Miss Si's feigned innocence went too far, and the aloof Mr. Bo was easily swayed.

The numbers on the elevator changed from twelve to eleven, then to ten...

The speed was so fast that Si Yuan's heart was racing uncontrollably.

Si Yuan craved that moment of warmth, yet she despised herself for having such thoughts.

three--

two--

one--

The "ding" from the elevator suddenly brought Si Yuan's muddled mind back to reality.

Just before the elevator doors opened, she gritted her teeth and forcefully pulled her hand away...

This time, perhaps because they were about to get off the elevator, Bo Yusen didn't use any force and let go of her.

As everyone exited the elevator, Gu Yinhe glanced back at Si Yuan, who was leaning against the elevator wall with her head down, her expression unreadable.

"Ah Yuan, aren't you getting off the elevator?"

Si Yuan gripped the hand that Bo Yusen had once held tightly...

Calm Siyuan...

Bo Yusen just held the wrong hand. You must not let this give rise to any unwarranted thoughts.

After composing herself, she looked up and smiled at Gu Yinhe, "You're here."

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she met Bo Yusen's gaze. Their eyes locked for a moment.

Si Yuan's heart almost stopped, because the next second, Bo Yusen's gaze fell on the hand he had mistakenly taken.

Fortunately, he only glanced at it and then turned and left.

But that one glance was enough to make Si Yuan's legs go weak, and she almost lost control and collapsed.

Even the oblivious Gu Yinhe noticed that something was wrong with Si Yuan. "A Yuan, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Si Yuan felt a little guilty. "No... I'm just a little tired..."

Fortunately, Gu Yinhe didn't doubt anything Si Yuan said.

"You must be exhausted after a long day. Go home and get some rest."

"Um……"

As soon as Si Yuan stepped out the door, she saw Si Aofu at a glance.

"sister……"

Si Aofu smiled and walked towards Si Yuan. Upon closer inspection, she noticed Si Yuan's pale face and touched her forehead with the back of her hand. "Do you have a fever? Why is your face so red?"

Bo Yusen and the others hadn't left yet. Si Yuan, who was already feeling guilty, immediately pulled Si Aofu into the car. "Sister, I'm hungry. Let's go home quickly."

"good……"

On the way home.

Si Yuan tried to tell herself that the other person had just accidentally held the wrong hand and that she shouldn't overthink it.

But my eyes can't help but look at my left hand.

The thought that Bo Yusen couldn't even tell her hand from Si Aofu's made her feel like she was having a heart attack.

She knew it was him the moment he took her hand.

Si Aofu kept looking at Si Yuan, and when she saw her—

He frowned for a moment, looking very melancholy.

A moment later, her brow relaxed, and she smiled happily.

A moment later, he showed an expression of annoyance and disgust.

The speed at which they change their expressions is faster than even Sichuan opera.

Si Aofu pulled Si Yuan's hand over and looked at it, "It's nothing."

Si Yuan, puzzled, asked, "Hmm?"

"You've been staring at your hands ever since you got on the bus. I thought you had something on them, but there's nothing there."

Si Yuan awkwardly withdrew her hand.

"Has something happened?"

Thinking of something, Si Aofu smiled and said, "If you don't want to say, that's fine too. I'll just ask casually."

Si Yuan could tell that ever since the two reconciled, her sister had always been very cautious.

He might still be resentful about her drugging him.

"Just now in the elevator... Bo Yusen reached for Gu Mingyue's hand, but accidentally grabbed the wrong one..."

Si Yuan hopes that she and Si Aofu can go back to the way they were before, when there were no barriers and they could say whatever they wanted.

Her older sister can talk to her, and she can confide in her older sister.

Si Aofu was very happy that Si Yuan was talking to her like this, "Was he holding your hand?"

"Um……"

Si Aofu instantly understood what was going on with Si Yuan's series of expressions just now.

Bo Yusen is a man of deep and complex thoughts, making it impossible for anyone to understand what he is thinking.

