Chapter 224：Cheongsam

No one knew that Xue Yan had bared his teeth as he'd crawled away on that day, they only knew that ten years later, he returned, then personally broke all of his brothers' legs, and made them crawl from the living room to the asphalt road one kilometer away. They crawled over the gravel, leaving a long trail of blood in the presence of all the terrified spectators, since then, Xue Clan became Xue Yan's belonging.

But he was a very capable person, it was not an exaggeration to describe him with 'demon-like wisdom' [A reference to Romance of the Three Kingdoms]. After taking over Xue Clan, in just three years, he took the decaying clan and turned it into the country's number one distinguished household. Whether it was the main branch or offshoots, they all lived by his whim, so even though his temper was violent, no one dared reveal a look of dissatisfaction.

He announced that he would hold a banquet, and even knowing that an invitation was very slim, Xue Rui and his wife had still hurried back.

"Sir, Yan Ye sent an invitation." The butler looked slightly excited.

"How are there two letters?" Xue Rui was overjoyed, he opened the first letter and looked, it was very normal, he, his wife and children were invited to participate, but the second was very strange, it actually listed Xue Jing Yi's name alone, even requesting that she 'dress exquisitely' to attend, what does this mean?

Xue Rui was dumbfounded, he passed the invitation to his wife.

"Daddy no, I don't want to go!" Xue Jing Yi shouted in panic. She had actually already met Xue Yan, the year he won the clan. At that time, he'd invited a lot of people to the celebration banquet, including Xue Rui. Hearing that Xue Rui's son was a rare musical genius, he'd enthusiastically asked Xue Zi Xuan to play him a song.

At that time, Xue Zi Xuan was unpolluted, only performing in the sacred music hall or the piano room, he absolutely hated the practice of performing to curry favor with nobles, in his view, that was blasphemy. He'd coldly refused, but Xue Yan had only looked at him with slight interest, then softly opened, "Since you don't want to play, you might as well never play again." The words faded, and Xue Zi Xuan's hand was pressed onto the table, his fingers broken one by one.

Before he broke the third finger, Xue Zi Xuan had no choice but to surrender, Xue Li Dani was already kneeling at the man's feet, crying and begging him to let her son go.

Xue Yan chuckled and let Xue Zi Xuan go, then pointed to the piano with his cane, ordering, "Play, play until I'm satisfied."

So Xue Zi Xuan had to ignore the pain in his fingers, and play for a full two hours, when the banquet ended, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Xue Li Dani quickly sent him abroad, and it took two years of therapy before his fingers regained their flexibility.

That was the first time Xue Jing Yi had ever seen her noble and elegant mother and brother expose such discomposure, and even her omnipotent father had been too afraid to utter a single complaint. He'd even sent over a lot of apology gifts afterwards.

Since then, Xue Yan became Xue Jing Yi's nightmare fuel, and Xue Li Dani and Xue Zi Xuan had never forgotten that feeling of extreme fear. For musicians, ruining their hands was more unbearable than ruining their lives.

"I can't go, I'll be afraid." Knowing the extent of her father's respect for Xue Yan, Xue Jing Yi clutched her chest and loudly repeated.

"Don't let Jing Yi go, her heart can't carry the load." Xue Li Dani quickly hugged her daughter and patted her head, her heart also full of fear and anxiety.

"Yan Ye sent her a specific invitation, how can you have her not go? This is a personal insult to Yan Ye, I won't be able to approach Xue Clan in the future." Xue Rui's tone was very gloomy.

"It'll be alright. How could he have sent a special invitation to Jing Yi anyway, there must be a mistake, send someone to check."

"It's probably not a mistake." The previously silent steward relayed Huang Yi's encounter with Xue Yan.

"So he's the one who provoked this mess!" Xue Li Dani grinded her teeth, immediately wanting to let the butler bring the boy down to teach him a lesson, but Xue Rui stopped her.

"Since Yan Ye wants to see him, we'll take him."

"Do you think Yan Ye found out?" Xue Li Dani thought of a possibility and suddenly felt a chill, but because of her daughter's presence, she couldn't say specifics.

"No way, they not only look the same, even their voices are similar. Plus, Yan Ye only met her when she was 9, how could he notice a difference between them. Don't overthink it, you'll see when we bring the boy to Yan Ye." Xue Rui made the final decision.

As Xue Jing Yi's virtuous brother, Zhou Yun Sheng had to incumbently agree, but as soon as the steward walked out, he immediately threw the dress to the ground and viciously stomped on it.

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"Xiao Yi?" Seeing the beautiful, fairy-like boy (girl?) slowly walking down the spiral staircase, Xue Zi Xuan's eyes widen in shock.

"It's me." Zhou Yun Sheng tried to maintain his balance. Since this morning, Xue Li Dani wouldn't stop tormenting him, even forcing him to practice walking in high heels for hours. He swore, at the end of this game, he must make all these people pay a painful price.

Xue Jing Yi laughed, "Xiao Yi's dressed up so prettily, like those Mori Girls, very fresh."

