He Chose Me Instead of My Brother

“I don’t believe you.” Ye Zhixia muttered. “How could you possibly…”

The words “be that nice” hadn’t even left his mouth when he abruptly swallowed them back.

Not far away, his assistant Xiao Yang was hurrying over with a hairdryer.

And behind Xiao Yang followed another group of people.

The figure at the front was particularly tall—Gao Wenye.

“What took you so long?” When Xiao Yang arrived, Uncle Wang asked quietly.

“Just ran into Teacher Gao. He asked about Xiaxia’s condition, so we chatted for a bit.” Xiao Yang explained as he bent down to pull out the extension cord from the RV and plug in the hairdryer.

“He was quick enough. Don’t blame him.” Seeing Gao Wenye approaching, Ye Zhixia dropped his earlier irritability and became gentle and considerate.

He stood up with a smile as he spoke, greeting Gao Wenye warmly.

“Teacher Gao.”

“How are you?” Gao Wenye asked with concern. “Today’s scene was tough.”

He looked at Ye Zhixia’s still slightly damp hair.

“Dry that quickly. Don’t catch a cold.”

“Mm. Thank you, Teacher Gao.” Ye Zhixia nodded obediently.

After a moment, he seemed to remember something and pulled Tao Ruoqing to his side.

“Teacher Gao, let me introduce you.” He gestured. “This is my mother.”

Then he motioned toward Ye Zheng. “And this is my brother, Ye Zheng.”

Gao Wenye smiled and nodded to both.

After a pause, his gaze landed on Ye Zhiqiu.

“And this is…”

“Oh.” Ye Zhixia realized he’d instinctively excluded Ye Zhiqiu. “This is also my brother, Ye Zhiqiu.”

“Hello.” Gao Wenye smiled at Ye Zhiqiu. “I didn’t expect you to be Xiao Ye’s brother. You actually look younger than him.”

Ye Zhixia: “…”

An instinctive sense of crisis washed over him, instantly dissipating the joy he’d felt from Gao Wenye’s concern.

His heart felt weighted with lead, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on Gao Wenye and Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu looked back at him with an ambiguous smile.

Ye Zhixia’s eyes flashed a warning.

“I’m only about seven or eight months older than my brother.” Ye Zhiqiu smiled. “That’s why Ye Zhixia won’t call me ‘brother.'”

“Oh~” Gao Wenye was visibly startled, momentarily confused by the timeline.

A ten-month pregnancy, yet Ye Zhiqiu was only seven or eight months older than Ye Zhixia…

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu’s mischievous smile, Ye Zhixia immediately stepped forward, positioning himself between him and Gao Wenye.

“I was born prematurely.” He explained to Gao Wenye. Then added, “Don’t mind him, Teacher Gao. He never says anything serious.”

Gao Wenye chuckled. “I find him quite amusing.”

Ye Zhixia: “…”

If Gao Wenye weren’t standing right there, his face would have turned cold by now.

Fortunately, Ye Zhiqiu’s phone buzzed.

He glanced down with a smile and stepped back from the group.

Ye Zhixia quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

But he soon noticed Gao Wenye’s gaze following Ye Zhiqiu like a shadow.

Jealousy and bitterness mingled into fear deep within him.

Ye Zhixia forced a smile.

Such an expression might fool Gao Wenye, but it could never fool Tao Ruoqing.

Her brow tightened almost imperceptibly.

“Since this is our first meeting, none of you have eaten yet, right?” Gao Wenye smiled and invited Tao Ruoqing. “Let me play host today.”

Tao Ruoqing didn’t care for Gao Wenye and was about to decline, but Ye Zheng spoke up first.

“Allow me.” Ye Zheng smiled appropriately. “Thank you for looking after our Xiaxia during this time.”

Gao Wenye didn’t insist.

He nodded with a smile, his gaze sweeping once more toward Ye Zhiqiu in the distance.

The young man was wrapped in a long white down jacket, a knitted cap on his head, a scarf wound around his neck.

An outfit that should have looked bulky, yet somehow still appeared slender and graceful, his bearing outstanding.

