The Grand Estate and the Golden Touch

When Jian Ye awoke, the first sight that greeted his eyes was a pair of slender, well-defined, and beautiful hands.

The owner of those hands was replying to messages on a phone, their movements graceful and unhurried.

As if sensing that a certain ‘little dog’ had opened its eyes, Yi Siyu looked up. “Awake?” he asked. “Still sleepy? You can rest a bit longer.”

“N-no… are we at the subway entrance?” Jian Ye mumbled, still groggy from sleep. “I’ll get off now.”

Before he could fully grasp the situation, he reached out to open the car door, only to freeze in utter bewilderment as he took in the scene outside.

Confusion.

Utter bewilderment.

What in the world?!

The building before him was grander than the hundred-million-yuan villa his parents had left him, a true mansion among mansions.

With a stiff movement, the young man turned his head. “Did you get lost and drive into someone else’s estate?” he asked.

The man in the driver’s seat got out and closed the door with utmost naturalness. “This is my home,” he stated.

Jian Ye: !!!!

The legendary top-tier Yi family mansion in Yunjing, the very one he had heard so much about, was right before his eyes.

What worries could the original host possibly have had, given the chance to marry into the Yi family?

Who needed love when a grand house like this offered such undeniable allure?

Faced with the sheer, undeniable impact of wealth, Jian Ye instantly transformed into a docile, compliant ‘little wife’.

“Siyu-gege, why did you bring me to your home after all?” His voice sweetened by eight degrees.

“It will be your home from now on,” Yi Siyu replied.

‘That’s truly wonderful,’ Jian Ye thought to himself.

Such luxurious surroundings could indeed tempt one to become utterly useless.

Upon being led inside by Yi Siyu, Jian Ye discovered four people in the ground-floor hall, all eight eyes fixated on him.

He was startled, feeling as though their gazes were security scanners. Jian Ye almost thought he was some kind of illegal, dangerous item.

“Why are you all here?” Yi Siyu asked, surprised.

Normally, at this hour, his eldest and second brothers, as well as his father, would be at the company. And wasn’t his mother supposed to be meeting her good sisters today? Yet, here she sat, poised and elegant, on the leather sofa.

Jian Ye instinctively hid behind the man, peeking out with half his head, a little embarrassed. The usually sweet-tongued boy’s mind had momentarily crashed, and he even forgot how to greet them.

Yi Xiangcheng was the first to speak. “Why do you think we’re all here? It’s all because our boy has finally amounted to something.”

‘This must be Yi Siyu’s father, right? His words instantly revealed him to be a master of passive-aggression. I should learn from him.’

The family’s collective good looks were truly striking.

Both Yi’s father and mother were remarkably well-preserved for their age, their former exceptional appearances still evident. It was no wonder they had such handsome sons.

Yi Siyuan chimed in, “I rushed back halfway through typing my code. If you hadn’t pulled me into the group chat, I might have missed my younger brother’s big day.”

Yi Sizhe subtly gestured to the person next to him with his eyes. “Second brother.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it!” Yi Siyuan quickly clarified. “I was just very surprised that Little Yu got married so quietly, without anyone knowing.”

Yu Xinran was the last to speak. She didn’t utter any words of blame towards her son; instead, her gaze had been fixed on the hiding young man from the moment they entered.

Watching him tuck himself behind her youngest son, her maternal heart bubbled with overflowing affection.

‘This child is truly adorable.’

“Little Ye, isn’t it? Is it alright if I call you that?” Yu Xinran’s eyes held a gentle, constant smile.

This made Jian Ye feel incredibly close and natural, easing some of the initial tension he felt upon entering. It also finally reactivated Jian Ye’s ‘social button’, which had been stuck.

“You can call me anything, Auntie…” His voice was still timid, but he had already stepped out from behind the man. “And… hello, Uncle. Hello, big brothers.”

Yu Xinran waved Jian Ye over, and he dutifully approached.

She immediately took his hand, gently leading him to sit on the sofa.

“For now, you can call us that, but once you two have your ceremony, you’ll have to change your address, alright?”

Jian Ye instantly understood her meaning. Changing his address later… meant calling them Mom and Dad.

He had been an orphan in his previous world, and the original host’s parents in this world had also passed away, so Jian Ye didn’t feel much about it. However, now that he was legally married to Yi Siyu and suddenly had parents, a subtle feeling stirred within Jian Ye, like a droplet hitting a lake and creating ripples.

Yu Xinran stroked Jian Ye’s soft, delicate hand. “This child is truly too thin. What do you like to eat? I’ll have the family chef prepare it.”

“I… I don’t need to. I’ll go home and eat by myself later,” Jian Ye said, not expecting the Yi family to be so enthusiastic. He genuinely felt a little constrained at the moment.

“Little brother, since you’re already here, just stay!” Second brother Yi Siyuan urged. “Today’s your wedding registration day with Little Yu, such an important occasion! You must have a good meal!”

He felt that Little Yu’s spouse was different from what the rumors suggested. Based on his first impression, the other party was a very well-behaved and shy child.

Eldest brother Yi Sizhe added, “I’ll go tell the kitchen to prepare a variety of dishes from all over the country.”

Yu Xinran smiled. “Yes, that’s thoughtful.”

Jian Ye: !!!

‘As expected of a top-tier wealthy family! Are they going to serve a Manchu Han Imperial Feast later?’

‘What virtue and ability does humble Jian Ye possess to deserve this?’

