He had only thrown the scarf away.
Tang Mingxi cried injustice, but Ye Heng had already stepped into the pool without hesitation, sending ripples across the water.
"Stop him!" Tang Mingxi suddenly came to his senses.
What was he doing?! Wading into a pool that could freeze over in weather this cold?
Besides, Tang Mingxi remembered that Ye Heng still had a fever. Although... although if the male lead died, he would not have to die either, his conscience would never let him live with it!
At the Second Young Master's command, none of the servants dared disobey. They immediately rushed in from all directions, trying to stop Ye Heng.
As the male lead with long legs and a tall build, he naturally would not be subdued so easily. The servants who approached were beaten down one after another, all of them collapsing to the ground and groaning.
Tang Mingxi's head began to ache. He had not expected Ye Heng to be so difficult to deal with. In a fit of pique, he thought, If he wants to jump into the water, let him. What does it have to do with me?
The next second, Second Young Master Tang's thunderous shout rang over the manor: "Wang Ma!"
The second after that, Wang Ma descended from the heavens, her strong, powerful arms looking exceptionally reassuring. "Second Young Master, did you call for me?"
Tang Mingxi pointed at Ye Heng. "Go fish him out for me!"
By then, Ye Heng had already reached the middle of the pool.
The red scarf had been burned through with a large hole, making it look blackened and hideous.
Soaked through with water, the entire scarf was drenched. Ye Heng stared at it, and before long, his eyes turned red as fury suddenly blazed within him.
Even with his usually patient temperament, he could no longer fully restrain the ferocity in his gaze.
The burning sensation in his forehead was real.
Ye Heng's fever had not fully subsided to begin with. After being punished by kneeling in the snow, he had attended the annual party while feverish. Now, after returning to the Tang Family Manor and resting for barely a few minutes, Huo Yiran had tormented him for half the day.
His illness came on fiercely. Ye Heng's body swayed precariously in the pool, but fortunately, Wang Ma arrived in time and hauled him out of the water.
At that moment, the young man's lips were deathly pale, and he was barely breathing.
Even Huo Yiran frowned slightly and muttered, "He's not really dead, is he?"
He had only wanted to teach Ye Heng a lesson. He had not actually wanted to kill him. Murder was against the law.
Tang Mingxi no longer knew how to deal with this chaotic scene.
After Ye Heng was pulled from the pool, he fainted again. Passing out twice in one day was truly something else.
"Take him back to his room. Call the family doctor," Tang Mingxi ordered.
Huo Yiran protested, "Does he really need a doctor, Uncle? I think he's faking it. A little medicine should be enough."
"Why don't you fake it for me, then?" There was already a trace of anger in Tang Mingxi's voice.
It was true that this was a novel, and it was also true that Ye Heng would kill him in the future.
But when these people stood before him alive and breathing, Tang Mingxi could not bear to watch the strong bully the weak.
As for the future... he would deal with it later. He still had confidence that he could run away from Ye Heng.
Huo Yiran paused, then his tone turned sharp as he said in disbelief, "Uncle, you're yelling at me for this piece of trash?"
Tang Mingxi took a deep breath. "I'm not yelling at you. Use your brain and think for yourself. If someone really dies, how are we supposed to clean this up? Are you sick of the food at home and want to eat prison food instead?"
After Tang Mingxi scolded him, Huo Yiran felt as though even whatever justification he had was no longer reasonable. He was instantly aggrieved beyond measure.
If he had a dog tail, it would have been drooping on the floor by now.
At the same time, the way he looked at Ye Heng shifted from hatred to venomous resentment.
It was all this trash's fault that Uncle had changed like this. Then he thought of the thing he hated most: why did someone like this trash get to marry Uncle too...
Wang Ma carried Ye Heng to the guest room, while Uncle Liu, the butler, quickly helped Ye Heng change into a clean set of clothes.
He was an honest man. Seeing Ye Heng in such a miserable state, he could not help thinking of his seventeen-year-old son and felt a little pity for him. "Second Young Master went too far this time. No matter what, the young master-in-law is still his fiancé."
Wang Ma immediately shot him a vicious glare. "You'd better let those words rot in your stomach. If they reach Second Young Master's ears, not even the King of Heaven himself will be able to save you!"