He was looking down, typing on his phone.

His thick, long lashes cast two small shadows beneath his eyes, making his skin appear even fairer and more translucent.

Like a glittering, translucent snowman.

The thought suddenly occurred to Gao Wenye.

Though it was winter, the midday sun was actually quite soft and warm.

Yet even bathed in that warm sunlight, Ye Zhiqiu could still feel the intense gaze coming from Gao Wenye.

But he didn’t care.

He paid it no mind.

He focused solely on replying to Jin Baobao.

[Prosperity: This gym was opened by my senior’s brother. It only serves high-end clients. But it’s expensive too. Check it out first. If it suits you, I’ll ask him for a discount.]

[One Leaf Knows Autumn: OKK.]

[Prosperity: Location map.]

[Prosperity: Not to criticize, but you’re so impulsive. Aren’t you busy enough already? Why the sudden decision to learn boxing?]

Ye Zhiqiu didn’t reply immediately.

Instead, he opened the gym’s location.

The gym sat in the most central part of the central business district—prime real estate, hence the steep fees.

The advantage was its location right next to Q.L.’s office building, which would save considerable time in the future.

After confirming the location, Ye Zhiqiu finally responded.

[One Leaf Knows Autumn: Self-defense.]

Jin Baobao didn’t buy it.

[Prosperity: You’re joking, right?]

Ye Zhiqiu smiled slightly and didn’t reply further.

He wasn’t joking this time.

He genuinely needed a self-defense skill.

His confrontation with Qi Xin couldn’t stay at this level forever. They had to move forward.

Only then could he truly drive Qi Xin to a state worse than death.

And in that process, it would be difficult to avoid situations or environments where he was alone with Qi Xin.

In his past life, he’d truly liked Qi Xin. But even their first time had been half forced by Qi Xin and half yielded by himself.

That was why they’d married so quickly.

He knew better than anyone how much stronger Qi Xin was than him.

This time, he believed he could mentally suppress Qi Xin enough to keep him in line.

But he couldn’t afford not to prepare for the worst.

After all, even a rabbit bites when cornered. When testing Qi Xin’s limits, he might not always gauge things so precisely.

Ye Zhiqiu finished chatting with Jin Baobao.

By then, Ye Zhixia had finished drying his hair.

Xiao Yang, Uncle Wang, and Gao Wenye’s assistant were helping Ye Zheng carry milk tea from the trunk, distributing it to the crew on set.

Ye Zhixia took a bottle from the insulated box and smilingly handed it to Gao Wenye.

“Teacher Gao, would you like some?”

As Ye Zhiqiu approached, Gao Wenye took it and offered it to him instead.

“Xiaoqiu, would you like some?”

Ye Zhiqiu: “…”

In his past life, his interactions with Gao Wenye had been limited to him being Ye Zhixia’s boyfriend and that one confession.

Afterward, he’d told Ye Zhixia and advised them to break up, then devoted all his time and energy to Qi Xin, never crossing paths with this man again.

Later, when Gao Wenye re-entered his life, it was when he and Ye Zhixia joined forces to keep sending “fresh blood” Qi Xin’s way.

Ye Zhiqiu found it hard to believe that a seasoned veteran who’d navigated the cesspool of the entertainment industry for over a decade couldn’t see that offering him the milk tea Ye Zhixia had given him would only intensify the rivalry between the brothers.

But he understood soon enough.

Gao Wenye had long recognized Ye Zhixia’s feelings for him—that was almost certain.

He came from a poor background. Though he’d won the Best Actor crown at twenty-eight through his own efforts, his talent was ultimately limited. In the two years since, he’d had no outstanding performances.

Relatively speaking, while the Ye family couldn’t be considered traditional aristocracy, they were still a decent choice for Gao Wenye.

So initially, he’d probably given Ye Zhixia certain ambiguous signals in return.

But now, he’d met Ye Zhiqiu…

He’d changed his mind. Since it was the Ye family either way, of course he’d choose the one who made his heart race.

So he needed to forcefully break those ambiguous signals he’d previously given Ye Zhixia.

If Ye Zhiqiu accepted this milk tea, he could openly pursue him.

