He Congnan had to admit
It was the first time he had ever met such a soft, delicate, and adorable girl.
Her skin was fair and luminous, glowing like polished porcelain. Looking closely, he could even make out the fine baby hairs on her cheeks.
Her clear, doe-like eyes were pure and transparent. A single glance was enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.
Most importantly, he had never seen such an honest, straightforward gaze before.
There wasn’t a trace of greed or ambition in her eyes.
Only nervousness…
And a hint of panic.
His mother had already told him that Lu Jinyun wanted to introduce her younger sister to him.
He had rejected the idea without a second thought.
Over the years, he had long since given up on the idea of marriage.
Women from families of equal status would pretend to express concern when they learned about his infertility.
But behind his back, all that remained were ridicule and contempt.
Later, people began introducing women from ordinary families instead.
Those women didn’t care whether he could have children.
What they cared about was taking advantage of him.
Each of them wanted to drag their entire family onto his back and squeeze every benefit they could out of him.
The moment they opened their mouths, they demanded dowries worth thousands of yuan and several secure government jobs.
Some even expected him to pay for their brothers’ weddings and future children.
The sheer audacity nearly made him throw up the previous night’s dinner.
At the time, he had wanted to say,
“Why don’t I just take your brother’s place in the bridal chamber while I’m at it?”
Not very attractive… but quite the imagination.
After meeting several women like that, he had practically developed a psychological aversion to blind dates.
As for Lu Jinyun…
He had seen through her the moment they met.
A woman willing to throw herself at someone just to marry into a wealthy family
What kind of decent younger sister could she possibly have?
But now, looking at the young woman before him…
He admitted he had been narrow-minded.
Then again…
He himself was exceptional.
Yet wasn’t his own biological younger brother practically useless?
Even siblings born of the same parents could turn out completely different.
As the old saying went:
“A dragon has nine sons, and each is different.”
Fortunately, he had come to receive the guests out of respect for proper etiquette.
Otherwise…
Wouldn’t he have missed her entirely?
By the time He Congnan snapped out of his thoughts, everyone had already arrived at the He residence.
Commander He was the highest-ranking officer in the military district, so naturally he lived in the largest two-story house inside the military compound.
The living room was so spacious that one could practically ride a bicycle through it.
The floor was covered in polished red hardwood, and the furniture was an elegant matching set.
Lu Jinhuan sat stiffly on the sofa.
She didn’t dare look around and kept her head lowered.
Even so, she could clearly feel at least four pairs of eyes carefully examining her.
Sitting at the head of the room, Jiang Yun gracefully took a sip of tea before asking in a gentle voice,
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Have you finished high school?”
“I just graduated.”
Jiang Yun smiled faintly before discreetly glancing at her eldest son.
To her surprise…
Her usually indifferent son was staring intently at the young woman.
The corner of Jiang Yun’s mouth twitched.
What on earth happened?
She admitted the girl was young, beautiful, and rather adorable.
But
Son, could you at least try to be a little more subtle?
She cleared her throat.
“Ahem… In-laws, Jinyun hasn’t recovered well since giving birth. She can’t be exposed to cold drafts, so I’ve had her observe an extended postpartum confinement.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs and visit her and the baby?”
He Siyue let out a disdainful snort.
“That’s right~ Ever since Lu Jinyun became pregnant, she’s been afraid to even take a proper step.”
“Your daughter is awfully delicate.”
“You’d better go see her.”
“If you keep her waiting, she’ll probably start feeling unwell all over again.”
As a younger member of the family, He Siyue’s words showed the Lu family absolutely no respect.
Jiang Yun merely called out,
“Siyue.”
Then said nothing more.
Lu Zhao’s face reddened in embarrassment.
Li Haili, meanwhile, trembled with anger.
If the He family’s daughter dared speak this way even while her in-laws were present…
How badly must Xiaoyun be treated when no one was watching?
And Madam He?
Some refined lady from an illustrious family indeed!
How could she have raised such an ill-mannered daughter?
What exactly was she so proud of?
He Xiangbei reluctantly led the way upstairs.
Lu Jinhuan was about to follow when Jiang Yun stopped her.
“Jinhuan, wait a moment.”
