Chapter 111 Short End

Chapter 111: Getting the Short End of the Stick

Bu Qiran was initially angered by Yan Zhoubai's comment about him "all dolled up," but when Yan Zhoubai brought up women's clothes, he suddenly grinned and leaned in closer to Yan Zhoubai:

"The little dresses in my room are all still there. In fact, I’ve bought a few new ones. What, do you want to try them on?"

Yan Zhoubai immediately remembered the time Bu Qiran had made him wear women’s clothing.

"You still dare to bring that up? What about the money? You said you’d give me all the earnings from that video. Don’t tell me it didn’t make a single cent?"

Yan Zhoubai had almost forgotten about it, but as soon as Bu Qiran mentioned the dresses, he remembered immediately.

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"And another thing, what's your username? I never even got to see the video you posted of me."

At this, Bu Qiran’s expression shifted.

That video? What video? He had deleted it the very night he posted it. Several months had passed since then.

His account lost followers because of how quickly he took the video down. It took posting many more videos afterward to gradually regain the lost followers.

Months later, he had long forgotten about that episode, but the video of Yan Zhoubai wearing his dress was still saved on his phone. He had even made several backups, afraid of losing it.

"Right, the video didn’t go viral. The metrics were terrible, so I deleted it to protect my account's reach."

As Yan Zhoubai pulled out his phone to search through social media platforms, trying to find the video himself, Bu Qiran quickly tried to change the subject.

"You...! You were definitely lying to me back then, just trying to trick me into wearing women’s clothes. You’re not actually an influencer, are you? If the video performed poorly, it must be because your account was never any good to begin with."

Yan Zhoubai had indeed been tempted by the generous reward Bu Qiran had promised at the time, but now, thinking it over carefully, he felt Bu Qiran had simply deceived him. What a fake influencer!

Bu Qiran rolled his eyes and, without saying another word, took out his phone and transferred money to Yan Zhoubai’s account.

He then showed Yan Zhoubai the transfer record on his screen. "I keep my word and never go back on my promise. Even though that video didn’t generate any actual revenue, this is what my videos usually make on average. I promised you the money, so you’ll get it."

Before Yan Zhoubai could even react to the amount Bu Qiran had transferred, he heard the notification sound from his own phone.

Bu Qiran lightly tapped Yan Zhoubai’s head with his phone.

"You’re such a money-grubber."

"What are you two talking about? The food is already on the table. Why are you still standing around here?"

Yan Anxuan’s voice suddenly cut in, his voice cold and clearly annoyed.

Yan Zhoubai didn’t know why his elder brother was suddenly angry, but he dutifully made his way to the dining table.

"Why did you buy a cake? No one in the family has a birthday today, right?"

After sitting down, Yan Zhoubai looked at the matcha cake Bu Qiran had brought in confusion.

"Who says you need a birthday to eat cake? This isn’t a birthday cake. I bought it specifically to celebrate your return home today. Don't be ungrateful."

Whenever Bu Qiran and Yan Zhoubai spoke, it always felt like they were on the verge of an argument.

But what Yan Zhoubai didn’t notice was that Bu Qiran’s eyes hadn't left him ever since he stepped through the door.

"Your return home is a happy occasion. I remember you said you wanted to drink this wine before, so let’s open it today."

Yan Anxuan held the bottle of red wine he had retrieved from the cellar. A servant moved to take it and open it, but he waved them off and opened it himself.

Once all the dishes were served, the family gathered around the dining table. Yan Zhoubai quite liked this atmosphere. More importantly, he had missed home-cooked meals.

Living with Zhan Jiayu, Yan Zhoubai certainly ate well—Zhan Jiayu would never let him want for anything materially. But precisely because he ate so well, he sometimes missed the taste of home-cooked food even more.

However, Yan Zhoubai couldn’t shake the feeling that the atmosphere at the table today was somewhat strained. Although no one was speaking, and everyone was eating calmly, the mood felt off.

It wasn’t until everyone was halfway through their meal that Yan Ren and Bai Rong finally put down their chopsticks.

"Xiao Bai, judging from your messages in the group chat, it’s clear you’ve been doing well at Zhan Jiayu’s place. I’ve also heard from a few aunts and uncles that you’ve been working as Zhan Jiayu’s secretary, accompanying him to meet with business partners. You've been doing a great job. Your mother and I are both very pleased."

Yan Ren was the first to speak, a gentle smile on his face—the same refined father Yan Zhoubai remembered.

"But," Yan Ren’s tone shifted abruptly, and Yan Zhoubai knew they were getting to the main point. This was something he couldn’t avoid during today’s visit home.

"I think your decision to date Zhan Jiayu was somewhat rash. You’re still young, after all. You’ve never been in a relationship before, and you spent three years training at the Taoist temple. You lack life experience."

Yan Zhoubai was the last to put down his chopsticks. He glanced around at the others—his mother, his Big Brother, and Bu Qiran—all watching him, waiting for his response.

