The villain turns into the infatuated second male lead

“You two… can you restrain yourselves for now?” Xia Wanshi’s fair cheeks flushed red. She felt an indescribable shyness at such an explosive scene but managed to restrain her curiosity, offering a gentle suggestion instead.

Qiu Yiyuan had anticipated someone entering the piano room but didn’t expect to be caught in such a situation by Xia Wanshi. His face turned a deep red, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet Ling Su’s eyes. In a hoarse voice, he stammered, “No, it’s not like that. You misunderstand.”

“Shh.” Yin Zhiyi put his finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet, then helped Qiu Yiyuan up, whose back was aching.

The hand gripping his wrist was calloused and stronger than expected, leaving a strange, light tickling sensation on the rarely touched part of his wrist. Qiu Yiyuan stood up, grabbed the cane next to him, and quickly pulled his hand away. He didn’t like the feeling of contact with Ling Su.

That sensation was like a perfectly controlled train suddenly derailing, and if he didn’t pull away in time, he would crash along with the out-of-control train. The feeling of not being able to control it filled him with fear and panic.

He pressed his lips together, choosing to shift his gaze to the wooden door of the piano room.

“Xiaoshi, did something fall?” Xia’s mother asked with concern from behind the door. The muffled sound earlier indicated that the fallen item was heavy. She was worried her daughter couldn’t move it alone, so she softened her voice. “I told you not to stack things up. Let me come in and help you.”

Inside the piano room, the people exchanged glances. Qiu Yiyuan subconsciously looked at Ling Su, seeing him calmly scanning the room, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The earlier scene had disturbed their minds, and they hadn’t noticed Xia’s mother approaching. If Ling Su hadn’t signaled them to be quiet in time, their whispered conversation might have reached her ears.

Xia Wanshi suddenly understood but was now concerned with stopping her mother from coming in to help clean up. She worried that making another excuse might arouse suspicion.

Staring intently at the turning door handle, she tried to think of a solution. Her clear black eyes, filled with a plea for help, looked towards Ling Su, only to find that the piano room was now empty except for herself.

Xia Wanshi, full of confusion, hurriedly unlocked the door.

Her mother looked her up and down with curiosity. She felt her daughter had hidden many things since graduating. She patted the dazed Xia Wanshi and asked, “Did you tidy up?”

Xia Wanshi’s bright eyes quickly took in the tidy piano room, and she soon recovered her composure. Smiling, she linked her arm with her mother’s and said, “Yes, the box of miscellaneous items just fell. I can handle it myself.”

She intended to lead her mother outside to chat, but she didn’t follow her pace. Instead, she walked over to the piano with the lid up in a few steps. She looked at it and sighed, seeing how much her daughter cherished it. “Your father and I have only you. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Mom…” Xia Wanshi’s eyelids twitched, her voice lowering.

“I had you learn piano to cultivate your mind, but you can’t make it your lifelong pursuit.” Her mother gently closed the piano lid, speaking earnestly, “In the future, set aside the piano as a hobby, play it in your spare time, and come back home with me to work at your father’s company, okay?”

Xia Wanshi opened her mouth but swallowed her words when she saw the tears shimmering in her mother’s eyes. “I understand.”

Qiu Yiyuan, hidden behind the thick curtains, looked towards the piano. Although he shouldn’t stare at Xia’s mother, as people often sense when they’re being watched, a casual glance made him recognize Xia Wanshi’s parents.

He had met them before.

His impression of them wasn’t deep. Compared to a giant corporation like Haiyue Group, their company seemed insignificant. Their two companies had collaborated once, a chance obtained through repeated visits from her parents.

Recalling this, he knew they would recognize him immediately if they saw him.

When Xia’s mother was about to turn the door lock, Ling Su had pulled him into the piano room’s rest area behind the curtains. Thanks to the thick and wide drapes, combined with the single bed beside them blocking the lower view, it was hard to spot them unless the curtain was lifted.

The curtain, half drawn, formed undulating waves. Even with the ample fabric, the space felt cramped with two grown men hiding there.