“I’d like to chat with you first.”
“Okay.”
Obediently, she sat back down.
Soon, only four people remained in the living room:
Jiang Yun.
He Congnan.
He Siyue.
And Lu Jinhuan.
The atmosphere became rather awkward.
Jiang Yun was the first to speak.
“It’s warm inside.”
“You can take off your scarf.”
“I haven’t even seen what you look like yet.”
Lu Jinhuan obediently removed her scarf, revealing a delicate, lovely little face.
He Siyue immediately exclaimed,
“Oh?”
“You don’t look anything like Lu Jinyun.”
“Aren’t you sisters?”
Her eyes were filled with contempt, as though she were inspecting a piece of merchandise.
Lu Jinhuan blinked in confusion.
Of course we don’t look alike.
We’re not related by blood.
Did Lu Jinyun tell the He family we were full sisters?
Hmph.
Her mother had only ever given birth to one daughter.
There was no way she could have produced someone as two-faced as Lu Jinyun.
Jiang Yun immediately noticed the confusion in her expression.
Raising an eyebrow, she asked,
“So you’re not Madam Lu’s biological daughter?”
“That makes sense.”
“You don’t resemble your sister.”
“You don’t resemble either of your parents, either.”
“If I didn’t know better, I would never guess the four of you were one family.”
Lu Jinhuan froze.
She had no idea how to answer.
She had a feeling her sister’s mother-in-law was trying to test her.
Her palms became sweaty as she desperately called for the system in her mind.
“Qiuqiu! Qiuqiu!”
“Help me!”
“Didn’t you say you could help me deal with family conflicts and mother-in-law battles?”
“What should I say?”
“If I say the wrong thing, Aunt Li will skin me alive!”
[Qiuqiu is here~ Don’t panic! Just tell her you probably take after your grandmother. They don’t know what your grandmother looked like anyway!]
“That’s a great idea!”
Lu Jinhuan smiled sweetly.
“I probably resemble my grandmother.”
“She loved me the most.”
Whether Jiang Yun believed her or not, she merely nodded perfunctorily.
“Eldest.”
“Go reserve a table at a restaurant.”
“Your grandparents have gone to visit an old friend and won’t be home tonight.”
“Your father may not get off work until late.”
“I don’t have much of an appetite this evening.”
“In a little while, have your younger brother take his parents-in-law to the restaurant.”
“The two of you can represent the He family and entertain our guests properly.”
Then she looked at the little girl on the sofa, who was secretly fiddling with her fingers while keeping her head down.
“Jinhuan.”
“You should go to the restaurant too.”
“Your parents probably have private things they’d like to discuss with your sister.”
“That will take a while.”
Lu Jinhuan quietly let out a sigh of relief.
To be honest…
Her sister’s mother-in-law had such a powerful presence that sitting beside her felt suffocating.
“Okay.”
He Congnan raised no objections.
Instead, he cast an interested glance at the little girl who had unexpectedly thrown his heart into disarray.
“Let’s go.”
Jiang Yun maintained a calm expression.
Inside, however, she was screaming with excitement.
My precious eldest son finally isn’t rejecting blind dates anymore!
Nine years earlier, when he had been diagnosed with severe male infertility, she had spent countless sleepless nights worrying.
It took her an entire year before she was finally forced to accept reality.
She had eventually resigned herself to the idea.
If my eldest can’t have children, then so be it.
He can marry a kind girl from a respectable family.
Later, my younger son can have several children, and we’ll adopt one into his elder brother’s household.
That way, he’ll still have a complete family.
But as the years passed…
Her eldest son grew increasingly resistant to women.
Especially over the past four years.
There hadn’t even been a single female mosquito buzzing around him.
As his mother, she was nearly worried sick.
No descendants.
No wife.
Was he really going to spend the rest of his life alone?
Now, however…
Everything was different.
She didn’t care what motives the Lu family might have.
As long as her son liked the girl, the He family could simply compensate the Lu family with a few benefits.
After all, the Lu family lived all the way in Jiangnan.
Any favors they received would be a one-time affair.
Surely they wouldn’t keep coming to the He family asking for more.
That was precisely the biggest reason she had agreed to Lu Jinyun’s proposal in the first place.