“I didn’t.” Yi Zhe stared at his abdomen, his expression complicated. “Of course I still believe you, Brother Qilin.”
"That's right." Yi Qilin nodded in satisfaction, but his heart was filled with unease. His eyes flickered, revealing a calculating glint.
Soon, a kind smile appeared on his face again, and he said, "Ah Zhe, you're a good child in every way, but you're too easily swayed by emotions! I'm really afraid that if I'm not by your side, you'll be moved by Yi Tianran's words."
This incident allowed Yi Tianran to take advantage of the situation.
He had been hoping this pawn would help him seize his inheritance.
But the most urgent task now is—
"I've been thinking about it, and I'm worried you might be deceived by her. How about this? You've already lost half of your family fortune, haven't you? If you trust me, why don't you deposit it in my name for now, and I'll keep it safe for you, so she won't be able to swindle it back. What do you think?"
Yi Zhe's expression froze for a moment.
Unexpectedly, Yi Tianran's words came true.
Did she anticipate Yi Qilin's thoughts in advance?
Thinking about how she wanted him to answer, Yi Zhe felt a mix of emotions.
“I…” His eyes flickered, and he said with some difficulty, “Brother Qilin, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I… I have already entrusted my family’s assets to my grandmother for safekeeping. She said I’m still young and she’s afraid I won’t be able to resist the temptation to spend money recklessly, so she’s keeping them temporarily with her so they can be left to me as an inheritance in the future.”
"What?!" Yi Qilin slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his face contorted with rage. He blurted out, "Are you crazy? You actually believe this kind of childish nonsense? Do you think you can get it back after giving it to her, you idiot!"
Yi Zhe was startled by his expression and called out somewhat dumbfoundedly, "Brother Qilin..."
Yi Qilin realized he had overreacted and quickly adjusted his expression. "I mean... you're still too naive. You've only been back in the Yi family for a short time. Even if Grandma acts like she loves you a lot, she still loves Yi Tianran, who has been raised by her side since childhood and with whom she has a bond of over twenty years!"
"If she changes her mind later and gives all her assets to Yi Tianran, you'll have nowhere to cry then."
“No, that won’t happen.” Yi Zhe firmly stated, “Grandma has always been very good to me and would never show any favoritism.”
Yi Qilin felt a lump in his throat, and almost died of anger at this pig-brain.
—Yeah! If that old geezer is good to you, of course he'll leave you the money, but it's for you, not for me!
If Yi Qilin was still able to keep his composure before, he has now completely lost his patience.
A sinister, calculating glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly looked up, his face breaking into a smile again. "Alright! Since you trust Grandma so much, I have nothing more to say."
However, I don't trust Yi Tianran; I'm afraid she's up to something.
How about this, Zhe, can you arrange a time for me? I want to see my cousin and clear things up with her!
But don't tell her about this beforehand, because she doesn't like me. Just invite her to a coffee shop, have a couple of drinks to warm things up, and then I'll talk to her, okay?
Yi Zhe immediately looked troubled: "This..."
"What? I only have this one request, and you can't even grant it? Do you want me to go and talk to her?"
Yi Qilin's face was ashen, and a hint of disappointment seemed to flash in his eyes. "I've been so good to you since we were little, and this is how you repay me!"
Having said that, he seemed unwilling to continue the conversation and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Yi Zhe quickly stood up and said excitedly, "I... I promise you, I will ask her out."
A smug glint flashed in Yi Qilin's eyes. He turned and patted his shoulder with a beaming smile. "Good brother, just know that everything I've done is for you. Don't let my efforts go to waste, understand?"
Yi Zhe nodded slowly.
...
The following day, at 3 PM.
Yi Tianran arrived at the coffee shop's private room on time and sat down, smiling at Yi Zhe across from her. "It's rare that you would ask me out. I thought you were only wary of me and that we wouldn't be as close as before."
"I..." Yi Zhe looked at her with a complicated expression, opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed it back at the last moment.
He picked up the coffee on the table and drank several mouthfuls.
Yi Tianran wasn't in a hurry. She picked up her coffee cup, took a couple of slow sips, and said calmly, "Speak, what exactly do you want to say to me in private? It can't go on for too long, my husband will get jealous."
Upon hearing this, Yi Zhe put down his coffee cup, his expression gradually becoming resolute. "I specifically asked you out today because I want to make a decision about my past self."
Yi Tianran raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"
"I used to be very infatuated with the character 'Qin Yao' you played, because she was my salvation. She helped me time and time again, pulled me out of the depths of suffering, and made me a normal person again. Even after I went abroad, I could not forget her."
Later, you appeared before me again, disguised as a man in a different identity. I felt a sense of familiarity and warmth towards you. When you told me that you were Qin Yao, I became even more devoted to you.
I thought this was love. I thought I would never fall in love with anyone else in my life except you, until one sentence from you shattered my illusion.
Later, I suffered greatly from heartbreak—or rather, we'd never even been in a relationship; I suffered greatly from the torment of rejection—yet you remained so persistent, never giving me a chance.
As he spoke, his eyes welled up with tears.
However, she quickly swallowed her tears and said in a hoarse voice, "I never understood what the obstacle between us was until our identities were revealed this time. I didn't know that we were actually cousins."
I was so stupid. I feel like I've been deceived and played. I resent you and don't understand why you hurt my feelings like this.
However, you explained it to me later, so now, after these days of reflection, I have completely figured it out.
You've reverted to your original self, becoming so dazzling and radiant, but you're no longer the 'Qin Yao' I loved.
That's when I realized that what I'd been liking all along was just a mask.
He paused again, looked up at her firmly, and said, "Now I can tell you with certainty that I have thought it through and can let go of my obsession. I no longer have romantic feelings for you, and I will never like you again."
When he finished speaking, he felt as if his heart had emptied for a few seconds.
But these words were actually his deepest thoughts.
“I don’t resent you, and I don’t hate you anymore.” Yi Zhe felt his whole body relax, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his face. “As long as from now on, you won’t target me, and I won’t confront you, let’s coexist peacefully as family.”
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