Before he died, my grandfather forced me to marry the richest man in the capital.

Lan Yunchen casually tapped rhythmically on the tea table with his index finger, and Han Yue looked up to see him seemingly deep in thought.

They drank tea with great interest.

However, he didn't ask any questions. Lan Yunchen was holding his phone, feeling conflicted. Based on the conversation he had overheard in the yard, Han Yue had probably guessed that his brother-in-law, who was against marriage, was involved in something.

Continuing to calmly sip her tea, Lan Yunxi was still earnestly discussing her lack of knowledge with Han's mother in the living room. Shen Muyun was a quiet listener, neither disturbing nor interrupting.

After thinking for a while, Lan Yunchen typed in the subtitles: Is the acting alright? Is it following the direction of your script?

On the Yan family's side.

Yan Na was indeed thinking about how to handle and define her appearance outside of collaboration, and the phrase "I miss you" inexplicably popped into her mind again.

She saved Lan Yunchen's contact as "p," meaning "Photoshopped guy," to prevent her mother from seeing it. The single letter leaves much to the imagination, and even if her mother saw it, she might think it was an abbreviation of his surname.

After reading the message, Yan Na did not sit up. Instead, she continued to lie on the bed, typing with both hands, and politely replied: "Pretty good. Your reaction time is good. Are you studying acting?"

After reading the message, Lan Yunchen smiled. Han Yue happened to see this and gave Lan Yunchen a meaningful look. He was half sure before, but now he was 90% sure.

Lan Yunchen: That's one way to understand it.

Yan Na took a deep breath, not continuing to discuss whether Lan Yunchen was an actor. She thought for a moment: "We only said we would use your photo, but now that there's been an unexpected situation, it's a different price. Name your price."

Lan Yunchen began to wonder just how much wealth the Yan family had that allowed this CEO Yan to squander it: No need, given that our previous cooperation was quite pleasant, consider this help as an extra bonus.

Yan Na: Does the supermarket offer freebies? They even give extra gifts.

Yan Na frowned as she looked at the message, unsure how to respond. She wanted to say thank you but also wanted to pay, so she was a little conflicted: "Just give me a number. I don't like owing favors. Let's keep things separate."

After sending it, Yan Na felt that it was better this way, otherwise it would be hard to sort out.

Lan Yunchen didn't refuse. Having cooperated so many times, he naturally understood the personality of this President Yan. He liked directness and couldn't do the opposite: "Okay, try not to withdraw money from the account before the eighth day of the new year. For business people, it's okay to follow this rule. Send me 8888 after the eighth day of the new year, for good luck."

If Lan Yunchen said "88," President Yan might think he was playing a trick on her, so she hesitated for a moment and chose this number.

Yan Na wasn't one to be coy, and readily agreed: "Okay, you set the price. Don't say I'm stingy later, or you'll come back to settle accounts after the Lunar New Year."

Lan Yunchen: No, Mr. Yan, you can rest assured.

After the agreement was reached, Yan Na began to appreciate Lan Yunchen more. He was easy to deal with, sensible, not greedy, had good responsiveness, and was absolutely good-looking.

He placed his phone beside the bed, clasped his hands behind his head, and stared at the white ceiling.

night.

After taking a shower, Lan Yunxi lay on the bed, holding the book given to her by Han's mother, and read it carefully, turning the pages one by one.

Even the snacks Lan Yunchen bought for Lan Yunxi were not something she had time to look at at night. Han Yue put the snacks on a small table. He had already checked the snacks his brother-in-law bought, and they were all things that the little girl liked to eat. His brother-in-law had even prepared snacks for Guoguo.

Han Yue emerged from inside, wrapped in a white bath towel, feeling a slight sense of defeat. The career-driven young woman was starting to neglect some things. She lifted the covers, sat down, and threw the bath towel onto the carpet.

A bare chest, tanned skin, and neatly defined abs—the girl was engrossed in her book, not even turning her head. Han Yue felt a sense of frustration again. "Xiao Xi, what are you looking at?"

Lan Yunxi was engrossed in a section that interested her and couldn't bear to look away. "Hmm? The book Sister Lu gave me? I feel like all the books Sister Lu gives me are treasures! They're the kind of books that make you want to keep reading for another five minutes after you've finished washing up..."

Lan Yunxi didn't want to ignore Han Yue. She looked up and was met with a man overflowing with hormones, shirtless. Moving her leg, she discovered there was also... under the covers.

She smiled, seemingly unfazed, closed the book, and, her beauty captivating, spoke in a sweet voice, "Brother Yue, are you done washing up? Have you been working out lately? Your abs seem even more defined."

Han Yue's back stiffened. He didn't expose her minoring in books, nor did he ask her why she wanted to read the books Sister Lu gave her. He simply assumed she liked reading and indulged the little girl as she climbed onto his lap, hooked her arms around his neck, and sat restlessly.

The room temperature was just right. The little girl had a mischievous smile on her lips as she drew her V-line with her slender fingers, counting one by one, two by two. The moment her fingertips touched her tanned skin, it was the beginning of a challenge, and the provocation was palpable.

His composure is pretty good.

Lan Yunxi played for a few minutes, but Han Yue still didn't break down. The little girl was unhappy and pouted. Why didn't her Yue-ge miss her after all this time? Why was he so calm?

