Ning Shuyu simply refused to believe in fate.
Taking advantage of the old rules set by Kao Yezi—requiring a family gathering at the old residence once every three months—he brought along the physical examination report for the male family members.
With his newly dyed, striking platinum blond hair, he strutted in, thinking he looked quite imposing.
Inside Hua Liu Hall, the Ning Family sons had already gathered.
Everyone was seated, but even the seating arrangement mattered.
Subtly, they had all formed a circle around Ning Shangyu, making him the undeniable center of attention.
Ning Shangyu idly rubbed the family crest engraved on his signet ring.
His suit was impeccably pressed, tightly wrapping his tall frame.
The crystal chandelier above refracted the light, silently tracing the sharp, elegant lines of his features.
In this moment, his silent presence spoke louder than words—seated in the grand chair, he looked just like a majestic lion surveying his domain from on high.
The Ning Family was enormous—both direct and collateral lines boasted hundreds of descendants.
Under a system of absolute fairness, only a small number of the truly capable could prevail, contributing to the family’s interests and earning a place in the Core Circle, specially selected by Kao Yezi to be here.
Ning Shuyu was an exception.
Though his features were distinctly of the family, standing here, he resembled more a helpless little fox than a predator.
Yet he still had the nerve to wave around his physical report, dreaming of challenging this group of older brothers all on his own. “So hot,” he complained.
Before his words even fell, he fanned himself with the report, then, in an exaggerated manner, turned to the nearest Ning Qingyu and asked, “Third Brother, don’t you think it’s especially hot today?”
Ning Qingyu was nearly blinded by the bold, enlarged text—20cm—at the top of Ning Shuyu’s report.
He frowned coldly and said, “Shuyu, is your mind attached below your belly button? I’ll give you three seconds to rein yourself in.”
What did I do?
It’s just that the measurement below my belly button is a bit longer than his, Ning Shuyu thought with relish.
“If you’re jealous, be open about it! Why be so passive-aggressive?”
“Alright, Second Brother—”
Ning Shuyu switched targets without missing a beat, showing off to another brother.
Ning Weimi’s expression was calm and indifferent.
Ning Shuyu looked around the room, searching for someone else to show off to…
Ning Miaoyu was lounging on a single sofa, his long black curls just brushing his shoulders.
Against his strikingly handsome features, he exuded an even more dangerous aura.
He didn’t even give Ning Shuyu a chance to speak before turning to Ning Shangyu:
“Dear brother, may I kill him?”
Within the old residence, Ning Shangyu rarely spoke when presiding over such occasions.
He merely watched coldly as the products of failed family power struggles—along with the authority he’d inherited—sat below him.
Ning Shangyu slowly lifted his eyelids.
“He’s accomplished nothing, but he was raised by Kao Yezi himself. Don’t kill him.”
Ning Shuyu’s parents were of the direct line, but showed no interest in the family business, choosing instead to be wandering artists.
He must have inherited their artistic genes, and had no business acumen.
Even his studies abroad at a prestigious university were thanks to Ning Shangyu’s donations to the library.
Usually, he relied on this indulgence to come and go freely from the old residence.
Ning Shangyu’s words were clear protection.
Ning Zhiyu couldn’t touch a hair on him, but curled his lips in a sarcastic smile.
“Yes, our useless little princess can at least amuse Kao Yezi and contribute that much to the family. That’s at least a little more useful than those two stone lions at the gate.”
“You’re the guard lion!”
“Heh, who’s the one with a head of golden hair?”
“Ning Zhiyu, you’re only 19.8cm, not qualified to talk to me!”
“Who knows if you faked it…”
In Hua Liu Hall, at every turn it was two people trading barbs, questioning each other’s ability to produce the next generation, the whole place filled with laughter and a rowdy heat.
Ning Shangyu couldn’t be bothered to balance these pointless squabbles, so he left his seat for the restroom.
Ning Shuyu trailed in after him.
