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

Upon hearing this result, He Nanxian slowly loosened his hand that was resting under the table.

He thought that at most tonight the engagement would be canceled, and both families would part ways, ending the night gracefully.

He thought the biggest loss was that he would have nothing to do with Si Yimian anymore.

As a result, He Sichen had to sign the Lighthouse Project to the Si family heir at the same table where the marriage contract had expired.

He had originally envisioned all the scenarios in which He Sichen would try to snatch the man away.

I imagined the exhilaration of pressing send and the explosion of excitement from everyone at the table when they saw the screen.

The only unexpected thing was that the Si family took the initiative to terminate the contract, and his brother didn't even argue, simply settling the engagement.

He Sichen did not ask for any official title, nor did he take the opportunity to get himself involved in this situation.

They didn't even take this opportunity to force Si Yimian to make any choice.

What He Nanxian couldn't give, his brother delivered in the most upright way.

His full ammunition went silent.

He thought he was fighting for a woman.

What her older brother is doing is lifting her up to a position where she can stand without needing anyone else.

His idea seemed both foolish and filthy in comparison to He Sichen's.

What is he comparing it to?

"Nanxian".

Zhou Wanqing kicked him under the table, and the kick was quite strong.

He suddenly came to his senses.

"mom."

"Your grandfather is asking you a question."

He Nanxian turned his head and met He Huaipu's gaze.

"Nanxian, what do you have to say about this?"

What did you say?

Is he saying he's unwilling to accept it?

Does he regret it?

But he didn't even have the right to say no.

He lost the engagement himself.

Si Yimian pushed him away herself.

Now that his older brother has put the compensation on the table, if he jumps out to object, it would be tantamount to telling everyone at the table that he, He Nanxian, cannot even afford to lose.

"I have no objection."

Si Ningyou took in the whole scene.

She watched Si Yimian sitting there, protected and pampered by her whole family, enveloped in the halo of the Lighthouse Project.

He Nanxian sat there speechless, as if his spine had been removed.

She was like a temporary extra, without even any lines.

She had been scheming for many years to secure the inheritance of the Si family's fortunes.

She knew from a young age that she was not related to the Si family by blood, so she knew better than anyone that being obedient or pretty was useless.

She needed money and real power to gradually pocket the Si family's assets, and she was almost there.

Si Congshan cared for her more than his own daughter, and Song Yuehua treated her like her lifeblood. She thoroughly investigated all of Chenxi's core businesses.

She planned to spend another three years completely marginalizing Si Yimian, and then naturally take over everything from the Si family.

As a result, within just two months, she was completely eradicated from the Si family.

Her account was frozen, her credit cards were suspended, she lost her house, and even headhunters collectively blocked her.

The little money she had saved up over the years was gone in less than a week.

So she chose He Nanxian.

That night, He Nanxian was so drunk he was like a lump of mud. She stripped naked and crawled into his bed.

He was calling out Si Yimian's name.

She endured it.

She mimicked Si Yimian's tone, calling him in that soft, sticky voice.

Even though he was so drunk he was out of his mind, he still pushed her away and mumbled something incoherently.

"You're not Mianmian..."

She almost laughed at that moment.

He Nanxian, who has been stupid for so many years, is only as sharp as if he has opened his eyes when it comes to distinguishing Si Yimian.

He was so drunk that he couldn't even remember his own surname, yet subconsciously he was still upholding male virtues for Si Yimian.

Later, she used some unorthodox methods to take something from him and inject it into her own body.

The hospital covered it up.

The police were also given a vague answer.

She resorted to unorthodox methods, stealing resources and exploiting loopholes, and ultimately had to rely on unorthodox cultivation to rise to power.

No matter how wicked a cultivator is, he can't surpass the cultivation of the Si family's own daughter.

Unexpectedly, the splash from her jump lifted Si Yimian onto the shore.

He thought this was his chance to turn things around, but it turned out to be a stepping stone for Si Yimian's inheritance rights.

This indirectly helped Si Yimian get out of her predicament, and she also conveniently pocketed the Lighthouse Project.

I'm so angry!

Now her only trophy is the title of the second young mistress of the He family, which is, to put it bluntly, just an empty shell.

He Nanxian doesn't love her.

He Jian'an and Zhou Wanqing thought she was cheap, like seeing chewing gum stuck in the sole of their shoes, wishing they could scrape it clean with a shovel.

He Huaipu would not give her any kind look.

But she doesn't care.

Men are nothing.

He Nanxian's feelings of affection and guilt were, at best, a stepping stone for her.

In her tiny 20-square-meter apartment on the East Third Ring Road, the toilet had been clogged for three days without anyone fixing it. She squatted on the bathroom floor and poked at it with a clothes hanger for half an hour.

She never wanted to experience those precarious, impoverished days again.

So she chose He Nanxian.

It's not because it's good, it's because it's easy to use.

All she needs is this title to keep her in this industry.

At least she won't have to worry about tomorrow's rent, and she can still afford to wear haute couture when she goes out. People will still look at her with some reservations.

They won't treat her like a plague like they did before.

After marriage, He Nanxian could come back or not as he pleased; he could keep ten or eight mistresses outside.

As long as the monthly allowance arrives on time, that's fine.

As for Chenxi's inheritance rights, she will never have them in this lifetime.

Si Yimian, this woman, used to be love-struck, revolving around He Nanxian, as if she were under a spell.

Later, she cooled off He Nanxian, and then she became like she had a cheat code activated—clear-headed and ruthless.

It's true that once a woman falls in love, her IQ drops to zero.

She accepted that she had lost to Si Yimian, a more clear-headed strategist than herself.

……

As the dinner party ended, it started raining again.

He Huaipu stood under the corridor, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing on He Sichen.

"Si Chen, you haven't said much today."

"I've said everything that needed to be said."

He Huaipu chuckled and didn't press the matter.

He's over eighty years old; what kind of demons and monsters hasn't he seen?

The old man knew exactly what he was thinking.

But the old man chose to play dumb; some things are better left unsaid once they're revealed.

"Si Chen, take Mianmian back."

"Um."

One word, nothing more.

Si Yimian said goodbye to her parents. Ruan Qiutang squeezed her hand and whispered, "Message me when you get home." Then she turned and drove off with Si Congshan.

Only two people remained on the steps.

The gatekeeper of Puyuan had already retreated inside, and the lantern light cast long, thin shadows of the two people on the bluestone steps.

He Sichen took out his car keys, unlocked the car with the remote, and the headlights flashed twice in the night.

"Let's go."

The car slid out of the alley and onto the main road.

Si Yimian turned her head to look at him and suddenly spoke.

"Dr. He, you did a really good job tonight."

"In which aspect?"

"In all aspects."

Si Yimian pulled her seatbelt down a bit and turned to face him.

"He didn't say much, but every word he said hit the nail on the head."

"With a pretty face, she's like a pillar of strength just sitting there."

"He even helped me snag a project worth hundreds of billions."

"A partner like this is hard to find even with a lantern."

He Sichen tapped his fingers lightly twice on the steering wheel.

"Partners?"

"Otherwise what?"

"What does Dr. He want to upgrade to?"