“So Delicate.”

A dense wave of pain spread through his chest cavity.

Adrian Jiang's eyes shimmered with a trace of hidden anguish, but his voice remained gentle, coaxing—just like all those years in the past, when he used to softly comfort her. No blame, no sarcasm, just a desperate need to speak with her properly.

"I don't mean anything else… Elena, I only found out a few days ago that the Shen Group was in trouble. Did you agree to marry my brother so quickly… for the sake of the Shen Group?"

That day at "Nights," after overhearing Silas Ji mention something about the Shen Group headquarters, he had immediately dug into the matter overnight.

He had always assumed that she would have accepted the marriage with his brother only to maintain the alliance between their families after he rejected the engagement.

Until he found out about the crisis facing the Shen Group and learned the full story.

He regretted to his very bones the cruel, soul-crushing things he'd said in jealousy after hearing that she and his brother had gotten married.

Once he confirmed everything, he didn't care about anything else—he went straight to see her.

"Elena…" His grip on her wrist trembled slightly, her voice laden with a raw, pleading tone.

"Let's stop all this fighting. Can we just go back to how things were before?"

"I've already started acquiring companies, bidding on various projects. No matter what happens to the Shen Group, I can help you. Let's go back. Like we used to be. No more fighting… please?"

Elena Shen's eyes showed not a flicker of emotion.

She yanked her hand away, her gaze cold as frost.

"Adrian, if you're not thinking straight, go see a doctor. If you want company, go find your girlfriend. I'm married to your brother now. These words—you're overstepping."

She turned to leave, only to be pulled back by Adrian once again.

"She's not my girlfriend," he said quickly, panicked.

As he glanced down and noticed the red mark on her wrist, he loosened his grip, no longer daring to hold her tightly. But he still wouldn't let her go.

"Elena, she's not my girlfriend. I have nothing going on with her. I—"

"Whether you do or don't has anything to do with me."

Her voice was icy, cutting him off cold.

She had little patience left.

And absolutely no desire to argue.

But he clearly wasn't in his right mind today.

He was blocking the door, and she couldn't get out. Seeing he had no intention of stepping aside, she tried to stay calm, lest she alert the old man who had just returned from abroad.

"Adrian, we've already said everything that needs to be said. You are you. I am me. Just pretend the last ten years never happened. Pretend we never knew each other."

"And besides—" she fixed her gaze on him, her eyes void of emotion, her tone flat to the point of indifference:

"I'm married to your brother now. Weren't you the one who used to sneer at me for trying to force my way into the Jiang family through a marriage contract? What exactly are you doing now?"

Adrian felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs.

A sharp, bitter ache erupted somewhere deep inside his chest.

He fought to hold back the storm of emotion welling up in him, and under her icy gaze, he finally apologized.

"Elena, I never meant it like that. I just couldn't accept the thought that you'd only marry me because of the contract. I couldn't accept that in all the years we were together, you had no real feelings for me. I couldn't accept that everything between us was built on a cold, transactional engagement."

"So I—foolishly—tried to test you. I used the dumbest way possible, just to see if, outside that engagement, there was even a sliver of genuine emotion from you. Just a hint…"

"I never expected the Shen Group to fall into crisis. I never imagined you'd go through with marrying my brother."

"Elena, please… let's stop all this. Let's go back to the way things were. You don't have feelings for him—"

She cut him off with a mocking smile.

"But I don't have feelings for you either."

"An arranged marriage is just that—an arrangement. Who actually falls madly in love through a business deal?"

A flush of red crept into Adrian's eyes. His grip tightened with desperation, and his words came fast and urgent, like he was trying to prove something.

"But we had ten whole years together! We grew up side by side. Ten years of shared memories—"

"Yes, we grew up together. But Adrian, just days ago, you were scoffing at all of it. And now, suddenly, it matters to you?"

He opened his mouth, eager to explain, but before he could say a word, a sharp ringtone sliced through the air.

He frowned and glanced at his phone.

When he saw the name on the screen, his brow furrowed even deeper.

Elena had no desire to argue further. All she wanted was to leave. As his grip on her wrist loosened, distracted by the call, she seized the chance to pull away and slipped out the door without hesitation.

She had been in a fine mood earlier, but Adrian's intrusion had left her frustrated and tense.

