Chapter 8 : Pretend (1/2)

Five minutes before calling Qian Dailan, Ye Xiyan was having tea with his father, Ye Pingxi.

Ye Pingxi was not yet fifty this year. 

He took excellent care of himself, exercised regularly, and at first glance, could easily pass for a man in his thirties.

Today, Wu Ke was discharged from the hospital after recovering from her fever. 

To celebrate, Ye Pingxi had invited some guests for dinner. 

Of course, going straight to pressuring his sons to marry would be too blunt—so, the conversation naturally started with Ye Xijing’s girlfriend, Qian Dailan.

“I’m not someone who values education too much—as long as the person is good, that’s what matters,” Ye Pingxi began, though his tone suggested otherwise. 

“But only having a middle school education? That doesn’t sound great. Is it because of financial difficulties? If she’s struggling, Xijing, why don’t you help her out?”

“She won’t accept it,” Ye Xijing replied with a helpless smile. 

“She doesn’t like that kind of thing.”

“Being independent is good, but a woman who’s too independent—she may succeed in her career, but she’s not suited to be a wife,” Ye Pingxi remarked. 

“And from what you’re saying, I can already tell—people who haven’t studied much tend to be like this. Too stubborn.”

“Dad,” Ye Xiyan interjected, “have some tea.”

He poured a cup for Ye Pingxi, his expression calm and composed.

Ye Pingxi rarely heard his eldest son call him “Dad,” so for a moment, he was caught off guard. 

He wasn’t sure whether to maintain his strict fatherly demeanor or soften into a kind and understanding parent.

In the end, he awkwardly touched the teacup and asked Ye Xiyan, “Is your mother still in Hangzhou? How is she?”

“She’s doing well,” Ye Xiyan said mildly. 

“As long as you don’t bother her, she’ll be even better.”

Ye Pingxi tried to express some fatherly concern, but the years of estrangement made it difficult for that concern to land anywhere.

Holding his cup in both hands, he told Ye Xiyan, “You’re not young anymore. When I was your age, you were already in primary school—and solving algebraic equations.”

“Yes,” Ye Xiyan said calmly. 

“Not only could I solve equations, but I also knew how to take photos. The picture of you cheating with Aunt Lin—remember that? That was my work. Did you forget?”

“Cough—” Ye Pingxi turned his head away, clearly embarrassed. 

He quickly changed the subject. 

“Starting a family and building a career—every time I brought it up before, you always used work as an excuse. But I heard from Old Li that your game project is doing well now, making a lot of revenue. So, isn’t it time you start thinking about marriage?”

“I’m not in a rush,” Ye Xiyan said flatly.

“Of course you’re not in a rush,” Ye Pingxi muttered. 

His eyes involuntarily shifted to Wu Ke.

Wu Ke was chatting with Aunty Wang about soup recipes. 

Although she still looked a bit pale from her recent illness, she was graceful and gentle, radiating a calm elegance.

She wasn’t the bold, dazzling beauty that was popular these days—but her subtle, intellectual charm gave her a warm, refined aura.

Today, she wore a white dress embroidered with delicate purple grapes—clean, understated, perfectly matching her identity as a university teaching assistant.

In a few months, she would be eligible to apply for a lecturer position.

Ye Pingxi was very satisfied with her job.

Being a university lecturer was respectable.

“You’re a man, of course you don’t feel the urgency,” Ye Pingxi said, his tone full of fatherly wisdom. 

“Are you planning to wait and marry someone seven or eight years younger than you? I advise you to drop that idea immediately. Finding someone your own age is much better—you understand each other, and you can talk on the same level. 

Look at Xijing and his girlfriend—they’re the same age, so they have a lot in common. Sigh… the only issue is her education…”

Wu Ke walked over with a plate of fruit, smiling.

“Uncle Ye,” she said gently, “Xijing told me that Dailan is very smart. She’s young—if she doesn’t want to study now, that’s understandable. But in the future, when she decides to go back to school, she can always enroll then.”

