She was wearing a loose nightgown, which made her particularly sensitive. The moment he touched her, her body went soft. To avoid losing herself in the moment, Si Nian twisted her body 180 degrees away from him.

Zhou Yue Shen winced and opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and clear, unlike someone who had just woken up.

"Are you pretending to be asleep?" Si Nian glared at him.

Zhou Yue Shen looked at her for a moment before replying, "I just woke up."

Si Nian shot him a disdainful look and asked, "Where is Yaoyao?"

"She's over here," Zhou Yue Shen said in a low voice. He had moved Yaoyao to the other side of the bed to avoid pressing on her while Si Nian was asleep.

Only then did Si Nian notice Yaoyao sleeping on the other pillow, with Zhou Yue Shen squeezed in beside her. The bed was large enough that it didn't seem crowded, but she hadn't noticed it at all.

"Hmph!" Si Nian, increasingly irritated, kicked him with her foot and, gritting her teeth to keep her voice low so as not to wake the children, demanded, "Aren't you going to take your hand back?"

"Sorry," Zhou Yue Shen's voice was deep and calm as he withdrew his hand, though his fingertips, whether intentionally or not, lightly brushed over a sensitive spot.

"Mm..." Si Nian let out a soft gasp, nearly collapsing.

Zhou Yue Shen's gaze darkened. In the darkness, his breathing grew heavier. He didn't make any further moves but gently pulled Si Nian closer. After a moment, he sighed, "Are you still angry? Hmm?"

Si Nian wasn't really that angry. Though she could hold a grudge, her anger flared up quickly and also subsided just as fast. When she thought about it, Zhou Yue Shen's past seemed quite normal. He was thirty years old, and having a past was more the norm than not having one. So, she didn't dwell on it.

However, the sudden inquiry about something she had overlooked and the tender tone in his voice made her feel unexpectedly emotional, and she felt a pang of grievance.

"Who is Yang Yujie?"

Zhu Tao had only mentioned the name without giving much detail. So Si Nian added, "Before, when Zhou Tingting came here causing trouble, she said you didn't marry because of him. Is that true?"

Zhou Yue Shen frowned slightly. "Yang Yujie?"

So, it wasn't that she was upset because Zhu Tao invited her to dinner, but rather because Zhu Tao mentioned this person's name?

Upon hearing the latter part of the question, Zhou Yue Shen's expression grew cold. "She said that to you?"

Si Nian nodded.

In truth, the original Si Nian and Fu Yang also had an unclear past, but Zhou Yue Shen had never inquired about their history. Si Nian had thought that the past was the past, and it didn't matter. However, she was still curious about who this person was.

Zhou Yue Shen was silent for a moment before speaking. His voice was low and cold: "I won't hide it from you. I did promise to marry her. Yang Yujie's older brother was a good friend of mine. He died during a mission while trying to save me. On his deathbed, he asked me to take care of his sister."

Yang Yujie's family situation was quite unique. Although they were influential and wealthy, her parents were divorced, and she had a stepmother and two step-siblings. This made the situation for Yang Yujie and her brother less than ideal.

After joining the military, Zhou Yue Shen became teammates with Yang Yujie's brother, Yang Yun. Yang Yujie often visited her brother, so they became acquainted through these visits. Later, Yang Yujie joined the performance troupe, and their troupe would attend performances she was involved in. When an incident occurred, it was Zhou Yue Shen who went to rescue Yang Yujie and the others.

Perhaps due to the good relationship he had with Yang Yun and having saved her, Yang Yujie developed feelings for him. However, Zhou Yue Shen was not interested in romantic relationships at that time and did not think much of it. Yang Yun knew his sister had feelings for Zhou Yue Shen and would often try to facilitate their interactions. When Yang Yujie's sister was in trouble, Yang Yun even brought Yang Yujie to Zhou's home. This was how Zhou Tingting came to know Yang Yujie.

Later, Yang Yun died during a mission.

He had promised his good friend to take care of Yang Yujie. Since Yang Yujie had feelings for him, Zhou Yue Shen had considered that perhaps marrying her might be a good idea. However, at a critical moment, Yang Yujie's father arranged for her to marry a well-matched military officer. To secure her position in the family, Yang Yujie refused to marry Zhou Yue Shen.

With three young children at home who needed his care, Zhou Yue Shen decided to leave the military. Everyone believed he left because he was heartbroken over Yang Yujie, leading to misunderstandings about his departure.

