Chapter 2 The Fiancée

Xing Ke’s hand fell into empty air. Seeing the distance between the two of them, he said nothing and followed the rest of the family inside.

Once all the members of the Xing family had passed, Si Yao walked at the end of the procession with a group of servants. From time to time, she overheard their hushed gossip, wondering why Xing Jue was nowhere to be seen.

Up ahead, Old Master Xing paused, turning his gaze toward Si Yao from a distance, his eyes tinged with displeasure. “Where is A-Jue?”

Si Yao smiled. “He’s busy with work. I’ll fetch him now.”

With that, she turned calmly and walked out, ignoring the servants’ barely concealed amusement. This morning, she had overheard Xing Jue on the phone—his tone gentle but tinged with impatience, as though he were being pestered by some delicate flower.

Sure enough, when she reached the courtyard by the side gate, she found Xing Jue with Wen Sui, who was weeping softly.

“All the guests have arrived,” Si Yao said, her voice gentle.

Xing Jue’s assets were impressive, but his looks were even more so. His eyes were like peach blossoms, his brows distant mountains; his features were elegant to the extreme. Yet, because of his height and the openness between his brows, he never appeared effeminate despite his refined looks. Rather, he gave the impression of a gentleman as upright and graceful as a pine or bamboo. Even the simple lowering of his gaze or the turn of his face seemed to bring to life a figure carved from the pages of an ancient text.

Si Yao regarded him for a moment longer, still feeling faintly repulsed, though her expression did not change. She repeated, “Grandfather is waiting for you.”

Xing Jue had been standing with his hands in his pockets. Now he took a step forward and ruffled Wen Sui’s hair. “Will you come meet Grandfather with me, little one?”

Wen Sui’s delight was unmistakable. “Really? You really want to take me to see Grandfather?”

To be brought to the family banquet—a monthly gathering reserved only for members of the Xing family—to meet the patriarch spoke volumes without needing explanation.

Si Yao’s eyes grew bright in an instant. “Have you really thought this through?”

Xing Jue let his hand drop from Wen Sui’s head to her hand, lacing their fingers together as he turned, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have any objections?”

Si Yao stepped aside. “None at all.”

Hand in hand, Xing Jue and Wen Sui walked forward. As they passed Si Yao, a quiet, almost indifferent whisper reached his ear: “Wen Sui is a decent girl, but her family is small—so small that her brother once gambled away five hundred thousand and nearly had to sell their house. Are you sure you want to bring her to meet Grandfather now?”

Xing Jue paused, a faint smile on his lips. “Is that a warning?”

Si Yao replied, “Just my duty. No need for thanks.”

Oblivious, Wen Sui continued forward with Xing Jue, only to have her hand released.

“You should go back,” Xing Jue said, his tone so gentle it was almost an invitation to push her luck.

Wen Sui’s voice trembled with grievance. “Why? Don’t you like me anymore?”

When they were together, Xing Jue’s words were always honeyed. Wen Sui had never met a man more gentle or attentive, to the point where she wanted to make a scene simply because her mind was muddled by his care.

“When did I ever like you? Don’t flatter yourself.” In an instant, all Xing Jue’s tenderness vanished. His peach blossom eyes narrowed, cold and indifferent, as if it had been someone else who’d caressed her face last night and promised to cherish her for a lifetime.

“But you clearly said—”

“You must have imagined it.” With that, Xing Jue reached out toward Si Yao.

She handed him a tissue.

Xing Jue wiped his hands, then tossed the tissue in Wen Sui’s face, his words flat and emotionless. “Problem solved.”

He sounded like a tyrant.

But compared to others, he was already being gentle with Wen Sui. Si Yao remembered, in the first year of their engagement, witnessing a girl threaten to jump off a building for him. Xing Jue had only said, “If you want to die, then die. Just don’t disgust me over breakfast.” The girl hadn’t died; Si Yao had handled the aftermath.

Wen Sui was the first, aside from Xing A’ni, whom Xing Jue had ever considered bringing to a family banquet.

And they had been together for quite a while. In that moment, Si Yao almost believed Wen Sui had what it took.

But in the end, it was useless. She could not climb to the position of Mrs. Xing Jue.