[Mori Girl- From morigirl.blogspot.com "The mori girls (森ガール) belong to a subculture which began in Japan. 'Mori' means forest in Japanese, simplest definition…they are girls who look like they live in the forest."]

Zhou Yun Sheng didn't respond, bending over to pull up the dress. He took two steps and found that the skirt was still too long, and had to bunch it up in his arms. Xue Zi Xuan naturally walked over, gripped his slender waist, and half dragged, half carried him into the car, even pressing down his head so he couldn't bump it as he entered.

Xue Jing Yi had never seen such a meticulous and gentle big brother, as if an untouchable, desire-less god suddenly transformed into a regular, passionate mortal. If this change was because of her, she would be ecstatic, but this change happened because of Huang Yi, so she could never accept it.

Staring at the speeding away car, her light expression gradually converged, revealing a gloomy look.

This piece of forest, together with the golf course, were all Xue Clan's property. Xue Yan lived on the highest mountain with the best scenery, at least a twenty-five minute drive from gate to mansion entrance. Those invited to attend the banquet were mostly from the main branch and the heads of the off-shoot branches, and Xue Rui was far less than that level.

When he appeared with his wife and children, many people didn't even know him, but Xue Zi Xuan's face was recognizable, so they nodded slightly, their attitude lukewarm.

As the car traveled along the mountain, Zhou Yun Sheng felt his lover getting closer and closer. Excited, he rushed into the banquet hall, firmly refusing Xue Zi Xuan's arm.

The place was crowded, but he didn't find the figure he most wanted to see, he tried to step outside to search, but lost his balance and almost fell.

"Watch out." A strong arm stretched out from the side, catching his hips in time, but it also boldly groped his elastic butt.

Zhou Yun Sheng's eyes widened, he turned around with an 'I'll kill you' death glare, met a mischievous smile on his lover's handsome face, and subconsciously revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

Perceiving the boy's mode change, Xue Yan felt even more delighted. He sat in his wheelchair, his right hand still placed on the boy's buttocks, and stretched out his left hand to gracefully shake Xue Rui's hand.

"This is your darling daughter Xue Jing Yi? I haven't seen her for a few years, she's grown so much."

"Yes ah, kids grow like weeds, look away one moment and they're taller than you. Jing Yi, Zi Xuan, quickly greet your uncle." Xue Rui pushed his son forward.

"Hello uncle." Zhou Yun Sheng's smile was strained, he hadn't expected his lover to be Xue Jing Yi's uncle, this rank was really huge.

Xue Zi Xuan pulled the boy to his side, then nodded hello to Xue Yan, his attitude cold.

Xue Yan's gloomy eyes landed on their locked hands, he smiled and said, "I heard your piano skills have matured over the years, the guests are all here, you should give us a performance." This was basically treating Xue Zi Xuan as a dancing monkey.

Xue Zi Xuan exposed a look of mortification, his once broken fingers twitched neurotically. Even if he desperately wanted to forget those unbearable memories, his fear of Xue Yan had been engraved into his bones, as long as he saw him, it felt like the nightmare was on replay.

He tried to adjust his breathing, and slowly walked towards the piano placed on the stage while Xue Li Dani looked on tearfully.

"Wait, I want to play instead of my brother, my piano skills are also very good. Uncle, what do you want to hear?" Zhou Yun Sheng was standing unsteadily, using his lover's wheelchair armrest to maintain his balance as he bent to ask his question.

Xue Yan's gloomy eyes glanced at him, then he said lightly, "Forget it, I don't want to hear anything anymore." He didn't want the boy to play in front of everyone, if no one else was here, he would gladly accept this proposal.

Xue Li Dani was relieved, she quickly hugged her son comfortingly, casting grateful eyes to the boy at the same time. Xue Rui was very unhappy, that boy had ruined his son's chance to gain favor with Yan Ye. He was not an artist after all, he couldn't understand an artist's loftiness.

"I enjoy Jing Yi's company very much, do you mind if she stays with me?"

Xue Yan's next sentence made Xue Rui feel overjoyed, he immediately nodded. Xue Zi Xuan wanted to follow them, but was forcefully pulled away by his mother. Seeing the boy turn around to wave at him, his smile bright, he could only helplessly give up. This was his second taste of powerlessness, both of them gifts from Xue Yan.

"The first time you didn't wear any pants, the second time you're wearing a dress, have you forgotten your own sex?" As they arrived at the rest area, Xue Yan unscrupulously caressed the boy's exposed back, his fingertips sliding up and down his curved spine, quite enamored.

Zhou Yun Sheng wasn't surprised by his lover's omniscience, he stared at him with glittering peach eyes, then relaxed his body against his shoulder. A 16-year-old boy, the most easily arousable species.

Some people wanted to come over to talk, but saw this scene and smiled knowingly. They held up their glass and consciously walked away. So what if that girl was surnamed Xue, not to mention distant relation, even if there was immediate relation, who could stop Yan Ye if he fancied her?

Xue Rui's heart suddenly froze at the sight, but he seemed to think of something and quickly cheered up. Xue Zi Xuan was standing in a dark corner, learning what hatred and jealousy was for the first time.