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At the banquet, where glasses clinked and toasts were exchanged, Zhou Tingyun began his emotional lesson, tailor-made for Ming Zhao.
“Marriage is not a game, Ming Zhao,” he said patiently. “The first standard you should have when choosing a future partner is whether you like them.”
Ming Zhao blinked, looking confused. “But aren’t the marriage alliances in your family all without feelings?”
Zhou Tingyun: “…”
“The Ming family is different. My parents won’t force you into a marriage alliance. You have the right to choose freely.”
The right to choose freely…
“Oh,” she nodded thoughtfully. “Then what if I like Gu He?”
The man’s gaze darkened.
See, Ming Zhao pouted.
“You’re so annoying. It’s bad enough you have double standards, but you’re also being all grumpy.”
“Why can you have a marriage alliance and I can’t?” she grumbled in frustration, her face puffed up in anger. “What does that mean? Are you implying that you think I’m not good enough for your brother?”
What kind of nonsense is that? Zhou Tingyun’s expression grew even colder.
He fiddled with his cigarette case, suppressing the surge of emotions.
A debt collector… she’s always most obedient when her face is being pinched.
Seeing this, Ming Zhao retracted her neck and silently shoved the last bite of chestnut cake into her mouth. The sweetness had accumulated at the bottom, and it was so overwhelming that she scrunched her face.
Just then, a calm voice suddenly came from beside her.
“I have no plans to get married,” he said.
His voice was low and calm, as if he were casually talking about the weather.
Ming Zhao was stunned, abruptly looking at him.
W-what do you mean you have no plans to get married?
Someone came to offer Zhou Tingyun a drink, and he gave a slight nod, gently clinking his glass. Every gesture he made carried an air of grace and elegance.
Ming Zhao no longer paid attention to anyone else. She stood there in a daze, stuttering for a moment, “You… Zhou, Zhou Grandpa will agree to this?”
“He can’t control me,” he replied.
Ming Zhao stood frozen; her fork gripped tightly in her hand.
“So,” Zhou Tingyun glanced at her, his voice calm and deep, “stop thinking about unnecessary things.”
But, but…
Her mind was completely in knots. Ming Zhao felt a chaotic mess inside her, and suddenly realized something very frightening—
She was actually… a little happy.
How could this be? Was she really such a selfish person? Happy because her older brother wasn’t getting married?
Staring blankly at the glass, the light refracting off the liquid, Ming Zhao hadn’t yet recovered from the shock. Her confused thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
“Big Brother!”
Not far away, Zhou Qian walked over quickly, his brow relaxed, “You’re here!”
Zhou Qian was a homebody, and although he looked decent enough, he never quite earned the title of ‘nerdy’ because of it. He usually spent his time watching pure love anime and reading certain novels, keeping up with various ships, secretly shipping his big brother’s pairings as well.
After greeting Zhou Tingyun, his gaze turned toward Ming Zhao, admiring her for the first time up close.
It was hard to describe her aura. She was beautiful but not with an overpowering, sharp beauty. Elegant, yet not the traditional, understated gentleness.
After a moment of thought, his gaze landed on the pearl necklace resting at the base of her collarbone, and Zhou Qian suddenly understood.
Zhao Zhao shone like the sun and the moon.
The pearl of Ming Yue, a small stone in the river.
Zhou Qian didn’t realize he had been staring for too long. His older brother’s expression was growing less than pleased, yet he continued to greet Ming Zhao with casual familiarity.
“Hello, I’m Zhou Qian.”
Hm?
This is Zhou Qian?
Ming Zhao observed him curiously. “Hello, I’m…”
“I know,” Zhou Qian said with a bright voice. “You’re Ming Zhao, right?”
The young man was handsome, with well-proportioned features, the very image of youthful charm.
Before Ming Zhao could look any longer, a warm presence suddenly enveloped her.
Just as Ming Zhao was wondering, Zhou Tingyun calmly reminded her.
“Your false eyelashes are falling off.”
What!
Ming Zhao immediately stopped paying attention to Zhou Qian, grabbing his sleeve in a hurry. “Quick, help me fix it.”
Her tone unconsciously turned into a bit of a coquettish plea.
He responded with a soft “Mm,” then turned to his confused cousin and said coldly, “Is there something else?”
“Ah, no,” Zhou Qian replied, still not noticing anything wrong with the false eyelashes. He opened his mouth, then quickly added, “…No, nothing.”
