“Your Love-Marriage Husband Is Here. Why So Nervous?”

At 3:40 in the afternoon.

Elena Shen arrived at the Shen Group headquarters.

As usual, she took the executive elevator straight to the top floor, walked down the familiar hallway, and pushed open the door to the CEO's office—only to find an unexpected figure inside.

"Brother—"

The word was only half-spoken when it caught in her throat.

Her gaze landed on the man sitting across from Aurel Shen on the lounge sofa—her second uncle, Mr. Shen Huan.

Both men turned at once.

Aurel waved her over. "Finished with your lab work? Come in."

Her second uncle, Shen Huan, who always carried a gentle, scholarly air, smiled kindly at her, his tone warm with familial affection.

"Elena, coming to visit your brother?"

"I've just returned from our overseas branch after a year. I missed your twentieth birthday, so I was just telling your brother I had the gift sent over to the villa. I hadn't finished speaking when you arrived."

Elena smiled and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Thank you, Uncle Huan, but there's no need for a gift. You already sent me a red envelope on my birthday."

Shen Huan chuckled. "A red envelope is a red envelope. A gift is a gift. They're not the same."

With Elena now seated, the conversation drifted away from corporate matters. The topic naturally turned to the car accident.

"I heard from my assistant that Aurel had an accident while abroad."

Aurel's gaze shifted from Elena back to his uncle. He let out a careless laugh, as if brushing away the concern.

"Just a minor incident. Nothing serious. No need to worry, Uncle."

Shen Huan sighed with concern. "The entire Shen Group rests on your shoulders now. If anything were to happen to you—like it did to your father and mother—the company would collapse all over again."

Instead of responding directly, Aurel turned the conversation in another direction. His eyes landed briefly on Elena before he spoke.

"That won't happen. Elena has turned twenty, and the alliance between the Jiang and Shen families is now sealed. Sooner or later, the company will be handed over to her."

Shen Huan looked over at her, his expression full of benevolent warmth—like any elder looking fondly at the next generation.

"Your siblings are close. That eases my mind."

"Speaking of the alliance—Elena, when do you plan to hold the wedding with Ethan? A marriage between the Jiang and Shen families is no small matter. As your uncle, I must take it upon myself to help you plan it well."

Elena smiled. "There's no rush. We haven't set a date yet. But once we do, you'll be the first to know, Uncle."

Shen Huan's smile deepened with satisfaction.

"Then I'll wait for the good news. And Aurel—you're not getting any younger either. You should start thinking about settling down."

Aurel merely lifted his gaze, eyes calm, and responded with a noncommittal hum.

Shen Huan didn't stay long. After a while, he stood up to leave.

"There's still a lot of work waiting for me now that I'm back from the branch office. You two take care. Once I'm through this busy stretch, let's arrange a family gathering."

After he left, Elena picked up a lychee from the table, peeling it slowly as she asked:

"What was Uncle Huan doing here today?"

"Discussing the possibility of returning to headquarters."

Elena raised a brow with interest. "What position will he hold if he comes back?"

Aurel glanced at her. "The same as before."

Second-in-command of the Shen Group.

Elena nodded and didn't probe further.

The Shen family had many distant relatives, each with their own agenda—every one of them hoping to take a bigger share of the profits from the company.

That kind of fragile kinship was barely worth mentioning.

Among them, only Shen Huan had ever truly valued family ties.

Back when her father was still alive, their family and Uncle Huan's were closest. They often visited, and the bond was strong.

When she was little, her uncle frequently brought her and Aurel gifts, always stopping by the old mansion to do business with her father.

Her father had been both CEO and Chairman of the Shen Group, and Uncle Huan was the undisputed second-in-command.

Until her parents' accident.

After that, the company fractured. Opportunistic relatives began circling like vultures, eager to snatch at power amid the chaos.

Executives resigned or defected. In those years, Shen Huan often traveled between branch offices, sometimes going for more than a year at a time.

Time and distance had naturally cooled their once-close relationship.

"Do you have anything else planned this afternoon?"

Aurel's voice pulled Elena from her thoughts.

She was sprawled lazily across the sofa, looking as carefree as she did at home.

"Nope."

Aurel stood, fastening the button on his blazer. "Come. I'll take you around the departments. You should start getting familiar with the company's operations."

Elena sat up straight, frowning lightly. But she didn't stand—just looked up at him.

"Brother, do you really want me to take over the company now?"

It wasn't the first time he'd brought this up over the years.

Though she had been reading financial reports and company documents on her own, she had never truly considered stepping into a leadership role so soon.

Truthfully, she had only ever studied those materials as a precaution—so that if she had to take over one day, she wouldn't be completely unprepared or become easy prey for the ambitious relatives.

But deep down, Elena had no real desire to run the company.

She preferred physics to finance.

She loved engaging with research theories and raw data, immersing herself in scientific exploration. Physics was the field she had loved for years—the path she had dreamed of pursuing.

Still, Aurel had waited patiently for her to grow up. Especially over the past two years, he had repeatedly pushed her to study company operations so that she could take over.

In his heart, she was the true heir to the Shen legacy.

Even though he bore the Shen name, grew up in the Shen household, and had cared for her like a true brother all these years—even though he was the one managing every aspect of the company—he never saw himself as anything more than an adopted son.

He had publicly declared on more than one occasion that once Elena was grown, he would hand over the company and step down.

He had even urged her, time and again, to study the materials he sent her—to prepare herself thoroughly.

He was the adopted son, never the contender.

Elena understood his intentions.

She knew everything he'd done was to pave the way for her—to hand her a fully restored empire when the time came.

But in her heart, she had never once seen him as an outsider.

He was her brother. His name was on the same household registry.

He was the son her parents had acknowledged as their own.

And to her, he would always be her real brother.

Aurel paused and walked toward her. "Why ask this now?"

Elena bit her lip, her voice subdued. "I just… I like physics more. I like being in the lab. As for the company…"

"Elena." Aurel gently interrupted her. "Whether you take over the company, learning to manage it is still necessary."

He said, "You were born into the Shen family, which means you have the blood to run this corporation. You're intelligent, and your instincts when it comes to business decisions are remarkable."

"Elena, listen. Regardless of whether you eventually take the reins, you need to be fully capable. You need to let Mom and Dad rest easy, knowing you're prepared for whatever comes."

After making rounds through the departments with Aurel, they returned to the Shen villa just as night fell.

Dinner was already prepared. Elena lay on the living room sofa for a while before joining Aurel in the dining room.

After the meal, Aurel brought her a glass of freshly squeezed juice—her favorite—and was just about to take her to the study to continue explaining the company's operations.

He will be away on business tomorrow, and afterward, he had to visit their overseas branch in Jinming. It would be a while before he could teach her anything again.

He wanted to walk her through as much as possible tonight.

Let her absorb the knowledge at her own pace.

Then, once he returned, they could dive deeper into the core operations.

But just as he finished speaking, the sound of a car engine echoed from outside the villa.

Moments later, the butler came in quickly to announce, "Mr. Jiang is here."

Aurel's brow furrowed.

And Elena—who had just accepted the juice—was even more startled. The name Ethan Jiang had barely registered before her hands trembled, the glass nearly slipping from her grip.

Aurel's gaze swept toward her, his steps toward the door coming to a halt.

"What are you shaking for?"

"Didn't you say the two of you were madly in love? Your dear husband from this love-match marriage just showed up—why is so nervous?"

"I'm not shaking! I'm just… surprised, that's all." Miss Elena Shen, ever stubborn, would rather die than admit she had lied about her so-called romance.

Aurel looked at her, not entirely convinced. "Is that so?"