Chapter 12 Overheard

"Sure," Zhan Jiayu replied without hesitation.

"Yay!"

Yan Zhoubai got his wish and added Zhan Jiayu as a contact. This way, even if he couldn't see the antagonist in person, he could still connect with him online.

After meeting the protagonist, Bu Qiran, Yan Zhoubai felt even more certain that the system’s earlier suggestion to get closer to the antagonist was absolutely spot-on. This Bu Qiran was truly irritating—he hoped the antagonist would teach him a lesson.

Once the contact was added, Zhan Jiayu prepared to leave. Yan Zhoubai eagerly accompanied him to the door, doing his best to be a gracious host.

Just before stepping out of the Yan family’s gate, Zhan Jiayu suddenly turned to Yan Zhoubai and said, "The gift I brought for you is with your eldest brother. Remember to ask him for it." He paused, then added, "Happy birthday."

With that, Zhan Jiayu got into his Maybach S680, and the car quickly sped away.

Yan Zhoubai stood there, a little confused. The gift being with his eldest brother must have been because Zhan Jiayu had arrived before Yan Zhoubai came downstairs, and his brother had held onto it for him. His brother would certainly never keep the gift for himself, so why did Zhan Jiayu feel the need to specifically mention it?

Yan Anxuan, who had just finished entertaining guests and was standing at the living room entrance, watched as Yan Zhoubai saw Zhan Jiayu off. He slid his right hand into his suit pocket and felt a small, palm-sized box—the gift Zhan Jiayu had brought.

Zhan Jiayu had arrived, but there was only one gift.

Earlier, his mother had mentioned that Zhan Jiayu told their father he hadn’t expected the Yan family’s coming-of-age ceremony to be such a significant event. He claimed he hadn’t been prepared, brought only one gift, and promised to send another the next day.

Hadn’t expected it? Unprepared? As if anyone would believe that. Zhan Jiayu had just returned to the country and was trying to reestablish the Zhan family’s footing in Jing City. If he didn’t even have the ability to gather such basic intelligence, he might as well give up.

As for the gift in his pocket, he hadn’t been sure earlier who Zhan Jiayu intended it for, but now the answer was obvious.

"Brother Rong, I never expected Yan Zhoubai to have it so rough in the Yan family. He’s usually so quiet—I thought he was just like that, unlikable. I didn’t realize he’s pretty much unloved by his parents at home." Ji Yangwen had a loud voice and a bold personality, never mincing words.

Ji Yangwen hadn’t thought much about the fact that no one from the Yan family had stood up for Yan Zhoubai. In his view, what he had done to Yan Zhoubai was just minor teasing. If the Yan family were protective, he might have been warned, but if not, it wasn’t a big deal. So while he had questions, he wasn’t particularly surprised.

Rong Qian remained silent, but his thoughtful expression showed he wasn’t indifferent to Ji Yangwen’s words. He had taken in everything Yan Zhoubai said during his sudden outburst earlier.

"Tch, what’s this? It’s not like we were bullying the weak. We all come from similar backgrounds—how did he end up so miserable?" Dai Jian pursed his lips, slightly toning down his bored look.

"Did he suddenly go to that Cangru Temple because he was treated poorly at home and had a hard time at school, and just gave up?" Ji Yangwen scratched his head absentmindedly.

"He never said he was becoming a monk—just that he’d been practicing at Cangru Temple these past few years." Rong Qian, usually a man of few words, unexpectedly spoke up, as if emphasizing something.

"If you’ve had a change of heart and want to apologize to him, there’s still a chance. The Yan family didn’t kick him out, after all." Dai Jian was straightforward, especially when talking to Ji Yangwen.

"Who, who wants to apologize to him? Do I seem like that kind of person?" Ji Yangwen stammered unexpectedly for some reason. "He really doesn’t stutter at all anymore. Does the temple really cure stuttering that well?"

What Ji Yangwen didn’t say aloud was that he thought Yan Zhoubai had changed a lot. After three years away from people, not only did he no longer stutter, but he also wasn’t as timid as before. He even seemed better-looking. Was the temple really that miraculous?

Seeing Ji Yangwen’s reaction, Dai Jian thought to himself, *You’re just pretending.* Then he said, "If you don’t apologize today, there might not be another chance."

"What do you mean?" Ji Yangwen asked.

He had completely forgotten that he’d just denied wanting to apologize to Yan Zhoubai. His question now was practically an admission.

Dai Jian: "Even though the Yan family didn’t kick him out, he didn’t say he’d stay with them. What if he plans to go back to Cangru Temple? Even if he doesn’t, you probably won’t be classmates with him anymore. He’s been at the temple for three years and missed three years of high school. His chances of getting into college are pretty low."

Right. Ji Yangwen finally realized that Yan Zhoubai, having missed school, would likely struggle to get into college. It wasn’t just about whether the Yan family would be willing to pull strings to get him a spot—even if they did, it would likely be at a mediocre university. Top-tier schools like Peking University would be out of reach. They probably wouldn’t be classmates with Yan Zhoubai anymore.

Having been classmates with Yan Zhoubai since childhood, often in the same class, the sudden realization that they might no longer be classmates left Ji Yangwen feeling unexpectedly wistful.

