Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

"I understand... I'll find out for myself who's using such despicable methods behind the scenes. Is that enough?"

"Let's talk about it once you find it."

"After we find it, I... I can come to see Xiao Zhe like before, right...?"

As she spoke, Qi Xinye turned her gaze to Su Yuzhe, her eyes filled with longing and anticipation.

But Yu Che's words were chilling, like a bucket of cold water being poured over her: "That's it? Of course not. How do I know the person you found isn't a scapegoat? I can't be sure that the person who really wants to harm my brother is the one you found."

"So what exactly do you want?!"

Qi Xinye was really anxious, almost to the point of tears. She had endured for several years, and this was the best opportunity to prove herself, but time and time again she failed to gain trust.

Yu Che smiled again, his beautiful sky-blue pupils seemingly seeing through everything: "That's simple. If you want to prove yourself, then sever all ties with the Qi family. If you have that kind of resolve, then I think I can only believe you."

"Yu Che?"

Yu Zhe looked at Yu Che with some surprise, feeling that what he said was a bit too much.

Zixiao looked surprised. Yu Che was really ruthless. She quickly learned from him and took notes in her mind!

Qi Xinye was completely stunned.

Sever ties with the Qi family? Is it really necessary? Has the situation become so serious that it can only be resolved at this point?

So she asked, somewhat stiffly, what was on her mind: "Is...is it really that bad?"

At that moment, Yu Zhe noticed that Yu Che had glanced at him, and he immediately understood why his sister had suddenly said that.

Lower the other person's expectations to the bare minimum, like bargaining. After that, no matter what demands you make, she will accept them, because the consequences can't be lower than the lowest value of her expectations.

Yu Zhe understood; he realized that Yu Che had never expected Qi Xinye to agree to this condition from the beginning, and was simply trying to lower her expectations.

She seized all the initiative in an instant; this girl is terrifying!

But Yu Zhe could understand it instantly, while Qi Xinye could not.

She was still hoping Yu Che would change his mind: "Could it be..."

Give me another chance... I... I shouldn't have done this.

Yu Che then chose to add fuel to the fire: "Qi Xinye, you don't think it's that bad, right? Yes, from your perspective, it's not that bad. But from my perspective, I need to make sure that everything that might hurt my brother is handled to the safest extent possible."

Then Yu Che's gaze sharpened further: "What you consider fairness is only fairness from your perspective. What does it have to do with me?"

Qi Xinye was stunned.

She was a little confused, but she didn't know how to refute it. Yu Che was right... Her position was that the matter was not that complicated. As long as it could be explained clearly, it would be fine, and there was no need to prove anything.

Because this matter really has nothing to do with me!

However, in Yu Che's view, nothing would change if the outcome of this matter did not satisfy her.

Qi Xinye was scared and panicked. She didn't want to become strangers with Yu Zhe from now on, nor did she want to tear off her relationship with the Qi family so inexplicably.

But the next moment, as if she had made up her mind, a glint of light flashed in her dark eyes.

I must find the person who is harmful to Xiao Zhe. No matter what, I must take it one step at a time and never give up.

So she stood up, first giving Yu Zhe a gentle look, then saying to Yu Che with some determination, "Give me some more time to think it over carefully. I'll head back now."

"Walk slowly without sending."

18. You're really bad at this.

Yu Che really had no intention of seeing her off, and continued drinking his tea.

Qi Xinye got up and left alone.

However, Yu Che didn't see her off, so Yu Zhe, as the "head of the family," got up and escorted her to the door out of politeness.

Once outside, Qi Xinye quietly closed the door.

She created a short period of time to be alone with Yu Zhe in the hallway.

She frantically rummaged through her small crossbody bag, as if afraid that Yu Che would suddenly appear and chase her away at any moment.

Yu Zhe took two steps forward and looked around: "Sister Ye, what are you looking for?"

"Ah... Xiao Zhe, wait a minute... this... ah, I've got it! I've got it!"

It seemed to be the first time Qi Xinye had shown a happy expression since she arrived here.

She carefully held a blue bookmark in her hand.

Like a child showing off their favorite toy, she handed it to Yu Zhe: "Xiao Zhe, look, do you remember this?"

“This…” Yu Zhe recalled, and quickly got the answer, after all, this was originally his own thing. “Of course I remember, Sister Ye, this is a bookmark I gave you when I was in elementary school, right? You still have it.”

Looking at the bookmark in front of him, which had been there for many years but still looked brand new without any creases, Yu Zhe was a little emotional. It must have been kept very carefully to be like this.

Qi Xinye nodded happily: "Yes, this was given to me by Xiao Zhe when he was very young. It was the first birthday present he ever gave me. I was so happy back then. I didn't even go to the family birthday banquet; I just looked at it and kept smiling like an idiot in my room..."

Suddenly realizing she was about to expose herself, Qi Xinye quickly blushed and waved her hands, "Ah, no, no, that's not what I meant. I just feel that this is really precious, and I've always carried it with me like a talisman!"

Seeing her panicked expression, Yu Zhe smiled genuinely. She was just like that when she was little, always blushing as she talked.

Would it have been better if there hadn't been that five-year gap?

