Chapter 4

Despair, with the scene finally freezing on Ye Heng's indifferent expression.

Tang Mingxi's face went pale. His stomach churned, and he felt like vomiting. To avoid making a spectacle of himself, he hurriedly stood and rushed out of the room.

It looked as though Ye Heng's attitude had angered him enough to drive him away.

Seeing this, Aunt Wang shot Ye Heng a glare and spat, "Little bastard! Watch yourself!"

The door clicked shut from the outside.

In an instant, only Ye Heng and Tang Nuo remained in the room.

In the silent room, Ye Heng broke the silence first. His cold gaze landed on Tang Nuo's neck, where a faintly visible red cord hung.

It looked like the one he had seen while half-awake earlier.

The youth's thin, cool lips parted, and he uttered two precious words: "Thank you."

Other than Tang Nuo, no one else in the Tang Family would treat him this well.

Ye Heng looked at him calmly. Both of them had been raised by the Tang Family.

Yet Tang Nuo was a hundred times better than that useless trash.

Tang Nuo paused slightly, seeming to hesitate over something. Then he let out a soft breath, put on a gentle smile, and accepted the sentiment. "We're family. There's no need to thank me. Don't be so formal."

He opened his mouth, intending to say more, but Ye Heng had already braced himself and unsteadily climbed down from the bed.

Tang Nuo instinctively reached out to support him. Though the youth had yet to fully mature, he was still more than half a head taller than Tang Nuo. His sharp features already hinted at the handsome face he would have in the future.

Ye Heng avoided his hand and returned to his utterly indifferent demeanor—he had no favorable impression of anyone in the Tang Family.

Tang Nuo's hand froze in midair for a moment. He said softly, "Where are you going? Your fever is so serious. Why not lie down and rest a little longer?"

Where else could he go? Ye Heng sneered inwardly. Tang Mingxi might have damaged his brain and failed to drag him out of bed and throw him out just now, but that did not mean Tang Mingxi would tolerate him sleeping in the guest room forever.

Should he stay in bed and wait for Tang Mingxi to settle accounts with him later?

Without saying a word, Ye Heng pulled open the door and disappeared into the corridor.

Tang Nuo chased after him for two steps, then stopped at the doorway. As he stared at Ye Heng's retreating back, his gentle expression instantly fell away. Seconds later, it was replaced by the ecstatic, disbelieving joy of someone who had survived a disaster.

Seventeen-year-old Ye Heng!

Ye Heng, who had not yet become the head of the Ye Family in Cloud Capital, the demon who would rule both the underworld and the legitimate world in the future—he was only seventeen now, still living with the Tang Family as their son-in-law!

Tang Nuo had never imagined that he could live a second life!

Yes, Tang Nuo had been reborn.

In his previous life, Tang Nuo had clearly possessed brilliant methods and exceptional business talent, yet because he was an illegitimate son, he could never obtain the right to inherit the Tang Family business. Meanwhile, his second brother Tang Mingxi, an ignorant wastrel and notorious womanizer, could effortlessly obtain what Tang Nuo had struggled his entire life to attain.

Not only that, Tang Mingxi had angered their eldest brother Tang Yun to death. After gaining the Tang Family inheritance, he had not managed the family properly at all. Instead, he had gambled away the entire family's assets.

What was even more terrifying was that no one had expected the poor boy who had married Tang Mingxi back then to be Ye Heng, the direct heir of the Ye Family in Cloud Capital!

After Ye Heng seized power, the first family he targeted was the Tang Family.

Tang Nuo would never forget how that nightmare of a man had driven every member of the Tang Family to their deaths, step by step.

Nor could he forget Tang Mingxi's eyes, wide open in death, as if he had seen something unimaginably horrifying just before he died.

The Tang Family was gone.

And Tang Nuo had been the only survivor. The reason he had survived was absurdly laughable—simply because he had brought Ye Heng a glass of water when Ye Heng had a fever.

But what good was surviving? His family, his eldest brother, the Tang Family—everything was gone!

Remembering everything from his past life, a thin sheen of sweat broke out on Tang Nuo's fair cheeks.

He clutched his collar tightly and gasped for breath. Given another chance at life, he absolutely could not allow his fate to repeat itself.

His useless second brother Tang Mingxi had played no small part in bringing the Tang Family to this state. As long as Tang Mingxi died—Tang Nuo's gaze darkened.

