Split personality…
The bad-tempered side just for me?
Suppressing his gloom, he chased after to explain. But Shen Leyuan wouldn’t hear it, even sniped back—not harsh, but worlds apart from how he treated others.
At his limit, Doctor Di grabbed Shen Leyuan’s arm.
“Listen to me!”
He knew today’s act was too sloppy, malice showing. Time for the emotional card, apologetic: “I didn’t know my feelings would show and affect you. I’m surprised too. Don’t hate me, okay?”
Shen Leyuan: ?
No way—you actually like me?
Just half a month in!
His thoughts jumbled. He softened: “Thanks for the feelings, but sorry—tonight I’ll ask Director Hao to end this observation.”
Why?!
How was anyone’s first reaction to a confession like that?
Di Junya couldn’t fathom it.
Reading his mind, Shen Leyuan bullshitted: “I don’t date coworkers.”
Di Junya blurted: “I can quit!”
He loves me this much? Totally lost his mind.
Shen Leyuan grew more alarmed.
Seeing Doctor Di’s face darken, he pried off the fingers one by one, sincere: “I suggest you move out today. We’re not suited to keep living together.”
Doctor Di gripped tighter, staring deathly.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
Lin Yao burst out, shoving Doctor Di’s hand away hard.
Shielding the teacher behind him, he bellowed: “Rejected and you get physical? No one likes a guy like you!”
In front of the teacher, his words were extra mild.
Shen Leyuan’s lips twitched into a smile. “How’d you get here?”
Lin Yao fibbed guiltily: “My wound’s healed.”
“Really?”
“Really!” Lin Yao lifted his shirt. “Scab’s gone, no more dietary restrictions. The ol’… my dad’s injury’s better too—no need for invalid meals!”
The two chatted and laughed, treating Doctor Di like air.
Doctor Di, unused to such dismissal, forced his way in, choking up: “Leyuan, give me another chance…”
Lin Yao: “Think you can just demand it? Got a big face, huh?”
He gave Doctor Di a disdainful once-over and sneered, “Just a reminder—not every shameless toad can eat swan meat. Why don’t you go stare at your reflection by the pond more often? Stop fantasizing you’re some prince who can croak a few times and snag a wife!”
Shen Leyuan coughed forcefully. “Cough!”
Lin Yao quickly reined in his barrage of venomous barbs and said solemnly, “The teacher doesn’t like you. Please keep a normal colleague distance from him.”
With that, he grabbed Shen Leyuan’s hand and bolted.
“Let’s go, let’s go—we’re not chatting with him. I’ll treat you to dinner!”
Knowing the teacher’s tastes, Lin Yao picked a roadside eatery. He’d scouted it ahead of time, even peeked into the kitchen, before confidently inviting the teacher over. On the way, he ran into Glasses Guy and Cold Face Guy and reluctantly invited them along too.
For the sake of those 200,000 bucks, Glasses Guy didn’t crash their twosome world.
The shop was small but famous in the area—students loved treating guests here. Lin Yao had booked a private upstairs room ahead, thinking if the teacher liked it, he’d get a VIP card for long-term access.
Though, could this place even offer VIP cards?
Unclear, but whatever—anything money could fix wasn’t a problem.
No matter why Lin Yao was so willing to listen to him, the change was plain as day.
Shen Leyuan set aside pondering the source of that fondness for now and asked about his recent health and studies. He also inquired if Little Deer being absent made things hard to adjust to.
“I really don’t like Little Deer!” Lin Yao rebutted for the nth time.
Shen Leyuan gazed at Lin Yao gently. This time, he didn’t cling to his guess and chose to listen.
Lin Yao wasn’t used to it. He fell silent for a beat before saying, “When we were kids, only Little Deer could see me…”
Lin Yuan hated him, and their caretakers only cared about Little Deer.
For a long, long time, Lin Yao had been like a ghost—lunch might even get overlooked. Only Little Deer talked to him, chatted with him.
Shen Leyuan showed a look of understanding: So that’s why he fell for Little Deer, right?
“It’s all in the past,” he said warmly.
“Not just that, there’s also…”
Lin Yao mustered his courage—or tried to. He pursed his lips and looked at the teacher. The words felt like thorns in his throat, impossible to spit out or swallow.
Shen Leyuan: “Hm?”
He waited patiently for a while but got nothing, so he changed the subject. “Let’s eat first.”
Lin Yao didn’t touch his chopsticks. Muffled, he said, “Teacher, don’t hate me.”
