The appearance of four stunningly beautiful women of different types on the street naturally drew a crowd, creating a spectacular scene.
Ye Tiancheng, along with Fatty and Little Fox, acted like bodyguards, escorting the four beauties and keeping the onlookers at bay.
The onlookers not only focused their attention on the four beauties but also on Ye Tiancheng and the other two who were fortunate enough to be by their side. Their gazes were filled with envy and jealousy, so intense they felt like they could pierce through a person.
Ye Tiancheng and Little Fox were relatively fine. Considering their attire, appearance, and demeanor, many people eventually stopped feeling envious. However, Fatty, who appeared more ordinary and lacked any striking features, bore the brunt of the attention. Most of the envious glares were directed at him.
Despite the pressure on Ye Tiancheng and his companions, the four beauties, engrossed in their shopping, were clearly thrilled.
As Ye Tiancheng and the others accompanied them, they soon had to help carry numerous items. Fortunately, some purchases could be delivered directly, which eased their burden somewhat. As Ye Tiancheng carried the items and glanced back, he inadvertently noticed Fatty's wry smile.
Ye Tiancheng then approached Fatty and asked in a low voice, "Fatty, what's wrong?"
Fatty, hearing Ye Tiancheng address him, replied, "Accompanying four beautiful women shopping, many people consider it a blessing. But I just feel like if they want this blessing, they can have it. The pressure is too much..."
"If I had known, I would have stayed to accompany Ah Ying. These four beauties here have nothing to do with me, yet I feel like I'm about to be pierced to death by the glares from everyone around."
Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but let out a wry smile. "Alas, aren't we all in the same boat? Every glare that hits you is one that would have hit me, and it's the same for Little Fox. We're all in this together, brothers in hardship."
Fatty shook his head and said, "Brother Ye, you and Little Fox are doing a bit better, but it's different for me. They must be thinking, how can someone like me have the right to stand here?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Tiancheng immediately frowned, clearly unable to tolerate it.
He spoke sternly, "Fatty, how can you say that? What kind of relationship do we have as brothers? What makes you unqualified? Besides you, no one else has more right to be here."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng's reaction, Fatty realized his previous words were not well-chosen and quickly amended his statement, "I misspoke. Oh, I just feel that in many aspects, I'm not as good as you and Little Fox, and that's the truth."
"Ah Ying is right. I truly can't compare to you two. When I'm with you, I sometimes can't help much."
Fatty said this and scratched his head in shame.
Ever since Ye Tiancheng resumed collecting fragments of the Fuxi Qin, Fatty had felt rather useless. No matter what, he seemed unable to offer much assistance to Ye Tiancheng, which left him feeling lost and unsure of his direction, as if he were superfluous.
He knew that thinking this way was not good and tried to control it, but sometimes the thoughts would still surface.
After listening to Fatty, Ye Tiancheng's frown deepened instead of easing.
Ye Tiancheng asked Fatty in a deep voice, "Does your wife usually say things like that to you?"
Fatty was slightly taken aback. He quickly realized that Ye Tiancheng might have misunderstood and immediately defended Shao Ying, "No, Brother Ye, Ah Ying says those things without any malicious intent."
"Actually, she says those things to comfort me. I just didn't complete the explanation. She did say that my abilities are inferior to yours and Little Fox's, but it wasn't to discourage me. She just wanted to advise me to do what I can with my abilities and not feel guilty about things I couldn't accomplish despite my best efforts."
Ye Tiancheng's expression turned serious. "I understand. But Fatty, we are brothers, not business partners where we need to constantly calculate gains and losses."
"We help each other. We lend a hand where we can. If we can't do something, our brothers will help each other. There's no such thing as being useless just because you encounter something you're not good at."
"There's no inferiority. In some aspects, we might be better than you, but in others, you might be better than us."
"Furthermore, during the time I was away from home, if you hadn't been there to look after things, I wouldn't have dared to go out with such peace of mind, would I? Fatty, you are very useful, not someone who is not useful."
Ye Tiancheng's primary goal now was to comfort Fatty. Although he felt there was an issue with Shao Ying's words, he hadn't yet told Fatty about the suspicions surrounding Shao Ying, so it was not appropriate to say too much at this point.
On the path of collecting Fuxi Qin fragments, he indeed hadn't asked Fatty for much help on many occasions, simply because Fatty couldn't assist much.
It wasn't just Fatty; many of the matters involved metaphysical aspects, and even Ye Tiancheng himself couldn't play a significant role in many areas. More often than not, he relied on Little Fox for help.
Another reason was that Ye Tiancheng was very worried about implicating Fatty and causing him to encounter misfortune.
Moreover, Ye Tiancheng wasn't entirely unable to bring Fatty along. However, if Fatty stayed behind, Ye Tiancheng could feel more at ease because he absolutely had to personally search for clues related to the Fuxi Qin fragments, but he wasn't alone; he had responsibilities.