Then she teased, “After all, Uncle Ye, you’re financially well-off. Sending your future daughter-in-law back to school would be effortless for you. Why worry about something so small?”

“That’s true,” Ye Pingxi mused, looking thoughtful. 

“After all, they’re still just—”

Realizing that his words were inappropriate, he quickly redirected the conversation back to Ye Xiyan.

“Look at your brother,” he urged. 

“Didn’t he also claim to be a ‘lifelong bachelor’ before? And now he’s happily in love. The thing is, you don’t understand the joys of dating because you’ve never experienced it—”

“Right,” Ye Xiyan said flatly. 

“And you have been married and divorced twice. Two marriages in ten years. You must think marriage is really great.”

Ye Xijing immediately picked up on the sarcasm, watching as their father’s expression stiffened.

And then, with a grin, he poured fuel on the fire: “Brother, this time, you should really listen to Dad. Dating is amazing. Just look at me and Dailan—our relationship is so good right now. You should really learn from me.”

“A girlfriend—like Dailan—is totally different from a regular friend, you know that, right?”

Ye Xiyan had zero interest in continuing this topic. 

He signaled for Ye Xijing to follow him outside.

After closing the glass door and stepping onto the small private balcony, he finally asked: “When is Dailan arriving?”

“Probably not today,” Ye Xijing sighed. 

“For some reason, she’s mad at me again. She even blocked my number.”

“You didn’t tell her Dad was inviting her to dinner?” Ye Xiyan asked.

“I was planning to tell her today,” Ye Xijing said, looking worried. 

“But I didn’t expect her to leave early in the morning. Damn… do you think she actually heard us talking last night? If she did, I’m so screwed…”

Ye Xiyan didn’t waste time arguing.

He simply took out his phone, found Qian Dailan’s number, and dialed.

Why Did He Have Her Number?

Last year, when he wanted to sponsor Qian Dailan’s education, he had saved her contact information.

The call went through easily.

The moment the call connected, he was met with an aggressive barrage of words from the girl.

“—So sorry to disappoint you, but I actually slept perfectly fine last night. Not only that, but Xijing and I had a romantic night under the moonlight, whispering sweet nothings to each other, vowing eternal love—a perfect, unforgettable night.”

For a second, Ye Xiyan thought he had called the wrong number.

But no—it was definitely Qian Dailan’s voice.

Sharp, fiery—like a cactus blooming with bright red flowers.

“—Tell me, are you devastated right now? Huh? Are you in pain, you bastard? Why aren’t you saying anything? Speak up, dog!”

He responded calmly: “Not bad.”

Silence.

The other end of the call went quiet for a long time.

Then, he finally heard Qian Dailan’s voice again—much lower, much more polite, as if her previous outburst had been caused by some kind of temporary virus.

“Brother?”

“It’s me,” Ye Xiyan said.

The moment she called him “Brother,” he suddenly became hyper-aware of the callus on his middle finger.

“Where are you right now?” he asked. 

“Do you have time for lunch? If not, it’s fine.”

“Did Xijing ask you to call me?”

“Mm.”

“No thanks. I already have plans with a friend,” Qian Dailan rejected outright. 

“Do me a favor—tell Xijing that this time, I’m really mad. I’ll be moving out tonight. Thank you for your hospitality, Brother. Goodbye.”

Before Ye Xiyan could respond, she ended the call.

Stormy and Decisive.

Ye Xijing, who had been leaning against the glass door, asked: “She’s not coming, is she?”

He hadn’t been able to hear what was said over the phone.

“She has lunch plans with a friend,” Ye Xiyan replied, choosing to omit the part where she called him a ‘dog.’

Then he added, “Xijing, when Dad invited her to lunch, you should have turned him down.”

“All the money is in his hands—how could I dare?” Ye Xijing’s expression darkened. 

