These words landed like a thunderclap—even more shocking than Qin Xuekai’s sudden proposal moments before.

Mrs. Yu and Yu Chongyi were too astonished to speak. Qin Xuekai, too, stood there dumbfounded, his mouth agape. As He Yunqin’s rival, he was even more taken aback than the Yu family. The reason he’d dared propose to Hongdou in front of He Yunqin in the first place was precisely because he knew that, constrained by the gap in their social standing, He Yunqin could never possibly marry her.

And now, with the Yu family facing disaster, he had offered a lifetime’s promise to help resolve their crisis, sparing nothing to show his sincerity. By comparison, He Yunqin’s so-called gesture of driving Hongdou to and from school seemed frivolous and perfunctory indeed.

Yet who could have known that He Yunqin would refuse to yield an inch, and would go ahead and propose marriage himself as well—and judging by his tone and manner as he spoke, this was certainly no jest.

Qin Xuekai’s confidence evaporated entirely. He stood stunned for a moment, then looked at Hongdou in a panic.

Hongdou, too, was clearly taken quite by surprise, staring at He Yunqin, speechless with shock.

Yet unlike her reaction when Qin Xuekai had proposed earlier, this time, beyond her astonishment, there was also an unmistakable shyness. Two bright patches of red bloomed vividly on her cheeks, and her eyes carried an unmistakable trace of alarm and confusion.

Hongdou truly was unable to say a word for a long while. He Yunqin, a man who spoke shocking things without warning, had proposed marriage with absolutely no lead-up whatsoever. The two of them now stared at each other; his eyes were dark and deep as a well, his tone calm and certain—clearly, he was confident she would choose him.

She felt both bashful and irritated all at once, her face flushing red as she blurted, “I won’t marry anyone. Isn’t there some other way?”

With those words tossed out, she turned and walked briskly to her bedroom door under everyone’s watchful eyes, fleeing inside as if escaping.

She shut the door and leaned her back against it, her heart pounding wildly, refusing to calm down. Who could have guessed that things would escalate from tense words to the point of touching on her marriage, of all things?

What embarrassed her most was that He Yunqin had, in front of her mother and brother no less, brazenly spoken of “mutual affection.”

Who was mutually affectionate with him?

Once she’d calmed down somewhat, she noticed the silence outside remained unbroken, and couldn’t help feeling uneasy. She had refused so resolutely just now—she wondered what He Yunqin must think of it. He was such a proud man; having been doused with cold water so abruptly, would he feel utterly humiliated?

Anxious, she turned to the side, straining to listen for any sound from the living room.

Fortunately, He Yunqin hadn’t left. Soon he spoke again. “The most crucial point, one that I’m sure Aunt and Brother Yu are also aware of, is that Bai Haili currently holds evidence against Brother Yu. Even if I take charge of escorting Hongdou every day, that still won’t stop Bai Haili from using this matter to vent his spite—and if he truly puts his mind to it, he might well frame Brother Yu for dereliction of duty. This situation, one could say, arose because I approached him about a collaboration in the first place, so it’s only right that I be the one to resolve it. The best solution now is to announce our relationship publicly in the papers, making Brother Yu a proper in-law of the He family through natural course. You should know that Bai Haili, over these years of currying favor and courting wealth, has received no small amount of patronage from Shanghai’s business community. However unrestrained he may be, he would never dare openly defy the head of the chamber of commerce.”

Mindful of Qin Xuekai’s presence, He Yunqin didn’t specify exactly what evidence was being held over them. Yet these words, spoken unhurriedly, thoroughly opened Mrs. Yu’s eyes.

Indeed—even if marrying off Hongdou could dispel Commissioner Bai’s designs on her, there was still Chongyi to consider. For Hongdou’s sake, Chongyi had already utterly broken with Commissioner Bai. Given that petty man’s nature, he would certainly not let Chongyi off so easily—even without evidence in hand before, he’d found ways to make trouble for him; how much more so now that real evidence existed? Turning it over in her mind, she truly couldn’t think of a better solution than what Mr. He was proposing.

But was he telling the truth? Was he really willing to commit his entire life just to lend a helping hand? Or had it simply been a matter of getting swept up in the heat of the moment, exchanging words with Qin Xuekai, and blurting out a proposal on impulse?

These past few days, she had already suspected her daughter had developed feelings for He Yunqin, yet seeing no response from He Yunqin’s side, and knowing him to be one of Shanghai’s most celebrated young gentlemen, she had largely assumed it was her daughter’s one-sided infatuation. But judging by what had just happened, even though He Yunqin’s words had sounded proper and measured on the surface, that earlier phrase blurted out in the heat of the moment—”mutual affection”—might well have held some genuine truth to it after all.

Over the following hours, Hongdou never worked up the courage to come out of her room. When her mother came in to call her for dinner, she pulled the blanket over her head and pretended to be fast asleep.

Qin Xuekai had apparently left long ago, but He Yunqin stayed for dinner. Judging by the sounds of conversation from the living room, her mother, brother, and He Yunqin seemed to be getting along quite well—could they really be discussing marriage matters already? Wouldn’t that be too sudden? Though she didn’t dislike him in the least, the idea of getting engaged just like that still felt somehow dreamlike.

