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

"Mom, Xiao Zhe and I are going to take a walk in the manor and enjoy the autumn scenery."

"Okay, okay~ Remember to make sure you're safe, okay?"

"!"

As everyone knows, Qi Family Manor is Sister Ye's own home, so it's not unsafe.

So it's easy to guess what kind of safety Mom was referring to.

33. Tolerance

"I didn't expect... Zixiao and Lingyun actually went for a walk in that direction."

"Indeed, I also think it's quite difficult. Yes, extremely difficult."

Yu Zhe echoed Qi Xinye's words.

He nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Sister Ye's statement.

This is more than just difficult...

After lunch in the pavilion, Zixiao and Yun'er didn't say much. They just told Yuzhe to be careful of the flowers and plants in the garden, not to trip over the vines or slip in the puddles, and then they obediently went for a walk together.

Yu Zhe gently raised his hand and grabbed a handful of the already cool breeze in the garden, gazing in the direction where the two women slowly left.

Just like they said.

Today is time for Yu Zhe and Qi Xinye, and they will absolutely not interfere.

They truly kept this promise.

Yu Zhe silently expressed his gratitude and then withdrew his gaze.

Hmm... They gave me this opportunity, so if I don't focus my attention on Sister Ye, wouldn't I be letting them down?

Their attention gradually focused, and they no longer had any worries.

Yu Zhe's eyes shifted to a look of love and dependence as he gazed at the reliable figure crouching less than a meter away.

Qi Xinye was just expressing her appreciation for Zixiao and Yun'er's understanding.

At this moment, she was squatting in front of a flower field in the garden, her fingers lightly touching the lovely flower buds, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

Yu Zhe felt a driving force that made him walk to Sister Ye's side, squat down next to her, and admire the same petal with her.

"Sister Ye, what are you thinking about?"

"Hmm...I wasn't thinking about anything, Xiao Zhe, why don't you guess?"

"Don't make me guess everything! I can't read minds!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Xinye chuckled twice.

The laughter was as clear and pleasant as a silver bell.

She removed her fingers from the flower, waved her hand, and smiled.

"Alright, alright, you probably already guessed it, you just wanted to hear what I had to say, right? Well... what I wanted to say was that Zixiao and Yun'er have really changed a lot. Think about it, if we went back ten years, what would they be like if you wanted to spend time alone with your sister? Oh... Zixiao probably hadn't come to the Su family yet back then, but it was about the same time! Guess what."

"Is there even a need to guess...it's obvious."

Yu Zhe smiled wryly and replied without hesitation, "If I had said that back then, Zi Xiao and Yu Che would probably have insisted on taking me home. As for Yun'er... she probably wouldn't have let me stay at the Qi Family Manor for even a second."

"Yes, but today, they all understood and went for a walk on their own."

"That's why I said it's a truly amazing and hard-won situation."

"Amazing...?"

Qi Xinye pondered the word carefully.

Today, she wore a long, flowing violet dress, looking ethereal and otherworldly, like a celestial being descended to earth.

Simple and elegant, yet noble. Noble, yet not flashy.

This is a dress she specially chose for Yu Zhe's visit today.

As she stood up, the sheer skirt billowed in the wind, as if the wind itself had materialized, making one want to grasp it and savor it.

After a long while, Qi Xinye lowered her head, looked at Yu Zhe who was squatting on the ground with affection, and asked another question.

“But Xiao Zhe, you think it’s amazing that Zi Xiaoyun’er is so tolerant of you now, but have you ever thought about how this tolerance was achieved, and why we were able to accept each other’s existence without even realizing it?”

"What else could it be?" Yu Zhe's smile was very satisfied.

He released the petal he had just picked, stood up, and did not pluck it off.

After Yu Zhe stood up, he was slightly shorter than Sister Ye.

He continued his previous words, looking directly into Qi Xinye's eyes.

These are things that Yu Zhe probably wouldn't say to any other girl, except for Sister Ye.

Because only Sister Ye is older than him, he feels at ease and without worries when he talks to her.

Even so... when Yu Zhe spoke, he still slightly shifted his gaze, embarrassed to continue staring into Qi Xinye's eyes.

"The reason... I think it's all because of your tolerance, your tolerance of my willfulness, your tolerance of my seemingly absurd proposals... Sister Ye, you don't know, when I said I couldn't part with any of you, I could feel that Zixiao was really upset for many days."