Yang Yujie later regretted her decision and did not marry the military officer. She frequently sent letters, but Zhou Yue Shen had no interest in her. His initial proposal was out of respect for her brother's dying wish, and he had given her a chance. When Zhou Tingting came to visit, she saw these letters and likely misunderstood the nature of Zhou Yue Shen's relationship with Yang Yujie. This misunderstanding was perhaps the reason Zhou Tingting made such remarks to Si Nian.

Zhou Yue Shen's gaze grew cold.

Zhou Yue Shen had occasional letters from the military, which were delivered directly to him. He was too lazy to read or reply to them, and he didn't pay attention to who sent them. Hearing Yang Yujie's name today merely reminded him of his deceased brother. He hadn't expected it to lead to a misunderstanding with Si Nian.

...

Si Nian was silent after hearing this. While Zhou Yue Shen appeared cold and indifferent on the surface, she realized that, once familiar with him, he was the kind of man who might marry someone just because of a dying wish from a good friend. Unfortunately, things had turned out differently, and they hadn't married.

Si Nian stopped struggling with her thoughts and lay in Zhou Yue Shen's arms. After a while, she asked slowly, "Was she pretty?"

Zhou Yue Shen pinched her cheek gently with his rough fingertips, a touch of amusement in his voice. "Not angry anymore?"

He hadn't expected that, despite her seemingly carefree exterior, Si Nian was thinking so deeply about everything.

Zhou Yue Shen didn't find her inquiries bothersome; in fact, he felt a bit pleasantly surprised. It seemed that this little woman wasn't completely indifferent to him.

Si Nian blinked and asked again, "So, who's prettier, her or me?"

Zhou Yue Shen answered without hesitation, "You."

Si Nian responded, "Oh, it's been so many years. How could you still remember what she looked like?"

Zhou Yue Shen was momentarily at a loss for words. Could he admit that it was because his good friend and Yang Yujie were twins and looked identical?

Then Si Nian suddenly recalled the locked drawer in Zhou Yue Shen's study. "What about the letters? Are they in there?"

Zhou Yue Shen replied, "I burned them. They were sent by the military, and keeping them would have caused issues."

He added, "It's not because of her. I don't have any feelings for her."

Si Nian felt a sense of relief. "Then who do you have feelings for?"

Feeling her heart open up, she suddenly felt the distance between them close, making her act a bit more coquettish with a sweet, soft voice.

Zhou Yue Shen's Adam's apple moved as he gently rubbed his large hand against her delicate neck. "Let's be reasonable, Nian Nian," he said. His voice, low and tender with a hint of magnetism upon waking, was filled with a helpless yet indulgent tone that made her heart flutter.

Si Nian's eyelashes trembled. "W-why am I not being reasonable?"

"You ask me who I have feelings for—who else but you?" he replied.

Si Nian's face began to flush. "I don't believe it."

In the next moment, the man covered her, his tall, muscular body pressing against her. His hot breath brushed her face. "Then I'll keep proving it until you believe it."

Si Nian: "......" She realized she was wrong; she had been pretending.

...

Downstairs, after breakfast, the two brothers waited for a long time but still didn't see their parents coming down. They knew that today, they would definitely have to walk to school by themselves again.

The two brothers, used to it by now, went out with their small umbrellas. It was drizzling lightly outside. The autumn rain was chilly, so both kids had put on their coats.

Zhou Ze Han's face was rosy and unaffected by the cold wind. Once outside, he excitedly asked, "Brother, have you ever heard the story of Snow White?"

Zhou Ze Dong, who had noticed his brother's unusual excitement early in the morning, had been holding back from telling him something because he was afraid of waking their parents with too much noise. Now that they were outside, he finally spoke up.

Zhou Ze Dong looked puzzled and tilted his head at his brother. "No, I haven't heard of it. Snow White's story? How did you hear about it? Did Mom tell you? When did that happen? I didn't know about it."

Zhou Ze Han's frown deepened as he wondered more about it. "You haven't heard of it, right? I knew you hadn't. But I heard it. Last night, Mom told me a story about Snow White and her evil stepmother..."

He had lost his teeth and spoke rapidly. Not only did he lisp, but he also spat as he talked. However, the little one didn't mind and enthusiastically recounted the story he had heard the previous night: "That evil stepmother is so shameless! She always asks, 'Mirror, mirror, who is the fairest of them all?' It's so funny! The fairest person in the world is obviously Mom!"

Zhou Zedong: "......"

Is that really how the story goes?

The two little ones chatted as they headed to school through the rain. Their figures quickly disappeared around the corner.

...

