a trace. No one knew who Jian Ye spent his days with.

Even if people suspected Jian Ye had a boyfriend, none of them had ever seen the guy in person.

So this had always been a dorm-room mystery.

Now that Jian Ye was married to Third Young Master Yi, exes were history—why jinx it by bringing up the past?

"A stranger. Let's go." Jian Ye really didn’t want to, nor did he see any reason to engage with the original host’s ex.

He was a taken man now—getting tangled up with an ex wasn’t appropriate.

Hearing Jian Ye say this, Li Xiangchi and Mo Huan naturally didn’t press further and turned to leave.

However, the person behind them rushed forward in a few steps and grabbed the boy’s arm too hard, yanking him sideways off balance.

"A Ye!"

"Jian, you okay?"

Li Xiangchi and Mo Huan reacted fast—one steadied Jian Ye while the other cut off the charging Yu Wei.

"What's your problem? A Ye already said he doesn't know you, and you just grab him like that? You trying to break his leg? You paying his hospital bills?"

"Classmate, you’re way too worked up. Say what you need to say, but keep your hands off my junior."

"Exactly! Think A Ye’s got no backup here? Try coming at him again and I’m calling security!"

Yu Wei was left speechless under their one-two verbal punch.

This wasn’t how he meant it to go—he just wanted to ask Jian Ye some questions, not start a fight!

Yu Wei admitted he was pissed seeing Jian Ye ignore him.

Jian Ye loved him so much—how could he act like this?

It must be because he’d left Jian Ye on read for too long, and now the other was throwing a fit.

Yu Wei tried stepping forward again but was blocked by Li Xiangchi.

"Hey! Stay put! Don’t move another inch!"

Yu Wei, a rich brat used to being kissed up to, had never been spoken to like this before. His barely restrained temper flared again.

He snapped, "Who the hell are you? This isn’t your fucking business!"

Li Xiangchi’s anger rose too as he pushed up his sleeves. "I’m A Ye’s roommate, his brother—and your damn granddaddy too!"

Yu Wei: "Bullshit!"

Jian Ye, not wanting things to blow up, jumped in to break it up.

He was afraid that if the commotion continued any longer, all the students from the dance academy would be drawn over to watch the spectacle.

How could the toxic ex left behind by the original host cause such far-reaching drama? Couldn’t this side character just disappear already?

"Yu Wei, if you have something to say to me, let’s talk over there." Jian Ye pointed to the gazebo beside the teaching building.

"Fine, but don’t let these two follow!"

"Alright." Jian Ye agreed.

"Hey, A Ye, are you really going to be alone with this asshole?"

Jian Ye whispered to reassure Li Xiangchi, "It's fine, he won't try anything."

Li Xiangchi glanced at the open-air gazebo, thinking he’d keep a close watch from nearby. If things went wrong, he'd rush over to help A Ye.

His little brother was still too trusting, daring to interact with shady people like that.

Mo Huan, standing nearby, also frowned, looking worried.

He watched as Jian Ye followed Yu Wei over, his grip on the takeout bag tightening.

He didn’t know Yu Wei, but from the awkward exchange between the two, he could vaguely guess the nature of their relationship.

He had no idea how his junior had gotten involved with such a lowlife—they clearly weren’t the same kind of person.

……

Jian Ye and Yu Wei came to a stop in the gazebo.

Yu Wei tried to step forward, but Jian Ye took a step back, keeping a two-meter distance. "Just say what you need to say like this."

Yu Wei: "..."

Jian Ye was afraid this guy might suddenly lunge again. Keeping some space gave him room to react and spared his body from getting hurt again.

His arm, grabbed earlier, still throbbed faintly.

Not because the other guy was too strong—just that his own body was too delicate.

"Jian Ye, can you stop being so difficult? I came all the way to your school to see you, and you gave me that kind of attitude in front of your friends. How could I not get angry?"

Jian Ye scoffed inwardly. *Who’s really being difficult here?* They’d already broken up—what kind of attitude was he supposed to have toward an ex?

The warped logic of a scumbag was something a normal person like him couldn’t comprehend.

"Why did you come looking for me? We’ve broken up—we don’t need to see each other again." Jian Ye said calmly.

"I..." Yu Wei wanted to argue but found he couldn’t.

Back then, he was the one who broke up with Jian Ye. For a while after the breakup, Jian Ye kept coming to see him, but he got sick of it and wanted nothing to do with him, even saying some really cruel things.

Yu Wei admitted he was just being pathetic—now that the other person had stopped chasing him, he felt unsettled.

Thinking of the rumors he'd heard recently, Yu Wei finally voiced the question burning in his mind.

"Jian Ye, are you seeing someone else now?" He didn’t ask directly, choosing instead to beat around the bush.

Leading with "Are you married?" is kinda strange too.

"Huh?" Jian Ye didn't catch the sudden shift in conversation.

Did this dude really come all the way to Yun Chuan just to check if he was with someone else? This ex was way too up in his business...

Yu Wei's heart leapt at Jian Ye’s dazed expression.

Could he have misunderstood? Was the Yi family scion marrying someone else?

Come to think of it, the Yi family came from such a prestigious background—why would they marry some broke college kid?

He guessed he'd read too much into it, but still wanted to hear the truth firsthand.

While Yu Wei was stuck in his own head, Jian Ye was also thinking about how to respond.

