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

Zhou Wanqing hinted at the point but didn't elaborate, yet everyone present understood her meaning.

All the chopsticks on the table paused for a moment at the same time.

He Nanxian was serving soup to Si Yimian, the ladle in his hand hovering in mid-air, the soup dripping back into the bowl from the rim of the ladle.

Si Yimian was looking down and gnawing on a piece of braised pork ribs when she heard this. Her teeth hit the bone, and the sourness made her cheeks tighten.

What is that?

Is the housekeeper at the hillside villa Zhou Wanqing's man?

Zhou Wanqing's methods were so skillful that she could have been the head of the Eastern Depot in ancient times.

Wait, does Zhou Wanqing know that person is her?

They probably don't know.

If I had known, I wouldn't have been so nonchalant; I should have smashed the bowl in her face long ago.

Si Yimian spat out the bone, picked up her cup, took a sip of water, and secretly glanced at He Sichen.

He sat opposite me, his expression unchanged, his chopsticks never stopping.

That scoundrel, so incredibly steady.

Even after being publicly criticized by his stepmother, he could still eat his food without changing his expression.

With that kind of mental fortitude, it's a shame he's not a secret agent.

He Sichen put the stir-fried asparagus into the bowl before slowly speaking.

"It's time to replace the housekeeper at the hillside villa."

Zhou Wanqing's smile remained unchanged, but the fine lines at the corners of her eyes tightened slightly.

"Si Chen, I was just asking casually, why are you so angry?"

"You asked casually, and I answered casually."

He Sichen interrupted her.

"This villa is my private property, and it's my freedom to bring whomever I want back."

"The housekeeper takes the salary I pay him, turns around and reports to you, his mouth is looser than a sieve, that's called being a traitor."

He paused, then added.

"If this kind of person were in Yu'an, he would have been fired on the very first day."

Zhou Wanqing still had a smile on her face, but her lips were no longer quite under her control.

"Si Chen, I'm only saying this because I care about you."

She switched back to a gentle tone.

"You're thirty years old and all alone. Your dad and I are worried about you."

"Old Chen said you brought a girl back, I'm overjoyed."

"If you really have a girl you like, just bring her home."

"We'll support you as long as you're happy, and Grandpa will be happy too."

He Sichen lowered his eyes, placed his chopsticks on the chopstick rest, picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"If Aunt Zhou wants to show concern for me, she can just ask directly."

"There's no need to spend money to hire a spy; the cost is too high, and the accuracy of the information isn't necessarily good enough."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wanqing's face fell completely.

With just one sentence, He Sichen put her in the middle, with walls on both sides.

The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became tense.

He Jian'an coughed beside him, about to speak, when the old man put down his chopsticks.

With a click, everyone fell silent.

"Alright."

He Huaipu glanced at Zhou Wanqing.

"Si Chen knows what he's doing, so don't pry into his affairs."

Then he turned to He Sichen, his tone softening, and his words becoming more earnest.

"But what your Aunt Zhou said isn't entirely unreasonable. You're thirty now, it's time to find a girlfriend."

"The Yan family's son and the Lu family's son are both married."

"You can't spend your whole life on the operating table. Don't you find such a big house empty by yourself?"

"If you find someone suitable, date them; there's no need to hide it."

"I'm not as rigid in my thinking as the old man from the Yan family, nor do I have as many rules. If someone is suitable, I'll bring them back to meet you. I don't care about social status, I only care about their character."

"understood."

He Sichen did not refute, but picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Do not argue with elders, but do not obey them either; use the most polite tone to draw the clearest boundaries.

Si Yimian almost couldn't help but laugh when she saw him being pressured to get married by his whole family.

The old man paused and looked at Si Yimian.

"Mianmian, do you know any suitable girls? Introduce one to your older brother."

Si Yimian was drinking the soup that He Nanxian had served her when she was called out and almost choked.

She swallowed, wiped her mouth, and nodded obediently.

"Okay, Grandpa Crane, I'll keep an eye out for my brother."

After saying that, she gently brushed He Sichen's trouser leg under the table with her toe.

It brushed lightly against his ankle, like a cat's tail sweeping across it.

He Sichen tightened his grip on the wine glass.

He flipped his ankle, pinning her foot underneath.

The force wasn't strong, but I couldn't break free.

Si Yimian tried to pull, but couldn't.

She looked up at him; he was drinking with his head down, his expression unchanging.

Si Yimian bit the tip of her chopsticks, swallowing back the slight smile that was tugging at the corner of her mouth.

On the table, she picked up a piece of abalone and put it into He Nanxian's bowl.

"Brother Nanxian, this is your favorite food."

He Nanxian looked down at the extra abalone in the bowl and paused for a moment.

My chest tightened slightly for a moment.

"Thank you, Mianmian."

Under the table, He Sichen's shoe tip moved off her instep.

Si Yimian glanced at him.

He Sichen picked up his wine glass and took another sip, his expression indifferent, as if nothing had happened.

But the sound of setting down the glass was rather heavy.

Si Yimian almost laughed.

You're angry already?

He Nanxian picked up the abalone from the bowl, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, but couldn't taste anything.

He hadn't said a word since Zhou Wanqing mentioned the hillside villa.

He took a woman back to the villa on the hillside, and used the things there.

These three pieces of information, taken together, are very suggestive.

He suddenly remembered the night of Huo Siyue's birthday.

When He Sichen chased after them to intercept them, he drove at a speed unlike his usual pace.

He pulled Si Yimian from the passenger seat, saying he was going to take her to the hospital.

The next day, Si Yimian replied to his message saying that she had fallen asleep the night before.

Fell asleep.

He Nanxian picked up his wine glass and took a sip. The wine slid down his throat, but the taste wasn't quite right.

Why would someone who always has rules ingrained in their bones suddenly lose control?

Unless, he had already crossed the line.

Those fragments swirled in his mind countless times, and the picture was almost complete.

The puzzle is missing one last piece, but he can already see the whole picture.

He Nanxian put down his chopsticks and picked up a napkin to wipe his hands.

"Grandpa, you just said that you'd put my brother's matter on the agenda."

He paused, then turned his head to look at Si Yimian.

"I think it's time to settle my own affairs."

He has barely spoken since he sat down, his presence so minimal that he's practically a background figure.

But when he spoke, the atmosphere around the entire table suddenly changed.

Si Yimian was picking up a shrimp with the tip of her chopsticks when she heard this, her fingers went limp, and the shrimp slipped back into the plate through the gap in her chopsticks, bouncing slightly.

She stared at the shrimp, her heart skipping a beat.

"Grandpa, Dad, Mom."

He paused after calling out the three titles.

I want to get married to Mianmian as soon as possible.

"Next month is an auspicious day, let's get engaged first, and then get married at the end of the year, how about that?"

He Jian'an put down his chopsticks and looked at his youngest son.

"Now that Nanxian has made up his mind, let's begin preparations."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Wanqing's eyes.

"It should have been done a long time ago."

Si Yimian's mind went blank from being hit by this sudden, direct attack.

She turned her head to look at He Nanxian, thinking he was joking.

What's going on?

This progress bar is scrolling way too fast!

Just as she was about to speak, a cold voice came from the other end.

"no."