As Xie Mi, You Hongxuan, and Shen Yeqing walked out of the gym, chatting and laughing.
In a flower bed not far behind them.
A furtive figure poked half his body out, raised the camera in his hands, and frantically photographed their retreating backs.
He deliberately chose angles that cut Shen Yeqing out of the frame, capturing only Xie Mi and You Hongxuan together.
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Xie Mi turning her head to look You Hongxuan seriously in the eye.
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You Hongxuan smiling as he draped an arm around Xie Mi's shoulders.
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Xie Mi slamming her head into You Hongxuan's so hard she nearly knocked him out. (The angle made it look as though Xie Mi and You Hongxuan were affectionately nuzzling their heads together.)
With the photos secured, Xie Lian ducked back into the flower bed, checked his handiwork, and left in satisfaction.
In fact, just last night, before his unreliable mother dragged him to Xie Mi's door to suffer, he had received a call from his good friend Yu Jinche.
Over the phone, Yu Jinche said he had heard about his troubles in the Xie family and deeply sympathized. To help him, he would find a way to get Xie Mi kicked out of the family again.
But he needed Xie Lian's cooperation, with one working on the inside and the other on the outside.
Xie Lian agreed without hesitation.
He trusted Yu Jinche unconditionally because they shared the same interests, the same dark side, and the same twisted sense of fun.
Ever since they were little, Yu Jinche had given him plenty of ideas, and every one had produced impressive results.
This time, Yu Jinche would surely be able to help him too.
After sending all the photos to Yu Jinche, Xie Lian messaged him to ask.