Ji Ling greeted Yan Yueshi first, smiling, “Hi, Miss Yan. You’re looking prettier than ever.”
Yan Yueshi rolled her eyes in a playful way, then giggled. “That’s such a cheesy line, Mr. Friend.”
As the kind of friend who showed up early to wait at someone’s home, Ji Ling chuckled too. “Guess I’m not doing my job right if I can’t even cheer you up.”
Yan Yueshi waved at the housekeeper to pour Ji Ling a drink, but he quickly waved her off.
Miss Yan was way too bold—most people offer tea to guests, but she starts off with alcohol.
“I’ve been flying around a lot lately. Just landed, got a bit of a headache. Water’s good enough.”
Yan Yueshi sighed dramatically. “You look about my age. Why are you acting like an old man?”
Ji Ling didn’t answer—just smiled and accepted the tea from the housekeeper. The two of them sat in the living room, and Ji Ling turned to her and said, “I’m here to wait for your brother. You don’t have to hang around for me, Miss Yan.”
What he meant was, go do your own thing—no need to keep me company.
But Yan Yueshi didn’t leave. She stayed where she was, smiling sweetly at him. “My brother called earlier and said you were coming over. I think he’s still at work. This is the first time he’s done that, so you must be a pretty special friend.”
Yan Yixuan had only sent Ji Ling a text, but he’d called home personally.
Ji Ling almost laughed out loud at that thought.
Even with Yan Yueshi teasing him, he stayed gracious. “Sorry for dropping by so late. I feel kinda bad about it.”
“Oh, please,” Yan Yueshi said dramatically. “Come more often! It actually feels alive around here when you’re here.” She looked up at the carved ceiling in the spacious hall. “It’s been getting so quiet lately. After Grandpa passed, our oldest brother moved out for good. And now my other brother’s always busy—comes home late or sometimes not at all.”
Besides the main building, there were a few Western-style villas out in the garden. This huge, old-fashioned home now only had one modern girl holding down the fort. Even though Yan Yueshi always seemed cheerful and carefree, the loneliness in her voice now was hard to miss.
Ji Ling remembered Yan Yixuan had mentioned something similar.
He’d never experienced that kind of slow fading-out in a big family, but seeing both siblings wearing the same tired, lonely look… it kind of tugged at his heart.
Yan Yueshi, though, was way less sensitive than her brother. After a short moment of sadness, she was back to complaining. “He barely even comes home, but still wants me to report in if I plan to go out. If I want to hang out, I have to give him notice like he’s my dad.”
Ji Ling thought back to when he saw her at that film set out of town. No idea what excuse she gave to get away with that.
Honestly, the two of them didn’t feel like brother and sister. They were more like sneaky ten-year-olds teaming up to play video games behind their parents’ backs…
Yan Yueshi definitely hadn’t told Yan Yixuan about that director situation. Ji Ling figured he’d find out eventually, but now wasn’t the right time. Yan Yixuan was already swamped with work.
Yan Yueshi kept trash-talking her brother. “When he called earlier, he said it was to tell us you were coming, but really it was just to check up on me, see if I was home.”
Ji Ling almost laughed out loud—was it really that serious?
Once she started airing her brother’s dirty laundry, there was no stopping her. At first, Ji Ling found it pretty entertaining—it gave him a glimpse into another side of Yan Yixuan.
But after a while, it got to be a bit much. Ji Ling had been running around nonstop lately and hadn’t had much sleep. Listening to her go on and on like this was making him drowsy.
Still, he stayed polite and kept listening as she vented. They were in the middle of chatting when Yan Yixuan finally came home.
They both heard the sound and stood up, heading to the front hall. Yan Yixuan stepped in—his outfit was neat as always, but his face was stormy, matching the cold, dark night outside.
Ji Ling immediately spotted what had him in such a bad mood.
Yan Yixuan walked in first, but right behind him was Yan Yili.