Ning Shangyu shot him a warning glance, standing unmoved before the floor-to-ceiling sink.
Ning Shuyu’s gaze was fixed on Ning Shangyu’s large, well-defined hands, clearly obsessed with the family’s genetic trait of heavy fists and bigger… “measurements.”
Unwilling to accept defeat, he’d come to see for himself if Ning Shangyu was more developed than him.
Seeing Ning Shangyu slow to undo his belt, he deliberately provoked, “Brother, you’re not really cheating, are you? Afraid I’ll find out?”
Ning Shangyu was silent for a few seconds, then calmly rewarded him with four words, “Afraid you’ll be ashamed.”
Five minutes later.
Only then did Ning Shangyu turn on the faucet, apply soap, wash, dry his hands, and walk out of the restroom at his own pace, leaving Ning Shuyu behind, head drooping in defeat as he returned to the lounge.
He’d suffered another blow.
Self-esteem crushed!
Yet he still tried to salvage his fragile dignity, muttering under his breath, “With that extreme cleanliness and pickiness, even with such equipment, it’s not like he’d ever use it.”
At this time, Ning Shangyu’s schedule was packed.
He only stayed at the old residence for a short while, like checking off a routine task, and left early.
***
At the tail end of April, Lin Zhishui waited at home but didn’t see the ever-busy Ning Shangyu descend upon the Gang District.
Instead, it was his private jet that brought her to Si Cheng.
This caused quite a stir among the elite circles, with some companies still unwilling to give up, desperately trying to dig up marriage alliance secrets or details about her past from Lin Zhishui.
Digging deeper, they found that compared to the Lin Family’s eldest daughter—who was often in the news for shocking, unconventional deeds—Lin Zhishui, the second daughter, was much more mysterious and low-key, rarely seen outside the Gang District, and almost no one had seen her true face.
The very subject of all this gossip, Lin Zhishui, was currently accompanied by her secretary, Li Jin, drifting between two top-tier private auctions before finally dining at a renowned restaurant.
It had been well over an hour.
Ning Shangyu was supposed to arrive, but still hadn’t shown up.
But Lin Zhishui was now easily recognizable—after all, only someone of her status could employ Li Jin.
Inside the private room, Lin Zhishui sat alone, not really focused on her meal.
As A Xiao would say, as long as she wasn’t staring blankly, even her soup bowl could raise little fish.
She was resting one hand on her stomach, idly playing with a pair of chopsticks carved with floral patterns.
Under the light, her fingers looked as delicate as white jade.
This pleasing scene was soon interrupted by someone coming in around the screen.
“Lin Zhishui? What are you doing here?”
Lin Zhishui turned at the sound.
“Your sister said you rarely leave home. What brings you all the way from the Gang District?”
The uninvited guest, dressed in a casual suit, wore a perfectly measured smile.
“I’m Shen Linsha, a former schoolmate of Lin Xiguang. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but we met once three years ago. Let’s reacquaint—my name is Shen Linsha.”
Lin Zhishui truly had forgotten.
Her clear eyes flickered, clearly doubting his claim of being Lin Xiguang’s classmate.
“When your sister was studying abroad, she had to fly home every day to keep her little sister company. I used to joke she was a commuter student. Later, she got into trouble with a masochist at school, and I helped her out.”
Shen Linsha’s family business was based in North America, so everyone gave him some face.
Lin Zhishui had heard of this incident.
When Shen Linsha introduced himself as Lin Xiguang’s close friend, there was something he didn’t say, after meeting Lin Zhishui, he’d been completely captivated.
He even went so far as to privately seek Lin Xiguang’s approval for a future marriage proposal.
Lin Xiguang, however, told him her precious little sister didn’t accept arranged marriages, and he should give up.
Completely unaware of this, Lin Zhishui merely offered Shen Linsha a polite smile.
That faint smile nearly made Shen Linsha lose his composure.
But since he didn’t expect much, running into her unexpectedly today, he wanted to seize the chance to make a good impression.
