The villain turns into the infatuated second male lead

Why aren’t you speaking? I’m still waiting for Teacher Qiu’s comments.” Yin Zhiyi laughed lowly, staring straight at Qiu Yiyuan, his tone carrying an almost undetectable tenderness.

At least Xia Wanshi, who was sipping on her orange juice, didn’t notice, and Qiu Yiyuan, who was in the midst of it, thought he misheard.

In that instant of eye contact, the complex emotions in those beautiful eyes made him lose his focus momentarily, even that low laugh seemed to scratch at his heart, making it itch lightly.

The prolonged silence made the atmosphere especially strange. Yin Zhiyi and Qiu Yiyuan were not far apart, clearly closer than the normal social distance should be. As long as he reached out, he could easily touch the other. The male lead’s expression gradually became unnatural.

“…” Yin Zhiyi slightly raised his eyebrows, seeming as if he wouldn’t stop until Qiu Yiyuan spoke. He took another step forward, but this time Qiu Yiyuan took half a step back, panting, and only then did he realize that he had unknowingly held his breath to the limit.

This torturous degree of lingering made his forehead veins throb. He pulled away from Ling Su, and upon closer inspection, the other’s expression was not abnormal, still gentle and appropriate as usual. It seemed like everything just now was his imagination.

“What’s wrong?” Yin Zhiyi looked puzzled, having already gleaned the truth from his cheap younger brother’s reaction, though the situation was shocking enough for him. He hadn’t yet decided how to proceed, acting out Ling Su’s role step by step with a gentle and considerate smile: “It’s okay, just say whatever questions you have.”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yiyuan scrutinized him deeply for a long time, his gaze profound, emotions becoming a bit complicated. He disguised his feelings by taking a sip of orange juice, and said lightly, “You play the piano very well.”

“Really? I thought it was just Xiaoshi coaxing me.” Yin Zhiyi smiled warmly.

Xia Wanshi was sipping her sweet orange juice and hadn’t expected the conversation to shift to her. She opened her mouth and said seriously, “Not at all, your playing is objectively good.”

After saying this, she scratched her cheek, blushing a bit. In fact, Ling Su wasn’t wrong. Her childhood friend often asked her to teach him to play the piano to have a common topic with her, but his skills were average at best, far from today’s level. She exaggerated his talent to avoid hurting his feelings.

Could it be that Ling Su had been practicing secretly?

The three were evidently not on the same page. Yin Zhiyi’s gaze moved between Qiu Yiyuan and Xia Wanshi, but he was not as composed as he appeared. Especially when he thought that Qiu Yiyuan might… like him, it felt inexplicably weird.

Even though it was the same look as usual, Qiu Yiyuan felt something was different. The more he cared, the harder it was to bear. He made a random excuse and left in a hurry.

“Do you still want to practice the piano?” Yin Zhiyi watched the tall yet flustered figure leave, then turned back to ask.

“Let’s practice a bit more. You two better take good care of my treasure. I’ll be back to fight alongside it when my vacation is over.” Xia Wanshi joked, her slender fingers gently patting the piano.

“Sure. When are you planning to start working at your parents’ company?” Yin Zhiyi asked with a gentle smile, his long eyelashes lowering.

The female lead’s next moves were equally important to him.

“Next week.” Her expression turned from momentary melancholy to firmness.

Yin Zhiyi didn’t stay in the piano room for long. When he returned to the living room sofa, his mindset was completely different. His gaze stopped at the closed guest room door, his emotions unreadable.

Whether as Yin Zhiyi or now as Ling Su, he was never short of admirers. Others’ admiration never felt special to him, but knowing that Qiu Yiyuan might have different feelings for “Ling Su” indeed made him feel peculiar.

“So pitiful.” he leaned against the sofa, the handsome young man hidden in the shadows, adding a touch of melancholic beauty. He murmured lazily.

What would his dear brother think if he knew the person in front of him was his foster brother, whom he desperately wanted to kill?

Collapse? Disgust? Or hatred?

He couldn’t help but look forward to his reaction, but he wasn’t willing to take the huge risk for momentary pleasure.

So, how should he proceed to complete the task quickly?

He thought for a while before his lips curled up wickedly.

In the next room, Qiu Yiyuan, unaware that his recently discovered feelings had been uncovered, lay dejected on the bed. The daily interactions with Ling Su flashed in his mind, and last night’s self-persuasion now seemed like a joke, easily dismantled by the other.

“If he knew, he would probably feel disgusted.” he sneered, genuinely repulsed by this unknown, budding emotion.

He couldn’t guess the other’s thoughts, only certain that Ling Su had no romantic feelings for him. Sometimes he wondered if Ling Su liked Xia Wanshi because of his gentleness towards her. Later, he realized Ling Su treated him the same way, seemingly treating everyone equally.

