Ethan Jiang had spent a long time in his father's studies.
By the time he finally emerged, dusk was falling.
Elena Shen had no idea what had transpired at the Jiang family estate that afternoon.
By the time she returned, night had fully descended.
The butler and the household staff were already gone from the main hall.
Elena hurried to the staircase in the dark, not bothering to turn on the lights as she quietly made her way upstairs.
But just as she reached the final step to the third floor, she saw him.
Ethan stood by the corridor window, a glass of wine in hand, silhouetted by the pale moonlight.
He saw her before she saw him.
By the time her gaze met his, he had already turned to look at her.
"You're just getting back?"
The third-floor corridor branched left and right from the staircase.
Ethan's bedroom was down the left hall, third door on the side.
Elena's room was at the far end of the right hallway.
And Ethan was standing directly in her path.
Elena stepped onto the landing and walked forward a few steps before stopping.
Years of learned wariness around Ethan kicked in instinctively, and she answered his question almost without thinking:
"They were setting off fireworks by the Linjiang Bridge… I stayed a little longer to watch."
Ethan hadn't touched the wine in his glass.
But the night breeze that drifted in through the open window behind him carried the faintest trace of alcohol toward her.
His gaze didn't leave her. "Did you eat?"
Elena nodded, her demeanor still as gentle and polite as it had been the day before—obedient, but distant.
"I did."
The conversation fell into a quiet lull.
She didn't know how to bring up the engagement, nor did she know how to interact with him.
Her instinct was to retreat—like always.
She pressed her lips together, searching for a polite excuse to slip back to her room.
"I… I'm a little tired. I'll head to bed now."
She stepped past him.
But just as she was about to move beyond him, her wrist was caught.
"Elena."
Her back stiffened instantly.
His grip wasn't rough.
But it was firm enough to keep her from pulling away.
"Are you avoiding me?"
She instinctively denied it. "I—I'm not…"
Ethan had never pressured her about anything.
But tonight was an exception.
When it came to her, she was an open book to him. Transparent as paper.
Before her denial could settle in the air, he asked, "Really? You weren't planning to leave tomorrow?"
Ethan figured, if it weren't for the laptop containing her countless research projects still sitting at the estate, she probably wouldn't have come back at all tonight.
She was like an ostrich—head in the sand. Her urge to flee was practically written across her face.
Elena's fingers curled slightly as she struggled a bit, but couldn't break free.
Eventually, she gave up and stopped trying.
After a pause, she spoke:
"I'm not avoiding anything. There's something I need to do at school tomorrow. I need to head back early."
Ethan still didn't let go.
His deep, dark gaze stayed fixed on her.
A faint smile tugged at his lips, his voice calm and low.
"Tomorrow's the Mid-Autumn Festival. And you're going back early?"
Caught under his gaze, Elena felt a twinge of guilt. She quickly averted her eyes and nodded half-heartedly. "... I'm doing a dual degree. My coursework is heavier than most."
Ethan studied her for a few more seconds.
Then finally, he released her.
She quickly pulled her wrist back, as if it had burned her.
—
The next morning, before 7 a.m., Elena quietly slipped out of the villa with her laptop in her arms.
Ethan stood by the third-floor landing, watching the figure disappear without so much as a backward glance.
Just then, his assistant, Eric Chen, arrived to confirm the day's virtual meetings.
He hadn't even opened his mouth when he caught sight of the scene.
Glancing quickly at Ethan's expression, Eric cleared his throat awkwardly and asked in a low voice:
"Mr. Jiang, would you like me to stop Miss Shen?"
Ethan didn't speak for a moment.
Only when her figure had fully vanished from sight did he turn and walk toward the study.
"No need," he said. "Let's start the meeting."
—
Meanwhile, in South City, Adrian Jiang had been hiding out for three full days—avoiding the engagement like the plague.
On the final day of the Mid-Autumn break, a few of his close friends came to find him.
When they arrived, the suite was scattered with empty bottles and thick with the smell of alcohol.
Frank Fang wrinkled his nose.
"What the hell, man? Everyone's spending the holiday with family, and here you are, drinking yourself into oblivion."
He glanced at Adrian, who was slouched silently on the couch, then nudged Zane Feng—who was closest—to open the windows and clear out the stuffy air.
Frank picked up the hotel phone and called for tea service.
Adrian wasn't drunk, but he'd clearly had too much. His temples throbbed with dull pain.
He rubbed his forehead and set the glass down, glancing at his friends who had come all the way from Huaihai.
"What are you guys doing here?"
Frank crossed one leg over the other and leaned back on the leather sofa, studying Adrian as if he were some unfamiliar species.
"Your mom called me, dude. She's seriously losing it. Are you really planning to bail on the engagement?"
"What engagement?" Adrian asked lazily, his voice as languid as ever.
Frank rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb. The marriage alliance."
"I'm asking you straight—are you seriously backing out of the arrangement with the Shen family?"
Adrian smirked, lips curving with a touch of mockery.
"No feelings involved. Why shouldn't I back out?"
Frank didn't buy it. "No feelings? You two grew up together. That doesn't count?"
Adrian leaned back, legs crossed, expression relaxed. "So what? Growing up together doesn't mean there has to be romance."
"I've heard her call me 'brother' all my life. "Why can't I treat her like a sister?"
Frank choked on that.
Before he could come up with a reply, Zane Feng—who hadn't said a word until now—decided to stir the pot.
"Adrian, don't say I didn't warn you."
"You're not the only candidate in the Jiang family. Everyone in our circle knows the engagement was always about a marriage between the two families—it was never specified who exactly. People just assumed it'd be you and Elena because you're close in age."
"But if you keep refusing, and your brother agrees to marry her, no one will bat an eye. Just don't come crying at us when it happens."
Adrian's eyes darkened for a brief moment.
But soon, he brushed it off with a half-laugh.
"What would I regret? If my brother's willing to take the engagement, great. Everyone wins."
The alliance gets fulfilled, and his mom stops nagging him about marriage every other day.
The only problem was…
His brother barely spent any time in the country. His relationship with Elena was practically nonexistent. And most importantly, Ethan had always been cold and distant—completely uninterested in women. The family had tried to set him up before, subtly and not-so-subtly, and he'd rejected every attempt.
There was no reason to think he'd agree to this one.
But Zane wasn't so sure.
He might be the youngest in his family, spending most of his time partying with other rich kids, but his older brother, Lin Feng, had already taken over their family's business—and had frequent dealings with Ethan's E.R. Group and the Tiancheng headquarters.
Just yesterday, Lin told him E.R. Group was officially relocating its headquarters back to China.
If that was true, then Ethan was likely to stay for good.
And if Adrian was still refusing the engagement… knowing Ethan's sense of duty and self-discipline, he just might say yes—for the sake of the family.