A New Home, a Yellow Card, and Lingering Doubts

Jian Ye had initially assumed Yi Siyu was taking him to a hotel room to rest, but the man ultimately led him to the hotel’s basement instead.

The basement was filled with an array of luxury cars, all belonging to the affluent merchants and prestigious families attending the wedding banquet that day.

Through a small gap in the jacket covering him, Jian Ye watched as the man paused before a Bentley.

The car door opened, and Yi Siyu carried him into the back seat.

A driver was already waiting in the front seat.

“To Lanfeng Bay,” the man stated, his voice deep.

“Understood, Third Young Master.”

Jian Ye was still in an incredibly awkward position, seated on Yi Siyu’s lap. He could feel a hurricane-like pressure emanating from the man, so intense that he dared not move.

It was only after the car had been moving for a while that he cautiously lifted a small corner of the jacket covering his head.

“Siyu-gege, my things… they’re not there yet.”

Lanfeng Bay residential area, the very place Yi Siyu had designated as their future marital home, was merely a five-minute drive from Yunjing Media University, or even walkable.

For some time, Yi Siyu had been having the house redecorated, not rushing Jian Ye to move in.

The original plan was for Jian Ye to move the following day and spend this night in the presidential suite on the hotel’s top floor.

The hotel had already prepared a temporary bridal suite, furnished exactly to the Yi family’s specifications, ensuring it was no less grand than their actual home.

However, due to this sudden incident, the man no longer dared to leave Jian Ye at the hotel.

Tonight’s events must have left the young man with immense psychological trauma. Yi Siyu was contemplating how to comfort him when he saw the young man’s ‘puppy peeking out’ motion.

In that instant, his heart softened, and some of the severity in his demeanor dissipated.

“It’s alright, everything has been prepared for you there. As for your belongings, I’ll have someone deliver them tomorrow.”

The car’s interior was unlit, and darkness had already fallen outside. Neither could clearly see the other’s expression, yet they could feel each other’s body heat and unique scent.

“I’m sorry,” Jian Ye finally broke the long silence. “Because of me, the meticulous arrangements you made… they’re no longer perfect.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Yi Siyu looked at the torn clothes on the young man, pulling his jacket tighter around him. “I should be the one to apologize for letting you suffer such a grievance.”

“As for those men, rest assured, they will pay the price they deserve. They will never appear before you again.”

Yi Siyu’s words only deepened Jian Ye’s guilt.

Jian Ye simply couldn’t voice his thoughts.

[Jian Ye: System 748, I can’t shake the feeling… that he genuinely wants to marry me? Aren’t I supposed to be cannon fodder? I thought this was just a formality, but now I feel like I’m betraying his sincerity. He’s so earnest, and my antics and drama make me seem so perfunctory and disrespectful.]

[System 748: The Protagonist Gong’s thoughts are beyond the system’s authority to guess or know. However, Host, you slightly broke character in front of those people just now.]

[Jian Ye: Uh… are you referring to when I was in front of those three men?]

[System 748: Specifically, when you gave that sinister, charming smile.]

[Jian Ye: My apologies, I couldn’t control myself. I just wanted to infuriate them. Calling me a ‘little white flower,’ an ’embroidered pillow,’ and a ‘lapdog’… if a tiger doesn’t roar, they’ll think I’m Hello Kitty.]

[System 748: The main system has judged your operation as a violation and given you a yellow card.]

[Jian Ye: What in the world?]

[System 748: I mentioned at the very beginning that OOC would incur penalties. This time, because the degree of OOC was minor, there was no punishment. However, if you violate the rules again, there will be a penalty.]

Jian Ye felt a headache coming on.

This system certainly had a clear reward and punishment system. He hadn’t even enjoyed any rewards yet but had already received a yellow card. He even suspected he was being gaslighted by the system.

Today, Jian Ye was truly exhausted. The wedding, the act in the restroom, and then being reprimanded by the system—his energy and health bar had been completely drained.

“What’s wrong? Headache?” Yi Siyu noticed Jian Ye rubbing his temples, concerned that the young man might have fallen and hit his head earlier in the restroom.

