Shen Qi took a shower, her hair still half-dry, and picked up a book to lean against the headboard. But after flipping through two pages, she found she couldn't focus at all. Her mind unconsciously drifted back to dinner, when He Yining had pressed down on her fingers. His behavior tonight felt off somehow, as if something had changed. What exactly was it?
Shen Qi gently touched the back of her hand, the spot where he had made contact. In that moment, just because of his touch, she inexplicably felt a sense of calm. He had risked offending Feng Kexin and the Feng family to protect her. Did he truly have no regrets?
She patted her cheeks to stop herself from spiraling further. He was her brother-in-law! How could she allow such intimate gestures? Her husband was his older brother! No, she couldn't think about this anymore. Stop it, stop it!
Just then, an unfamiliar call came in. Shen Qi was sure she didn't recognize the number. With Feng Kexin blacklisting her, no one was hiring her anymore. Who could be calling? Still, she answered: "Hello, this is Shen Qi."
There was a brief silence on the other end, then a slightly authoritative middle-aged woman's voice spoke: "Miss Shen, I'm the housekeeper of the He family mansion. My surname is He."
"Oh... Housekeeper He, hello! Is there something you need?" Shen Qi sat up straight, flustered. She had never expected a call from the He family mansion. Caught off guard, she felt a wave of panic.
After a few seconds of silence, the voice said: "I heard you haven't been to the villa for several days."
Shen Qi then remembered she hadn't had time to go there during the business trip with He Yining, plus yesterday and today. She hesitated before replying: "Ah, yes. I've been busy lately, caught up with work..."
"Miss Shen, allow me to remind you. According to the agreement between the He and Shen families, if you fail to conceive within a year, the Shen family must compensate the He family double the losses," Housekeeper He said without emotion.
Conceive? How could she get pregnant alone? Shen Qi knew there was no excuse for this, so she could only mumble: "Yes, I understand."
"Then please move back to the villa as soon as possible. That's all. Goodbye." Housekeeper He hung up.
Shen Qi sat there dejectedly, head bowed, letting her hair obscure her vision. Suddenly, she covered her face with her hands and tugged at it in frustration. The He family... She had married the eldest He son but never seen him, yet she spent every day with the second son. How ironic. As He Yining's sister-in-law, she couldn't reveal this identity. If she did, leaving later might not be so smooth. She didn't care about the Shen family's fate. Let them pay whatever compensation. She had done her duty by taking Shen Yinyin's place in marriage. Still, she shouldn't let her thoughts wander. With He Yining, she should keep it strictly as boss and subordinate. Once the year was up, seeing him again might be a distant hope.
Shen Qi composed herself, pulled the covers over her face, and forced out the fleeting warmth from dinner. So be it.
Meanwhile, at Jinghua Manor.
He Yining answered a call from the He family: "Grandma, didn't I say? I'm just standing in for big brother's marriage! That gold-digger from the Shen family isn't worthy of bearing a child for the He family!"
The call was from He Yining's grandmother herself: "Foolish! Nonsense! When the Shen family took that money from us, it was decided their daughter would give the He family a child! If you don't like it later, divorce or separate—I won't stop you! But your father promised this: your big brother must marry by twenty-eight and have a child before thirty!"
He Yining sighed, pulling the phone away from his ear, missing the next key point.
"You stood in for your brother, and the Shen family played tricks, swapping the sister for the younger one! We originally wanted the Shen family's legitimate daughter, not their adopted one! If they hadn't pulled that switch, I wouldn't have been so angry I skipped the wedding!" his grandmother fumed. "What are you two up to? Your father was like this, and now you! What deity have we offended?"
Once she finished venting, He Yining put the phone back: "Grandma, I get it. You're worried about the He family's legacy. Don't worry, I'm only twenty-six this year—no rush! I'll have you holding a great-grandchild before I'm thirty, okay?"
His grandmother snorted.
"Big brother didn't want to marry because he has his own reasons. I stood in to fulfill that old promise. Neither of us is complaining, so don't be mad. I don't care who I married. I wouldn't want a Shen daughter anyway—spoiled, spending money all day. I'm not interested!" He Yining coaxed her patiently. "Grandma, trust me, I won't be like my parents. I'll always be by your side."
"You promise?" His grandmother was still uneasy. "I've been cursed! My son's not here, nor his wife. Two fine grandsons, and neither wants to marry or have kids... How frustrating!"
He Yining stifled a laugh: "Alright, Grandma. Big brother would rather give up his inheritance than marry, so don't push him. I took his place just to keep our word and avoid gossip. As for kids, don't worry about it."
"Fine. Visit the villa once a week. If there's no pregnancy after a year, I'll set you free!" His grandmother issued her ultimatum.
He Yining half-heartedly agreed: "Okay, okay, I'll go when I can. Deal?"
Satisfied, his grandmother grumbled a bit more before hanging up. He Yining sneered at the thought of his nominal wife. He'd known Shen Yinyin for what she was—lazy, hot-tempered, and useless. How could such a woman bear his child? Was Grandma crazy? If he wanted kids, women worldwide would line up! He didn't want Shen Yinyin's inferior genes. At the very least, he'd want someone like Shen Qi—smart, stubborn, and endearing.
Wait—why was he thinking of her?