Her brows drew together tightly.

Ethan Jiang hadn't returned yet, but the old patriarch of the Jiang family had come back. She saw him descending the stairs from afar, seated in the main hall and dialing someone on his phone.

Elena quickly suppressed the irritation between her brows.

The old man looked up at just the right moment, spotting her instantly.

The frustration of being unable to reach "that rascal" on the phone vanished from his face.

"Elena, looking for Ethan?"

"Your third uncle had something come up," the old man explained. Ethan went over to his place. He'll be back a little later."

"If you're missing him, I'll give him a call."

He raised the phone again.

Elena rushed forward and gently pressed down his hand. "No need, Grandpa. I wasn't looking for Ethan specifically. I just woke up and went downstairs to stretch my legs."

The old man put the phone away. "Good, good. I could use someone to talk to anyway. Come sit and chat with Grandpa for a bit."

Elena obediently sat down, took the freshly squeezed juice the butler offered, and began chatting with the old man about everything that had happened in the past few years.

Ten minutes later, he once again muttered about how Adrian wasn't answering his phone, visibly annoyed.

"That kid—who knows what he's doing. I couldn't reach him all day. And now it's nighttime, and still no response. I've never seen anyone hit their rebellious phase this late in life!"

Elena stayed silent, as usual. Anything involving Adrian, she simply ignored, as if she hadn't heard a word.

After a few more grumbles, the old man recalled the decade when everyone had assumed Elena and Adrian would end up together. He paused, went quiet for a moment, then wisely changed the subject.

"Tomorrow's Saturday. You don't have class, right?"

Elena smiled sweetly and shook her head. "No class, Grandpa."

"Then Grandpa's taking you out for a day of fun." His tone was like he was still speaking to a child.

Elena realized that no matter how grown-up she became, everyone around her still treated her like a kid.

Like Grandpa. Like Ethan. Even her brother.

At half past nine, Ethan Jiang stepped into the hall, bathed in the soft glow of the evening.

The old man had long since gone to bed—he always slept early. Ethan's parents had also gone upstairs. The hall was empty, lit only by the warm hue of the chandelier.

He ascended to the third floor and instinctively walked toward the third room on the left.

Pushing the door open, he was met with darkness. He didn't go in. Instead, he turned around and headed to the room at the far end on the right side.

Hand on the doorknob, he pushed the door open gently.

As expected, he found her sprawled across the center of the warm-toned bed, scrolling on her phone under the covers.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, eyes never leaving her figure.

"Did you eat dinner?"

Elena turned her head slightly toward him. "I did."

Ethan took off his jacket and hung it beside hers, pulled off his tie, unbuttoned his cuffs, and rolled up his sleeves before walking to her side of the bed.

Just as she was about to jump up and flee into the walk-in closet, he stopped her.

"This afternoon, when you went upstairs, I saw you rub your lower belly a few times. Still feeling uncomfortable?"

Elena had nearly forgotten the lingering soreness from the night before. But with his reminder, the sensation came rushing back.

Especially after last night—he'd gripped her waist and gone so deep. How could she not feel sore? Did he even need to ask?

The more she thought about it, the more indignant she became.

But it was Ethan. She didn't dare lash out at him.

So she curled up in the duvet like a sulky kitten and muttered in a low voice:

"Of course, I'm not comfortable!"

Who rubs their belly when they're feeling great?

He chuckled and pressed his warm palm gently against her belly, over the sore spot from last night.

"It's been all day, and you're still hurting?"

It wasn't unbearable anymore, but Elena feared that if she said "I'm fine," he'd insist on exercising their marital rights again that night.

So she pursed her lips and played it up.

"It hurts. Probably will for another two days."

Ethan looked down at the grumpy girl wrapped up like a disgruntled bunny under the quilt, and a soft smile lit his eyes. His voice lowered, and his large hand gently massaged her belly.

"So delicate."

Elena froze.

She looked up at him, fuming.

Delicate?

As in weak? Fragile?

Neither was a compliment.

She had been just about to enjoy the soothing massage, maybe even let him keep going for a bit longer—but that one word snuffed out every bit of indulgence.

In an instant, the proud little lady shoved his hand away, turned her back on him, and pulled the blanket over herself with righteous indignation.