Luo Yunyan smoothly dodged her mother’s hand and instead slipped her own into it. “Not heavy, just a few desserts. I thought you two might like to try them.”

“Oh? Ruyi Pavilion?” Luo Chenfeng squinted as he caught sight of the branded wood box. “Since when do they offer takeout?”

“Mhm, I’m a special case. Come on, try these new flavors. They’re actually pretty good.” Luo Yunyan lifted the lid and began setting out the delicate desserts on the coffee table.

“Ruyi Pavilion is yours too?” Luo Chenfeng immediately caught the hidden meaning in her words.

Luo Yunyan didn’t deny it. Instead, she picked up two pieces of cake and stuffed them into her parents’ mouths. “Bingo, you guessed right! That deserves a reward… How about lifetime access to the top floors of all Ruyi Pavilion branches—for free?”

“Just your dad gets it? What about me?” Su Wanru tapped her daughter’s forehead in mock protest.

“Come on, that’s not fair—of course you both get it. I’m very egalitarian, okay?” Luo Yunyan raised both hands in surrender. “You guys eat first, I’m going to call Third Brother down.”

She turned and sprinted up the stairs.

“Slow down! Don’t trip!” Su Wanru called after her, voice full of worry.

Once her silhouette disappeared, the couple exchanged a look and sighed—everything they wanted to say already conveyed in silence.

Luo Yunyan knocked on Luo Yuyi’s door. “Third Brother, can I come in?”

“Come in, quick.”

She pushed the door open, and Luo Yuyi turned around. “What’s up, Yunyan?”

“Calling you down for dessert. What are you working on?” She leaned over his desk.

Luo Yuyi slid his scratch paper over. “Some homework my advisor gave me.”

“This step’s wrong. That’s why you’re stuck.” Luo Yunyan pointed out the flaw in his equation at a glance.

Following her guidance, Luo Yuyi’s eyes lit up. Of course! That’s what had been bothering him.

With the mistake corrected, the rest of the problem fell into place.

“Yunyan, did you study math too?” he looked at her with admiration.

“Nope. I majored in economics.”
And weapons engineering.

Economics?!
You’re telling me an econ major just casually solved a problem that had stumped a math prodigy? This isn’t fair!

“Are you planning to pursue a PhD?” Luo Yunyan asked, changing the topic.

Luo Yuyi nodded. “Absolutely. I’m going to apply to Lostre. If I don’t get in, I’ll stay at Huake University for my doctorate.”

“Going to Lostre… because of Spencer?” she immediately thought of the scruffy, slipper-wearing professor.

Luo Yuyi’s eyes sparkled with reverence. “Yeah, I fell in love with math because of Professor Spencer. He showed me how fascinating it could be. Plus, I want to walk where you’ve walked.”

[Author’s Note: Disclaimer—math being charming is not the personal opinion of the author. Please don’t @ me.]

“Third Brother is amazing. You can do it.” Luo Yunyan beamed and pulled him up. “Let’s go, or Mom and Dad will eat all the dessert.”

Downstairs, Luo Yunzhe had just gotten home from working overtime. After spending some time with them, Luo Yunyan excused herself and went back to her room.

As she hit send on an email, a soft smile played on her lips. She was just the bridge—whether those two chose to walk across it was up to them.

…

Meanwhile, Gu Shilin had just stepped through the door of the Gu residence.

“Well, well, look who’s remembered we exist,” his mother said with theatrical sarcasm from the living room.

His father and grandfather didn’t say anything, but their expressions said the same thing.

A few veins popped on Gu Shilin’s forehead. “Grandpa, Mom, Dad—you literally just got back from vacation a few days ago.”

“Oh? So you do remember it was only a few days?” Gu Mother snorted.

Gu Shilin dropped the food box onto the table. “I brought desserts from Ruyi Pavilion.”

“Ruyi Pavilion?” Father Gu narrowed his eyes. “Don’t kid us. They don’t do takeout, and their stuff is limited daily.”

“Try it and see. Yunyan had them specially prepared for you all—low sugar, even Grandpa can eat them.”

Grandfather Gu took off his reading glasses and stared hard at him. “You mean the girl the Luo family just got back?”

Gu Shilin nodded. “Yes. We had dinner tonight. Ruyi Pavilion is hers.”

“Oh! Wanru actually brought over an invitation today. They’re holding a return banquet for Yunyan next Saturday, at the Luo estate. Poor girl must’ve gone through so much to achieve all this at such a young age,” Gu Mother said with clear affection in her eyes. Why couldn’t she have a daughter like that?

Return banquet?
Why didn’t she tell me?!
Gu Shilin froze for a second, stunned.

Gu Mother gave him a strange look. “Why would she need to tell you personally? The whole family’s invited.”

Then she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Wait. You didn’t have dinner with her… alone, did you?”

“…Yeah.”

She stepped forward, hand outstretched like she was checking for fever. He dodged. “Who are you and what have you done with my son? My son is afraid of women. There’s no way he’s out to dinner with one. Are you a doppelgänger?”

Grandfather Gu squinted at him for a while. “I never did manage to arrange that childhood engagement between you two back then.”

“So?”

“So don’t you go using my name as a pretext. I won’t be able to show my face if you embarrass us.” He picked up a dessert and ignored him after that.

Gu Shilin: …

Thinking back to what she said at dinner earlier, Gu Shilin chuckled.
“Forget the childhood part. Let’s just get engaged now.”

One sentence was enough to shock the three elders into stunned silence.

Cough cough! Gu Mother nearly choked, and Father Gu had to pat her on the back.

When she recovered, she finally gasped, “Son, don’t you dare say things like that in front of the girl. She’ll think you’re some kind of creep!”

A creep?
Kind of accurate. But if he was a little rogue… wasn’t she a little vixen?

Gu Shilin got to his feet. “Relax, we’re just friends for now. I’m heading up. You all enjoy the desserts.”

He left the three of them staring at each other.

Gu Mother shook her head. “I don’t know if he can pull this off. He’s so cold, like a walking glacier. Only likes Buddha beads and silence. How’s he going to charm a girl like that?”

The Gu family couldn’t understand it. They were close-knit and warm—everyone was a chatterbox except him. Somehow, their son had grown up quiet and always gave off a frosty air. They weren’t expecting him to be charming, but did he have to be mute?

Gu Father rubbed his chin. “Honestly, him saying this many words tonight and even cracking jokes is already a miracle.”

“Forget it,” Grandfather Gu said as he reached for another dessert. “He’s a grown man. Let him sort himself out. If he can’t get a wife, it’s his own fault. But these desserts—damn good.”

“Hey! Leave some for me!” Gu Father jumped in.

“You already had two! I haven’t even tried one yet!”

“Respect your elders, will you?! You two trying to stage a coup?!”

“Why don’t you show some love for the younger generation?!”

“Old Gu, try stealing one more and you’re sleeping in the study!”

“One night in the guest room won’t kill me.”

…

(End of Chapter)