The villain turns into the infatuated second male lead

Qiu Yiyuan’s gaze lingered on the closed door for a long time before he lay down to rest. Changing into a new set of clothes had taken a lot of effort. The night’s traumatic events left his mind in disarray.
For now, this place seemed safe.

Although he trusted Ling Su and Xia Wanshi, he couldn’t sleep deeply in such an unfamiliar environment. Despite its apparent tranquility, he feared that his adoptive brother’s men might find him. He minimized his movements, drawing the curtains tight, leaving the room in complete darkness.

As he dozed off, a recurring scene haunted his dreams. He woke up suddenly, feeling an uncomfortable fullness in his lower abdomen, struggling to catch his breath. After a while, he calmed down.

“Ling Su…” His eyes darkened. Maybe his repeated suspicions about his rescuer made him feel guilty, or perhaps the memory of him appearing in the alley against the moonlight was too vivid, leading him to dream about him.

With a long sigh, Qiu Yiyuan, feeling the urgent need to pee, fumbled to get out of bed. His movements were slow and awkward, but he didn’t want to trouble anyone in the middle of the night.

For now, he could only stay here and dared not contact his father’s people rashly.

Tonight, he had been on his way to handle an important matter when his car, tampered with beforehand, malfunctioned. After escaping, he encountered some thugs. He suspected someone had tipped off his adoptive brother. Unless he wanted to walk into a trap, he couldn’t return until the situation was clear.

As he pondered his next steps, he limped to the bedroom door, turned on a nightlight, and opened the door, surprised by the bright light in the living room.

“Can’t sleep?” Yin Zhiyi, holding a cup of warm milk, looked at him with concern.

The gentle voice broke through the heavy silence of the night, penetrating his troubled thoughts. He looked up to see Ling Su in relaxed sleepwear and coughed lightly, “I’m fine. Why are you up so late?”

“Drinking some hot milk helps.” Yin Zhiyi leaned against the table, smiling warmly. Then, as if remembering something, he lowered his voice, “Would you like some?”

“No, thank you.” Qiu Yiyuan’s eyes narrowed momentarily before he declined.

He didn’t have anything against milk, but the memory of his adoptive brother’s routine resurfaced. Their nanny used to serve hot milk with a similar explanation. The bad memory soured his mood, and his tone grew cold.

“That’s a shame.” Yin Zhiyi smiled nonchalantly, his calm gaze sweeping over him thoughtfully, “Are you heading to the bathroom?”

Noticing his subtle gaze, Qiu Yiyuan tensed up, instinctively wanting to avoid his scrutiny. After the awkwardness of his injury treatment and the unsettling dream, he couldn’t face him directly. He maintained a neutral expression, “Yes.”

“Your leg is still injured. Let me help you.” Yin Zhiyi raised his eyebrows and, without waiting for a response, set down his milk and approached.

Qiu Yiyuan, half-bent and leaning on the wall for support, was naturally shorter than him. Hearing his offer, his heart skipped a beat. The shadow loomed closer, and he instinctively looked up at Ling Su’s gentle, non-threatening face, then quickly took a step back, his veins pulsing, “No need.”

“…Be careful then.” Yin Zhiyi calmly advised.

He thought their relationship had improved significantly after tonight. In the original novel, the male lead had already developed feelings for the female lead by this point. Given he had saved him from a drunkard, he thought they should be friends by now. Why did the male lead avoid him like the plague?

Was it brotherly intuition? Hmm… They weren’t even related, so there was no such thing as a telepathic connection.

Yin Zhiyi squinted slightly, puzzled as he watched Qiu Yiyuan’s cartoonish walk to the bathroom. He didn’t have many close friends but understood how to win people over. Thinking back to their first meeting, he couldn’t figure out where he went wrong.

Meanwhile, Qiu Yiyuan locked the bathroom door immediately, panting heavily and ignoring his wound’s pain. He realized he had confused Ling Su with his adoptive brother in his dream, leading to his fright and recalling the embarrassing scene of having his wound treated.

“Useless.” He cursed himself softly.

Was he so terrified just because he almost died at his adoptive brother’s hands?

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Since meeting Ling Su, his reactions had been too extreme, perhaps due to the night’s shocking events straining his nerves, making him unlike his usual calm self.

The city of Ning Chuan was far from calm that night. Shortly after Qiu Yiyuan escaped danger, renowned doctors gathered in Haiyue Group’s private hospital’s operating room. Despite their efforts, the severely injured body showed no signs of life.

Yin Miaoyan slammed her car door shut and, ignoring others’ attempts to stop her, forced her way to the VIP ward with her bodyguards until black-suited men blocked her path. Her face twisted in anger, “Move aside!”

“Miss Yin, please don’t disturb the peace,” the tall man said coldly.

Her heart filled with worry and love for Qiu Yiyuan, Yin Miaoyan nearly laughed in frustration. Her beloved had disappeared after sending a warning text. How could she stay calm?

“Yin Zhiyi, come out! If anything happens to Yiyuan, I won’t let you off,” she shouted.

“Miss Yin, please lower your voice. Mr. Yin is resting and not seeing anyone,” the tall man blocked her, aware that everyone inside knew Yin Zhiyi could no longer meet anyone.

Anyone with half a brain would realize that Qiu Yiyuan’s disappearance at this time was likely his doing. Hiding in the hospital, feigning illness, did he think he could get away with it?

Yin Miaoyan, seething, felt the surrounding cold gazes hinting at violence but restrained herself from breaking in, leaving in anger.

If he insisted on playing dead, she would pressure him with public opinion.

After the commotion subsided, the tall man nodded to a secretary, “Miss Yin has left and noticed nothing unusual.”

“Good. Keep this under wraps to avoid further unrest,” the secretary sighed, eyes filled with worry.

Yin Zhiyi’s body, discovered unrecognizable, had been quickly identified by his guards, who ensured no one knew. However, this secret wouldn’t last long. Those allied with him needed an exit strategy or risk being purged.

“We need to deal with Qiu Yiyuan first…”

The next morning, as dawn broke.

Yin Zhiyi, having freshened up, texted the female lead’s parents, explaining Xia Wanshi’s struggles with job hunting and the dangers of late-night walks, including recent murder cases in Ning Chuan.

Last night’s easy agreement came from having a backup plan. As her childhood friend and future son-in-law, Xia’s parents trusted him deeply and took his warnings seriously.

After reading the messages, they grew worried about their daughter’s safety.

Knock, knock.

Yin Zhiyi, feeling good after reading the female lead’s mother’s reply, lightly tapped the black piano keys. He stretched and then checked news reports about last night’s lightning.

“Let’s see if I got turned to ash,” he drawled, his relaxed posture contrasting sharply with Ling Su’s usually gentle demeanor.

He searched all platforms but found no news about the Haiyue Group president being struck by lightning. Despite numerous eyewitness videos and official reports, none showed his immediate surroundings.

He pondered, suspecting the chaos among shareholders he had convinced to take down the Qiu family, now busy suppressing the news during this leaderless time. Once the news broke, the situation would change quickly.

His soul inhabited Ling Su’s body. Even if his original body survived, it might be severely burned or declared dead.

If he truly died, the news would soon leak. His prolonged absence would raise suspicions.

“Old Qiu Tongfu might regain full control soon,” he thought, unconcerned. His dark eyes glinted with blood, making him look almost devilish.

Fortunately, he was officially dead. Even if they wanted to eliminate him, they couldn’t trace it back to Ling Su. Otherwise, his family background wouldn’t withstand such an attack.
——————————
https://ko-fi.com/quarinnah