A Resounding Slap in the Face

"You weren't late for school today, were you?" he asked, starting the conversation.

"I made it into the classroom right on time." Shen Baili answered as she cut the matcha cake.

"Eldest Brother, want to try some? The matcha flavor isn't too sweet."

Xie Zhiyu didn't refuse. "Sure."

Shen Baili put the rest of the cake in the fridge, then sat down with Xie Zhiyu at the dining table for dessert. She hadn't forgotten her plan for today.

"Eldest Brother, did you... read the book I gave you yesterday?" she asked, pretending it was a casual question.

Xie Zhiyu's hand paused on his fork, but his tone remained normal. "I read nearly half of it."

Shen Baili was surprised. "That fast?"

He had read almost half of it in just one day. It seemed Xie Zhiyu really liked the book.

"What chapter are you on?" she asked, taking a bite of cake.

"Chapter thirty-two, where the heroine is betrayed by her fiancé." Xie Zhiyu put a piece of cake in his mouth. The flavor was just about tolerable.

"!!!" Shen Baili hadn't expected her plan to go so smoothly. She hurriedly said, "I think the heroine trusted her fiancé too much. Of course, being betrayed wasn't her fault. That jerk was just too greedy."

Xie Zhiyu said, "Mm. The heroine probably thought of her fiancé as family, and family should trust each other."

Shen Baili said earnestly, "You can never be too careful with people."

Xie Zhiyu didn't answer. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"What are you two chatting about so happily?" Shen Wan had come home and looked a little surprised to see the step-siblings getting along so well.

"We're talking about a book we've been reading," Shen Baili replied. "Mom, try the matcha cake Eldest Brother brought home. It's delicious."

Shen Wan came over to Shen Baili and was fed a bite of dessert. "Mm, it really is good. That was thoughtful of you, Zhiyu."

Xie Zhiyu smiled. "It was on my way."

He glanced at his vibrating phone. The private detective had sent him a message.

Xie Zhiyu stood up. "Sorry, I need to return a call."

He went upstairs to his bedroom, turned on his personal computer, and called the private detective.

"President Gu, is this a good time to talk? I sent you a file. You can open it first and take a look."

"It is." Xie Zhiyu worked at his computer, extracting the compressed file the detective had sent.

"President Xie, your fiancée is very close to the president of Gu Technology..." The private detective's voice sounded slightly distorted.

Xie Zhiyu opened the photographs in the file. Every shot was intimate; there was no mistaking how close the two were.

His gaze fell on Sang Ya's radiant smile. Gu Yeliang leaned down to kiss her cheek, and they had eyes only for each other.

"Mm. I understand."

"Name your price. I'll buy every photo and video outright."

A Resounding Slap in the Face.

Xie Zhiyu put down his phone and looked at the intimate photos of his fiancée with another man. More than anger or heartbreak, he felt disappointment and confusion.

His childhood betrothal to Sang Ya had begun when Elder Xie wanted to thank Elder Sang for saving his life. The two men were also good friends, so they had verbally agreed to a marriage between the younger generation.

After the Sang Family's eldest son and daughter-in-law died in a car accident, Elder Sang had to bury his own son. The accident, coupled with deliberate attempts to sow discord, sent the Sang Family's shares plunging. With the family on shaky ground, Elder Xie had reached out to help.

Elder Sang had seen how cold the Sang Family could be. Wanting to find someone his granddaughter could rely on, he brought up the marriage agreement again.

And so Xie Zhiyu and Sang Ya became betrothed. He hadn't understood such things as a child, but he knew that from then on, Sang Ya was family.

Xie Zhiyu was several years older than Sang Ya and had looked after her like a little sister. He bought her toys and candy with his allowance and stood up for her.

Whatever care Xie Tingsi received from Xie Zhiyu, Sang Ya received at least as much.

Sang Ya had adored her big brother figure, but after she started high school, she gradually distanced herself from him and the Xie Family. Xie Zhiyu had assumed it was a teenage phase and hadn't thought much of it.

Looking back now, the signs had been there all along.

Xie Zhiyu had no objection to the engagement. His focus was on his career, but he would never force Sang Ya to marry him.

If she fell for someone else, he would wish her well.

According to the private detective's findings, Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang had been secretly dating for at least two years.

In those two years, Sang Ya had had plenty of chances to tell him the truth, but she hadn't.

Xie Zhiyu was deeply disappointed. Having his sincerity betrayed hurt.

Half of what Shen Baili had thought had now been confirmed. The other half, her prediction that Sang Ya would steal trade secrets, had yet to happen.

But given Sang Ya's unusual behavior over the past few days, Xie Zhiyu already had his answer.

As for his ability to hear Shen Baili's thoughts, Xie Zhiyu had made a special trip to the hospital to ask about his stepsister's physical and mental health. Both were fine.

That eased his mind a little.

Xie Zhiyu had read fantasy novels and watched fantasy films when he was young. From what he had observed so far, he couldn't hear her thoughts every time. He stayed alone in the study for a long while, until a call from Sang Ya interrupted him.

Xie Zhiyu stared at the vibrating phone, watching it in silence. Just before the call would have gone unanswered, he picked up.

"Sang Ya."

Sang Ya nervously picked at her fingers. She tried to sound relaxed and natural. "Zhiyu, what are you doing?"

"Do you have time right now?"

Xie Zhiyu's voice was a little cold. "Mm. Go ahead."

Sang Ya didn't notice. She ventured cautiously, "Are you free tomorrow? I've run into a little problem at work."

Whenever she faced a problem she couldn't solve herself, she turned to Xie Zhiyu for help.

She knew he would agree. This time would be no different.

The challenge for Sang Ya was finding a way to visit Xie Zhiyu's office without arousing suspicion.

Things went more smoothly than she had imagined. Xie Zhiyu gave her an opening. "Come see me at the company tomorrow. Call Assistant Liu when you arrive, and he'll bring you upstairs."

Sang Ya could barely contain her delight. "Zhiyu, you're the best!"