“Oh, right,” he finally remembered the purpose of his visit and quickly added, “Grandpa asked me to bring you both back to the old house for dinner.”
He finished speaking and waited cautiously for a response.
“Got it,” Zhou Tingyun said, his gaze returning to Ming Zhao. “We’ll head over later.”
“Okay, okay.” Noticing that Zhou Tingyun didn’t seem inclined to respond, Zhou Qian awkwardly nodded. “Then I’ll leave first.”
Seeing that the man didn’t reply, he silently turned to leave, rubbing the back of his head as he walked. Why did it feel like his older brother was in a bad mood today…?
As the footsteps faded, Ming Zhao grabbed Zhou Tingyun’s hand, tilting her head to urge him to help her fix it.
He lowered his eyes to look.
The scattered lights fell, flickering across the girl’s brows and eyes, half real and half illusory.
Her lashes fluttered slightly, with the fine glitter at the corners of her eyes shimmering, as if the breeze had slipped through the paper window in her heart, causing the candlelight to waver.
“It’s not falling,” he said.
“I just misjudged it earlier.”
…
At the banquet, Zhou Siyu, dressed in an embroidered floral long gown, gradually tightened her grip on her wine glass.
Today was supposed to be her stage. She had spent so much time preparing, but as soon as Ming Zhao appeared, all eyes were on her.
She was as dazzling as sunlight, effortlessly overshadowing everyone in the room.
And the CEO, whom Grandpa had intended to introduce to her, turned out to have once been a subordinate to the young lady.
He had actually bowed so humbly in front of her.
Shang Man didn’t notice the unpleasant expression on the person next to her. She was entirely focused on finding Ming Zhao, eager to tease the spoiled little brat who was so easily angered. However, Zhou Tingyun was always by her side, forcing her to hold back.
Not daring to act out in front of Zhou Tingyun, Shang Man couldn’t help but mutter quietly,
“Really too strict.”
Hearing this, Zhou Siyu smiled gently, but her tone carried a hint of sadness. “Their relationship really is great.”
“Heh,” before she could continue expressing her envy, Shang Man waved her hand dismissively, “It’s always been like this.”
She didn’t seem to have any intention of comforting her. In fact, she even added an example. “Don’t you remember? Ming Zhao’s 18th birthday was even more extravagant. Her brother prepared for over five months. That day, it looked like the capital was celebrating the New Year in advance.”
Zhou Siyu: “…”
“But he’s still pretty good to you,” Shang Man said, biting into her dessert with little care. “Although, compared to Ming Zhao, he’s definitely lacking a bit.”
Zhou Siyu started to question whether Shang Man had ever taken any lessons on emotional intelligence. She couldn’t stay there any longer. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Shang Man didn’t even lift her head, “Ok, ok.”
The cool water flowing from the faucet helped calm Zhou Siyu’s mind as she washed her hands.
When she came out of the restroom on the second floor, she unexpectedly ran into Ming Zhao, who was about to change clothes and head to dinner.
Zhou Siyu realized that it seemed like Ming Zhao didn’t recognize her. As they brushed past each other, Ming Zhao’s gaze merely flickered over her face without leaving any trace.
“Miss Ming.”
Zhou Siyu suddenly spoke up.
Ming Zhao paused in her steps. When she looked toward her, her bright, clear eyes carried a hint of confusion.
It wasn’t until she introduced herself that the look of confusion faded.
“Hello, I’m Zhou Siyu.”
She added, “I’m Mr. Zhou’s… sister.”
Upon hearing the name Zhou Siyu, Ming Zhao’s lips curved downward.
In truth, Ming Zhao had been deliberately and subconsciously avoiding any information related to Zhou Siyu.
This was completely unlike her usual nature.
But Zhou Siyu’s existence felt like a movie where the ending was already known, and Ming Zhao always had to be prepared for Zhou Tingyun’s heart to waver. After all, as they say, blood is thicker than water.
“Hello.”
Her gaze unconsciously studied the girl in front of her.
With delicate features, she had a naturally protective allure. Her voice was gentle, as if raising it even slightly would be a sin in her eyes.
And now, she was apologizing to her.
“I’m sorry, Miss Ming. That day, I didn’t mean to take the bag you liked.”
“Brother Tingyun just gave me a card to buy things I liked. It was Manager Chen who misunderstood.”
“…”
Ming Zhao clenched her fingers tightly.
She just wanted to twist Zhou Tingyun’s head off and kick it like a ball.