TNIBFT -Chapter 21 The Male Lead Appears Early

It was Ye Tian!

Ye Shuangxue instantly calmed down, her whole body going rigid on the spot. Fear surged in her heart to the extreme, and she didn’t dare turn around to look behind her.

Thud… thud…

The sound of footsteps drew closer and closer. Ye Shuangxue lowered her head, not knowing what to do.

“Look at that filthy appearance…”

“It must be him. He’s the one who’s ruined the children. A person like that doesn’t deserve to be a father!”

“He must’ve instigated the child to steal. This isn’t the first time…”

“Scum!”

Voices full of contempt rose one after another.

Ye Tian ignored them all. Seeing Ye Shuangxue’s thin and frail back, he immediately felt relieved—thank goodness the child was safe. His gaze swept over her and he noticed her two red, bare feet standing in the snow.

Had her shoes been taken?

A surge of anger rushed to his head. He put Xiao Jiang down and in a few quick strides reached behind Ye Shuangxue, grabbing her shoulders.

“Your—”

Before he could finish speaking—

He saw that his daughter’s small face was swollen badly. Ye Tian’s pupils shrank abruptly, and a sharp pain stabbed through his heart.

Ye Shuangxue shook off Ye Tian’s hands. Her big eyes stared at him stubbornly as she shouted,

“I didn’t do it!”

“I didn’t steal anything!”

“Even if you beat me to death, I won’t admit it!”

Looking at his daughter’s swollen face, the torn marks on her clothes, and hearing the vicious words from the surrounding crowd, Ye Tian’s anger surged like a storm.

How could these people bring themselves to treat a five-year-old child like this?

Just as Ye Tian was about to explode—

Someone behind him suddenly provoked, “Ye Tian, you’re really something, raising such a ‘good’ daughter. We pitied her and let her come help watch the children at our house, even gave her food every day. And now she steals my family heirloom. Ye Tian, are you really saying you don’t know about this?”

Ye Tian turned around.

He saw an old man with graying hair tied in a bun, his heavy eye bags drooping as he squinted at him.

His gaze was filled with contempt and suspicion.

Beside him stood a young man dressed in a long white cotton robe. He looked refined and elegant, like a noble gentleman. Every movement carried a natural aura that made it hard to look away.

When Ye Tian looked over, the young man—Shen Jie—also sized him up before speaking indifferently,

“Ye Tian, we won’t make things difficult for you. As long as Ye Shuangxue admits her mistake and is willing to change, we’ll let this matter go.”

The words sounded generous.

Ye Tian lowered his head and let out a cold laugh.

“Who hit my daughter’s face?”

“And who took off her shoes?”

The crowd, ready to watch a show, was stunned.

Something was off about Ye Tian’s reaction.

The old Ye Tian, upon hearing such words, would have flown into a rage out of humiliation and beaten Ye Shuangxue bloody in front of everyone. Since when did he start caring about his daughter?

Shen Jie’s expression stiffened, but he quickly recovered and continued, “If the item was really sold by you, I, Shen Jie, won’t pursue the matter. What I want is your attitude. Ye Tian, don’t be unreasonable.”

Shen Jie?

Ye Tian’s mind buzzed as he stared motionlessly at the white-robed youth before him.

The protagonist of this novel—Shen Jie. The chosen son of fate. The man who would eventually rise by stepping on the three children, leveling up while gathering followers, building a harem, blessed with absurd luck—women would willingly throw themselves at him.

And now… he had appeared this early.

Seeing Ye Tian’s reaction, Ye Shuangxue had already guessed her fate. She stood there blankly, as if all life had drained from her.

Xiao Jiang squatted on the ground, covering his sister’s feet with his small hands, saying softly with heartache,

“Big sister isn’t cold.”

“Xiao Jiang will warm your feet.”

Seeing that Ye Tian didn’t respond, Shen Jie smiled confidently, as if everything was under his control. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Ye Tian suddenly moved. In a few quick steps, he rushed in front of Shen Jie and grabbed him by the throat with both hands.