"But... she finally nodded and agreed. This approval, this tacit consent... I have no way to repay her except to be grateful, to keep moving forward, to love her more deeply, and to fulfill her needs."

After speaking, Yu Zhe looked up again: "Sister Ye, not only for Zi Xiao, but also for all of you, my thoughts are the same. If even one of you disagrees with coexistence, my ideas cannot be realized, and I will not receive the tolerance I just received... Is that right?"

This long-winded explanation surprised Qi Xinye, who blinked rapidly and a look of astonishment appeared on her face.

Then, Sister Ye slightly raised her hand, with a look of pity.

He stroked Yu Zhe's cheek.

"Ha... My little Zhe, you've always been so quick-witted since you were little. You've suddenly shared so many of your innermost thoughts, it's all making me dizzy."

"Sister Ye... cough, don't be like that! Just tell me if my analysis makes sense or not!"

Good guy!

Yu Zhe originally felt that there was not much psychological pressure in acting cute with Sister Ye.

But being stared at so affectionately by Sister Ye, and feeling her hand sliding across my cheek, I still felt quite embarrassed!

Qi Xinye could sense Yu Zhe's shame. As the older sister, she was very perceptive and could sense every little emotional fluctuation in Yu Zhe.

Her delicate yet reliable hand did not leave Yu Zhe's face.

They simply stopped moving.

And then she tilted her head, her smile fading, her expression filled with nothing but tolerance for Yu Zhe...

She spoke, answering Yu Zhe's question from earlier.

"Xiao Zhe... your analysis is flawless. I've said it before, you've always been like this. You're better than me, better than anyone around you. Your analysis is impeccable, you can't find any mistakes. Your answer just now was because of our tolerance, right?"

"Hmm... I think that's true."

"That's true, but you've overlooked a more important issue."

"?"

Next, something happened that made Yu Zhe's heart race again...

Qi Xinye was in a strong older sister mode just now.

But now, she slowly leaned forward, tilted her body, and took a step back.

She only stopped when her head was turned to the side, with her ear close to Yu Zhe's chest.

In this way... the person being pampered suddenly becomes the one pampering.

Yu Zhe naturally and instinctively raised his hands and hugged her shoulders.

Sister Ye responded in this way while nestled in Yu Zhe's arms.

"You... always forget your own contributions. We have been tolerant of you, but... is there no reason for being tolerant of you?"

"Sister Ye, you mean...?"

"The fundamental reason is not that we have compromised our understanding, but that you, Xiao Zhe, yourself... possess the quality of embracing all things. We are willing to stay by your side, even though we cannot enjoy it all to ourselves... no, it is impossible to enjoy it all to ourselves. You can feel it for yourself. Now, the fact that we can be by your side has become a tacit understanding between us, because... you have already opened your heart to us with this embrace. We are simply following your embrace and each taking our place in your heart."

"!"

This statement...

Very fresh!

Yu Zhe used to think that he was very selfish, and that even if the girls were very dissatisfied with the status quo, they would just swallow their anger.

But if we interpret it from the perspective of what Sister Ye just said...

Perhaps Yu Zhe's tolerance is exactly what they hoped for.

Only when you clearly state that you want it all can we go without hesitation.

—I'm running into your arms!

34. Envied by others

Once I understood it, I felt much better.

Yu Zhe and Qi Xinye strolled hand in hand through every corner of the Qi family manor. Although they were mainly looking for secluded paths to explore, the vast Qi family manor still had quite a few maids.

Occasionally, when they encountered one of them, the scene of them greeting Young Master Su and Miss Qi was truly enviable!

The taste of love, it turns out, isn't sour or pungent, but rather incredibly sweet!

Walking under the shade of a willow tree, Qi Xinye used her free hand to press down her long hair that was being blown about by the wind.

She looked at her hand, which was clasped with Yu Zhe's, with deep emotion.

"That was so difficult..."

“It’s really not easy.” Yu Zhe and Qi Xinye intertwined their fingers and looked up at Liu Zhi to reiterate, “Sister Ye, your maids are all too curious! They all stopped and stared at us. Sigh... If you ask me, we should go out on a date. This is the biggest problem at home.”

"It's alright, but my sister is really proud of him! She really wants to show off my little Zhe to them~"

"Hmm...Is that so..."

Sister Ye is so powerful and assertive today!

“But that’s not what I really wanted to say,” Qi Xinye suddenly added.