Marriage Seduction Addiction

The night was already deep when the black phantom slowly drove into the Yan family mansion.

At this time, the mansion was quiet, but Ji Yan, who was nestled by the window, spotted the car that had driven up to the main building.

Almost instantly, she turned off the light in her room, but remained seated, quietly watching downstairs.

Not knowing what the people inside the car were doing, the driver got out and waited for a while before opening the back door.

Yan Shiyu got out of the car and glanced at the window where she was.

However, Ji Yan was trapped in darkness and was not afraid of being seen by him, so she did not move.

Yan Shiyu quickly withdrew his gaze and walked through the door.

Ji Yan remained frozen in the darkness, hearing faint voices outside, which sounded like Butler Li's voice.

But not long after, the sound disappeared again.

Then, there was a knock on her door.

Ji Yan sat there quietly, staring at the door without moving or responding.

However, not long after, her door was carefully pushed open.

The person peeking in was the housekeeper.

Using the dim light, the aunt first looked at the bed, and after a while, she realized that no one was on the bed. When she finally recognized Ji Yan sitting by the window, she seemed to be startled. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Miss Ji, Mr. Yan just returned and is talking to the old man in his room. He should come to see you after they finish talking. Please wait a moment."

After saying this, the aunt left the room without waiting for her response.

Ji Yan knew that her aunt hadn't said these words willingly.

She has an eccentric personality, and since moving into this house, the aunt has hardly dared to talk to her. It seems that she was pushed over by the housekeeper, Li, just now, which is why she said those words.

Butler Li is Old Master Yan's person, so it's quite obvious that these are also the messages that Old Master Yan wants to convey to her.

Ji Yan hadn't intended to respond, and at this moment, sitting in the room that had once again fallen into darkness, she remained silent.

……

When Yan Shiyu entered Old Master Yan's room, Old Master Yan was taking his medicine.

Various kinds of small pills were placed in the small compartment in front of him, and with the help of the people around him, he ate them one by one.

Yan Shiyu waited until he swallowed the last pill before finally speaking his first words: "Grandpa called me back, is there something you need?"

Grandpa Yan slowly drank the water to calm his nerves, and only after finishing the half-glass of water did he slowly raise his eyes to look at him: "Do you know that Jiang Muchen came to see me today?"

"Is that so?" Yan Shiyu responded indifferently, without giving a clear answer.

Old Master Yan raised his hand, and Butler Li immediately played a recording—

"...Although you've never publicly stated your position, I know all too well what he's done. He's defied you countless times, both openly and secretly. Even though you're the chairman of Yan's Group, he's used special means to practically control all of Yan's shareholders and senior management... Which of those senior executives is worth investigating? After being intimidated like this, which one wouldn't listen to him? He's fundamentally controlled Yan's Group, effectively sidelining you. It won't be so easy for you to kick him out now, unless you cooperate with me..."

Yan Shiyu listened calmly, then curled the corners of his lips and said, "That is indeed a method. Grandpa, won't you consider it?"

Old Master Yan waved for Butler Li to leave first, then looked at Yan Shiyu and said, "He made these conditions because he hates you to the extreme, and he thinks I hate you to the extreme too. But that's a miscalculation on his part. After all, you're someone I personally trained, and I still hope you can understand my good intentions and turn back in time. Haven't you always wanted to destroy the Jiang family? Now that Jiang Muchen has offered an olive branch, this is an excellent opportunity. As long as I agree, you can have this opportunity. Aren't you really going to consider it?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shiyu remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Grandpa has always been a man of perfect planning, so your proposal is certainly worth considering."

"Did you agree?"

Yan Shiyu stood up, buttoning his suit jacket as he said, "Don't worry, I will definitely consider your suggestion carefully."

After saying that, he turned around and, without looking at Old Master Yan again, prepared to leave.

Old Master Yan's gaze turned cold the moment Yan Shiyu turned away, but he didn't say anything. Only when Yan Shiyu opened the door did he speak slowly again: "Your sister was just discharged from the hospital, and you were gone for several days. Now that you're finally back, you should go see her. How can there be any grudges between siblings? You've been estranged for so many years, do you want to continue to be estranged?"

After listening, Yan Shiyu neither lingered nor responded, and simply closed the door and left.

Old Master Yan's face darkened, and he sat quietly in his chair waiting.

A short while later, Butler Li pushed open the door and came in. "He didn't go to see Miss Ji; he just left."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Yan seemed somewhat surprised, "You don't have any intention of going to see her at all?"

"Yes," said Butler Li, "without hesitation or pause."

After hearing this, Old Master Yan remained silent for a moment, leaning back in his seat and falling into deep thought.

What exactly is this successor, whom he personally trained but who has completely broken free from his control, planning?
……

Yan Shiyu returned to Yujing Bay after midnight.

Tang Xu was nestled on the sofa waiting for him. She had already dozed off, but the sound of the door opening and closing jolted her awake. She looked up at the doorway.