Jian Ye quickly waved his hand. “No, I’m just a little sleepy.”

The man sighed in relief. Catching sight of a single strand of hair sticking up from the young man’s head, giving him a bewildered look, Yi Siyu couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “We’ll be home soon.”

Home…

The word felt both familiar and strange.

In his previous world, he was a home unto himself.

Even after arriving here, he had no parents, and the multi-million dollar villa was his ‘home’ in this world.

Now, married, he was to form a ‘home’ with the man before him.

Yet, he might not be able to stay in this home for long.

The White Moonlight was coming.

But at this moment, he thoroughly enjoyed hearing that word spoken by the man. Perhaps having a home, even if brief, would be good.

Lanfeng Bay.

The home was on the top floor, a duplex structure with soaring, spacious rooms.

The interior design was very modern, predominantly featuring natural wood and white tones. It wasn’t the cold, minimalist style typically associated with domineering CEOs; honestly, it felt very warm and homey.

Stepping inside, Jian Ye immediately sensed Yi Siyu’s thoughtfulness.

This place certainly hadn’t looked like this before; it must have been renovated later.

Everything was brand new, harmonizing with the design style, exuding a welcoming human touch.

Below was an open-plan kitchen, while upstairs housed two bedrooms and a study. The living room was expansive, and beside the staircase was a game room featuring transparent glass walls.

“Wow!”

Upon seeing the top-tier gaming computer and the esports chair whose price was impossible to discern, a surge of youthful excitement instantly coursed through Jian Ye.

Beside it, a PS5 and an ultra-large gaming screen were set up, with a movable snack cabinet tucked away in a corner.

This was every boy’s dream room!

“I noticed that young people nowadays really enjoy gaming,” Yi Siyu explained. “I thought you might like it, so I had it redesigned.”

Seeing the starry-eyed look in his ‘little puppy’s’ eyes, Yi Siyu’s own heart swelled with pleasure.

“Aren’t you young people too?” Jian Ye remarked, stroking the game console.

“Perhaps in appearance, but not mentally. I don’t usually play games, but if you want me to play with you, I can learn.”

Listen to that statement.

A top student treated everything with seriousness; playing a game was like conducting research, even learning from scratch.

Jian Ye didn’t bother with such trivialities with smart people. He just smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll teach you then.”

“There’s also another room here that was specially designed for you,” Yi Siyu offered, leading the way.

Jian Ye peered inside and instantly froze.

“This… you…”

The room featured floor-to-ceiling mirrors on two walls, smooth wooden flooring, and a ballet barre connected to the mirrors, making one instantly feel as if they had stepped into an artist’s training studio.

“I looked into your major; it requires extensive training. I was worried you wouldn’t have a place to practice dance when you came home, so I simply created a dance studio.”

At that moment, Jian Ye’s heart gave a sudden leap. He felt an immense admiration for the man’s thoughtfulness.

How incredibly fortunate would anyone be to be truly loved by this man?

He had only done a few simple things today, yet they had already struck a chord deep within Jian Ye’s heart.

Jian Ye wondered if it was the Protagonist Gong’s halo that made people unconsciously drawn to this man’s charm.

‘Forget about the Protagonist Shou falling head over heels for him; even I, a mere cannon fodder, am incredibly moved.’

‘Sigh, what am I thinking? Falling for a fictional character who doesn’t belong to me would only leave me utterly heartbroken in the end, wouldn’t it?’

Jian Ye shook off the fantasies in his mind, forcing himself to calm down.

He declared straightforwardly, “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.”

“Mm, the master bedroom has an en-suite bathroom, and there are clothes that fit you in the closet.”

“Siyu-gege, aren’t you resting?”

The man’s large hand suddenly landed on the young man’s head.

The sensation was as soft as he had imagined, very pleasant to tousle.

“I still have some matters to attend to. You go to sleep first.”

“Oh.” Jian Ye could already guess what those matters were.

He didn’t expose it, obediently heading to the master bedroom.

