The Nangong family has more than one heir, Nangong Chen. There's also Nangong Yu, the youngest son of the patriarch, who is Nangong Chen's uncle and not much older than him. Originally, the patriarch saw his youngest son's intelligence and wanted to groom him as his successor. Unfortunately, Nangong Yu disliked business from a young age, acted impulsively, learned everything exceptionally quickly, but had little patience for anything, discarding what he learned almost immediately, rarely persisting for more than three months. The patriarch had beaten him countless times for this, but he just couldn't change.

As Nangong Yu grew up, Grandpa Nangong gradually gave up on him and focused on cultivating Nangong Chen instead. Meanwhile, Nangong Yu, for some reason, ran away abroad, infuriating Grandpa Nangong, who threatened to lock him up at home. Nangong Yu would occasionally return to China, but always secretly, never letting Grandpa Nangong know. Perhaps Grandpa Nangong, knowing his temperament, simply turned a blind eye and let him be.

In her past life, Nangong Yu somehow reconnected with Liu Zixi, protecting him and even covering for him in front of the old man, thus preventing their affair from being exposed. Xiang Wan only learned about this because Liu Zixi, trying to make conversation, told her bits and pieces of what had happened when the original owner was locked up in the hospital.

The original owner's death had no direct connection to Nangong Yu; it was merely a cruel twist of fate. Xiang Wan never expected to meet him like this. If it weren't for her, Liu Zixi might have also won Nangong Yu's favor at the wedding banquet in her previous life.

Having unintentionally thwarted a major asset to Liu Zixi, Xiang Wan was unsure whether to feel more pleased or melancholic. Nangong Yu's unpredictable actions left her wondering whether being targeted by him was a cause for joy or worry.

"Uncle, this is my wedding banquet. Now that you're back, shall we have a drink together?"

Nangong Yu didn't take Nangong Chen's invitation to heart; instead, he kept staring at Xiang Wan.

"The wine offered by the bride is the one that is most enjoyable to drink."

Nangong Chen pulled Xiang Wan out from behind him and said, "Uncle, Wan'er is still young. If she has offended you in any way, let her toast you later as an apology. Is that alright?"

"young?"

Nangong Yu's words were full of teasing, and Xiang Wan blushed. She apologized, "I'm sorry, Uncle. I was being rude just now. Please forgive me for offending you!"

"Junior? Am I that old?"

"Uncle..."

"Alright, alright, it's good that you know you're young. You're not allowed to tell anyone about me being here, otherwise..."

"good!"

"Tch, how boring. That little girl from before was much more interesting. I'm leaving now, don't tell the old man I came back."

Nangong Yu waved and left, leaving the two people behind feeling slightly awkward.

"Why are you with your uncle?"

Nangong Chen started questioning her out of the blue. Xiang Wan was already angry and had nowhere to vent, so she shouldn't blame herself for taking it out on him now that Nangong Chen had spoken.

"How would I know who he is? Your Nangong family is really strange. The heir is getting married, and you didn't even invite such an important person, nor did you ever tell me that such a person existed. You didn't show up when he was bullying me, but now that he's gone, you start questioning me. President Nangong, do you always do things after the fact—showing up only after the fact?"

"As a husband, failing to know where your wife was in time is your failure. As a groom, blaming the victim instead of blaming the other party when your bride was verbally abused is your incompetence. As a CEO, failing to protect your employees and instead showing favoritism is your dereliction of duty."

"May I ask you, Nangong Chen, in what capacity are you asking me this?"

Nangong Chen hadn't expected that a simple question would lead to Xiang Wan questioning him, and his face immediately darkened.

"You answer ten questions with one question, it's utterly unreasonable!"

"Isn't there a saying that goes, 'It's better to offend a gentleman than a woman'? And another saying that goes, 'Never make a woman angry, or the consequences will be severe'?"

"Looks like coming to you was a mistake!" Nangong Chen was successfully provoked by Xiang Wan. He reached out and grabbed Xiang Wan's wrist, pulling her in front of him. "Today is our wedding banquet. I don't want to argue with you. Come with me!"

Nangong Chen, tall and long-legged, pulled Xiang Wan along, taking large strides back. Xiang Wan stumbled and almost fell to the ground, trying to stop but she wasn't as strong as him and was dragged along.

"Let go! If you don't let go, I'll call for help!"

Nangong Chen paused, then turned around and growled without thinking, "If you dare to shout, believe me, I'll gag you?"

As he spoke, he stared at Xiang Wan's lips with a sinister look, which startled Xiang Wan, who immediately became obedient.

As he lifted his foot again, Nangong Chen noticeably slowed his pace. Xiang Wan obediently followed behind him, her mind filled with Nangong Chen's sinister gaze.

As they approached the banquet hall, Xiang Wan suddenly realized: Wait a minute, isn't he gay? Why would he kiss a woman? Damn it, he fooled me!

Xiang Wan thought angrily, if looks could kill, she would have torn Nangong Chen to pieces long ago, that insidious man!

Upon arriving at the banquet venue, many people came over to exchange pleasantries with Nangong Chen before gradually leaving. Xiang Wan had been wondering why Nangong Chen had come to see her; it turned out it was to give him face. In front of so many people, Xiang Wan couldn't act out and could only obediently follow him with a smile.

After finally making it to the end of the show, Xiang Wan was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to find a bed to lie down on immediately.

"Rest for a bit. There's a family dinner tonight. We'll send someone to pick you up later."

After Nangong Chen finished speaking, he left. Xiang Wan happily watched him leave, then turned around and ran into the lounge, kicked off her shoes, and lay down on the sofa.

Xiang Wan's legs ached, and her toes were stiff from standing. She reached out and gently massaged them, which relieved some of the fatigue.

"Sis, did you two have a fight?"

Liu Zixi gently pushed the door open and sat down next to Xiang Wan.

How did you know?

"I noticed my brother-in-law doesn't look too good."

"So concerned about him? Why don't you care about your sister? I raised you from infancy, and this is how you treat me?"

"If it were really a matter of changing diapers and excrement, your brother would have been in heaven long ago."

As Liu Zixi spoke, she gently massaged Xiang Wan's calves, one stroke at a time with just the right amount of pressure, making Xiang Wan groan with pleasure.

"Sis, I'm being serious. You're having your wedding today, you should be happy, not arguing, it's not good."

"I'm such a gentle and virtuous sister, am I the kind of person who argues easily?"

"What? Someone like my brother-in-law would make you angry? Should I go and talk to him on his behalf?"

Liu Zixi didn't look up, but a faint blush crept onto his face. Xiang Wan narrowed her eyes, taking in his reaction: This seemingly innocent younger brother seems to be more than he appears!