Chapter 139: Can You Stay?

Chapter 139: Can You Stay?

It was rare to see Yi Siyu looking so frustrated at home, and Yi Siyuan, the second son of the Yi family, couldn't help but snort.

However, this laugh made Yu Xinran train her sights on him.

"How dare you laugh at your brother? You're almost 30 yourself. Even if you're not in a hurry to get married, you could at least date someone!"

Yi Siyuan was indignant and pointed at Yi Sizhe, who was sitting on the sofa scrolling through his phone. "Mom, Big Brother is already 30 and still single. Why aren’t you lecturing him instead of me?"

Yu Xinran always had a ready retort: "Your Big Brother’s situation is different from yours. He’s holding down the fort at the company for your father—it’s not easy. I don’t even expect him to have bandwidth for anything else..."

Yi Siyuan shut his mouth.

That much was true. His Big Brother carried a heavier burden than he did. Though Yi Siyuan managed the cybersecurity division at the company and was considered the backbone in that area, he knew this role could be handed to someone else—the Yi family could certainly afford to hire elite programmers.

But he just didn’t want to stay idle at home. If he did, he’d be pestered about dating, which he considered a never-ending headache.

Jian Ye sat at the dining table noisily slurping noodles, thoroughly entertained by the Yi family’s banter. He had VIP seats to the drama.

This was the first time he’d seen Yu Xinran go back and forth with the second son, and he was so engrossed that he didn’t even notice Yi Siyu sitting beside him.

He had assumed Yi Sizhe, sitting on the sofa, wouldn’t join the conversation, but his remark took everyone by surprise.

The dignified and composed man glanced toward the dining area, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Mom, you can get your hopes up."

The whole family froze.

Considering Yu Xinran’s earlier words, this implied...

Could they expect Big Brother to start dating?

Jian Ye, riding the gossip wave, forgot all about table manners and immediately grabbed his phone to text like his life depended on it under the table.

Yi Siyu tried to peek, but the tablecloth foiled his attempt.

What was his wife being so secretive about? He already knew Jian Ye’s biggest secret—what else couldn’t he see?

Jian Ye couldn't be bothered with Yi Siyu’s feelings. He’d promised Zhuang Yao to be their mole at home, and this kind of intel had to be reported immediately.

Strangely enough, Big Brother seemed in an unusually good mood today.

He was actually paying attention to his own love life—was hell freezing over?

Yu Xinran initially wanted to dig deeper—questions like, "Do you have someone you like?" or "What made you suddenly come around?"—but in the end, she said nothing.

It was good news that her eldest son was finally entertaining the idea. If she said the wrong thing and spooked him back into his cave, wouldn’t that backfire?

She had complete faith in her eldest son’s life plans. If he truly had someone in mind, Yi Sizhe would bring them home himself when the time came—no prying needed.

That morning had everyone reading between the lines.

...

Jian Ye and Yi Siyu stayed at the Yi residence until the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, making it their longest visit yet.

Under the care of the Yi family, Jian Ye put on a solid three pounds, finally filling out his cheeks.

Even Jian Ye found it unbelievable. He usually burned calories just by breathing, so packing on three pounds in such a short time was a freaking miracle.

Perhaps it was truly the comfortable life at the Yi family's residence, where his daily nutritional intake was planned down to the last detail. Coupled with the joy of sticking to Yi Siyu like glue and the absence of no shady characters hassling him, the reduced psychological stress naturally led to his improved well-being.

After leaving the Yi residence and returning to Lanfeng Bay, Yi Siyu let loose all that built-up frustration he had been holding in for so long.

Jian Ye spent three consecutive days with his legs jelly, back aching, hands shaky…

He deeply suspected that the man, after learning the secrets of his "rewards," was messing with him on purpose.

Yet, his body was totally into it, leaving Jian Ye with nothing to say and no grounds to blame Yi Siyu.

After this crisis, Yi Siyu seemed to love him even more.

Thus, Jian Ye spent an entire week indulging in a week of downright debauchery.

It wasn’t until school started that Yi Siyu finally eased up on him.

Thankfully, as a dancer, his body was flexible and adaptable—otherwise, he might have truly been wiped out for good.

Upon returning to school, Jian Ye had a proper catch-up dinner with his roommates.

When Jian Ye was hospitalized earlier, they had been extremely worried, though they couldn’t ask too many details.

The moment Jian Ye arrived, the three of them checked him over head to toe, confirming there were no visible injuries before slightly relaxing.

Li Xiangchi, being straightforward, cut straight to the chase in front of Jian Ye.

He asked point-blank, "A Ye, how did you end up hospitalized over winter break?"

Jian Ye didn’t sugarcoat it for his roommates, telling them he had been kidnapped by criminals and had been unconscious for several days.

Of course, he didn’t mention the dangerous details, and even the hospitalization reason was fabricated—but it was indeed tied to the kidnapping.

Though Jian Ye spoke lightly, they weren’t dumb, and they were inwardly shocked.

Since Jian Ye didn’t want to elaborate, they were afraid of reopening any emotional wounds, chewing on that quietly instead.

Was this the kind of risk that came with being a wealthy young master? Holy crap, that’s scary!