Yan Yili had a stiff look on his face too and was still talking as they came in. “Can you at least let me finish a sentence before you jump down my throat?” Then he noticed Ji Ling, paused in surprise, and swallowed the rest of his sentence. His face froze in shock.
“The meeting’s over,” Yan Yixuan said coldly to Yan Yili. But when he turned to Ji Ling, his tone shifted completely. “Weren’t you out of town?”
Ji Ling gave him a smile. “I just got back. Landed not long ago.”
Yan Yixuan talked to him casually, while Yan Yili stood behind him, watching thoughtfully. And as for Yan Yueshi—who’d been chattering nonstop a second ago—now she stood there silent as a mouse, eyes on her two older brothers.
This was Ji Ling’s first time seeing all three Yan siblings together in one room.
It only made him, the outsider, feel even more out of place.
But Yan Yixuan didn’t seem to notice at all. He turned back to Ji Ling. “Have you eaten yet?”
“Had a bite on the plane,” Ji Ling replied.
“Perfect. We just had a ten-hour meeting and barely ate. Let’s eat together.”
But before Ji Ling could answer, Yan Yili jumped in.
Yan Yili cut him off mid-sentence, inserting himself into the conversation like he belonged. He called for the housekeeper to start preparing food—his tone and movements were so natural, so practiced.
Well, of course. He used to be the young master here too.
Yan Yixuan saw that Yan Yili had taken over and didn’t say anything else. He just took off his coat and headed toward the dining room.
The moment he moved, everyone followed, even Yan Yueshi quietly trailed behind her brother.
As Yan Yili walked past Ji Ling, he let out a soft chuckle and said, “Even my girlfriend’s never been here before.”
It’s not like I stopped her from coming.
Ji Ling was already used to Yan Yili’s teasing tone and smiled back, “You can bring her next time. The view here’s pretty nice.”
When the group reached the dining room, everyone took their seats. The main seat was left empty. Yan Yili naturally sat next to Yan Yixuan, Yan Yueshi sat across from them, and Ji Ling took the spot just below Yan Yueshi.
The table was huge, but there were only four people. The head seat still sat empty. Ji Ling glanced at the two brothers across from him.
This must’ve been what Yan Yixuan meant when he once said, ‘Sitting around the big table, staring at each other like strangers, you end up so annoyed you can’t even eat.’
Since Yan Yueshi was eating at home tonight, the kitchen had prepared everything in advance, and the dishes came out quickly.
It wasn’t until Ji Ling looked at the feast laid out on the table that he realized—damn, he was really hungry.
All he’d had since this afternoon was one hellish airplane meal. Now, with all this amazing food in front of him—even though it was almost midnight—he felt like he could eat half the table.
He lifted his eyes toward Yan Yixuan. No one at the table could start eating unless Yan Yixuan picked up his chopsticks first.
Yan Yixuan saw the barely hidden desperation in Ji Ling’s eyes and finally cracked a smile. “Go ahead and eat,” he said.
He’d been keeping a stone face since they got in, so when he suddenly smiled, to Ji Ling it felt like the winter ice had just melted under warm sunlight—unexpected and beautiful.
It wasn’t the right time to be thinking like that, but Ji Ling felt like something was scratching at his heart. Still, his face didn’t show a thing.
Once Yan Yili started eating, Ji Ling joined in. None of the men had eaten yet, so they quietly dug in.
Yan Yueshi had already had dinner and was watching her figure, so she didn’t want to eat this late at night. But she also didn’t dare leave the table, so she just stared at the tableware in boredom.
The dining room was fairly quiet, but the vibe was… off.
It was obvious Yan Yili didn’t come back just to eat. Yan Yueshi had picked up on that too, which is why she stayed seated.
Sure enough, once he had a bit in his stomach, Yan Yili opened his mouth.
“I hope you make a decision soon. You’ve been stalling since this morning, dragging it all the way to tonight.” His tone was still harsh, as usual.