Lan Yunxi, who wasn't good at hiding her emotions, pouted her lips by one centimeter, and Han Yue guessed what she was thinking. He smiled mischievously and said, "Xiao Xi, to be fair, it's my turn now."

Just centimeters apart, his warm breath brushed against her flawless cheek, making her tremble. She blinked her small eyes and murmured, "Ah..."

Before the rest of the sentence could be finished, the master bedroom light suddenly went out, leaving only the bright moon outside the window to uphold the mission of the night. The bright moonlight shone into the balcony, reflected onto the floor, and shimmered white.

The two people under the covers were completely covered, but the shifting blankets revealed they weren't asleep yet, engaged in a deep discussion about the darkness, fairness, and perhaps other issues such as longing and love...

In this debate, only Lan Yunxi will lose.

Early the next morning.

The Lan family, including Lan Yunxi and Lan Yunchen, went to pay their respects to the old man for the New Year, bringing many New Year's gift boxes. The old man was very polite and also prepared a gift for Lan Yunchen and Lan Yunxi.

Lan Yunchen declined, but the old man said, "Take it. I'm an old man, and I'm almost falling apart. I don't know if I'll have another chance to give it to you next year."

Having said that, Lan Yunchen felt embarrassed to refuse. Not to mention the elderly, even young people find it hard to predict whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

After exchanging New Year's greetings, lunch ended.

Han Yue arrived at Lan Yunxi's house with a gift box, and the old man also prepared a gift as a courtesy.

Watching the Lan family members leave, the old man sighed, ultimately unable to be ruthless. He instructed the butler beside him, "Take these two gifts to Ji Ting."

Tang Junyao, who had just come out of the kitchen, saw the old man's back. His back was already slightly hunched, and he looked quite sad. She knew what her grandfather was thinking, so she walked over, took his arm, and led him to the sofa. "Grandpa, if you want Uncle and the others to come and pay their respects for the New Year, Hancheng and I won't object."

As long as the elderly are happy, that's all that matters. Don't keep your unhappiness bottled up inside.

The old man patted Tang Junyao's hand, his cane striking the ground with a resounding thud. "Every family has its own way of life. Your uncle knew to some extent what your second grandfather did, but the biggest problem is that he didn't stop him. If a family member makes a mistake, covering it up is also a crime."

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Butler Ji, forget it, no need to send it off." Mingyuan wouldn't thank him anyway, so it's better to give it to his great-grandson or great-granddaughter. He's really being foolish.

"Grandpa, you're really getting confused. You're getting old, and your mind isn't clear anymore. Sigh."

"How could that be? Grandpa, you're the most clear-headed person in this family. Nobody's as clear-headed as you. Wasn't it you who woke Hancheng up?"

The old man smiled kindly, touching his aged, wrinkled hand. "That brat was awakened by you. I stimulated him for so long but I didn't see him stimulate his nerve endings. I stimulated him for two years, and his reaction time is in its late stage."

Tang Junyao laughed along, genuinely happy.

The old man was happy, but Ye Menqing knew he didn't have many years left to spend with his children. That's how people are. When they have nothing, they just want a little something to keep them from starving or being bullied. But once they're full, they want a lot more. That's human nature.

Not satisfied with the status quo.

The old man felt the same way. When his grandson Ji Hancheng was not married and even divorced Yao Yao, he wanted his grandson to have a happy marriage and to love Yao Yao. Now that they have three children, the old man is reluctant to leave this beautiful and warm family and wants to spend more time with his children.

He felt somewhat sad whenever he thought about his deteriorating health, which constantly reminded him that he was getting old.

The capital city, a golf course.

After leaving the Ji residence, Han Yue's family went to the golf course.

Han's mother was an orphan and had no relatives to visit. Han's father was the same; his parents had passed away long ago. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to fight tooth and nail in the underworld. It was actually quite nice that he had nowhere to visit relatives for the New Year; he was happy to have some free time and find something he liked to do to pass the time.

After Han Yue gets married, he may need to visit the Ji family and the Lan family for the New Year. Su Yu will also visit the Han family for the New Year in the future, so it will only get more and more lively.

"Xiaoyue, your uncle's ball skills are top-notch. I'm completely outmatched. I'll have to learn from him this time."

It's rare for Han's father to be willing to admit defeat in something, even if it means he lost quite badly last time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to prepare for this. He's probably afraid of losing too badly and losing face.

Han's mother knew Han's father's personality all too well, and she could guess right every time. Today, the whole family went out wearing sports hoodies, looking like they were wearing matching outfits. Lan Yunchen wore a gray tracksuit, Lan Yunxi wore a burgundy one, Han Yue wore a beige one, Han's father wore a white one, and Lan Chumu wore a black one.

This was the first time Shen Muyun had worn a light blue tracksuit outside. The clothes were bought by Han's mother and were from the same series as the ones she was wearing, except that Han's mother's were navy blue.

Han's mother: "It looks quite nice."

Shen Muyun: "Really? This is the first time I've dressed like this in public." But it looks quite comfortable.

"Are there any places to go hiking around here?" Lan Yunchen asked. He didn't really like playing golf; he played too much when he was doing business. He was going to put on a hat and a mask and go somewhere to work up a sweat.

Han Yue glanced in one direction and said, "Take a car there; you can climb the mountain from there."