Yan Shiyu changed his shoes and walked in. Tang Xu's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, but she didn't notice anything unusual. Then she smiled and said, "You're back."

Yan Shiyu stepped forward and picked her up from the sofa. "Why don't you go back to your room to rest if you're sleepy? You're sleeping on the sofa again, and then you'll complain about backaches and pains."

Tang Xu couldn't help but meet his gaze.

She did complain of back pain, but that wasn't caused by sleeping on the sofa!

The culprit carried her into the room and placed her on the bed, but Tang Xu didn't let him leave. Instead, she inquired about Ji Yan: "Have you gone back to see her? How is she recovering? Is she in good condition? Does she look well?"

She was filled with concern, but she couldn't see it with her own eyes. She wished he could tell her everything in detail, just like Lu Xingyan did.

However, Yan Shiyu's mood never seemed to be as high as Lu Xingyan's. Hearing her series of questions, she simply said, "Once you leave the hospital, your complexion will definitely improve. Recovery is only a matter of time. Don't worry."

Tang Xu was already used to his answer, but looking at his unusually stable emotions, she could guess what was going on. "She's still not very willing to talk to you, is she? It's okay. I have a feeling that as her leg gets better little by little, her overall condition will gradually improve—and then, everything will be alright."

Looking at her serious expression, Yan Shiyu then said, "Then can you try to sense when that day will come?"

Tang Xu took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to try to feel it.

Yan Shiyu watched her performance quietly with a faint smile on his lips, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

Finally, Tang Xu opened her eyes, her gaze filled with sincerity as she answered him: "The answer is... soon!"

"Is it accurate?" Yan Shiyu continued to ask.

"No money if you don't agree!" Tang Xu said.

Yan Shiyu finally chuckled and said, "Then it seems I'm definitely going to pay this money."

Tang Xu couldn't help but laugh. After looking at him for a moment, she reached out and hugged him again, saying, "That's life. No matter what happens, it will eventually pass quickly, so you must always be happy."

Yan Shiyu responded softly, "Mm."

……

Tang Xu genuinely believed that Yan Shiyu had gone back to see Ji Yan that night, which was why she said those words to him to comfort him.

However, it wasn't until the next morning, when she received a call from Lu Xingyan on the way, that she learned that Yan Shiyu hadn't met with Ji Yan when she returned to the Yan family the day before.

They didn't even try to meet him.

Tang Xu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. "Are you sure?"

“Of course I’m sure!” Lu Xingyan answered almost decisively. “Did he tell you he went back to see her? He’s Yan Shiyu, he wouldn’t lie about such a trivial matter, would he?”

Tang Xu carefully recalled their conversation yesterday—Yan Shiyu had never directly mentioned that he had met Ji Yan. Even when she asked about Ji Yan's condition, he only gave a vague answer. Now that she thought about it, it was because he hadn't met her that he gave such a vague answer.

He returned to the Yan family but didn't see Ji Yan, indicating he only met with Old Master Yan. Was the reason he didn't see Ji Yan because meeting Old Master Yan affected his mood, or... did he never intend to see Ji Yan in the first place?
Could he really let go of this younger sister, the most important person in his life, so calmly?

Meanwhile, Lu Xingyan, sitting in the hotel restaurant, hung up the call with Tang Xu and then dialed Yan Shiyu's number.

The person who answered the phone was Gao Yan again, and he gave the same official reply as yesterday, saying that Yan Shiyu was in a meeting and would call him back later.

Lu Xingyan sneered and hung up the phone immediately.

Just as I put down my phone, my gaze inadvertently drifted to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the restaurant, and I suddenly saw Ji Yan being pushed in this direction by a caregiver.

Lu Xingyan stiffened for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

Ji Yan only has a few favorite breakfast restaurants, and he has already figured them out by heart, so even though she doesn't always know where she goes, he always has a chance to run into her.

But if these chance encounters happen too often, Ji Yan might rebel at times, and when she's in a bad mood, she'll turn around and walk away as soon as she sees him from afar.

Lu Xingyan was sitting by the window, and he was quite conspicuous. Ji Yan would definitely see him if she just glanced in his direction.

But she seemed not to see him, or perhaps she saw him but pretended he didn't exist. After entering the restaurant, she sat down at the window furthest from Lu Xingyan.

Lu Xingyan hadn't seen her for two days, so naturally he wasn't unmoved. Seeing her settled down at the dining table, he immediately got up, walked to the coffee machine, talked to the staff, made himself a fresh cup of coffee, and went directly to Ji Yan's dining table.

"The coffee is good today, you should like it." Lu Xingyan said as she placed the coffee in front of Ji Yan.

Ji Yan looked down at the breakfast menu she was already familiar with, without raising her head when she heard the words. Only after she finally selected a set meal and told the waiter next to her did she put away the menu and look up at the man who sat down directly opposite her.

"You really have a lot of free time," Ji Yan said.

