Xu Yumo froze.
The wind whipped sharply past her ears on the mountaintop, but her heart felt as if something had gently knocked against it, skipping two uncontrollable beats.
Over this period, they had indeed met frequently—enough for her to categorize the man before her as "familiar."
But what she had just said was about picking someone familiar within this circle to form a marriage alliance.
What standing did the He family have?
They sat at the very apex of the pyramid.
Marriages among old-money families of that caliber were always interest realignments where one move affected the entire board. She wasn't so delusional as to set her sights on the young heir of the He family.
Xu Yumo gave an awkward smile, her voice carried thin and dry by the night wind. "We're familiar enough… but don't you want to marry someone you love?"
He Linxi listened, then let out a low, dismissive chuckle.
His gaze drifted from her face to the distant city skyline, a continuous stretch of lights.
"Love?"
The night wind swept across the observation deck, making his voice sound especially faint.
"In this circle, how many people actually get to marry the ones they love?"
He paused, his fingertips tapping lightly against the cold railing, his tone so calm it bordered on cold indifference.
"So-called marriage is nothing more than currency for resource exchange between families. If the interests align, that's reason enough. Even I can't stand apart from that."
Xu Yumo listened quietly, an inexplicable tightness forming in her chest.
A moment later, He Linxi suddenly turned his head. In the dim light, his dark eyes held a glint she couldn't quite read, and he added in a tone that was half-joking, half-serious: "Though, I can add one more condition on my end."
"What?"
"The rice cake has to like me."
"…"
Xu Yumo stood rooted to the spot, unable to speak for a long while.
The mountain wind passed between them, tousling the hair by her ears and making the inexplicable flutter in her chest grow ever more distinct.
Seeing her completely stunned, He Linxi averted his gaze, his tone returning to its usual lazy indifference. "It's windy up here, and we've had enough fresh air."
"Come on, I'll drive you back."
Though the Spring Festival holiday wasn't over yet, Xu Yumo absolutely did not want to return to that suffocating villa tonight.
She gave him the address of her rental apartment.
By the time the car made its way back into the city, the night had grown deep.
Neither of them brought up the earlier topic during the drive.
It wasn't until she had showered and changed into her pajamas that Xu Yumo finally threw herself onto the bed.
But before she could even close her eyes, the phone on her nightstand started ringing frantically, like it had gone mad.
On the screen, the word "Father" pulsed relentlessly, glaring and irritating.
Xu Yumo closed her eyes, but ultimately picked up.
Before the phone even reached her ear, Xu Zhengming's hysterical roar was already crashing through the receiver, raining down on her without mercy.
"Xu Yumo! You've really gotten bold!"
"Mr. Zhao just called to demand an explanation—said you slapped his son?! Do you have any idea how much face I had to swallow and how much effort I put in to set up tonight's dinner?!"
His voice was frantic and harsh, carrying an unrestrained fury.
"Selfish," "ungrateful," "no manners"…
Those grating words came at her like rapid fire, leaving no room for dignity.
Xu Yumo leaned against the cold headboard, listening quietly.
Outside the window, the night was heavy. Only a dim yellow lamp was on in the room, casting a pale glow on her face.
She listened to the roaring on the other end of the line, but all that remained in her heart was a bone-deep chill.
It wasn't until Xu Zhengming paused to catch his breath that she finally opened her eyes, her voice as calm as still water.
"You've been yelling for this long, and you haven't even asked me once why I slapped him."
There was an obvious one-second pause on the other end, followed by Xu Zhengming's even more exasperated voice: "No matter what he did, you shouldn't have raised your hand! The Zhao family has only this one precious son—he's never even heard a harsh word, let alone been hit!"
"His father never disciplined him," Xu Yumo said with a cold laugh. "No wonder he turned out to be such a piece of trash."
"You—"
Before Xu Zhengming could finish his tirade, Xu Yumo hung up the phone.
The screen went dark instantly.
She switched on Do Not Disturb and tossed the phone to the foot of the bed.
The world finally fell silent.
But the suffocating frustration in her chest, having lost its outlet, only grew stronger.