Listening to the gentle breathing nearby, Qiu Yiyuan’s recently calmed mind was in turmoil again. He could clearly feel his heart racing uncontrollably. The voices of the mother and daughter continued outside, making it hard for him to ignore Ling Su’s presence.

Was he afraid of being discovered by Xia’s mother?

His eyes dimmed, deliberately avoiding certain thoughts. He glanced randomly within the white curtain, and when he saw Ling Su beside him, he found him looking down at the floor, his long eyelashes hiding his thoughts. Except for the calm breathing, it was impossible to discern his mood.

“In three months, the Xia family will go bankrupt.” Yin Zhiyi silently said, focusing intently on the conversation between the mother and daughter.

The male lead was important, but if Xia Wanshi wasn’t doing well, he couldn’t stay in Ling Su’s body.

In the original novel, after the male and female leads were separated by fate, the Xia family encountered problems in a project, leading to a chain reaction of financial collapse. Xia Wanshi was left with nothing, losing everything her parents had worked for. Her final reward was merely the male lead’s love. No wonder the system had him share the male lead’s fortune.

Such a female lead had no halo. Ling Su hoped she would be a bird soaring in the sky, not a dodder flower clinging to another tree after suffering.

“How pitiful.” Was this the result Xia Wanshi wanted or the ending the world’s will had given her, like a puppet?

Thinking of her original fate, he felt a pang in his heart, an emotional residue from Ling Su. He continued listening expressionlessly, finding it amusing when he glanced at the male lead.

Qiu Yiyuan’s supposedly discreet, but obviously blatant, observation was somewhat comical.

“You’re not young anymore. It’s time to think about marriage.” Xia’s mother continued her chatter, unaware of the two men hidden behind the curtain.

Hearing this topic, Xia Wanshi felt a headache coming on. She rubbed her forehead, exasperated. “Mom, I’m only 22.”

Qiu Yiyuan, hearing Xia’s mother urging her to marry, snapped back to reality. He looked at Ling Su’s calm expression, speculating on his relationship with Xia Wanshi. From their interactions, he concluded there was no romance, only friendship.

But… that seemed unrelated to him.

Even so, he listened intently, trying to catch any information from Xia’s mother that he dared not ask directly.

“Hmm…” Yin Zhiyi pondered.

He realized he had underestimated the attraction between the protagonists. Even though he had interfered, Qiu Yiyuan’s reaction showed he cared about Xia Wanshi’s marriage.

“You have the nerve to say you’re 22. In all these years, you haven’t been in a single relationship. If I don’t push you, I’ll never get to hold my grandchild.” Her mother scolded her, not knowing her words were being overheard.

If she hadn’t planned ahead, proposing this match to the Ling family early on, she wouldn’t even have a reliable son-in-law now. Unfortunately, her carefully chosen man didn’t appeal to her precious daughter. Should she blame herself for wanting them to develop feelings by spending too much time together, losing the spark?

Xia Wanshi wanted to retort, but with Ling Su and Qiu Yiyuan present, she muttered, “Nowadays, people advocate for free love…”

Yin Zhiyi remained unaffected by this, but Qiu Yiyuan’s eyes flickered with a strange emotion.

Ling Su and Xia Wanshi weren’t lovers.

Though Qiu Yiyuan had suspected this, confirming it through the mother-daughter conversation made his heart race. He bit his lip, trying to clear his mind of distractions, but Xia’s mother’s next words made his eyes twitch.

“Ling Su has been around since you were little. He’s handsome, upright, what more could you want?” Xia’s mother pointed at her daughter in exasperation, unaware that her words were being overheard.

Qiu Yiyuan leaned against the wall, gasping in pain as his wound throbbed. The confined space behind the curtain made it hard to breathe, and the rising temperature caused sweat to bead on his forehead. His limbs tingled and numbed, the discomfort growing.

He felt suffocated.

Suddenly, a strong hand supported him. Startled, he felt the large hand ruffle his hair, sending a light tingle throughout his body. Turning to face Ling Su’s gaze, he found him smiling gently, as if soothing a child.

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