In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

Xie Yige nodded, signaling them to leave. The four men in black disappeared silently into the night, just as they had come.

"Brother, do you believe me now?" Xie Yige turned to look at him. "I'm serious. Please help me, I really can't do without him." Her eyes quickly filled with tears, which shattered like glass in the moonlight.

Zhou Xuan'an's mind was a bit foggy right now; he hadn't recovered from the shock of the Flowing Shadow Pavilion and the men in black.

"By the way, what did he just say to you?" Xie Yige's eyes were filled with apprehension.

Seeing his sister like this, Zhou Xuan'an couldn't help but sigh: "He said he wants to formally come to propose marriage tomorrow."

"Really?" Xie Yige's broken eyes instantly brightened. "So, did you agree?"

"How could I dare to agree to something so big? I definitely need to ask my parents first." Zhou Xuan'an looked at her helplessly. "Marriage isn't just about the two of you liking each other."

Xie Yige immediately deflated: "Brother, will Father and Mother agree? What if they don't?"

"I've already written back. I'll send it as fast as I can, and I should have news in eight or nine days." Seeing her pitiful look, he added, "Don't look so gloomy. Tomorrow, your brother will treat you to a meal at Wangjiang Tower at great expense."

"Brother, Wangjiang Tower is also owned by our family, why would you need to invite us?" Xie Yige couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Oh, by the way, I'll send you a list of shops later. I suspect our family probably has many other businesses that I don't know about. You can ask Father and Mother about it yourself later."

Zhou Xuan'an opened his mouth, then closed it again, finally managing to squeeze out a sentence: "What exactly is our family background?"

"I don't know either," Xie Yige said honestly. "I only learned about these things after I came to the capital. My parents never mentioned it when we were in Dongli."

Zhou Xuan'an fell silent. He recalled that his father would occasionally leave home for a period of time, saying he was going out to visit friends. Now that he thought about it, there was probably another reason behind those "visiting friends".

On his way back to his dormitory, Zhou Xuan'an felt like he was floating.

Why is their family so powerful yet so low-key?

After Zhou Xuan'an left, Xie Yige sat on the edge of the bed, looking somewhat worried.

"Beep beep?"

"Waaaaah~ Master, you finally contacted me again. I'm so pitiful." The system's beeping voice rang in her mind, filled with unconcealed grievance.

"Do you know about my parents? Don't you have the ability to find out gossip?"

"Don't even mention your parents, I can't even check your husband's information, my permissions don't allow it." Dudu crossed her little arms and snorted as she turned her back to her.

"Why? Didn't I give you a lot of energy?"

"If you overcharge your kiss, the effect won't be as noticeable. You need to advance to the next level." Dudu's voice carried a hint of arrogance.

"What do you mean?"

"My darling has advanced to the next level, don't you understand?" It snorted again.

Xie Yige's face turned red instantly.

This system is a complete rip-off!

Never mind, I'll ask Butler Xie tomorrow and see if I can find out what happened.

The next morning, Xie Yige went to Wangjiang Tower with Zhou Xuan'an.

"Yige, you weren't lying to your brother last night, were you?" Zhou Xuan'an was still uneasy the whole way. He didn't dare let Xie Wanrou come along, afraid of being surprised for nothing.

Xie Yige couldn't sleep well all night yesterday because she was thinking about that person, and she didn't want to talk to him at all.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of Wangjiang Tower.

Xie Yige was about to get up and get out of the car when she suddenly heard a familiar voice. Startled, she immediately reached out to stop Zhou Xuan'an from lifting the car curtain.

"Fifth Prince, this way please."

"Lead the way."

The voice was deep and languid, carrying the composure and arrogance unique to royalty. Footsteps passed by the carriage, fading into the distance.

Once the noise subsided, Xie Yige lowered her voice and said, "Brother, we're not going to Wangjiang Tower today. That man is the Fifth Prince; we'd better avoid running into him." She couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine as she recalled the scene at the Princess's residence.

"Okay, sure." Zhou Xuan'an nodded. He didn't want to get involved with these royal relatives to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Let's go to Linshui Pavilion instead."

"Could that place also belong to our family?" Zhou Xuan'an was already somewhat numb.

"Yes, to be precise, it's mine."

"What do you mean? You opened it yourself?"

Xie Yige felt a little helpless and quietly leaned close to his ear: "It was given to me by Cui Yutang."

Zhou Xuan'an closed his eyes; he was already numb.

When the two arrived at the Linshui Pavilion, Xie Yige was too embarrassed to take Zhou Xuan'an to the private room on the third floor where she and Cui Yutang had stayed, so she went directly to the private room on the second floor overlooking the water.

A six-fold screen partition for ladies combines elegance and privacy without being completely enclosed.

Unexpectedly, the person who came to greet me personally was Yu Niang, who looked dashing in a purple outfit.

She solemnly performed a curtsy.

"My lady, what would you like to eat today? I'll arrange it myself."

As Zhou Xuan'an watched this scene, and then looked at his sister, he suddenly felt that he was becoming less and less familiar with this world.

"Yu Niang, just choose a few of our signature dishes," Xie Yige said with a smile. "This is my brother, so don't be too formal."

Yu Niang bowed to Zhou Xuan'an again before retreating.

Zhou Xuan'an sat by the window, gazing at the shimmering waters of the Qujiang River outside. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Yi Ge, tell me the truth, how many things are there that I don't know?"

Xie Yige tilted her head and thought for a moment, then shook her head at him.

Everything else was fine, but she couldn't tell Cui Yutang about it in detail, because she was afraid her brother's fragile heart couldn't handle so much shock.

Halfway through their meal, Yu Niang suddenly came in from behind the screen and whispered a few words in Xie Yige's ear.

Xie Yige's eyelashes trembled slightly, then she nodded and looked up at Zhou Xuan'an.

"Brother, Yu Niang and I have some things to take care of. You eat first, I'll be back in a bit."

"Okay, be careful." Zhou Xuan'an waved his hand while eating a piece of sea bass.

Xie Yige got up and followed Yu Niang up to the third floor through an inconspicuous hidden door.

Yu Niang stopped in front of a door, opened it for her, and then silently withdrew.

The door had just closed behind her when she was pulled into someone's arms.

The man held her tightly, his face buried in the crook of her neck, his long eyelashes fluttering gently, brushing against her snow-white skin, bringing a tingling sensation.

"Why did you suddenly come here without telling me?" His voice was muffled, with a hint of grievance.

Xie Yige's heart softened instantly. She raised her hand to hug his back and gently patted him.

"Cui Yutang, are you scared?" The voice was sweet and soft.