Xie Yunzhou didn’t know why his brother liked Yu Zhiwan, nor did he know exactly what had happened between them.
Unfortunately, there were quite a few boys at school who wanted to pursue Yu Zhiwan.
Although her family wasn’t well-off, and she was cold, aloof, and always kept to herself, she was simply too beautiful. She was also an excellent student and ranked first in the entire grade, so she never lacked admirers.
Moreover, whenever Yu Zhiwan rejected someone, she always gave the same reason:
She didn’t date while she was still in school.
She wouldn’t violate school rules, and she wouldn’t accept anyone’s advances.
So Xie Jingmo didn’t openly pursue her at first.
When Xie Yunzhou discovered that his brother had a secret crush on her, he was completely stunned.
A secret crush?
His brother, with that face, was secretly pining after someone?
What a waste!
But there was nothing he could do.
At the time, Yu Zhiwan really did have the attitude of someone who was completely devoted to her studies and wouldn’t let anyone interfere.
Xie Yunzhou never understood why she worked so hard when she was already ranked first in the entire grade and had left the second-place student far behind.
But his brother immediately understood.
Yu Zhiwan studied so hard because she wanted to earn a scholarship every year.
She needed to make sure her father couldn’t force her to drop out.
She wanted to finish high school, get into college, and gradually free herself from that suffocating family.
So his brother secretly helped Yu Zhiwan deal with her gambling-addicted father, making sure the man never dared lay a hand on her again.
He also quietly provided financial support through Yu Zhiwan’s aunt, allowing her to live a little more comfortably.
And those were only the things Xie Yunzhou knew about.
There were surely many more things his brother had done behind the scenes that he knew nothing about.
Then something completely unexpected happened.
Yu Zhiwan was discovered to be the biological daughter of the Yu family and was taken back home.
Xie Jingmo had always looked down on his arranged engagement with the Yu family and had repeatedly asked his grandfather to cancel it.
But now he suddenly discovered that Yu Zhiwan was actually his true fiancée.
It was like finding a new path after reaching a dead end.
Xie Yunzhou was genuinely happy for his brother.
But then, only a few days after Yu Zhiwan returned to the Yu family, she personally said:
“I don’t like Xie Jingmo. I don’t want to fulfill the engagement with him. I want my sister Xiangxiang to marry Xie Jingmo instead.”
Xie Yunzhou was dumbfounded.
He never expected that the first time his brother fell in love with someone, he would experience heartbreak before they had even started dating.
He hadn’t even confessed yet!
Xie Yunzhou thought his brother would probably give up.
And, in fact, Xie Jingmo really was depressed and withdrawn for a while.
But later, he continued quietly treating Yu Zhiwan well.
He was still secretly in love with her.
He even found out which university Yu Zhiwan wanted to attend.
Instead of going abroad, he applied to the same university she wanted to attend—the top university in the country.
But later, Yu Xiangxiang became ill and took a year off from school.
Yu Zhiwan also took a year off, reportedly to take care of Yu Xiangxiang.
After Yu Zhiwan took the college entrance examination, she unexpectedly changed her choice of university and didn’t apply to the school she had originally wanted.
Xie Jingmo didn’t know why she had suddenly changed her plans.
But he trusted her unconditionally.
He believed she wouldn’t give up on her goals without a reason. She must have been forced into it somehow.
Fortunately, the two universities weren’t far apart. They were separated by only one street.
By the time Yu Zhiwan started her freshman year, Xie Jingmo was already a junior.
He frequently went to her university.
At first, everyone thought he was going there to meet his girlfriend.
The rumor spread like wildfire.
Xie Yunzhou was speechless.
If Yu Zhiwan ever heard that his brother already had a girlfriend, wouldn’t that completely destroy his chances?
Fortunately, Xie Jingmo quickly clarified the rumor.
He said he was going to see a friend.
But in reality, he was using that friend as an excuse just to secretly catch a glimpse of the girl he had a crush on.
Thinking about everything that had happened over the years, even the orange in Xie Yunzhou’s mouth suddenly tasted sour and bitter.
Fortunately, Yu Zhiwan had now agreed to marry his brother.
After eight years, his brother had finally taken one step closer to Yu Zhiwan.
But somehow, Xie Yunzhou felt that Yu Zhiwan didn’t seem to have romantic feelings for his brother at all.
The orange in his mouth suddenly tasted even more bitter…
Old Master Xie and Madam Xie were still happily celebrating their grandson and granddaughter-in-law’s marriage. The smiles on their faces hadn’t disappeared for a moment.
They even asked the housekeeper to bring over the betrothal gift list.
“Zhiwan, even though you and Jingmo are already officially married, we can’t skip the proper traditions. Grandpa and Grandma prepared these betrothal gifts together. Take a look and see if you like them!”
The gift list was a thick booklet made of festive red paper sprinkled with gold.
It looked incredibly grand and formal.
Yu Zhiwan was stunned.
Why were there still betrothal gifts?
Xie Yuntang and Xie Yunzhou were truly twins. Their actions were remarkably synchronized.
Both immediately leaned over curiously.
“Wow! Sister-in-law, hurry and see what’s on it!”
Yu Zhiwan first glanced at Xie Jingmo.
Seeing her instinctively look to him for reassurance, Xie Jingmo was clearly pleased.
With a smile in his eyes, he gently squeezed her hand before helping her open the gift list.
