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

When He Sichen arrived home, the light in the entryway was off.

The living room lights were on.

Six scented candles were placed on the dining table, swaying slightly at varying heights.

Two sets of tableware: a white porcelain plate and silver chopsticks. The bottle of red wine has been opened, and the liquid level in the decanter is just up to the shoulder of the bottle.

Si Yimian stood beside the dining table, arranging a bunch of lisianthus.

She wore a black halter dress with a cutout back and a very tight waistline.

Her hair was down, with the ends slightly curled.

He took off his watch and placed it on the entryway cabinet, then changed into slippers and went over.

"Is there a power outage?"

Si Yimian put the last flower into the glass bottle and turned around.

"That's called romance, Dr. He. Was your romantic side short-circuited from the start?"

She pulled out the chair and patted the seat.

"sit."

He Sichen walked over and glanced at the table, his gaze lingering for a moment on the two wine glasses.

"You cooked?"

"takeout."

Si Yimian lifted the lid of the enamel pot and stirred it with a spoon.

"But I arranged the food, I bought the candlesticks, I arranged the flowers, and I sobered up the wine."

"Rounding down counts as my work too."

He Sichen took off his suit jacket and draped it over the armrest of the sofa before pulling out a chair and sitting down.

He picked up the chopsticks, then put them back down.

"What is it?"

Si Yimian tightened her grip on the decanter.

This man has a pretty keen sense of smell.

Before she could even speak, he already sensed something was wrong.

She poured the red wine into two glasses and pushed one towards him.

The candlelight softened the lines on the brow bone by a third.

She looked at him through the candlelight and raised her glass.

"Dr. He, thank you for these past few months."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for covering for me, thank you for signing with Lighthouse, thank you for teaching me so much."

She paused, then swirled the wine in her glass.

"You seem cold on the outside, but you're actually quite warm."

He Sichen looked at her but did not raise his glass.

"Your meal today doesn't seem like a simple thank you."

Si Yimian put down her wine glass and placed her interlaced fingers on the table.

She looked up to meet his gaze, the candlelight burning into two tiny clusters of light in her eyes.

Suddenly, she found it harder to say the next sentence than she had expected, but she said it anyway.

"He Sichen, let's break up."

There was a moment of silence at the dining table.

The candle wick burned out a thin, black ash, bent, and broke off into the candlestick.

He Sichen picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and put it down.

"Separation" means...

"I'm not doing it anymore, I don't live across the hall anymore, and I'm not in touch anymore."

She didn't beat around the bush; every word she said was straightforward.

He Sichen tightened his grip on the wine glass, his fingertips pressing against the rim of the glass, his knuckles bulging.

He was silent for a long time.

"how long?"

Si Yimian was stunned for a moment.

"How long?"

"If you want me to break up, you have to give me a timeframe."

His words completely disrupted Si Yimian's prepared lines.

"No...aren't you going to ask why?"

"You will tell."

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers resting on the base of the wine glass, and slowly turned it halfway around.

"Given your personality, if you can't keep something to yourself, it'll come out sooner or later. I don't need to ask."

Si Yimian pursed her lips and took a deep breath.

"I received an offer from MIT, Sloan School of Management, so I'm preparing to study abroad."

He Sizhen asked, "How many years?"

"Two years."

He lowered his eyes and looked at the wine in the wine glass.

"What about two years from now?"

"I haven't decided yet, we'll see."

He Sichen didn't speak, his knuckles holding the wine glass turning from pink to bluish-white.

He picked up his glass and took a sip.

When did you apply?

Three months ago.

After saying this, Si Yimian gave him a special look.

He Sichen's gaze fell on her face, and through the row of candlelight, the color of his eyes was softened by the warm light.

"When are you leaving?"

"tomorrow."

After saying that, He Sichen put the cup back on the table, the bottom of the cup hitting the wooden table with a rather loud sound.

The liquid sloshed around, splashing two drops onto the tablecloth.

He Sichen pursed his lips into a line, his Adam's apple bobbed down once, and then slowly returned to its original position.

"It's well hidden."

"Are you treating me to dinner tonight as a farewell meal before you leave?"

Si Yimian was taken aback by his words.

The candlelight flickered between the two people.

I guess so.

Si Yimian's tone suddenly relaxed.

"But I don't think it needs to be so serious."

She looked up at him, the candlelight casting a warm brown hue on her pupils, revealing a deep honesty.

"I spent three months verifying one thing."

Every day I spend with you is worthwhile.

Every word in this sentence is perfectly placed on that line that cannot be crossed.

"Then why can't it be done remotely?" he asked.

It's like trying to find flaws in a problem-solving approach.

Si Yimian shook her head.

"Dr. He, we both know that the reason our relationship is maintained is because we meet."

"After I went abroad, there was a time difference and 10,000 kilometers between us."

"Long-distance relationship, time difference, you're in surgery while I'm in class, even making a phone call requires calculating the time zone, it's better to just cut off all contact."

"Meeting in person is the foundation of all understanding; when it's through a screen, all that is gone."

"Good morning and good night conversations lack tension, and video calls can't generate enough hormones."

"Besides, how can a relationship continue in a foreign country with someone like you who can't even be bothered to reply to WeChat messages?"

"In the end, once the hype dies down, all that's left is embarrassment."

"I don't want our relationship to come to that point. Rather than letting it slowly cool down, I'd rather end it gracefully now."

"Looking back on it later, I'll still feel that those three months were pretty exciting."

"period?"

He Sichen suddenly gave a self-deprecating smile.

"You can't even spell the punctuation right, and you're already thinking of a period."

Si Yimian raised her face and smiled at him.

"I have my own path to walk, and you have yours to walk."

"I can't be your next-door neighbor forever, coming over after work to freeload meals and bed at your place, and then pretending we don't know each other the next day."

"This is irresponsible of me."

Looking at her carefree smile, He Sichen suddenly got up, walked around the dining table, and dragged her and her chair back half a meter.

The chair leg scraped against the floor with a creak.

Then he leaned down, bracing himself on the back of her chair with one hand, and lifted her chin with the other.

As the distance closed, the candlelight was cut off by his shoulder line, and half of his face was shrouded in darkness.

"Si Yimian".

He applied a slight pressure with his thumb, causing her to tilt her head back even higher, meeting his downcast gaze.

"You have a good reason to leave, the direction is correct, and the timing is just right."

"The only problem is, wasn't it a bit too late for you to notify me?"

"What would you have done if I had told you earlier?"

Si Yimian's chin was being pinched by him, and her lips moved as she spoke.

This question stumped He Sichen.

He suddenly realized that he didn't know the answer either.

His fingers, which were gripping her chin, loosened for a moment.

The dark light in his pupils seemed to be stirred, something rose up, and then quickly sank back down.

Si Yimian raised her hand and grasped the wrist that was pinching her chin.

"Will you help me pack my luggage in advance? And take me to the airport?"

"Should we make arrangements for our life in Boston in advance?"

With each question she asked, he loosened his grip on her chin a little.

"He Sichen, you won't stop me."

"You won't interfere with my decisions in any way."