"Should we go over and say hello?" Uncle Liu couldn't answer his young master's previous question, so he changed the subject.
After all, their car was about to pass by Si Nian.
Not greeting her would seem somewhat heartless.
Last time, they could pretend not to have seen her, but this time, there was no avoiding it.
Still, Uncle Liu found it odd—why was Si Nian here?
Fu Yang withdrew his gaze and said coldly, "If you want to greet her, go ahead. Why ask me?"
Uncle Liu's lips twitched.
But he understood—this was the young master's way of agreeing.
Otherwise, Fu Yang would have sneered, just like last time, and told him to pretend they hadn’t seen her.
As Uncle Liu drove closer—keeping the speed slow, as required within the military compound—a tall, well-built man suddenly strode over to Si Nian and began speaking to her. Their relationship seemed unusually close.
Girls in the military compound were always careful about their reputations. Even when she had been engaged to Fu Yang, Si Nian rarely had the chance to be alone with him.
She maintained a strict distance from other men, wary of gossip.
Yet now, that man had draped an arm over her shoulder...
Uncle Liu was stunned. Who was he?
Someone from the compound?
Instinctively, he glanced at his young master through the rearview mirror.
Fu Yang was glaring at the two ahead, his expression dark and unsettling.
"What are you doing here?" Si Nian was surprised to see Zhou Yueshen follow her in.
The military compound usually didn’t allow outsiders unless escorted by a resident. That was why, when the Lin Family had come looking for her before, they couldn’t get in without her permission.
If not for the fact that she had grown up here—and the Si Family hadn’t outright banned her from returning—she might not have been able to enter either.
This time, she had come intending to persuade the Si Family to transfer her household registration.
She hadn’t expected Zhou Yueshen to follow.
Worried, she looked up at him. "You didn’t climb the wall to get in, did you?"
A faint smile flickered in Zhou Yueshen’s dark eyes.
"I know people here too. I borrowed a phone to make a call, and they let me in," he said in a low voice. "I didn’t want you going alone."
Si Nian paused, then remembered—Zhou Yueshen had mentioned he used to be a soldier.
It wasn’t strange that he knew people in the military compound.
Relieved, she nodded. "Alright, then let’s go together."
Zhou Yueshen gave a slight nod and gently guided her closer with a hand on her shoulder.
Behind them, the car slowly rolled forward.
Si Nian didn’t pay it any mind, nor did she notice Fu Yang’s stormy gaze from inside.
Truth be told, even though Fu Yang didn’t like Si Nian, no man could stand seeing his former fiancée—who had once seemed devoted to him—now entangled with another man in such a short time.
Hadn’t she acted like she couldn’t live without him?
Clearly, it had all been an act!
She had almost fooled him too.
Disgusting.
Just moments ago, he had even thought she might be here for him, softening slightly—only to watch her embrace another man the next second.
"Uncle Liu, drive past them!" he growled.
Uncle Liu awkwardly averted his eyes and quickly complied.
But inwardly, he thought, Serves you right for being so full of yourself. Now you’ve been humbled.
Uncle Liu believed his young master was exceptional in every way—except when it came to Si Nian.
For some reason, Fu Yang was convinced she would never move on from him.
But he didn’t realize—no one in this world was irreplaceable.
Then again, Si Nian had adored him since childhood, unwavering until now.
It was only natural he’d struggle to accept the sudden change.
---
Si Nian and Zhou Yueshen arrived at the Si Family’s residence.
The Si Family had only been allocated an old apartment building within the compound.
Though several generations had lived here, they weren’t wealthy—just comfortable, never wanting for food or clothing.
Si Nian’s family lived on the fifth floor, sharing the floor with several other households.
She walked ahead of Zhou Yueshen, stopping at a door and knocking.
Footsteps approached, and soon, the door swung open.
Zhang Cuimei’s expression darkened the moment she saw Si Nian. "What are you doing back here?" she snapped, her voice sharp.
Si Nian took in her adoptive mother’s hostility and knew immediately—Lin Sisi must have been whispering in their ears again.
The last time she left, the couple had been full of guilt.
Now, after just a short time apart, they were treating her like a plague.
With parents like these, no wonder the original Si Nian met such a tragic end in her past life, she thought.
Leaving had definitely been the right choice.
Her tone cooled, though she remained polite. "Mom, I’m here to transfer my household registration."
Zhang Cuimei scowled. "Couldn’t your family handle that? Did you really need to come yourself?"
No wonder my daughter said she tried to get Fu Yang to pick her up from the village! The audacity!
Clearly, she was still trying to steal Fu Yang from Lin Sisi—why else would she keep coming back?
First, she sold her job to Fu Qianqian, of all people—the girl she’d never gotten along with.
Then she secretly went to Lin Sisi, trying to convince her to send Fu Yang to fetch her from the village!
And now she had the nerve to show up in person!
Zhang Cuimei had been restless ever since Fu Yang actually agreed to the idea.
She couldn’t sleep, terrified her golden son-in-law might be snatched away.
Of course she wouldn’t give Si Nian a warm welcome.
Si Nian met Zhang Cuimei’s wary gaze, her own voice turning frosty.
"My family did come, but they couldn’t enter the compound easily. Only Zhou Yueshen and I could get in. Don’t worry—once the transfer is done, we’ll leave. I’m not here to fight your daughter for a man. I haven’t fallen so low that I need to steal someone else’s fiancé."
"The transfer is because Zhou Yueshen and I are getting married. I can’t register under the Si Family’s name—I wouldn’t want you thinking I’m clinging to your household while pretending to be your daughter to marry him. That’s why we came to settle this properly."
Her words were calm and measured, making Zhang Cuimei’s suspicions seem petty.
The older woman flushed, realizing her mistake.
If Si Nian had really come to chase Fu Yang, why would she bring Zhou Yueshen along?
