Hou Mingzhu glanced at Xiao Huli, and it was only for Xiao Huli's sake that she didn't pursue the matter further with Ye Tiancheng.
"Alright, let's not talk about anything else for now. Let's eat."
Ye Tiancheng felt a lot more relaxed. It seemed women were indeed softer towards young, innocent boys. He didn't receive such treatment, and he felt a bit unbalanced thinking about it.
At the dining table, Ye Tiancheng learned what it meant to have a difference, and a legendary, vast difference at that. Hou Mingzhu was full of doting affection for Xiao Huli, watching him eat with the tenderness of a loving mother.
But when she turned to Ye Tiancheng, her face was icy. It wasn't like he was an enemy, but he certainly didn't seem normal, making one think of some unresolved conflict between them.
"Ye Tiancheng is such a capricious person. Xiao Huli, you are a good, upright young man. Stay away from such unpredictable people. Otherwise, I'm afraid you might be harmed by him one day without even knowing it. Disaster constantly follows this man, and those who get too close to him don't end up well."
Not long ago, Xiao Huli was on the brink of death, his clothes seemingly ready to be shed at any moment. But now, it was different. Under the effect of Ye Tiancheng's true qi, he had regained his vitality. This was already his second bowl of rice, and he had personally devoured a large basin of braised pork.
Knowing Xiao Huli's preferences, he disliked overly greasy food. Braised pork, by its nature, contained fatty parts. Hou Mingzhu had specifically asked the chef to prepare it beforehand, using a blowtorch to make the fatty parts very firm. This resulted in a unique texture, without any greasiness or oil gushing out with every bite. In short, eating this braised pork felt like the rarest of pleasures in the world.
"Sister Mingzhu, please don't speak about Brother Ye like that. I can understand Brother Ye. It's normal for him to suspect me. Sometimes, I even find myself suspicious, and I've lost a lot of memories. I can't guarantee that I'm a good person. Only with someone like Brother Ye supervising me can I ensure I don't do anything wrong. I feel that Brother Ye's actions are a form of motivation for me."
As he said this, the light in Xiao Huli's eyes vanished. He was an innocent and harmless person. Judging by his appearance and gaze, no one would ever associate him with being a bad person.
Especially when Xiao Huli was in a bad mood, Hou Mingzhu, as an observer, would have her emotions stirred. Naturally, she would feel that it was Ye Tiancheng's fault again for bullying Xiao Huli, which caused the light in his eyes to disappear. This was utterly outrageous.
"Ye Tiancheng, say something! Don't just keep eating with your head down. Look at how you've already harmed the child. I'm afraid Xiao Huli already has a shadow in his heart. He's most afraid of you. You should at least take responsibility for this. You made him that way. Although he's recovered now, I think you still owe him an apology."
Ye Tiancheng had intended to play dead, keeping his head down and eating, not wanting to dwell on the matter. Since she had softened her heart and chosen to save Xiao Huli, there was no need to keep arguing. Even if he had saved the wrong person and it led to negative consequences later, Ye Tiancheng would bear the responsibility.
However, Hou Mingzhu clearly wasn't letting him off the hook. She stared intently at Ye Tiancheng, her eyes filled with determination, waiting for him to apologize to Xiao Huli.
"Alright, Hou Mingzhu, that's enough. I'm still not sure if this matter has anything to do with Xiao Huli. It was only out of momentary kindness that I let him go. I'm already having doubts myself, and now you want me to apologize to this brat? What if this brat is a villain? Wouldn't I be a fool, completely fooled by his pure and innocent appearance?"
The thought alone made him feel unreliable, so Ye Tiancheng wasn't prepared to apologize first. He felt uncomfortable, as if he had been thoroughly deceived. He might have fallen into this brat Xiao Huli's trap.
"Fine, I knew you were stubborn and wouldn't apologize. If you don't, so be it. I'm on Xiao Huli's side anyway. He's not a bad person. I have a good judge of character."
Hou Mingzhu couldn't believe that the person in front of her had the slightest connection to being a bad person. He was clearly a pure and good person, and he looked like it from every angle.
"Alright, Sister Mingzhu, Brother Ye, don't argue anymore. It's all my fault. My identity is too strange, which is why you have so many suspicions. I will move out as soon as possible. Perhaps only when I leave will I not disturb your lives and allow your lives to return to their former peace."
Hearing Xiao Huli speak like this, Hou Mingzhu suddenly felt a pang of sadness. After all, he had been here for some time, and Hou Mingzhu liked Xiao Huli and had developed some affection for him. She really didn't want to see him leave.
"Alright, let's not talk about far-off things for now. Just focus on the present. Eat more good food and gain some weight. You're still at the age where you're growing. Don't think about negative things. Your life should be positive and upward, and no one can influence you. They are not worthy."
As she said this, Hou Mingzhu glanced at Ye Tiancheng. Ye Tiancheng didn't dare to retort. He already felt indebted to Hou Mingzhu, and with his daughter in Hou Mingzhu's hands, he had no choice but to obey her.
