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

He Huaipu looked around, his gaze falling on each person's face.

"From the mountain, autumn crabapple."

When he spoke, his tone was still that of an elder speaking to a younger person.

"Tonight's meal was originally supposed to be my way of apologizing to you in person."

"What Nanxian did makes me, as his grandfather, lose face."

He tapped his knuckles on the table, making a soft, rhythmic sound.

"It's because my family didn't discipline him properly."

He paused, his tone neither hurried nor slow.

"The He family will not shirk responsibility for the matter concerning Nanxian and Ningyou."

"But what to do next is something the two families need to discuss."

Si Congshan pushed the cup of Longjing tea in front of him half an inch to the side.

"Uncle He, there's no need to discuss it anymore."

He spoke, each word weighing heavily on his mind.

"This marriage is an alliance between the He family and the Si family."

"The condition is that the Si family's daughter marries into the He family, and the resources of the two families are integrated."

"When Si Ningyou's surname was Si, she could barely be considered a member of the Si family."

"But she's not my daughter now, and what she did has nothing to do with the Si family."

"Since things have come to this, and the one who marries Nanxian is not a daughter of the Si family, let's annul the engagement."

Zhou Wanqing placed her chopsticks on the plate, making a crisp sound.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but He Jian'an pressed her knee down under the table.

He Huaipu's hand, holding the teacup, hovered in mid-air for two seconds before slowly placing it back on the table.

He glanced at He Nanxian.

He Nanxian suddenly looked up, his lips moved, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down twice.

He raised his hand from the edge of the table, stretched it towards Si Yimian, then stopped, as if blocked by something unseen.

"Uncle Si, about this matter..."

"Nanxian".

The words "He Huaipu" were pressed down, and He Nanxian's words were cut off in his throat.

Zhou Wanqing's fingers tightened around the edge of the napkin, causing the fabric to wrinkle.

"Congshan, Nanxian has indeed made a mistake this time."

"But shouldn't we ask Mianmian for her opinion regarding the two children?"

Before she could finish speaking, Ruan Qiutang slammed her teacup down on the table, making a clear clatter and interrupting her.

"Mrs. He, Mianmian has suffered eight years of injustice in this marriage."

She looked up at Zhou Wanqing.

"Everyone here knows who your Nanxian loved in the past."

"Now that something like this has happened, are you really going to expect Mianmian to just endure it?"

Zhou Wanqing's polite smile faded slightly. Just as she was about to reply, He Huaipu tapped the table with a dull thud.

"Alright."

The old man turned his head and looked at Si Yimian.

His gaze lingered on her face, his cloudy eyes revealing both scrutiny and reluctance.

"Mianmian, you speak."

Si Yimian raised her face upon hearing this.

"Grandpa Crane, I have nothing to say."

She smiled faintly.

"I respect Nanxian's choices, and I also have my own path to take."

"A forced melon is not sweet, and a rope that is tied too tightly will break."

"We're all still young, so it's better for everyone to break up the road as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, He Nanxian's face gradually turned ashen.

By this point in the meal, the He family's backbone had been stripped away.

Zhou Wanqing had prepared a whole host of arguments, hoping to change the engagement to He Nanxian and Si Ningyou's names so that she could still enjoy the benefits of the marriage alliance.

But Si Congshan and Si Yimian's attitudes were so clear that even she herself couldn't bring herself to say it.

He Huaipu withdrew his gaze and nodded.

"Mianmian is right."

"Congshan, Qiutang, I understand what you mean."

"Nanxian has done a terrible job. I apologize to you and Mianmian on his behalf."

"The marriage agreement was based on the trust between the two families."

"Now that Ning You is no longer a member of the Si family, the chain of trust has been broken."

"The He family has no right to say no."

Just as Si Congshan was about to nod, a voice came from the other side.

"grandfather."

He Sichen placed the purple clay teapot on the tea tray and looked up.

"I have something to add."

All eyes at the table turned to them.

He leaned back in his chair, relaxed but with a focused gaze.

"The cancellation of the marriage alliance is a consensus reached by both families, and I have no objection."

He paused, then looked up at Si Congshan.

"But in this matter, the Si family is the one who suffered losses."

"Miss Si has been wasted eight years in this marriage, and the He family owes her an explanation."

Zhou Wanqing's brow twitched; she had a bad feeling.

He Sichen didn't look at her and continued speaking.

"According to the rules agreed upon by the two companies in the early years, cooperation at the level of the Lighthouse Project requires the core successors of both parties to take charge."

"I have a proposal: the exclusive rights to the production and sales of Project Lighthouse will be awarded to the heir of the Si family."

"It's not as a condition for marriage, but as compensation."

"It does not come with any marriage clause and does not bind any personal relationship."

"This is the attitude the He family should show."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was stunned.

Zhou Wanqing put down her chopsticks, the tips of which tapped against the porcelain saucer with a clink.

"no."

Everyone at the table looked at Zhou Wanqing.

Realizing she had lost her composure, she took a deep breath and suppressed her voice.

"Si Chen, Project Lighthouse is Yu'an's core project. How will you explain this to the board of directors? How will you balance the interests of the shareholders?"

He Sichen picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"The production process of the Lighthouse Project will eventually need to be authorized to external parties, and Chenxi's qualifications rank among the top three in the industry."

"With production capacity, technology, and quality control system all meeting the standards, giving this project to Chenxi is the best solution in the market. There is no other company in the country that can take on this project."

"Now that the He family has broken the contract first, Nanxian's actions have led the Si family to propose annulment."

"The He family has breached the contract, but the Si family still has the right to sit at the table and share the cake."

Si Yimian raised her head and looked at the man opposite her.

He Sichen didn't look at her; his eyes were lowered, and he sat upright.

But something inside her chest slammed into her chest.

The greatest charm a man can possess is not in how eloquent he is, but in his ability to elevate you to the heights you desire through his actions when it matters most.

At the dinner table, in front of both sets of parents, he used compensation to push her into the first place in Chenxi's inheritance rights.

This strong medicine is enough to solidify her right to inherit the throne.

With his brains, he could easily be a strategist who could manipulate events in the imperial court.

He could practically crush all the male protagonists on Tomato.

"Si Chen is right, I have no objection."

He Huaipu suddenly spoke.

Zhou Wanqing suddenly turned her head to look at him.

"dad!"

"Don't worry."

He Huaipu raised his hand to press her down, and looked at Si Congshan and Si Yimian.

"The Si family suffered a loss in this matter, and the He family should express their opinion."

"The engagement was canceled just like that. If the resources don't keep up, the He family is just bullying us."

"The Si family secured the project, making the cooperation between the two families more stable. Although the marriage has fallen through, the connection can still continue."

Si Congshan was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I accept Uncle He's attitude on behalf of Mianmian."

"I'll have the legal department follow up on this matter when I get back."

He glanced at Si Yimian.

"Mianmian, you'll be in charge of coordinating the Lighthouse Project."

Si Yimian, holding a teacup, paused for a moment upon hearing this.

She put down her teacup and nodded.

"Okay, Dad."

In short, the inheritance rights were settled.