“I Counted the Wrappers. There Were Three.”

The bedroom door creaked open, and Ethan Jiang stepped inside.

He paused briefly at the sight of the young woman in a nightgown crouched beside the trash can, seemingly counting something.

Elena Shen frowned ever so slightly as she stared at the three used and crumpled condoms nestled amid the tissues. She was about to rise and tell him—They used three, not two, as he claimed. She knew it had taken far too long.

Just as she turned around, she caught sight—through the edge of the bed—of the butler following Ethan upstairs.

The words caught in her throat.

Bracing her trembling legs, she quickly stood and slipped into the walk-in closet before the butler could enter the room.

Her neck still bore visible marks from the night before. Elena spent a good while rummaging through her autumn wardrobe of low-cut dresses until she finally pulled out a simple, high-neck, waist-cinching knit dress in a solid hue.

By the time she emerged, Ethan was standing just outside the room, speaking with the butler.

She glanced toward the door, then walked over to the nightstand and unplugged her phone, which Ethan had charged for her. As the screen lit up, a message popped up—Aurel Shen had texted her at seven that morning to say he was going on a business trip.

Elena tapped the message field and typed a quick reply.

Still in the car and not yet on the plane, Aurel responded promptly:

[This trip will take a few days. Eat properly, don't stay up too late, and call me if you need anything.]

Elena sent back a well-behaved emoji nodding obediently and then echoed all his reminders right back to him.

After breakfast, she rode back to the Yushan Residence with Ethan.

As usual, Eric Chen raised the privacy divider. At a red light, Ethan pulled her into his lap, one hand pressing gently against her lower back, massaging her with just the right pressure.

Then he asked, "In the bedroom—what were you about to say?"

Elena immediately recalled the wrappers.

She squirmed slightly, trying to get off his lap, but he held her firmly in place by the waist.

She fidgeted with her dress hem, and as she looked up, her eyes accidentally fell on the small wound at the corner of his mouth—left there by her teeth last night. She quickly averted her gaze, pretending not to feel the heat of his palm resting so possessively on her.

Lowering her voice, she forced out a sentence.

"I counted the wrappers."

"Mmhmm." He motioned for her to go on.

"There were three," she said.

This time, Ethan didn't argue. He nodded, utterly unfazed. "Three."

Her brows knitted together. She was just about to shoot him a look when his fingers, still resting on her waist, paused their gentle kneading—then pressed against a sensitive spot near her lower back.

He added lazily, "I did mention it before the third time started."

"I don't remember that!" she exclaimed.

A calm "Mm." from him. "You were probably still recovering from the previous round."

Elena: "...?!"

On the third day of Aurel's trip, Ethan took Elena back to the Jiang family's old estate.

The patriarch of the family had returned to the country for the winter after years of living abroad for his health. Mrs. Lin had called early in the morning, asking them to come greet him.

When they arrived, the elder Mr. Jiang was seated in the main parlor with Ethan's parents, discussing the family's long-standing marriage arrangement. He had stepped down from the company after handing it to Jiang Feng, and with Ethan now at the helm of Tiansheng Group, growing the company to unprecedented strength, the old man had fully retired from all corporate matters.

But the recent uproar on social media was too loud to ignore. The moment he landed, he started asking questions. Once home, he demanded a full explanation.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang told him everything, including things they'd hidden from him for years—like how Adrian Jiang's relationship with Elena had grown cold.

But now that the marriage had been fulfilled—albeit with Ethan instead of Adrian—there was no avoiding it.

"In truth, the engagement never specified which of the boys would marry Elena," Mr. Jiang said diplomatically. "Now that Ethan and Elena are married and seem to be getting along well, what's past should stay in the past."

No fate, no forcing. That was the idea.

The old man, shrewd as ever, saw right through it. Jiang Feng was clearly softening the blow, trying to smooth the way for Ethan's marriage with Elena.

Ethan's sharpness in business and unshakable authority on the board clearly came from the old man himself. He had always placed great hopes in Ethan.

Now that Ethan had stepped forward to take on the marriage and was fulfilling his duty as a husband, the old man couldn't have been more pleased.

Adrian, on the other hand, was a disappointment. When the butler mentioned Adrian's entanglement with a certain actress, the old patriarch's fury erupted.

Elena entered the hall with Ethan and immediately spotted the elder Mr. Jiang seated solemnly with his cane.

Mr. Jiang had once been a fierce and decisive man in his youth, but with age, he'd mellowed. When Elena first came to live with the Jiangs, he doted on her endlessly.

He often took her along when he went out to play chess or drink tea with his old friends, proudly introducing her as our little granddaughter. Everyone understood that meant future granddaughter-in-law.

Until she was fifteen, those had been some of her happiest years—until the old man's health began to fail, and he moved abroad to a secluded villa nestled in mountains and rivers.

As Ethan and Elena walked in together, the elder's eyes lit up.

The stern lines of his face softened immediately, a smile blooming across his features as he beckoned to her, just like he did when she was little.

"You're here? Elena, come closer. Let Grandpa have a look at you."

She glanced at Ethan, who let go of her hand. She walked forward, greeted the elder sweetly, and called him "Grandpa" in that gentle voice of hers.

Elena was beautiful, kind, and unfailingly polite. Two soft "Grandpa"s were all it took to fill the old man's face with joy.

"Good, good! You've grown even more beautiful. Grandpa's going to stay in Huaihai for a while. Starting tomorrow, come with me to visit a few of my old friends—let them be envious! None of their granddaughters-in-law hold a candle to mine."

Elena knew exactly who those "old friends" were.

When she was younger, the old man would always bring her to those tea and chess gatherings.

She'd even overheard his phone calls—scolding Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, demanding they persuade Ethan to marry quickly.

Every time one of those old friends sent a wedding invitation or called to brag about a newborn great-grandchild, the elder Mr. Jiang would get so angry he'd nearly burst a vein.

But then he'd calmed himself down with the thought that Ethan, his pride and joy, outshone every other grandson by miles. Marriage and children? When it happens, we'll blow them all out of the water.

Now, gazing at the perfect picture the couple made together, he nodded with satisfaction. Then his expression sobered just a bit as he looked toward Ethan, now seated nearby with a porcelain teacup in hand.

"Elena is still in school. You may be married, but there's no need to rush things—don't start thinking about children yet."

Ethan's eyes flicked to Elena. Her cheeks immediately began to burn.

She avoided his gaze and pretended not to hear.

Ethan's fingers slowly turned the teacup. His gaze lingered for a moment on the faint blush of her earlobe before he nodded calmly.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. Elena's still young. I know my boundaries."

That last phrase made her silently roll her eyes.

Boundaries?

If you knew the boundaries, I wouldn't still be trembling at the knees… or have this constant ache in my lower abdomen.

God help her.