I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

As Ye Mao was present, Ye Yong could ask him what had happened. After all, it was necessary to inquire about the situation from his grandfather, but it was too troublesome, whereas with Ye Mao, he could get straight to the point.

“Grandfather, I have something to discuss with Ye Mao.”

“Okay, I have something to attend to, you two talk.” Grandfather said, and in the next second, he disappeared, afraid that Ye Yong wouldn’t chat with his grandson, even though he didn’t know what they were talking about, but he felt that being with Ye Yong would definitely benefit Ye Mao greatly.

In fact, it was indeed the case, if not for Ye Yong, Ye Mao would have been half-dead already, after all, a proud and arrogant villain like him couldn’t have a good ending, could he?

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Ye Mao’s heart was racing, as Ye Yong never meant well when he sought him out.

“Why is it so lively at home? What’s the reason?” Ye Yong asked directly, without beating around the bush.

“Don’t you know already? What’s the point of asking me?”

“Don’t waste words, answer me.”

Ye Mao was unsure of Ye Yong’s intentions, so he could only explain the impact of the three families’ alliance on the outside world.

After listening, Ye Yong’s heart was truly shocked, as he had never thought that much about the alliance between families, because in the cultivation novels he read, two families forming an alliance was just a casual mention, and at most, it would be about who had difficulties and who would help, and then they would all work together to achieve their goals.

It could only be said that novels and reality were indeed very different, as in novels, everything revolved around the protagonist, whereas in reality, even if you left the protagonist out, the surrounding things would still operate.

Ye Yong only reacted now. No wonder the steward and Ye Mao had behaved like that when asking questions, they must have thought he already knew everything, and it was all within his expectations.

This was absolutely a further blow from the heavens.

Ye Yong felt a faint pain in his head.

106 As You Wish

“Nothing much, I’ll be going now.” Seeing Ye Yong lost in thought, Ye Mao quickly slipped away, surprisingly, Ye Yong didn’t stop him.

On the way back home, Ye Mao pondered what Ye Yong had really meant just now.

Could it be that he simply wanted to flaunt his achievements?

Ye Mao admitted that Ye Yong had completely surpassed his understanding, accomplishing many things he had never imagined, but wasn’t it a bit excessive to boast so openly? To deliberately divert their grandfather’s attention just to maintain a good image in front of the elders?

Yet, Ye Yong used to have a violent temper, frequently beating servants without a care, never hiding anything in front of his elders—so why hide now? With Ye Yong’s current abilities, even if he were to boast, the elders would certainly side with him to preach and chastise…

Ye Mao felt Ye Yong wouldn’t engage in such meaningless antics. Since his enormous change, every word and action carried depth.

Could it be…

Ye Mao suddenly turned his head; Ye Yong had long since departed.

“Could it be he hopes I learn from him?” Ye Mao stared blankly at the spot where Ye Yong had stood.

Upon reflection, it seemed whenever there was an issue requiring a counterexample, Ye Yong’s first choice was always him. Sometimes Ye Mao even wondered if Ye Yong was deliberately targeting him. But if Ye Yong was truly ‘targeting’ him, could it be in hopes of his betterment?

Otherwise, with so many younger generations in the Ye family, why pick only him, Ye Mao?

Ye Mao believed that Ye Yong would undoubtedly become the family head. The Ye family was vast, and it was impossible for Ye Yong alone to manage it all; he would need assistants, of course, drawn from their cousins. Ye Mao thought he was the most talented among the younger generation after Ye Yong, so it made sense for Ye Yong to seek him out.

Moreover, combining it with Ye Yong’s earlier advice to keep an open mind—turning big matters into small, and small into nothing—he might be hinting that the conflicts between them should fade away; what mattered most for family was unity.

“What a guy, going about it so indirectly.” Ye Mao wiped his nose. “As if you’re the only one growing while I’m stagnant, and you’re secretly worried for me.”

“Hmph, if that’s the case, then as you wish, I’ll begrudge myself a bit and go along with your plan. Starting today, I’ll double my training; I won’t drag the family down…”

Some things, once you stop dwelling on them and admit others are better than you, become clear. Ye Mao resolved that if he couldn’t be the top of the Ye family, he would at least become the second-in-command.

——

Ye Yong could never know how much drama the spirited youth had, and even if he did, he wouldn’t say a word. He never intended to be the family head; it sounded too exhausting. Just look at his old man, seemingly idle, locked away all day, detached from family matters; in truth, all that cultivation and breakthroughs were aimed at securing a stronger presence and greater authority in the future.

Anyway, it’s all the same to him, Ye Yong feels that being this or that is not as carefree as being a leisurely person.

Returning to his own courtyard, Lin Wei was chatting with Qin Shi Meng and others in the living room. He had originally planned to go find her to bid farewell, but didn’t expect her to come first. It’s definitely because of the influence of the three families’ alliance, and she came specifically to advise him.

As expected, Lin Wei called Ye Yong to her side as soon as she saw him, analyzing the current situation: “Yong Er, you want to return to the sect, and I don’t object, but remember one thing: don’t live in the flattery of others. In the past, you showed great talent, making others envious, but this time you are the bridge between the three families’ friendship, involving many interests. Others will not only be envious but also try to curry favor with you, hoping to gain benefits. This is not a problem, but the key is that there will be people who pretend to want to benefit, but actually undermine your judgment and destroy the relationship between the three families. In the end, all the blame will fall on your head.”

“Mother, please rest assured, I won’t blindly believe in rumors.” Ye Yong regretted not reading business novels when he was reading novels, only reading novels that were exciting, which led to many things developing beyond his expectations.

After all, exciting novels only care about being exciting, and don’t care about details. Reality is composed of details, and even building an alliance can bring about so many chain reactions, which really gives him a headache. If he had read more business novels back then, he might be able to list some rules to safeguard his and his allies’ interests, without worrying about outsiders causing trouble.

However, Ye Yong didn’t plan to get involved in these things. His goal was simple: cultivate immortality, pursue the female lead, deal with the dragon and heaven, and live a good life.

“That’s good, I believe in you.” Lin Wei patted Ye Yong’s shoulder and then carefully smoothed out the slight wrinkles on his clothes: “You’re so young, and you can already influence the interests of so many people. I really don’t know what the future will be like…”

“Stop.” Ye Yong knew that the heavens didn’t have good intentions, and instead of having a direct confrontation with the protagonist, they were trying to kill him with flattery. Even Lin Wei was being influenced, starting to “poison” him: “Mother, let’s talk about the future later. For now, I just want to focus on cultivating, and leave the family business to the other elders to handle.”

“That’s right.” Lin Wei nodded in agreement: “But don’t force yourself, just do your best.”

After smoothing out the wrinkles on Ye Yong’s clothes, Lin Wei was about to leave, not wanting to disturb the young people’s gathering. However, Ye Yong asked her to stay for dinner.

Lin Wei wanted to refuse, but Ye Yong said he would be returning to the sect that night and didn’t know when they would meet again. Lin Wei also wanted to spend more time with her child, so she agreed.

In the past, it was always Lin Wei who prepared meals, but today it was Ye Yong’s turn. He planned to cook personally.

Although he didn’t understand cooking, and could only make a simple omelette, he had a system to rely on.