Chapter 2: You Can’t Teach a Dog to Stop Eating Sh*t, But I Can

"Do you feel like eating something now?" The butler asked with his head lowered, sincerely persuading him. "The doctor said you have a mild concussion, and dizziness and nausea are normal. You should eat something light; otherwise, if you don't eat, you won't be able to hold on much longer."

Evan was lying on the bed, wearing a large hospital gown, like a sack draped over a stick. His eyes were a bit red, and he looked at the butler for a long time without saying anything.

Seeing this, Butler John felt a lump in his throat. He comforted Evan, "Don't be upset. Sir and Madam are abroad and don't know about this. Young Master just finished a meeting and is on his way to the hospital. Someone will be here to keep you company soon."

Evan knew exactly how the family viewed the original owner and only nodded, replying softly, "I'm not sad."

"Would you like me to buy something light to eat for you?"

"I have no appetite with this concussion. Just bring me twenty skewers of beef, but don't grill them too well, I won't be able to chew them," Evan said. "And ten skewers of grilled kidneys and a bowl of stir-fried rice noodles. Don't let them put chili in it."

"But, Master Evan—"

"If you could also bring me a can of iced beer, that would be perfect," Evan added, his dark eyes locking onto the butler. "Is that okay, Uncle John?"

"Of course, Young Master."

The butler was quick to act, and within half an hour, the fragrant skewers arrived at Evan's hospital room. A small table was set up in front of him, and he sat up with strength, wiped his hands with a wet towel, and started eating the skewers. The meat was wrapped in foil, and when it arrived, it was still sizzling with oil. Evan devoured a skewer in one bite and handed one to the butler.

He ate like someone who wasn't even sick.

Despite sitting on the bed, not a single drop of oil fell on the sheets. He ate with gusto but remained neat, and Uncle John, watching him, felt a pang of hunger.

The door to the room was knocked twice, and Evan thought it was the nurse coming to change his bandages. He quickly spoke between bites, "Come in."

The person who entered was a tall, well-dressed young man with a handsome appearance. His expression was gentle, and a pair of prescription glasses rested on his nose, the lenses gleaming in the light.

He entered the room, scrunching his nose as he asked, "You're eating something this greasy right after waking up?"

Evan raised an eyebrow.

"Have you caused trouble again?" The young man, Hane Wells, sat down next to Evan and glanced at the greasy stains on the table. His brows furrowed, and the warmth in his eyes faded, replaced by impatience. "I've told you to stop causing trouble. Do you think I have time for this?"

"Sorry."

"Now you're saying sorry? If you really knew you were wrong, you wouldn't keep causing trouble. What exactly happened?"

If he told the truth, wouldn't that mean taking the blame for the original owner? And if Hane found out, Evan might end up being punished again, which would be counterproductive.

Evan clenched the can of beer, sighing heavily, "Mind your own business about the underworld stuff."

Hane's brow twitched, and Evan instinctively shifted back a little. Hane was big, at least 6 feet tall, and if he landed a punch, Evan was pretty sure he wouldn't survive.

"I'm not blind. You've been sticking to that little guy from the Sinclair family for quite some time."

Evan felt his face burn with embarrassment. "You already know?"

"Of course I do. Because of your mess, I can't even show my face in front of Theo," Hane said with a harsh tone. "You're from the Wells family, how could you stoop so low?"

"Now look, Theo knows about it. With his personality, if you really tried to mess with him, he'd probably tear you apart. But he's sparing you because of my face."

"Well, thanks, big brother?"

"Just stop causing trouble, that's enough of a thanks for me!" Hane got up to leave, adding, "This is the last time I'm advising you. If you cause more trouble, I won't be able to protect you anymore."

"I won't do it again!" Evan almost leapt out of bed. "Really, I swear! I've turned over a new leaf."

"Last time you sent a truckload of roses to Yeon, and you said the same thing. And what happened?" Hane's face twisted in disgust. "A dog can't change its nature."

"A dog can't, but I can."

Evan quickly raised three fingers, swearing, "I promise I'll be honest from now on and won't cause you any more trouble. I swear."

Hane didn't respond, standing up to leave. "Soon, Uncle John will take care of your discharge. You better keep your word."

Before leaving, he took a look at the skewers and stir-fried noodles in front of Evan. "Eating greasy food in the hospital? A man who can't control his mouth can't control his other desires either."

Evan: "…"

What kind of logic is that?

"Company's busy lately, so don't make things more complicated for me." Hane waved his hand in a warning gesture.

"Okay, okay, big brother, don't worry!" Evan eagerly saw him out of the room, calling out, "Take care, big brother."

Evan only stayed one night in the hospital. When he saw the long list of bills the doctor gave him, he immediately insisted on going home. The butler had no choice but to agree with the young master's wishes.

The next day, under the bright sun, Evan stepped out of the car with a dark expression, looking at the large villa of the Wells family, pushing down the nausea from motion sickness.