For Lu Xingyan, the fact that she was willing to speak up was a good sign no matter what.

Lu Xingyan smiled and said, "Some people and some things are worth the time."

"Really?" Ji Yan's expression didn't change, but she surprisingly responded to his question, "Don't you get annoyed?"

Lu Xingyan said, "If you had experienced the days and nights I went through, you would know that no matter how many things happened, there was no such thing as being bored."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan suddenly laughed, but her expression was full of contempt and disdain. "That sounds really nice."

Lu Xingyan roughly guessed where her sarcastic mood came from, so she wasn't angry. She simply said, "A lifetime is a long time. If it can't be determined in the short term, time will prove everything."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan did not respond further.

Just then, the waiter brought her food. She lowered her head and ate quietly, ignoring Lu Xingyan's attempts to start conversations.

She finished her breakfast in silence, quickly tidied herself up, called the caregiver who brought her there, and prepared to leave.

Seeing this, Lu Xingyan finally spoke up: "Kimi misses you a lot, but it just had surgery and can't go out for two days. Why don't you go see it? It will definitely be happy to see you."

Ji Yan refused him directly: "I'm sorry, I have other things to do."

After she finished speaking, the caregiver who was waiting nearby came forward and pushed her wheelchair out.

Lu Xingyan did not insist.

He knew that if she was unwilling, no amount of persuasion would be of any use and would only make her more resentful, so he could only let her have her way.

He sat there, quietly watching her figure disappear into the distance.

However, when the wheelchair reached the restaurant entrance, it suddenly stopped. Ji Yan turned her head and said something to the caregiver beside her. The caregiver nodded, parked her wheelchair, and then suddenly turned around and walked back this way.

Lu Xingyan initially thought she had forgotten something and was looking for it on the table when he suddenly heard the caregiver come up and ask, "Mr. Lu, Miss Ji asked me to ask you how Kimi is doing after his surgery?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingyan's lips curled up uncontrollably.

Then, he got up and walked towards Ji Yan, who was standing at the door. He slowly squatted down in front of her wheelchair and said in a low voice, "Its condition is neither good nor bad... but if it can see you, it will definitely be much better."

Ji Yan stared at him quietly, and after listening to what he said, her face remained expressionless, without uttering a single word of rebuttal.

……

In the end, Ji Yan followed Lu Xingyan to Qiushuitai once again.

Since moving away, she has never come back here, and naturally she has never set foot in Yan Shiyu's house again.

Coming here, I can't help but think about that house and wonder what it's like now.

After she moved out, did Tang Xu ever move back in?

Perhaps not.

After all, the two of them have already bought a new home. With a new home, what do they need this place for?

After these thoughts arose in her mind, Ji Yan looked at Lu Xingyan again with a more complicated expression.

Lu Xingyan sensed something, stopped, and squatted down to ask her, "What's wrong?"

Ji Yan didn't say anything, but still followed him upstairs.

Kimi's minor surgery didn't have a big impact. It was just for safety reasons that it had to stay at home for observation. It could still run and jump, and it was indeed very excited when it saw Ji Yan.

Ji Yan was actually worried that its jumping around would affect the wound, but Lu Xingyan said, "It's okay, the doctor said it can move around normally."

Ji Yanzi observed carefully before she felt relieved and started playing with Kimi.

Seeing Kimi's high spirits, and remembering how it had been alone at home before, Ji Yan couldn't help but say, "You're always out and about, aren't you afraid it'll be lonely by itself?"

What is said is unintentional, but the listener is intentional.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingyan remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Loneliness is indeed not a comfortable experience. But only by experiencing loneliness can one know the beauty of having someone by one's side. Temporary loneliness is also for the sake of being able to experience this beauty in the future, isn't it?"

Ji Yan sensed the implication in his words, glanced at him, and remained silent for a while before focusing on playing with Kimi.

Lu Xingyan sat beside them, comfortably watching the man and dog play together, occasionally joining in the interaction. It was a rare and harmonious time that he had always longed for.

If things go smoothly and as desired, will such wonderful experiences become the norm in the future?
only……

Lu Xingyan inevitably thought of Yan Shiyu.

Can this really become the norm?

In a flash, Lu Xingyan seemed to understand Yan Shiyu's intention.

Although he didn't know how to get along with this younger sister, he still understood her in the end—

Who is not afraid of loneliness?
The reason she felt so much resentment and injustice when facing him was because she had been "abandoned" by him once.

When this feeling returns, it will only be more painful.

In extreme pain, people will instinctively try to survive.

Yan Shiyu gave him this opportunity.

Realizing this, Lu Xingyan was momentarily dazed. When she came back to her senses and looked at the scene before her, although her expression did not change, she couldn't help but sigh softly in her heart.

If things in life are ultimately difficult to achieve both, then choosing an outcome that benefits the majority is probably the best choice.

Even so, there will still be regrets.

But what other options are there? (End of Chapter)