Chapter 12

Such pure brotherly love. Who would have thought they had this kind of relationship!

He was left utterly stunned... as though the door to a whole new world had been opened.

Tang Mingxi said, "...You really can't judge a book by its cover."

No wonder Ye Heng had killed every member of the Tang Family, leaving only Tang Nuo alive.

Such earth-shaking love—even passing ants would stop to sigh that it was real.

Wang Ma muttered, "Second Young Master, even if you don't like Ye Heng, he's still your fiancé in name. Even if he's trash you don't want, you can't let Tang Nuo have him for free!"

Tang Mingxi thought, I'm already struggling to stay alive, and perfunctorily replied, "Mm-hm."

Wang Ma pulled a small booklet from her clothes and handed it to Tang Mingxi. "Second Young Master, you're far too innocent. I'm afraid you'll fall for that bitch Tang Nuo's schemes. Take this book back and study it carefully!"

Curiously, Tang Mingxi took it and looked. Several bold words were printed on the gaudy little booklet: "The Lewd Aunt and Seductive Brother-in-Law."

After returning to his room, Tang Mingxi flipped through three pages before painfully closing his eyes.

He couldn't understand it, but he was deeply shaken.

Chapter 9: Arm Around the Waist

Early the next morning, Tang Mingxi was awakened by his ringing phone.

After reading that timeless masterpiece, The Lewd Aunt and Seductive Brother-in-Law, a postmodern magical-realist tribute to romantic realism, Tang Mingxi found its brainwashing power unmatched. It had given him nightmares all night.

In the dream, Tang Nuo wore his pajamas and sat in his room while Ye Heng hugged him from behind and said, "Why are you wearing Tang Mingxi's clothes?" Tang Mingxi caught them red-handed.

Dream-Tang Mingxi was utterly shocked. After stammering, "You, you!" twice and coughing up blood, he rolled his eyes and fainted from rage.

After waking up, the more he thought about the scene, the more familiar it seemed. Wasn't this that famous scene from Temptation of Going Home?!

Tang Mingxi rubbed his forehead and resolved to warn Wang Ma to read fewer trashy novels in the future.

His phone was still buzzing. Half-awake, Tang Mingxi grabbed it and saw that the caller was "He Wenfang."

The next second, a cool male voice came through the phone. "President Tang, today is the bidding conference for the Azure Luo Bay land development project. There are two hours until it begins. I can't reach Assistant Ye, so I hope you'll make preparations as soon as possible."

The Azure Luo Bay bidding conference?

At those keywords, Tang Mingxi snapped out of his drowsiness. He had been scared awake.

Good heavens. Azure Luo Bay—wasn't that the bay where "Tang Mingxi" had died without even a body left behind in the original novel?!

Tang Mingxi also instantly recalled the identity of the man on the other end.

He Wenfang, the secretary at the original owner's company, was a dependable man whose cunning bordered on monstrous.

Tang Mingxi remembered him so clearly because He Wenfang had kept a low profile early on, concealing his abilities. Later, as a strategist, he had taken all his connections and resources to serve a new master, becoming Ye Heng's right-hand man and one of the key reasons Ye Heng had been able to bring down the Tang Family so quickly.

Only then did Tang Mingxi remember that when the old master had still been alive, he had stipulated that the subsidiary company left to Tang Mingxi was to be managed jointly by him and Ye Heng.

But the original owner had been so carefree that he had simply handed the subsidiary over to Ye Heng, giving Ye Heng more than enough time to cultivate his own power.

Still, the company had long since become an empty shell. Not only did it make no money, it constantly needed money poured into it, with not a cent of profit to be gained.

Ye Heng had run a high fever last night. When He Wenfang couldn't reach him, he had contacted Tang Mingxi instead.

At that thought, Tang Mingxi could not help but marvel inwardly.

Ye Heng was only seventeen now, wasn't he? At just seventeen, he had nearly hollowed out Tang Mingxi's little subsidiary.

What kind of general manager's secretary failed to reach the second-in-command and then went looking for the top boss instead?!

Of course, Ye Heng could hollow out the company however he wanted. What Tang Mingxi cared about now was his own life.