“Brother, I really envy you. You don’t have to listen to him. School, work… even when I get married one day, he’ll still meddle in everything.”

Then, suddenly changing the subject, he muttered: “Bastard. I just knew it. Dailan didn’t come to Beijing for me.”

“Last night, when I knocked on the door—she must have heard me. But she refused to open it.”

“And today? She left early in the morning, just to see him.”

Then, Almost to Himself—

“Sometimes… I really feel like the third wheel in their story.”

Ye Xiyan paused.

Then, in a measured tone, he asked, “Is this friend of Dailan’s… very important?”

“Childhood friends,” Ye Xijing answered.

Then he glanced sideways at Ye Xiyan and suddenly smiled.

“Sometimes, I really want to kill him—”

He stopped mid-sentence.

His expression shifted.

Then, curiously, he leaned in closer and asked:

“Brother, what happened to your neck? It looks… like someone scratched you. It wasn’t there yesterday.”

Ye Xiyan was wearing a simple white shirt.

For casual occasions like this, he never fully buttoned the collar—today, the top two buttons were undone.

But even with his collar covering most of his skin, three distinct red scratches were clearly visible.

They looked like fingernail marks.

More specifically—a woman’s fingernail marks.

Ye Xijing knew these kinds of marks very well.

Because Qian Dailan always left them on him.

He loved kissing her.

And when he kissed her too much, when he pushed her too far, she would scratch his neck exactly like this—leaving behind thin red streaks from her fingernails.

Ye Xijing liked those marks.

Ye Xijing loved the feeling of her nails scratching his skin—so much so that he would sometimes do it on purpose.

He’d kiss her until she got mad, or until she felt breathless.

And the angrier she got, the harder she dug her nails into his neck—scratching, clawing, leaving marks and wounds.

The more intense the scratches, the more excited Ye Xijing became.

Sometimes, he even had a strange thought—

What if he tattooed her fingernail marks onto his skin?

Those thin, red streaks—like a brand she had left on him.

“Mosquito bites,” Ye Xiyan said indifferently, as if nothing had happened. 

Then he asked, “What’s Dailan’s friend’s name?”

“Guo Shu,” Ye Xijing replied.

Then he smirked. “But Dailan gave him a new name—Yin Shenyan.”

Eight streets away inside a small, clean restaurant, at a window seat, Qian Dailan had her hair tied up messily in a high bun, loosely secured with a black hair tie.

The restaurant’s fan was broken—so even a single strand of hair sticking to her neck was unbearable.

She quickly finished eating her spinach dish, which was seasoned with dried shrimp, minced ginger, and scallions, and smugly continued bragging.

“Yin Shenyan, Yin Shenyan—I told you I could stay in Beijing! And you didn’t believe me,” she boasted proudly. 

“Don’t think that just because you academic geniuses can come to Beijing, I can’t!”

“Eat your food,” Yin Shenyan muttered.

He was tall and thin, wore glasses, and his black hair was slightly unkempt.

He still hadn’t taken off his purple university T-shirt, with the school name and emblem printed on it.

His eyes carried a brooding sharpness.

“If you had actually studied properly, you would’ve gotten in a long time ago—”

“This one’s delicious,” Qian Dailan cut him off. 

“What’s it called?”

“Sautéed pork slices with fresh mushrooms,” Yin Shenyan answered, watching her devour the dish. 

He lowered his gaze. 

“If you like it, I can make it for you every day—Red Red.”

“Don’t call me that!” Qian Dailan protested immediately. 

“If you keep calling me by my nickname, I’m going to start calling you Little Tree!”

Yin Shenyan sighed. 

“Qian Qian, you don’t look like someone who just spent a romantic night. You look more like you spent the night in jail.”

Qian Dailan viciously chewed on a mushroom.

“I told you that guy was unreliable,” Yin Shenyan said. 

“You two were bound to break up eventually. He only likes you for your looks.”