He definitely wouldn’t reveal his marriage to Yi Siyu now—he was afraid this loudmouth might blab everywhere and make the whole school aware.

Tall trees catch wind; he didn’t want to be so high-profile on campus.

Jian Ye didn’t answer directly either, just fixed Yu Wei with those liquid, doe-like eyes.

"Why are you asking that? Shouldn't you know?" The vague reply was intentionally ambiguous, inviting all sorts of interpretations.

Yu Wei let out a sigh of relief. Seems like he’d been mistaken.

With that weight lifted, he started hung up on something else.

From the moment he arrived to meet Jian Ye today, he noticed the guy looked even hotter than before—his dancer’s build, all lean lines and grace.

That swan neck, those perfect shoulders—flawless and irresistible.

The guy must’ve just finished dancing, bangs slightly damp with sweat, skin glowing like mother-of-pearl under the sun.

Those kissable red lips moved as he spoke, both cute and sexy.

Yu Wei totally zoned out on Jian Ye’s words, too busy staring at his face.

"Yu Wei? Are you listening?"

"Ah! Uh… yeah, I’m listening." Yu Wei nervously scratched his nose.

He wondered how he’d ever broken up with such a total catch.

Suddenly, it hit him—this kind of next-level looks made everyone on his roster of exes seem like total nobodies by comparison.

...

"So, do you agree with what I said?"

The boy was looking at him again with those puppy-dog eyes—the kind Yu Wei could never resist.

On reflex, he nodded. "'Course, yeah."

Even though he had no idea what he was agreeing to.

Jian Ye suddenly smiled. "So we're good then. No more showing up out of the blue. We’re done here—we can both move on."

Yu Wei blinked. "Wait, what?" His jaw dropped.

"Absolutely not!" Yu Wei had never expected to be asked to agree to that.

Right now, he felt like he'd found a prime cut of meat. Just the smell alone had him hooked and thrilled—how could he let it slip away before even tasting it?

Yu Wei was about to lay down the law when suddenly the boy in front of him started crying.

Yu Wei: "What the—?"

Jian Ye bit his lower lip, like he was fighting back tears, trying not to sob out loud. "I said so much, and you just agreed to everything. Now… are you breaking your promises again?"

"I—"

"Of course, you always broke your promises before. You said you’d love me forever, but then you got bored and threw me away."

"…"

"After dragging myself out of that hell, here you come again."

"Yeye, I didn’t—"

"Don’t call me that. You’re not my boyfriend anymore. Sometimes I don’t even know if I matter to you at all."

"…"

"Just a toy you can throw away and pick up whenever you feel like it?"

"Jian Ye, I… I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant..."

"Yu Wei, I’m a person too—I have feelings. Please, stop bothering me, okay? Every time I see you, it tears me apart."

*Ding—Green Tea Points detected! Green Tea Points +20.*

*Ding—Green Tea Points detected! Green Tea Points +25.*

*Ding—Green Tea Points detected! Green Tea Points +30.*

*System 748: Those words wrecked him. He’s already starting to regret it.*

*Jian Ye: Now for the kill shot.*

Jian Ye wiped his nose and said firmly, "Let me tell you the truth—I suffer from depression. After we broke up, I wanted to end it all several times, but people kept stopping me."

Yu Wei went completely still. He had no idea any of this had happened. To him, it was just another breakup—something he did every few weeks.

"My condition is better now, but I can't guarantee I won't relapse." Jian Ye added, shooting Yu Wei a hollow look.

The gaze made guilt twist in Yu Wei's gut. In an instant, he understood exactly what those eyes were saying without words.

Put bluntly: *You're the source of my illness. Your presence only makes it worse. If you really care about me, disappear—saving a life beats building seven pagodas.*

*Ding—Green Tea Points detected! Green Tea Points +50.*

*Jian Ye: Hit him with a meme.*

*System 748: On it.*

*System 748: "I have Yuyu Syndrome.jpg"*

*Jian Ye: Your meme stash is next-level.*

"System 748: I make it a habit to regularly update my meme collection."

"Jian Ye: ... "

"A Ye! We've got your back!"

Jian Ye looked up and saw Li Xiangchi and their classmates arriving in a group—just in time.

Let's go! He really didn't want to talk to this idiot anymore! This is so draining!

And he even had to fake being sick just to shut this damn fish tail up!

"Hey! You asshole! Did you bully A Ye again? What's your fucking problem with him? Why are you doing this to him?"

Yu Wei stammered in anger, "I—I didn't bully him!"

Li Xiangchi: "That's bullshit! I saw everything. You only said a few words and made A Ye cry."

The other classmates joined in.

"Exactly! You're not even from our school, are you?"

"Coming here to pick on people? You've got some nerve!"

Yu Wei was speechless. He wanted Jian Ye to explain things, but the kid’s eyes were red, his nose tip flushed.

If he hadn’t known what just happened, even he might have thought the boy had been seriously bullied.

Fuck this! So he came here today just to get abused?

This is the worst fucking year!

**Author's Note**

Yu Wei: Jian Ye, I want to...

Jian Ye: ^_^ [Meme: I have depression]

Yu Wei: Jian Ye, can you...

Jian Ye: ^_^ [Meme: I have depression]

Yu Wei: Jian Ye, I was wrong, okay?

Jian Ye: ^_^ Get lost. [Meme: Terminal depression]