Shi Sui was called back by Song Jie to sit on the sofa.

She kept her eyes lowered submissively, not making even the slightest eye contact with Yan Tingli.

The moment she sat down.

She heard from several meters away, Yan Tingli’s chest vibrating as he let out a cold laugh.

“Bringing people home casually—did you get my permission first?”

Shi Sui’s fingers clenched tightly.

She didn’t make a sound.

“Tingli.” It was Song Jie beside them who called out to him, her tone slightly heavy, “How can you speak like that?”

Even Su Han looked over in surprise, wearing an expression as if she was getting to know Yan Tingli all over again. Shi Sui also heard her mutter under her breath: “So ungentlemanly.”

Yan Tingli’s gaze hadn’t moved away from her.

As if he wanted to stare a hole right through her.

“I’m asking you a question, Shi Sui.”

Shi Sui’s spine was already covered in sweat from his unpredictable mood swings.

She didn’t know what kind of reaction would be considered normal.

Her acting skills weren’t good either, so she simply lowered her head and played dead.

Not uttering a single word.

Fortunately, someone spoke up for her.

Song Jie couldn’t understand why he was being so strange today, completely different from usual.

After all, she was the one who had asked Shi Sui to be the intermediary. Seeing the young girl’s silent appearance, she couldn’t bear to watch anymore and scolded: “I was the one who called them over, Tingli. Apologize to Suisui.”

Yan Tingli: “I won’t apologize.”

Shi Sui: “…”

Su Han was also getting angry watching from the side and couldn’t help but say: “I was the one who wanted to come along too, don’t just take your anger out on Suisui.”

Thinking that Su Han was still watching from the side, Song Jie’s face darkened. She took a deep breath and squeezed out a smile: “Suisui, I have some bags that would go perfectly with the bracelet. Come pick some out and see if there are any you like.”

This was to get her out of the way.

Shi Sui couldn’t have asked for more and nodded repeatedly, saying yes.

Ignoring the needle-like gaze behind her, she disappeared in a flash, escaping into Song Jie’s walk-in closet to hide.

Song Jie’s mind was not on this.

She directly put the bracelet on Shi Sui’s wrist, let her pick out accessories by herself, then went back downstairs.

Finally able to be alone in an enclosed space, Shi Sui’s violently beating heart finally began to stabilize. She kept nodding, wishing she could stay here until everything was over.

Downstairs in the living room.

Su Han looked at Yan Tingli, who had been cold-faced since entering and had even bullied Shi Sui away, feeling strange inside.

Even that bit of vanity about wanting to be with him had been mostly consumed.

The two faced each other.

They didn’t say a word, didn’t even exchange half a glance.

Until Song Jie came downstairs and started a conversation.

Only then did they chat a few sentences, neither warm nor cold.

Song Jie deliberately created space for them, going into the tea room alone, saying she would make them some more refreshments.

When only the two of them were left, the entire space felt cold enough to freeze into ice.

Su Han couldn’t sit still anymore, wishing she could go upstairs right now to find Shi Sui and complain.

But thinking of her father’s words, she endured it and continued sitting.

She reluctantly started a topic: “Yan Tingli, I’ve always wanted to ask you, you chose our major’s ‘History of Western Art’ course—are you also interested in this area?”

Yan Tingli was playing with his phone beside her, not even lifting his eyelids: “No.”

Su Han maintained her smile: “…Then why?”

“Why?” Yan Tingli’s eyes moved lazily: “To look at beautiful women—does that count?”

Su Han: “…?”

Her brain crashed, and she struggled to respond: “There are indeed quite a few pretty girls in our major—”

Before she could finish, she saw Yan Tingli lift his eyelids and glance at her: “I wasn’t talking about you.”

“…”

“Xiao Han,” Song Jie chased out from the villa, “Xiao Han, stay for lunch before you go.”

Su Han forced a smile: “No, thank you, Auntie, I still have some things to do.”

Song Jie had only been in the baking room for less than ten minutes when she heard that Su Han wanted to leave. How could she sit still? She said anxiously, “Did Tingli say something to make you angry? I’ll make him apologize to you.”

When Yan Tingli was mentioned, Su Han almost sneered coldly. She had truly been blind before, not realizing he was this kind of person, which made her eagerly run here to chase after him.

So she said: “I think he’s very rude. I was the one disturbing you. Goodbye, Auntie.”

After saying this, Su Han didn’t care what else Song Jie might say and walked away.

Seeing there was no room for redemption, Song Jie stood in place, her face completely darkening.

