“Moran, it’s time you got married.”
Ye Moran’s expression was cold. Her fingers gripped a spoon as she slowly stirred the soup in her hand.
“So, you called me back just to tell me this?”
“That’s right. You aren’t getting any younger; you should find someone to accompany you.” Ye Mother’s face was tinged with sorrow, appearing as if she truly worried for her daughter’s future.
“I don’t need to. I have my own plans,” Ye Moran rejected her without a second thought. However, Ye Mother showed no sign of giving up.
“Sigh, you child… I know you have your own thoughts, but as your parent, I can’t help but worry. How about this: in two days, I’ll host a banquet at the villa in the western suburbs. No matter what, you must come and take a look. Perhaps you’ll meet someone you like.”
Ye Moran knit her brows and couldn’t help but glance up at the tightly closed door on the second floor.
“By the way, what’s going on with Jiang Yu? Why hasn’t he come down for dinner yet? Madam Wu, go upstairs and check on him.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Ye Moran remained silent, for she also wanted to see Jiang Yu. She remembered Jiang Yu saying that Father and Mother Ye wanted them to marry—but now, looking at her mother, there seemed to be no such intention at all.
Who was lying? And what was the purpose of the lie?
Su Ling hadn’t slept all night. His mind was a chaotic mess. One moment he thought of his sister; the next, he wondered what would happen if she found out he had made a friend.
He pulled a business card from under the bed. Several times, he wanted to take out his phone and dial the number, but he feared making his sister angry…
Creak—
In the dead of night, the door was slowly pushed open, revealing a figure silhouetted in the moonlight.
Ye Moran stood at the doorway, her gaze scanning the room shamelessly until she finally found the person she was looking for on the bed.
“Sister?” Su Ling turned his head and saw Ye Moran. He called out in confusion; hadn’t she said she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning? It wasn’t even dawn yet.
Ye Moran closed the door. Shedding her overcoat, she slowly walked into the room.
“Why aren’t you asleep so late?”
“I… I can’t sleep…” Su Ling lowered his head, his voice tinged with guilt. His fingers gripped the card tightly. He was hesitating over whether he should tell his sister about this. Would she allow him to have friends?
Ye Moran was already standing by the bedside. She looked down, looming over the little guy. She could see his every movement clearly—including the fact that he seemed to be holding something.
She didn’t snatch it immediately. Taking a deep breath to suppress the violent emotions surging within her, she slowly sat down beside him.
“I heard you went out today. Can you tell me what you did?”
“I… I just went to the nearby pedestrian street for a coffee and a piece of cake.”
“And then?”
“No… nothing else. I came back right after the cake.” Su Ling turned his head away, not daring to meet her eyes. After much internal struggle, he decided not to tell her. She probably wouldn’t agree to him having friends anyway.
“I see. Well… did you have fun?” Ye Moran’s tone was calm, giving no hint of her current state of mind.
“I guess… I was happy?” Su Ling said hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if he was happy or not, because he had barely done anything before Nangong Wan’s sudden appearance interrupted him… but meeting an old friend like Nangong Wan should be a happy thing, right?
“That’s good. As long as the little guy is happy, nothing else matters.” Ye Moran smiled and stroked his head, though she put an unsettling emphasis on the words “nothing else.”
Su Ling didn’t catch the subtext. Instead, he happily hugged his sister. “Thank you, Sister! Can I go out again tomorrow?”
“Of course you can!” Ye Moran swallowed the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She pulled the little guy’s head to her chest, pressing him against her.
Su Ling wanted to struggle, but then he heard her voice: “Be good, don’t move. Listen… can you hear Sister’s heartbeat? Is it beating very fast?”
Su Ling was puzzled but listened carefully. Indeed, her heart was thumping violently.
“Mm… it’s very fast.”
“Little guy, do you know what that means?”
“I don’t know.” Su Ling looked utterly blank, having no idea what she was talking about.
Ye Moran fell silent. She stared at his face without blinking, her fingers gently brushing his cheek.
Does he really not understand? Does he not understand that my heartbeat means I am furious right now?
Ultimately, she took a deep breath and did nothing to him. “It’s nothing. I’m going to shower. After that, we sleep.”
“Okay!”
Ye Moran walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the water wash over her while she was still fully clothed. She closed her eyes, trying to use the icy stream to soothe the agitation in her heart.
The little guy was hiding something from her. Why? What was so important that he had to keep it secret? She loathed the feeling of being deceived, especially by the person she loved most. She wanted to just…
Bang!
She slammed her fist into the wall. The white porcelain tiles shattered into several cracks under the force. Blood mixed with the water, flowing from her palm, but she felt no pain. Instead, she opened her palm and let the water rinse the wound.
Su Ling waited on the bed for a long time before his sister finally emerged from the bathroom. He rubbed his eyes and slowly moved closer to her.
“Sister…” The little guy took the initiative to snuggle up beside her, even reaching out to wrap his arms around her waist.
At that moment, the lingering irritation seemed to lose its arrogance and vanished from her heart. Watching him nestled against her, eyes closed in peaceful sleep, she couldn’t help but reach out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear.
Although her frustration had largely subsided, the fact that he was keeping secrets still made her feel extremely uneasy. She had to find out what he was hiding.
Before long, Su Ling was fast asleep. Ye Moran easily found the business card under the bed. The little guy was like that—he loved hiding things under the bed, making them very easy to find.
Her fingers trailed over the card, staring at the gold-embossed name: Nangong Wan. Her eyes darkened with a shadowy gloom.
Why is the little guy involved with someone from the Nangong family?
The questions mounting in her mind made her even more desperate to uncover the secrets. she sent a message to her assistant, ordering a thorough investigation into Nangong Wan.
In truth, she didn’t really need an investigation. She had some impression of Nangong Wan—a girl around the same age as her brother who had been living abroad and only recently returned.
But why would she get involved with her little guy the moment she returned? Although the little guy seemed a bit dazed and not particularly bright, he wasn’t the type to strike up conversations with strangers. Logically, even if they met, there should have been no interaction at all.
There were too many questions, and these questions brought a great sense of insecurity.
Does the little guy like this Nangong Wan? Like… love at first sight?