She hadn’t left her room, yet she kept careful track of the sounds from the living room. By eight o’clock, she heard what sounded like him taking his leave.

She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then found she could lie still no longer. She threw off the blanket and got out of bed, not even bothering with shoes, her bare feet padding softly across the smooth black teak floor as she crept to the window and lifted the sheer white gauze curtain.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival drawing near, a moon like a silver plate hung low in the sky. She leaned against the windowsill, quietly watching for movement below.

Before long, she heard the front door open—He Yunqin was coming out.

Just as when she’d first met him, he walked to the top of the steps and didn’t leave right away. He paused a moment, then turned and looked up toward the second floor. Moonlight, milky and pale, poured over him, throwing his silhouette into sharp relief. His expression was so calm it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or upset, but from the angle of his upturned face, there was no doubt—he was looking straight at the second-floor window.

Out of shyness, she instinctively drew back before he could spot her—but then, on second thought, why should she hide? She threw the curtain wide open instead, letting her whole upper body stand plainly bathed in the moonlight.

But in that split second, he had already turned and gone down the steps, walking toward the mouth of the lane.

This meant not only had they not exchanged a word, they hadn’t even caught each other’s eye. Hongdou stamped her foot lightly in regret, but he was already gone. Mindful of her dignity, she certainly couldn’t call out to him. With nothing else to be done, she could only watch, disconsolate, his tall, straight figure receding.

Yet as he walked on, he suddenly seemed to remember something delightful. Just as he reached beneath an osmanthus tree, he stopped abruptly, and out of nowhere, leapt up high, reaching to snap off a branch from the higher reaches—just as her brother often did when he was in a good mood. His whole bearing seemed positively buoyant.

At first she was puzzled, but thinking it over carefully, she seemed to understand a little of what it meant. Slowly, from deep in her chest up to her face, a smile spread—one she herself hadn’t even noticed forming.

He Yunqin himself had no idea why he’d suddenly felt the urge to snap off a branch of osmanthus overhead—only that some boundless energy inside him needed release through physical action.

When he’d proposed marriage just now, Hongdou had indeed refused him on the spot. But he had seen clearly enough: when Qin Xuekai had proposed, Hongdou had been surprised, certainly, but at her core she’d remained composed. Yet when it was his turn to propose, she had visibly grown flustered and shy—all trace of composure gone.

Yes. Of this, he was quite certain.

And so, the moment this thought struck him, his heart seemed to lift as if carried aloft by a spring breeze, soaring lightly upward—he simply had to jump up and snap off a branch, or brush against some flowers and leaves, to feel truly satisfied.

He got into the car quite calmly and drove back to the He residence at his usual pace. Bai Haili was a consistently treacherous man, unlikely to swallow this humiliation quietly—he might already be scheming to have Yu Chongyi imprisoned. To prevent complications, it would be best to announce the engagement to Hongdou in the papers as soon as possible.

He had already persuaded Mrs. Yu and Yu Chongyi just now; next came his father and mother. It wasn’t too late in the evening—now was as good a time as any to discuss the engagement.

He had just arrived at the He residence when he noticed several cars parked out front. One belonged to the Duan family’s driver; another was from the Lu family of Nanbao Trading Company.

His expression darkened slightly. Just yesterday, his father had presented Old Master Lu with clear evidence that Lu Jingheng had bribed a He family servant to scheme against him and his sister-in-law. Old Master Lu, overcome with shame, had personally beaten Lu Jingheng half to death on the spot with family discipline. Because the blows had been too severe, Lu Jingheng had been rushed to a private hospital that very night for emergency treatment.

He had no idea what the Lu family could be here for now—his son had already committed such a disgraceful act; did Old Master Lu think a severe beating alone wasn’t enough, and that he needed to come apologize in person as well?

As for why the Duan family had come, it was likely on account of Duan Mingyi.

He went upstairs, and just at the turn in the staircase, ran into Duan Mingyi.

She looked as though she’d just come from inside, tear tracks still visible on her face.

He Yunqin stopped in his tracks and said flatly, “Sister-in-law.”

Duan Mingyi looked at him quietly for a moment. As the two passed each other, a faint trace of fragrance drifted from her, then vanished just as quickly.

He Yunqin frowned slightly. He suddenly thought of the scent in Hongdou’s hair—he had no idea what soap she used, not quite like osmanthus, not quite like rose, but remarkably fresh and pleasant.

That night in the card room, hadn’t that girl asked him how he’d managed to recognize him in the dark? Surely it had been because of the scent on her.

Who would have thought someone so clever could also be so foolish sometimes.

With this thought, his expression softened unconsciously, and he stepped toward his parents’ bedroom.

But just as he reached the door, he heard a middle-aged man’s deep voice from within: “No matter how you put it, your family’s Second Son is a man. As for Mingyi—ever since she married into the He family, she’s suffered two baseless slanders for no reason at all. The first time was that scandalous newspaper story; the second time she was outright drugged by a servant. The first incident, one could perhaps deny entirely—but if she was truly targeted at the birthday banquet itself, wouldn’t my daughter’s reputation be utterly ruined?”

Author’s Note: The engagement is more or less settled now—just one step away from the wedding. Let’s give it one last push.