Yu Zhiwan lowered her gaze.
There were already an astonishing number of properties listed.
Two estates in different styles.
Four villas.
Two apartments overlooking the river.
And even a private island.
There were also several commercial properties, two jewelry stores, and two auction houses.
All of them were being transferred directly into her name.
Besides sports cars, there were also countless luxury goods and jewelry—gold and silver pieces, diamonds, pearls, and more.
And these were only a small portion of the gifts.
There were even more pages listing shares and investment funds.
Given the enormous scale and growth of the Xie Group, even a mere 1% stake represented an enormous and continuous stream of wealth.
Yu Zhiwan suddenly felt as though the gift list in her hands weighed a thousand pounds.
It was simply far too valuable.
She looked helplessly at Xie Jingmo and subtly signaled to him.
I don’t deserve all this.
How could I possibly accept it?
Besides, she wasn’t truly his wife in the traditional sense.
They were eventually going to divorce.
Xie Jingmo immediately understood what she was thinking.
His peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression became noticeably colder.
When he remained silent, Yu Zhiwan anxiously gave him another look.
Help me!
Xie Jingmo understood her signal.
He turned toward his grandparents and calmly said,
“I think this isn’t enough. We should add more.”
Yu Zhiwan: “???”
What did he just say?!
Old Master and Madam Xie immediately broke into delighted smiles.
“Good! Good!”
They could never give their granddaughter-in-law too much.
They didn’t ask for anything else.
They simply didn’t want their beloved Zhiwan to ever feel wronged.
So Old Master Xie, Madam Xie, and Xie Jingmo added several more pages to the already extravagant gift list.
Yu Zhiwan stared resentfully at the back of a certain man’s head.
How could he do this to me?
Sensing her resentful gaze, Xie Jingmo turned around.
His voice was completely innocent.
“What?”
Yu Zhiwan: “…”
After they finished discussing the betrothal gifts, Madam Xie had the servants bring out a potted tree.
What made it unusual was that it was a persimmon tree made entirely of pure gold.
The trunk and branches were solid gold, while the bright red persimmons hanging from the branches were carved from Hetian red jade.
They were round, vibrant, and incredibly festive.
Madam Xie warmly took Yu Zhiwan’s hand.
“Zhiwan, Grandpa and Grandma saw this little piece at an auction overseas yesterday. We thought it was interesting, so we bought it for you.”
“We hope that after leaving those people from the Yu family behind, your life will be smooth and peaceful from now on. May everything go well for you.”
The Chinese wordplay was especially meaningful: “shi shi ru yi”, using persimmon to symbolize everything going as wished.
Yu Zhiwan’s eyes immediately grew warm.
She couldn’t stop the sting in her nose.
When she returned to the Yu family at sixteen, her biological grandfather, Old Master Yu, had still been alive.
He had treated her very well.
He had been the only person in the Yu family who genuinely cared for her.
But unfortunately, that happiness didn’t last.
Six months later, he became ill and passed away.
Since then, no elder had ever held her hand so affectionately and spoken to her with such heartfelt concern, sincerely wishing for her happiness.
Madam Xie called it a “little gift,” but just looking at the pure gold and Hetian red jade, Yu Zhiwan knew it must have cost a fortune.
“Thank you, Grandma. Thank you, Grandpa.”
Yu Zhiwan’s throat tightened, and her voice became slightly choked.
“Good girl. We’re family. There’s no need to thank us.”
Madam Xie lovingly stroked her cheek.
Not wanting to make her sad, she quickly smiled and changed the subject.
“Oh, there’s also a sapphire necklace! I thought it was beautiful, so I bought it at the same auction. It’s another gift for you, Zhiwan!”
Xie Yunzhou, the family chatterbox, immediately joined in to lighten the mood.
“Grandma, Grandpa, you bought so many gifts for Sister-in-law. What did you buy for my brother?”
He was clearly trying to prevent the atmosphere from suddenly becoming awkward.
Old Master Xie and Madam Xie exchanged a glance.
Oh no.
They had forgotten their own grandson!
Old Master Xie tapped his cane and coughed heavily.
“It’s such a happy occasion. Don’t bring up irrelevant matters.”
Xie Jingmo: “…”
Xie Yunzhou: “…”
Well then.
They were so focused on their granddaughter-in-law that they had completely forgotten their own grandson!
Xie Jingmo raised an eyebrow but didn’t seem to mind.
Instead, he casually took Yu Zhiwan’s hand.
He lowered his gaze toward her, his peach blossom eyes filled with a lazy smile.
“There’s nothing I can do. Our Zhiwan is simply that lovable. She deserves to be cherished by everyone.”
He said it as though it were the most obvious fact in the world.
Such straightforward praise.
As though she were someone precious and worthy of love.
As though, in his eyes, she naturally deserved to be loved.
Yu Zhiwan’s heart suddenly tightened.
A soft, fluttering feeling spread through her chest, like tiny bubbles rising through a fizzy drink.
Her luminous eyes stared at the man in a daze.
She suddenly realized—
Xie Jingmo seemed to praise her all the time.
Every now and then, he would find some reason to compliment her.
Just then, a servant hurried into the room to report:
“Master, Madam, Mr. Yu Changde and Mrs. Tao Shuqin are here! They’re waiting outside the main gate. They said they’ve come specifically to pay a visit!”