“Pfft.” Xie Yan was set off by what Shiyao said.

A good match?

Her younger brother and Ningning — a good match?

When he had found out Yanyu was sending gifts to Ningning, he had looked into her.

This young woman had done a combined bachelor’s and master’s programme, maintained an excellent GPA throughout her time at university, and — he had also found — she had graduated early, which was proof enough of how outstanding she was.

Of course, academic credentials alone couldn’t determine whether two people were suited for each other.

The real point was that her status as the young lady of the Yan Group placed her leagues above Shiyao’s family background.

Moreover, Ningning had vivid, delicately beautiful features — lips a rosy red, teeth a bright white — while Shiyao’s younger brother had unremarkable looks, his forehead half-hidden under hair that fell over his eyes. In what way exactly were they a good match?

Every single metric had a gap.

It was understandable that a person’s own younger brother would always look perfect to them — that was fine — but that didn’t mean she could just say anything she pleased.

There was one more thing: Yanyu clearly had unusual feelings toward Ningning, and she still dared to say this right in front of him. That took quite some nerve.

“Are you out of your mind?” Yan Jingzhi, ignoring all decorum, erupted.

Shiyao looked at him in amusement. “Is Jingzhi looking down on my brother? Does he think my brother isn’t good enough for Ningning?”

In her own estimation, Yan Yunning wasn’t remotely worthy of Shuai.

She was saying this openly in front of everyone precisely because she was confident Yan Jingzhi wouldn’t contradict her — after all, people like him, with money and status, had image to maintain. How could he possibly say outright that he looked down on Shuai?

“Yes, I look down on him, he doesn’t measure up, and I look down on you too — you make me sick.” Yan Jingzhi was nearly incandescent with rage.

Shiyao’s expression stiffened, and she lowered her head in humiliation.

“Miss Shi.” Yun Ze spoke up with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Jingzhi even thinks I’m not good enough for Ningning — and you think your brother is a step above me?”

“This gentleman, I don’t think I come up short compared to you.” Shi Junshuai was brimming with self-confidence.

His elder sister had told him that girls like this — the pampered, delicate type — were easy to pursue with a few bouquets of flowers. Nothing expensive was needed either, that would just be a waste. Win her over, then break it off when he got bored. Besides, this girl was quite good-looking.

A high ponytail, a slender waist, fair and soft features, a tall figure — he would graciously allow her to be his girlfriend.

Yun Ze took a sip of his drink and let out a quiet, contemptuous sound.

“Get out.” Xuan Yanyu swept his gaze over Shiyao, eyes cold as though frosted through, a smile at the corners of his lips that made one’s breath catch. “Don’t show up at my gatherings again. Remember your place. Get out.”

Shiyao’s heart lurched. A ringing filled her ears. She felt the sting of humiliation.

Yan Jingzhi, whose temper was still running hot, thought Xuan Yanyu was addressing him. He grabbed the jacket hanging on the back of his chair and looked at Yan Yunning. “Ningning, we’re going home.”

“All right.” Yan Yunning took out a tissue and wiped her hands, then stood up without protest.

Xuan Yanyu immediately grabbed Yan Yunning’s wrist. His manner shifted completely from moments before, and his voice came out very gently. “You’ve barely eaten anything. Finish eating before you go.”

She hadn’t touched a single one of the shrimp he had peeled for her.

“Mind the boundaries.” Yan Yunning pulled her hand free from the man’s grasp, her voice far from warm.

Xuan Yanyu pressed his lips together, working hard to suppress the inexplicable sourness rising in his chest.

“Jingzhi, sit down.” Lou Ao grabbed Yan Jingzhi’s arm and tugged him back into his seat, his voice laced with laughter. “What’s gotten into you? You can’t walk out early.”

“Didn’t someone mention that Ningning brought gifts for Yanyu? Bring them out so we can have a look.” Xie Yan also smiled and worked to ease the tension.

Xuan Yanyu’s lip corners curved up quietly. “She brought me gifts?”

“She did — Jingzhi said so the moment he arrived. We all want to see what Ningning bought.” Jiang Zhibai smiled warmly.

Ye Jian and Ye’an exchanged a glance, then retrieved the gift bags from the small side table beside the air conditioning unit and shifted a few dishes aside to set them on the dining table.

Shiyao looked at the recognisable logo on the gift bags and drew in a sharp breath. To win favour with Yanyu, Yan Yunning had truly spared no expense.

The man’s long, well-defined fingers untied the elegant ribbon bow from the neatly wrapped packaging, drew out the velvet gift box inside, and with a lift of his thumb, an intricate matte metallic bottle was revealed.

