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

Everyone at the table was stunned.

He Sichen leaned back in his chair, rested his arm on the edge of the table, and interlaced his fingers in front of him.

His gaze went past his knuckles and straight to He Nanxian.

"I do not support this marriage."

Zhou Wanqing, who had just been criticized by He Sichen, was now energized.

She put down the soup spoon, her tone still gentle, but a glint of something else was in her eyes.

"Si Chen, what are your reasons for not supporting your brother's marriage?"

He Sichen put down his wine glass, traced a circle on the rim with his fingertip, and spoke slowly.

"The He family's marriage alliances with outsiders are not Nanxian's private matter."

"The second round of the framework agreement between Yu'an and Chenxi was just signed last week, which involves six business segments and the equity consideration of the two groups."

"This marriage involves two families, not just two people."

He Jian'an was about to speak up to smooth things over, but he shut his mouth again after hearing this.

He Sichen leaned back slightly and continued speaking.

"Since this involves two families, we can't just consider emotional factors; we also have to consider reputation."

"Everyone here knows about Nanxian and Si Ningyou's affair."

He Nanxian frowned slightly: "Brother, there's nothing between Si Ningyou and me now."

"It's nothing now."

He Sichen repeated his words, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"And before that?"

"At the charity gala, Nanxian, in front of the entire Beijing entertainment circle, raised his placard to bid for Canglan for Si Ningyou."

"He publicly bid against Huo Siyue for 70 million, leaving his marriage partner sitting next to him like a decoration."

"Hundreds of eyes were watching, and the media captured it all clearly."

"At that time, did he even have eyes for his fiancée?"

He Nanxian's face darkened.

He Sichen didn't give him a chance to interrupt and continued speaking.

"Over the years, Nanxian has neglected Miss Si's affairs for the sake of Si Ningyou, and this is not the only one."

"Nanxian gave most of the attention that should have been given to his fiancée to the Si family's adopted daughter."

"Everyone in Beijing's social circle with eyes can see this."

"Now that Si Ningyou has just been expelled from the Si family, she is rushing to push forward with her marriage to the second Miss Si."

"What's this called?"

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

"They told me to come to the table to eat without wiping my mouth properly."

He Sichen paused, his gaze sweeping over He Nanxian.

"Uncle Si has just cleaned up the mess; the Si family needs time to rebuild."

"I think that before discussing marriage, Nanxian should first sort out Si Ningyou's matter."

"How to handle it, and to what extent, is necessary to show the Si family our sincerity."

"When two families arrange a marriage, they are concerned with appearances."

"If Nanxian can't even show this much sincerity, the marriage will only be a ticking time bomb."

He put down his wine glass, the bottom of which tapped on the table, and looked up at He Huaipu.

"Grandpa, my opinion is that we should wait until Nanxian has completely resolved Si Ningyou's matter, then make a public statement so that everyone can see the He family's attitude."

"We can discuss marriage later, which will be proper and respectable for both families."

"It's not the right time to bring this up now."

Zhou Wanqing's expression changed.

She wanted to speak up for her son, but found that every argument He Sichen made was based on facts, and she couldn't find a way to refute it.

A standard procedure for answering questions leaves no room for error.

Si Yimian lowered her eyelashes and twirled the spoon in the porcelain bowl.

It's a real shame that He Sichen's mouth isn't used to speak at the United Nations.

He's practically a master of language Tai Chi, having mastered the art of using minimal force to achieve maximum effect.

He was talking about family rules, but he was actually paving the way for her to postpone the wedding.

Is this the true value of a yearly salary?

They are truly reliable in crucial moments.

He Huaipu remained silent for a while, then put down his chopsticks and looked at He Nanxian.

"Your older brother is right."

"You have indeed had an inextricable relationship with that girl from the Si family over the years. You need to clean this up first."

"Marriage is not a game; once you're married, it's for life."

"If you want to marry Mianmian, you have to let her see your attitude first."