Si Aofu had previously thought that he no longer had feelings for A Yuan, but today he accidentally held the wrong hand...

Would someone like Bo Yusen make such a basic mistake?

Putting everything else aside, how could someone who truly loves another person not even be able to distinguish their hand from their own?

unless--

He wanted to hold A-Yuan's hand.

What exactly is Bo Yusen trying to do?

Si Aofu looked at Si Yuan, "Didn't you say you didn't like Bo Yusen that much? Why are you so flustered just because he held your hand?"

"I……"

Si Aofu gently placed her hand on Si Yuan's hand. "A Yuan, tell your sister honestly, you still love Bo Yusen, right?"

Si Yuan smiled and said, "Whether we love each other or not doesn't matter anymore."

Bo Yusen came today for Gu Mingyue, and the tie clip he was wearing was a gift from Gu Mingyue.

They are deeply in love. They can't just assume that Bo Yusen still has feelings for her because they held hands by mistake once, can they?

"If you love someone, you have to fight for it... I couldn't resist back then, but you can now."

Si Yuan gently shook her head. "I can't, and I absolutely mustn't..."

Why?

"Alright, sister..."

Si Yuan hugged Si Aofu's arm. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's think about what to eat later. I've been busy all day and I'm starving."

Seeing Si Yuan trying to get away with being cute, Si Aofu smiled helplessly, "Eat, eat, eat. You are indeed too thin. I need to fatten you up a bit."

"good……"

It was late, and knowing that Si Qingwan and He Shuqing were already asleep, Si Yuan and Si Aofu decided to eat something outside before going home.

In the past, whenever Si Yuan and Si Aofu ate out, they loved to go to street food stalls.

Unexpectedly, I ran into an acquaintance.

Si Aofu didn't recognize him at first. It was only after Si Qingwan called out "Zhizhou" that she realized the man in front of her was Xie Zhizhou.

Several years ago, Si Yuan met Xie Zhizhou once. At that time, Xie Zhizhou was wearing a white T-shirt and an apron while working at a restaurant.

Back then, he was young and handsome, with a positive and sunny smile.

Nowadays, Xie Zhizhou is dressed in a suit and tie. Although he is still smiling, his smile has become more mature and composed.

"Aofu... I never expected to run into you here..."

Si Aofu smiled and said, "I was quite surprised to run into the great painter Xie here."

"I like street food stalls; they're crowded, lively, and full of life."

Seeing Xie Zhizhou looking at Si Yuan, Si Aofu's expression stiffened for a moment before she introduced, "This is my sister, Si Yuan. Ah Yuan, this is Zhizhou..."

Xie Zhizhou extended his hand to Si Yuan, "I've often heard your sister talk about you before, praising you to the skies, saying you're the cutest, prettiest, and smartest little sister in the world... Seeing you today, you're truly extraordinary."

Si Aofu coughed lightly, a little embarrassed.

Si Yuan felt a little sad.

If my sister had married Xie Zhizhou instead of Fu Qidong, would she be living a happy life now?

"Mr. Xie..."

Si Yuan shook hands with Xie Zhizhou.

Xie Zhizhou couldn't help but chuckle. "Since we've already met here, there's no need to call me Mr. Xie anymore. If you don't mind, you can call me Brother Zhizhou."

Si Yuan glanced at Si Aofu, who smiled and nodded.

So Si Yuan smiled and said, "Okay, Brother Zhizhou..."

Xie Zhizhou: "For the sake of meeting you here tonight, and for the sake of being called 'brother,' could you two ladies give me a chance to treat you to dinner tonight?"

Si Yuan had been observing Si Aofu's reaction. Seeing that she really wanted to agree but hesitated for some reason, she smiled and said, "Then we shall respectfully accept your offer."

The three of them took their seats together.

Xie Zhizhou was very gentle and considerate. He rinsed the bowl, chopsticks, and cup three times with boiling water before placing them in front of Si Yuan and Si Aofu.