Xu Yumo lay flat on the soft mattress, staring at the empty ceiling above.
In the past, she had naively believed that as long as she could achieve financial independence—as long as Aether Technology could break free from the Xu family's shadow—she could rightfully take back control of her own life.
But tonight, she finally understood: family ties were a heavy shackle that couldn't be severed just by keeping her distance.
More realistically, every cent of her comfortable life over the past twenty-plus years—the expensive tuition for studying abroad—had come from the Xu family's hard-earned money.
Right now, she was nowhere near having accumulated enough wealth to repay that enormous debt of upbringing in one lump sum.
As long as that debt existed, Xu Zhengming could forever stand on the dual moral and capitalist high ground, slowly encroaching on her and controlling her in every way possible.
Since there was no way to avoid it.
Then she might as well enter the game on her own terms.
If all Xu Zhengming wanted was an in-law family that could help Xu Heavy Industries weather the storm, then rather than passively waiting to be pushed toward the next Zhao Yuwen, she would take matters into her own hands and choose a more formidable shield for herself.
In the darkness, Xu Yumo slowly closed her eyes.
Yet, unbidden, the image of He Linxi's profile standing in the night on the mountaintop observation deck floated into her mind.
"In this circle, how many people actually get to marry someone they love?"
For him, marriage was perhaps truly just a restructuring of resources—the most ordinary link in asset allocation. As long as the benefits were substantial enough, as long as the other party didn't repulse him, it didn't seem to matter who sat in the position of Mrs. He.
And she, coincidentally, happened to satisfy his one additional condition—
Nian'gao liked her.
Since she had to enter a marriage alliance anyway, why not go straight for the person standing at the very top of the pyramid?
If the person she married was He Linxi, not only would Xu Zhengming have nothing left to say, but for the rest of his life, he would have to put on a fawning smile every time he saw her.
At that thought, Xu Yumo suddenly sat up in bed and reached over to drag her laptop off the desk.
With a click, the power indicator lit up.
The cold white glow of the screen spilled out instantly, illuminating her tense yet resolute face.
Xu Yumo took a soft breath, her fingertips landing on the keyboard as she began rapidly searching for the He family's business layout.
One webpage after another unfolded.
Finance, new energy, artificial intelligence… every sector of the He Group was so vast it inspired awe.
She steadied herself, quickly pulled up Matrix Technology's public data from the past two years, and cross-referenced it with He Linxi's recent frequent trips to Nancheng, carefully piecing together the hidden connections.
Soon, amid the sea of business information, she locked onto her target.
Matrix Technology's current strength lay in its top-tier domestic artificial intelligence and algorithmic logic. And while Xu Heavy Industries was facing a cash flow crisis overseas, it held several precision forging patents and the most advanced high-pressure resistant material production line in the country.
That was precisely the physical skeleton most indispensable to deep-sea robots.
He Linxi's recent frequent engagements with the deep-sea exploration project in Nancheng were clearly preparatory moves to expand Matrix Technology's business territory. And the core hardware manufacturing for deep-sea exploration equipment happened to be the Xu family's forte.
If the two sides formed a deep marriage alliance, Matrix Technology could leap directly over the hardest hardware barrier, completing a full industry chain loop from algorithms to heavy manufacturing.
This bargaining chip might not weigh much for He Linxi, who commanded a trillion-dollar business empire.
But at least it had its appeal—enough to be worth a try.
The sixth day of the first lunar month. The He family's old estate.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, spilling across the soaring main hall.
Though it was deep winter, the interior was warmed by the heavy, elegant rosewood furniture and the red-gold spring couplets adorning the walls, lending the space a cozy, festive air. Even the atmosphere seemed to carry a faint hint of sandalwood mingled with the lingering scent of festive fireworks from the New Year.
By the time He Linxi came down from his bedroom upstairs, it was nearly lunchtime.
He wore a loose gray turtleneck sweater, his bangs slightly disheveled, a trace of lingering drowsiness still in his eyes. The whole of him radiated a lazy, casual air.
On the long rosewood dining table, the housekeeper had already laid out several delicate cold appetizers.