Then he narrowed his eyes. 

“You’re suddenly in a rush to find a new place to live… Did he finally cheat on you?”

Qian Dailan squinted. 

“You sound like you’ve been waiting for him to cheat.”

“It was inevitable,” Yin Shenyan replied, watching her closely. 

“I told you before, Qian Qian—we’re not like them.”

“Those people who were born into wealth—even if they don’t say it, they look down on us.”

Qian Dailan stubbornly countered, “You’re generalizing.”

“Whatever. Let’s talk about real business.”

Yin Shenyan popped open a can of orange soda, the fizzy bubbles crackling as he pushed it toward her.

“Where do you want to live?”

Yin Shenyan—originally named Guo Shu—was eight years older than Qian Dailan.

A childhood friend, but barely.

If Qian Dailan’s family was poor, then Yin Shenyan’s family was a disaster.

A mother who divorced and left shortly after giving birth to him.

A father who was a gambler, alcoholic, and womanizer—all in one.

A chronically ill grandmother who needed expensive medication.

A grandfather who had already passed away.

Despite his messed-up childhood, despite starting school a year late, Yin Shenyan excelled academically.

In his college entrance exams, he scored a stunning 701 points—becoming the top-ranked science student in the city that year.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

Education really could change one’s fate.

Because of that one exam, his life turned around.

As the top scorer, he received a huge scholarship.

Local businessmen sponsored him.

He even sold his study notes under the title: “Top Scorer’s Guide to Academic Success.”

And then—he got even luckier.

That year, his deadbeat father died.

A Double Blessing.

With no more gambling-addicted father to drag him down, Yin Shenyan was finally free to focus on his studies, grad school, and finding ways to make money.

By his final year of his master’s program, while his classmates were still prepping for job applications, he had already signed a contract with a company and started his internship.

When Qian Dailan needed a place to stay, Yin Shenyan had started looking two weeks ago.

September was a terrible time to rent.

Graduates were looking for jobs and needed apartments.

Families were moving to be closer to schools.

Demand was high, and prices kept rising.

But Yin Shenyan had connections.

Through a senior classmate, he found a shared apartment—

No middlemen.

Landlord rented directly.

Only rented to women—no couples, no men.

The place was old, a five-story walk-up, with:

Three bedrooms.

A windowless bathroom.

A small living room and kitchen.

A lease requiring a deposit and three months’ rent upfront.

The other two tenants were working women, and since today was the weekend, they were both sleeping in—

Like phones quietly recharging.

Luckily, since the previous tenant was subletting, Qian Dailan only needed to pay one month’s rent and deposit upfront.

Since the tenant was leaving Beijing, she generously left behind blankets, quilts, and other bulky household items.

Even the bedding was freshly washed.

She could move in tonight.

After signing the rental contract, Qian Dailan had only 1,157 yuan left.

She Needed To Start Working.

The financial pressure and the fact that she barely had enough for rent left Qian Dailan no time to think about Ye Xijing anymore.

She hadn’t even chosen an English name yet.

After saying goodbye to Yin Shenyan, she took the bus alone to Ye Xiyan’s apartment.

She was just here to grab her suitcase.

But when she pushed open the door, she froze.

Because both Ye Xijing and Ye Xiyan were inside.

The two brothers were probably chatting in the living room while drinking water.

The TV was playing a soccer match, and Ye Xiyan, dressed in a neatly pressed white shirt, was holding an English magazine.

The moment she stepped inside, having just changed into indoor slippers, before she could even say a word—

Ye Xijing came charging at her like an excited dog.

He grabbed her, lifted her off the ground, and buried his face in her neck.

“Dailan, I know I was wrong! Please don’t ignore me… Look at me, okay?”

Qian Dailan struggled. 

“Let me go!!”

This was their long-awaited reunion, the first time in half a year she had seen her boyfriend.

And yet—

Her first reaction was to look at Ye Xiyan.