The engagement was with the younger brother, but I've fallen for the older brother.

The disappearance of Si Ningyou barely caused a ripple.

He Nanxian told others that she went to Paris to attend a fashion show, and Zhou Wanqing didn't bother to ask any questions.

The Si family had long since lost contact, and no one was going to verify their whereabouts.

Si Yimian had no time to care about this matter.

Her wedding preparations were very rushed.

He Sichen had taken on all the major tasks, such as the venue and banquet process, a year ago, but no one could do the detailed work, like trying on wedding dresses, makeup, and bridesmaid dresses, for her.

The main wedding dress alone went through three revisions, and the tailor was so driven to the point that she almost resigned.

Bachelor's Day is scheduled for the day before the wedding.

The location was a newly opened private club in Sanlitun, where He Sichen's friends and Si Yimian's friends had booked the entire floor together.

Si Yimian arrived at almost ten o'clock.

The makeup artist tried four different looks on her in the afternoon before letting her go, and Huo Siyue had already made eight phone calls to urge her to leave.

The elevator doors opened, and she stopped in her tracks just as she turned the corner of the corridor.

He Nanxian stood against the wall, a cigarette between his fingers, which he rubbed and turned, the filter tip already wrinkled.

He had lost a lot of weight, and his suit hung on his shoulder as if it were borrowed.

"Mianmian".

Si Yimian stopped and looked up at him.

"Waiting for me?"

"Um."

He Nanxian threw the cigarette into the trash can and stood up straight.

"Let's chat for a bit, it won't take long."

Si Yimian glanced at the direction of the private room, then turned back.

"A few minutes?"

"Ten minutes."

She tilted her chin towards the adjacent terrace and walked over first.

The July night breeze carried the neon lights from downstairs up.

Several wrought iron tables and chairs were placed on the terrace, but no one sat on them, and the ashtrays were filled with rainwater from before.

He Nanxian followed her out and stopped an arm's length away from her.

This distance is neither too far nor too far.

Si Yimian leaned against the railing, waiting for him to speak.

"You're not the same Mianmian as before, are you?"

Si Yimian's heart skipped a beat, and she glanced at him sideways.

The visitor is not good.

She tilted her head and began to play dumb.

"Brother Nanxian, are you drunk?"

I didn't drink tonight.

He turned halfway to face her, his gaze pressing down on her without flinching.

"You and she are not the same person."

Upon hearing this, Si Yimian's pupils dilated slightly, and a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes.

This direct confrontation felt like a bolt of lightning striking her, sending chills down her spine.

What's wrong with this person?

Has it awakened? This side quest wasn't mentioned in the book!

Two years after transmigrating into the book, the first person to test her with the original questions was actually him.

Now that he's gotten straight to the point, there's no need to continue the act.

How did you know?

This statement is tantamount to an admission.

He Nanxian replied calmly, "A month ago, He Sichen enlightened me."

He said your soul is not the same as before.

Si Yimian was even more confused.

He Sichen?

Did he find out?

When did you find out?

Why haven't I heard him mention it before?

She thought that after two years in the book, her acting skills had been honed to the level of an Oscar nominee.

As a result, she was probably always running around naked in front of He Sichen.

How many things does this man still not know about her?

Si Yimian hadn't fully processed what was happening when she heard He Nanxian continue.

"I went back and had a dream, a dream about everything."

He paused for a moment, his voice lowering slightly.

"I dreamt of Mianmian from before, and I saw her jumping down."

Si Yimian listened to him finish speaking, but did not ask for details, and her face did not show any sympathy.

She shifted her gaze from his face to the lights of the buildings in the distance.

"So what did you come to see me about tonight to confirm?"

He Nanxian remained silent for a while.

His Adam's apple bobbed slowly, as if swallowing all the superfluous words, leaving only the most essential sentence.

Did she leave any message before she disappeared?

Si Yimian turned to look at him; his eyes reflected the city lights, fragmented and devoid of warmth.

She remembered dreaming about the original owner's baby, and that the baby had indeed said something.

"have."

He Nanxian's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but tense up.

Si Yimian pondered for a while and decided to return the sentence to him verbatim.

She said never forgive everyone on her behalf.

She paused, then added.

"Especially you, He Nanxian."

He Nanxian's heart was gripped by those words.

He stood there, his pupils unfocused, the whole world plunging into a blank.

He regretted it from the day she got together with He Sichen.

I regret not cherishing her back then, I regret pushing her away, and I regret making her wait for eight years.

He thought this was the limit of his suffering.

Now he realizes that none of that mattered.

The real pain is when the person you owe something to is no longer there, and you don't even have the chance to make it up to them.

He couldn't even find someone to receive his apology.

Moreover, before she left, she confiscated his right to apologize.

That girl loved him with all her might, and in the end, she let him know with one sentence that she left cleanly, owing no one and forgiving no one.

He Nanxian's lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.

He asked one last question: "Does she hate me?"

She doesn't hate anyone.

Si Yimian corrected him, her voice flat and even.

"She doesn't invest that much emotion in you; she just doesn't want you to be forgiven."

These two things are very different.

Si Yimian watched his bent-over figure, said nothing more, and turned to walk straight towards the bustling area.

She had already relayed the message to the girl who was no longer there, and she had nothing more to say to He Nanxian.

……

The Singles' Night is already heating up.

The private room was dimly lit, and the LED screen behind the bar was displaying messages of blessing.

Huo Siyue was gesturing to Su Ruan while holding a champagne glass when she saw Si Yimian push the door open and jumped up from the sofa.

"Mianbao! You're finally here! Hurry, hurry, we've been waiting for you!"

Si Yimian was dragged inside by her arm, glancing around out of the corner of her eye.

Su Ruan leaned on Yan Tingnan's shoulder, a bag of opened gummies spread on her knees, and was putting one into his mouth.

Yan Tingnan bent down to catch it and then kissed her fingertip.

Lin Yiyao was held in Lu Zhuo's arms, his chin resting on the top of her head.

Wen Jinxiao occupied the entire single sofa by himself, with his legs propped up on the armrests and a cigarette dangling from his lips.

He Sichen sat at the innermost seat, his shirt cuffs rolled up twice, his wrists resting on his knees, his fingers hanging loosely.

Hearing the noise, his gaze swept over the people in the room and landed on her face.

He didn't say anything, but a suggestive smile appeared on his lips.

Si Yimian's heart rate immediately spiked.

When did this person learn to greet others with their eyes?

Wen Jinxiao turned his head following He Sichen's gaze, saw Si Yimian, and immediately put his legs down from the armrest.

"Oh, the bride has arrived."

He took the cigarette from his mouth and tossed it into the ashtray.

"Perfect timing, Mianmian, come over here and be the judge."

Si Yimian looked completely bewildered: "What are you evaluating?"

Wen Jinxiao slapped his thigh and leaned forward, as if a lawsuit that had been brewing for years was finally about to go to trial.

"You have no idea what your husband said three years ago, around the time Lao Yan and Zhuo'er got married."

When he said the words "your husband," his eyes slanted towards He Sichen.

Lu Zhuo lifted his chin from Lin Yiyao's hair, tacitly picking up on the joke.

"I remember the exact quote was that medical literature is more interesting than women."

Wen Jinxiao seamlessly continued: "I have no desire to reproduce with human offspring whose intelligence is not on the same level as mine."

Lu Zhuo added insult to injury: "When you caught my bouquet at my wedding, you said you would uphold science and reject superstition."

Wen Jinxiao shrugged: "Listen to this! Just listen to this!"

"Is this something a normal human being would say?"