“Perfume.” Xuan Yanyu’s voice carried a slight upward lilt at the end as he looked up at Yan Yunning, something in his heart going completely, utterly soft. “I love it.”

Yan Yunning’s lips moved. “……”

The man opened the cap and even deliberately sprayed two spritzes onto his cuff. In an instant, a pleasant fragrance drifted through the private room.

Xuan Yanyu then reached for the next gift bag. Seeing the gilded small lettering on it — ‘Not merely an accent. A tie that holds elegance together…’ — he raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “A tie?”

“Oh, a tie!” Mu Heng let out an appreciative whistle.

“……” Yan Yunning bit her lip, glanced at her brother, and gave a sheepish smile. Things weren’t going the way they’d imagined — today her brother had no chance of inheriting any of these gifts.

Xuan Yanyu opened the gift box. His gaze was caught by a square-shaped package inside.

“Cough, cough.” Xie Yan, seated beside Xuan Yanyu, caught sight of that small box of “little umbrellas” and nearly forgot how to breathe.

Everyone gave him a puzzled look.

“Not a tie?” Pei Shunian asked with a smile.

Xie Yan said nothing, picked up his cup of tea, and took a composed sip.

Yan Yunning furrowed her brow, just about to take a look — and then the box was snapped shut by the man, followed by Xuan Yanyu’s slightly low and husky voice saying, “Very happy with all of it.”

The man finished speaking, then picked up the next black leather packaging bag and opened it.

“Pfft.” Xie Yan took one glance and nearly choked on his tea.

Afraid one box wasn’t enough?

“What’s in it? Isn’t that logo from a watch brand?” Nan Chu caught her husband’s uncharacteristic loss of composure and felt her curiosity spike.

Yan Yunning tilted her head for a look, and on seeing the square box sitting beside the watch box — where it absolutely did not belong — she didn’t have time to think. She slammed her hand down over the man’s hand, which had been about to pick it up.

“What on earth is it?”

Mu Heng, Yun Ze, Lou Ao, Pei Qingyan, and Yan Jingzhi all crowded over curiously.

Yan Yunning went momentarily blank, the tips of her ears quietly flooding with red. Afraid that Xuan Yanyu might suddenly pull his hand away, she pressed down on his hand with firm grip — she could not afford to lose that much face.

“Yan Yunning!!!” Yan Jingzhi saw Yan Yunning pressing down on Xuan Yanyu’s hand, and the vein on his forehead bulged.

How was this any different from holding hands?

Yan Yunning turned her head and pressed her lips close to Xuan Yanyu’s ear, keeping her voice low. “It’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t put this there. Have them sit back down first.”

The girl leaned in, her lips close to the man’s ear, intimate and hushed. Their hands rested layered over one another. They looked every bit like a couple.

Yan Jingzhi’s fury blazed. “Yan Yunning, let go.”

“Xuan Yanyu.” Yan Yunning looked at him anxiously, meeting the man’s fixed, unwavering gaze on her.

Staring at the beautiful face so near to him, Xuan Yanyu’s throat bobbed up and down. His voice came out low and languid. “Everyone sit back down.”

All of them except Yan Jingzhi had the good sense to return to their seats.

“Jingzhi?” Yan Yunning called in a small voice.

Yan Jingzhi ground his back teeth together and gave him face by shuffling back to his spot.

Yan Yunning grabbed the gift bag, batting away Xuan Yanyu’s hand, and stuffed the unsuitable-for-public-viewing “little umbrellas” into it along with the watch, making a jumbled mess of it all.

Gu Jingye — he was truly done for!

She would go deal with him in a moment.

“Cough.” Xuan Yanyu cleared his throat, deliberately teasing her. “I’ll handle these things from now on.”

Xie Yan, who understood precisely what Xuan Yanyu was referring to, pressed a fist to his lips and began coughing again.

Everyone’s gaze snapped toward him simultaneously.

Xie Yan: “……”

Yan Yunning closed her eyes. She couldn’t stay a second longer. She opened them and looked at Yan Jingzhi, saying with exaggerated care, “Jingzhi, can we go?”

Yan Jingzhi gave a curt, irritated nod.

This time Xuan Yanyu made no move to stop her. Yan Yunning gripped the watch packaging bag tightly, smiled at the group, and said, “To all our brothers and sisters here — I’m sorry to leave early, but my brother and I must go first.”

“You won’t stay for a little more?” Shen Ruoyi asked politely.

Yan Yunning smiled sweetly. “No thank you — some other time, we’ll eat together again.”

Today, she was in a hurry to deal with Gu Jingye.