Yun Ke finally knew how it felt to raise a troublemaker. He waved his hand to dismiss his assistant, glanced at the opened lunchbox on the coffee table, then walked over to the couch and sat down. He reached for the tea cup in front of him and asked, "Hungry?"
"Don't touch it," Ye Zhizhou hurriedly stopped him, moving the tea cup a bit farther away. He said, "I've already had some of this tea."
"This is my cup."
Ye Zhizhou froze for a moment, then relaxed and shamelessly said, "Well, it's mine now."
Clearly, the rebellious teenage phase had arrived.
Yun Ke looked at him deeply, from top to bottom, from the small water stains on his clothes to the mismatched shoelaces on his sneakers, as if trying to see through the changed soul inside him.
Ye Zhizhou's discomfort under his intense scrutiny made him stiffen again. He quickly changed the subject, saying, "This cup contains floral tea. Lily placed it in the lunchbox, and I took a sip earlier. I felt something was off about it."
Yun Ke's attention was diverted as expected. He slightly leaned forward to sniff the tea in the cup and asked, "What's wrong with it?"
"I'm not sure about the specifics, but there's definitely something wrong with this tea. After I took a sip, I immediately felt my energy drop, and I had a light, fuzzy feeling... Yun Ge, why does it feel so much like the reactions they talk about in the news after taking drugs?" He deliberately made it sound more serious.
Yun Ke's expression changed instantly. After setting down the tea cup, he stood up, pulling Ye Zhizhou with him and walking briskly toward the door.
Ye Zhizhou almost stumbled but managed to steady himself. He asked, "Yun Ge, where are you going? I haven't finished talking about the tea."
"We're going to the hospital. I'll have someone deal with the tea." Yun Ke slowed down his pace slightly to match Ye Zhizhou's speed and called for his assistant before entering the elevator.
It took a while to deal with things at the hospital, and they didn't get the test results until 10:30 PM.
As they left the hospital, Ye Zhizhou was almost starving. He leaned against the car door and looked at Yun Ke, who still had a stern expression. He weakly reassured him, "Yun Ge, don't worry too much. The doctor said there's no problem, and I only had a sip of that tea. Maybe I just felt wrong, and the tea is actually fine..." Any problems had already been resolved with the Fresh Jade Dew Pill.
"No, it's my negligence," Yun Ke started the car, his expression cold. "Lily suddenly appeared, and my driver accidentally hit her. After her injuries healed, she lost her memory. It's too suspicious. I shouldn't have brought her home so hastily. I originally wanted to see if this woman with an unknown background could lead us to something, but I didn't expect it almost harmed Du Yang."
Ye Zhizhou was increasingly surprised. "Yun Ge, you're investigating Lily?"
"She suddenly appeared and was injured by my driver. After she woke up and lost her memory, it's too suspicious." Yun Ke parked the car in front of a congee shop and helped Ye Zhizhou unfasten his seatbelt. "Anyway, don't worry about it. Until the test results come in, keep your distance from Bai Li."
Yun Ke's driver had hit Bai Li? And Yun Ke had been investigating her all along? Ye Zhizhou widened his eyes, feeling bewildered. This was completely different from what the information had said, like "Yun Ke took care of the female lead because of her amnesia" and all that. How did it suddenly turn from a brainless romance drama into a conspiracy and suspense drama? What's going on?
[System energy is running low, and there may be missing information. The plot may develop differently in reality.]
Ye Zhizhou: "... System, this is not just missing information; it's a massive plot hole!"
When they returned home after filling their stomachs, it was already 11:30 PM. Surprisingly, the female lead was still awake, waiting in the living room in a thin white nightgown, despite the late autumn chill.
Isn't she cold... Ye Zhizhou silently commented. For the sake of pursuing Yun Ke, the female lead was truly going all out.
"Yun Big Brother, you're back," Bai Li greeted them, lightly brushing her long hair and wearing a perfect mix of concern and slight exhaustion on her face. She asked softly, "Why are you back so late? If I had known, I would have personally brought the meal. Little Yang insisted on doing it, and that's why it got delayed..."
Knowing that Yun Ke didn't have any particular feelings for the female lead and was still suspicious of her, Ye Zhizhou no longer bothered to pretend to be friendly. He took a step forward and blocked Yun Ke, bluntly saying, "Lily, you're a gardener. Your main job is to take care of the flowers and plants in the garden. Delivering meals is Li Shu's job. Don't you think you're overstepping your boundaries?"
When she heard this, Bai Li glanced at him and even smiled slightly, as if he were an unreasonable child. She spoke even more gently, "We all live together; we're like a family. It's natural to help each other out. Little Yang insisted on it, but it's causing delays... Besides, Li Shu was busy picking you up from school this afternoon, so I offered to help. It's not as serious as you're making it out to be, Xiaoyang."
