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

He Nanxian felt a pang in his heart at those words.

Si Yimian was waiting for him to have dinner.

These words, though seemingly light, sounded like lead to him.

In just one month, He Sichen squeezed into the most ordinary gaps in her life.

I've lost everything tonight, down to my last penny.

He had lived for twenty-five years, and this was the first time he had ever known what it meant to desire something you could not have.

He looked down at his phone.

The screen was still lit, and the call timer was ticking away second by second.

Si Yimian hasn't died yet.

Twenty-six minutes and forty-three seconds.

She listened to it from beginning to end.

He Nanxian stared at the number, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists, then suddenly relaxed and held the phone to his ear.

"Mianmian, did you hear everything?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then came Si Yimian's poised and generous reply: "Yes, I heard everything."

Her tone showed no sign of panic at being caught, as if she had just listened to a lengthy report in a meeting room without commenting or interrupting.

He Nanxian walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, his back pressed against the cold glass, his throat feeling a little dry.

"Let's schedule a time to talk tomorrow."

Si Yimian paused for a moment, then a slurping sound came from her, as if she was drinking something.

"it is good."

She agreed quickly, without hesitation or suspicion.

The voice was still that soft, gentle tone, as if nothing had happened.

He Nanxian didn't say anything more, nor did he hang up. He waited for two seconds to make sure she wouldn't say another word before taking the phone away from his ear.

……

Si Yimian stared at the black screen, then flipped her phone over and placed it face down on the sofa.

She took a sip of her juice, and the ice cubes made a crackling sound at the bottom of the glass.

She listened to the whole thing.

I heard every word of the brothers' conversation.

He Nanxian wasn't stupid; she should have thought of this long ago.

I just didn't expect him to be so efficient, he even found the surveillance footage, he was faster than the paparazzi.

She originally thought she could steal for at least another two or three months, but now it seems that this once mild-mannered young master can be quite capable of causing trouble when pushed to the limit.

Unfortunately, the reconnaissance ability has just been released, but the debate skill hasn't been upgraded yet.

He took the video and went to face off against He Sichen, only to be killed so badly that he didn't even have time to put on his resurrection armor.

The food was served peacefully.

However, what surprised her even more was He Sichen's reaction.

She held her breath and listened to that phone call for almost half an hour, expecting to hear something that would require her to mentally prepare herself overnight.

There was no result.

He Sichen neither admitted nor denied that he liked her.

He doesn't get married, makes no promises, he only provides resources.

Every word he said was within the bounds of logic, demonstrating rationality and composure.

She heard the key points of He Nanxian's phone call tonight very clearly.

He simply wanted to tell her that He Sichen would not marry her and that he could not give her a future.

Growing up in that kind of environment, it's normal for He Sichen to have PTSD about marriage.

She could tell just from the few words the old man uttered in the tea room last night how messy his family background was.

And you can't expect him to have any romanticized notions about marriage.

That's asking the impossible.

She understood him and completely accepted him.

He Sichen's current attitude is even a plus for her.

She doesn't have to bear the future expectations of a relationship, nor does she need to consider how things will end after the two families come to blows over their marriage, which makes things much easier for her.

In her current life priorities, love is very low, ranking very low.

Ahead lies the Si family's inheritance rights, Chenxi's real power, the cake of the Lighthouse Project, and she must take back everything the original owner lost.

Now that Si Ningyou is out of the picture, her parents have completely turned their backs on her, and Song Yuehua's attitude has softened as well.

If she takes just a few more steps to bring the project to fruition, Chenxi's chair will be hers sooner or later.

If her entanglement with both He brothers is exposed, she will always be the one who suffers.

She is not He Sichen, and she does not have the protection of Yu'an's 67% profit growth.

She is not He Nanxian, and doesn't need to rely on her reputation to make a living.

She is the daughter of the Si family, and Chenxi is not yet hers; she cannot afford to get her feathers dirty.

Moreover, after securing the Lighthouse Project, she had something even more important to do.

If he wants to leave when the time comes, he's not the type to cling on relentlessly.

The biggest advantage of two clear-headed people being together is that they don't have to put on a melodramatic show when they break up.

Having been a capitalist's little princess for so many years in her original world, what kind of gilded cage hadn't she seen?

Men only engage in romantic entanglements when there's profit to be made, and they withdraw when there's no profit to be made; they never do anything that loses money.

He Sichen doesn't verbally express his love, doesn't use marriage as a bargaining chip, and doesn't use emotions for moral blackmail.

Her face is top-notch, her figure is top-notch, and her skills are top-notch among top-notch.

She could enjoy herself so much in his bed that her nails dug into his back, and the next day her legs were so weak she couldn't get out of bed.

The key is that he's not clingy, doesn't check up on her, doesn't pressure her to get married, and can even help her secure a multi-billion dollar project after sleeping with her.

If you don't take advantage of this free time to sleep on it a few more times, are you going to wait until it expires and then cry in the temple?

The key is that even if you spend money, you might not be able to get this much skill again.

Even if you point to him, you won't find his face.

There are others who know how to have fun and are good-looking, but none of them are as rich and powerful as him.

In ancient times, this kind of man would be a top-tier retainer who could help you conquer an empire and was as handsome as an immortal.

He doesn't require you to take responsibility; you'd be hard-pressed to find someone like that even with a lantern.

He was practically a male bodhisattva tailor-made for her.

This level of limited edition, getting your money's worth while sleeping in it, is the basic quality of a sophisticated egoist.

Her next strategy is clear.

First, appease He Sichen and get him to expedite the process of annulling the engagement.

Second, the contract for the Lighthouse Project is now secured.

Third, get plenty of sleep before the contract is finalized.

Starting tonight, she'll have to upgrade her services.

After all, clients are rare, so cherish them while you can.

Si Yimian timed it carefully and put the heated dishes back on the table, arranged the chopsticks, and aligned the bowls and plates.

Finally, she lifted the lid completely, and the spiciness made her sneeze.

Doorbell rang.

She slipped on her slippers, walked to the entrance, put her hand on the doorknob, and pulled it out.

He Sichen stood at the door, one foot inside and the other still outside, his coat half off, with only one sleeve hanging on his elbow.

He didn't stop moving as he stepped inside.

His coat slipped off his arm and fell onto the carpet. He held her by the back of the neck and lowered his head to kiss her.

His nose bridge bumped against her nose tip, his lips carried the coolness of the outside air, yet the force of their contact was relentless.

Si Yimian leaned her lower back against the edge of the entryway cabinet, tiptoed forward to meet him, and their lips met, biting each other with perfect rhythm.

After lingering for a while, she turned her head to the side, rested her chin on his shoulder, and looked at him, slightly out of breath.

"What's your hurry?"

"Eat first if you're hungry."

He Sichen's pupils darkened, and he gently stroked the back of her ear with the pad of his fingertips that were holding the nape of her neck.

"I didn't feel like eating on the way."

Si Yimian's fingertips hooked onto his belt buckle and gently flicked it.

"Want to try it once first?"