After thinking for a moment, she said indignantly, "It wasn't Second Young Master who pushed him into the water. And I think Second Young Master is quite a good person—kind-hearted, repaying resentment with virtue. He even called a doctor for this trash!"
Tang Mingxi had only just entered the room
when he heard Wang Ma showering him with praise.
He had already grown used to everyone in the Tang Family Manor being obsessed with the "Second Young Master"!
Tang Mingxi came in with the family doctor and discovered that even while lying in bed, the young man was still clutching the scarf tightly, refusing to let go.
It was obvious just how important it was to him.
Tang Mingxi remembered that Ye Heng had not had a very good childhood either. His father had died young, his mother held all the power, and only his younger sister had relied on each other with him.
In the original novel, Ye Heng's mother, Chi Yun, had even become a major antagonist in the later story. Thinking of that cold, noble woman who killed without batting an eye, as described in the novel, Tang Mingxi could not help sighing.
Like mother, like son; like father, like son. The apple did not fall far from the tree.
When this mother and son fought each other, everyone in both the underworld and legitimate circles across the mainland would have to keep their heads down.
After the examination, medicine, and IV drip, it was already late into the night.
Tang Nuo had been waiting outside the door. He had originally thought Tang Mingxi would only come over for a look and leave once he saw that Ye Heng was not dead.
Yet, to his surprise, Tang Mingxi actually listened seriously to the doctor's instructions and even asked a few concerned questions.
What was wrong with his useless second brother?
Could he really have damaged his brain when he fell down the stairs?
Tang Nuo leaned against the door, his brows tightly furrowed.
Ever since being reborn, he had felt that Tang Mingxi had become exceedingly strange, as though he had turned into a different person.
Tonight, if Tang Mingxi had not spoken up to save Ye Heng and disrupted his entire plan, he would have been the one doing Ye Heng a favor.
No matter what, Tang Mingxi had to die.
Tang Nuo clenched his fists. Only if he died could Ye Heng possibly spare the Tang Family.
Tang Mingxi looked after Ye Heng for most of the night. Wang Ma lovingly brought him late-night snacks twice, but he barely touched them.
Fortunately, the original owner had always been a picky eater, so Wang Ma did not become suspicious of the change in his tastes.
After two bottles of saline, Ye Heng's condition improved slightly, and his fever subsided.
Sleepiness washed over Tang Mingxi. Seeing that Ye Heng was no longer in danger, he got up and returned to his own bedroom to sleep.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Tang Nuo standing outside in the middle of knocking, holding a bowl of chicken soup.
"I was worried that Second Brother might get hungry after staying up so late to look after him, so I had the kitchen stew some soup."
Tang Mingxi thought impassively, This soup wasn't made for me, was it?
In the original novel, Tang Mingxi and Tang Nuo did not have a good relationship. Tang Nuo was actually much closer to Ye Heng.
Tang Nuo had surely used the excuse of bringing him soup to prepare it for Ye Heng.
Tang Mingxi waved a hand without exposing him. "I'm not hungry."
Tang Nuo tested the waters. "Second Brother must be tired too. Let me watch over him for a while."
Too lazy to bother with him, Tang Mingxi yawned, nodded casually, and left.
After they had passed several rooms, Wang Ma, who had been walking at his side, suddenly spoke. "Second Young Master, are you really going to let that little slut Tang Nuo look after Young Master Ye?"
Hearing this, Tang Mingxi asked a question that had puzzled him for a long time. "Wang Ma, why do you always call Tang Nuo 'little slut'?"
As he recalled, it was not a very nice term.
Wang Ma indignantly defended Tang Mingxi. "Isn't he a little slut? He clearly knows that Ye Heng is engaged to you, yet he keeps throwing himself at Ye Heng all day, fussing over him and calling him brother-in-law this and brother-in-law that. He's terrified people won't catch a whiff of that seductive fox stench on him!"
Tang Mingxi was stunned. Wang Ma had put it so bluntly that even as a straight man of iron, he understood.
From reading the original novel until now, Tang Mingxi had always thought that Ye Heng and Tang Nuo were merely