On Saturday afternoon, Wen Yi followed the address Qin Nanshan gave her to his home. The closer she got, the more puzzled she became. 

This was a villa area—not just any villa area, but one that ordinary people couldn’t afford. In Wen Yi’s mind, teachers weren’t exactly the type to make a fortune. She had thought that their family could only afford to buy a four-bedroom apartment in the city center in full. 

Wen Yi called him to confirm: “You really live here?” 

Qin Nanshan thought she was lost. “After you enter the neighborhood, you need to turn a couple of corners. Just watch for the signs. My house is number 25.”

“……” Wen Yi swallowed hard and pulled over by the roadside. “Qin Nanshan, tell me the truth. What does your family do?” 

After saying it, she felt like she was prying into something personal and quickly added, “Otherwise, if your mom sees that I don’t know anything, it’ll be easy to expose me.” She had already revealed too much in front of Ms. Wen before, which took a lot of convincing to smooth over. 

Qin Nanshan found her line of thought reasonable and explained, “My parents are just retired professors, but my grandpa and uncle own a company. We inherited some assets when my grandpa passed away.” 

“What kind of company?” 

“Uniqueness Furniture.”

At this point, it was Wen Yi who was momentarily stunned, standing there frozen.

She recognized “Uniqueness Furniture” not because it was famous, but because earlier this year, it was the only supplier that won the bid against several competitors to provide furniture for all public hospitals in the city—this included, but wasn’t limited to, desks, chairs, ward construction, and various basic equipment, with contracts amounting to billions. 

Back then, Tian Jia had even mentioned it to her, saying that “Uniqueness” was doing quite well; who could have guessed it would end up being somewhat connected to her now?

Ignoring the ongoing call, Wen Yi patted her belly. “Baby, congratulations! You’re a second-generation rich kid from the moment you’re born.” 

Qin Nanshan laughed upon hearing this. “It’s not much. Besides, the company’s shares are in my parents’ hands; they have nothing to do with me.” 

“Just as long as it’s related to my daughter,” Wen Yi insisted, “Don’t misunderstand; I’m not after your family’s money. But my daughter will depend on you, according to the law.” 

He picked up on the key phrase: “Are you sure it’s a daughter? Didn’t the prenatal checkup not reveal the gender?” 

“No, but I think it’s a girl,” Wen Yi shifted to drive and got back on the road. 

“Why?” 

“Because my mom had a daughter, so I’ll definitely have a daughter.” 

“……” Qin Nanshan never quite understood her twisted logic. “Just hurry up and get here.” 

Wen Yi mentally prepared herself and entered his home with a composed demeanor, unruffled. 

Only Xuan Ying and Qin Heng were at home; his sister, Qin Xi, was away traveling. Xuan Ying scrutinized Wen Yi from head to toe, but Wen Yi wasn’t intimidated. This gaze was so much better than that of the doctors who looked down on pharmaceutical representatives. 

Her future mother-in-law was just as warm, kind, and friendly as she had sounded on the phone, with eyes that always smiled. Though Qin Heng spoke little, he seemed easygoing, unlike their son, who was as wooden as a stick. 

Wen Yi had cultivated some excellent social skills to reach her current position. After the initial greetings, she treated Xuan Ying like her own mother, asking about her major. Xuan Ying said she studied biology, so Wen Yi racked her brains to pull out her limited knowledge of biology while also humbly seeking advice. The retired Professor Wen seemed to regain her teaching enthusiasm, and they chatted for a full hour. 

Qin Heng and his son were perceptive, only coming to call them when it was time to eat. 

Once seated at the table, Qin Heng cleared his throat a couple of times and reclaimed his position as the head of the family. “Nanshan, you should find a time for both our parents to meet and discuss the dowry and wedding date.” 

“Okay.” 

He turned gently to Wen Yi. “Feel free to mention any conditions to Nanshan. From now on, we’re family, so don’t hold back.” 

“Mm, thank you, Uncle.” 

Just then, Xuan Ying jumped out of the honey trap Wen Yi had set and asked, “Nanshan said you two were high school classmates? He liked you in high school? We genuinely didn’t expect that. Nanshan is so reserved and doesn’t like to talk about relationships; who knew he had someone in his heart?” 

Wen Yi was surprised and looked at her “fiancé.” 

His face flushed with embarrassment, which was rare for him. “Mom, I didn’t say that.” 

“Then why did you chase after her as soon as you met again, and for half a year?” Xuan Ying didn’t spare her son’s pride. “Isn’t that a crush?” 

Wen Yi suddenly realized something; wasn’t this just the story she had made up? He didn’t know yet that the story had developed significantly. 

But there was no need for him to know so much. Wen Yi scooted closer to him and picked up the conversation, “If you liked me, you should have said it earlier. We wasted so many years.” 

Qin Nanshan turned to see the mischievous glint in her eyes and returned to a calm expression. “Sorry.” 

Wen Yi found it amusing to tease him. “What do you like about me?” 

He glanced at her, his eyes filled with resignation, yet he still answered earnestly, “I like that you’re warm, kind, smart, and beautiful.” 

Pfft, that wasn’t heartfelt at all.

The meal lasted an hour, during which Wen Yi enthusiastically played the role of a loving couple with Qin Nanshan. The man felt somewhat awkward but made a genuine effort to cooperate.

Across from them, the couple felt joy from the subtle smiles at the corners of their son’s mouth. True love!

After the meal, Xuan Ying instructed the two men to clean up the table and pulled Wen Yi aside to the study to talk.

Xuan Ying first asked if Wen Yi had any discomfort during her pregnancy and shared her own experiences from when she was pregnant. Then, she apologized on behalf of Qin Nanshan, saying that meeting in this manner was not very formal, and she assured Wen Yi that Qin Nanshan would definitely take responsibility. Their family was very welcoming of her and the baby’s arrival.

At the end of their conversation, Xuan Ying took out a bright red box from her pocket, saying it contained a jade bracelet passed down from Qin Nanshan’s grandmother, meant specifically for future daughter-in-law.

Wen Yi opened it to find a smooth, translucent jade bracelet that looked somewhat old.

After leaving, Wen Yi felt a mix of emotions.

In most people’s eyes, once a woman becomes pregnant and has a child, there’s no turning back. Unmarried and pregnant often means that the bride price is waived, and the husband’s family looks down on the woman. 

Today, she didn’t feel belittled at all. Perhaps it was due to their education and upbringing, or maybe it was related to the story she had fabricated, or perhaps it was simply because Qin Nanshan had treated her with respect from the very beginning. In any case, it seemed like a good thing.