Grandma He and the others immediately looked over eagerly.
He Jinxing and He Xingzhou also raised their heads, and for a moment, the gaze of everyone in the room fell on He Siyu.
He Siyu replied calmly, "Of course there is."
He Wanjun eyed him suspiciously. "You seem to have someone in mind? Didn’t you drive Lin Shuyan out of the country?"
"What does Lin Shuyan have to do with this?" A trace of impatience flickered in his eyes.
"Then who is the girl? Since it’s the New Year, why not bring her home to meet us?"
He Wanjun couldn’t rest easy about him. Though he was eager for He Siyu to settle down, if the woman was someone of questionable background, he would never give his approval.
He Siyu lowered his gaze, his lips pressed into a tight line, offering no reply.
His silence only made He Wanjun more uneasy. Frowning, he pressed, "Is she some woman who can’t even be brought into the light—"
He Siyu’s expression darkened instantly.
He Jinxing quickly cut in, "Dad, stop talking. Have you ever considered that He Siyu might not even have won her over yet? Why would she come home with him for the New Year?"
He Wanjun froze for two seconds, then glanced at He Siyu, whose face remained stormy.
Knowing his rebellious son well, he guessed this was probably true.
A woman who could resist He Siyu couldn’t be half bad.
He Wanjun snorted. "So it’s all just empty talk? No wonder the girl hasn’t taken a liking to you—what’s there to like?"
He Siyu remained silent, his expression icy.
Grandma He quickly stepped in to mediate. "Enough, enough. We barely get to reunite like this—must we argue over such matters? Let’s eat. Nanny Zhao has already prepared dinner."
Only then did He Wanjun drop the subject and head to the dining room.
He Xingzhou shot a glance at He Siyu before following He Wanjun to placate him.
He Jinxing walked over and sat beside He Siyu on the sofa, patting his shoulder with a teasing grin. "He Siyu, if you really can’t win her over, just beg your second brother for help. I’ll give you some pointers."
He Siyu glared. "Get lost."
"Tsk, look at you. I’m just trying to help. Don’t let your pride get in the way, or someone else might swoop in and steal her. Delays bring trouble—the longer you drag this out, the worse it gets." He Jinxing lowered his voice.
He Siyu tugged at his tie, his eyes darkening with irritation.
---
At ten o’clock, He Siyu returned to Palm Bay.
Pushing the door open, he found every light in the house on, and the TV in the living room blaring some melodramatic soap opera.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom—she must be showering.
He paused outside the bathroom door before turning and heading into the walk-in closet in the bedroom.
He pulled open the drawer where he kept his watches and cufflinks, and from its deepest corner, retrieved a small dark blue velvet box.
He picked it up, his thumb brushing lightly over its surface.
"He Siyu."
Sang Ning’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
He froze for three seconds, his mind racing through calculations before he carefully placed the ring box back in the drawer and shut it.
Turning around, he saw Sang Ning standing at the closet entrance, dressed in a soft nightgown, her hair wrapped in a pale pink towel, her cheeks flushed from the heat of the shower. She looked like a sweet, ripe peach.
He strode forward, wrapping an arm around her waist and nuzzling her cheek.
Sang Ning blinked. "I thought you weren’t coming back tonight."
He studied her long lashes as they fluttered, his heart melting. Tightening his hold, he pulled her into his arms, his dark eyes fixed on her. "Did you want me to come back?"
Sang Ning hesitated. "Your family rarely visits. You should spend time with them."
She wasn’t the clingy type.
Yet he kept staring, his grip unyielding. "But are you happy that I came back?"
She frowned slightly. Was this really something to be happy or unhappy about?
But seeing the intensity in his gaze, she nodded after a moment. "Happy."
She had learned how to handle him—stroking his ego worked best.
His expression softened, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Good."
He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away. "My hair’s still wet!"
"I’ll dry it for you." He grabbed the hairdryer and led her to the living room.
She sat cross-legged on the sofa, munching on an apple while engrossed in the soap opera. He settled beside her, unraveling her hair and carefully drying it with the hairdryer.
The hum of the dryer and the dramatic cries of the soap opera’s leads filled the room.
For the first time, he found the noise strangely comforting.
Glancing down at her porcelain face, now fully absorbed in the TV, her cheeks stuffed with apple, he thought—maybe this wasn’t so bad.
---
Two days later, on New Year’s Eve, Sang Ning returned to the Nan household.
The Nan family’s New Year celebrations were unusually lively this year, with Nan Wenyue and Nan Zhenxing’s families visiting. The younger relatives who had once given Sang Ning trouble had been disciplined and now behaved themselves, making the atmosphere peaceful.
Sang Ning didn’t return to Palm Bay until the seventh day of the New Year—it was tradition to stay with family during the holidays.
That morning, Ji Yan called her.
"Come out! I’ve set up a gathering!"
"I have to visit my aunt’s place today," Sang Ning said.
The Nan family’s New Year schedule was packed, with visits to every relative imaginable. Sang Ning hadn’t had a moment to herself all week.
"Then come out tonight! You didn’t even visit me for New Year’s!" Ji Yan complained.
"Fine, I’ll come tonight."
"See you then!"
Sang Ning spent the afternoon making the usual family rounds. By six, she excused herself.
When she told her grandfather it was an invitation from the Ji family, he urged her to bring generous gifts for the visit.
At seven, Sang Ning arrived at Qimu Club.
Pushing open the private room door, she was met with a lively scene—people playing pool, cards, and singing over drinks.
This was typical for Ji Yan’s gatherings.
"Sang Ning! You’re here!" Ji Yan waved at her.
As Sang Ning walked in, her gaze briefly swept over a figure on the sofa before settling on Ji Yan. She approached.
"Happy New Year, Ji Yan," she said with a smile.
Ji Yan pulled her down beside her. "Isn’t this fun? I figured everyone was bored during the holidays, so I set this up—and everyone actually showed up!"
Gu Xingchen nudged He Siyu’s shoulder with a grin. "You actually came? You hate noisy parties like this. What, did your family start nagging you about marriage?"
Sang Ning glanced over.
He Siyu took a sip from his glass, his tone icy. "None of your business."
Gu Xingchen smirked. "I heard your second brother’s about to get engaged. Think your dad will let you off the hook? Ha, even you can’t escape family pressure."
A shadow of irritation passed through He Siyu’s eyes—until he looked up and met Sang Ning’s gaze.