If Fatty hadn't been there before, and if Fatty could help him manage the household and protect Hou Mingzhu and Ye Qingcheng, Ye Tiancheng truly wouldn't have dared to be so reckless as to go out with just Little Fox for extended periods without returning.
Sometimes, when matters involve close individuals, even the most resolute person might become hesitant, and Ye Tiancheng was no exception.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng had overlooked that by doing so for so long, it had inadvertently allowed negative emotions and thoughts to fester in Fatty's heart. Fortunately, he discovered it in time, and it was better to clarify what could be clarified sooner.
Ye Tiancheng said to Fatty, "You haven't been able to help much lately simply because many of the events we've encountered are things you're not skilled at. Let alone you, even I am not skilled at them."
"If there's a need for your help in the future, will brothers be polite to you?"
"Besides, Fatty, you are not useless. If you hadn't been there before, I really wouldn't have felt at ease going out to search for Fuxi Qin fragments and leaving Mingzhu and Qingcheng at home. I would have been uneasy even when I was away."
"But the reason I dared to go out was because of you. I had confidence, and that's why I could leave with peace of mind."
Fatty, after being comforted by Ye Tiancheng, felt much better.
When people are feeling down, they tend to get stuck in a rut. He had been stuck in a rut just now, but when Ye Tiancheng brought it up, Fatty easily realized the situation, and his mindset gradually improved.
Thus, Fatty slowly smiled, "Brother Ye, I understand what you mean. I just got stuck in a dead end for a moment. People tend to be like that sometimes, but after hearing what you said, I've gotten out of it. Don't worry, I won't overthink things anymore."
Seeing Fatty's genuinely relieved expression, Ye Tiancheng patted him on the shoulder. "It's good that you've come to understand. If you have any thoughts in the future, what's there to hide between brothers? Just say it directly."
"If you say it directly, we can resolve problems together sooner. Don't keep them bottled up inside, making yourself miserable and not resolving them over time, which isn't good either."
Ye Tiancheng and Fatty both understood the harm in that. Fatty nodded, "I'll remember next time."
Actually, he had felt a little that he was no longer Ye Tiancheng's best brother because Ye Tiancheng didn't like to bring him along as much, and he couldn't chime in on many matters.
Ye Tiancheng seemed closer to Little Fox and didn't doubt Little Fox. Even after Little Fox's identity was exposed, he became an adult, and then suffered amnesia again, Ye Tiancheng could still accept Little Fox.
But now, after Ye Tiancheng's comfort, Fatty understood many things. Little Fox's specialty was something he truly couldn't compete with, and there was nothing for him to argue about.
After all, he genuinely couldn't help Ye Tiancheng in that regard. If he argued with Little Fox about this, wouldn't that be looking for trouble?
Fatty wasn't someone who was overly sentimental. It was just that he had been feeling a bit down lately, and Shao Ying's comfort had only made him more fixated. But now that he understood the key points, he naturally felt much more at ease.
He didn't realize that the changes he had undergone recently were inextricably linked to his lover. After all, having invested his feelings, Fatty naturally trusted his lover immensely.
For anyone else, it would be difficult to directly suspect their long-term lover, with whom they had established a relationship and were planning to marry.
After Ye Tiancheng had finished counseling Fatty, Little Fox walked over and called out to Ye Tiancheng, "Big Brother, what are you two doing back there? Sister-in-law is calling you! If you don't hurry up, you're finished!"
Hearing Little Fox's words, Ye Tiancheng jolted, and Fatty beside him had the same reaction.
Fatty knew he had held Ye Tiancheng back and quickly urged Ye Tiancheng, pushing him to go find Hou Mingzhu. "Oh my goodness, Brother Ye, hurry and go find Sister-in-law! It's all my fault for keeping you back there for so long. If Sister-in-law asks later, just say it's my fault, and don't let Sister-in-law get angry with you!"
Ye Tiancheng felt a bit uneasy, but he still said to Fatty, "You don't need to worry too much about me. Don't overthink it. Your sister-in-law isn't that petty."
After saying this, Ye Tiancheng quickly hurried over to Hou Mingzhu, adjusting his expression and demeanor. Hou Mingzhu had been waiting for him with her arms crossed some distance away.
Seeing Ye Tiancheng finally arrive, Hou Mingzhu's expression was clearly displeased.
She asked, "What were you doing just now? I called you for so long, and you didn't even respond. Little Fox even went to find you. Only then did you come?"
Ye Tiancheng, knowing he was in the wrong, said to Hou Mingzhu, "It was my fault. I didn't pay attention to your situation in time. I apologize, and I'll accept any punishment or scolding!"
Seeing Ye Tiancheng's good attitude in admitting his mistake, Hou Mingzhu's slight anger gradually subsided. Her previous attitude was partly due to her being a young lady, and some of her temper was difficult to completely change, but she was still much better than before.