Everything here felt like a dying man’s dream, unreal. He felt sick, gritting his teeth and silently reciting the Yin family’s number in his mind. Once his wounds healed, he would disguise himself and buy a card to contact them. As long as he left this small house, he would surely return to normal.

Before that, he had to suppress those abnormal feelings.

Yin Zhiyi was well aware of the male lead’s thoughts. Even before he made a move, Qiu Yiyuan had already started to withdraw, finding excuses like checking his wounds to avoid him. The strange atmosphere between them was even noticed by Xia Wanshi.

This resistance was exceptionally strong, leaving Yin Zhiyi at a temporary loss. Given Ling Su’s persona and Xia Wanshi’s presence, many methods were off-limits.

If he delayed further, the news of his supposed death would soon leak, and his injuries were nearly healed. All that remained was contacting his allies in the plot, and the male lead would no longer have a reason to stay in the rental house.

Yin Zhiyi wasn’t in a hurry. Neither Ling Su’s character nor harsh methods supported further advances. He waited for a moment, a turning point in the plot where the veil between them would be torn away, forcing the male lead to confront it.

The opportunity didn’t keep him waiting long. A heavy rain fell on Ningchuan City, bringing a cold front. Entering September, the city was no longer hot, with unpredictable weather causing people to wear both short sleeves and coats on the streets. The daytime heat turned into chilly night air.

In the still night, even the slightest noise was exceptionally clear. Yin Zhiyi glanced at the time on his phone. It was midnight. Given Ling Su’s routine, he should be asleep now, and Xia Wanshi had returned home yesterday. He had two days of vacation left.

He stretched leisurely, the faint sounds around him easy to catch for someone focused on the outside. The following noises were hard to pass through the door.

He slowly changed out of his pajamas. The slight chill enveloped his body. After a moment of thought, he put on a loose, thin black coat and walked to the window.

Leaning casually by the window, he looked down at the scene below under the moonlight, quickly spotting Qiu Yiyuan hidden in the night.

The night wind blew, and under the frosty moonlight, Ling Su’s fair skin looked sickly pale. His handsome face showed a hint of satisfaction at finding his prey.

“People in love are hard to read.” Yin Zhiyi’s eyes were deep, murmuring with a smile.

In the bustling Ningchuan City night, streetlights as bright as day, Qiu Yiyuan, wearing a mask and hat, discreetly left the rental house area, soon arriving at the night market stalls on either side.

Following his memory, using his remaining cash, he bought a SIM card, finally feeling a bit relieved but didn’t linger.

He had deliberately escaped in this direction to evade his pursuers because he knew this area well and even had contacts. But after thinking it over, he wasn’t sure who had betrayed him. Yin Zhiyi had tried to kill him multiple times, and in his current defenseless state, he would surely be killed.

With these thoughts, he pressed down his hat’s brim, turning into a dim alley amidst the crowd. His sense of crisis hadn’t entirely dissipated, fully focused on observing his surroundings. After turning into several alleys, he didn’t notice anything unusual.

This place was a few kilometers from where he had previously lost his pursuers, relatively safe but not absolutely so.

He tightened his lips, feeling the phone card in his pocket, finally calming down. Once the Yin family came, he wouldn’t be so passive.

Suddenly, his actions froze. He looked at the shadowy figures ahead, the murderous aura emanating from them reminded him of the assassins from that night, making his body tense up instantly.

The men at the corner looked towards him, seeing a tall, thin, heavily disguised figure. They were about to intimidate him for easy identification when he turned and ran. The men immediately understood that this was likely the person their boss was looking for.

They took off in pursuit, but the other had already turned into another alley. The narrow, complicated roads of the inner city were not easy to navigate once the target was lost. Fortunately, a few pedestrians were ahead.

“Those men are traffickers!” Qiu Yiyuan, blocked by pedestrians and slowing down, shouted loudly without caring about his image.

“…” The big men chasing him were collectively silent, never expecting the dignified general manager of Haiyue Group to use such a trick. The hesitant looks from the pedestrians made them want to curse.

“What are you looking at! That guy’s a thief. We’re just being good citizens. Look at how strangely he’s dressed, does he look like a good person?” The leading man yelled at the blocking pedestrians.

Immediately, the righteous pedestrians hesitated again. Qiu Yiyuan’s outfit was indeed strange, but… these guys looked even less like good people!

The burly men took advantage of the pedestrians’ hesitation to rush towards Qiu Yiyuan’s direction, but the moment they wasted, they had already lost sight of him.

Meanwhile, at the vending store, Qiu Yiyuan hadn’t caught his breath when a hand suddenly covered his mouth. The thin calluses rubbed against his lips, causing slight pain. His pupils contracted, and his heart plummeted.
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