On the leather sofa nearby, He Linxuan was sprawled out, playing a mobile game. Hearing the footsteps coming down the stairs, he didn't look up, his fingers flying across the screen as he teased without mercy:
"Yo, big brother. That was one long bathroom break you took last night—didn't show your face until noon the next day. Next time there's a family gathering, I really ought to learn that vanishing act from you."
He Linxi walked straight to the dining table, poured himself a glass of cold water, and let out a dismissive snort. "Cut the crap. I ran into something serious last night."
"What serious matter could be more important than a family reunion dinner during the New Year?"
A steady, authoritative voice came from the direction of the study.
The old patriarch of the He family emerged slowly, leaning on a rosewood cane. Though his hair was fully silver, his spirit remained vigorous, his brows carrying an innate, imposing pressure that commanded respect without anger.
He swept a glance over his eldest grandson and scolded with a frown: "Even if it's a deal worth hundreds of millions, you should set it aside on the fifth day of the New Year. Slipping off without a word and not coming back until the middle of the night—what kind of behavior is that?"
He Linxi took a sip of water, his Adam's apple rolling slowly, his tone still nonchalant.
"Not work."
"I went to be a good Samaritan last night."
He said it with complete seriousness, even lifting his gaze to look at the old man before lazily adding, "Wouldn't you say this is more important than a family reunion dinner?"
"Acting heroically?" The old man snorted coldly, thumping his cane heavily against the floor, clearly not believing a single word. "Stop making up nonsense to fool me."
He Linxi set down his water glass and was about to casually spin a few more excuses to brush it off when the phone in his pajama pocket suddenly vibrated.
He pulled it out nonchalantly and glanced at it.
The moment he saw the name "Xu Yumo" flashing on the screen, his previously drowsy eyes brightened slightly. Without a moment's hesitation, he swiped to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hey… He Linxi, are you busy?"
A girl's soft, warm voice came through the line, though the tail end carried a hint of tension she couldn't quite hide.
"Not busy. Go ahead."
The corner of He Linxi's lips curved up almost imperceptibly. Under his younger brother's nosy, curious stare and the old man's suspicious gaze, he strolled unhurriedly over to the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Um… do you have time this afternoon?" Xu Yumo seemed to take a quiet breath, as if steeling herself. "There's something I'd like to meet and talk to you about."
He Linxi kept one hand in his pocket, gazing at the lingering snow on the bare branches outside the window. He deliberately lowered his voice, a hint of teasing in his tone. "What's so important that it has to be discussed in person today? Can't it be said over the phone?"
"Um… well… it's just…"
Xu Yumo stammered on the other end.
Then, as if she'd decided to throw all caution to the wind, she blurted out at lightning speed: "I want to propose to you."
The air seemed to freeze completely in that instant.
He Linxi's fingers tightened around the phone, his whole body going still for a moment.
Then, an indescribable joy surged up from the depths of his chest, threatening to drown him entirely.
He lowered his head and laughed silently.
His broad shoulders shook slightly, and his usually cool eyes were filled with undisguised delight—like he'd finally gotten something he'd been waiting for for a long time.
"Oh, then we should definitely meet." He suppressed his smile, pressing the phone back to his ear, and asked in a casual tone, "What time? Where?"
Xu Yumo on the other end clearly hadn't expected him to agree so readily. She was quiet for a long moment before speaking up in a slightly dazed, small voice.
"Two in the afternoon, at Yingyue Pavilion. Is that okay?"
"Sure."
The call ended.
He Linxi turned around, grabbed his jacket from the sofa, and made to head out.
He was radiating energy and confidence—not a trace of the drowsy laziness from moments ago.
"Stop right there!" The old man behind him was so angry he was glaring and thumping his cane. "Dinner's about to be served! Where are you running off to in the middle of the day?!"
"I'm skipping the meal."
He Linxi's hand was already on the doorknob.
He looked back, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably, and dropped a bombshell that was half-joke, half-serious:
"The girl I saved last night for acting heroically just called to say she wants to give herself to me in gratitude. Don't I need to hurry over for that date?"