“Now that you’re in Si Cheng, what are your plans? I have many friends here, from all over. Why not join us for a gathering and relax a bit?”
Just as he finished speaking—
Li Jin, who had gone to ask the chef for a different menu after seeing Lin Zhishui’s poor appetite, returned at that exact moment, just in time to hear Shen Linsha’s invitation.
Lin Zhishui said, “No, thank you.”
Li Jin breathed a sigh of relief and politely refused as well.
The next moment, Shen Linsha tried again, “Then, how about adding each other on WeChat?”
Li Jin tensed up again.
Lin Zhishui hesitated for a few seconds, feeling she had no real reason to refuse, so she took out her phone.
But something felt off, and just then, a noise came from outside the private room. Instinctively, she looked over.
Evening had fallen.
The heavy, ornate double doors were pushed open, and a beam of sunset slanted through the corridor window, falling on the man’s tailored black trousers and leather shoes, casting a gorgeous hue.
Ning Shangyu’s gaze landed directly on Lin Zhishui’s face.
Lin Zhishui’s eyes slowly moved up, blinking in surprise.
Confirming she wasn’t seeing things, her hand holding the phone began to sweat.
Remembering something, she turned to Shen Linsha and said, “If I’m going to add a man on WeChat, I need to ask my fiancé first.”
“My fiancé.”
Shen Linsha followed her gaze and saw Ning Shangyu.
Clearly, he recognized the man who controlled a vast commercial empire, the head of a top financial conglomerate…
But he’d never heard Lin Xiguang mention any engagement between the Lin and Ning families.
Ning Shangyu, as usual, wore a cold expression.
Once inside, he pulled out the chair beside Lin Zhishui.
The distinction between guest and host was clear.
He spoke in a measured tone, “Oh? You want my fiancée’s contact information?”
Faced with this direct statement, Shen Linsha was momentarily at a loss.
“Fiancée?”
Ning Shangyu rested his hand on Lin Zhishui’s chair, for once showing a hint of tact.
“If Young Master Shen can’t accept that title, you may call her Mrs. Ning.”
As the heir to a North American financial empire and a member of the elite, Shen Linsha wasn’t about to lose his composure on the spot.
Realizing he wouldn’t get her contact information, he put away his phone and forced a gentlemanly smile before leaving.
Watching Shen Linsha’s departing figure, Lin Zhishui thought for a moment, then tilted her porcelain face and asked, “In Si Cheng, is it common to call one’s fiancée ‘Mrs.’?”
Ning Shangyu’s tone was cool and calm.
“In the Gang District, do you have to ask your fiancé before adding someone’s contact?”
Ning Shangyu’s retort left Lin Zhishui speechless.
She couldn’t think of a comeback even after a long pause.
So she gave up, lowered her eyes, and picked up her delicate soup spoon, stirring the creamy soup as if it would cool faster that way.
If there really were a fish in her soup, she’d have to stir it dizzy.
Ning Shangyu saw her picking at her food but said nothing, only instructing Li Jin to change the dishes.
He deliberately sat close this time.
Lin Zhishui had snuck out, but now she didn’t move her chair away even an inch.
Especially when turning her head to speak to her secretary, she could feel his breath passing through the air, pouring into her ear.
Lin Zhishui’s fingers stilled, her gaze flickering to the side to glance at Ning Shangyu.
Something felt off.
Ning Shangyu raised an eyebrow.
“Are you done? Want me to get you another soup bowl to play with?”
Tonight, he was unusually “considerate.”
Lin Zhishui paused for two seconds, then pretended to have finally managed to stir her soup clear.
In front of him, she took a small sip.
Perhaps it was too quiet in the private room, but the soft sound of swallowing seemed unusually loud.
Lin Zhishui was pure-hearted and didn’t notice anything.
There was still a faint aroma of cream at the corner of her lips.
Ning Shangyu watched for a moment.
