Insufficient balance

  When he arrived at the Purple Bamboo Garden, Lai Xiao Miao was already waiting for him in the private room. He walked straight in and found that the waiter had already served all the dishes. Ye Yi Zhe sat down directly and also closed the door.

  "How did you think of calling me out today?" Ye Yizhe said casually, taking off his jacket and putting it aside. It was already almost October, and Jiangzhou had started to cool down slowly. Unlike before, when only short sleeves were needed, the temperature would drop several degrees at night, and a jacket was still needed on the body. Looking at Li Xiaomiao, she was still as elegant and refined as ever, wearing casual clothes. Although the neckline wasn't particularly loose, the prominent curve still made Ye Yizhe feast his eyes, and the dishes in front of him were nothing compared to his hunger.

  Li Xiao Miao didn't mind the gaze thrown at her by Ye Yi Zhe, perhaps because she had already been impressed by his pure eyes on the train, and now no matter how he looked at her, it wasn't lustful. So there's a saying that goes, "First impressions are very important."

  "Today, I suddenly thought of it, just in time for a rare day with nothing to do, and suddenly thought that I should invite you, this great benefactor, to dinner." He deliberately emphasized the two words "benefactor", making Ye Yizhe feel embarrassed, hastily waving his hand: "It's not worth mentioning, it was just a convenient thing to do, if you say so, it will really embarrass me. Moreover, even if I hadn't intervened, you wouldn't have been in any danger that day, your two bodyguards are much more capable than me."

  "Hmph." Lian Xiao Miao curled her lip and said, "At first, I didn't even know they were following me onto the train. I thought I had escaped, but then that thing happened, and I could only be caught again."

  It seems like she's still not satisfied, and Li Xiao Miao couldn't help but kick the table leg, saying discontentedly: "Thanks to you, I can finally come out openly now, although it's all thanks to you that I found an excuse to escape, so overall, I owe you a few favors."

  "What's gotten into you?" Ye Yizhe listened in confusion and asked inexplicably.

  "It's a secret!" Li Xiao Miao made a zipping motion across her mouth and made a mischievous face.

  Ye Yizhe wiped away a cold sweat and shook his head: "Do you have to escape every time you come out? Don't your family members let you go out?"

  Lü Xiao Miao nodded slightly, not wanting to bring up the topic again. She picked up a dish with her chopsticks, seemingly talking to herself yet also seeming to be speaking to him: "Ye Yi Zhe, the top scorer of Gaoyuan Province's college entrance exams. Except for the Chinese composition section where he got zero points due to special reasons, all his other test papers were perfect scores. He became the first person in the history of the college entrance exams to achieve full marks and was even given a green light by Fudan University, allowing him to enter the Philosophy Academy which never accepts male students. Honestly, when I first found out about these things, I was really shocked. I didn't expect that someone as accomplished as you would be someone I'd run into on a train. My father and his friends all look up to you."

  Ye Yizhe was taken aback, narrowing his eyes as he stared at her and asked: "How did you know all that in such detail?"

  "I think it's natural to know," said Li Xiao Miao with a smile, "I've also read your composition, no wonder so many experts from the Ministry of Education held a special discussion meeting for that composition. If not for one vote difference, you would have created this unprecedented and unrepeatable history."

  Jian Ye Yi Zhe still looked at her with a suspicious expression, and Li Xiao Miao muttered: "Alright, I'll tell you. My family also has some connections. After going back last time, they investigated this matter. Moreover, I also know that you are the successor of Zhe Yang Huo Fo."

  Is there some connection?

  Ye Yizhe listened to her explanation and became even more unconvinced. This was probably no longer something that could be explained away with just a little relationship. Investigating his relationship with Zhe Yang wouldn't be too difficult, as every citizen in Mo Town knew about it. He had never thought he could keep this hidden from others, but to be able to obtain his essay from the Ministry of Education would require incredibly powerful connections. Especially with his poor grades, he believed that due to the bureaucratic style of the officials, they must have treated his file as a top-secret document.

  The gaze towards Lì Xiǎo Miào had changed, and Yè Yī Zhé suddenly had an unthinkable thought in his mind - was Lì Xiǎo Miào here because of him?

  Dinner was slowly finished in the midst of their heavy thoughts, and he took the initiative to pay the bill before Lixiaomiao, walking out of the restaurant with her. This caused another commotion, as many people still remembered that not long ago, this man had been accompanied by three beauties including Xiaoyuling, and now he was with another girl who was no weaker than them. The envious glances cast at Ye Yizhe made him feel numb all over, but he didn't notice.

  "Actually, I rarely go out. When I was very young, I was locked at home and made to learn various things. In addition to the usual school subjects, there were also musical instruments, art, even martial arts, and wilderness survival skills. I learned a bit of everything, but didn't master anything. All in all, I'm just a jack-of-all-trades."

  After leaving the Purple Bamboo Garden, the two of them walked slowly, and Lian Xiao Miao felt that the atmosphere was a bit off, so she spoke up: "The last time we met on the train was also one of the many times I escaped from home. Since I lived in a small attic, as soon as I went downstairs, there were bodyguards following me, afraid that something would happen to me. So, I thought of a way to use the rope from my wilderness survival course and climbed down from the attic under the cover of darkness. Of course, I didn't forget to bring my books with me. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me; those things have brought me the most joy over the years. Everyone envies the rich second generation and official second generation, but they never think about how hard it is for them. Most of the second generations have to bear more pressure, as well as many unrealistic expectations from their ancestors. Luckily, I'm a girl, so I have a bit less. I also have an older brother who hasn't smiled since he was ten years old. He's good to me, but just doesn't know how to express himself. My brother has given up on many things and is always being scolded by our father and grandfather, but every time he comes back, he brings me gifts. Every time, he's covered in bruises from being beaten by our father, but he still forces a smile and gives me the gift, then pats my head and says, 'Xiao Miao, don't cry, who will take care of you if not your brother?'"

  As she spoke, Lei Xiaomiao's voice gradually became choked with sobs. Ye Yizhe listened, his expression frozen in shock. The larger the family, the more responsibility they had to bear. Their younger generations would also face greater hardships. They had to excel; if they were mediocre like ordinary people, that was a mistake.

  They can only prove themselves better than others in various ways, so as to bring the whole family forward.

  With this realization, he suddenly thought of Mu Zi Xuan, who had been condescending and arrogant. She must have received similar education since she was young, and as the only younger generation in the Mu family, she needed to bear more than Ye Xiao Miao.

  So even if she clearly knows that she is wrong, she has to insist on it because she cannot bring long-term influence to the Mu family.

  With a hint of relief, Ye Yizhe looked at the sobbing Li Xiaomiao and walked up to gently put his arms around her. He clearly felt Li Xiaomiao's body tremble, but perhaps because they had already had physical contact on the train, or perhaps she was really frustrated and needed an outlet, so she didn't resist, instead burying her head into his shoulder.

  Ye Yizhe looked at her with an expression as if he was looking at a younger sister, without any hint of desire, and said quietly: "If your brother saw you like this, he would definitely be very sad."

  Li Xiao Miao cried even louder: "I miss him."

  The two of them, momentarily speechless, just stood there quietly embracing each other. All the passersby cast hesitant glances at them, most people thinking to themselves that if they were crying like that and still hugging, those two must be ill.

  Ye Yizhe didn't notice that among the passersby, there was a familiar figure. His attention was focused on Li Xiao Miao, so he wouldn't have known that the familiar figure saw this scene and paused for a moment before sneering and walking away, muttering to himself: No matter what, I must let Yu Ling see your true face.