I transmigrated into the villain's white moonlight, but the protagonist is my brother.

It was almost 11 o'clock when I got home.

After washing up, Xie Yan lay in bed, intending to review her thesis before going to sleep.

Shen Yan stood at the bedroom door, hugging her pillow, pursing her lips. "Can't I come over today?"

The bedside lamp cast a warm glow. A girl with long, damp hair that covered her shoulders sat against the headboard, looking down at a tablet in her hands. Her face was half-lit and half-shadowed, and she looked very serious.

Hearing this, she finally looked up. "Yes, I have class tomorrow, so we'll sleep separately tonight."

She's missed three classes recently. Although it's not a big deal for college students to skip classes, Xie Yan feels she needs to adjust her mindset. Being bothered by Shen Yan every day is making her sleepy, and this won't do.

"....All right."

Shen Yan left silently, as if his ears had drooped down.

But less than half a minute later, he came back in with a hairdryer. "Your hair isn't dry. Dry it before you sleep. I'll leave after I'm done."

Xie Yan blinked, and seeing his determined expression, she agreed.

The two sat on the bed, the sound of the hairdryer not too loud. Their slender white fingers gently ran through Xie Yan's waterfall of black hair, lingering on her fingertips, making Xie Yan feel ticklish.

She cleared her throat as she looked at the tablet. "Just play it properly, don't cause any trouble."

Shen Yan gave a blank "hmm," as if he hadn't heard clearly, his voice perfectly normal, "What?"

His serious demeanor made Xie Yan seem to be overthinking things, so she could only say it was nothing.

However, these two seemingly ineffective words broke the silence. Shen Yan suddenly said quietly, "I will increase the price for those villagers by 10%."

Xie Yancai pulled her attention away from her paper, somewhat bewildered, thinking she had misheard. "What villagers?"

Shen Yan paused, "Didn't your older brother tell you?"

He thought that since the two of them had talked for so long upstairs, his older brother would probably say something about him, like badmouthing him.

Her hair was almost done drying, so Xie Yan turned to look at him and said, "No, what's wrong?"

The boy frowned almost imperceptibly before quietly recounting his plans from the meeting that afternoon.

These plans and deployments are all trade secrets. After all, not many people know that the government will be carrying out land acquisition and relocation. Real estate companies need to fight an information war as fast as possible. However, he still told Xie Yan everything in detail.

After listening to his words, Xie Yan pondered for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

As the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise. Although Xie Yan had helped Xie Qingyu handle company affairs for a period of time before, those were mostly engineering and construction matters, which were relatively simple. She was still a bit unfamiliar with matters involving citizens and the government.

From Shen Yan's perspective, it was indeed just a business transaction for the benefit of the group. However, from the villagers' perspective, it was heartbreaking. It was like selling a house for 200,000 yuan, only to find out two months later that the house was worth 2 million yuan. By then, it was too late to regret it.

Seeing that Xie Yan remained silent, Shen Yan pursed his lips. "I thought about it again after I got back, and I realized that I had indeed pushed their price too low, so I'm thinking of adding another 10%, which is still a considerable sum."

He has to consider the company's interests and risks; 10% is already the maximum he can increase.

Although this amount of money is negligible from a macro perspective.

After a long silence, seeing that Xie Yan still didn't speak, Shen Yan felt a little uneasy. He poked Xie Yan's arm with his finger, "Why aren't you saying anything? So, it's 12%?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan finally spoke up. She brushed her already dried long hair behind her back and looked at Shen Yan with a half-smile, her eyes seemingly able to see through everything.

"I'm not your boss, why are you asking me? Are you afraid I'll think you're heartless?"

Suddenly exposed, Shen Yan pursed his lips and remained silent, his fingers still clutching Xie Yan's pajama sleeve.

Although he viewed it as just a business matter and the circumstances of those people were unimportant, he was always worried about his image in Xie Yan's eyes.