"Dad, I disagree with you. The fact that I’ve never been in a relationship and haven’t experienced much doesn’t mean Zhan Jiayu and I shouldn’t date," Yan Zhoubai said seriously.

"Xiao Bai, what your father means is that you haven’t met many people, and Zhan Jiayu is someone who emerged from a life-and-death struggle within the Zhan family. If you’re with him, he’ll have the upper hand, and you’ll be the one at a disadvantage."

Yan Anxuan had been holding back these words for a long time. Ever since he found out by accident about Yan Zhoubai and Zhan Jiayu’s relationship, he had wanted to say this to Yan Zhoubai.

But Zhan Jiayu had interrupted him last time, and he knew that a phone call probably wouldn't be enough to say these things to Yan Zhoubai.

His parents also opposed Yan Zhoubai’s relationship with Zhan Jiayu, which was why they had directly asked Yan Zhoubai to come home.

"Big Brother, why do you all think that way? Zhan Jiayu is a good person. Just because he’s older and more powerful than me doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily take advantage of me."

Yan Zhoubai had started off calmly explaining things to Yan Ren, but when Yan Anxuan spoke, returning to the idea that he would be at a disadvantage with Zhan Jiayu—something Bai Rong had also mentioned—he began to feel uneasy.

He didn’t want to hear this reasoning anymore.

"Xiao Bai, calm down first."

Noticing Yan Zhoubai’s rising agitation, Yan Anxuan immediately stopped talking.

While soothing Yan Zhoubai’s emotions, he cursed Zhan Jiayu’s ancestors eighteen generations back in his mind.

If it weren’t for Zhan Jiayu, why would Yan Zhoubai be like this? Why would he side with an outsider and act so distant with his family?

Yan Zhoubai was his younger brother. He should be the one closest to Yan Zhoubai.

Bu Qiran, sitting beside him, also noticed Yan Zhoubai’s emotional shift. He quickly opened the box of the matcha cake he had bought and cut a slice for Yan Zhoubai.

It had to be said, this move worked quite well on Yan Zhoubai. His mood, which had been sour, instantly improved upon seeing the matcha cake.

He picked up his fork and took a bite, feeling satisfied. He had no idea where Bu Qiran bought it, but the cake was delicious.

Seeing Yan Zhoubai enjoy the cake, Bu Qiran couldn't help smiling.

It was nothing. If he really wanted to make Yan Zhoubai happy, he had tons of tricks up his sleeve. Before, he just hadn’t realized his feelings for Yan Zhoubai. Now, things were different.

He had figured out on his own that Yan Zhoubai liked cake. As for what kind of cake Yan Zhoubai preferred, although he didn’t know yet, it was a problem he could easily solve. He’d have it figured out in no time.

"Male lead, sir, it wasn't that quick. Ever since you found out this minor character was going home this week, you've been browsing cake-related posts online for days. Your various apps' algorithm-based recommendations are now full of all kinds of cakes."

Bu Qiran's system couldn't help but rain on his parade when it heard him gloating inwardly. It simply couldn't stand Bu Qiran's pathetic behavior. He was supposed to be the original story's sole male lead—even if he liked someone, it should be the other party making the first move, with him having numerous female confidantes.

But now? He'd actually fallen for a minor character who should have exited the story long ago—and not just any minor character, but the impostor young master who had usurped his identity for eighteen years, and a man at that! Bu Qiran's system felt as if the world was ending.

At first, neither Bu Qiran nor the system realized his feelings for Yan Zhoubai. The system just thought its host had a good heart, not seeking revenge even after the impostor young master had taken his identity for so many years.

Unexpectedly, Bu Qiran later confessed outright that he liked Yan Zhoubai.

The system immediately wanted to throw in the towel. What did this mean? What did this mean? The true young master, the male lead, falling for a minor character, the impostor young master—so was it the only one left looking like a clown?

During that time, the system truly felt its heart had sunk, losing all drive to function.

But to its surprise, its host's affection for that minor character, by some twist of fate, ignited an unprecedented drive in him to become stronger.

Because that minor character had been taken away by the villainous big boss, its host couldn't accept it.

Although the process had deviated significantly from what it had envisioned, at least the outcome was moving in the right direction, so the system's nearly extinguished will to live came back.

However, it still felt it necessary to constantly remind the male lead that it would be best to stop liking this minor character—there was no future for the two of them.

"None of your business, shut up!"

Bu Qiran had been in a good mood, but this chatty system had to show up again, completely ruining it.

"The two of you won't have a future, male lead. You should give up sooner rather than later, and let's focus on building our career," the system said.

When Bu Qiran found out Yan Zhoubai and Zhan Jiayu were together, he blew up at the system.

"Of course the original plot didn't mention it, so the two of them won't have a good outcome either!"

Author's note: [Let me take a look]

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