Si Yuan remembered that Si Aofu had told her that Xie Zhizhou would do this every time they went out to eat.

Sure enough, Si Aofu's eyes reddened when she saw this scene.

Before ordering, Xie Zhizhou asked Si Yuan about her tastes and dietary restrictions.

He didn't ask Si Aofu because he knew all of Si Aofu's preferences.

Most of the dishes served were ones that Si Aofu liked to eat.

Nails don't grow back very quickly, and Si Aofu's ten fingers were still wrapped in white gauze.

During this period, Si Aofu was fed by Si Yuan when Si Yuan was home, and by He Shuqing and the maid when Si Yuan was not home.

Tonight, Si Aofu seemed a little absent-minded. When she reached for the chopsticks, Si Yuan stopped her, saying, "Sister, let me do it."

Xie Zhizhou's gaze fell on Si Yuan's fingers. "I haven't had a chance to ask yet, Ao Fu, what happened to your hand?"

Si Aofu didn't want anyone to know about the domestic violence she was experiencing, especially Xie Zhizhou.

Her mind was in a mess, and she didn't know what to say, when Si Yuan spoke up, "My sister had a little accident a while ago and hurt her finger."

Fortunately, Xie Zhizhou did not press the matter further.

Instead, he looked at Si Aofu and said, "The ten fingers are connected to the heart. Injuries to the fingers are more painful than injuries to other parts of the body. Be careful."

Si Aofu felt as if a bottle of mixed emotions had been spilled, a mixture of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy flavors.

Si Aofu likes seafood, so Xie Zhizhou ordered king crab and freshwater prawns.

Unlike upscale restaurants, street food stalls don't offer shrimp-peeling services; you have to peel the shrimp yourself.

Si Yuan put on gloves and was about to peel the shrimp when Xie Zhizhou laughed and said, "There's no reason for a beautiful woman to peel shrimp. I'll do it. You guys just focus on eating."

"I'm so sorry, I can do it myself..."

"I like peeling shrimp, so please grant me that wish, A-Yuan."

Xie Zhizhou's expression suddenly turned serious. Si Yuan looked at him, then at Si Aofu, and finally nodded. "Alright, then thank you for your hard work, Brother Zhizhou."

Xie Zhizhou peeled the shrimp quickly and cleanly, as if he had practiced peeling shrimp for people often.

The first one that was peeled was placed in the bowl of Si Aofu.

Si Yuan picked up her chopsticks and fed the shrimp to Si Aofu. As Si Aofu ate the shrimp, her nose felt incredibly sore.

Xie Zhizhou's family was poor and didn't have much money, but when the two were together, he doted on her quite a bit.

Even knowing the difference in their social status, he never considered compromising. Instead, he worked even harder, hoping to become someone worthy of her.

Si Aofu still remembers the first time she went to Xie Zhizhou's house. Xie Zhizhou stood in the small house, which was only a few dozen square meters, looking very awkward and apprehensive.

Ke Si Aofu quite likes it.

Xie Zhizhou's room was so small that it could only fit a bed and a desk, but the desk was covered with books, and the blankets and pillows were clean and tidy.

Si Aofu lay in bed, smelling the laundry detergent on the quilt, and experienced a sweet and happy feeling for the first time.

That day, Xie Zhizhou personally cooked a table full of dishes for her and even peeled shrimp for her to eat.

From childhood, Si Aofu received a traditional and strict education, and she felt unprecedented attention and favor from Xie Zhizhou.

This made her love Xie Zhizhou even more, and she wanted to be with him forever.

That very day, she gave herself to Xie Zhizhou.

Xie Zhizhou held her and kissed her on the 1.5-meter-wide bed. "Aofu, I'm sorry to trouble you for now. In the future, I will definitely let you live in a luxurious house and plant your favorite lilies."

Si Aofu shook her head. "I don't want a big house, I just want you..."

Later, Si Aofu moved into a large house filled with lilies, but the person beside her was not Xie Zhizhou.

How could Si Aofu not feel regret?