The young girl’s thoughts were pure and she had no defenses against Yu Wenli, her every idea and feeling displayed on her face.
Seeing her thoughts stray further and further, Yu Wenli chuckled and patted her head, “Uncle Wen would probably die of anger if he knew you thought that way about him.”
“I…!”
The young girl looked up, about to retort, but halfway through, she suddenly cried out in alarm, “How did you know what I was thinking?”
She hadn’t said a word!
Yu Wenli raised his hand, playfully hooking the tip of the young girl’s delicate nose, and said with a smile, “Because big brother can read minds, especially Little Sister Yi Yi’s.”
Wen Tingxue froze, her large eyes blinking, exceptionally cute.
“So,” the young man suddenly leaned in, his peach blossom eyes gazing at her with a half-smile, unhurriedly stating, “Never lie to big brother, or you’ll get a beating.”
Strangely, Wen Tingxue recalled moments when she had lied, her earlobes flushing with guilt, but she still refused to surrender and struggled.
“You’re just tricking me, there’s no such thing as mind-reading.”
Her soft voice was particularly alluring in the night.
Yu Wenli suddenly had the urge to… tease her.
To hear her sweet, soft voice, laced with tears, beg him…
As the thought crossed his mind, Yu Wenli cursed himself, a beast.
Wen Tingxue spoke without conviction, so she didn’t dare to look up, naturally missing the fleeting lust in the young man’s eyes. She only heard his voice, slightly hoarse, say:
“Since Little Sister Yi Yi doesn’t believe me, then big brother will show you a little something.”
His tone was confident, and the young girl suddenly looked up, her heart pounding as she stared at his slightly reddened thin lips.
Perhaps it was natural, his lip color was even more beautiful than a girl’s lipstick, red but not seductive, pink but not enchanting, just the right shade, soft and sexy, making one want to kiss them.
*Cough.*
The young girl blushed and shifted her gaze upward, meeting those deep, clear pools of his eyes and nearly drowning in them.
The young man’s eyes were smiling, his lips curving upwards, feeling for once that his appearance was useful.
Then, clearing his throat, he said, “The Xie family’s affairs are hardly news in this circle.
“Xie Liangzhe’s affairs were with his secretary, Xie Jin Yi’s ballet teacher, and the former girlfriend of Chi Ze Rui’s uncle, who is also a bartender. As for others, I’m not too clear.”
“There are others?!” The young girl felt her worldview shattered.
Although her upbringing was modest, in her understanding, such things didn’t happen.
Her grandfather died young, and her grandmother remained a widow.
Her uncle, though lazy, was very good to his wife; he wouldn’t even buy cigarettes or alcohol without discussing it with her.
Therefore, in Wen Tingxue’s view, a man and woman married should be devoted to each other.
If they really couldn't go on, they should just break up and divorce, why this?
Thinking of Mrs. Xie using her daughter as a tool for favor, Wen Tingxue felt a pang of heartache.
Yu Wenli smirked mockingly, “It’s just the inherent flaws of men. With money, they want everything. A mere three, hardly fitting his status?”
Xie Liangzhe was known in the circle for his playboy ways, especially with fresh university graduates.
But Yu Wenli didn't want to disgust the young girl, so he didn't say it directly.
This was also the main reason he wasn’t fond of the Xie family.
If not for business dealings, his father wouldn’t want to interact much with Xie Liangzhe.
The young girl blinked blankly, “Can’t they divorce?”
Since he knew everything, she stopped hiding and directly asked, “Why must they live like this? It’s not good for Yi Yi either.”
At such a young age, she had to learn to be insincere with her father; how could she ever trust in love later?
“Divorce?” Yu Wenli chuckled, “Mrs. Xie will not divorce.”
The young girl didn’t understand.
Yu Wenli sighed slightly and explained, “Xie Liangzhe is a businessman. The fact that he dares to be so blatant means he has already thought of his fallback. If Mrs. Xie proposes divorce, she might get nothing.
“Furthermore, it’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality. Mrs. Xie has lived a life of pampered luxury for so many years and has lost her ability to work. Even if she could earn money, it’s unlikely to satisfy her needs.
