Shen Mo cut with his knife, and the blade was a little slanted, so the potato pieces were cut too big.

　　Ah, he thought, it can only taste like curry.

　　He lowered his head and continued to cut the potatoes one by one.

　　Ji Mingxuan looked at him deeply and said, “An An has already agreed.”

　　”That’s great.” Shen Mo’s mind was full of thoughts about how to make curry potatoes later, and he said mechanically, “After being in love for a long time, you always have to get married.”

　　Ji Mingxuan stood at the door and looked at him for a moment, then turned and left.

　　During dinner, Shen Mo raised his glass to congratulate Ji Anan and asked when the wedding date was.

　　Ji Anan only drank a little, but her face turned red. She said, “We won’t get married so soon, but my brother said we should get engaged first.”

　　”I will discuss this matter with the elders of the Zhou family.” Ji Mingxuan patted Shen Mo’s hand and said, “From now on, Zhou Yang and we will be a family.”

　　Shen Mo didn’t know what virtue he had in him to be counted among them.

　　Ji Anan took a bite of the dish and teased, “Brother Shen made a mistake today. The curry potatoes were too salty.”

　　Shen Mo also took a bite.

　　It was really salty, so salty that it tasted bitter. But he swallowed it anyway and said calmly, “I’ll braise it next time.”

　　At night, Shen Mo forgot about moving back to his room and continued to lie on the same bed with Ji Mingxuan. He thought he would not be able to sleep, but he slept well that night. He overslept the next day and when he woke up, Ji Mingxuan had already gone to the company.

　　He jumped up, washed up, and hurried to work, but was still a little late. But no one cared about him, his colleagues just glanced at him and continued to gossip.

　　”Rich people nowadays are full of tricks, and they often keep mistresses outside.”

　　”Shh, are you afraid that others can’t hear you?”

　　”Raising a mistress is still good. The most ridiculous thing is to have an illegitimate child . I heard that the Zhou family…”

　　”Which Zhou family?”

　　”That famous one…”

　　”Oh, I heard that the Zhou family has only one son.”

　　”Not anymore. Not long ago, I brought back an illegitimate child from outside. He’s already in his twenties. Now everyone calls him the Second Young Master.”

　　”A bastard this big? Wouldn’t that mean he’s going to fight over the family property?”

　　”That may not be the case. If the Zhou family and the Ji family form an alliance…”

　　The voices behind him gradually faded away, and Shen Mo could no longer hear them clearly, but these few words were enough to surprise him. Speaking of the famous Zhou family in H City, there is no one else who can think of other than Zhou Yang’s family. But what about the illegitimate child? Does Zhou Yang have a younger brother?

　　This fact was really not a secret. Shen Mo didn’t even need to ask around. He just asked Ji Anan a few questions during the chat and Ji Anan told him everything.

　　”There is indeed such a person. He is the son of an old friend of Uncle Zhou when he was young. He is only two years younger than Zhou Yang and he returned to his ancestral home not long ago.”

　　”I saw him once when I came back yesterday. He looked frivolous and was very good at sweet talk. Uncle Zhou liked him very much and even arranged for him to work in the company. It was for this reason that Aunt Zhou hurriedly called Zhou Yang to come back.”

　　”Originally, Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou treated each other with respect, and many people envied them. Who would have thought that something like this would happen?” Ji Anan sighed, but then laughed again, “But Zhou Yang and I are different. We are childhood sweethearts. No one can compare to the affection we have for so many years.”

　　Shen Mo felt a tightness in his chest, and chatted with Ji An’an for a few more words before returning to his room to rest. After a while, Ji Mingxuan finished his work and also lay down on the bed.

　　After turning off the lights, Shen Mo said in the darkness: “This is unfair to Miss Ji.”

　　”What?”

　　”She thought she and Zhou Yang were truly in love.”

　　Ji Mingxuan said: “Isn’t it?”

　　Shen Mo was silent for a moment, and said, “On the 12th, Zhou Yang originally asked me to meet him.”

　　Ji Mingxuan said “hmm”, not surprised at all.

　　Shen Mo’s heart was pounding. He had long suspected that Ji Mingxuan knew about this, but it was only at this moment that he got confirmation.

　　Those two plane tickets… were they really intentional?

　　”So what if he asked you out? He still chose An An in the end.”

　　”That’s because Mr. Ji used some tricks.”

　　Ji Mingxuan snorted lightly: “Do you think I threatened Zhou Yang? You are wrong. I don’t have such a great ability. I just told him a piece of news in advance, letting him know that his father has an illegitimate child outside. He is not the only heir of the Zhou family. Any of his actions may affect his position in the Zhou family. I put all the interests in front of Zhou Yang, and then…”

　　Ji Mingxuan smiled and said, “He made the decision himself.”

　　Shen Mo already knew what choice Zhou Yang would make three years ago, and now he was just repeating it. His heart had long been numb, and he was only worried about Ji Anan.

　　”What you get this way is nothing but false love.”

　　”Nowadays, only middle school students talk about love. Adults care about benefits. Do you know how much benefit the marriage between the Zhou and Ji families can bring? As for love…” Although it was in the dark, Shen Mo could imagine that Ji Mingxuan must have shown a disdainful expression, “Whether you like it or not, tie the person up first. Anyway, you will always feel the feelings after a long time.”

　　”What if there is no feeling?”

　　”That way,” Ji Mingxuan seemed to smile and whispered, “a lifetime has passed.”