Checking his pulse like that? Was she worried something was wrong with his health?
After a moment, An Yan reached a conclusion: He wasn't sick! So why on earth was he in such a hurry to get married? Her thoughts drifted back to the moment they first met. If his status was so distinguished, why had he appeared at Lin Shang's engagement ceremony? And since he went, why did he forbid anyone from approaching? Was there something at the Lin Family that attracted him?
While pondering, she unconsciously let go of his hand.
The next second, his large hand enveloped hers.
His long, strong fingers interlaced with hers, one by one, his voice low and tinged with mockery, "This is what you call holding hands! What you were doing was checking a pulse!"
A searing heat touched An Yan's palm for a moment, and she instinctively tried to withdraw her hand, but his grip was surprisingly strong; she couldn't pull away at all.
The man's cool gaze landed on her face. "Little one, the grass on the grave of the last person who tried to play tricks on me is already taller than a tree."
An Yan twitched the corner of her mouth. "Alright, I'll be frank with you. I want to know why you're in such a hurry to get married. Logically speaking, with your status and position, what kind of woman couldn't you find if you wished?"
"Because no one else asked me if I wanted to be *her* fiancé!"
An Yan was surprised. "You mean if anyone asked, you would agree?"
"Not confident in your looks, little one? Of course, appearance matters to me too!"
Er... An Yan's face instantly turned red, and she quickly changed the subject. "I also want to know why you appeared at the Lin Family's home?"
"The Lin Family spread word that Qingling Grass would be for sale after the engagement banquet. However, you appeared before I could wait for it."
His tone was flat, but An Yan detected a hint of resentment, making her feel awkward. "If you want Qingling Grass, I'll help you."
The Qingling Grass was originally a gift from her to Lin Shang. Back then, she'd merely thought Lin Shang needed to take Qingling Grass long-term. She found it tedious to prepare pills for him each time, so she simply gave him an entire plant, telling him to add a leaf whenever he brewed his medicine. She hadn't expected the Lin Family to actually cultivate the Qingling Grass and even start making money from it.
"How will you help?" The man raised an eyebrow, his expression turning a shade cooler. "Little one, you are my fiancée now. You should sever all contact with creatures like ex-fiancés, understand?"
An Yan realized he misunderstood, thinking she intended to find Lin Shang. Just as she was about to explain, a voice came from behind her, "Sister!"
An Shimeng rushed over.
An Yan took the opportunity to withdraw her hand and turned to look.
Li Tianyao glanced down at his empty palm, then his unfriendly gaze swept towards An Shimeng.
An Shimeng felt a wave of coldness wash over her, and her smile nearly froze on her face. But she didn't think Li Tianyao was annoyed with her; she just assumed it was the cold weather.
Steeling herself against the chill, she tilted her head and said to Li Tianyao in an adorably sweet manner, "Mr. Li, Dad asked me to see you off on his behalf. We hope you'll visit again next time. Have a safe trip!"
Unfortunately, Li Tianyao didn't even spare her a glance this time, directly getting into the Bugatti his subordinate had driven up.
He lowered the car window, his deep amber eyes locking onto An Yan, a profound smile playing on his lips. "Goodbye, fiancée!"
An Yan waved at him.
The interaction between the two made An Shimeng bite her lip in frustration, her mind filled with Li Tianyao's devastatingly handsome face! And the image of their hands, fingers tightly interlaced.
How could such a handsome man be snatched away by An Yan? It's infuriating!
"You fancy him?"
An Yan's voice startled her. She whipped her head around, meeting An Yan's exceptionally dark eyes. "No, Sister, don't say such things. He's your fiancé!"
An Yan coolly averted her gaze. "Since you don't, then stop staring at him. Also, don't try to touch my body again in the future. I don't like it!"
An Shimeng blinked her large eyes, biting her lip pitifully. "But we're sisters. Holding hands is normal, isn't it?"
An Yan said, "Enough. We share no blood."
"Let me be clear with you. If you don't provoke me, there's a place for you in this family. But if you dare to cause trouble for me, believe it or not, I can have you packing your bags and gone immediately."