“Therefore, firmly occupying Mrs. Xie’s position and using her daughter to hold onto Xie Liangzhe and prevent other women from moving up is her only option at the moment.”
And it had been going on for many years.
As far as he knew, the rift between Xie Liangzhe and Mrs. Xie appeared long ago. When Xie Jin Yi was born, Xie Liangzhe was with another woman.
So, to some extent, Xie Jin Yi was a tool for Mrs. Xie to fight for favor.
Before, he had only heard rumors, as Chi Ze Rui’s side had a lot of gossip, making it hard for him not to know.
But seeing it today, it was likely true.
Xie Jin Yi’s facial injuries would not have been so swollen if she had applied medicine earlier.
“Oh…”
The young girl lowered her head, staring at her toes, struggling to digest his words. Then she slowly looked up, scrutinizing the tall, slender young man before her with suspicion.
“You…” the young girl said slowly, lifting her chin, “How do you know so clearly?”
Even Mrs. Xie’s situation and psychology were analyzed so thoroughly.
This was too frightening.
If she were to be schemed against by him, she would probably lose a layer of skin, if not worse.
The young girl, with an expression of utter innocence, questioned him obediently and blankly, inexplicably striking Yu Wenli’s soft spot.
He reached out and ruffled her hair, which had been tousled by the wind, and said with a smile, “Knowing is different from being able to do. Big brother would never scheme against you, you are the little darling in big brother’s heart.”
The young girl was stunned by his flattery, and also felt a bit embarrassed about her thoughts being seen through. She retorted stubbornly, “Who, who asked you that?”
“Oh~”
The young man drawled, chuckling in a way that made the young girl blush. Just as she was about to ask him to stop laughing, he suddenly said seriously:
“Don’t worry, the Yu family rules are: no cheating, no divorce, otherwise you leave with nothing. If Little Sister Yi Yi is still worried, I’ll give you all my bank cards from now on, hmm?”
The young man suddenly lowered his head, his perfectly shaped peach blossom eyes slightly curved, captivating all the world’s grace. A single glance was enough to be lost forever.
“You…”
How could the young girl withstand such an assault? Her cheeks flushed red as she mumbled, “Why are you telling me this?”
“What do you think?” the young man stared at her intently.
His dark eyes held immeasurable affection and undisguised desire.
The well-suppressed aggression instantly assailed her from all sides.
Yet, it didn’t make her feel uncomfortable. But the young girl was ultimately shy. She forced herself to meet his gaze for a few seconds, then playfully chided, “You’re so annoying.”
Watching the young girl run away, Yu Wenli curved his lips lazily, then stepped forward, catching up in a few strides.
“Why are you running? Little one.” He hooked his index finger on the young girl’s hat.
Even if the young girl wanted to run, she couldn’t. She could only blush and look up, forcefully denying, “Who, who’s running? I just remembered I haven’t finished my homework.”
In reality, she had already finished her homework during evening study.
Yu Wenli saw through her but didn't expose her. He smiled and asked, “Did you tell the homeroom teacher about what happened today?”
Suddenly returning to the main topic, Wen Tingxue blinked for a few seconds, then shook her head obediently.
Today, Wen Di had already sought her out about her grandmother, and they had parted on bad terms. She didn’t feel like provoking him further.
Moreover, Shang Ziqian was already in the police station and wouldn’t be out anytime soon.
Yu Wenli saw her thoughts and didn’t press further. He nodded and said, “You can choose not to tell the homeroom teacher for now, but in the future, you must tell big brother if anything happens, otherwise…”
He released his index finger, crossed his arms, and adopted a teacher-like stance, lowering his voice, “Student Wen, the ruler in the teacher’s hand is not for show.”
“…” The young girl blinked.
It was the first time she had seen him so formal, both austere and sexy, truly like a teacher.
Just a little fierce.
The next second, even more fierce.
He tapped her forehead with his finger, sternly saying, “Remember to come for tutoring after evening study tomorrow. Tardiness will be punished.”
Wen Tingxue: “…”
Suddenly, she didn't want to study anymore.