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

He Nanxian stood there, stunned, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head.

A few seconds later, he laughed, with an absurd feeling of being extremely angry.

"sister in law?"

He repeated the word, as if chewing a rotten peanut, bitter and astringent.

"He Sichen, have you ever fucking thought about getting married?"

He Sichen remained silent.

"You've witnessed how bad your parents' marriage was since you were little, so you know it better than anyone else."

"You said you didn't believe in marriage, you said that piece of paper is the most hypocritical contract in the world."

He Nanxian took a step forward.

"You can't even fool yourself, so what do you have to offer her?"

He Sichen looked down at him, his expression unchanged.

But the knuckles of the fingers holding the teacup bulged slightly.

He Nanxian stared at him, catching the less than half-second silence, and suddenly smiled.

"What, did I guess right?"

He pressed his advantage, speaking at a faster pace.

"You never intended to marry her in the first place, right?"

He Nanxian took a step forward and lowered his voice.

"You've never even been in a relationship in your life, and suddenly you're jumping to marriage?"

Are you attracted to her body, or do you genuinely like her as a person?

Can you tell the difference?

The office temperature dropped several degrees.

He Sichen lowered his eyes and stared at the teacup, his gaze darkening.

The tea leaves sank to the bottom of the cup, like a small, withered leaf sinking into deep water.

He Nanxian's words were like a not-so-sharp knife, not in a hurry to stab, but sawing away bit by bit.

He suddenly remembered his tenth birthday.

He only remembered that school ended early that day, and the driver hadn't arrived yet. His mother, Ning Jingzhi, led him through the hospital's administrative building to find his father.

The corridor was long, and the setting sun streamed in through the windows, turning the entire corridor orange-red.

They stopped at the office door, which wasn't closed properly.

He saw his father embracing Zhou Wanqing, who was holding a five-year-old boy in her arms. The boy had some similar features to him and was looking up at his father, calling him "Dad."

When the father saw them, his expression changed.

Zhou Wanqing's first reaction was to squat down and hide the little boy behind her.

The image was like a photograph that had been soaked in water; the colors were blurred, but the outlines were forever etched on the retina.

That night, he sat in his room with the cake still on the table, half of the cream had collapsed, and the candles hadn't been lit.

His mother pushed open the door and came in, sitting down beside his bed.

He still remembers every single word she said clearly.

"Sichen, Mom and Dad are sorry."

"I brought you into this world, but I didn't give you a complete family."

"Marriage is something that not all love stories can end well."

"Some people drift apart as time goes by, and some don't even care about saving face when they part ways."

"If you want to get married in the future, first think carefully about whether you are prepared to bear all the consequences."

"If you really don't understand what love is, then don't get married."

"The scariest thing in life is not falling down, but getting up and never wanting to walk again."

As he grew up, he witnessed countless failed marriages and relationships, and every single one of them was a mess.

Her parents' marriage was a mess, and the years after Zhou Wanqing entered the family were a long and arduous battle of attrition.

His attitude towards marriage was like that of a surgical procedure that could collapse at any moment.

If you can avoid doing something, do it; if you must do it, calculate all the variables to the extreme before you dare to make a move.

Marriage is the riskiest interpersonal relationship, with a very poor return on investment and is irreversible.

Therefore, he refused arranged marriages, blind dates, and all contact aimed at marriage.

He's good at subtraction; if he can't do something well, he simply doesn't do it, at least he won't harm anyone.

Until Si Yimian entered his world.

She was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, the ripples spreading so far that he couldn't stop them.

He broke too many precedents and crossed too many boundaries.

From helping her clean up her messes to being unable to resist wanting to kiss her.

Every step I take is a slap in the face to myself.

He couldn't tell if it was liking or physical instinct.

All I know is that I've lost control, and it's a continuous loss of control.

No one had ever taught him how to love someone, nor did he know what love was.

He didn't have the courage to drag her into the grave of marriage, but he also didn't intend to push her out.

Like a sports car without brakes, it only knows how to rev the engine but doesn't know where to stop.

He couldn't give her a promise, but he could provide resources.

I can't give her a formal title, but I can provide her with a stepping stone to advancement.

As for himself...

He really hadn't thought that far ahead.

On the other end of the phone, Si Yimian pressed her ear to the receiver, even holding her breath.

She had never seen He Sichen remain silent for so long.

He was invulnerable to anyone, remaining unfazed when publicly criticized by his stepmother and deftly deflecting attacks from the board of directors.

At this moment, however, it felt as if he had been pinned against a wall and the back of his head had hit something hard.

She suddenly became a little unhappy.

Why did He Nanxian poke at him like that?

Seeing his silence, He Nanxian thought he had hit the nail on the head, so he leaned forward and suddenly changed his tone.

"At least she has a legitimate status with me."

"With you? Your secret lover?"

"Are you planning to keep stealing from her like this?"

"When did she stop stealing? Was she twenty-five? Thirty?"

"Or is it that you've already stolen her and she's ready to get married, and you're personally handing her back to me?"

He Nanxian is not a person who cannot think.

He used to just leave the multiple-choice questions to time.

But this time, he cut into He Sichen's most vulnerable spot with every stroke.

Because they were raised by the same father.

He Sichen has hidden injuries, and He Nanxian also has a copy.

He Nanxian had been protected by Zhou Wanqing since he was a child, so his wound wasn't that deep, but he knew what a wound looked like.

He Sichen raised his eyes, meeting her gaze without flinching.

"He Nanxian, what's the rush?"

"Are you afraid that I'll not only sleep with you, but also be registered in your household register?"

He Nanxian was taken aback, his prepared next offensive stuck in his throat.

He Sichen looked at his expression and slightly tugged at the corner of his lips.

"You're right, I really haven't thought about getting married."

He didn't make excuses, didn't beat around the bush, and didn't even bother with explanations; he just laid it all out.

"To me, that piece of paper was similar to an informed consent form for surgery."

"Signing the consent form does not guarantee the success of the surgery."

"It doesn't mean the patient will definitely survive."

He Nanxian's pupils contracted slightly.

He recognized her so readily that all the knives he had prepared missed their mark.

"So you know you can't give her a future."

He Nanxian's voice tightened as he tried to regain control of the rhythm.

He Sichen didn't respond to that.

He turned his head and looked out the window.

As dusk settled, the glass turned a dirty orange color.

"He Nanxian, did you bring this video to talk about feelings or business?"

"What?"

He Nanxian wanted to continue speaking, but He Sichen raised his hand and stopped him.

"When it comes to feelings, you're already out of the game."

"When it comes to business, your calculations are terrible."

"You think you can use marriage as leverage to get her away from me?"

"She doesn't even want your engagement, do you think she'd want mine?"

"Your status is thinner than toilet paper; it's too hard to even wipe your butt."

"Why haven't you posted this video yet? Are you waiting for an auspicious day?"

He Nanxian clenched his fists, his knuckles turning bluish-white: "You..."

He Sichen interrupted him: "Because you don't dare."