He Nanxian sat there calmly, not like someone whose secrets had been exposed in public.

Looking back now, what we did back then was indeed inappropriate.

He didn't make excuses or shirk responsibility; he admitted it readily.

This made He Sichen take another look at him.

"But I don't think these things have anything to do with my marriage to Mianmian."

He Nanxian raised his eyes and calmly met He Sichen's gaze.

"My brother said I neglected Mianmian in the past, and I admit it."

"But for me, marriage is not a choice made after weighing the pros and cons."

He turned his head to look at Si Yimian.

"Mianmian, I've always felt I owe you something."

"Just because I didn't do well in the past doesn't mean I won't do well in the future. I can make up for it every day after marriage."

Si Yimian paused, her fingers holding the spoon pausing, thinking that this meal was more tiring than going to work.

She pondered how to brush off He Nanxian.

His lips had just opened, but he hadn't uttered a single word yet.

"Nanxian".

The old man placed his chopsticks horizontally on the chopstick rest, wiped his hands with a napkin, and looked up at He Nanxian.

"Grandpa understood what you just said."

He paused, took off his reading glasses, and pointed in the direction of He Nanxian with the temple of the glasses.

"That's not making a statement, that's just drawing a pie in the sky."

He Nanxian was taken aback by the retort: ​​"Grandpa, that's not what I meant..."

He Huaipu took a sip of tea and ignored him.

His gaze shifted from He Nanxian to Si Yimian, and a smile suddenly spread across his thin face.

"Mianmian, my little girl."

Si Yimian immediately sat up straight and obediently replied, "Grandpa He, please speak."

"Don't let him lead you astray."

He Huaipu waved his hand and tapped his finger on the table.

At eighty-three years old, his eyes were not cloudy at all, but clear as two pools of autumn water.

"They both have a point, but this is a question for you."

What are your thoughts?

"Say what you want to say, or just eat."

Si Yimian was stunned for a moment.

Then she lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

What kind of magical old man is this?

Instead of giving Nanxian face or letting Sichen gain the upper hand, she gave her the choice.

And of course, she wanted to cancel the engagement.

From the moment she told He Nanxian in the corridor that she wanted to cancel the engagement, this matter had been on her to-do list.

But this isn't something she can decide on her own at the dinner table.

This marriage agreement was made by the two families' fathers years ago and involved a business partnership.

We need to communicate with the Si family first, and find out the attitudes of Si Congshan and Ruan Qiutang.

Back then, He Nanxian wanted to switch the engagement to Si Ningyou, but instead of taking the lead himself, he kept pushing her towards He Sichen.

Under the guise of asking her older brother to help take care of her, her real intention was to get her closer to He Sichen and cause some trouble so that the engagement would naturally be nullified.

Because he also knew that the person who took the initiative to cancel the engagement would be the culprit who ruined the relationship between the two families.

He wanted He Sichen, who had more say and better problem-solving skills, to defuse this time bomb for him.

Unexpectedly, Si Ningyou's plan backfired, and she suddenly became difficult to control.

So he immediately changed his tune, bringing up the idea of ​​getting married as soon as possible at the dinner table to forcefully appease her.

He was certain that she wouldn't propose breaking off the engagement at this time.

Because she had just established herself in Chenxi, she needed the marriage alliance to stabilize the situation.

These kinds of people are the most shrewd.

Before, the plan was to balance her relationship with Si Ningyou; now, the plan is to put her in a position where she can't refuse.

She needs the right to inherit the family property, she needs Chenxi, and she needs the resources of the He family.

To lose sight of the bigger picture is foolish.

Cancelling the engagement requires the right timing; it requires He Nanxian to bring it up first, or it requires He Sichen to do it secretly.

She cannot lead the charge alone.

Si Yimian put down her spoon, raised her face, and smiled at He Huaipu.

"Grandpa Crane, then I'll be frank."

"I don't want to get married so early."

She paused, then added.

"I don't want to for at least three years."