As for Ye Zhixia…

“You’re overthinking. Nothing like that. Just a senior’s care for a junior…”

If he wanted, he could conjure up any excuse.

And if Ye Zhiqiu didn’t accept, he could still hover between them, keeping one foot in each camp while chasing the better option.

Ye Zhiqiu found it amusing.

A seasoned pro was indeed a seasoned pro. Either way, he came out ahead.

Expression unchanged, he lowered his gaze, put his phone back in his pocket, and smiled as he shook his head.

“Thank you,” he said. “But this flavor is what my younger brother likes.”

Hearing this, Gao Wenye was momentarily caught off guard.

Ye Zhiqiu hadn’t accepted. Worse, he’d thrown this hot potato right back at him.

Now, Gao Wenye didn’t know whether to hand it to Ye Zhixia or not.

If he did, it was clearly something Ye Zhixia had given him.

If he didn’t, Ye Zhiqiu had explicitly stated it was Ye Zhixia’s favorite flavor.

But Gao Wenye wasn’t easily outmaneuvered.

After the briefest pause, he inserted a straw into the cup and took a drink himself.

“Thank you. It’s delicious.” He smiled at Ye Zhixia. “Giving me something you like yourself—I’m deeply touched.”

* * * *

Filming resumed in the afternoon.

The group didn’t venture far for lunch, choosing a private restaurant nearby with good discretion.

The atmosphere at the table was pleasant enough.

Gao Wenye chatted and laughed, skillfully keeping Tao Ruoqing engaged.

Ye Zhixia, however, was quieter than before.

Ye Zhixia spoke little; Ye Zhiqiu even less.

He ate quietly, occasionally exchanging casual remarks with Li Shaojun and the others in their group chat.

“In a bit, your mother and brother will head back.” As the meal ended and fruit was served, Tao Ruoqing began giving instructions. “Focus on your filming. If any issues arise, call home or tell Uncle Wang.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping almost imperceptibly toward Gao Wenye.

“When you’re not filming, come home. Aunt Zhao’s learned new dishes and keeps mentioning she wants to cook them for you.”

Sensing Tao Ruoqing had more to say, Ye Zhiqiu quietly excused himself and headed to the restroom.

He washed his face, then leaned against the sink, pulling out his phone to check the route back.

As he was thinking, footsteps approached from outside.

Someone stopped in front of him.

“Xiaoqiu.” Gao Wenye spoke his name. “May I call you that from now on?”

“A name is just a form of address.” Ye Zhiqiu looked up calmly. “Suit yourself.”

His quiet demeanor was rather cold.

Instinctively, the words “like a snowman” surfaced in Gao Wenye’s mind once more.

Translucent, dazzlingly beautiful—one almost hesitated to reach out, afraid he might melt.

“Alright.” Gao Wenye smiled, glancing at the phone in his hand. “Let’s exchange contact info. You have such potential. If you ever want to develop in entertainment, the resources I have could all be yours.”

Everyone knew what entertainment industry resources meant.

Gao Wenye’s meaning couldn’t be clearer.

The faint sound of footsteps outside abruptly halted.

Ye Zhiqiu smiled.

“Sorry,” he said. “My弟弟 seems quite fond of you. So…”

He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to connect privately.”

“But…” Gao Wenye started to protest.

“Sorry.” Ye Zhiqiu cut him off. “I should be getting back.”

He stepped around Gao Wenye and reached for the restroom door.

As he opened it, he looked up to find Ye Zhixia frozen at the entrance.

When their eyes met, Ye Zhixia’s tear-filled gaze finally registered emotion.

Jealousy. Disgust. Hysteria—all churning together, twisting his expression momentarily.

Ye Zhiqiu regarded him calmly.

Then, as if noticing nothing, he smiled faintly.

He knew his objective for this visit had been achieved.

Whether it was him rejecting Gao Wenye for Ye Zhixia’s sake, or Gao Wenye’s undeniable interest in him…

Both would plant sharp thorns in their hearts.

When those thorns finally erupted, they’d become weapons, mercilessly piercing each other’s hearts.