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

He Sichen did not answer him.

He took half a step back, placed his palm on the door, and pushed it forward.

The door closed at a moderate pace, and the sound of the latch snapping into its slot was particularly crisp in the corridor.

Without any polite reply, the door was closed.

He Nanxian stared at the dark gray door panel.

I stood there for a few seconds.

Then he looked up and glanced at the brass door number above the door.

2701.

The apartment upstairs is 2801.

He Nanxian took out his phone from his pocket and found his assistant's number.

"Check the listings for the apartment above my brother's in Guanlan No. 1. I need to move in within a week."

"I don't care about the process, I only care about the result."

The assistant on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then said, "Mr. He, this is too urgent..."

"A 30% premium is possible."

He interrupted the other person, his voice flat.

"If the original homeowner refuses to move out, we'll find him a new home and give him a resettlement fee."

"No renovations needed, all furniture replaced, all done within three days."

"Mr. He, are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

He hung up the phone and looked up at the window at the end of the corridor.

Outside the window is the city skyline, with skyscrapers standing side by side like walls.

He used to think that standing on high ground and looking down on all living beings was a kind of enjoyment.

Now I realize that the real high ground is standing outside her door, but she refuses to open it.

When he heard last night that she wanted to break off the engagement and that she didn't like him, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, like being pricked with a needle.

The aches and pains kept him awake all night.

He suddenly understood.

He used to always think about balance, thinking that no one should get hurt, but in the end everyone got hurt.

He doesn't want to anymore.

He has to get what he wants himself.

Who cares whether it's right or wrong, who cares whether it's too late.

As for the relationship between Mianmian and her older brother, he was still just speculating.

Therefore, when you don't know your opponent's hand, don't call; instead, raise your bet first.

2801 is his bargaining chip.

He doesn't want answers, he wants time.

Given enough time, the answer will come to light on its own.

……

Si Yimian opened the door a crack, peering out through the gap.

Once she confirmed that He Sichen was the only person in the entryway, she opened the door wide and walked out barefoot.

The sachet of mugwort in her arms had gone cold, so she casually placed it on the coffee table and walked to the entryway.

"Gone?"

"Um."

She breathed a sigh of relief; her hair was messy from sleeping, with a tuft of hair sticking up.

What did you say to him?

"I listened in there for ages, and your brother's voice just kept getting more and more down."

"He wants to move in; he said he wants to buy the apartment upstairs."

Si Yimian paused, thinking she had misheard.

"He's moving in?"

"Um."

"Dr. He, do you think he might have suffered some kind of trauma?"

He Sichen did not respond.

He went to the kitchen, took a box of cherries from the refrigerator, washed a bowl, and placed it on the island.

Si Yimian followed over, reached out her paw, picked up a piece, and popped it into her mouth.

The juice burst open, so sweet it made your eyes squint.

"He wasn't this decisive before."

He Sichen leaned against the refrigerator, holding a glass of water in his hand, but didn't drink it.

People change.

Si Yimian spat out the pit and then picked up another one.

"He changed too quickly. Last night he was so indecisive that I wanted to enroll him in a decision-making training course."

"Buying a house today is as easy as buying groceries."

"He's changing his mind so quickly, unless he feels you're not safe."

He Sichen looked down at her bulging cheeks.

Do you think I'm safe?

Si Yimian almost choked.

This person always asks questions in such a maddening way.

Whether you are safe or not depends on the situation.

Si Yimian picked up a cherry and held it to his lips.

"It's safe in the hospital, but it's hard to say at home."

He Sichen neither refuted her words nor accepted the cherries.

He looked down at the dark red fruit, its stem still hanging from her fingertip, juice condensing into a small, shiny bead on the skin.

His gaze moved from the cherries to her fingers, and then from her fingers to her face.

Then he raised his hand and slowly took the cherry, his fingertips brushing against her fingertips.

"He's moving in, what are you planning to do?"

Si Yimian stared blankly at her empty fingers for a moment.

It won't eat even when you feed it right up to its mouth.

He insisted on taking it from her.

You said he refused, but he accepted.

You say he accepts it, but he won't let you feed him.

Forever stuck on that most ambiguous line, not a fraction more or less.

So she decided to do something bad.

"Then I'd better start planning my time management properly."

"I'm a person whose moral bottom line is very flexible."

"So flexible that you can live across the hall from me, sleep in my bed, and still be discussing marriage with him at the same time."

"If all else fails, try to reduce the frequency of staying overnight at your place."

The moment the words left my mouth, the air changed.

But the hand he placed on the island platform changed from slightly bent knuckles to tightened.

The fingers with distinct knuckles gripped the edge of the marble with a bit of force.

Si Yimian caught it.

She immediately circled around from the opposite side of the island and placed her paws on his arm.

"What I mean by reducing the frequency is not resetting it to zero."

He Sichen looked down at her hand resting on his arm.

Then I looked up and met her gaze.

"The frequency is not something you can decide on your own."

Upon hearing this, Si Yimian's heart clenched.

He Sichen took half a step forward.

She instinctively stepped back, her waist touching the edge of the island platform.

He braced himself with one hand on the marble countertop beside her, framing her between himself and the island counter.

He didn't touch her, but she could feel the warmth emanating from the front of his shirt.

He lowered his head, his gaze fixed directly into her eyes.

"Last night, when you hugged my neck, you called out my name, not your Nanxian brother."

His voice was kept very low.

"Do you need me to repeat it word for word?"

Si Yimian's pupils suddenly dilated.

Her ears burned, and she covered his mouth with her hand.

I placed my palm on his lips and could feel his warm breath.

"He Sichen, could you please not speak up at a time like this?"

He looked at her, neither struggling nor backing away.

She gave in to his gaze, slowly letting go of his hand and letting it fall to her side.

"You are a really dangerous person."

"Where is it dangerous?"

Others may be stubborn but soft-hearted, but you have a sharp tongue but a meticulous heart.

She poked his chest.

"He never wastes a single word, but he always chooses the moment when I'm least on guard to deliver a fatal blow."

He Sichen did not deny it. He straightened up and pushed the bowl in front of her.

"eat."

A single word, like a period, sealed the brief standoff that had just occurred on the island platform.

Si Yimian stared at the bowl of cherries that had been refilled and suddenly smiled.

She took the bowl of cherries and walked towards the sofa in the living room.

As I passed by him, my shoulder brushed against his arm.

"Dr. He, you're right, the frequency isn't something I decide alone."

She didn't even turn her head.

"However, what you just said also reveals that you don't want to reset to zero."

There was a moment of silence behind me.

Then she heard the sound of the glass of water being lifted from the island counter.

The glass clattered against the marble, making a slightly louder sound than usual.

Si Yimian put a cherry in her mouth and bit it open.

so sweet.