The light was blocked, casting the room into shadow.
Fu Siyan stood by the door, his expression icy and remote, staring at Si Jin as if she were an enemy. His presence was cold and oppressive, chilling the air between them.
"What are you doing, Fu Siyan?" Si Jin asked, unable to bear the heavy silence. She had to be the one to break it—he rarely spoke first.
His tall frame loomed over her like a silent storm. The air around him felt frozen, and even standing still, he exuded an overwhelming pressure.
"I won't marry you," he said, his tone cold and absolute.
It wasn't a discussion—it was an order. Typical of Fu Siyan: decisive, unrelenting, and unwilling to offer even a sliver of compromise.
Si Jin's heart sank. So this was why he looked at her with such disdain earlier.
She had been so focused on figuring out how her grandmother had been harmed in her past life. She had forgotten something equally important.
In that life, Su Nou had been the favoured one. The old lady had arranged a marriage between her and Fu Siyan. But he had rejected the proposal outright without giving anyone the chance to save face.
Su Nuo had been unable to handle the rejection. She cried for days, humiliated and heartbroken.
In this life, however, it was Si Jin who had taken her place. Naturally, the old lady now wanted to match her with Fu Siyan.
No wonder both she and Master Fu had smiled so meaningfully when Si Jin went upstairs earlier.
So they were playing matchmaker behind the scenes.
Realization struck, and Si Jin remained silent for a long time.
Fu Siyan misinterpreted her silence as agreement—or guilt. His suspicions hardened. Whatever small trace of affection he had once held for Si Jin vanished completely.
Without another word, he turned and walked downstairs.
Si Jin hesitated but quickly followed.
Some misunderstandings, if left unspoken, would only fester. She didn't want things to grow darker between them.
When she reached the hall, it was empty. Neither the old lady nor Master Fu were in sight.
Confused, Si Jin turned to Mrs. Li and asked, "Where's Grandma?"
Mrs. Li smiled and replied, "The old lady recently got some new koi fish. Master Fu was very interested, so they went to the back garden to see them."
Su Jin finally understood and nodded gently. Still, she looked at Mrs. Li with a trace of doubt.
"Why didn't you go with them?" she asked.
Mrs. Li held up a small container and replied, "I came back to get the fish food."
A sudden buzzing filled Su Jin's head—just a moment of blankness, but enough to raise alarm.
The old lady had no particular hobbies, save for one—raising fish.
She loved them dearly. So much so that she had even had a special pond built in the courtyard just to care for her beloved koi.
Su Jin suddenly remembered—though the water in the pond wasn't deep, it was surrounded by uneven stones arranged for decoration.
If someone were to fall in, they could easily break a bone or worse.
Was that how Grandma got injured in her previous life?
Just as the thought registered on her mind, a servant rushed in, panic written all over their face.
"Something's wrong!" the servant shouted.
Su Jin's heart sank. Her first instinct was that something had happened to the old lady. Without hesitation, she turned and ran toward the backyard. Fu Siyan followed closely behind.
When they arrived, they saw a group of people huddled around Master Fu.
The old lady, visibly shaken, was giving orders with urgency:
"Call the doctor! Quickly! How could this happen?!"
"Grandma!" Su Jin stepped forward, her voice full of concern. "What happened?"
The old lady turned to her with a composed expression, but guilt lingered in her eyes. "We were walking near the edge of the pond," she explained, "and suddenly, the railing gave way. I nearly fell in. Fortunately, Master Fu grabbed me in time, but his ankle struck a stone and started bleeding."
Behind Su Jin, a broken section of the railing came into view.
She glanced at the clean, flat edge of the break and frowned deeply.
This wasn't an accident—it had clearly been tampered with on purpose.
But now wasn't the time to investigate. Master Fu's injury took priority.
"Grandpa, are you alright?" Fu Siyan's expression was filled with concern, but his eyes were icy cold. Had it not been for his strict upbringing, his temper would have already exploded.
After all, this happened at the Su residence. The Su family had no excuse.