“I’m not hating you.”
“You can’t hate me even after hearing it…”
“That depends on how you act,” Shen Leyuan suggested softly. “Why don’t you think it over some more and tell me when you’re ready?”
Lin Yao didn’t want to wait anymore.
He stayed quiet a bit longer. Only after the dishes arrived did he lower his eyes and say, “I always flaunt my relationship with Little Deer for one reason: I don’t want to do things the way the old fart—or… that guy—wants. I do it on purpose to piss him off.”
Just that?
Shen Leyuan chuckled soundlessly, tempted to say he’d seen through it ages ago.
Lin Yao pressed on, “The other reason is, I thought… if I became Little Deer’s husband, would everyone finally see me?”
He murmured, “I didn’t have good intentions.”
The teacher hates people like that, Lin Yao knew. If the teacher starts avoiding me because of this…
Deal with it then!
Lin Yao thought with reckless abandon.
But what followed wasn’t a scolding—instead, a gentle pat on his head.
The teacher said, “I can’t judge Little Deer’s situation, but this is definitely an irrational, irresponsible way to get revenge—on yourself and on him.”
…No coddling either.
But that was just the teacher’s style, and he loved that about him.
Lin Yao listened quietly, even nuzzling into the teacher’s soft palm.
Shen Leyuan’s heart softened at the gesture, his voice gentling further. “But about how you call Lin Yuan—that, I’m not getting involved anymore. He…”
His expression grew complicated. “You reap what you sow.”
Lin Yao lit up—not over the name, but: “Teacher, you don’t care that I’m a monster? The old fart says I won’t shape up without beatings, that I need to be controlled!”
Shen Leyuan: “Punishing you is the law’s job. What he did was domestic violence.”
Lin Yao was so moved he nearly teared up. “Teacher…”
“But if you can manage it, tone it down around me.” Shen Leyuan sighed lightly. “My occupational hazard can’t handle students cursing up a storm.”
Lin Yao: …
You’re just heartbroken for the old man!
He grumbled inwardly but kept it cool, diligently piling food onto the teacher’s plate.
Shen Leyuan took a few bites. Near full, he suddenly said, “You’ve been doing great lately—even helped the teacher today. What reward do you want?”
Me? I can get a reward too?
Lin Yao was floored. Cautiously, he asked, “Anything at all?”
Shen Leyuan smiled. “If you want the moon, I definitely can’t fetch it.”
Lin Yao: “No moon. I want the teacher’s WeChat!”
For some reason, the teacher had always refused to give him WeChat. The bodyguards wouldn’t either, and A Si only replied with periods. He’d been stuck with texts and calls.
This time, he was getting it no matter what!
Shen Leyuan eyed him leisurely, eyebrows quirking with a full smile. “You sure? Not giving you WeChat was for your own good.”
That eyebrow flick was so lively, carrying a rare spark of youthful vibe. Lin Yao belatedly remembered the teacher was just a year older than him. His heart started pounding.
“Uh-huh…”
He was dazed, not even knowing what he was agreeing to.
Amusement deepened in Shen Leyuan’s eyes. “Alright, then add me.”
Afraid the teacher would back out, Lin Yao hurriedly scanned the QR code. In his haze, the profile pic seemed familiar. Only after adding did it hit him—he froze, mortified enough to want to burrow into the earth.
“Teacher, didn’t we… before…”
“Yep, we’ve added before.” Shen Leyuan teased the kid on purpose. “Last time I got rumored about, some brat went nuts clearing my name—cursed so viciously, he drew a ton of hate my way.”
Lin Yao hung his head, mumbling no more.
Shen Leyuan burst out laughing and ruffled his hair again. “Okay, I forgive you.”
Lin Yao was thrilled all day.
That night, too pumped to sleep, he fired off a message at the old man on his phone.
Orphan: 【Teacher says an unfilial father breeds an unfilial son—you deserve the scolding!】
Lin Yuan was watching a video and ignored the mewling brat.
The video was nearing its end, with the line “I won’t befriend someone who nearly hurt me” ringing out powerfully. It was bystander footage—no faces shown—and in just hours, it had spread online as the perfect rumor-busting template.
Comments exploded: Learned something new!
Only a small circle knew who was who in the clip, so Lin Yuan let it spread unchecked. He even used a burner account to like and hype every comment praising his spouse.
Scrolling along, he spotted a joke: That voice is hot—like my long-lost hubby!
Lin Yuan stared blankly, then deadpanned a report.