Yan Yixuan looked annoyed too. He frowned and said, “I already told you where I stand. You just don’t want to accept it. If you had, we’d be done with this already. Arguing at the meeting wasn’t enough? You had to chase me home too? What’s the point?”
Ji Ling thought, ‘These two… one’s the CEO, the other the VP. Top dogs in the company, and yet when they fight, it’s like nothing’s changed since they were kids.’
“Your stance is ‘think it over’? Yan Yixuan, anyone with a brain can see you’re just dodging.” Yan Yili tapped the table with his left hand, voice firm. “At the office, I have to show you respect, maintain appearances for the executive team. That’s why I came here—to talk to you without all that crap in the way.”
Ji Ling instinctively looked over at Yan Yueshi.
She shot him a look right back.
So that’s why Yan Yixuan hadn’t let them leave—he wanted to use them to keep Yan Yili in check. But Yan Yili didn’t give a damn. He was going to say what he wanted no matter who was listening.
Ji Ling and Yan Yueshi exchanged glances. They both knew—it’s about to go down.
But the one who made the first move wasn’t Yan Yili—it was Yan Yixuan. He simply put down his chopsticks and said, “There’s nothing more to talk about. I’ve said it all—you have your views, I have my concerns. After ten-plus hours of meetings with no progress, you’re still here pressuring me?”
His voice dropped lower with every word, like the suffocating chill of winter creeping into the air.
“Ask yourself, Yan Yixuan. Am I pushing you, or are you just too selfish to accept something that’s actually good for the company?” Yan Yili was clearly pissed now, and his voice dripped with his usual sarcasm.
Yan Yixuan let out a short laugh, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You always pull the ‘selfish’ card. This is my company. Whether something’s good or not—I get to decide. I want this company to grow more than any of you.”
Yan Yili laughed too. “The company doesn’t belong to just you. Sure, you have the biggest share. But you still have to listen to everyone else’s opinions. You want full control, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t matter.”
That hit a nerve—Yan Yixuan’s face darkened instantly.
Yan Yili kept going, this time trying to rein in his temper. He spoke with calm, calculated superiority, “Ever since Grandpa’s time, expanding into sales has always been our strategic goal. We just never had the right opportunity. This time, we’ve got a shot—an equity stake in the most promising real estate agency in the country. Everyone’s excited. You’re the only one dragging your feet. Tell me, Yan Yixuan—if that’s not personal, then what is it?”
At that moment, Ji Ling finally understood. This whole tie-up with the real estate agency—it was Yan Yili who’d made it happen.
He really was hungry. While the two across from him were going at it, he just kept his head down, enjoying the food.
Honestly, it felt like a crime to let this food go to waste over some argument.
Yan Yixuan stayed silent, head lowered. The back-and-forth turned into a one-sided interrogation.
“You know what your hesitation could lead to? If we miss this chance, they’ll look for another developer to fill the gap. Not only will we lose out, but we’ll end up helping our competitors. You really didn’t think of that?”
Yan Yili was still talking, eyes fixed on Yan Yixuan like he had everything figured out. Then he dropped the real accusation: “Of course you thought it through. But you still refused—because you don’t trust me.”
This wasn’t just an argument anymore. This was full-on pressure, trying to brand Yan Yixuan as someone willing to sabotage the company for the sake of power.
If he didn’t agree, it meant he was putting personal grudges above the company’s future.
Ji Ling remembered the last time they fought in the parking lot—Yan Yili had thrown out the same kind of accusations.
Meanwhile, he was just over here enjoying his meal. That braised veal in Italian sauce was amazing. He was the only one actually appreciating the food, and he couldn’t help but feel a little bad about it. He leaned over to the person beside him, who was frozen stiff and too scared to make a sound.
“You really not gonna eat?” he asked Yan Yueshi.
The moment he spoke, everyone turned to look at him.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
Not here!!!!!
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!!!!😩😩😩