But Xie Yan knew perfectly well what Shen Yan's situation was.

A seemingly innocent but actually cunning woman who knows how to act cute.

Fortunately, she's not completely ruthless; at least this innocent little lotus still listens to Xie Yan.

Xie Yan reached out and lifted Shen Yan's chin, making him look at her. Their eyes met, and her expression was calm and rational.

"Shen Yan, my only requirement for you is that you don't break the law and don't hurt anyone. Can you do that?"

The boy lowered his eyes. "Hmm."

Seeing him look away, Xie Yan tightened her grip on his chin, scrutinizing his expression. "Why aren't you looking at me? Did you do something wrong?"

Recalling the half-dead person in the photo, Shen Yan met Xie Yan's eyes again without changing his expression. "No, I'm just a little sleepy."

Xie Yan's eyes darted back and forth across his face twice. He looked nothing but beautiful and innocent, like a little fox. She couldn't see anything wrong with him at first, so she could only frown and give up.

"Alright, but the law is just the last resort. I still hope you can make more friends, be more loving and optimistic, and be a kind person. Can you do that?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yan sighed softly, and the expression on his face finally became more lively. "I'm quite friendly, aren't I sunny enough? I smile at everyone I see."

"...I just hope that you have your own social circle besides me, and that you don't revolve your entire life around me."

Perhaps Shen Yan used to pretend to be friendly at school. You could always see him in the classroom or the cafeteria, and he would even talk to different people.

But now he rarely goes to school. He spends his days shuttling between home and the company, maybe going to the supermarket to buy groceries, and the rest of his time is spent with Xie Yan.

They even kept her from leaving the house for two whole weekends. Luckily, she's a bit of a homebody, so she could barely accept it, since she could still tinker with her computer and read papers at home anyway.

Xie Yan had secretly asked the doctor about Shen Yan's situation before. The doctor said that childhood psychological trauma or inhuman violence could cause a person to develop a strong need for skin contact during their growth.

When people feel lonely and anxious, they often seek comfort and fulfillment through physical contact.

This is also known as skin hunger.

This kind of problem can't be changed overnight. He has to adapt slowly, make more friends, have a normal social circle, and gradually become a normal person.

Shen Yan said listlessly, "Okay."

Seeing that he agreed, Xie Yan reached out and touched his hair. "You're so obedient."

"How about I increase it to 15%? Am I good enough? Can I sleep here tonight?"

Xie Yan was amused and pulled him over to give him a kiss. "Alright, goodnight kiss, you should go now, I'm going to sleep."

"..."

Shen Yan left with a resentful look on his face.

Xie Yan slept soundly through the night without any dreams.

------

Time flies by, and the end of the semester is fast approaching. After the final exams, it will be time for vacation.

The department head called some people to his office to get forms to register for next year's national competition.

The director looked at the promising students from each grade in his department with a serious yet kind gaze.

"The date for next year's national competition has been almost confirmed, at the end of March or the beginning of April, which is next semester. This time it is a national competition, and we will be going to the northern part of the capital to participate. The competition will be much fiercer than the provincial competition. The school will organize intensive training during the winter break, so please arrange your time accordingly."

A group of people took the forms and started filling them out. One boy casually asked, "Teacher, are the exam rooms for other majors in the same place as ours? My girlfriend is a physics major."

A few people nearby exclaimed "Wow!" and cheered, "How sweet they are!"

The department head gave him a cool glance. "It's not decided yet, but the exam venue is usually not too far away. We'll see how it goes after we get off the plane."

After saying that, he turned his gaze to the few girls.

"The national competition format has changed from group stage to individual competition. The three of you have achieved very good results in the provincial competitions. You must bring back a ranking in the national competition, understand?"

Tan Zhuoran nodded excitedly, "I will certainly not fail you!!"

Qi Na, standing diagonally behind her, smiled and seemed a little excited, after all, it was her first time entering the national competition. "I know."