“Causing trouble for no reason?”

“Ah—!”

“Ye Tian, what are you doing?!”

“Let go of my grandson!”

No one expected this kind of reaction from Ye Tian. Even Ye Shuangxue and her siblings were stunned—what was he trying to do?

At that moment, Ye Tian looked disheveled. His long hair had frozen into icy strands hanging from his head, and combined with his bruised and swollen face, he looked like a madman. Gripping Shen Jie’s neck tightly, he shot a sharp glare at the crowd rushing forward.

“Get lost!”

“All of you, get lost. If anyone takes one more step, I’ll kill him right now!”

His expression was ferocious, his hands tightening. Shen Jie’s eyes rolled back as he struggled to breathe.

Seeing everyone step back, Ye Tian sneered. “I hate people like you the most—fake and pretentious. Shen Jie, it’d be a waste if you didn’t become an actor. Putting on such an act… aren’t you tired?”

“I’ve found you annoying for a long time, you piece of trash!”

After saying that, Ye Tian freed one hand and slapped Shen Jie hard across the face. The blow made stars explode in Shen Jie’s vision. He was completely bewildered—Ye Tian had disliked him for a long time? Where did that come from? This was their first time meeting.

Shen Jie said, “Let go first. Is there some kind of misunderstanding?”

“Misunderstanding?”

Ye Tian sneered coldly. “Misunderstanding my ass. Were you the one who hit my daughter’s face?”

Slap! Another loud strike sent Shen Jie reeling.

The village chief and Aunt Zhao, looking anxious, tried to rush forward, but Ye Tian glared fiercely. “A bunch of bastards. You accuse my daughter of stealing—where’s your evidence? If you can’t produce any today, I’ll make you regret it.”

“Ye Tian! In the entire Mingfeng Village, who else but you would do something like this? These past few days, only your daughter has been at my house, and today she suddenly wore new shoes. Sneaking around early in the morning—if that’s not evidence, what is?” The village chief trembled with anger.

The surrounding villagers also began to speak up for Shen Jie.

“Ye Tian, don’t bite the hand that feeds you!”

“Shen Jie isn’t even pursuing the matter, yet you repay kindness with hostility—are you even human?”

“We’ve watched Shen Jie grow up. As for Ye Shuangxue and her siblings… those three don’t look like good kids at all.”

“Someone like Ye Tian deserves to starve to death…”

The crowd was filled with indignation.

Ye Tian sneered and looked at the village chief. “So wearing new shoes means she stole from you? Old fool, how big is your ego? Does that mean whenever someone gets rich, they must’ve stolen from your house?”

Seeing his daughter Shuangxue’s swollen, red face, Ye Tian’s anger couldn’t be suppressed. He cursed loudly, yet it still didn’t feel like enough.

The village chief trembled with rage, his lips turning pale. Having served as the village chief of Mingfeng Village for over a decade, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

And from someone like Ye Tian—a hopeless, good-for-nothing rogue.

“Nothing to say, huh?”

Ye Tian’s questioning gaze swept over the crowd. Slap! He struck Shen Jie again.

Shen Jie’s soft lips split open instantly, fresh blood flowing out. The crowd felt another wave of distress for him.

Looking at them, Ye Tian said mockingly, “Feeling sorry for him now? You all think Shen Jie is a perfect saint, don’t you? But if you knew that the missing undergarments of your wives are all stored in a wooden chest in his room… would you still defend him like this?”

“And your daughter-in-law’s. And your daughter’s too.”

Ye Tian’s expression was full of ridicule. The crowd was dumbfounded. Shen Jie panicked—how did Ye Tian know his secret?

The village chief and his wife immediately started cursing at Ye Tian. “You’re talking nonsense—”

Before they could finish, Ye Tian cut them off.

“Shen Jie isn’t even from the Shen family—do you think he doesn’t know that?”