THIP Chapter 68

That evening, just as expected, Mr. and Mrs. Ye, along with Ye Zhuoran’s older brother, all came home.

Mu Liuyin greeted each of them politely. “Dad, Mom, Bro.”

Xi Yan also greeted them warmly, saying, “Uncle, Auntie, Brother.”
Her voice was soft, and her demeanor a little shy and reserved—she gave off the impression of a gentle and well-mannered girl.

Because of what happened that morning—Mu Liuyin rushing out with bodyguards to rescue someone—the bodyguards had already informed Mr. and Mrs. Ye about it.

Naturally, upon hearing that his precious son might be interested in a girl, Father Ye had immediately looked into Xi Yan’s background.

What he found out was that, although Xi Yan was the illegitimate daughter of the Xie family, she’d been raised solely by her mother for the first seventeen years of her life. She’d only recently been acknowledged by the Xie family, and if it hadn’t been for her mother’s passing, she might never have even known who her father was.

What’s more, all the information Ye’s father dug up painted a consistent picture: Xi Yan had always been well-behaved, sensible, and excelled academically. Even after transferring to their high school, she’d scored higher than his son in her first exam.

No wonder his son treated this girl differently.

To be honest, based on what the report revealed about Xi Yan’s personality and upbringing, Mr. and Mrs. Ye couldn’t help but feel both sympathy and fondness for her.

With the Ye family’s status, they did not need to solidify their position through arranged marriages. They’d always been open-minded, and they doted on their son. So, once they confirmed that the girl he liked didn’t seem to have any issues, they had already begun to see Xi Yan as their future daughter-in-law.

Throughout dinner, they tactfully asked Xi Yan all sorts of questions, like which college she was aiming for with her excellent grades, and when she might want to get married after starting college. They even joked that if Ye Zhuoran ever bullied her, she should come complain to them directly. By the end of the meal, they were practically asking her to just move into the Ye household.

Mu Liuyin: “…”

She had never expected the parents of this body’s original owner to be so… aggressively proactive. This was Xi Yan’s first time visiting, and they were already talking about marriage?

But wait a minute—when exactly did I ever say I liked Xi Yan???

And… do they remember that this body is still a minor???

Xi Yan answered their questions very politely. For the ones she couldn’t respond to, she just smiled quietly. After the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Ye seemed to realize they might’ve come on a bit strong and didn’t want to overwhelm the girl, so they asked Mu Liuyin to take Xi Yan upstairs to the study to chat.

Once they got there, Mu Liuyin noticed the faint amusement in Xi Yan’s light-colored eyes. She sighed helplessly and said, “Don’t mind tonight. My parents are just really enthusiastic when they like someone.”

Recalling the expressionless boy’s awkward look at the dinner table, Xi Yan curved her lips slightly and said, “Uncle, Auntie, and your brother—they’re all very nice.”

“Yeah?” Mu Liuyin smiled faintly as well.

Xi Yan softly replied, “Mm,” then suddenly asked, “Do your parents know that you like boys?”

Mu Liuyin: “…”

The blush that had only just faded earlier in the afternoon now crept back up to the tips of her ears.

She still remembered Xi Yan’s unreadable expression when she’d asked that question. After a moment of silence, she’d also softly asked, “Then… do you have a boyfriend?”

Mu Liuyin had nearly lost her cool, but managed to maintain her icy demeanor and answered calmly, “No.”

“They don’t know,” she added now, her cool voice tinged with a hint of teasing. “So, little miss, you’d better keep it a secret for me.”

Xi Yan nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, I will.”

That serious expression was kind of adorable, and Mu Liuyin had the sudden urge to ruffle her hair. But in the end, she held back—after all, she’d just claimed to like men. Gotta stick to the persona.

“It’s already past 8:30,” Mu Liuyin said after checking the time. “Let’s call it a night—we have school tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Xi Yan smiled softly.

After walking Xi Yan back to the guest room, she coldly rejected her parents and brother’s request to “chat a bit more” about her and Xi Yan’s relationship and headed back to her room to rest.

Of course, had Mu Liuyin known what would happen a few days later, she never would’ve turned down that conversation. She would’ve made it crystal clear to her family that she didn’t like Xi Yan at all, and had no intention of marrying her.

Unfortunately, she had no clue what was coming.

So when she found out a few days later that her parents had gone to the Xie family and arranged a marriage with Xi Yan on her behalf… she was completely stunned.

What the—how could they throw their child under the bus like this???

She never saw it coming.

Xi Yan was equally shocked. She hadn’t expected that just one visit to the Ye family would escalate that far.

But later, after thinking things through, Mu Liuyin realized that this engagement might serve as protection for Xi Yan. With the Ye family behind her, maybe the Xies wouldn’t dare bully her again. So she could only give a half-amused, half-helpless smile and tell Xi Yan:

“After we graduate high school—when you’re legally an adult and free from the Xie family—we can cancel the engagement. I won’t hold you back.”

At those words, the girl who had seemed flustered just moments ago suddenly went quiet. She looked at Mu Liuyin and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something… but in the end, she only replied with a soft “Okay.”

She gazed at the profile of the boy beside her, who seemed gentle only when speaking to her, and her lashes trembled slightly.

If you are into boys…
Then why are you being so good to me?

From that day on, Xie Shaoke—having been warned by the Xie family patriarch—kept a much lower profile. Though he still occasionally shot them angry, resentful looks, he didn’t make any more moves.

Mu Liuyin always felt Xie Shaoke was like a ticking time bomb. He could easily jump out and ruin everything before her mission was complete. But as the only male heir of the Xie family, she couldn’t do much about him for now. So she just had Xiao Jiu keep a constant eye on him.

And since the engagement with Xi Yan was now official, Mu Liuyin took the opportunity to teach a lesson to those who had bullied Xi Yan in the past.

Some mistakes aren’t so easily forgiven—not with a simple “sorry.”

Xi Yan’s life gradually returned to how it had been before she transferred to this school—peaceful, with no more harassment. She also began studying with Mu Liuyin every day.

And as it turned out, without distractions, Xi Yan did have the ability to top the entire grade. In the latest exam, she came in first again, beating Mu Liuyin by five points.

Of course, with Xiao Jiu’s help, Mu Liuyin could’ve easily overtaken her. But this world was just a mission to her. Her goal was to make sure the mission target had a better life. There was no need to compete for first place.

On the day the results came out, Mu Liuyin said, “Come on, top scorer. Let’s go get some good food.”

“Mm.” Xi Yan smiled, her eyes curving.

After spending over a month together, Mu Liuyin noticed the once-shy and quiet girl smiled a lot more now.

They found a clean restaurant and ordered food. Mu Liuyin had already memorized Xi Yan’s favorite dishes. After placing the order, she handed the menu to her and asked gently, “Anything else you want?”

Xi Yan’s lashes fluttered. “You already ordered everything I like,” she said with a smile.