The villain turns into the infatuated second male lead

Xia Wanshi’s expression remained natural, not much different from when she entered. However, Qiu Yiyuan’s emotions were much more complicated.

When his slightly upturned phoenix eyes met Yin Zhiyi’s gaze in mid-air, it was as if they were scalded, quickly lowering, and then his heated gaze lingered on him, as if restraining something.

“We’re done talking.” He didn’t dare to look directly at Ling Su, fearing that his blatant gaze would reveal something. He unconsciously tugged at his shirt collar, feeling unusually hot.

Thinking about what Xia Wanshi had said to him, he couldn’t control the heat spreading through his body, especially when he saw Ling Su. The feeling of panic, shyness, and excitement was particularly unfamiliar, making him subconsciously more conscious of his appearance and actions.

Yin Zhiyi calmly scanned him up and down, then glanced at the red tips of his ears and the emotions revealed by his subtle actions, his lips slightly curling.

“What’s your number?” He pretended not to notice his unusual behavior, calmly opening the social app on his phone.

He could feel that Qiu Yiyuan was in an exceptionally good mood right now, a joy that he hadn’t seen in the decade they had lived together, despite Qiu Yiyuan’s efforts to hide it. The joy was hard to suppress, especially the indescribable emotions in his eyes when he looked at him.

So, what did his dear brother and Xia Wanshi talk about that made him so happy?

Qiu Yiyuan was stunned for a moment before remembering that he had asked Ling Su for his contact information earlier. He had been so overjoyed that he forgot. He reported the number in a low voice: “1xxx…”

“Did you make a good deal? You look very happy.” Yin Zhiyi asked casually after adding the contact.

As soon as he spoke, Qiu Yiyuan turned to look at Xia Wanshi, seeing that she left the answer to him. He cleared his throat, unable to suppress his smile: “Yes, but it’s not done yet. It’s a very important project, so I have to be careful.”

“Good luck then.” Yin Zhiyi raised an eyebrow, faintly guessing what it was. His gaze towards him became increasingly enigmatic.

At ten o’clock in the evening, Yin Zhiyi was half-lying on the small bed in the piano room, staring at Qiu Yiyuan’s newly added social media account. It was the first time he had added him as a friend.

While casually scrolling down, he suddenly remembered that Xia Wanshi had sent many messages today that he hadn’t read. He clicked into the chat and saw the last message, where she proposed to both parents to annul the engagement. He naturally agreed and immediately sent a “yes.”

After doing this, he scrolled through the chat history and quickly saw her happily sharing that the company had received a huge project. If successfully completed, the profits would far exceed the first half of the year.

“Almost overlooked it.” Yin Zhiyi sat up straight, unsure if this was the event about to happen in the original plot, but it was always good to help her review every major project. He quickly typed and sent a message.

Ling Su: Is your company the only one undertaking such a large project?

Xia Wanshi had just finished washing up at home and replied after a while.

Xiao Shi: No, we’re only handling a part of it. The project is too big for our company to handle alone, my parents said.

Calmly looking at the message, Yin Zhiyi quickly sensed something wrong. He pondered for a moment and asked: So, the client must be a big company?

Xiao Shi: Yes, it’s Xizhou Real Estate, a very big company, don’t worry!

“Indeed…” He murmured indistinctly. Even without the original plot’s reminder, he knew this seemingly giant company was about to collapse.

Xia Wanshi had just dried her hair when Ling Su’s messages came one after another. She glanced at them casually and was stunned, incredulously typing back.

Xiao Shi: Are you serious? Xizhou Real Estate has cash flow problems and can’t pay?

Ling Su: Yes, my mentor sometimes deals with high-profile people. He mentioned it to me last month. Have you signed the contract? If not, you should advise your parents to be cautious.

She looked blankly at the messages from her childhood friend, believing most of it. She forgot to dry her hair and rushed to her parents’ room with her phone, also bringing up the engagement.

She should have realized that a big company like Xizhou Real Estate wouldn’t seek them out for collaboration.