Tonight, the master bedroom… its main color was a festive red, meticulously decorated.

Only one person, however, would be lying beneath the red bridal quilt.

Red roses adorned the bedside table, and the warm glow of the nightlight made the room feel incredibly cozy.

It was amidst this delightful scent of roses that the freshly showered ‘little puppy’ drifted into slumber.

Inside the speeding car, Yi Siyu steered with one hand.

With the other, he inserted a Bluetooth earpiece into his ear.

The call was from his elder brother.

“Yes, I’ve sent him back to Lanfeng Bay… Mm, he just fell asleep… I’m sorry to have worried you, Big Brother.”

“Today’s incident was also my miscalculation. I must handle it personally. You should tell Mom and Dad to go back and rest.”

“I’ll return once I’m done; I won’t leave him alone.”

After hanging up, the car sped towards the police station.

He had not been joking when he said he wouldn’t let those three off the hook.

After leaving the young man, the emotions he had been suppressing surged up again, unstoppable.

He needed an outlet.

Unfortunately, those three men had walked right into his crosshairs.

At the Yu family residence.

When Yu Lin returned, his son was on the phone, sweet-talking his new girlfriend, spouting such vulgarities that Yu Lin couldn’t bear to listen.

He himself had been quite the playboy in his youth, and now his son had completely inherited that trait.

Yu Lin couldn’t stop him, but privately, he still hoped his son would pursue something legitimate, rather than spending all day in pleasure houses, lost in meaningless relationships.

As soon as Yu Wei saw the look in his father’s eyes, he immediately hung up the phone.

He asked eagerly, “How was Third Cousin’s wedding? Did you manage to connect with any major families?”

Yu Lin chuckled. “You didn’t go, but the scene was truly magnificent. Your old man here has entered that circle; I can brag about it for a lifetime.”

Yu Wei scoffed. “I would have liked to go, but didn’t the Yi family only give one invitation? It’s clear they didn’t want our whole family there, stingy people.”

Yu Lin replied, “You should be content. If it weren’t for our distant familial connection, we wouldn’t even have gotten that single invitation. Everyone who attended today was someone noteworthy in Yunjing’s upper echelons.”

Yu Wei wasn’t interested in such details; he was only curious about one thing: “How was Third Cousin’s spouse?”

Yu Lin said, “A very pretty young child. The youngest grandson of the Jian family in Yunjing. They looked quite well-matched standing together with your Third Cousin. No photos were allowed at today’s banquet, or else I would have recorded it all for you to see.”

Upon hearing the surname, Yu Wei felt a strange sensation. “The Jian family?”

Yu Lin explained, “Aside from the Yi family, the Jian family is also considered one of the major wealthy families in the circle. For these two families to form a political marriage, tsk tsk, their commercial empire will be incredibly formidable.”

Yu Wei pressed, “Third Cousin’s spouse… what’s their name? Jian what?”

Yu Lin replied, “Jian Ye.”

“What did you say?!” Yu Wei shot up as if his backside were on fire.

“Which ‘Ye’ is it?”

“The ‘Ye’ from ‘yaoyao’ (swaying). Why do you ask?”

Yu Wei stood frozen, wondering if all of this was just his imagination.

‘Impossible… It can’t be him…’

‘There are so many people with the same name in this world. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence?’

‘Yes, maybe it’s just the same name. There’s nothing to be alarmed about.’

“Actually, something else happened today, but I don’t know the exact details. I only saw a crowd gathered around the hotel restroom later. Afterwards, I heard others say there was a fight in the restroom.”

“It was around that time that I vaguely saw your Third Cousin carrying someone out of there. It seemed like they were injured and covered by your Third Cousin’s jacket. From the build, it looked like this young master of the Jian family.”

Upon hearing this description, Yu Wei recalled the words he’d overheard at the Yi family’s guest house that day, linking them to the rumors circulating outside about Third Young Master Yi having violent tendencies.

He felt a tightening in his throat, a churning sensation in his heart, an indescribable feeling.

‘Jian Ye… was that person really you?’