TLSMLMMM Chapter 12

The sweet scent of pear water instantly filled the living room. Madam Yan reacted quickly, calling for the housekeeper to clean up the floor. She bent down, picked up the glass that had fallen at her feet, and carried it into the kitchen.

Meeting Chu Junlie’s guarded gaze, Yan An scratched his head helplessly, his expression looking innocent.

“I just lost my balance just now. Brother, you won’t blame me, will you?”

Chu Junlie remained silent, his eyes on Yan An. Then he decisively stood up, picked up the invitation from the table, and left behind a short “I’ll be going first.” Ignoring their attempts to stop him, he strode out of the Yan family villa.

“Brother! Don’t forget we’re going to the Si family together tomorrow for dinner!” Yan An quickly chased after him, waving at Chu Junlie’s retreating figure. “Brother Yunyi said we should both go!”

Chu Junlie quickened his pace. At the bus stop, he took off his jacket, found a small corner of the fabric that had been splashed with the pear water, and lifted it to his nose, sniffing carefully.

The sweet scent of pear water masked most other smells. There was nothing especially pungent, and certainly no trace of the bitter almond scent often associated with poisons on television. Yet Yan An’s behavior had been so strange, it left him with lingering doubts.

Chu Junlie solemnly handed the invitation he had received to Grandpa Chang. When the old man opened it and saw Chu Junlie’s name inside, his smile stretched so wide it nearly broke his face.

He had always said it didn’t matter if the boy got married or not, but seeing the child he’d cared for all these years happily stepping into marriage made his heart overflow with joy.

Back in his rented room, Chu Junlie thought for a moment. Then he carefully dampened the part of his clothes stained by the pear water, wrung it out, cut a slice of steamed bun from the fridge, and softened it with the liquid.

Though he knew he might be overthinking, he still placed the bun slice in the corner of his room.

The old district’s pipelines were decrepit. No one cared about the filth in the drains, nor about whether rats might climb up through them.

Living on the fourth floor, Chu Junlie kept things clean and stored food away, so he rarely saw rats. But the young couple living on the third floor often screamed, followed by the sounds of furious trapping and killing.

After setting everything in place, Chu Junlie lay in bed, glanced at the luggage he had already packed neatly ahead of time, pulled the blanket over his head, and smiled secretly in the dark.

The next day, he attended training at the restaurant in the morning, then in the afternoon carried a bag of fruit to the Si family’s old residence. From a distance, he saw Yan An waiting at the gate, clearly having redone his hair. He was dressed in a light blue sweater layered over a white shirt, its collar showing, adorned with a small, delicate diamond pin—every detail revealing careful thought.

“Brother, what took you so long?” Yan An immediately pressed the doorbell when he spotted Chu Junlie, and when the security guard came out, he greeted him with a bright, familiar smile.

“Young Master Yan, you’ve arrived,” the guard responded warmly. Then he glanced at the tall young man behind him, awkwardly holding a large bag of fruit, and politely forced a smile.

Inside the Si residence, Yan An moved about with a natural ease, as if he were back in his own home. Without needing guidance from the servants, he went straight to the dining hall.

He greeted the Si family elders first, then turned to bump fists playfully with Si Beicheng, the eldest grandson.

“You’ve got some nerve showing up.” Si Beicheng snorted coldly at Yan An, who had run abroad as soon as the arranged marriage was mentioned, and then turned his back.

“I… I didn’t have a choice.” Yan An dropped his hand, then glanced back at Chu Junlie standing a short distance behind him, his face carrying an expression of suppressed grievance and helplessness.

Chu Junlie’s lips tightened as he watched him.

“Big Brother, maybe An has his own reasons?” The second grandson, Si Beiyuan, stepped forward and gave Yan An’s shoulder a comforting pat. “We’ve been friends since childhood. I know you’re not the kind of person Big Brother thinks you are.”

“Thanks, Beiyuan.” Yan An quickly brushed a hand across the corner of his eye, then smiled at the others.

“I’ll explain everything to you later. When I was abroad, I brought gifts for each of you. After dinner, let’s go to the rec room and see if you like them.”

As Yan An and Chu Junlie took their seats, only two places remained empty at the table—the main seat reserved for Grandfather Si, and the one directly opposite Chu Junlie. Nervously, Chu Junlie glanced at the empty spot across from him, then lowered his head and straightened his collar.

The dining hall doors opened again. Supported by a servant, the elder Mr. Si walked in. Everyone at the table stood at once, and Chu Junlie quickly straightened as well.

