While the system was occasionally unreliable, its general plot trajectory should still be accurate. Therefore, the initial budding of feelings at the hospital, as mentioned in the information, should have been successful. The only deviation was due to the insufficient energy supply. Judging by Yun Ke's interactions with the female lead these past few days, the deviation likely refers to the depth of the female lead's feelings for Yun Ke. So, the first emotional budding should be one-sided on the female lead's part? Following that, as the female lead developed a liking for Yun Ke and started caring for him extensively after their arrival at Yun's residence, brewing him herbal tea upon discovering his insomnia, Yun Ke gradually began to have feelings for her, marking the second emotional budding. Therefore, the first two emotional bondings should both have been one-sided!
This plot makes sense!
Ye Zhizhou closed the screen and sighed deeply.
Tong Tian, you're really a tricky one... but at least, the plot is finally in order.
Now that the female lead's herbal tea strategy has failed and aroused Yun Ke's suspicion and caution, the second budding has been directly extinguished. Yun Ke doesn't even harbor any good feelings for the female lead and might even feel a bit repulsed. This drastically reduces the chances of them falling in love. So, what's left of that 50% possibility? The female lead has already left Yun's residence, and the opportunities to build goodwill in their mundane daily life have vanished. The only thing left...
His gaze quickly shifted from most of the details in the information about their interactions to the reason why the original host became a cannon fodder – the car accident.
He squinted his eyes and lightly tapped the armrest of the couch.
Given Yun Ke's not-so-cold personality, a life-saving favor indeed holds significant sway. But now that the original host has become him, it's no longer possible to scheme and harm the female lead through a car accident. So, how can the female lead save the male lead now? Without the opportunity to save him at the cost of her life, why would that remaining 50% possibility still exist?
Could it be that, regardless of whether the original host planned it or not, the male lead would still get into a car accident in the end?
His hand paused on the armrest, and he furrowed his brow slowly.
If that's the case, then what the information says about the original host planning a car accident to harm the female lead is likely another gaping hole in the system's programming! He had already started to suspect this after receiving the original host's memories. With the original host's timid and weak character, how could he have had the courage to orchestrate a car accident? And with the suspicious herbal tea from yesterday...
Oh my, have I stumbled upon something significant?
Yun Ke, who had just woken up from another nap, looked rather refreshed as he descended from upstairs. Seeing Ye Zhizhou sitting on the couch lost in thought, he furrowed his brows. "Xiao Yang, why aren't you reading your book?"
Ye Zhizhou turned his head to look at him, from the strands of hair that fell onto his forehead to his elegant fingers, from his broad shoulders to his long, straight legs. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy and jealousy and was momentarily captivated by Yun Ke's clear amber eyes. His eyelashes were quite long, too.
"Xiao Yang?" Yun Ke walked closer, lightly tapping his forehead and then casting a puzzled look up and down Ye Zhizhou. "You seem to have lost a bit of weight. Haven't been eating properly these past few days?"
Ye Zhizhou snapped back to reality, trying to ignore the warm feeling on his forehead. With a hint of sympathy, he reached out and grabbed Yun Ke's hand, earnestly saying, "Yun Ge, I promise to play the harmonica for you every day from now on. I'll make sure you never have trouble sleeping again and face the future car accident with the best possible spirit..."
Yun Ke didn't pull his hand away, and he actually seemed quite pleased by their natural interaction. With a good mood, he sat down next to Ye Zhizhou and asked, "Why suddenly say something silly like this? Are you trying to butter me up for something?"
"How could that be? My concern for Yun Ge is absolutely genuine... Wait, actually, there is something." He suddenly remembered his plan to skip a grade.
"What is it?" Yun Ke picked up the coffee that the butler had brought and took a graceful sip.
Ye Zhizhou rummaged in his backpack and pulled out an application form, placing it in front of Yun Ke with a hint of pride on his face. "My homeroom teacher suggested that I skip a grade, and this is the application form. Yun Ge, can you please sign it?"
"Skip a grade?" Yun Ke's initially warm expression turned cloudy. "Xiao Yang, it's great that you're willing to improve yourself, but recklessness is never a good idea. With your current grades, skipping a grade may not be in your best interest."
Anticipating this reaction, Ye Zhizhou rummaged in his backpack again and retrieved two sets of mock exam papers from the previous and the year before, all with perfect scores except for Chinese. "These are the past two years' college entrance exam papers that my homeroom teacher asked me to solve. Apart from Chinese, I scored full marks. Yun Ge, I know you've been disappointed in me these past few years, but I'll work hard, really. My sister had received offers from several prestigious foreign universities by the time she was 17. While I may not be able to match up to her, I..."
As he spoke, his eyes welled up slightly, and he looked pitifully at Yun Ke, his voice pleading, "Yun Ge, please sign it. I'll do my best to meet your expectations. Please don't be disappointed in me."