Jian Ye mentally slapped himself.

[System 748: Host, why are you hitting yourself?]

[Jian Ye: You can sense that too?]

[System 748: The System can materialize the Host’s imagined scenes.]

[Jian Ye: …I just feel like my overly dramatic expression earlier must have exposed my ‘country bumpkin’ essence.]

[System 748: What does that mean?]

[Jian Ye: Don’t you think that ever since I entered this place, I’ve been like a country bumpkin entering the city? Things they take for granted are all new to me. Am I being too flustered?]

[System 748: Host is very calm, not screaming or shouting at all.]

[Jian Ye: …]

[System 748: Host, there’s no need to worry excessively. They cannot see your internal thoughts, only this System can.]

[Jian Ye: Should I praise you for being awesome?]

[System 748: (—ω—) Shy~]

[Jian Ye: …]

“I’ll take you upstairs to look around.” Yi Siyu noticed Jian Ye’s awkwardness and rescued him from the scrutiny.

Jian Ye nodded vigorously, thinking, ‘Brother, why did it take you so long to speak up?’

Even he, a social butterfly, was on the verge of developing social anxiety from all the greetings.

While Yi Siyu appeared somewhat cold and taciturn, his mother, Yu Xinran, had a completely different personality. Just now, Jian Ye had answered every question the elders posed, much like a first-grader meeting their homeroom teacher.

This wealthy household was indeed pleasant. It would be even better if unnecessary social interactions could be reduced.

“This is my room, and those are my two brothers’ rooms. My parents are in another building, connected by a covered walkway. Upstairs are the audio-visual room and the gym, and…”

Yi Siyu meticulously described the layout of the house and the function of each room.

Jian ‘Little Bumpkin’ Ye felt his horizons broaden today. The house was so vast; one could easily get lost.

It would be difficult for even a thief to steal a confidential document here, though given the security level, not even a mosquito could fly in.

“And this room is?” Jian Ye asked, pointing to a room at what seemed to be the end of the corridor.

It wasn’t because the door was different from the others, but simply because it was the only one tightly shut.

In novels, such rooms were typically forbidden zones that protagonists didn’t want others to touch.

‘Could it be… that this room is filled with photos of his White Moonlight and all their belongings?’

Suddenly feeling impulsive for asking, he was about to retract his question with a casual, ‘Never mind,’ when the other man opened the door for him.

“Want to take a look inside?”

The young man immediately shook his head. “No, no, I’m not that curious.”

“You can be,” Yi Siyu replied.

Jian Ye: ?

‘Why does this man seem so eager for me to go in?’

[Jian Ye: Is he trying to deliberately strike me down? Does he want me to see how wonderful his White Moonlight is, and then feel inferior?]

[System 748: Host has a very active imagination.]

[Jian Ye: Isn’t it?]

The young man peered inside, discovering a space with display cases on all four walls.

Three of the walls were completely filled with various trophies, certificates, and medals.

Yi Siyu’s voice was low as he slowly explained, “This room holds the honors and awards I’ve received from various competitions since childhood.”

The man’s voice was flat, devoid of any hint of showing off, as if acquiring these awards was effortless for him.

Jian Ye couldn’t help but be awestruck by the scene before him.

‘He won awards in every competition he entered, from childhood to adulthood…’

‘Did the author give the Protagonist Gong a bit too many buffs?’

Jian Ye browsed through them one by one: Olympic gold medals in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology were merely basic awards he’d collected with ease. There were also international aeromodeling competitions, international space city design competitions, international collegiate programming contests, global financial challenge competitions…

Jian Ye silently exclaimed, ‘What in the world are all these?!’

The rows of gleaming trophies made him dizzy and prompted the young man to exclaim involuntarily, “Wow! Siyu-gege, you’re amazing!”

The expression on the man’s face subtly shifted, seemingly pleased by the young man’s praise.

“Oh, this one is crooked,” Jian Ye said, turning to ask, “Can I touch it?”

“Yes, touch whatever you like.” To Yi Siyu, these were merely insignificant things from his life’s journey. If the boy liked them, he wouldn’t even mind giving them away, just to see that radiant smile.

Jian Ye occasionally had a slight obsessive-compulsive tendency, and seeing the crooked trophy made him want to straighten it.

However, he overestimated his height.

The trophy was placed on the top display shelf, requiring him to stand on tiptoes to reach it.

Craning his neck to look up, his fingers just touched the base of the trophy when the heavy award, like a straw that had been under pressure for too long, suddenly crashed down.

It was falling directly towards the young man’s face.

Jian Ye’s pupils contracted in shock, his hand reaching out to steady it, but it was too late.

The man beside him watched the scene intently, his heart instantly tightening. He stepped forward and pulled Jian Ye back.

While Jian Ye managed to dodge the direct impact of the trophy, the sharp edge of its decoration still grazed his forehead.

With his delicate, porcelain-doll-like physique, even minor bumps and scrapes could leave a mark.

As expected, the left side of his forehead immediately began to bleed.

The bleeding wasn’t heavy, but it seeped slightly from the wound, gradually becoming red and swollen, a sight that tugged at the heart.

Yi Siyu’s brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.

He felt both self-reproach and regret.

Even with such a short distance, he hadn’t been able to protect the boy completely.

He immediately pulled out his phone and called the family doctor.

Jian Ye crouched on the ground, clutching his forehead, his heart crying out, ‘What kind of child rejected by the heavens am I?’