Reluctantly maintaining a smile as she saw Su Han off, she turned around expressionlessly.

She strode inside.

An auntie passed by, holding freshly poured tea in her hands, about to hand it to Song Jie.

Song Jie took it without looking sideways, took two steps forward, and came up close to Yan Tingli.

Under the surprised gaze of the auntie, she splashed the tea water all over Yan Tingli’s face and heavily smashed down the teacup.

She was almost mad with anger, shouting furiously: “What exactly are you having a fit about today?”

Water flowed down the young man’s cheeks.

The tea had just been poured, and the water temperature wasn’t low.

Almost the next moment, the skin on his face turned red.

“Having a fit?” Yan Tingli showed no expression, slowly raising his hand to wipe the water from his face.

He thought for a moment, his lips curling into a strange smile: “I learned it from you.”

Song Jie was so angry that her vision went black, nearly unable to stand steady.

At that moment.

The hall heard more commotion as Yan Zecheng entered, frowning as he looked over: “What’s all this fuss about?”

His gaze swept around, going straight to the point: “Where’s Su Han?”

Song Jie crossed her arms: “Your good son drove her away—not just today, but there’s no chance in the future either.”

Hearing this, Yan Zecheng’s expression also darkened. He heavily put down his coat and raised his voice: “Tingli, what are you making such a scene about?”

“Don’t you know what situation the company is in right now?”

“Not to mention Hongyuan outside, with Lanshen’s competing products watching like tigers, even within the family, your sixteen-year-old cousin has already entered the Mensa Club. Don’t you have any sense of urgency!”

Yan Tingli looked at him and smiled.

“What does it have to do with me?”

“You—” Yan Zecheng was so angry he tugged at his collar.

Song Jie sneered: “This is the good son you raised—here to collect debts.”

Yan Zecheng glared: “Isn’t he your son too?”

Song Jie’s eyes turned cold: “He doesn’t consider me his mother either.”

Yan Zecheng: “What’s the point of saying such things now?”

“Then what is the point?” Song Jie was provoked by him, “Talking about all those women of yours out there?”

With servants still present, Yan Zecheng’s face darkened: “Don’t you have someone on the side? You think I don’t know—after marriage, you never cut ties with that first love of yours—”

Song Jie interrupted: “We have a normal friendship, it’s you who’s filthy!”

“Normal? Lying in my bed, saying you miss him?”

“…”

The auntie was frightened by this scene and very tactfully went into the servants’ room.

The argument between the two was about to explode, until Song Jie collapsed and swept all the tea sets on the table to the floor: “Congjin died because of your affair, Yan Zecheng, you murderer, how dare you talk about me?”

Accompanied by the sharp sound of shattering porcelain.

Yan Zecheng kicked over the coffee table: “Who told you to lose that cat? If you hadn’t lost it, would this have happened?”

Yan Tingli rested his chin on his hand, expressionlessly watching them become hysterical, lazily lowering his eyes.

The water had soaked through his sweater, gradually becoming cold and sticky against his body, very uncomfortable.

So annoying.

So noisy.

Why don’t you all just die?

After the teacup shattered.

Song Jie seemed unable to stay even one more second. She wiped her face, grabbed her clothes, and walked away.

The sound of high heels faded into the distance.

Yan Zecheng stood in place with a cold face, breathing heavily.

“If you continue being so clueless, I don’t mind having another qualified heir.”

After saying this, he had no patience left to continue advising Yan Tingli and turned to leave.

Leaving only a mess on the floor.

Feeling that the commotion outside had died down, the hiding aunties finally dared to come out.

No one spoke, silently cleaning up the aftermath.

Auntie Jiang looked at Yan Tingli, soaked and cold, feeling somewhat sympathetic, and handed over a handkerchief.

“Xiao Li, wipe yourself off, go change your clothes, don’t catch a cold.”

Yan Tingli didn’t move.

“Bang.” He looked up at her.

Auntie Jiang: “Xiao Li?”

“I was just thinking,” Yan Tingli smiled slightly, “how to blow this place up.”

Let them all die.

Auntie Jiang was startled.

“The food is already made,” Auntie Li said nearby, not understanding the situation, finished cleaning up the porcelain fragments, and came over to whisper to Auntie Jiang, “Should we call Suisui down to eat?”

Some words suddenly made Yan Tingli abruptly stand up and head upstairs.

Auntie Jiang looked at him: “Xiao Li?”

“Never mind about blowing it up.”