Ye Tiancheng obediently lowered his head and ate the spicy chicken, not daring to say a word more. For him, just being able to survive in this house was good enough. He had no say now and it was best not to become a public enemy, especially with Hou Mingzhu. She had finally shown him some kindness, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't push his luck.
After the meal, just as Ye Tiancheng finished channeling true qi to his daughter, he received a call from the Su family. It was Su Muxian.
"I'm awake. I'm calling specifically to let you know. I heard you were quite worried about me. To be honest, I was quite touched when I found out."
"It's good that you're alright. I thought you would wake up much later. I was very worried about you. Fortunately, heaven has favored me, and I haven't lost another familiar person around me. I can't bear any more losses."
"I'm really fine, everything has returned to normal. As for that Xiao Huli, he came to see me yesterday and just said a few words. I believe he has nothing to do with it."
Sometimes, Ye Tiancheng truly couldn't understand why these people trusted this brat so much. It was as if this brat had a special charm with women. When it came to trust, perhaps they didn't need much time to interact before they naturally believed the brat and thought he was innocent.
"Don't portray him as so innocent. Don't you know he likes you? It's not the kind of affection a younger brother has for an older sister, but the affection a man has for a woman."
Ye Tiancheng couldn't hold back anymore. He shouldn't be meddling in other people's romantic affairs, but seeing these women being so easily swayed by Xiao Huli and seeming to cover for him, Ye Tiancheng, as a man, naturally felt jealousy and anger. This anger needed an outlet.
Ye Tiancheng said this very seriously, but to his surprise, Su Muxian showed no astonishment or resistance. Instead, she chuckled.
"That's quite amusing. So that's the reason. I was wondering why this brat was so shy with others but blushed so much when he saw me. So he likes me? Then I'm truly fortunate. To be liked by such a good-looking younger boy, I'm too proud of myself."
Su Muxian seemed quite happy, as if being liked by a younger boy was a great honor. This made Ye Tiancheng somewhat unable to comprehend.
"What's going on? You like him too? No way. In my eyes, he's just a child who hasn't fully grown up. Do you like this type?"
Ye Tiancheng wasn't jealous or anything; he just couldn't understand. Su Muxian had always been high-minded. How could she casually take a liking to someone, especially a boy who was clearly quite immature? No one would believe it if she said it; it was simply too absurd.
"I didn't know what type I liked before. I just simply thought you were very smart and capable. Plus, we interacted a lot, and I developed a good impression of you. Recently, I've been thinking, perhaps I don't need to limit my aesthetic to one area. Being liked by a young heartthrob is also a very happy thing."
Ye Tiancheng pouted, feeling somewhat unable to understand. Perhaps he had been too disconnected from the times recently. However, upon closer thought, it wasn't that difficult to understand. It was gradually entering an era of male beauty. Men like Xiao Huli, with their foxy looks, especially with their youthful aura and lack of aggression, were naturally very attractive to women.
"So, are you two considering an age-gap relationship? Isn't the age difference a bit too large?"
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng say this, Su Muxian quickly retorted, "I don't think that's a problem. I'm only in my early twenties, not much older than him. An age-gap relationship is quite good. After all, men are generally more immature, so it doesn't matter how old they are. Besides, our Su family isn't short of money, and I don't need to find an older man to rely on. I can rely on myself."
Ye Tiancheng became increasingly confused. He really didn't know what the Su family was up to. Ye Tiancheng even seriously suspected that Su Muxian might be keeping a young lover, which was too perplexing.
"Why don't I send this troublemaker back to the Su family? Su Muxian, I'm telling you, this guy might be a femme fatale. Ever since I met him, strange things have been happening around me. I've suspected it for a long time, but I'm too soft-hearted to make a decision. But I'm really worried that if he stays by your side for too long, I fear that you, and the entire Su family, will eventually suffer."
Ye Tiancheng wanted to throw this hot potato away, but he felt it would be too cruel to Su Muxian. If it involved matters of the heart, Su Muxian would definitely be at a disadvantage. No matter how young Xiao Huli was, he was still a man. Young men could sometimes be more formidable than older men, as they might not consider the other party's feelings much.
Matters of emotion were secondary. What if this Xiao Huli really had problems? Wouldn't he bring disaster to the Su family? The Su family was already in a mess. If Xiao Huli stirred up more trouble, Ye Tiancheng couldn't even imagine it.
"You don't need to worry about so much. I actually think Xiao Huli is quite suitable to stay with the Su family. We can hire a tutor to teach him cultural knowledge. It's better than staying by your side, always fighting and killing. Maybe he'll encounter some demons and monsters, and one day he'll lose his life."
Ye Tiancheng was truly shocked. Wave after wave of Hou Mingzhu speaking up for Xiao Huli had already made him feel it was incomprehensible. Now, Su Muxian even wanted him to go over. Ye Tiancheng thought about it and decided it was better to refuse.