"I should’ve treated him better before," Ji Yangwen suddenly blurted out.

"What exactly did you all do to him before?"

The voice that suddenly sounded beside them startled the trio. They had been so absorbed in their surprise at Yan Zhoubai’s changes that they hadn’t noticed their surroundings. Most guests were still inside, so there weren’t many people outside.

They turned and saw Yan Anxuan walking slowly toward them. Though he hadn’t reached them yet, they hadn’t been keeping their voices down, so he had likely heard most of their conversation.

"Brother Yan, what brings you here? Did the guests inside actually let you leave?" Dai Jian was the first to react, greeting Yan Anxuan and even managing a casual joke.

None of the three had expected Yan Anxuan to appear suddenly. They didn’t interact much with him, mainly due to the age gap—Yan Anxuan was closer to their older siblings. Plus, Yan Anxuan was well-known in their circles for being shrewd and capable, so they instinctively straightened up when they saw him.

Yan Anxuan ignored Dai Jian’s joke and repeated his question: "What exactly did you all do to Yan Zhoubai before?"

"Nothing serious, Brother Yan. It was just minor teasing. He used to stutter, so we’d sometimes joke around with him. Nothing major." Ji Yangwen, who had earlier thought his actions toward Yan Zhoubai were no big deal, now felt somewhat guilty under Yan Anxuan’s direct questioning.

The reason was simple: Yan Anxuan’s presence was intimidating. Being stared down by him made anyone feel uneasy.

"Yeah, just teasing, nothing serious. Don’t worry, Brother Yan." Sensing the tension, Dai Jian quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

Ultimately, their earlier bravado about not fearing the Yan family’s reaction was just talk among themselves. If Yan Anxuan were to seriously confront them, they’d definitely be a bit scared.

Yan Anxuan’s expression didn’t change, but the three could tell he was displeased.

"Don’t worry about Yan Zhoubai’s college plans. Stay away from him from now on." With that, Yan Anxuan turned and left, leaving the trio unsure how to react.

Yan Anxuan was indeed irritated. The fact that Yan Zhoubai had somehow gotten involved with Zhan Jiayu was already bothering him, and now he’d learned that these three had bullied Yan Zhoubai at school.

Why had Yan Zhoubai never mentioned being bullied by those three at school? Was it because he never brought it up, or had he mentioned it and Yan Anxuan had ignored it?

He’d stuttered since childhood, so it was understandable that he might be bullied at school. But he and the rest of the family had never really considered that possibility. They’d assumed that, as the young master of the Yan family, and since the other students were also from prominent families in Jing City, the kids would at most tease each other—nothing serious.

But based on what he’d just overheard, that wasn’t the case. He needed to find time to look into what had really happened to Yan Zhoubai at school. Was his sudden decision to follow that old Taoist to Cangru Temple also related to this?

Yan Zhoubai couldn’t get into college? Remembering what Dai Jian had said, Yan Anxuan snorted coldly. What if he insisted on getting Yan Zhoubai into college?

After seeing Zhan Jiayu off, Yan Zhoubai returned to the living room and spotted Ji Yangwen and the other two under the corridor. He didn’t know what they were up to, but they seemed upset. He had no interest in dealing with them and planned to ignore them and go inside, but someone called out to him.

"Lit— I mean, Yan Zhoubai!" Ji Yangwen called out, catching himself after almost saying "Little Stutterer" and quickly correcting to Yan Zhoubai’s name.

Yan Zhoubai stopped and turned to face the three. Did they still want to bully him? They were at the Yan family’s home today—were they really that bold?

So Yan Zhoubai acted tough: "What do you want?" he asked, directing the question straight at Ji Yangwen.

Ji Yangwen: *The little stutterer’s got guts now, daring to talk to me like that.*

Dai Jian: *Well, looks like his time at the temple paid off. He’s not as timid as before.*

Rong Qian: *He really has changed.*

Ji Yangwen’s first instinct was to retort, "Quite the attitude you’ve got, daring to talk to me like that. Seems like you’ve forgotten me after all these years," but he stopped himself at the last second.

"It’s been a while. We’re classmates, and we came specifically for your coming-of-age ceremony. As the host, how could you just walk away without greeting your guests?"

Ji Yangwen admitted he was annoyed that Yan Zhoubai had ignored them and walked off. He just wanted to say something to stop Yan Zhoubai, regardless of whether it made sense.

Yan Zhoubai looked at Ji Yangwen as if he’d seen a ghost. Was this jerk serious? How dare he say something like that? Infuriating!

"Who asked you to come? Just seeing you pisses me off. Hmph." Yan Zhoubai rolled his eyes, acting as if he couldn’t be bothered to look at Ji Yangwen.

"No, you..." Ji Yangwen was completely stunned by Yan Zhoubai's reaction and went straight for Yan Zhoubai's face. "Are you actually Yan Zhoubai? You haven't been replaced by someone else, have you?"

"Dirty hands, ugh, get off!" Yan Zhoubai smacked Ji Yangwen's hand away. Startled by the sudden physical contact, he didn't hold back his strength, landing with a sharp crack.

The air went silent for a moment.

Author's Note:

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I hope everyone will leave comments and add this to your collections—I really need the support! [Heart]

Another update coming tomorrow.