Perhaps it was his obsessive cleanliness, but he elegantly pressed his index and middle fingers together and wiped it away for her.
Just then, Lin Zhishui wanted to thank him for last time.
She’d just opened her mouth to speak, when unexpectedly, the man’s fingers brushed her pale cheek and accidentally touched the corner of her lips.
Lin Zhishui froze.
At this close distance, the veins on the back of Ning Shangyu’s hand were clearly visible, the warmth impossible to ignore.
Suddenly, in her mind, she recalled that night in her dream, when he’d carelessly used those very fingers…
She instinctively bit down, licking away the cream at the corner of her mouth.
“Eat slowly,” Ning Shangyu’s gaze lingered on her now-red, moist lips.
His eyes darkened, the pale amber replaced by something deeper and more intense.
The next moment, after wiping her mouth, he seemed to be reminding her of something.
Lin Zhishui snapped back to herself.
She let him pull his hand away.
Immediately, she realized she was like white jade, left with shimmering, wet traces under his scorching, golden gaze.
Lin Zhishui’s eyes widened as if she’d seen a ghost.
Her expression was all too obvious on her overly beautiful face.
Noticing her discomfort, Ning Shangyu’s features softened as he quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Though his face showed little emotion, his oppressive presence—combined with the heat radiating from him—made her feel suffocated.
Lin Zhishui hesitated, unsure whether to tell him.
After all, it was personal.
But she couldn’t tell A Xiao or anyone else, and her mother and sister were too busy.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Zhishui exhaled lightly.
Since it was because of him, and they were engaged, there was no harm in telling him.
So she lifted her head, her clear eyes looking straight at Ning Shangyu.
“Ever since I first saw you, my body’s been…off.”
Ning Shangyu, “Oh? In what way?”
“I…” Lin Zhishui’s pale skin flushed easily.
The more she spoke, the redder she got, as if every word deepened her blush.
“I get… wet.”
The last two words were barely audible.
But Ning Shangyu heard her soft, damp confession clearly.
He paused for two seconds.
Lin Zhishui asked, “Why is this happening to me?”
Books couldn’t explain it.
And Ning Shangyu had never done anything inappropriate to her.
She felt lost and helpless.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you about these things?”
Ning Shangyu noticed that, apart from her flushed eyes and occasionally trembling lashes, she looked completely clueless.
He frowned, realizing the Lin Family hadn’t taught her a thing.
After a few seconds, Ning Shangyu calmly explained, “Because you need me.”
Lin Zhishui frowned, struggling to accept this fact.
Her mind cleared for a moment, and she asked, “What about you? Do you feel anything for me?”
That was important!
She remembered last time, when she’d worn his shirt.
Ning Shangyu had applied medicine and left with a straight face…
Nothing like the man she’d first met, who claimed to have strong desires.
Did he simply feel nothing for her?
That would be too unfair!
Just as Lin Zhishui was about to spiral into overthinking—
Ning Shangyu tapped his knuckles lightly on the cold table. Instead of answering, a few seconds later, he suddenly called her, “Lin Miss.”
Fiancée, Mrs. Ning, Lin Miss.
Lin Zhishui found Ning Shangyu truly a mysterious man.
What did he really think of her?
She didn’t expect his next words, “Would you be willing to have deeper contact before marriage?”
Her clear eyes widened, pupils trembling, deeply doubting her own ears.
Ning Shangyu didn’t rush her, staying composed.
“No hurry. You can think about it.”
His words were a bit too much for her to handle.
Lin Zhishui nodded dazedly, drawing out her reply, “I really do…”
Need to think it over for a few days.
But before she could finish, Ning Shangyu stretched out the same long, cool fingers that had just brushed her cheek, the meaning in his gesture unmistakable.
“While you’re considering, you can try it out first.”
“Want to hold hands?”
Lin Zhishui’s mind went blank, but her body was far more honest than her thoughts.
Before she realized it, her fair fingers had already wrapped around his hand.