Lou Xiao’s gaze flickered to Jian Huan. The words *we slept together* almost slipped out, but he caught them. "We've met," he said instead. Jian Huan felt her scattered senses snap back into place. It was no exaggeration to call it surviving a catastrophe. At the head of the table, Old Master Lou’s eyes were brimming with suspicion, clearly unconvinced that a simple meeting would warrant Lou Xiao deigning to offer a toast. His drooping eyelids couldn’t conceal the sharpness of his gaze. "Jingyang's fiancée?" Jian Huan lowered her head. "Yes." "Come over and pour me some wine." Pouring wine for the Old Master was a sign of great favor. Even Lou Jingyang grew excited, leaning in to whisper urgently, "Serve him well. If you mess this up, you'll answer to me!" A knot of anxiety tightened in Jian Huan’s stomach; she worried the Old Master had seen through something. She circled around behind his chair and took the bottle from a servant. "Please, sir." Old Master Lou didn’t take the glass, his cold face scrutinizing her. Jian Huan’s wrist began to ache, but she didn’t dare move, maintaining the respectful, bent-over posture of offering the wine. Across the table, Lou Xiao watched the tight curve of her hips as she bent over, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. Only when Jian Huan’s hand began to tremble slightly did Old Master Lou speak, his tone cool. "I didn't attend your engagement to Jingyang. There's a painting of plum blossoms in winter in my study. Take it as a wedding gift." Before Jian Huan could respond, Lou Jingyang’s face flushed with excitement. "Thank you, Grandfather!" The gift itself was secondary; what mattered was the honor of receiving it directly from the Old Master. Lou Jingyang’s thoughts drifted. Perhaps his grandfather had finally recognized his talents and was planning to give him a position of importance. For the remainder of the family dinner, Jian Huan kept her head down, determined not to draw any more attention. At one point, their Third Uncle brought up the vacant CEO position at Lou Corporation, subtly probing the Old Master’s intentions. Old Master Lou took a sip of congee. "We don't discuss business at the family table." The Third Uncle, having been rebuffed, sheepishly fell silent. To break the awkward silence, someone else chimed in, "I hear the young lady from the Gong family has arrived in the capital from Haicheng. She must be looking to marry into one of our prominent families." "Isn't the Gong family's base of operations in Haicheng? Why would she come all the way to the capital to find a husband..." Jian Huan heard no more. The mere mention of the Gong family was enough to make her blood run cold. The darkest moments of her life, the ones she had deliberately buried, came rushing back in an instant. She fought to suppress the terror, telling herself that the Gong family’s daughter had never met her. As long as *that person* didn't show up, she was safe. Jian Huan’s fleeting moment of panic did not escape Lou Xiao's notice. At the mention of the Gongs, her expression was like a mouse that had just seen a cat. A flicker of interest lit his eyes. It seemed his little sister-in-law was far more interesting than he'd imagined. *** Thanks to Lou Xiao, Jian Huan, who had arrived as a complete nonentity, became the center of attention after the dinner concluded. The moment Lou Xiao was summoned to the study by the Old Master, she was surrounded. Everyone who approached was subtly trying to pry into how she knew Lou Xiao and what their relationship was. Jian Huan could only invent a vague excuse, saying they had met once at a banquet. "You're so impressive, Cousin-in-law," said Jiang Ziying, her face a mask of innocent curiosity that hid a heart full of malice. "So many people have met Second Master Lou, but you're the only one he'd actually talk to and remember. How did you manage that?" Her plan to humiliate Jian Huan with the wine glass had not only failed but had actually won Jian Huan favor with the Old Master. And Second Master Lou—a man of his stature—why on earth would he give someone like Jian Huan a second glance when even she herself… She couldn't swallow her pride. Lou Jingyang, oblivious to Jiang Ziying's jealousy, chimed in, "Stop being so modest. Just tell everyone what they want to know." Jian Huan