Yan Ci Apologizes

"Hm?" Yan Xianjue looked puzzled.

"Why are you all looking at me?"

Hearing Mother Yan cough, Yan Xianjue first poured her a glass of water.

"If Mom is coughing, she shouldn't drink tea."

"I'm fine," Mother Yan said with a smile. "My throat just felt a little itchy. I'm not sick." "How can you eat crab without tea?" Father Yan quickly chimed in.

"Right, right," Yan Ci agreed.

Yan Yi'an immediately called a waiter over and had Mother Yan's pot of tea replaced with rose tea.

Mother Yan happily enjoyed her husband's thoughtfulness and her sons' filial care.

Casually, she asked Yan Xianjue, "Was that little girl your classmate?"

Yan Xianjue didn't catch the probing note in her words and said with a smile, "Not exactly. Her grades are good, so she's in the elite class."

"I ran into her in the hallway during break today. We'd only just met for the first time."

[We barely exchanged a few words. I was too busy enjoying gossip about the male lead.]

The Yan family exchanged glances. Why was there another male lead?

Hadn't Yan Xianjue said yesterday that the male lead was the same age as Yan Yi'an?

Shen Fangli in the next private room: "..."

Did this inner voice have no distance limit at all?

And having gossip expose her own family's ugly secrets was something she really didn't want to remember.

Wait, were the people next door discussing her family?

Shen Fangli uneasily scraped her toes against the floor.

On one hand, she didn't want Yan Xianjue telling his family too much, since it wasn't anything honorable.

On the other hand, she knew it wasn't convenient for her to directly fish for information.

If the Yan family asked him questions, they should reveal more intelligence, right?

Yan Ci teased, "I heard from the waiter that you even spoke up for her?"

"You were so helpful on your first meeting. That's not like you."

Yan Xianjue was hardly the warmhearted sort.

He only looked mild-tempered. Yan Ci still remembered what he had been like in middle school.

There had been a girl liked by a boy on the school sports team who gave Yan Xianjue a love letter.

That boy blocked Yan Xianjue after school, and Yan Xianjue kicked him straight into the pool behind the school.

And whenever the boy was about to climb out, Yan Xianjue would give him another kick.

He didn't say a word the entire time.

It wasn't until Yan Ci hadn't seen Yan Xianjue come out for a long while and heard that he'd been cornered that he hurried over to find him.

Only after seeing Yan Ci did Yan Xianjue let the boy climb out.

The boy had been so scared he nearly wet himself on the spot.

Yan Xianjue had merely walked calmly around him and told Yan Ci they were going home.

When no one provoked him, he didn't like causing trouble. But when someone did provoke him, he struck with ruthless precision.

Only the people in this family thought Yan Xianjue was a smiling little lamb all day long.

Yan Xianjue had no idea Yan Ci was thinking so much.

He was even digging up something from eight hundred years ago.

Resting his chin on one hand, he said lazily, "I just did it on the way."

[We're all villains. If I can lend a hand, I might as well.]

[If I hadn't dreamed about it at the base just now, I never would've guessed that Shen Fangli's second aunt was connected to Su Su.]

[Tsk, this "female lead" is really something. She hadn't even graduated high school, yet she already had so many schemes. No wonder Shen Fangli lost so badly later on.]

At that moment, Shen Fangli in the next private room and the Yan family all narrowed their eyes.

Only, their focuses were entirely different.

Shen Fangli had just been troubled by the lack of leads about her second aunt, when Yan Xianjue solved her urgent problem.

After going home, she planned to lay everything out and tell her father about it.

He was the only person she trusted with this matter.

As for the Yan family, they had confirmed that the novel Yan Xianjue had read was no good.

The male and female leads weren't necessarily good people, nor were villains necessarily bad people.

But to make the novel entertaining, the villains were tormented terribly while the male and female leads stepped on them to reach the peak of life.

What kind of nonsense was that?

Having ulterior motives wasn't a big deal. Which one of them in business didn't have a head full of twists and turns?

