He Siyu: "..."
Sang Ning pulled open the car door and stepped out, politely bidding farewell, "I’ll take my leave now."
Then she closed the door and entered the Nan residence.
The atmosphere in the car instantly froze. The driver and Assistant Yan in the front seats held their breaths, afraid to make even the slightest sound that might draw He Siyu’s attention to their presence.
But the car remained eerily silent. Assistant Yan and the driver exchanged a glance—perhaps the boss wasn’t angry after all?
Well, the boss had weathered countless storms. Surely, he had the magnanimity not to hold a grudge over such a trivial matter with a young girl.
Assistant Yan cautiously glanced up at the rearview mirror again, only to see He Siyu’s face dark with displeasure.
He swallowed hard and spoke stiffly, "Boss, shall we head back to the company now?"
He Siyu tugged at his tie. "Yes."
The oppressive atmosphere lingered. Assistant Yan stole another look in the mirror and attempted to lighten the mood with an awkward chuckle, "Miss Nan just returned from the countryside and is still young. She’s probably not used to things yet, so her words might lack some tact."
He Siyu sneered. "Do I look like I care?"
Assistant Yan took in his icy glare and forced a smile. "No..."
He Siyu’s expression remained stormy, the pen in his right hand nearly bending under his grip.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated. With a scowl, he unlocked it to see a WeChat friend request.
A cat avatar. His brow furrowed.
He tapped the notification. The request read: "This is Nan Sangning."
His eyebrows lifted slightly, the earlier hostility dissipating in an instant. Leaning back lazily in his seat, he studied the request with newfound ease.
So, this was why she’d asked for his contact—she wanted to add him on WeChat.
Assistant Yan and the driver sensed the bizarre shift in the car’s atmosphere and couldn’t resist peeking into the rearview mirror again. To their horror, they saw their boss’s lips curve into a faint smile as he gazed at his phone screen, looking almost serene.
Somehow, this was even more terrifying than his earlier scowl.
Assistant Yan shuddered and immediately averted his eyes, staring rigidly ahead.
He Siyu leisurely tapped "Accept Friend Request."
---
Sang Ning returned to the Nan residence when her phone buzzed—a notification that He Siyu had accepted her request.
She blinked. She’d half-expected him to reject it out of spite. Turns out, he wasn’t as petty as she’d assumed.
Ji Yan had told her that in this day and age, phone calls were considered impolite. If someone exchanged contact details, WeChat was the preferred medium. Unless it was urgent, sending a message was a high-EQ move that respected boundaries.
Sang Ning took the advice to heart. Her WeChat was now filled with contacts, including Nan Siya and Nan Muchen.
She tapped into He Siyu’s chat and politely greeted him: "Hello, Mr. He."
Best to maintain some decorum—no need to fully antagonize him.
Two minutes later, He Siyu replied:
[En.]
"En"? What did that mean?
Sang Ning frowned. Was he pleased or annoyed?
She still wasn’t fond of texting. Without seeing the other person’s expression, gauging their mood was a challenge.
But then again, He Siyu was always inscrutable. Even face-to-face, she could never read him.
What a troublesome man.
Sang Ning headed upstairs to her room, grabbed her pipa, paper, and pen, and stepped out onto the small balcony to compose sheet music.
Ever since Grandpa learned that Old Madam He enjoyed her pipa performances, he’d specially bought her one, insisting she practice diligently to charm the old lady. After all, the benefits to the Nan family would be endless.
But Sang Ning rarely had time to play. Her schedule was packed—too many things to learn, not to mention the mess that was the Nan family. She needed to re-familiarize herself with the melodies first.
Her balcony was small but faced the backyard garden, bathed in sunlight. A hanging chair sat in the corner, where Sang Ning loved to curl up with a book.
By now, she’d fully adapted to life at the Nan residence—and knew exactly how to enjoy it.
She pushed open the balcony door, only to spot a pair of star-crossed lovers in the garden below.
"Siya, how could you let yourself end up like this? Do you know how much it pains me?"
"It’s not like you care anyway. If I’d really drowned, you’d probably be relieved—free to marry Zhan Yijun!"
"Don’t you dare say such things! Siya, must I carve out my heart to prove myself to you?!"
"Brother Zheng, don’t hurt yourself like this," Nan Siya sobbed. "I’m sorry for lashing out. I’m just… so frustrated at how useless I am, always getting schemed against, always being bullied."
Chen Zheng pulled her into his arms. "How is any of this your fault? That venomous sister of yours is the one to blame! You’re too pure and kind—no match for her wickedness!"
Nan Siya lifted her teary eyes to him. "Then… you believe me, right?"
"Of course! Even if the whole world falls for Nan Sangning’s deceit, I’ll always stand by you. I’ll never doubt you!"
"Brother Zheng…" Nan Siya wept, burying her face in his chest.
The two clung to each other, lost in their melodrama.
Sang Ning watched, expressionless.
Nan Siya was wrong about one thing—Sang Ning wasn’t entirely non-confrontational. Every time these two appeared, they assaulted her eyes and ears.
Nan Siya seemed to sense her gaze and suddenly looked up, glaring at Sang Ning with tear-filled eyes. "What are you doing here?!"
Chen Zheng immediately shielded her, glowering at Sang Ning. "Don’t even think about laying a finger on Siya while I’m here!"
Sang Ning: "..."
She replied flatly, "First of all, this is my room."
"Secondly, you’re disturbing me."
Nan Siya and Chen Zheng: "..."
Chen Zheng tightened his grip on Nan Siya, sneering. "Don’t play innocent. I know exactly how you’ve been targeting Siya at every turn. You might fool Uncle and Aunt Nan, but not me! Let me make this clear—if you dare lay a hand on her again, I won’t let you off easy!"
Nan Siya gazed at him adoringly, eyes brimming with gratitude. "Brother Zheng…"
Sang Ning: "..."
Was she suddenly part of their weird roleplay?
Chen Zheng, mistaking her silence for fear, pressed on. "I’ll spell it out for you—no matter what tricks you pull, you’ll never replace Siya. Even if you scheme your way to the top, I’d never let a vicious, calculating woman like you become my fiancée!"
Sang Ning: "..."
Sometimes, when faced with sheer absurdity, all one could do was laugh.
But she held back. If she laughed, Chen Zheng might mistake it for flirting.
Her voice was icy. "Mr. Chen, you’re overestimating yourself. In my eyes, you’re not even backup material."