Upon hearing this, Tang Ye knew that Shu Ya wanted to make another deal with him.
This young girl had been sending him messages from time to time since they added each other on WeChat.
However, Tang Ye didn't take it too seriously. After all, he was an idol, and some more outlandish female fans even called him "husband."
"Alright, I'll pick up Xiao Min this afternoon and give you a ride home. Now you can tell me," he said.
Heh heh...
Shu Ya's face lit up with a smile, and she leaned closer to Tang Ye, whispering.
"Ye Lingyun has had a crush on Xiao Min for a long time."
"Ye Lingyun?"
"Yes, quite a few people know about it."
So the secret she was talking about was already common knowledge.
This girl insisted he drive her before telling him, she was truly devious.
Tang Xiao Min had a conflict with Yan Jue before, which led to her entire family being kicked out of their villa.
At that time, Tang Xiao Min asked Ye Lingyun to find a new villa for her temporarily, and when they arrived, Ye Lingyun had already arranged for it to be cleaned.
It was from that moment on that Tang Ye developed a strong dislike for Yan Jue.
"Tang Ye, see you this afternoon. I'm going inside now."
"Oh, okay."
Tang Ye sat in the car, contemplating Ye Lingyun.
In his memory, Ye Lingyun was just a junior in the Ye family back then.
Ye Fengxing's brilliance had always overshadowed him, making Ye Lingyun, a spoiled brat, seem rather ostentatious.
However, after all the twists and turns, the Ye Corporation still fell into the hands of him and his father. This showed that Ye Lingyun was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Moreover, Tang Ye trusted Tang Xiao Min's judgment in choosing friends.
He then realized that currently, the only one who could rival Yan Jue in terms of financial strength was Ye Lingyun, the future heir of the Ye Corporation.
Tang Ye secretly made up his mind.
...
In the afternoon, Tang Ye still came to the school entrance to wait for Tang Xiao Min.
"Didn't I tell you not to come?" Tang Xiao Min said irritably.
She was quite uncomfortable that Tang Ye had been speaking ill of Yan Jue behind his back.
Instead of getting angry, Tang Ye grinned playfully at her.
"It was just a small argument. It's been several hours, and you're still mad?"
Tang Xiao Min was indeed angry, and she shot Tang Ye a cold glare.
"Tang Ye, I forbid you from saying anything bad about Yan Jue in front of me, and not behind his back either. Do you understand?" she said in a threatening tone.
Tang Xiao Min's attitude was counterproductive, provoking a rebellious streak in Tang Ye.
However, he wasn't foolish enough to provoke Tang Xiao Min.
"Alright, alright. Brothers are like clothes, and men are like limbs. I know what's important. Hurry up and get in."
Tang Xiao Min's expression remained impassive as she got into the back seat. In the past, she always sat in the front passenger seat.
Seeing this, Shu Ya was delighted and got into the front passenger seat.
Tang Xiao Min remained silent the entire way, passively listening to the trivial conversations between the two in the front.
Suddenly, Tang Xiao Min received a message on her phone from Shu Ya.
She quietly read it, then quietly put her phone away, lost in thought.
When they arrived at Shu Ya's house, Shu Ya suddenly made another request to Tang Ye.
"Tang Ye, I forgot my key, and my parents aren't home. Could you please climb in from the balcony to open the door for me? I beg you."
"Don't you have a housekeeper?" Tang Ye asked doubtfully.
Shu Ya shook her head.
At this moment, Tang Xiao Min, sitting in the back, also said, "Just help Shu Ya out."
It was only right to help a girl.
Tang Ye didn't think much of it. He got out of the car and climbed over the wall into the second floor.
When he returned to the living room to open the door, only Shu Ya was at the entrance.
"Where's Xiao Min?"
"Oh, she said she had something to do and left first."
"What was so urgent that she couldn't even wait for me?"
Tang Ye felt like an insignificant person, carelessly abandoned.
But how could he know that this was all a conspiracy between Shu Ya and Tang Xiao Min?
"She also said she'd be back to pick you up later, so you can watch some TV and wait."
"Okay."
Thus, Tang Ye could only temporarily stay at Shu Ya's house.
He looked around the villa. It wasn't as large as their own house.
The most eye-catching thing was a huge celebrity poster next to the stairs.
And the person on the poster was him. Judging by his attire, it must have been taken at a concert not long ago.
As a celebrity, Tang Ye was accustomed to his photos being used as profile pictures, wallpapers, and posters by fans, so he didn't pay much attention to it.
Shu Ya went to the kitchen, cut a fruit platter, and brought it out.
"Here, have some fruit first. Is there anything else you'd like to eat? I can make it for you."
Tang Ye inadvertently caught a glimpse of something red, and suddenly grabbed Shu Ya's hand, looking closely.
"You cut yourself."
Shu Ya lowered her head shyly.
"It was just an accident. It's not a big deal."
"Infections can be troublesome, it's best to treat it. Where's the first-aid kit?"
Shu Ya pointed to the storage cabinet next to the stairs.
"Over there."
...
As the cotton swab with alcohol wiped the wound, Shu Ya still frowned in pain.
Seeing this, Tang Ye thought of Tang Xiao Min.
"If Xiao Min were injured, she would definitely bear it silently, without even a hint of pain."
"Cutting fruit and cutting my hand, am I very useless?" Shu Ya said.
Recalling Tang Xiao Min's past actions, Tang Ye suddenly felt a pang of unease.
He shook his head.
"No, I wish Xiao Min were like you. She doesn't need to be good at everything or do everything perfectly."
"Why?"
"Because... a qualified older brother would help her handle everything."
Shu Ya knew that Tang Xiao Min had not grown up in the Tang family. She could also sense Tang Ye's guilt and regret at this moment.
"Do you think you're not qualified?"
The topic was too heavy. Tang Ye silently applied a band-aid to Shu Ya's wound. Throughout the process, his mind was in a state of disarray.
The fact that he could now get along with Tang Xiao Min was only because Tang Xu had died for her.
In the end, he felt he was merely benefiting from Tang Xu's sacrifice.
No matter what he did or how he acted, he felt it was never enough.
"You're often with Xiao Min, do you know what she likes?" Tang Ye asked.
Shu Ya thought for a moment.
"She doesn't seem to have any particular strong preferences."
"However, girls, in general, like pretty clothes, jewelry, and accessories."
He had sent her those things before, but although Tang Xiao Min accepted them, she would then put them in a storage cabinet to gather dust.
Suddenly, Shu Ya's eyes lit up.
"Oh, I remember now. I know what Xiao Min likes."
"What does she like?"
Under Tang Ye's extremely expectant gaze, Shu Ya uttered two words that shocked him.
"Yan Jue."
"She likes Mr. Yan from Xianfu Group, and she likes him a lot."