The director nodded in satisfaction, then looked at another silent girl, "Xie Yan, what about you? Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you have confidence?"

Xie Yan's abilities are now widely known in the department.

A talented individual who single-handedly propelled their group to first place will shine even brighter in the individual competition, free from any burdens.

Although the department head was encouraging everyone, he actually placed more hope on Xie Yan.

He had a feeling that Xie Yan was a top contender for the national championship and had a very good chance of winning.

Xie Yan, the "champion seed", wore a suede coat. She was tall and slender, with calm and peaceful eyes.

She pursed her lips. "Teacher, when is the competition approximately?"

The director pondered for a moment and said, "The exact date is not yet determined, but I guess it will be around the 28th or 29th, or it will be postponed by a week to April."

Hearing this, Xie Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it wasn't that day, otherwise she probably wouldn't have dared to take a car.

Xie Yan's expression relaxed considerably. "Okay, teacher, I will definitely work hard to win a trophy for the school!"

I didn't have any classes this morning, so I was busy with just this one thing.

After filling out the form, it was almost noon, so Tan Zhuoran took Xie Yan to the cafeteria for lunch.

"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like I haven't seen you much lately. I heard from my brother that you're with Shen Yan?"

Xie Yan was a little surprised, "Why would he tell you this? I thought he was a very serious person, I didn't expect him to be so gossipy..."

Upon hearing this, Tan Zhuoran laughed loudly three times, his face showing an expression that seemed to say, "The little chick has finally shown its black feet!" He was incredibly excited, exclaiming, "Holy crap, you two are really together?!"

Xie Yan: "…………"

It turns out Tan Zhuoran was bluffing her.

She said, "How could Tan Qing, as a top assistant, gossip about her boss to others?"

However, since the words had already been spoken, there was no need to hide them anymore. Xie Yan nodded, "Yes, it's been a while."

Tan Zhuoran's face suddenly flushed red, his eyes lit up with joy, and he excitedly pounded the table.

This made the already flimsy cafeteria tables even more precarious.

"Oh my god, I knew you two would definitely be a match! During the provincial competition, you two sat together on the bus, and I knew there was something going for you! And sure enough! My eyes are always right!!"

Her eyes darted around. "It suddenly occurred to me that Shen Yan is my brother's junior boss at the company, and you're Shen Yan's girlfriend. Doesn't that make you my brother's boss's wife? Damn, I'll latch onto him and get Shen Yan to treat my brother better! I'll remember you when I'm rich and powerful!"

Xie Yan laughed speechlessly, "Don't worry, Shen Yan treats your brother very well."

Hearing this, Tan Zhuoran sighed again, "...But is he going to participate in this national competition? I remember he used to be a math major but has switched to finance now, can he still participate?"

Xie Yan shook her head. "I don't know."

There has never been a case of switching majors midway through a provincial or national competition. Given Shen Yan's current situation, it's really hard to say whether he can participate in a mathematics competition.

But whether it works or not, Xie Yan estimates that Shen Yan will go.

Going to Beicheng is much farther than going to Jianghai. It takes three hours by plane, and then you have to take a bus. It's nearly 3,000 kilometers. With the competition and the round trip, it will take at least three or four days.

Shen Yan would definitely not be able to bear not seeing him for three or four whole days.

Xie Yan gets a headache just thinking about how clingy he is.

They're even more clingy than dogs.

Ugh.

------

Gu family.

Xie Qingyu's expression softened as Shen Yan loosened his stance on the land acquisition price.

A 15% increase is indeed the limit.

Other real estate companies would never offer such a high price, since everyone is in it for the sake of profit, and costs are naturally being pushed down as much as possible.

Xie Qingyu roughly estimated that a 15% reduction would directly decrease the net profit of this deal by about one to thirteen million.

If there are more holdouts, the price may need to be reduced by another two million, especially considering the immense pressure of the government delaying the expropriation process.

