Zhu Shixin's Malice

Chapter Eighteen

Ye Nanxun recognized He Lanxue at first glance.

The tall, radiant girl was as passionate and beautiful as a blooming red rose.

Yet in his previous life, she had shared the same tragic fate as him.

She was clearly a privileged young lady, with He Yiming, one of the most outstanding members of the younger generation, as her brother, and an imperial general of immense power as her father.

After being framed by Xu Wenyan, she had been forced to marry an alpha she did not love.

The proud, radiant red rose had been trapped in a gilded cage of pure gold, gradually withering away. To keep bearing exceptional heirs, she had even been deprived of the right to die.

Ye Nanxun nodded to her in greeting. "Hello, Miss He."

The young man had a cool temperament, yet he did not come across as unpleasant.

It only made people feel that Ye Nanxun was naturally reserved, rather than deliberately cold toward others.

"Young Master Ye, are you here to watch Teacher Jiang rehearse too?" He Lanxue asked.

Dream Star Opera House had no public performances during this time. Remembering Ye Nanxun's piano solo at the coming-of-age ceremony, He Lanxue immediately thought of Jiang Yuenian, who had recently been rehearsing at the opera house.

Ye Nanxun nodded, which counted as an answer to He Lanxue's question.

"Then what a coincidence. We are too. Young Master Ye, let's go in together."

He Lanxue was delighted. She had been worrying recently about how to get acquainted with Ye Nanxun, yet they had unexpectedly run into each other.

"Hey, you still haven't told me, He Lanxue. Is this guy related to that bastard Ye Zhineng?" Someone who had been ignored all this time pressed the horn in dissatisfaction.

He Lanxue turned back and glared at the alpha. "Zhu Shixin, are you sick? Nanxun is my friend. Stop making trouble for no reason!"

"Don't mind him, Young Master Ye. Let's go in first!"

He Lanxue called for Ye Nanxun to come with her.

Ye Nanxun smiled faintly and answered, "All right." He turned with He Lanxue and entered through a nearby side door, treating Zhu Shixin like air and not sparing him even a glance.

Zhu Shixin was almost angered into laughter.

Even Ye Zhineng did not have the nerve to give him such attitude. This omega's eyes were practically on the top of his head, weren't they?

"Fuck! He's just an SS-class omega. Does he really think he's all that?"

He Lanxue's enthusiasm was a little difficult for the unsociable Ye Nanxun to handle. Fortunately, though she was enthusiastic, she understood how to maintain proper boundaries in conversation.

She chatted with Ye Nanxun about many things along the way. Although He Lanxue did most of the talking, she did not make things awkward or uncomfortable.

When they were nearly at the opera house lobby, He Lanxue glanced at the empty corridor behind them. "Zhu Shixin has an especially terrible temper. He doesn't get along very well with your cousin Ye Zhineng, so just ignore him!"

Zhu Shixin, He Yiming, and Ye Zhineng were all among the people behind Xu Wenyan.

Within that chaotic web of relationships, a subtle balance existed among those alphas.

He Lanxue's brother, He Yiming, was one of the foremost figures among Dream Star's younger generation of powerful elites.

Logically, as long as He Yiming was willing, if he did not want anyone else around Xu Wenyan, the other alphas would have had no way to approach Xu Wenyan.

He Yiming had a secret special kink. He not only liked doing it himself, but also liked watching others do it.

Suppressing the sudden wave of nausea, Ye Nanxun casually asked, "You know my cousin?"

A flash of disgust quickly passed through her bright eyes. He Lanxue had no favorable impression of Xu Wenyan or the people around Xu Wenyan.

Unfortunately, one was her brother, and another was Zhu Shixin, who had grown up alongside her.

"He... he's sort of my brother's friend."

After He Lanxue finished speaking, the two of them happened to arrive at the lobby entrance.

On the opera house stage, the orchestra played under Jiang Yuenian's direction.

Ye Nanxun and He Lanxue tacitly stopped talking and found seats near the entrance.

Before long, heavy footsteps approached from afar.

They paused near Ye Nanxun and He Lanxue, then took two more steps forward.

With a cold expression, Zhu Shixin sat down across the aisle, expressionlessly taking a seat to the right and in front of Ye Nanxun and He Lanxue.

After the orchestra finished two pieces, it dispersed, leaving only a few people sitting onstage to rest.

Jiang Yuenian spotted Ye Nanxun and the others at once. "Did you come together?"

He Lanxue, who had been especially enthusiastic around Ye Nanxun, was now a well-behaved junior. She honestly replied, "Teacher Jiang, we ran into each other outside."

Zhu Shixin, who had just been acting arrogantly, also wore an obedient smile. "Brother Jiang."

Jiang Yuenian nodded slightly. His gentle gaze shifted to Ye Nanxun, and just as he was about to say something, he caught sight of the black-and-gray scarf around Ye Nanxun's neck. His gaze paused for a moment.

Ye Nanxun did not notice Jiang Yuenian's gaze and greeted him like the others. "Teacher Jiang."

The smile in Jiang Yuenian's eyes deepened slightly. "Xun, come with me. Lanxue, Shixin, wait for me for a while."

Jiang Yuenian and Ye Nanxun walked away.

Watching their backs, He Lanxue's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Ye Nanxun actually knows Teacher Jiang. It must be because he played so beautifully that day that he caught Teacher Jiang's attention."

When she looked to the side, she saw that after Jiang Yuenian left, Zhu Shixin had returned to that punchable expression.

Two little knots formed between her brows as He Lanxue said unhappily, "Zhu Shixin, what kind of expression is that? If you hate Ye Zhineng, then hate him. Why are you making that sour face at Ye Nanxun?"

Zhu Shixin shoved both hands into his pockets and curled his lips in disdain. "I hate everyone with the surname Ye."

Ye Nanxun followed Jiang Yuenian onto the stage from the side.

The musicians who had stayed behind were all performers who would be playing live with him at Zhu Yucheng's birthday banquet.

Jiang Yuenian introduced them to one another, then left the opera house again with He Lanxue and Zhu Shixin.

Although Ye Nanxun was not a professional pianist, the performance with the teachers went very smoothly.

Two hours later, the practice session ended.

The teachers politely greeted Ye Nanxun and said goodbye.

Working with polite, well-mannered people, Ye Nanxun suddenly felt that socializing was not actually difficult.

The beautiful music and friendly collaborators made Ye Nanxun feel as though his heart had been soaked in warm water, full and warm.

A faint blush floated across his fair face, and when Ye Nanxun came down from the stage, the corners of his mouth were still raised.

Jiang Yuenian had sent him a message half an hour earlier, saying that he had left in advance because he had something to do.

Ye Nanxun replied to Jiang Yuenian's message, then called his father.

While waiting for his father to pick him up, Ye Nanxun wandered casually near the entrance of the opera house, the music from the ensemble still echoing in his mind.

The beauty of the day abruptly ended when someone viciously slammed into him from behind.

A sharp pain shot through his right shoulder. It was no accident; it was clearly deliberate.

Frowning, Ye Nanxun turned his head and met a pair of eyes filled with contempt, mockery, and malice.

"Hmph—"

Making no attempt to hide his disgust for Ye Nanxun, Zhu Shixin glanced at the omega youth, who had nearly been knocked over, and smugly curled his lips.