But using these petty tricks was disgusting.

No wonder Yan Xianjue couldn't stand it.

Yan Yi'an, meanwhile, noticed another piece of information.

"In the dream."

He remembered that Yan Xianjue really had fallen asleep suddenly at the base earlier, without any warning at all.

So he learned things about the future in dreams?

He tested the waters. "Has senior year been too exhausting? I've noticed you've been suddenly falling asleep a lot these past two days."

"How about having the family doctor take a look at you today?"

Yan Xianjue shook his head repeatedly. He didn't like seeing doctors, nor did he like taking medicine.

For all he knew, seeing a doctor would come with dietary restrictions.

He was an omnivore who ate anything and everything.

Besides, he knew he had only been falling asleep these past two days because recovering his memories had put a bit too much strain on his brain.

A few more days of rest and he'd be fine.

"No need. My schedule and three meals a day are incredibly healthy. I just stayed up a little late finishing my physics homework yesterday."

"I'll just go to bed early tonight."

[Damn it, why does Big Brother notice everything so closely!]

[No, I need to redirect the trouble.]

"I think Second Brother has gotten thinner again since coming back this time. His dark circles are deep enough for him to cosplay a panda. You can tell his schedule is irregular."

"Why not have the family doctor examine Second Brother instead?"

Yan Ci: "..."

So I'm just your tool, huh?

Yan Ci lowered his eyes. "I'm staying at the dorm tonight. Tomorrow, I'm taking the team members for blood tests."

"I won't be going home after dinner."

Mother Yan nodded in agreement.

Ever since Yan Ci entered the Youth Training Camp, he spent more time living in the base dorms than at home.

They had gotten used to it.

Mother Yan looked worriedly at Yan Xianjue. "Your big brother is right. Senior year isn't like usual. Mental pressure can also cause physical discomfort. I'll only feel at ease if a doctor checks you over."

"Fine." Since his mother had spoken, Yan Xianjue agreed pitifully.

Though he didn't feel any pressure, he liked this concern from his family.

In this life, he had no obsession with getting into any particular university.

Nor did he need to get into a good university to find work and support himself.

Without desire, there was naturally no pressure.

But Second Brother's attempt to dodge the issue was way too obvious!

Damn it, the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

[Come to think of it, hasn't Second Brother still not apologized to Big Brother?]

Yan Ci shifted awkwardly in his chair.

What was wrong with Yan Xianjue? Did he have to torment him?

Before Yan Ci could decide whether to apologize, he heard Yan Xianjue continue.

[Though Big Brother probably doesn't care about these formalities.]

Yan Ci secretly glanced at Yan Yi'an. There was no unusual expression on his face.

He relaxed a little.

[But if it were me, I'd definitely kneel down, hug Big Brother's thigh, and call him Sugar Daddy! That's five million!]

Yan Xianjue's tone was filled with obvious delight.

Father Yan and Mother Yan raised their teacups, trying to hide their ever-rising smiles.

Yan Yi'an: "..."

That really wasn't necessary.

Yan Ci could no longer worry about saving face.

He was afraid Yan Xianjue would say something even more shocking.

Under the fixed stares of Father Yan and Mother Yan, Yan Ci abruptly stood up.

"B... Big Brother."

Yan Ci had never found the words "Big Brother" so difficult to say.

Yan Yi'an didn't make things hard for him.

"Mm." He answered directly.

He pushed his teacup forward.

Yan Ci breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the teapot from the dining table.

Somewhat clumsily, he poured a cup of tea.

But instead of sliding it back across the table,

he formally held the teacup with both hands. "Big Brother, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have believed every rumor I heard and maliciously suspected my own family based on a few words from outsiders."

His apology was completely sincere.

In just two short days, he had come to understand many things.

No matter how beautifully someone talked, it couldn't compare to someone still being willing to clean up your mess after you caused trouble.

Yan Yi'an pulled out a relieved smile. Without putting on airs, he readily accepted the teacup and took a sip.

"Sit down. It was just a small matter. Little Ci has grown up too."