He spoke while entering the elevator, disappearing at a strangely fast speed.

Leaving behind two completely bewildered aunties.

Meanwhile, Shi Sui sat in Song Jie’s walk-in closet, staring blankly at the room full of bags and accessories.

On her phone, Su Han had sent her a series of sixty-second voice messages.

She clicked to listen.

Chinese mixed with English, both languages used to completely diss Yan Tingli.

Shi Sui was shocked beyond belief.

What heavenly law had Yan Tingli violated exactly?

“He said I’m not a beauty, ha,” Su Han said, breaking down, “I’m not pretty? How could I possibly not be pretty? Fuck. I must have been blind before to fancy this kind of person.”

Shi Sui was confused.

Although Yan Tingli wasn’t a good person, he still had basic politeness and manners.

While comforting Su Han and pondering, suddenly.

The sound of shattering porcelain came from downstairs, like teacups being smashed on the ground.

The sound was muffled, not very clear.

Shi Sui was startled and pricked up her ears.

But the Yan house had excellent soundproofing, and she couldn’t hear anything else afterward.

Shi Sui looked at the door of the walk-in closet.

The feeling of unease made her want to go out and see what had happened, but reason told her no, she couldn’t meddle in other people’s business.

The following moments felt unusually long.

Shi Sui comforted Su Han, but her heart was beating rapidly.

Her sixth sense told her.

Something unpleasant had happened downstairs.

Yan Tingli had made Su Han angry, and Song Jie would be unhappy.

How would she treat Yan Tingli? Were they arguing again?

Shi Sui paced back and forth somewhat anxiously.

Until footsteps sounded outside the door.

Not knowing who it was, her heart rose to her throat.

The next second, the door was opened.

Seeing Yan Tingli, his shirt front soaked through, his hair still wet, looking quite disheveled, she widened her eyes.

“…What happened to you?!”

“Bang.”

The sound of the door closing, accompanied by a “click,” he locked the door.

His jet-black pupils also fixed steadily on her face, unfathomably deep, carrying a kind of eerie calm.

Shi Sui felt goosebumps from his stare.

She unconsciously stepped back: “Why are you locking the door… Where’s Auntie Song?”

“Gone.”

He walked forward, smiling slightly: “They’re all gone.”

Hearing that no one was home, Shi Sui’s heart relaxed slightly.

But then, she became nervous again.

…Was he here to settle accounts with her now?

Shi Sui didn’t even think before sliding to her knees: “It wasn’t my idea, it was Auntie Song who—”

Yan Tingli had already walked up close to her, bending down to meet her eyes: “I know.” His ice-cold fingers gently caressed her cheek: “Our Suisui always has her reasons.”

Shi Sui didn’t feel relieved.

Pressed tightly against the wall, she felt all the hair on her body standing on end with sensitivity.

She held her breath, avoiding his eyes, and said softly: “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Yan Tingli’s lips were also ice-cold, lightly brushing past her ear, “What’s the use of being sorry?”

Shi Sui swallowed.

Not daring to ask what he wanted, it would probably be some outrageous demand.

“I couldn’t refuse Auntie Song.” She carefully chose her words, pleading with him earnestly, “Can you understand me… just a little bit.”

Yan Tingli tilted his head, thinking.

“But,” he asked her with genuine curiosity, “Why can I refuse?”

“I made them all angry and drove them away.”

Yan Tingli squinted slightly, as if recalling something: “Yan Zecheng seemed to say he’d make a new heir.”

“What should I do?”

Shi Sui’s pupils contracted, shocked beyond measure.

Yan Tingli frowned in thought, continuing on his own: “It’s not difficult. If he dares to have one, I’ll send his son to see Yan Congjin. What do you think?”

Shi Sui took a while to react.

Only after slowly understanding the meaning behind his words did goosebumps break out all over her body the next instant.

She didn’t know what had happened to make Yan Tingli suddenly become so sick.

Without time to think, she grabbed his hand with both of hers, cupping it, and said repeatedly: “That’s not good! Of course, that’s not good!”

“Calm down, don’t think wildly, don’t think wildly.”

Yan Tingli blinked.

Suddenly, he chuckled and said, “Just scaring you.”

But Shi Sui was still in shock, not feeling at all that he was joking.

Her heart was beating like a drum.

She felt like Yan Tingli was driving her crazy, too.

“Then—”

His pupils moved, finally settling on her face, “What should I do?”

Shi Sui swallowed. How could she possibly have any solution?

