The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

Ruochen had just sat next to the girl, serving food with serving chopsticks, adding tea and water, his gaze occasionally falling on her face with a focus he had never seen in his younger brother's eyes.

He knows his younger brother too well.

Lin Ruochen has been proud and aloof since childhood, and has always kept his distance from women.

He prefers to be alone, and his only companions are books, pens, ink, paper, and inkstones; he lives like an ascetic.

But today is so unusual.

As Lin Ruoting listened to the cheerful laughter of the two elders in the back seat, other thoughts popped into his mind.

His fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel.

—Ruochen and that girl are nominally "elder" and "junior".

But Ruochen's eyes, his movements, his subtle probing and approach—how could he possibly look like an elder looking at a junior?

In the future, when my sister and Shen Xiaoming get their marriage certificate, that little girl will be Ruochen's rightful niece.

This relationship, once established, becomes an insurmountable chasm, allowing no room for transgression.

But if...

Lin Ruoting abruptly cut off the thought, her brow furrowing deeply.

"Ruoting," Grandma Lin suddenly leaned forward and asked, "what do you think of Youyou?"

Lin Ruoting snapped out of her thoughts and gave a polite smile: "Very good, Mom. My sister has good taste, and Shen Xiaoming is lucky."

"Right, right!" Grandma Lin shrank back into the back seat, continuing to dream about the future with her husband, "Once they get married, we'll have them come over for dinner on weekends, the whole family will be together, having a lively time..."

Lin Ruoting gazed at the endless night before him and slowly exhaled.

Hopefully, he's just overthinking it.

The car stopped at the red light. Lin Ruoting looked at the flowing lights outside the window, and the smile on her lips gradually faded.

—In the future, let's not mess up the generational order.

When I got home, the living room was lit with a warm yellow light.

Shen Xiaoming sat down on the sofa, loosened his tie, and suddenly said, "Youyou, Dad has something to tell you."

Shen Ci looked up at the sound: "Dad, please speak."

"Your Aunt Lin and I... will be getting our marriage certificate soon." He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Her family will be hosting a banquet to invite some relatives and friends. Your Aunt Lin hopes you can attend."

Shen Ci nodded, her voice clear and sincere: "Then your daughter sends her blessings to Father and Aunt Lin in advance."

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the fine lines at the corners of her father's eyes: "This is an important moment for Dad. Even if it weren't the weekend, I would have taken the day off to attend."

Shen Xiaoming was stunned.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

The light fell on his hair, making the newly added white hairs look like dazzling silver threads.

He stared at his daughter for a long time, his eyes filled with a mixture of inquiry and disbelief.

"Youyou..." He hesitated for a moment, his voice a little hoarse, "Have you... encountered something lately?"

Shen Ci was slightly taken aback: "Dad?"

"You've suddenly become so sensible..." Mr. Shen tugged at the corners of his mouth, his smile carrying a hint of self-deprecation and a touch of bewilderment. "I'm almost not used to it."

He recalled that in the past, every time Ruojin was mentioned, his daughter would either slam the door and leave or make sarcastic remarks.

The worst time she caused a scene, she overturned the entire table of food.

But tonight, she could even wear the dress Ruojin bought for her to the dinner party, patiently and politely showing respect to the elders and giving him and Ruojin plenty of face.

The change was so drastic that it made him uneasy.

Shen Ci lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently tracing the dark bamboo pattern on the hem of her skirt.

"Dad," she said softly, her voice like a warm spring, "I'm an adult now, it's time for me to grow up."

She raised her eyes, her gaze clear and firm: "Over the years, Dad has taken care of my life and my studies, and he's also been busy with his business. But you yourself have no one to take care of you."

"I hope," she continued, her voice soft but each word clear, "that there is someone who truly loves Dad and can stay with you for the rest of your life."

"Now I can see that Aunt Lin is truly devoted to you, so I'm relieved."

"My dad deserves to be loved."

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Hearing his daughter's sincere voice, Shen Xiaoming's eyes suddenly reddened.

He hurriedly turned his face away, pretending to tidy up the remote control and tissue box on the coffee table. His voice was muffled, with a barely perceptible sob: "We ate a mixed meal tonight... Dad will make you some lemon water to cut through the grease."

When he stood up, his back was to his daughter, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

Shen Ci watched her father's slightly hurried departure, nodded obediently, and said softly, "Okay, thank you, Dad."

Back in her bedroom that evening, Shen Ci placed her backpack on her desk. As her fingertips touched the side pocket of the backpack, she suddenly paused.

--cell phone.

She remembered that before eating, she had silenced her phone, put it in her backpack, and hadn't looked at it for several hours.

As she took it out, the moment the screen lit up, the red dot indicating unread messages made her eyelids twitch.

They were all sent by Jiang Duo.

The first point, around 6:00 AM, is right at the beginning of dinner time:

"Where."

There was no reply for two hours.

The second item, around 8 o'clock, contains the two words "chilly".

"very good."

Shen Ci stared at those two words, her fingertips tightening slightly.

In order to provide that so-called "emotional value," she sends Jiang Duo a WeChat message every noon and evening these past few days.

Most of them are photos of meals.

Jiang Duo seemed to accept this frequency, occasionally replying with an "um" or simply not replying at all, without saying anything more.

Unexpectedly, he was even more conservative than she was.

Just one instance of not "reporting" on time, and this happened.

Shen Ci sat in the chair, his finger hovering over the screen for a long time, carefully considering his words.

Finally, she slowly typed: "I had lunch with my family this afternoon, and I left my phone in the car."

send.

The screen displayed "Typing..." and paused for a moment.

Then, a location was sent, followed by the message: "A car will pick you up at 11:00 AM tomorrow."

Shen Ci looked at that spot, her brows furrowing slightly.

She typed carefully: "I want to stay home and pack my clothes tomorrow, can I not go?"

The other side remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, three words, light as a feather, yet carrying an undeniable weight—

What do you think?

Shen Ci stared at those three words and suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.

She knew she couldn't refuse.

"Okay," she replied. "I'll just take a taxi there myself tomorrow."

After sending the message, she placed her phone on the table, gazed at the faint spots of light on the ceiling, and gently exhaled.

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Duo leaned back on the leather sofa in the private room of the club, a glass of whiskey between his fingers, the amber liquid slowly flowing on the glass.

He stared at the phrase "having dinner with family" on the screen, his eyes darkening inch by inch.

--family?

A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips, a smile that didn't reach his eyes, carrying a chilling undertone.

What kind of family are Lin Ruochen and her?

Jiang Duo slammed his wine glass down on the coffee table, the glass striking the marble with a sharp, jarring sound. Xie Shuheng and Yin Kuo, standing beside him, both flinched and exchanged bewildered glances.

"Brother Duo..." Yin Kuo asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Duo did not answer.

He lowered his eyes, looking at the words on the screen, his fingertips slowly rubbing the edge, as if trying to rub the glass until it caught fire.

After a long pause, he suddenly chuckled softly, a chuckle as light as a sigh, yet carrying a chilling, sinister undertone.

"Little liar."

He slowly uttered those three words, his voice so soft that only he could hear them.