What kind of ability was this?
[Things got too busy for a while, and I feel like the story fell apart later on, so proceed with caution, everyone.]
"This is the only thing I've ever asked you for in my entire life. Why can't you lend me some money?"
Ye Qing heard Ye Chen's voice the moment he stepped through the door. He sighed softly, unsure what had happened or why his second brother had sent someone to summon him home in such a hurry.
When they were little, whenever either of them ran into something he couldn't handle, he would always call the other over to help take the blame.
But why did it feel like something serious had happened this time?
Sensing the tension inside, Ye Qing quickly called out, "Dad, Mom, I'm home!"
Ye Chen turned to Ye Qing and immediately said, "Little brother, tell me who's being unreasonable here. I finally brought a friend home, and all I wanted was to borrow some money from Mom and Dad. But look at their attitude!"
At Ye Chen's words, Ye Mother couldn't help snapping, "What's wrong with our attitude? You don't even know what kind of person you've brought home, you idiot!"
"And you have the nerve to call your brother home! Borrow some money? You call that a little money?"
Who asked to borrow ten million?!
Besides, did he really think she couldn't see what was going on between them? Her son was probably already head over heels, while the other boy knew exactly what he was doing.
Ye Chen protested, "Mom, why would you say that about him?"
The argument continued, but Ye Qing stared blankly at the boy beside Ye Chen. The boy was a head shorter than Ye Chen, and perhaps Ye Mother's words had frightened him, because tears hovered in his eyes, making him look utterly pitiful.
But that wasn't what caught Ye Qing's attention. It was the text floating above the boy's head.
Perhaps unnerved by Ye Qing's stare, Xia Zhe edged behind Ye Chen.
"Little brother, why are you staring at A-Zhe like that?"
Hearing what Ye Chen called him, Ye Qing asked uncertainly, "His name is Xia Zhe?"
Ye Chen confirmed it the very next second. "How did you know?"
Perhaps thinking it would be rude not to greet him, Xia Zhe said softly, "Hello."
The sound of his voice made Ye Qing freeze. His head was spinning a little. "Wait. Hold on before you keep arguing."
At Ye Qing's words, everyone in the living room fell silent and settled onto the sofas. Of course, they might simply have been tired of arguing.
Naturally, Xia Zhe sat with Ye Chen. Watching Ye Chen comfort him, Ye Qing felt dazed.
He looked at Xia Zhe, and it finally clicked. So he was seeing Xia Zhe's experiences.
My second brother has it way too rough! Ye Qing marveled inwardly, unaware that every member of the Ye Family had turned to look at him.
But Ye Qing was absorbed in what he was seeing and didn't notice his family's gazes.
Looking at it this way, my second brother is a total sucker. How did I never realize he was such a hopeless romantic?
This time, the members of the Ye Family noticed that Ye Qing's lips hadn't moved at all. Then the voice they had just heard was...
Ye Chen turned to Ye Qing. "What are you talking about?"
Ye Qing blinked innocently. "I didn't say anything."
Ye Chen felt a knot in his chest. Ye Qing hadn't spoken, but he had certainly said plenty in his head.
Ye Chen looked at Ye Qing with a trace of disappointment in his eyes. "Are you going to try to stop me too?"
After all, he thought Ye Qing should be on his side. As for what he had just heard, he assumed Ye Qing was simply making careless remarks.
Ye Qing didn't answer, but inwardly, he launched into a furious tirade.
They absolutely can't lend him the money. Otherwise, my second brother will lose his mind later.
This Xia Zhe really is something. He only broke up with a boyfriend a little while ago, and now he's already set his sights on my second brother.
No, let me take a closer look.
Ye Chen wasn't surprised by what he heard, because Xia Zhe had already told him about his previous relationships. Every time, Xia Zhe had been the one who was wronged.
The other three members of the Ye Family were no longer in a hurry. They just wanted to hear what Ye Qing would say.
Tsk, tsk. My poor second brother.
Xia Zhe really was something. Since coming of age, he had dated no fewer than ten boyfriends. Someone like that shouldn't have had anyone he truly loved, yet at nineteen, Xia Zhe had genuinely fallen for someone. Because that boyfriend needed money, Xia Zhe had deliberately targeted wealthy young men, playing with their feelings so they would spend money on him.
Ye Qing had to admit that Xia Zhe was incredibly skilled at this. Every breakup had been amicable, and every one of those men still pined for him. He had never once been exposed.
And naturally, all that money had gone to Xia Zhe's darling boyfriend.
Looking at it this way, Xia Zhe seems like a hopeless romantic too, except he's the harmful kind, Ye Qing concluded inwardly.
All right, back to the point. Of all of them, my second brother had it the worst.
At that moment, everyone except Ye Chen was thinking the same thing: was he finally getting to the good part?
Meanwhile, the look Ye Chen gave Ye Qing was indescribably complicated.
Right now, Xia Zhe and my second brother really aren't together yet. That's because Xia Zhe hasn't accepted him. And Xia Zhe told him he'd gotten into trouble that couldn't be resolved without ten million.
My second brother didn't believe him at first, but Xia Zhe kept running into trouble. He wanted to help, but Xia Zhe stubbornly refused to explain, only saying that money was the only way to fix it.
But in reality, Xia Zhe and his boyfriend staged all of it to get my second brother's money.
By then, Xia Zhe was certain my second brother had fallen for him. Because of those feelings, my second brother didn't investigate much. But he couldn't come up with ten million himself, which was how this whole scene happened.
Later, probably because the two of them realized how easy my second brother was to fool, Xia Zhe stayed with him, and they even had some sweet times together.
But then one day, Xia Zhe said someone had done... that to him. Afterward, he said he was pregnant.
Yeah, the kid wasn't my second brother's either. More importantly, how could a man get pregnant? But my second brother was so blinded by love that he actually believed Xia Zhe was pregnant.
Then Xia Zhe said they should break up. My second brother refused and even comforted him, saying it was fine, that he'd raise the baby once it was born, even if it wasn't his.
Damn it, my second brother is such an idiot!!!
Ye Qing simply couldn't contain his anger.
Later, the baby died, and Xia Zhe died along with it. Supposedly, he died in childbirth.
At this point, Ye Qing really couldn't take it anymore.
That ending is ridiculous. But the problem is, my second brother believed it.
Yeah, and for the rest of his life, my second brother never fell for anyone else.
Hahaha, how is this so funny? In the end, Ye Qing couldn't hold it in.
By then, the members of the Ye Family had figured it out too. They must have been hearing Ye Qing's thoughts. Strange as that sounded, none of them had the attention to spare for it right now.
Looking at the whole thing, my second brother is a complete sucker. He's being cheated on left, right, and center.
Hearing Ye Qing's thoughts, the other three couldn't help looking at the top of Ye Chen's head.
Ye Chen felt a little panicked. He didn't know whether what Ye Qing said was true. He glanced at Xia Zhe and felt he should trust him. After all, he was the first person Ye Chen had ever liked.
Despite telling himself that, he still felt uneasy.
The silence in the living room had dragged on too long. Xia Zhe tugged at Ye Chen's sleeve and said pitifully, "If your parents won't accept it, we... we should just..."
"No!" Ye Chen objected without thinking.
That's not very considerate of my second brother. He's clearly holding the guy up from finding his next target.
Of course, judging by all my years of reading novels, he might not actually want my second brother to stop borrowing the money. After all, my second brother is stupid and rich.