Chu Anhe woke feeling refreshed. She had to admit, the bed of a wealthy family was unlike any other. The top-tier mattress in the Xie family manor was like lying on a cloud and healed all her fatigue.
She stretched lazily, finished washing up, and went downstairs in a good mood.
At the main seat of the long dining table, Xie Jingran, dark circles under his eyes, ate breakfast with a gloomy expression.
Chu Anhe froze mid-step, her heart skipping a beat.
Who had upset the young master this early in the morning?
Could it have been her snoring last night? Impossible. She always slept quietly.
She crept along the wall. “G…good morning, Professor Xie.”
“Hmph.”
Xie Jingran let out a cold snort through his nose without lifting his eyelids.
Chu Anhe awkwardly pulled out a chair and sat down. She was about to speak when her eyes caught a beautifully crafted strawberry shortcake on the plate in front of her.
“This is…” Her eyes lit up.
“Lin Shu made it this morning. I do not eat sweets. It would be a waste to throw it away. You can handle it.” Xie Jingran said coldly, his tone stiff as if reciting a passage.
Lin Shu, pouring milk for Chu Anhe, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Master, this was specially arranged last night. I even had the Michelin chef make it fresh this morning.
Chu Anhe dug a big spoonful of cream into her mouth. The sweetness exploded on her tongue, and she closed her eyes in bliss. “Thank you, Lin Shu.”
Seeing her carefree expression, and remembering how she had used him as a human pillow last night, Xie Jingran felt a strange itch in his back teeth.
He took a napkin and wiped his mouth. “Today is the weekend. After breakfast, I will take you back to the old Xie mansion. Grandfather wants to see you.”
The car drove into the Xie family old mansion on the hillside. Xie Jingran glanced at Chu Anhe in the passenger seat, her fingers nervously twisting her clothes, and gently flicked her forehead.
“What are you afraid of? This is the old mansion, not the underworld.”
Chu Anhe covered her forehead, pouting. “But I heard rich families have so many rules. What if I do something wrong and embarrass you?”
“Embarrass me?” Xie Jingran raised his eyebrows and unbuckled his seatbelt, leaning closer.
His familiar cedar scent enveloped Chu Anhe. Xie Jingran carefully adjusted her slightly messy collar, his fingertips brushing over her collarbone lightly.
Ding! Daily intimate contact achieved. Current life value is stable.
Xie Jingran withdrew his hand, a lazy smile on his lips. “You are my legal wife. Anything you do is right. No one dares to mock you.”
Chu Anhe froze, her heart skipping a beat.
Although she knew he was doing this for their so-called agreement, his words of protection sounded surprisingly pleasant.
“Also,” Xie Jingran pushed up his glasses, restoring his polished rogue appearance, “when we are in front of grandfather, remember to act affectionately. If you slip up, salary deduction.”
Chu Anhe immediately sat up straight. “Mission acknowledged!”
Entering the main mansion living room, an elderly man with silver hair toyed with two walnuts in his hands, reclining in a grand chair with his eyes closed.
“Grandfather, we are back.” Xie Jingran held Chu Anhe’s hand and stepped forward respectfully.
The old master slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping over Chu Anhe.
Chu Anhe’s palms were sweaty, but remembering Xie Jingran’s words, she forced a polite smile. “G…good morning, grandfather. I am Chu Anhe.”
“Chu Anhe?” The old master chewed over the name, frowning slightly.
The housekeeper Wang quietly reminded him, “Sir, this is the one the young master insisted on marrying.”
The atmosphere froze instantly, as if the air itself had solidified.
Just as Xie Jingran was about to defend her, the old master asked, “Little girl, your surname is Chu. Where is your family from? What do they do for a living?”
Chu Anhe pressed her lips together, nervous but composed. “Grandfather, my father passed away in an accident. I live with my mother. We used to live in the old alleys in the southern part of the city. My grandfather was a carpenter there and made a living with his craft.”
At the words “old alleys” and “grandfather the carpenter,” the old master, who had been slightly scornful, froze mid-roll of the walnuts.
“Old alleys… a carpenter?” His brows knit tighter, and he leaned forward slightly. “That is one of the oldest districts in Haishi. Was your grandfather’s workshop at the head of Anping Bridge?”
Chu Anhe was surprised. “How do you know? Grandfather’s workshop was indeed there, but it was demolished many years ago.”
“Bridge… carpenter… your grandfather, what was his name?”
Chu Anhe answered honestly, “Grandfather’s name was Chu Yuntian.”
“Ding!”
The two walnuts fell from the old master’s hands and rolled far across the floor.
He suddenly stood up, even pushing away Wang, who tried to support him, and walked to Chu Anhe. “Chu Yuntian? Did he… have a crescent-shaped scar on the left hand?”
Chu Anhe’s eyes widened. “How do you know? That was an old carpentry injury.”
“Oh my! Oh my!”
The old master clapped his thighs, pushing Xie Jingran aside, and grabbed Chu Anhe’s hand, speaking incoherently with excitement. “Heaven has eyes! After all this time, it really is the granddaughter of my benefactor!”