As long as Tang Mingxi died, and Tang Nuo firmly secured his relationship with Ye Heng, then once Ye Heng regained his status as the Ye Family's heir, why would the Tang Family have to worry about making a comeback?

He knew that Ye Heng had treated him differently from others in his previous life. That was also why Tang Nuo had confidence in himself.

Even a cup of hot water had been enough for Ye Heng to remember. What reborn Tang Nuo could offer him was far more than a cup of hot water.

By then... Tang Nuo's heart pounded wildly. He would surely rise above the rest and make everyone look at him in a new light.

After returning to his room, Tang Mingxi had Aunt Wang boil him a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold. Only then did he slowly let out a breath and begin sorting through the general plot of The City's Ultimate Live-in Son-in-Law.

In the original novel, not long after Ye Heng turned eighteen, he returned to Cloud Capital, seized the Ye Family inheritance, and then spent only half a year destroying the Tang Family.

There was only one year left until Ye Heng came of age.

Tang Mingxi analyzed the situation in utter despair: the ultimate reason Ye Heng had exterminated the Tang Family was Tang Mingxi himself, the useless Second Young Master Tang. From the beginning to the end of the story, he had tormented the male lead to the fullest, firmly drawing ninety percent of his hatred.

By the time Tang Mingxi had transmigrated here, the original owner had already offended Ye Heng beyond redemption. The path of currying favor and clinging to Ye Heng's thigh had been completely blocked.

There was only one path left: stay away from Ye Heng!

However, staying away from Ye Heng was not so easy.

As the Second Young Master of the Tang Family, it would be easy enough for Tang Mingxi to leave the country. But as Ye Heng's power expanded, forget leaving the country—even if Tang Mingxi hid on an astronaut space station, the male lead would drag him back and skin him alive.

He had to think of a way to stay far away from Ye Heng while making sure Ye Heng could not find him no matter where he searched!

Tang Mingxi racked his brains and pondered bitterly for half the day, but came up with nothing.

Aunt Wang placed the ginger soup on the table and reminded him, "Second Young Master, there's the annual meeting tonight."

Upon hearing that, Tang Mingxi sighed. He could only wait until he returned from the annual meeting to slowly consider a way to run away.

While changing clothes, he noticed that a red cord still hung around his neck. It was hidden beneath his collar, with a piece of warm jade tied to its end.

Tang Mingxi had never liked wearing such jewelry, so he made to take it off.

Seeing this, Aunt Wang curled her lip. "It's good that you're taking it off, Second Young Master. Then you won't have to wear the same thing as that lowly Tang Nuo."

As Tang Mingxi listened, Aunt Wang continued complaining, "The eldest young master is unbelievable too. Those two pieces of jade were clearly the coming-of-age gifts Old Master gave to you and him. Yet on the day that illegitimate son Tang Nuo was acknowledged by the Tang Family, the eldest young master actually gave his jade to him. Such a fine thing too—Old Master said it was obtained from Spirit Blessing Temple and could ward off evil."

Ward off evil?

Tang Mingxi shuddered in fright and hurriedly pulled off the red cord.

He absolutely could not wear this thing! What if it really could ward off evil and eventually scattered his otherworldly soul into oblivion?

Winter evenings arrived early. A dim, deep blue shroud enveloped the entire Tang Family Manor, while warm lights flickered on one after another.

Tang Mingxi changed into a formal suit, draped a dark overcoat over it, and stepped out through the front doors.

The moment he appeared, the Bodyguard efficiently opened a heavy black umbrella, shielding Tang Mingxi from the blizzard.

Not far away, a Bentley sedan was parked, with a tall Bodyguard standing by its door.

Beside the Bodyguard stood a seventeen-year-old youth. He wore a thin suit and had a cold expression. A layer of snow had already settled on his shoulders. It was Ye Heng.

The wind and snow raged as the bitter cold froze everything.

No one held an umbrella for him.

Traveling Together

Tang Mingxi paused, his expression complicated. Why was he wearing so little in weather this cold?

Remembering the clothes he had seen in Ye Heng's room, every piece had indeed been incredibly thin. This suit also seemed somewhat ill-fitting. Half-grown boys shot up quickly; when they were growing, they seemed to gain height every day. Tang Mingxi estimated that Tang