On the day of Lin Sisi's wedding, Si Nian got up early. She prepared extra food in the morning since she might return home late in the evening. The two children could simply reheat the food when they got back.

As for Yao Yao, Si Nian planned to bring her along. The little girl was growing fast, and the clothes she had bought for her previously were almost too small. It was just the right time to spend the money Si Nian's father had given her.

She would buy some clothes for the little girl and get some small toys for Xiao Dong and Xiao Han.

A trip to the city is definitely an opportunity to shop; otherwise, what's the point of that man earning so much money? The two kids are already this big, yet neither of them has their own toys. The ones they previously received were treated like sacred relics, almost placed on an altar, too precious to play with.

As for Si Nian's father's suggestion that she should dress up a bit, it went in one ear and out the other. She already looks like a fairy, so beautiful without even trying. If she dressed up any more, how could the bride, Lin Sisi, possibly shine? She casually threw on a set of casual clothes.

Just as she finished getting ready, Zhou Yueshen returned, his clothes damp with moisture. He rarely took showers at home. Si Nian, thinking about her own need for a bath, casually mentioned, "Zhou Yueshen, I want to get a bath barrel; it'll make bathing easier."

At home, the only option for bathing was a big basin, which was fine for the kids, but for an adult like herself, it was just awkward. Si Nian had been standing while bathing—a rather sad story. Zhou Yueshen wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel, paused, and agreed.

The two had planned to ride a motorcycle over. Si Nian wasn't too fond of the cars from this era—cramped, smelly, and the ride was rough, making her backside ache. Zhou Yueshen's motorcycle was much faster, at least.

Moreover, he rides the motorcycle steadily. Since he also needed to go, they decided to ride together. They planned to leave early to buy some things for the kids first.

Zhou Yueshen watched her for a while before going to the wardrobe to find some clothes. For once, he put on a jacket. Usually, he found it too hot and wore a tank top all year round.

As Si Nian finished tying her hair, she glanced at him again and noticed that after putting on his clothes, he even chose a watch to wear.

Si Nian: "....." He was actually taking this seriously. But, was it really necessary? She blinked, not giving it much more thought.

Once he was ready, he came over, took the child in his arms, and the two of them went downstairs together. They fed Da Huang for the day and then set off on the motorcycle.

People working in the fields around them watched as the family of three sped off toward the town, a mix of envy and jealousy in their eyes.

"Why does the Zhou family keep going to the city these days? Isn't the pig farm busy anymore?"

"You didn't hear? I heard Si Nian's mother was beaten, and it was pretty bad. Apparently, her cousin from her uncle's family did it, and it caused a big stir. The whole Linjia village next door has been in an uproar for days."

"Really? Is that true? Why would her uncle beat her mom? Is he out of his mind?"

"I heard from someone in Linjia village that it's because Lin Lao'er's family made money selling pastries. And lately, Si Nian has been teaching her mom and sister-in-law how to make braised meat to sell. So her uncle's family got jealous and went over to demand that the second family teach them too. But the second family wasn't willing, so a fight broke out."

"Yeah, I heard that too. I heard the eldest son's family got so bad that their son was arrested and still hasn't been released. They might even have to pay compensation to her uncle's family."

"No way, they're all one family! How could they let it get this bad? How are they supposed to face each other in the future?"

"If you ask me, it's all one big family. What's wrong with helping your relatives out if you've made some money? Helping each other is a good thing, right? Why be so stingy? I think they deserved it—they're too selfish!"

"Exactly, making such a fuss as a family only invites ridicule from others."

"I find Si Nian pretty strange. Everyone says she's great, but look at what happened after she came to the Zhou family. Their relatives have all but disappeared. Even her only sister doesn't keep in touch anymore, and she's driven away all their relatives. Now with the Lin family, she's even willing to go against her own uncle. She's really ruthless!"

"I think so too. Si Nian is no simple person—she's got a deep mind. I heard that to get her brother into Zhou's pig farm, she drove away Zhou Tingting's uncle and even accused him of making unwanted advances toward her. Have you heard about this? Now Zhou Yueshen and his sister have fallen out, and the position went to her brother. Not only did she get her brother a driving job, but they also sent him to get his driver's license. Zhou Yueshen used to seem so cold and indifferent, but now it's like he's been put under a spell!"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, it does seem like a big coincidence. Zhou Yueshen used to be so busy, but now he's hiring more people, supposedly to have more time for her. And now he's running around, doing everything for her family. Tsk tsk..."

Aunt Zhang, who was passing by, overheard this and immediately shot them a stern look.