Chapter 31: “I Like Him.”

“You agreed?” Shen Huaiyan’s eyes darkened as he stared directly at her. Before Shen Nanzhi could respond, he asked again, “Is it because of the Shen family’s current crisis?”

Shen Nanzhi sensed the disapproval in Shen Huaiyan’s tone.

Her movements in peeling the orange slowed down.

After removing the last white string from the orange segment, she offered it to her brother, trying to shift the topic.

“Brother, eat this orange. It’s really sweet.”

Shen Huaiyan glanced at the orange in her hand but did not take it. His deep, dark gaze remained fixed on her as he continued the conversation.

“If this is to express gratitude to the Jiang family for their help, Nanzhi, you don’t need to trade your marriage for it.”

“The Shen family is not just you alone; this favor can be repaid by me, and you don’t need to bear that burden.”

Shen Nanzhi’s fingers tightened around the orange.

She pulled it back, and under Shen Huaiyan’s intense gaze, her lips moved slightly before she finally spoke.

“Brother, it’s not out of gratitude.”

“What do you mean?”

“The engagement is something I want willingly; there’s no element of trade, nor is it out of gratitude.”

Shen Huaiyan frowned. “An engagement is inherently a transaction of interests. If it’s not a transaction, then what are you agreeing to? Moreover, that person is Jiang Jinnian.”

Shen Nanzhi knew that without providing a reasonable explanation, Shen Huaiyan would cling to this question.

He could repay this favor, but the cost would be too high.

For so many years, Shen Huaiyan had worked tirelessly to build the Jinming Group, and a significant part of his motivation was to repay the Jiang family’s support to the Shen family a decade ago.

She shared the Shen surname and was part of the Shen family too.

She couldn’t push all the burdens onto him.

It was selfish to hide behind him forever.

Moreover, the engagement was her own choice.

It was an arrangement that had been discussed long ago between the two families.

She couldn’t act recklessly and let her emotions dictate everything.

“I… I like Jiang Jinnian.” Shen Nanzhi tightened her grip and forced herself to find the most seamless reason. “The engagement is something I want willingly, with no other factors involved.”

As soon as these words left her mouth, the room fell silent.

Shen Huaiyan’s gaze was dark and unfathomable.

It was like an endless abyss, the darkness in his eyes making it hard to look directly at him.

“Nanzhi, what are you saying?”

Shen Nanzhi couldn’t bear to meet his eyes; she lowered her gaze to the orange in her hand. However, due to her nervousness and guilt, she accidentally squeezed one of the orange segments too hard, causing juice to spill out.

“You and Jiang Jinnian have never interacted. You like him? How do you like him? Is it a dreamlike affection?”

In Shen Nanzhi’s memory, this was the first time Shen Huaiyan had spoken to her in such an almost interrogative tone.

Even when he subtly advised her that Jiang Tingxu wasn’t the best choice for marriage, his tone hadn’t been as severe as it was now.

Shen Nanzhi was already anxious.

Being pressed like this made her feel even more guilty.

Her hand trembled, and the mangled orange in her palm nearly fell to the ground.

She gripped the orange tightly.

Yet this only caused more juice to stick to her hand.

The girl sitting obediently in front of the hospital bed lowered her eyes, avoiding Shen Huaiyan’s sharp gaze, forcing herself to calm down as she pulled out a few tissues to wipe her hands.

“Well, it’s not that there hasn’t been any interaction. Jiang Jinnian returned to the country before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and… over these past few days at the Jiang family, we’ve met quite a few times…”

Shen Huaiyan stared at her, almost laughing in anger.

“Nanzhi, do you really like him?”

If she had said she liked Jiang Tingxu, he might have believed it to some extent, as they had spent so much time together, developing feelings wouldn’t be surprising.

But Jiang Jinnian was different.

She had no previous interactions with him.

Jiang Jinnian’s demeanor was cold and distant; for so long, she had instinctively kept her distance from him.

Now she was telling him she liked Jiang Jinnian?

Shen Nanzhi refused to look at Shen Huaiyan.

Shen Nanzhi had convinced herself that she liked Jiang Jinnian.

She was willing to accept the engagement between their families.

She had stayed abroad for four days.

On the fifth day, Jiang Jinnian sent her a WeChat message early in the morning, informing her that they would go to register their marriage next Monday at ten o’clock.

Shen Huaiyan was discharged on the fourth day.

There were matters at the Jinming branch that required his personal attention. Shen Nanzhi found an excuse about having urgent affairs at school and slipped back to the country under her brother’s heavy gaze.

Having taken a leave of absence that was about to expire, Shen Nanzhi extended it for another day. Subsequently, she buried herself under her soft blankets and fell into a chaotic and deep sleep.

The next morning.

She forgot to turn off the alarm, which rang on time.

Shen Nanzhi’s arm emerged from under the blankets to turn off the alarm. Remembering she had already requested leave, she clutched the blanket over her head, ready to fall back asleep.

But just as she closed her eyes, the words “register marriage” unexpectedly crashed into her mind.

She suddenly opened her eyes.

Almost bouncing out of bed, Shen Nanzhi rubbed her soft, long hair, took a moment to calm down, and reached for her phone to check Jiang Jinnian’s message.

The chat was empty.

The latest message was from two days ago, reminding her to go register today.

It was already seven-thirty.

There were still over two hours until ten.

She could have slept a bit longer, but Shen Nanzhi found herself wide awake.

Her mind was filled with the phrase “register marriage.”

After getting out of bed to wash up, she casually prepared some food for herself. Sitting on the sofa, Shen Nanzhi absently fiddled with her ID for quite a while.

At nine o’clock sharp.

A WeChat message popped up.

It was from Jiang Jinnian.

In the chat box, a simple line lay there:

[Are you awake?]

Shen Nanzhi replied in the input box: [I’m awake.]

Immediately after, two more words popped up from him:

[Come downstairs.]

Shen Nanzhi paused slightly, instinctively getting up and walking toward the balcony to look out the window.

Below the apartment building, a sleek black Pullman was quietly parked.

The license plate was a rare consecutive number.

The car was a top-of-the-line limited edition.

It drew the attention of the residents coming in and out.

Shen Nanzhi didn’t want Jiang Jinnian to wait for her too long, so she grabbed her ID and quickly went downstairs with her phone in hand.

Zhou Lin, acting as the driver, respectfully greeted her.

The rear door of the Pullman opened automatically.

Shen Nanzhi looked over and immediately saw Jiang Jinnian sitting upright in the leather seat, replying to emails on his tablet.

She held her phone as she got in, and the door closed automatically behind her.

Jiang Jinnian glanced her way.

Exiting the email, he placed the tablet in the storage compartment.

He asked, “Did you bring your ID?”

She obediently nodded, “Yes, I did.”

In front of Jiang Jinnian, especially in the enclosed environment with the partition raised, Shen Nanzhi felt herself instinctively straighten up.

Her sitting posture was perfectly proper.