All three could easily imagine how worried Yi Siyu must have been when Jian Ye was kidnapped…

No wonder Yi Siyu had come off kinda cold when they called to ask about Jian Ye’s condition.

Jian Ye’s situation back then must have been truly dire.

Li Xiangchi, felt awful for their baby bro in their dorm, kept loading up his plate with the best dishes during the meal.

"A Ye, you went through hell. Eat more so you can recover faster."

"Chi-ge, I’ve already recovered. I’m perfectly healthy now."

Li Xiangchi ignored Jian Ye’s reassurances—getting snatched by criminals and being hospitalized for half a month? He wasn’t buying it that Jian Ye was fully recovered.

Liu Mingchang thought the same, his gaze filled with pity as he looked at Jian Ye.

Poor little A Ye, got that pretty-boy face, yet can’t catch a break. Was fate jealous of his looks and always setting obstacles in his path?

From now on, they’d have to keep a closer eye on Jian Ye at school.

Zheng Yan didn’t go as overboard in his thoughts as the other two, but he knew the ordeal must have been straight-up harrowing.

It's said that old-money families like theirs are prone to attacks from hostile forces. A single misstep in making enemies could easily implicate their loved ones.

Jian Ye had no idea about his roommates' elaborate assumptions. After many days, he finally heard the system notification again.

"Ding—Green Tea vibes detected! Green Tea Points +2500."

"Jian Ye: ???"

"Jian Ye: Er Tong, you're back?"

"System 748: Host, sorry. After you were released from the penalty box, I was called back by the main system for a mandatory systems summit."

"Jian Ye: …"

Damn, this really feels like a company's annual meeting.

"System 748: The meeting was about reallocating system assignments. Host, my mission in this world... is almost over."

Hearing this suddenly, Jian Ye felt weirdly conflicted.

"Jian Ye: After it ends... where will you be assigned?"

"System 748: Could be reassigned to a newbie host, or return to headquarters for desk duty. Still waiting on my reassignment orders."

"Jian Ye: Then... if I never complete the mission, can you stay?"

According to the system, he only needed one more trophy badge to finish the task. If he deliberately stalled progress and prevented his Green Tea Points from reaching the next promotion threshold, would that glitch the system into sticking around?

Logically, this approach might work—but the system's higher-ups didn’t seem to operate on logic.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let this derailed novelverse develop on its own.

"System 748: Host, intentionally sandbagging will result in getting flagged by Central Command. Do you want to go back to the penalty box?"

"Jian Ye: No, no! Sorry, let’s just finish the mission quickly and send you off then."

"System 748: Boo hoo~ Host, so heartless! You just said you didn’t want me to leave!"

The system actually had a little tantrum, which cracked Jian Ye up.

"Jian Ye: Wait, you said before that completing the final stage would earn a great reward from the main system? Could I... use that reward to keep you here?"

Deep down, Jian Ye didn’t want the system to leave. Since arriving in this world, they had been ride-or-die partners.

They had experienced everything side by side. The thought of the system leaving once the missions ended made him a little sad.

But he also knew that nothing lasts forever. The system didn’t belong in the human world—this level of alien tech had long surpassed Earth’s level.

The old Jian Ye would’ve refused to be controlled by such an entity, but now, their relationship felt more like close friends.

The system had gone full sentient, even getting all pouty. He could confide anything to it with zero filter.

If he was being honest with himself, Jian Ye wished the system could stay.

"System 748: No, rewards can’t be exchanged. Host, I’ll miss you too... Maybe after I return, I can put in a transfer request with my seniors. There might still be a chance to meet again."

"A Ye, are you tired? Let me take you back to the dorm to rest."

At some point, Jian Ye had zoned out over his food, no longer joining their conversation.

They were worried that their earlier questions had brought back memories of the kidnapping for Jian Ye.

Some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing a kidnapping.

Jian Ye was talking to the system and completely forgot his roommate was still there. When he came back to himself, he didn't respond.

His mood was indeed a bit down. After finishing the meal, the group returned to the dorm.

Jian Ye was the first to shower and lie down on the bed, but just then, he received a message from Director Wu Xiaozhi.

The director said *Farewell to Midsummer* would be released early in March.

This news cheered Jian Ye up a bit.

This was the first film Jian Ye had acted in since transmigrating to this world, and he was really looking forward to its release.

Aside from the director’s message, Jian Ye also received one from Zhuang Yao.

"Zhuang Yao": Xiao Ye, Yi Siyu’s birthday is coming up. Have you gotten anything ready?

Jian Ye: !!! (Jian Ye's eyes widened)

His husband’s birthday?

He had completely forgotten about it. If Zhuang Yao hadn’t reminded him, he might not have remembered at all.

Yi Siyu had gotten him a puppy for his birthday—what could he give in return?

He’d heard that the Yi family celebrated birthdays quietly, never inviting too many people—just close friends and family.

Yi Siyu, born into wealth—what luxury hadn't he experienced?

Though his husband would undoubtedly love anything he gave, Jian Ye still wanted to put real thought into it.

"Author's Note"

The story is nearly finished, sniffle.

_(:з」∠)_ (This emoticon represents a person lying down in despair.)