Behind the old man, dressed in a pearl-white suit with a black shirt buttoned all the way to the top, strode Si Yunyi. A silver chain from his glasses gleamed by his face, lending him a strict air that only amplified his noble presence. He looked almost dazzling.

The moment Chu Junlie laid eyes on him, his gaze lit up. His eyes followed him unwaveringly, as though every light in the room shone only on this man.

As soon as Old Master Si and Si Yunyi took their seats, the others sat down as well. Old Master Si glanced at Chu Junlie and Yan An, surprised to see how much Chu Junlie’s appearance had changed. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, he carried a faint air of strength and confidence.

The aura was there, but those eyes—dark and bright—were fixed on his youngest son as if seeing him for the first time. If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging back and forth.

Sensing the gaze from across the table, Si Yunyi lifted his eyes. Chu Junlie held his breath, met those eyes for a moment, then couldn’t help lowering his head, the tips of his ears slowly turning red.

“Ahem.” Old Master Si cleared his throat, signaling for Chu Junlie to stand up and face everyone.

“You all must have met Xiao Chu before. His engagement banquet with Yunyi will be the day after tomorrow. The rehearsal is tomorrow, so today is about putting names to faces,” Old Master Si said in as relaxed a tone as possible, to avoid giving the boy pressure.

Si Yunyi rose at the right moment, but before he could speak, Yan An, seated beside Chu Junlie, also stood up.

“I’m afraid Brother won’t remember, so I’ll help him—” Yan An began with a smile.

But before he could finish, a hand pressed firmly on his shoulder, pushing him back down.

Yan An glanced at Chu Junlie, who was staring straight at Si Yunyi, then gritted his teeth and tried to stand again—only to be pressed back down once more.

The younger members of the Si family stifled laughter. Si Yunyi raised an eyebrow slightly and began the introductions himself.

“This is my eldest brother, Si Yuntian.”

“Hello, Big Brother!” Chu Junlie gave a deep bow, startling the elder brother into leaning back.

“My second brother, Si Yundi.”

Again, Chu Junlie bowed deeply.

“My third sister, Si Yiyi.” Si Yunyi briefly explained how her son had taken the Si surname, while Chu Junlie nodded earnestly, carefully remembering every detail.

From then on, the younger generation introduced themselves without Si Yunyi’s prompting, rattling off their names one by one. Only the youngest, Si Beiqi, took it seriously—hugging his stuffed bunny as he introduced himself.

“My name is Si Beiqi. I’m three years old. My specialty is folding paper airplanes and making girls like me. You better treat my little uncle well! Otherwise, if you and my mom both fell into a river, I’d first eat an ice cream, then a piece of chocolate, and finally join the banquet—”

His mother quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, giving Si Yunyi a weary smile.

After the introductions, Chu Junlie sat back down, ignoring Yan An’s looks, and fixed his gaze on the man across from him.

During meals, the Si family usually spoke little, and when they did, it was in hushed tones. Near the end of dinner, Chu Junlie noticed Old Master Si adding salt to his soup. After sprinkling some, the old man set the salt shaker down, but then, a little absent-minded, picked it up again to add more.

Chu Junlie sat upright, just in time to see Si Yunyi wipe his mouth and murmur something into the old man’s ear. Old Master Si then stood, told everyone he was full, and left with the help of a servant.

After dinner, the younger ones gathered in the recreation room. Yan An handed out the gifts he had prepared, coaxing the others to accept them.

Looking at the elegant bags in Yan An’s hands, then at the large sack of fruit he had brought, Chu Junlie felt once again that he had somehow done the wrong thing.

The recreation room door opened, and Chu Junlie saw Si Yunyi enter. He sat down in a corner and began reading a book from the shelf.

It seemed as though the younger generation had received some unspoken signal. They immediately rushed to the dartboard, lining up excitedly to throw darts. Even Yan An put down his gifts and joined the line.

“What are you all doing?” Chu Junlie asked cautiously, turning to the youngest, Si Beiqi.

“As long as you hit the bullseye three times in a row, you get to play a game with Little Uncle! If you win against him, you can make one small request!” Si Beiqi said happily. “It’s been so long since Little Uncle played with us!”

Play a game with Mr. Si?

Chu Junlie immediately joined the line, watching with eager anticipation as the people ahead of him threw dart after dart.

The Si children were surprisingly skilled, but hitting three consecutive bullseyes was still difficult. The girl before him, Si Xuanshuan, managed two out of ten, then had to return to the end of the line, unwilling to admit defeat.

