Bao Mingyuan took a deep drag on his cigarette, his body slumping against the leather chairback.
He was momentarily lost in thought before he said to his youngest son, "Ziqi, you only get one chance to choose a wife."
Bao Ziqi furrowed his brows.
Bao Mingyuan took another puff of his cigarette, closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled the smoke from the corner of his mouth.
His voice was indistinct, "You like Ruanruan, don’t you?"
Bao Ziqi didn’t make a sound.
Bao Mingyuan opened his eyes, quietly watching his youngest son...
He said in a raspy voice, "I gave the Imperial View to Jingyan! You’ve been learning art since you were young, I know you’re not convinced in your heart."
"Why bring this up, Dad?"
Bao Mingyuan covered his eyes with a hand, falling silent for a long while before murmuring, "Dad just hopes that all of you will be well, Jingyan, Jingse, you, and Jingyuan. All of you are my children."
He dropped his arm, looking directly at his second son, "Originally, I thought Ruanruan would be my compensation to you."
In fact, wasn’t she also a compensation for himself?
The girl’s every action, so much like Weilian.
If Ruanruan could be with Ziqi, Bao Mingyuan felt he would be fulfilled.
He expressed it plainly; in fact, he had seen his son’s heart.
His son was now just like him back in those days, loving this one, yet unable to let go of that one...
Bao Mingyuan sighed softly, ultimately choosing not to say much more.
He waved his hand, "Go get some rest! You decide your own matters."
Bao Ziqi didn’t leave right away, sitting briefly in the study before he left.
Passing by the bedroom that used to belong to Su Ruanruan on the second floor, he paused in his steps.
He remembered that night, when he barged into her bedroom and saw her only in a slip.
She pretended to be calm, while actually flustered with indignation.
Back then, he thought she was trying to seduce him, which was utterly laughable.
Standing in the dark night, he pondered: Since when were Jingse and Su Ruanruan so close?
As he was thinking, Bao Jingyuan tiptoed down from upstairs, softly calling, "Second brother."
"Why aren’t you asleep?"
Bao Jingyan pouted unhappily, "Jingse sis bought Su Ruanruan such an expensive bracelet, second brother, and I didn’t get one."
Bao Ziqi couldn’t be bothered to listen to her complaints and pushed open the door to his own bedroom to enter.
He didn’t even turn on the lights, but went straight to the sofa in front of the window and collapsed onto it.
Bao Jingyuan snuggled over, "Second brother."
A hint of resentment flickered within her: she was the legitimate daughter of the Bao Family, and she couldn’t be lacking what Su Ruanruan had.
Bao Ziqi was silent for a moment before asking, "You want a bracelet?"
In a small voice, Bao Jingyuan said, "It’s really pretty! I told Mom, but I’m sure she wouldn’t buy it for me."
Bao Ziqi glanced at her, his voice indifferent, "You might not be able to buy it."
With that said, Bao Jingyuan knew in her heart that her second brother had agreed.
She hugged her second brother’s face and planted a forceful kiss on it, "Second brother is the best."
Having said that, she ran off like a happy butterfly.
As for Bao Ziqi, he sat alone in the darkness for a long time, and then, for some inexplicable reason, he became irritated.
His father said he liked Su Ruanruan, but he didn’t feel that way.
He just thought she was a pitiful orphan...
In the small courtyard where the elderly Mrs. Bao lived, Bao Jingse used to live there as a child, right next door to Su Ruanruan’s room.
But this time, when she returned, Bao Jingse went straight into Su Ruanruan’s bedroom with her.
"The room has been unoccupied for a long time, let’s squeeze in together."
Su Ruanruan was a bit surprised.
After a moment, she softly asked, "Why are you helping me?"
Bao Jingse stood in front of the window, looking out at the night for a while before answering her question, "Big brother asked me to come."