She tightened her grip on his hand. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh? Then are you afraid Pei Songhan will find out about us?" he retorted sarcastically.
"..."
She explained, "I’m just worried about being seen. Not just by Pei Songhan—after all the commotion earlier, other guests probably came out to see what was happening. Too many eyes around. It wouldn’t be good if word got out."
If the Nan family found out she was dating He Siyu, they’d either pressure her to use him for their benefit or immediately marry her off to someone else.
He Siyu’s expression remained stormy. Sang Ning thought he might need some space to cool off—sometimes she needed time to sort things out too.
So she simply let go of his hand.
The next second, He Siyu suddenly tightened his grip on hers. Startled, she looked up and met his dissatisfied gaze.
Without a word, he led her into the restaurant, where a waiter escorted them to a private room.
Sang Ning was hungry and ordered a few signature dishes.
Once the waiter left with their order, she finally remembered to ask, "Du Yao looked pretty badly hurt. Will today’s incident cause trouble for you?"
He took a sip of water, his tone indifferent. "What trouble? Even Du Yao’s father wouldn’t dare come after me."
The Du family was nothing—they wouldn’t dare cross him.
Sang Ning recalled his infamous reputation as a troublemaker and figured this probably wasn’t a big deal for him.
"Consider today’s matter settled. Du Yao won’t dare look at you again, so don’t worry."
He Siyu had dealt with plenty of scum like him before. The solution was simple—beat them into submission.
Sang Ning nodded. "Okay."
The food arrived quickly, and she ate heartily, finally satisfied after the long day.
After dinner, he drove her home as usual, having his chauffeur bring the Range Rover ahead of time.
When they reached the intersection near the Nan residence, Sang Ning grabbed her bag and reached for the door. "I’ll head home now."
Suddenly, he seized her wrist and pulled her back.
Confused, she turned to look at him.
His gaze was intense. "Nan Sangning, remember this—you have me."
She froze for a moment before smiling softly. "Mm."
He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Go on home."
Sang Ning stepped out of the car, waved at him, and walked away with a spring in her step.
From the car, he watched her retreating figure, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.
---
The next afternoon, as He Siyu wrapped up a meeting, Assistant Yan approached with a grim expression.
"President He, the old residence just called..."
He replied casually, "Tell them I’ll head back once I’m done here."
Assistant Yan couldn’t help but admire his composure—even if the sky were falling, He Siyu wouldn’t bat an eye.
"Understood."
At five in the evening, He Siyu drove back to Wisteria Lane.
The moment he stepped into the old residence, he sensed the heavy atmosphere.
Pushing the door open, he met He Wanjun’s furious glare.
"Dad."
"You still remember to come home? I thought you answered to no one!" He Wanjun snapped. "Was it you who beat Du Yao?"
"Yes."
"You’re a grown man, yet you’re still getting into fights? Do you enjoy humiliating me?!"
"This wasn’t a fight," He Siyu corrected. "More like... a heroic intervention."
He Jinxing nearly choked, covering his mouth with one hand and lowering his head to hide his amusement.
He Wanjun was momentarily stunned before exploding again. "You’re utterly unrepentant! I know you—this was clearly over some petty grudge!"
"Why should I repent when I did nothing wrong? Du Yao is trash. I hit him, so what?"
"You nearly beat him to death! He’s in the ICU! Did you even consider the consequences? If the Du family decides to press charges—"
He Siyu scoffed. "The Du family wouldn’t dare."
If they really wanted to push it, Du Yao would be the one facing consequences.
He Wanjun trembled with rage. "I, He Wanjun, have lived with integrity my whole life, and now my reputation is ruined because of a lawless son like you!"
He Siyu’s voice was icy. "Then disown me."
"You insolent brat!"
He Wanjun raised his hand and slapped him across the face.
He Siyu’s head jerked to the side, but he didn’t budge an inch.
Old Madam He rushed forward in distress. "What are you doing? How could you hit him?!"
He Jinxing and He Xingzhou quickly intervened. "Dad, A-Yu knows he was wrong. When has he ever backed down like this?"
He Wanjun fumed. "It’s because you all coddle him that he’s grown so reckless!"
Pointing at He Siyu, he barked, "You better reflect on your actions!"
Then he stormed out.
Old Madam He fretted over He Siyu’s reddened cheek and hurried off to fetch ointment.
The living room fell silent.
He Xingzhou sighed. "Dad was just venting. Did you really have to provoke him?"
He Siyu slumped onto the sofa, unfazed. "Not bad. His strength isn’t what it used to be."
He Xingzhou and He Jinxing: "..."
"I’ll go talk to Dad," He Xingzhou said before leaving.
He Jinxing, however, sat beside He Siyu and grinned. "You haven’t been hit by Dad in ten years. What’s the real story here?"
Back in his teenage years, He Siyu had been infamous—so much so that the family had gone through multiple canes trying to discipline him.
He’d mellowed slightly after starting his own business in college, though He Wanjun still fumed over his defiance.
He Siyu’s brow arched slightly as he recalled Sang Ning’s cautious demeanor, but he kept his answer vague. "Nothing much."
He Jinxing’s eyes gleamed with suspicion. "Is this about a woman?"
For the first time, he saw something resembling "spring fever" on his rebellious younger brother’s face.
He Siyu’s gaze flickered, but his tone remained flat. "No."
"No wonder you suddenly mentioned getting married next year." He Jinxing chuckled. "I knew something was up with you."
He Siyu knew he was being baited but couldn’t be bothered to play along.
He Jinxing patted his shoulder. "I’ll be waiting for that wedding invitation."
He didn’t ask about the girl’s background. He Siyu wasn’t bound by the He family’s rules—if he wanted something, nothing could stop him.
The corner of He Siyu’s mouth lifted in satisfaction.
Just then, Nanny Zhao arrived with ointment. "Here you go, Third Young Master. This will help the swelling go down quickly."
He Siyu reached for it, but He Jinxing snatched it away.
"What’s a grown man doing with ointment? A little slap won’t kill you—it’ll fade in two hours anyway."
He Siyu frowned.
He Jinxing lowered his voice. "If you’re going to take a hit, at least make it count."
---
At ten that night, Sang Ning stepped out of the office, her mind foggy from hours of studying.
The cool night air helped clear her head.
Parked by the curb was the familiar Range Rover. She walked over and pulled open the door.
"How long have you been waiting?" she asked as she climbed in.
"Just got here."
She looked up and suddenly noticed a vivid red slap mark on his cheek.
Her gaze froze. "What happened to your face?"