An Shimeng's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up and blurring her vision. Her voice choked as if she had suffered a terrible injustice. "Sister, did I do something wrong to make you unhappy? It's all my fault. Please don't be angry with me..."
Seeing this display, An Yan turned her head, a thoughtful expression on her face. Sure enough, at the end of the road, her eldest brother's car was slowly approaching.
An Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. The information she had gathered showed that her eldest brother had defended this stepsister countless times. Because of his strong protection of his sister, An Shimeng was regarded as the legitimate young miss of the An Family. Consequently, she, the true young miss An, was virtually unknown. An Yan was somewhat curious. What would her eldest brother's reaction be to her return?
When An Yaoluo received the news of An Yan's return, he immediately sped up his work.
It had been eighteen years since he last saw his younger sister; he had no idea what she looked like now. Having lived in the mountains all this time, would she have those two patches of high-altitude redness on her cheeks? Would her speech be peppered with 'us' and 'we' like a country bumpkin? If that were truly the case, perhaps he should arrange for some etiquette tutors in advance?
As he neared the house, he saw An Shimeng and a refreshingly clean-looking girl standing by the gate. The two seemed to be in the midst of a dispute. An Shimeng was crying pitifully, tears streaming down her face like pear blossoms in the rain, while the other girl wore an expression of cold indifference.
The closer he got, the more surprised he felt. The girl standing beside An Shimeng was, astonishingly, An Yan.
Although she had grown up and her features had blossomed, that somewhat deadpan expression was exactly the same as when she was little. He just didn't know what they had argued about, or why Mengmeng was crying so hard!
An Yaoluo's brow furrowed instantly. He slowly parked the car, checked his appearance in the rearview mirror, then opened the door and got out.
"Yanyan?"
An Yan met his gaze and responded with a soft, "Mm."
The unfamiliarity in her eyes made An Yaoluo's breath catch. Still, considering she hadn't seen him in eighteen years, it was somewhat understandable.
"I'm your eldest brother!"
An Yan nodded, her expression still distant, showing no trace of the excitement or happiness one might expect from a long-overdue reunion.
An Yaoluo paused, swallowing the slight disappointment in his heart before asking, "What's going on? Why is Mengmeng crying?"
An Yan raised an eyebrow but remained silent. She yielded the stage to An Shimeng, letting her perform.
An Shimeng hastily wiped her tears. "It's nothing, Eldest Brother. Sand just got in my eye."
An Yaoluo frowned, his gaze sweeping between An Yan and An Shimeng. "If it's nothing, then let's go inside. Standing at the gate crying like this is unseemly."
An Shimeng bit her lip and shot An Yaoluo an aggrieved glance, looking as if she wanted to say something but restrained herself. She then obediently lowered her head and walked through the gate.
An Yan, however, looked at An Yaoluo with some surprise. He hadn't indiscriminately scolded her for making his 'dear sister' cry? And he had even deliberately walked around An Shimeng to come to her side.
An Yaoluo clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on An Yan's exquisitely delicate face, which seemed almost unreal. "I didn't mean to return late; there was a meeting at the company. Yanyan, please don't be angry with Eldest Brother, alright?"
"I'm not angry."
"Here, take this!" An Yaoluo offered her a bank card. "Buy whatever you like. If it's not enough, just let me know."
An Yan looked down and shook her head. "No need!"
She wasn't short on money, after all!
An Yaoluo felt both relieved and disappointed by her refusal. Relieved that his sister wasn't materialistic, but disappointed that she seemed to be treating him like a stranger.
"Yanyan, come up and see." Bai Xiaoyun's enthusiastic voice came from upstairs.
A smile flickered in An Yaoluo's eyes. "Go on up. She's been busy for days, specifically redecorating your room for you."
An Yan's expression changed drastically. "What?"
An Yaoluo frowned. "You didn't want it redecorated?"
Of course, An Yan didn't want it! She had left home at the age of two, but her room had been designed by her mother. She wanted every corner to be just as she remembered. Especially...