“What do you want with me?”
Ye Qingju rose to her feet and turned around.
No one was there.
What the hell? Did Hei Meilu sneak off and die quietly behind her back?
“Miss Ye?”
The voice came again.
Ye Qingju squinted toward the sound and finally spotted him—in the far corner of the courtyard, squatting beside a heap of overgrown weeds.
And in his hand… a megaphone.
Ye Qingju: “…”
Hei Meilu couldn’t believe his eyes.
Ye Qingju—Mrs. Qi, wife of the Qi Corporation’s CEO—okay, so maybe she didn’t play the violin like he'd imagined, but… she raised pigs?
As a child, he’d once been bitten on the butt by a pig. Nearly lost a whole chunk of flesh. Ever since, he’d had a deep-seated fear of the creature—except when it was served on a plate.
But wait—why wasn’t any of this mentioned in the original book!?
【Xiao Jiji, if he finds out I raise pigs, does that make me out-of-character?】
The system, Xiao Jiji, reassured her:
【Don’t worry, Host. In the book, Ye Qingju was basically just set dressing. Her entire character profile consisted of two things: being fragile and beautiful, and having an obsessive love for Qi Weiran. Stuff like hobbies? Totally undefined. Just be yourself.】
Ye Qingju understood.
She peeled off her sterilized rubber gloves, stood up, and gave Hei Meilu a polite nod. Her cat-like eyes glistened slightly, as if veiled with mist.
“What brings you here, Mr. Hei?”
Hei Meilu swallowed, telling himself every beautiful woman was allowed some… unconventional hobbies.
“The young master said he was tired and wanted to rest,” he lied smoothly.
Ye Qingju nodded.
“I see. You've worked hard, Mr. Hei. Why don’t you stay for dinner? Auntie Zhang’s cooking is quite good.”
There’s a piece of not-so-fresh wagyu in the fridge, she thought. Might as well feed it to you.
But in Hei Meilu’s ears, all he heard was: “Stay for dinner.”
He froze, then smiled so broadly it was hard to contain his excitement.
“Then I’ll gladly accept your invitation, Miss Ye.”
As Ye Qingju stepped out of the pigsty, Hei Meilu moved closer to strike up more conversation—only for the enormous black pig to thrust its head forward and let out a sharp grunt.
The sound stopped Hei Meilu cold.
Ye Qingju turned casually and said gently,
“Be good, Little Chub. Mommy will visit again tomorrow.”
Staring at the pig that had just threatened his masculinity, Hei Meilu blinked—and just like that, Ye Qingju had vanished from view.
He narrowed his eyes at the grunting black pig.
With no one around, there was no need to hide his true nature. His face twisted into open malice.
“You damn fat pig. Mess with me again and you’re dead. Once I get that woman into bed, I’ll butcher you myself.”
What he didn’t know was that a small surveillance camera above the pigsty had recorded everything.
That evening, just as expected, Qi Weiran called ahead: he’d be coming home for dinner.
Auntie Zhang and Qi Xinian were thrilled. Auntie Zhang bustled away in the kitchen, while Qi Xinian retreated to his room to tidy himself up.
Hei Meilu? No one knew where he’d gone to hide.
In the vast Qi estate, only Ye Qingju was left idle.
She flipped aimlessly through TV channels, yawning.
When the evening news anchor began calmly reporting on a string of gruesome serial murders in the nearby A City, she switched it off.
By the time the sun dipped completely below the horizon, it was 8:30 p.m.—and Qi Weiran arrived at the Qi family mansion right on time.
Ye Qingju had changed into a brand-new silk dress and stood just outside the front gate, glancing up the road now and then.
When she saw that tall silhouette emerge beneath the streetlamp, she ran toward him—but stopped short at a respectful distance.
She tilted her face up, those cat-like eyes brimming with affection.
“You’re here, sir. I missed you so much.”
【Tsk, forgot my eyedrops… guess I’ll have to fake it.】
【Ah, my life is full of sorrow… I play Chopin in the rain…】
In the very next second, two shimmering tears slid from her eyes.
Qi Weiran: “...Zhang Wei.”
The bodyguard stepped forward.
Skirting the quietly weeping Ye Qingju, Qi Weiran ordered in a low voice:
“Fire that psychiatrist. Get me a new one.”
What a useless quack.
Meanwhile, Hei Meilu had emerged to join Auntie Zhang and Qi Xinian in greeting the guest. From the shadows, he stared at the man who was so perfect it made even him feel insecure.
So this was the man who had lifted the Qi family to its peak in the original novel.
The one behind the rise of the male lead, Qi Xinian—
Qi Weiran.
“Uncle~”
Qi Xinian’s sweet little voice rang out as he ran over.
His big, dark eyes sparkled like a starry sky when he looked up at Qi Weiran—so cute he made you want to take a bite.
Qi Weiran liked soft and adorable things.
But as the CEO who controlled the lifeblood of global commerce, he couldn’t let his preferences show. He had to maintain composure at all times.
So, he simply gave a brief nod and walked forward without breaking stride.
Qi Xinian’s expression dimmed. Even the stubborn cowlick on top of his head wilted in disappointment.
Most people only looked good from afar. Up close, flaws would reveal themselves.
But not Qi Weiran.
Under the bright lights of the main hall, Hei Meilu could see him clearly—flawless. In fact, he looked even better up close. Especially those amber eyes… The man was so perfect, it defied language.
“Mr. Qi, it’s a pleasure. I’m Hei Meilu, the new private tutor.” His smile was polite, not overly familiar.
To avoid looking short next to Qi Weiran, he’d even made sure not to stand too close.
Qi Weiran gave him a brief glance.
Just that one look—and Hei Meilu felt as if the man had seen straight through his skin and into his soul. Cold sweat broke out along his spine.
“Private tutor? Why are you still here at this hour?”
Qi Weiran’s sharp tone cut straight to the point.
Hei Meilu, already nervous under his gaze, now felt completely exposed—and more than a little embarrassed.
Ye Qingju stepped forward just in time. Her voice was soft and warm:
“Sir, I invited Mr. Hei to stay for dinner. He spent the whole afternoon tutoring Xinian—it seemed only polite to offer him a meal.”
Qi Weiran wanted to say that it was his job. He paid him an exorbitant hourly wage—if he couldn’t even teach his nephew properly, what use was he?
But as a CEO of his stature, Qi Weiran would never lower himself to such explanations.
So all he did was give a silent, impassive nod.
【Tsk. I don’t know how well he teaches, but I do know the kid’s trying to steal your woman.】
Qi Weiran paused mid-step, his gaze suddenly sharp as a blade.
Hei Meilu nearly lost his grip on his carefully constructed persona.
What the hell? Why is Qi Weiran so terrifying!?
Aside from his looks, what exactly did Ye Qingju see in him?
If she could hear his thoughts, she’d reply without hesitation:
Money.
Auntie Zhang carried Qi Xinian over to Qi Weiran’s side, and as Ye Qingju moved to take a seat across from them, Qi Weiran pointed beside him and said:
“Come here.”
And just like that, Hei Meilu found himself eating dinner like he’d swallowed a fly.
The steak on his plate had a strange aftertaste—and that wasn’t even the worst part.
He sat alone on one entire side of the table.
Across from him, as if mocking him with perfect symmetry, sat a complete family unit—with Qi Weiran at the head.
This… wasn’t the story he signed up for.
Wasn’t he supposed to be seducing the female lead under the male lead’s nose?
Sneaking flirty touches beneath the table and building up to a juicy affair?
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