"Indeed, there's no need to deliver meals," Yun Ke completely ignored the female lead's shy and timid appearance, his face cold, his tone even colder. "If you're not busy, go manage the greenhouse in the Fuyong District Du Family Mansion. Also, in the future, please don't wander around the house in disarray. It's not good for the children."
The faint blush on Bai Li's face faded away, and she grew paler. She raised her head to look at Yun Ke, disbelief in her eyes, and tears began to well up. "Yun Big Brother, are you... are you asking me to leave?"
"I'm just changing your job position. Also, please, Miss Bai, be more mindful of how you address me to avoid misunderstandings with others." After saying that, Yun Ke didn't even spare her another glance and turned to go upstairs, holding Ye Zhizhou's hand.
At that very moment, one of the flags on the female lead's head suddenly flashed and slowed down its rotation.
What's going on? Ye Zhizhou widened his eyes, staring at the flag and frantically calling out to the system.
[Congratulations to the host, the probability of Yun Ke and the female lead falling in love has dropped to 50%, and the flag will disappear when it reaches 0%. Please continue your efforts.]
This is... an unexpected delight! Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but grin.
"Turn your head back; don't look at dirty things." Yun Ke, at some point, had stopped walking and flicked his forehead with his hand. His typically cold gaze now carried a hint of warmth. "Go rest in your room. It's the weekend tomorrow, and I allow you to sleep in."
Someone who had always been cold suddenly turned gentle, and the impact... most importantly, the person had an incredibly handsome face. Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but blush and lost interest in the little flag on the female lead's head. He awkwardly asked, "Yun Ge, do I play the harmonica well?"
Yun Ke looked him up and down, his rosy cheeks and those beautiful eyes that seemed to hide stars making his previously clenched fingers unconsciously rub against each other. Although his heart softened, he remained honest. "Not well. Don't play around too much, and get to bed early from now on."
"..." Can we have a conversation? Can we?
Ye Zhizhou pulled his hand away from Yun Ke's grasp, glared at him fiercely, and walked back to his room with heavy steps.
White Li, who had followed them to the corner of the stairs, gradually stopped in her tracks. She looked up at the tall figure facing Du Yang's room, swayed a bit, and knelt down on the floor.
Dirty things, was that how Yun Big Brother saw her?
How could this be... She covered her face with her hands, finally revealing a genuine sadness in her eyes. Just a few days ago, Yun Big Brother had been good to her, treating her kindly. That annoying fatty even feared Yun Big Brother and needed her comfort before daring to greet him. Yun Big Brother even praised her for her good character... it had only been two days!
Why did it change like this? Yun Big Brother was so good... Yes, Yun Big Brother was so good, so it must be that fatty!
She suppressed her tears, her expression turning dark. She clenched her lower lip tightly, almost biting it until it bled.
Everything changed after that fatty actively approached Yun Big Brother. He must be trying to drive a wedge between them, fearing that Yun Big Brother and herself being together would drive him, the poor wretch, out!
Dark, despicable, and mean!
No, she couldn't go on like this. She held onto the handrail and stood up slowly, her expression gradually twisting. She had to find a way to drive away that fat guy. As long as she got rid of him, Yun Big Brother wouldn't misunderstand her anymore... as long as she got rid of him...
After playing the harmonica with suppressed anger, Ye Zhizhou fell asleep under his blanket.
At eight in the morning, Wu Bo, the former flower house manager of the Du Family Mansion, arrived at Yun's residence in a car and took away the white Li, who was once again wearing a gentle mask.
Ye Zhizhou, nibbling on a bun, squinted as he watched them leave. He communicated with the system in his mind, "System, what is the basis for estimating the probability of Yun Ke and the female lead falling in love? Can you give me a hint?"
[System has provided all available information.]
"...Your information is riddled with holes, making it too easy to step on a landmine. I'd better not bother."
[Please trust the system.]
He shoved the rest of the bun ungracefully into his mouth and muttered, "I'll try my best."
Although he said that, after breakfast, he still retrieved the information provided by the system and carefully reviewed the plot from the beginning. Setting aside the misleading elements, he circled several key points in the development of Yun Ke and the female lead's relationship that were crucial for the plot. He propped his chin on his hand and began to analyze.
Based on the information, without his intervention as a butterfly effect, the female lead's initial budding feelings for Yun Ke should have occurred at the hospital, followed by another moment during her tea-making endeavor. After that, their relationship should have continued to develop through the accumulation of daily interactions until a big breakthrough when she saved Yun Ke's life. However, given yesterday's situation, Yun Ke had no romantic feelings for the female lead at all. The initial budding of affection at the hospital simply didn't exist. Furthermore, the information stated that during that initial moment, the female lead had only felt gratitude and admiration toward Yun Ke, but in reality, her intentions were almost written all over her face.
So, had the plot already started to go awry before he, the little butterfly, even arrived? This couldn't be... Ye Zhizhou frowned and, as he continued to recall the past two days of interactions between Yun Ke and the female lead, he began to notice some issues...