After hesitating for a long while, she could only tentatively say: “You could apologize to Uncle Yan, then make long-term plans—”

Yan Tingli looked troubled: “I don’t want to apologize. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Shi Sui had nothing to say.

She could never understand the family relationships of these wealthy people.

“Then just don’t be the heir.” Shi Sui gave up and said.

“Okay.” He suddenly agreed readily.

His fingers also hooked hers, casually interlacing their fingers, “I’ll listen to you, won’t be the heir anymore.”

Shi Sui was stunned.

The next second, she saw his lips move: “Then run away with me.”

“…” Shi Sui maintained her motionless posture, her expression wooden.

Her heart also felt bitter.

“I mean, let’s leave together.” As if thinking she hadn’t heard, Yan Tingli said again in her ear, word by word, “After we finish university, wherever you want to go, we’ll go there. No one can control us.”

Shi Sui was silent for a long time, struggling to change the subject: “…Actually, what Uncle Yan said was probably just angry words.”

“Oh?”

Shi Sui didn’t know what she was saying: “Having children isn’t that easy just because you say so.”

Yan Tingli suddenly laughed against her ear.

“Do you know how many women he has outside?”

Shi Sui pressed her lips together, saying nothing. At least Uncle Yan had been kind to her, she couldn’t casually gossip about him.

“Over twenty.”

Shi Sui was shocked to hear this.

“If he plants seeds in each of them a few times, within three months, I should have at least twenty younger siblings.”

Shi Sui was completely speechless.

Yan Tingli rubbed his cheek against her neck, speaking softly: “So annoying, I couldn’t finish beating them all.”

Beat? Beat what?

Abortions?

Shi Sui was almost scared to death.

“No, it won’t come to that,” she swallowed, earnestly pulling him close, almost incoherently, “Don’t think like that, it’s impossible. Impossible.”

Yan Tingli rested his chin on her shoulder, his fingers playing with strands of her hair: “Then we can only leave together.”

“I won’t be the heir, wherever you want to go, we’ll go there.”

Shi Sui stood frozen.

“Otherwise,” he sighed, “I can’t help wanting to blow them all up.”

“…”

Shi Sui couldn’t remember how she got out of Song Jie’s walk-in closet that afternoon.

She only remembered.

Her body seemed to alternate between dry and wet. She didn’t know if it was the cold tea water from Yan Tingli’s body, or the cold sweat breaking out all over her own body.

She also couldn’t remember.

Under what kind of mental pressure, she finally nodded to Yan Tingli.

Promising to be with him “forever.”

They had lunch downstairs.

Song Jie and the others weren’t there.

A table full of delicacies, all for the two of them to enjoy alone.

Yan Tingli sat across from her.

He had changed into a light blue sweater, which made his skin look even more pale and cold. A few rays of bright spring sunlight filtered through the decorative windows, illuminating his radiant features. His already superior looks were so captivating that you couldn’t look away.

Several aunties couldn’t help but look at him in surprise.

How did he seem like a completely different person just from going upstairs to change clothes?

Only Shi Sui kept her head down, chewing very slowly.

Despite the beautiful spring weather and delicious food, her fingertips remained ice-cold, unable to warm up no matter what.

In the afternoon.

Yan Tingli wanted to go back to the apartment with her.

From the moment they got in the car, he kept holding her hand.

Usually it was his hand that was cold, but this time he was the one holding hers, warming her fingers.

After dinner that evening, Yan Tingli had Xiao Wo play “Big Ear Tutu”—this was their third time watching it.

Until it got to the episode that had left a deep impression on Shi Sui since childhood.

Tutu’s little classroom said: “Mommy alone cannot give birth to a baby, there must be daddy’s love. Daddy must love mommy very, very much for mommy to have a baby.”

Yan Tingli watched quietly, his lips curling into an arc that was either mocking or sarcastic.

“Lies.”

Shi Sui’s eyelashes flickered as she slowly turned to look at him.

Yan Tingli also happened to look down.

The second their eyes met, he cupped the back of her head, lowered his head to kiss her gently, while saying in a somewhat muffled voice: “Even cartoons are lying.”

Yan Tingli’s kiss moved lightly, landing by her ear.

His voice was also very soft, like a feather brushing past.

He looked at her and said.

“Suisui, this time I believe you.”

“Don’t deceive me.”

Shi Sui stared blankly at his eyes that reflected her image.

Her heart felt like it had been soaking in lemon water for a long time, sour and soft and wrinkled.

Making her inexplicably want to cry.