Clutching a dart, Chu Junlie aimed at the board and threw. The dart flew completely off target, embedding itself in the wall. Si Beicheng yanked at it for a long time before pulling it out.

“Can’t you aim properly?” Si Beicheng muttered in irritation.

Chu Junlie took a deep breath and threw again. This time, it landed in the black ring, still far from the center.

Just as Si Beicheng was about to pull it out, a third dart flew straight into the green ring close to the bullseye. A moment later, another dart followed, striking squarely into the red center.

“Hm?” Si Beicheng hadn’t even reacted before three more darts hit the target, all right in the bullseye!

He could hardly believe his eyes. Turning to Chu Junlie, he saw him nearly bouncing with joy. Chu Junlie hurried over to Little Uncle, standing shyly in front of him, pointing at the dartboard.

Si Yunyi set aside his book and, seeing the expression on Chu Junlie’s face, directed him to take a stack of cards from the bookshelf.

The younger ones quickly gathered around. Chu Junlie looked through the cards—some showed skies, some a girl walking a dog, some abstract images, even one depicting a wounded man tied to a chair.

“You look at the cards. I’ll look at you.” Si Yunyi explained the rules simply. “I’ll guess which card you’re holding. If I’m wrong, you win.”

Nervously, Chu Junlie picked out a card, studied it, then raised his eyes toward the man opposite him.

Si Yunyi slowly removed his glasses, his gaze locking onto him as he spoke softly:

“A wheat field.”

Chu Junlie glanced at the card in his hand—the golden expanse of a ripe wheat field. Suppressing the shock in his heart, he quickly switched to another card and met those eyes once again.

After Mr. Si took off his glasses, without the cold lenses in the way, his long lashes were revealed, and it felt as though his eyes and Chu Junlie’s gaze could touch more directly. Chu Junlie’s heart was racing so fast it seemed like it would burst out of his chest.

“Cash,” Si Yunyi said lightly.

Chu Junlie picked up a card painted with a stack of pink bills, his ears burning red as he met Si Yunyi’s eyes again.

Si Yunyi studied his expression for a moment. “A hat.”

The nephews standing behind Chu Junlie instantly looked surprised. Si Yunyi realized right away that he had guessed wrong.

But Chu Junlie didn’t stop, continuing to flip the cards.

“If I guessed wrong, that means you’ve already won.” Si Yunyi reached for the card in Chu Junlie’s hand.

“Mr. Si, you’re not wrong.” Chu Junlie’s ears flushed an even deeper red. “We should go to the next card.”

After a pause, Si Yunyi took the deck from him and flipped back the previous card. It wasn’t a hat at all.

It was an image of a person bound, injured, and bleeding.

“Mr. Si, I’m sorry.” Chu Junlie lowered his head guiltily. “I just… wanted to keep playing this game with you.”

“Think about what reward you want,” Si Yunyi said evenly as he picked up his glasses and put them back on.

“Mr. Si, I brought oranges today.” Chu Junlie’s eyes lit up as he stood, carrying over the fruit he’d brought. He carefully chose the roundest, best-looking orange, peeled and sectioned it, and placed it in front of Si Yunyi.

“If you could try one for me, that would be my reward.”

Si Yunyi didn’t refuse. He picked up a slice, put it in his mouth, and after tasting it for a moment, said, “Sweet and refreshing.”

“I want some too,” Si Beiqi said, swallowing.

“Future uncle-in-law, let us try some too,” the third brother chimed in with a grin.

Hearing the title used on him, Chu Junlie’s face flushed. He immediately stood up, hugged the rest of the oranges, and walked out of the rec room to peel more for them.

Yan An watched him leave, jealousy flashing in his eyes. He tugged gently on the second brother’s sleeve and lowered his voice.

“Beiyuan, don’t let yourselves be fooled by Chu Junlie.”

“What do you mean?” Si Beiyuan looked puzzled.

“Chu Junlie isn’t at all like how he pretends to be. Back when the marriage alliance with the Si family was arranged, he was the one who asked to replace me. He knew our parents owed him, so he made the request—just to climb up into the Si family.” Yan An’s eyes brimmed with sadness. “I felt so guilty toward you all that I fought with my parents and went abroad.”

Shock spread across Si Beiyuan’s face, and Yan An’s words had been loud enough for many present to hear them clearly.

Si Yunyi, noticing the doubt flickering in some of his nephews’ and nieces’ eyes, crooked a finger at Yan An. “Come here.”

[mfn] If you enjoy my translations, you can show your support by leaving a comment or donating to my Ko-fi. It will be much appreciated. Thank you! [/mfn]