laughed coldly to herself. If she really told them, the Lou residence would be in for quite a show tonight. "I wouldn't have been able to speak with the Second Master either," she said smoothly, "but someone reminded him that I was Jingyang's fiancée. Out of respect for Jingyang, he chatted with me for a bit. That's how we met." "Really?" Lou Jingyang was overcome with a mixture of surprise and delight. He couldn't believe that both the Old Master and Lou Xiao held him in such high regard. Lost in his own world, he failed to notice the looks of disbelief on the faces around him. Jiang Ziying was among the skeptics. Lou Xiao didn't even give the Old Master face; why would he care about Lou Jingyang? But if not for Jingyang, how could Jian Huan have possibly connected with him? Inopportunely, Jiang Ziying recalled the awkward way Jian Huan had been walking when she returned last night. Could it be… that she and Lou Xiao were having some sordid affair? The thought shocked her, and she instinctively dismissed it as impossible. But besides that sort of thing between a man and a woman, she couldn't think of any other reason why Lou Xiao would single Jian Huan out. *** Meanwhile, in the study. "That plot of land in Donglin. You got it?" Lou Xiao gave a noncommittal "Mm." Old Master Lou's eyes darkened slightly. "Think you can swallow that much?" "I've always had a big appetite." The undercurrent of tension swelled between them, but it was the Old Master who backed down first. "Lou Xiao, you are a Lou, after all. I'm old now, and the position of Lou Corporation's heir is empty. You need to start thinking more about the family." The words were a hint, but upon closer inspection, they held no concrete promise. A half-smile touched Lou Xiao's lips. *Dangling a piece of meat in front of me, expecting me to follow the scent like a dog?* Lou Xiao’s expression was so openly mocking that the Old Master shifted uncomfortably and changed the subject. "You mentioned at the table that you knew the Jian girl. What's the connection?" "A woman from the Jian family, huh." Lou Xiao pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "She looks like she'd be good in bed." "Nonsense," the Old Master snapped. But Lou Xiao’s lewd attitude ironically put him at ease. He figured his grandson was merely intrigued by the family name and let the matter drop. "The Jians' business dealings are shady; they operate in the gutter. If you're really thinking of settling down, I'll have your older brother and sister-in-law find you some proper candidates." The Old Master paused. "What do you think of the young lady from the Gong family?" "She's great," Lou Xiao agreed so readily that the Old Master was caught off guard. But Lou Xiao's next sentence was a bombshell. "It just so happens there's an empty spot by your side. I'll go have a word, see if she'll be my new step-grandmother." A furious roar echoed through the study. "Get out!" Old Master Lou was a man of immense self-control who rarely showed his emotions. To be pushed to such a rage was a testament to his fury. Lou Xiao, satisfied, sauntered out, humming a tune. "Second Brother." He turned. Down the hall, the man in the wheelchair was watching him with a gentle smile. Lou Xiao's eyes hardened for a second before he broke into a grin. "Well, if it isn't my dear big brother. Did your spies prove useless, so you decided to come yourself?" Lou Cheng spoke with the patient tone of someone dealing with a misbehaving younger sibling. "Now, Second Brother, you shouldn't say such things. If Grandfather hears, he'll only get angry again." "Wouldn't that be just what you want?" "Ah, forget it. Your misunderstanding of me is nothing new, and I won't bother explaining. I just came to ask if you'll be staying in the side courtyard or the Bamboo Garden tonight, so I can have the staff prepare it." "Who said I was staying?" "Tomorrow is the anniversary of Second Uncle and Aunt's death. Grandfather has had an altar prepared at home to honor them. As their only son, if you're not here, they won't be able to rest in peace." Lou Xiao chuckled. "Bringing out the dead to make me stay?" Lou Cheng smiled serenely. "Filial piety is the greatest of all virtues." Lou Xiao licked the corner of his lip, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. "Fine. I'll stay."