Yu Zhe didn't know that he valued relationships very much because he didn't have many relationships, and each one was extremely precious.

Unfortunately, there was that accident, but thankfully you came back.

Qi Xinye gently pulled the bookmark back and held it in front of her face: "So... can I still keep it now?"

"Of course you can. It was originally a gift for you. Do you really need to ask me about this?"

"Thank you, Xiao Zhe!"

At this moment, Qi Xinye, who had suddenly returned to joy from the pressure, completely disregarded her image and went straight up to hug Yu Zhe.

Sure enough... Xiao Zhe's embrace was still so reassuring, as if all worries could be forgotten, and there was even a faint, refreshing scent of green apples...

Feeling the pressure against his chest, Yu Zhe was a little stunned. Ah... so this is the power of softness!

Let's go downstairs and buy some cotton candy later.

However, Yu Zhe could also sense Qi Xinye's happiness.

So I gently patted her back twice: "Don't worry, it's okay. I'll bring you a gift again for your birthday this year, just like before."

"Um..."

.......................

Meanwhile, the two people sitting in the living room were also discussing their own topics.

"Yu Che, are you alright? The door is closed. Should I... go out and take a look?"

Yu Che remained calm: "It's alright, brother knows what he's doing. We can't keep putting pressure on her. She needs to relieve some of the pressure occasionally so that she can better help us find the rats hiding in the Qi family."

Okay, Zixiao thought these were too difficult to understand, so she could only listen to Yuche's thoughts.

So she asked Yu Che with some curiosity, "What do you think of Qi Xinye? I feel like she's the same as before, except that she's more cautious in her speech than before, and her personality hasn't changed much."

"Oh? You really think so?" Yu Che started keeping her in suspense again, making Zi Xiao frown and look somewhat puzzled.

"if not?"

Yu Che put down his teacup and said seriously, "Indeed, this Qi Xin..."

Ye doesn't seem very bright, or you could even say she's a bit dim-witted, but you and I need to understand one thing—and that's the key point, and what makes her truly terrifying.

"Which point?"

"Those two flabby bits on her chest are really an eyesore! Isn't that the main point? Didn't you see how many times my brother's gaze drifted towards them? It's a huge crisis!"

"This...I...okay, that's true, but there's nothing we can do about it, since we don't have any advantage in this regard."

Zixiao sighed, looked at her chest, and reluctantly agreed with Yuche's point of view.

"Yu Che, since we are at a disadvantage in this area, it seems that we can only create some advantages to counter it."

“I agree with that, so I already have plans for the next steps.”

Hearing this, Zixiao's eyes lit up: "You have a plan? Can I come along?"

Yu Che scoffed, "Think about it yourself. I'm not taking you along; you're too weak!"

.......................

The afternoon was just like any other weekend. Yu Che went to Yu Zhe's room to take a nap, while Yu Zhe continued drawing his comics. Zi Xiao cleaned up the dining table, tidied up the room, and then went back to her room to continue studying.

There was nothing she could do; she knew she was too incompetent, but at least she couldn't fall behind in her studies.

As dusk fell, Yu Che took the initiative to run out of his room early to take over the kitchen and cook, but Zi Xiao refused to give in, saying that this was her last advantage.

So in the end, the two had no choice but to compromise and work together to finish dinner.

Looking at the more abundant dishes on the table than usual, Yu Zhe was somewhat surprised: "Yu Che, did you make any of these?"

"Of course!" Yu Che sat back down on Yu Zhe's lap.

She pointed to the four dishes on the right side of the table: "I made all of these! Zixiao didn't help at all."

"But you only studied for one afternoon, right? Yu Che is really amazing!"

Yu Zhe patted Yu Che's head again, looking happily at the four beautifully presented dishes, but he didn't know how they would taste.

Zixiao across from her was a little jealous: "Hmm... I don't want to admit it, but this monster really learns too fast. Sigh, when will I ever be able to stand up again?"

The remaining dishes on the left look like they were made by Zixiao. As for the taste, Yuzhe doesn't need to worry; anything made by Zixiao is guaranteed to be delicious!

Yu Che picked up a piece of braised pork she had made with her chopsticks and held it to Yu Zhe's mouth: "Brother, try it! This is my first time cooking!"

Yu Zhe opened his mouth and put the braised pork on his chopsticks into his mouth.

Yu Che rarely felt nervous: "How...how does it taste?"

"Hmm... For a beginner, this is already quite good." Yu Zhe fed Yu Che a piece of meat as well. "However, there's still a gap compared to Zi Xiao. You need to keep working hard."

Slowly swallowing a piece of meat, Yu Che looked at Zi Xiao, whose face was full of smugness, and said unhappily, "Okay... I'll continue to study it, but how much salt to add, how much sugar to add, etc., is really complicated."

Even geniuses can't instantly grasp the concept of "appropriate amount"—that's the essence of cooking!

Thinking this, Yu Zhe asked his question: "So, what are the plans for tomorrow? Are we going to be lazy again?"

“Brother is going to school the day after tomorrow, right?” Zixiao picked up the conversation. “So I’m planning to go to the mall to buy some necessities for him. Is he coming with me?”