"Buzz buzz buzz...!"

Because I had set my phone to vibrate, I didn't notice any of the messages that came in.

As time passed, the large dining table remained occupied only by me... Yu Nai... and Chairman Ju Yi.

"Cough cough, how has your father been lately?"

"Well, my father has been working abroad recently, and we haven't seen each other for half a year."

"Is that so...?"

Mr. Ju Yi sighed, as if he was outraged by my current situation.

"That guy is still such a bastard, not even taking care of his own child..."

"That's not true!"

I interrupted the chairman, my emotions getting out of control, and defended my father.

"In fact, six months ago..."

I told Chairman Ju Yi about everything that had happened...

Six months ago, I was in such a state of despair that I couldn't even accept my family's concern.

Before long, I had become a true shut-in!

"Heh heh heh, today's treasures are much more abundant than usual!!"

The antique appraisal event (as you know, it’s plenty-filled) would last until the next morning, and I would battle on continuously until then. Then, with a happy expression, I would fall into a deep sleep. That was my life!

I would spend my days locked in a dark room, with the curtains tightly closed, refusing to communicate with the outside world.

Until I met her again...

She was willing to make breakfast for me in the morning when I woke up, and she would come to comfort me when I was sad.

Sometimes savage, sometimes gentle, she would never give me an answer, only leaving me with more and more questions!

But in these past six months, I have come to realize that she is an indispensable part of my life... I... I...

"I used to be like this, which is why my father entrusted me to my sister, hoping to help me turn over a new leaf and find myself again."

"Well, good. I can finally rest easy seeing you get back on your feet."

This time, Chairman Ju Yi smiled and interrupted me.

"Don't dwell on unhappy things, let's end the topic here."

"Uh... Sorry, I got carried away."

With a hint of apology, I returned to my seat and waited for the meal.

It was as if the conversation from earlier had never happened, and Chairman Ju Yi even started to bring Yu Nai into our topic of conversation.

"By the way, your father and I bid farewell with a smile the moment we graduated from university!" (What does this have to do with Yu Nai?)

"As for me... I told him sincerely back then that although we couldn't be together in this life because of our gender, at least I hoped our descendants would fulfill our wishes."

Wait a second, something seems off about this whole situation?!

And also, no matter how I listen to this, it feels like there's a trap waiting below.

"I, I was rejected back then..."

"Uncle, forced love is not sweet, and besides, Yu Nai and I are just..."

Almost simultaneously, Chairman Ju Yi and I blurted out the same thing!

"Uh... Huh huh huh?"

It's all my fault for being too impatient. I ended up saying such embarrassing words and left Chairman Ju Yi stunned in his chair for quite some time without any reaction.

So, my dad actually rejected him back then...

Although I felt a bit regretful, it was because of Yu Nai's golden ponytail, and her fair and aristocratic-like skin... Ugh, what am I even thinking?

"...Uh, well, actually... the engagement was still agreed upon in the end."

"Ah?"

The chairman calmly said these heart-stopping words, and I felt something was not right with me.

After speaking, he stood up and went to the closet, taking out a delicate wooden box from the top. On it was embedded a fingernail-sized pink heart-shaped gemstone.

"Here, it represents the relationship between me and Shinji for the past few decades. I'm not afraid to say it, but I often have physical contact with Shinji... Ah!"

There was a loud bang!

Yu Nai punched Chairman Ju Yi with all his might. Finally, he sat up straight and coughed a few times, apologizing to me.

"I apologize for earlier. Please forgive me for any rudeness."

"Well, actually I didn't mind, Chairman Ju."

"Let me get straight to the important matter."

Chairman Ju, with a nauseating nostalgia, wanted to open the box.

He looked at me seriously and surprisingly asked for a favor.

"We made a promise that the marriage proposal must be agreed upon by both families. So we tried to find a way for you to get to know each other."

As Chairman Ju recalled the past...

On the night my parents and I stayed at Chairman Ju's house, he once again brought up the marriage proposal to my father at the dinner table.

"Come, let's toast to our friendship!"

After clinking glasses several times, the intoxicated Chairman Ju and my still sober father (who discreetly emptied his glass) discussed the rejection from the previous time.

Chairman Ju hung his eyelids and blushed.

He collapsed onto the table, unconscious, but still murmuring to my father.

"Shin... Shinji..."

"Ju Yi, you've had a little too much to drink."

My dad tried to persuade him, but Chairman Ju turned his criticism towards my dad.