When her parents heard, they thought their luck had turned. But according to Ling Su, the company was in cash flow trouble and seeking companies willing to prepay funds. Her parents had already arranged to discuss the details tomorrow.

That night, there was a heated discussion at the Xia household about whether to refuse the cooperation, only deciding by dawn after inquiring with peers that Xizhou Real Estate indeed required them to prepay. By then, Yin Zhiyi had already gone to sleep.

The next day, the streets of Ningchuan City were filled with the sound of honking cars.

Yin Zhiyi, reborn as Ling Su, encountered unexpected traffic on his first day to work. Looking at the long line of cars ahead, he tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, calculating the likelihood of being late.

The wait felt especially long. Bored, he glanced at Xia Wanshi’s thank-you messages and his parents’ bombardment of inquiries.

They were asking if he had upset her, as their verbal engagement could easily be annulled if either party was unwilling. His parents seemed to blame him for possibly upsetting her.

He leisurely lowered the car window, glancing around out of impatience. His peripheral vision caught a familiar face in the car beside him, looking annoyed.

His eyes flashed, and he casually leaned out, looking around as if impatient with the long wait. He calmly passed by that car and looked behind.

The series of actions didn’t arouse suspicion. He closed the window and leaned back in his seat, thoughtful.

If he hadn’t seen wrong, the person in the back seat was the old butler of the Qiu family, with several bodyguards in black suits. They were heading in the opposite direction, likely towards the rental house.

This was the first familiar face he had seen besides Qiu Yiyuan since his rebirth.

Thinking of this, a mysterious smile appeared on his lips, and he started humming a tune. As the familiar melody played, the cars ahead began to move.

“What a pity, I have to temporarily say goodbye to living with my brother.” He said lazily, but the curve of his lips showed no trace of sorrow.

According to the original plot, the male lead would eventually return to the Qiu family. His feelings for the female lead at the time were not as deep as those for him now. Yin Zhiyi was confident that after controlling his brother for half his life, he wouldn’t let him go for the rest of it.

While he was plotting, Qiu Yiyuan was thinking about confessing his feelings, feeling a sudden chill down his spine. He rubbed his arms and got up to grab a jacket. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“!!!” His pupils constricted. He knew Xia Wanshi and Ling Su would never come home at this time, and they wouldn’t knock since they had keys. Who could it be?

Yin Miaoyan?

“Xiao Yuan, Uncle Zhang is here to pick you up.” The hoarse voice came through the door.

Qiu Yiyuan grew up under the watchful eye of Uncle Zhang, the butler, and naturally recognized his voice. But instead of joy, he felt a deep gloom.

“Yin Miaoyan!” Qiu Yiyuan gritted his teeth. He had sought her help to prevent his father from finding him. Who knew she would betray him?

He took a deep breath. Despite his reluctance, he coldly opened the door, unsurprised to see the butler flanked by several bodyguards.

“Anything you need to pack?” Uncle Zhang asked, satisfied at finding him.

“No.” He replied briefly, his tone flat.

Everything here belonged to others, even the clothes he wore were bought by Xia Wanshi for her father. Naturally, he had nothing to pack.

“Then let’s go home. We’ll thank this family for their kindness.” Uncle Zhang’s hair was neatly combed, his sharp eyes belying his age.

Qiu Yiyuan’s legs felt heavy. Despite knowing the people inside out, he still wished for more time.

“I have some matters to attend to. I’ll go back in a few days.” He stood firm, his voice hoarse.

Hearing this, Uncle Zhang’s amiable demeanor immediately turned cold. He scrutinized him like a snake, saying lightly: “Xiao Yuan, this is the chairman’s order. His health is deteriorating; you wouldn’t want to upset your father, would you?”

“Heh—” Qiu Yiyuan laughed in anger, “Do I have a choice?”

“Then let’s go home.” The butler’s smile returned, respectfully ushering him into a luxurious car, driving steadily towards the city center.
——————–https://ko-fi.com/quarinnah