As for the bidding conference? His life was practically on the line, and he was supposed to attend a bidding conference? A séance would suit him better!

The moment the call ended, Tang Mingxi lay back down and began considering ways to run away.

He remembered that the cannon-fodder wife in the original novel had been personally pushed off the cliffs of Azure Luo Bay by Ye Heng.

To prevent that tragedy, Tang Mingxi had an idea and abruptly sat up in bed!

"Wang Ma, I'm going out today. Don't let anyone see me, no matter who comes!"

Ye Heng awoke from his stupor, and the moment he opened his eyes, he

saw Tang Nuo.

Tang Nuo had apparently been lying beside the bed for who knew how long. Hearing movement, he looked at Ye Heng with sleepy eyes.

From Ye Heng's angle, it was undoubtedly a picture of a beauty languidly waking in spring.

"Feeling better?" His voice was gentle, just like Tang Nuo's appearance.

Ye Heng calmly glanced at the IV bottle above him, then pulled out the needle expressionlessly, drawing a thin streak of blood. "Where's Tang Mingxi?"

Tang Nuo paused, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

He had waited here eagerly for half the night, yet the first thing Ye Heng asked upon waking was where Tang Mingxi was?

"Second Brother seemed to have gone out on business this morning." Tang Nuo forced a smile. "Even Huo Yiran couldn't find him."

At the mention of Huo Yiran's name, a flash of bloodlust passed through Ye Heng's eyes.

"You've only just recovered. Don't stand." Tang Nuo said considerately, "Second Brother may have had something urgent to do, which is why he didn't come to see you. Don't blame him."

Ye Heng picked up the scarf that had been partly burned on the table. The young man's raven-feather lashes hung low, concealing the expression in his eyes.

Only his tightly clenched hand gave him away. Tang Nuo had just been about to comfort him when he saw Ye Heng release the scarf and indifferently toss it into the trash.

As Tang Nuo had been reborn, he naturally knew exactly how important this scarf was to Ye Heng. Seeing this, his expression nearly cracked. "Ye Heng, it's only burned a little. It can still be used after being mended."

"Broken things should be thrown away." Ye Heng's face remained utterly expressionless.

If Tang Mingxi had been here, he would certainly have noticed that something was wrong!

Throwing away his younger sister's scarf was Ye Heng's first step toward darkness in the original novel.

It represented his complete farewell to his former weak self.

And, incidentally, brought the death date of Tang Mingxi, this cannon-fodder scumbag, another step closer.

Outside the swimming pool, Tang Mingxi shivered.

Looking up, he saw that it truly deserved to be called Ningcheng's largest private swimming pool. Starting today, Tang Mingxi would undergo a year-long, hellish survival training program here.

Last night, he had repeatedly considered how to flee, but he still had no clue.

Yet Tang Mingxi had no intention of sitting around and waiting to die. Since he already knew how he would die in the future, learning to swim now would at least give him a slim chance of survival if he fell into the water.

At the entrance, a private swim Coach approached. Before he could speak, Tang Mingxi directly asked, "Do you teach swimming here?"

Embarrassingly enough, Tang Mingxi was a complete non-swimmer.

"We do," Coach assured him. "Handsome, what would you like to learn?"

Tang Mingxi asked solemnly, "Do you teach marathon swimming?"

Coach looked surprised. "Sure. How far are you planning to try swimming, handsome?"

Tang Mingxi made a conservative estimate and calmly said, "Twenty kilometers."

The air froze for several seconds.

Coach said, "Handsome, are you planning to compete in the Olympics and win glory for the country? Not to be rude, but at your age... you're a little old for that, aren't you?"

"Never underestimate a young man just because he's poor. I only look old." Tang Mingxi gave a dry cough. "By the way, do you teach high-platform diving?"

Coach said, "Of course. You're learning quite a variety of skills, handsome. About how many meters are you thinking?"

Tang Mingxi rubbed his nose and steadfastly answered, "About two or three hundred meters."

The air froze even harder than before.

"What?" Tang Mingxi thought unhappily. Was two or three hundred meters really that high? He was going to jump from a cliff that high!

How could he not practice beforehand?