"You... Well, you're still so stiff. You can't handle alcohol at all... Hehe, tell me, did you use that trick of tying a bag around your neck again?"

"Fortunately, you still remember. Then don't drink so much and cause trouble for others!"

After just having dinner, Yu Nai's mother and my mother already went to sleep, so my dad reluctantly helped him back to his room.

In the room, Chairman Ju, who was half asleep, was still not an easy person to deal with.

"How about this... me!"

Chairman Ju, lying on the bed, shouted in a drunken rage.

"And you, today we'll make a contract here. The agreement is that if the children are willing to press their handprints on the engagement document in the next few months, we will..."

Although he was completely drunk, his gaze seemed to deliberately remind my father.

"Well... fine, I agree, but you have to promise me to drink less in the future!"

"...Hahaha, of course, no problem! It's a small matter!"

Six months later...

"Ju Yi, sorry to bother you in the past six months. How about I give you a set of court paintings as compensation next time?"

"Don't be polite, don't talk to me about being polite."

As he spoke, to everyone's astonishment, he took out the engagement document he had agreed to that night and then crouched in front of me with a kind smile, coaxing me.

"Juxi, you and Yu Nai seem to be playing together every day, uncle is right, right?"

"Yep!"

This was indeed the truth. We were inseparable when we were young, and sometimes even took naps together on the same bed after playing like crazy.

Yu Nai's parents and my parents are very similar. They are busy all day long, spending at least twelve hours in the fields. While my parents are painting the beautiful scenery outside the vegetable shed, Yu Nai's parents are inspecting the health and fullness of each vegetable inside the shed. It is in this situation that Yu Nai and I are left alone to play in the large, maze-like room.

"Hey, commoners, what is your life like?"

"Our life... let me think."

I pondered for a moment and replied, "I think it's about doing everything ourselves."

"Do everything ourselves?"

She was initially interested, but when she heard that we have to do everything ourselves, she almost burst out laughing.

"Hahaha... so, those who do manual labor are just slaves, right?!"

Her response was flippant, as if she thought highly of herself, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Although her attitude disgusted me at first, over time, I gradually accepted her wilfulness.

"Is that so... haha, Juxi, would you like to play with Yu Nai in the future, maybe even forever?"

"I would."

Just like that, the chairman took out a document with words I couldn't understand, and I almost fell into his trap. Fortunately, my father stepped in and exposed the chairman's true intentions.

"Xinwu, you are causing trouble for the children's future. Never mind my son, but is your daughter willing?"

"I'm willing!!"

Yu Nai suddenly stood up, her voice sharp. It didn't sound like a joke at all.

"You foolish child, let me tell you, being together means..."

"That's enough, it's the same as your relationship with your mother, isn't it?" (Everyone sweated profusely)

But when they saw the stubborn and shining eyes of Yu Nai, both the chairman and my father were shocked. She snatched the engagement document and red seal from the chairman's hand, hastily pressed her own thumbprint, and stubbornly forced it onto me, eagerly urging me.

"Sign it! Hurry up and sign! If we can be like my parents, we can play together!"

I was still very young, so I immediately believed Yu Nai's nonsense. With my father's repeated persuasion, I pressed my handprint on the document.

"Dad, I'm getting married too!"

I happily ran to my father and boasted. At that time, I naively believed that the effect of that piece of paper was like a contract, allowing Yu Nai and me to play together with our parents forever and ever.

That's how it was back then, when I, ignorant and innocent, pressed my handprint on the marriage document. It wasn't until much later, when I looked back at that tragic past, that I realized the terrifying effect of that piece of paper was far worse than we could have imagined.

"Well, the story is over. Now it's time for the male protagonist to decide. What do you say?"

Finally, the chairman finished speaking. My emotions during this journey were like a roller coaster, with a pounding heart one moment and a sense of daze the next. On the other hand, Yu Nai, sitting beside the chairman as one of the main characters, seemed to have remained silent throughout. From just now until now, aside from a slight blush on her cheeks, her attitude towards the engagement document was extremely intriguing.

Rather than saying it was a default attitude, it was more like there was a great anticipation on her face for this engagement!

This made me feel a bit embarrassed.

So I quickly spoke up to smooth things over and tried to deceive her with my words.

"Well, um, we're not young anymore, and while it's true that children should not speak without thinking, our current feelings..."

"Hmph, children should not speak without thinking... So are you deceiving my daughter's feelings?!"

As soon as I uttered this irresponsible declaration, the chairman's expression changed as if thunder had struck.