This money is equivalent to several years' income for some small companies. It's really not a small amount. I don't know how Shen Yan suddenly got it, but that doesn't stop Xie Qingyu from being happy.

In 2222's opinion, Xie Qingyu is really not suitable to be a boss at all.

As the company owner, he didn't care at all how much money the company made; he only cared about how much money the villagers could get.

A pure capitalist traitor.

He can be called a proletarian fighter.

Xie Qingyu slumped onto the soft sofa in his office to rest. "I think Shen Yan must have gotten a lecture from my sister when he got back, otherwise he wouldn't be so kind."

2222 completely agrees. [Actually, your sister doesn't even need to be lectured; he added her on his own initiative just to act cute and charming.]

【………】

Xie Qingyu paused for a moment, then said, "No, is it really that exaggerated?"

He argued with Shen Yan for almost half an hour in the conference room that day, but Shen Yan didn't budge an inch, making it seem impossible for him to pay any more costs.

As expected of someone with a math background, Shen Yan was meticulous about every penny, like a ruthless money-making machine, devoid of any emotion. To him, money was truly just a number.

Yet this difficult person actually went to such lengths just to act cute.

It's simply unbelievable.

Xie Qingyu couldn't help but wonder how this person's brain worked.

Is it true that the thought processes of mentally ill people are different from those of normal people?

He didn't know whether to call Shen Yan cold-blooded or love-struck.

2222 continued, "This isn't an exaggeration for a perfect favorability rating, so if you can't win over Shen Yan in the future, just go to your sister."

Xie Qingyu pursed his lips and sighed, "[Then I need to let my sister survive in this world first. She's earned so many points with me, I hope she can stay with me for a few more years. If she goes back, I'll really break down, sob sob sob. I'm such a handsome but fragile little boy...]"

Xie Qingyu felt extremely anxious when he thought about the various possibilities Xie Yan had mentioned to him the night before last.

What should we do? How about we just kidnap Bai Zhiwei and marry her?

Hey hey hey.

Crazy.

He's really getting more and more reckless; he's even coming up with the kind of mindset that a true male protagonist would have—the kind of forceful, domineering idea.

2222 read his thoughts: "Didn't she also mention another possibility? I suddenly realize she's really good at exploiting plot holes."

But that's a bit too idealistic; I don't know if it'll work.

The idea was that if Xie Qingyu failed in his mission, they would live a peaceful and happy life here until they died of natural causes, and if they were lucky, they might be able to return to reality.

Xie Yan even considered that Xie Qingyu could cram for math here, overtake others by eighty years, and then seamlessly transition back to the college entrance exam, dominating the examination hall.

Simply outrageous.

Xie Qingyu felt that he might not live past eighty years because of studying mathematics, and that studying for eighty years would be...

He will definitely die young.

2222's tone carried the loving and tolerant tone of a father looking at his son: "However, I think your skills have improved a lot compared to before. You're handling company matters quite well now, and your numerical sensitivity is getting higher and higher. You calculated that 15% value very quickly just now."

Xie Qingyu was taken aback. "Oh, that seems so."

Hey.

Just as Xie Qingyu's mind was racing with wild ideas, the office intercom rang.

Xie Qingyu answered the phone, and his secretary's voice came through, "Mr. Gu, Miss Xie is here. She says she needs to see you, but she didn't have an appointment. What do you think—"

Xie Qingyu immediately said, "Let her in quickly, don't stop her."

"Ok."

Within two minutes, there was a knock on the office door.

Xie Qingyu thought to himself that his sister was being rather reserved today, behaving very properly and respectfully when meeting him.

The man opened the door, and his smiling face froze.

Xie Yutong, standing at the door, had red eyes and looked like she had been crying; she looked even more pitiful than a little rabbit.

The moment she saw Xie Qingyu, tears welled up in her eyes again, her voice choked and trembling.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Gu, it's all my fault. Please don't terminate the contract with the Xie family, okay?"