Li Residence.
“Mr. Aecon! Mr. Li! Master!” The family’s old butler ran around the house, his voice echoed through the house, loud enough to rattle the calm.
Aecon Li frowned, irritation flashing across his face.
“What’s all this noise about, old man?”
He walked downstairs staring at the old man with disgust.
“A man is here to see you,” the butler replied, slightly breathless.
“A man?” Aecon Li repeated.
“Yes. Mr. Jin… Jin Suye.”
For a brief moment…there was silence.
Then Aecon Li’s eyes widened.
“Let him in!”
Jin Suye?
What could possibly bring someone like him here personally?
Moments later, Jin Suye stepped inside the living room.
He didn’t come alone.
Several men followed behind him, each carrying neatly arranged boxes.
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.
Jin Suye inclined his head slightly.
“Mr. Li.”
“Mr. Jin…” Aecon Li blinked, still processing.
“What brings you here?”
Instead of answering, Jin Suye gestured to the men behind him.
They stepped forward.
The boxes were opened one after the other.
Gold.
Jewels.
Diamonds.
Pearls.
Light scattered across the room, reflecting off every surface.
Aecon Li’s eyes widened.
Jin Suye smiled faintly.
“I brought a few gifts, Mr. Li.”
“Mr. Jin…” Aecon Li said slowly, still cautious.
“Why are you bringing gifts?”
They weren’t close.
So there was no reason for this.
Jin Suye let out a soft chuckle.
“At Mr. Yu’s gathering, you introduced your daughter to me. She left quite an impression.”
A brief pause.
“I’m interested in her… and I hope you’ll give your blessing.”
A voice cut in from the staircase.
“Daughter? You mean Li Yue?”
Mo Ruyi descended slowly, her gaze sharp and calculating.
Jin Suye paused, then shook his head. This story is hosted at g.com.
“No. Li Yeli.”
Mo Ruyi’s expression tightened for a fraction of a second.
“Mr. Jin, please—have a seat. Let’s discuss this properly,” Aecon Li said quickly.
They all sat.
Aecon Li leaned forward slightly, forcing a composed smile.
“You like our Yeli?”
“Yes,” Jin Suye replied without hesitation.
“Very much. And I intend to marry her.”
Aecon Li’s smile deepened.
Jin Suye… Yu Yang…
Either way—
He stood to gain.
“Marriage is a serious matter…” Aecon Li said slowly, pretending to consider it.
“We must think carefully…”
Jin Suye only smiled.
“I believe what you mean is—’of course you may marry her.'”
He leaned back slightly, calm and confident.
“Mr. Li, your daughter and I are quite compatible.”
“Compatible how?” Mo Ruyi asked coolly.
“I doubt that. You see, Yeli is—”
She stopped.
What she wanted to say lingered unspoken.
Difficult.
Cold.
Uncontrollable.
“What do you doubt?” Aecon Li interrupted smoothly.
“I think they’re perfectly compatible.”
He turned back to Jin Suye.
“Mr. Jin is exactly the type Yeli prefers.”
A small lie.
A necessary one.
Jin Suye’s interest sharpened.
“Oh? And what type is that?”
Before Aecon Li could respond, footsteps echoed from the entrance.
“I was introduced to her first, Mr. Aecon.”
All heads turned.
Theodore Lanchester walked in.
Uninvited.
Unbothered.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to change decisions so quickly.”
The old butler ran in after Theodore, slightly out of breath, “Mr. Li…i tried to stop him but…”
“You can go.”
Aecon Li waved the old man off
“Theodore. What are you doing here?”
Theodore met his gaze calmly.
“What are you doing here?”
Without waiting for an invitation, he took a seat opposite him.
Jin Suye rolled his eyes.
“Li Yeli is Chinese, and you’re British. I don’t think that will work. You should give up.”
Theodore’s expression hardened slightly.
“Who says I can’t marry her because of our nationalities?”
Jin Suye lifted his chin, his gaze sharpening.
The tension in the room thickened.
Across the room, Mo Ruyi and Aecon Li exchanged a quick glance.
“Actually, Mr.
Theodore…” Mo Ruyi began carefully, “we have two daughters.
If you’re interested in marrying into our family, you could—”
“Heh.”
Theodore cut her off with a short laugh.
“The only valuable thing you have in this family… is Li Yeli.”
His tone was calm.
But his words were sharp, as they cut through Mo Ruyi’s heart.
“Why would I want the second one?”
At that exact moment—
Li Yue, who had been descending the stairs, froze.
Her fingers tightened around the railing.
Her face flushed red.
For a second, she couldn’t move.
Then—
She turned and ran back upstairs.
Mo Ruyi’s expression darkened completely.
“Mr.
Aecon…” Theodore continued, his tone sharpening, “when you first introduced your daughter to me, you said she was single.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“And I made my interest clear.”
A pause.
“So why are you suddenly trying to marry her off to someone else?”
Silence filled the room.
Not a single person spoke.
Aecon Li opened his mouth…
Then closed it again.
For once—
He had no answer.
And in that silence—
One thing became clear.
This was no longer a simple proposal.
It was a competition.