What a family. Even the outside of the villa had a fountain—perfect for raising fish.

Maybe he'd buy two carp to keep in it.

"Is it just me living here?" Evan wandered around the house, his eyes lighting up. "Even if I only stay here for a while, it's worth it!"

[Host, acting like you've never seen the world might make people suspicious.]

Evan almost dropped his wine bottle in surprise. "You really know how to talk."

[Don't act so clueless. It will give you away.]

"Tch."

Evan obediently put the bottle back in place and left the wine cellar, saying, "That bottle of wine was worth over $60,000. Almost broke it. Stay away from high-risk areas like that. If I break one, I can't even pay it back by selling myself."

[They won't make you pay for it.]

"You're out of your mind, system. We're not family. We can't just owe people." Evan sighed, then settled onto the sofa. "I'm already grateful that I get to eat here, but I can't waste their things. By the way, show me the novel and the comments section."

The system responded, and a page quickly appeared on Evan's phone. He flipped through the two most recent chapters and realized that his own story wasn't really the focus.

After all, the protagonists were still Yeon and Senso, and since he hadn't been in front of them recently, he wasn't involved much.

At most, he appeared briefly as a minor character.

Things were looking up. There was barely any mention of him in the comments section, and Evan hoped the readers would forget about him soon so he could live his life in peace.

However…

Evan scrolled back, his brows furrowing when he saw the name "Theo."

Theo, seven years older than Yeon, was the older brother and best friend of Hane Wells. He was the king of competitiveness, ruthless and relentless in everything he did.

From elementary school, Theo could make his friends cry with his competitiveness. At school, he competed in grades, at work, in performance. In his 28 years, he never faced a defeat. He could write an entire thesis on the evolution of competition. While others were busy with early relationships, Theo was learning calculus. When everyone was at the internet café, Theo was learning how to trade stocks.

He was the "perfect child" everyone feared and envied, and even Hane's mother would often sigh, showing off Theo's report card at family gatherings, saying, "Your child is truly amazing."

He was so terrifying that even Senso, the fearless, rebellious type, would tremble when he saw him.

In the original story, Theo was the villain who broke up the couple, claiming they weren't suited for each other and advising Yeon to break up with Senso. Yeon, unable to tolerate his older brother's tyranny, fought back.

And then, he was punished.

With no way to resist.

Theo's methods weren't particularly sophisticated—he just canceled Yeon's credit card when Yeon ran away with his lover.

But it worked, and the opponent's defenses crumbled.

Evan began to suspect that the only way for the original owner to have a happy ending was if Theo was bribed by the author, or else, with Theo's methods, Senso would probably have been fed to the fishes with no one knowing.

Theo was terrifying like that.

And it was Theo who had forced the original owner to leave the city in disgrace.

Evan looked at the latest chapter, his brows furrowing even more.

{"You're in your third year now, can't you handle something this small?" Theo pushed the proposal in front of Yeon. "The amusement park just opened, have you done a market survey? Do you think you'll get a return just by investing in artificial intelligence? How are you promoting it? If one flow of traffic isn't enough, hire more. If that's not enough, rent the space for a few episodes of a variety show to draw people in."

Yeon couldn't even look up, afraid of meeting his gaze. "I put it in the plan."

"There's some merit to it, but it's still too rough," Theo said. "Go learn from Daran Rannon. See how he handles it and then come back to me with what you learned."

"Okay," Yeon replied, looking defeated. "Brother, am I really not cut out for business?"

"Why are you suddenly saying that?"

"Because I can't do anything right. You probably wouldn't hire someone like me as an intern." Yeon looked incredibly dejected, as if all his energy had been drained. "Maybe I'm really not cut out for this."

"If you think you're not cut out for it, who do you expect to take you seriously?" Theo said. "You don't need my approval. Use that time to fix your proposal."

"Got it." Yeon took the folder and was about to leave when Theo stopped him.

"I heard you put Wells younger son in the hospital?"

Yeon didn't want to reveal Senso, so he stiffened and said, "Yes, I did."

"I don't want to interfere, but the Wells family and ours are old friends. If you hurt someone too badly, it won't be right."

"But he—" Yeon started to argue, but Theo continued.

"There are many ways to make people learn their lesson without making it so obvious. You don't need to do it this way, just don't let it get out of hand, understand? Don't make it too harsh, or it will be hard to explain to Hane."

After all, Evan was from the Wells family, and technically, he was Hane's brother. Theo and Hane had grown up together, and their relationship was deep. It wouldn't be good to ruin their friendship over a personal issue.

Theo, without even looking up, calmly continued reading his files, speaking as casually as if he were discussing dinner plans.

"I understand."

Yeon responded.

Evan gritted his teeth and put down his phone, thinking to himself, "I can't mess with them, can't mess with them. It's better to keep my distance."