Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

Back in her dorm that evening, Su Xiao took a shower, lay in bed, and sent a message to Zhao Xin on her phone.

He carefully considered his words and typed a message: "Sister Zhao, don't worry too much about the Shenyuan Group thing we talked about tonight. I've thought about it, and there might still be a chance. We're riding the wave of development right now, and Shenyuan Group might be able to successfully transform itself. Give me some time, and I'll help you figure it out."

After sending the message, he stared at the screen for a while.

Zhao Xin replied quickly, with only a short sentence: "You're so thoughtful, get some rest."

It was followed by a period, but the emotion was unclear.

Su Xiao placed her phone face down next to her pillow, lay on her back, and stared at the bed board above her.

Zhao Xin didn't take his words seriously.

He also knew that she had seen too many people who boasted and made grand promises, let alone a freshman like him who hadn't even settled into Shanghai yet.

But he was serious; if Shenyuan Group collapsed, his distribution channels would be cut off.

He couldn't let it fail. Of course, he also had his own ulterior motives: to get Zhao Xin onto his entrepreneurial journey.

Su Xiao rolled over and began to plan her "second struggle".

The reason was simple: he had to leave a share of the family business for Su Wanning, Xu Niannian, and Wu Mengmeng.

Wu Mengmeng is easy to handle. After she graduates, he will open a media company for her, so that she can release records and take on performances, fulfilling her dream of becoming a star.

Su Wanning and Xu Niannian are in trouble.

There's only one circle, so it's not appropriate to give it to anyone.

If Su Wanning gets the prize, Xu Niannian has to step aside.

If given to Xu Niannian, Su Wanning could lift the roof off.

If the two of them each take half, they'll see each other every day and eventually start fighting.

He sighed deeply as he thought about this.

Earning money to support a family is truly not easy.

But since things have come to this, I should go to sleep first; there are more important things to do tomorrow.

Su Xiao pondered this in her mind, then silently closed her eyes.

……

The next morning, Su Xiao went to Songbin University to find Su Wanning.

Su Wan Ning was brushing her teeth in her dorm when she received his call. Hearing him say "I'll be there in a bit," she rushed downstairs with her mouth full of foam.

She was wearing a white T-shirt with a light blue shirt over it, her ponytail was tied high, and her face was clean and tidy.

Seeing Su Xiao standing under the ginkgo tree at the school gate waving at her, she jogged over, unable to hide her smile.

"Brother, so early."

Su Xiao reached out and wiped away the toothpaste residue from the corner of her mouth: "I made an appointment with Lawyer Li today. He came all the way from Jingcheng to help us with our wedding arrangements."

Su Wan Ning paused, her face flushing red.

She looked down and picked at her fingers, whispering, "Are we really going to do this? But I'm not ready yet..."

Su Xiao tilted her head to look at her: "Didn't you dream of marrying me? Why did you chicken out when it came to actually going through the formalities?"

Su Wanning puffed out her cheeks: "Who's a coward! I just... think it's too fast."

Su Xiao stopped teasing her and simply reached out to pat her head: "Let's go see the lawyer first."

The two met Li Xuan at a quiet coffee shop in the city center.

Li Xuan was still the same as before, wearing a navy blue suit, thin-rimmed glasses, and a briefcase at his feet.

The moment he saw Su Xiao push the door open and walk in, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

Then he regained his professional lawyer composure, but when his gaze fell on the girl next to Su Xiao, he paused for two seconds longer.

Su Wan Ning wasn't dressed up much today, but her delicate features, jet-black high ponytail, and radiant white skin made her stunningly beautiful standing under the dim lights of the coffee shop.

Li Xuan looked away, picked up his coffee, took a sip, and swallowed all the jumbled thoughts in his mind.

In short, it all boils down to four words: human nature.

The three sat down, and Li Xuan opened his briefcase and explained the process to Su Wan Ning step by step.

He explained it in great detail.

First, file a lawsuit in court to terminate the adoption relationship, submitting a death certificate, household registration book, adoption records, and a DNA test to determine if there is no blood relation.

Once the court judgment takes effect and the adoption relationship is terminated, she needs to go to the police station to change her household registration, changing her relationship with her deceased adoptive parents from "daughter" to "non-relatives," before she can go to the civil affairs bureau to register for marriage.

Su Wan Ning listened attentively at first, but when she heard the words "sue your parents," the expectation on her face slowly faded.

She lowered her head, her fingers gently twirling on the coffee cup.

Su Xiao noticed her expression and nudged her with her knee under the table.

Su Wan Ning looked up and said softly, "Brother, I don't want to do it right now. Let's do it later, okay?"

Su Xiao immediately became anxious upon hearing this: "If we don't do it now, it will be even more troublesome later. If we get it done now, we can get our certificates right after graduation, which will save us a lot of trouble."

Su Wan Ning pursed her lips, her voice even softer: "But I want to be on the same household registration as you. If we're on separate registrations, then I'll be different from you."

Su Xiao was stunned for a moment, then leaned closer, both amused and exasperated: "Are you stupid? We're on the same household registration now, as siblings. Even after we get married, we'll still be on the same household registration, right? It'll just change the relationship column from 'sister' to 'wife'."

Su Wan Ning moved her mouth slightly after hearing what he said, but then fell silent.

Li Xuan, holding a cup of coffee beside him, listened to Su Xiao's explanation and twitched the corner of his mouth again.

Having worked as a lawyer for so many years, he'd seen all sorts of cases, but nothing like this one—a brother coaxing his sister to end her adoption so he could marry her…

What hasn't Li Xuan seen? This is something he really hasn't seen.

Su Xiao's words did sound rather shameless.

Li Xuan put down his coffee cup and cleared his throat: "Ms. Su, you don't need to make a decision today. You can go back and think about it first. But the process itself is not complicated. As long as both of you are willing and the materials are complete, it can be completed within a month."

Su Wan Ning lowered her head, her gaze falling on the shallow ring of milk foam in her cup.

On one hand, there's the matter of severing ties with parents and erasing her name from that familiar household register.

On one hand, she was marrying her brother, standing together legitimately.

She thought about it for a long time, but in the end, her hesitation was overcome by her strong desire.

She looked up and nodded gently at Li Xuan: "Okay, I agree."

Li Xuan closed his laptop and put the documents into his briefcase.

The three of them got up. While Su Wan Ning went to the restroom, Su Xiao took an envelope out of her pocket and quietly slipped it into Li Xuan's hand.

The envelope was thick. Li Xuan squeezed its thickness, his eyebrows twitched slightly, but his face didn't show much expression.

He said in a low voice, "Mr. Su, you're too kind."

Su Xiao lowered her voice: "Attorney Li, you've worked hard. Please keep this a secret. I don't want too many people to know about this."

Li Xuan nodded and put the envelope into the inner compartment of his briefcase: "Don't worry. It's better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage."

Su Xiaoqian chuckled. Why did those words sound like an insult to him?

Su Wan Ning returned from the restroom, and the three of them left the coffee shop.

At the door, Li Xuanchong and the others nodded, picked up their briefcases, and left first.

Su Wanning stood on the steps and reached out to take Su Xiao's arm.

She looked up, her eyes no longer showing the embarrassment from before, but only a sense of peace after everything had settled. "Brother, I'm yours from now on. You have to treat me well... no, don't abandon me again."

Su Xiao looked down at her and suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

He didn't say anything, but simply tightened his grip on her hand.

The wind blew from the north, carrying the coolness unique to early autumn. He put her hand into his coat pocket.

Su Wanning leaned against his shoulder and hugged his arm tightly.