The first time he saw the young man pleading so pitifully, Yun Ke was somewhat taken aback, then became slightly unsure of how to respond. For the first time, he avoided the teenager's gaze, picked up the test papers, and flipped through them. His gaze lingered on the scores for a long time, and he sighed softly, "But Xiao Yang, your previous midterm grades..."
"That time, I really just didn't perform well. I kept dreaming about my sister those days, so I couldn't sleep well..." Ye Zhizhou hurriedly continued to wave the banner for Du Yun, his tone even more pitiful. "Or does Yun Ge think I cheated this time? Although I'm far behind my sister, and you've always been dissatisfied with me, but..."
"Xiao Yang." Yun Ke interrupted his self-doubt, finally turning to look at him. He awkwardly reached out to pat his head, his emotions somewhat in turmoil. "You're good, you're trying hard, and I've noticed the changes in you recently. I'm glad." He paused for a moment, his fingers gently brushing over his hair swirl, a hint of unfathomable frustration in his eyes. "It's my fault... I neglected you."
When he first adopted Du Yang, the Du family was still in turmoil, and he hadn't sorted out his emotions. He had directly entrusted Du Yang to Butler Fu for care. Later, when the situation stabilized, the power struggles in the Yun family resumed, and at that time, he was so busy that he didn't even have time to come home. Thinking back, in the years since adopting Du Yang, except for occasional attention to his studies, he hadn't shown the slightest bit of care.
He had been too negligent and too much of a failure.
Even their current improved relationship was the result of both of them mustering the courage to cautiously approach each other. Prior to today, he had never considered why Xiao Yang was always so afraid of him, avoiding him, and had only resorted to forceful methods in an attempt to mold Xiao Yang into an excellent business leader like Du Yun, whom he admired so much.
When had he become such a heartless person? Xiao Yang was only 17, still a teenager, and he had been pushed to this extent by him. From always failing to now getting full marks in every subject, how much effort had Xiao Yang put in behind his back...
Lost in self-reflection, Yun Ke completely ignored the inexplicable speed at which Du Yang's grades had soared. He unconsciously increased the intensity of his hand caressing Xiao Yang's hair swirl, filled with guilt as he said, "Xiao Yang, I'm sorry."
The alternating light and heavy touch on his head made Ye Zhizhou feel like ants crawling in his heart. Yun Ke's sudden apology sent shivers down his spine. He pulled Yun Ke's hand off his head and held it tightly, swallowing hard, wearing an even more pitiful expression as he replied, "Yun Ge, you have nothing to apologize for. You're great. So, about the application form..."
Yun Ke just looked at him, his expression deep, his eyes filled with emotions that Ye Zhizhou couldn't quite comprehend.
What kind of reaction was this? To sign or not to sign?
Ye Zhizhou was getting a bit anxious and couldn't hold back any longer, resorting to his ultimate move. With his eyes red from holding back tears, he stammered, "Just sign it for me, I promise that my grades are all genuine... Brother-in-law..."
Yun Ke's body suddenly stiffened, and he lowered his gaze, deeply staring into the tearful eyes. His heart skipped a beat for a second, and he couldn't help but lean forward to hug him.
[The likelihood of Yun Ke falling in love with the female lead has dropped to 45%. Please continue your efforts, Host.]
What?! The impact of calling him "brother-in-law" is this powerful?!
Ye Zhizhou's hard-earned tears were scared away, and he shifted uncomfortably. He felt a bit dizzy because of the faint cold fragrance emanating from Yun Ke's body. "Um, Brother-in-law..."
"Don't call me brother-in-law."
"...Huh?"
"Call me brother."
"...Brother Yun."
After a while, Yun Ke let go of the hug, took the application form, and promptly signed it.
Ye Zhizhou felt like his heart had been stimulated too much today. After taking the application form, he obediently huddled in the corner of the couch, trying to minimize his presence. The handsome man's hug was too overwhelming, and he couldn't handle a second round.
Yun Ke's efficiency in handling matters was astonishing. The day after signing the application form, Ye Zhizhou received a call from his homeroom teacher, informing him that he would start attending classes in the senior year, Class 5, the following week.
What surprised Ye Zhizhou the most was that after their conversation, Yun Ke's attitude towards him had visibly changed. Their interactions became gentler and more equal. In this way, they spent more and more time together, and the atmosphere at home improved.
Another weekend arrived, and Ye Zhizhou was once again taken to the company by Yun Ke to gradually learn about the company's management knowledge. One patiently taught, and the other diligently learned, making rapid progress.
It seemed like everything was moving in the right direction, except for...
Yun Ke looked at Ye Zhizhou, whose clothes were gradually becoming looser, and furrowed his brow. "We won't study today. Rest well, and I'll take you for a check-up tomorrow."
Ye Zhizhou nodded nervously, acting very obedient. Close to ten days had passed, and his body had finally been restored by the Elixir of Cleansing. His weight had started to drop at an inexplicable speed, and to others... it probably looked quite frightening.