Then he turned to glare at Xie Jingran, striking his calf with a cane. “You brat! Why did you not say earlier that she was Yuntian’s granddaughter! She should have been my granddaughter-in-law!”
Xie Jingran was silent. Although hit, he felt relieved inside.
He glanced subtly at the still-confused Chu Anhe, thinking that the unreliable system this time had given accurate information.
His mind drifted back half a month.
That day in the conference room, his heart suddenly stopped. After being forcibly linked to the so-called “Find True Love System,” the first main mission was:
Find Chu Yuntian’s granddaughter Chu Anhe and marry her to unlock life extension privileges.
That was why he had used his connections to locate the Chu family old mansion and secretly contacted Chu’s grandmother, arranging what Chu Anhe thought was a casual matchmaking session but was in fact carefully orchestrated.
He had worried the system’s information might be wrong, fearing the old master would not recognize her.
Now it seemed that move was perfect and had struck the old master’s heart.
“Little girl, sit sit! Wang, bring out my twenty-year-old Da Hong Pao tea! And go to the storeroom for those jade bracelets, give them to my granddaughter-in-law as a welcome gift!”
Chu Anhe, completely stunned, was pressed into the grand chair, handed a cup of hot tea, with pastries laid out before her.
The change in atmosphere was dizzying.
“Grandfather, you… know my grandfather?”
“Know him? Of course!” The old master sighed, lost in memory. “Back when Anping was a village, I was sent there for reform. Because of my family background, I was often bullied. Your grandfather was kind and secretly helped me many times. Once, I was pushed into the river and almost drowned. Your grandfather risked his life to save me. He was my benefactor.”
His eyes reddened recalling the events. “After our families were rehabilitated, when I left Anping, I arranged a childhood betrothal with him. At the time, we only had sons, so we set the betrothal for the grandchildren. Unfortunately, many things happened, and contact was lost. But heaven has eyes. This fate was not broken and ended with you!”
Chu Anhe was dumbfounded.
Her mother had been telling the truth. Their family really had a marriage contract with the Xie family.
System: Ding! Detected perfect assist scenario. Host, seize the opportunity to solidify the image of “affectionate couple.”
Limited-time mission: In front of grandfather, peel and feed an orange to your wife and speak a cheesy love line.
Reward: Unlock body enhancement function, able to run for two hours without charging. Failure penalty: perform a public square dance.
Xie Jingran’s eye twitched at the red letters on his display.
A square dance? Here? Might as well die on the spot.
He took a deep breath, under the old master’s loving gaze, and rigidly picked up an orange from the table. He peeled a slice and brought it to Chu Anhe’s mouth.
Chu Anhe, listening to her grandfather’s story, was startled by the orange. “Ah?”
Xie Jingran’s expression was unreadable, but his eyes warned silently, “Eat or salary deduction.”
He moved his lips, whispering in a voice only she could hear, gritting his teeth.
“…Good girl, open your mouth. This orange is sweet, like you.”
“Cough cough cough!”
Wang was shocked, choking on her own saliva.
Chu Anhe’s skin prickled, her face flushing bright red.
This… is too much! Professor Xie, are you possessed?
But under the old master’s gaze, she had to cooperate.
She opened her mouth, panicking slightly, trying to roll the orange in with her tongue. Her warm soft tongue accidentally brushed Xie Jingran’s fingertip.
He felt a shiver rush up his spine to the crown of his head.
They exchanged a glance and quickly turned their heads in embarrassment.
Xie Jingran swallowed hard, withdrawing his hand, curling his fingertips slightly, as if trying to hold onto that fleeting warmth.
System: Ding! High-energy heartbeat detected.
System report: Host’s heart rate soared to 120, adrenaline secretion abnormal. Comment: Though accidental, the host clearly enjoyed it.
Reward: Extra life value 24 hours due to exceptional “accidental flirtation.” The host is encouraged to continue and turn the fake act into reality.
Shut up! Xie Jingran roared internally, but his burning ears betrayed him.
To the old master, this was undeniable proof of a sweet couple.
“Good good good!” The old master laughed until he could barely close his mouth. “Seeing your love like this, I am at ease. Jingran, since this girl is our family’s benefactor’s granddaughter, if you dare to bully her, I will break your legs first.”
Xie Jingran adjusted his glasses helplessly. “Grandfather, your cane strike just now was already severe.”
“Deserved!” The old master rolled his eyes at him, then turned to Chu Anhe, his expression solemn. “By the way, little girl, since you are Yuntian’s granddaughter, are the family tokens still around? They were a pair of dragon and phoenix jade pendants. I kept the dragon pendant, and the phoenix pendant went to Yuntian.”
Chu Anhe paused, recalling her mother’s words.
The token was probably with her eldest aunt, who intended to use it to put Chu Anning into the Xie family.
Her expression darkened, and she decided to tell the truth. “Grandfather, the token exists, but it is not with me. It is with my grandmother. Recently, however, my eldest aunt took it.”
“Eldest aunt?” The old master, sharp as ever, immediately caught the hidden meaning. “Do not worry about them. I will handle it. Anhe, are you hungry? Let us eat.”