Volume One, Chapter 151: A Wife for Your Grandson or a Husband for Your Granddaughter—Pick One!
Above them, a crescent moon hung faintly, its pale yellow light flickering as if running low on energy.
Snowflakes drifted down weakly, landing lightly on their heads.
Lou Ye held Sang Wan’s hand, and together they wandered slowly, stopping often, until they reached deep within the bamboo grove.
Creak.
The courtyard gate opened, revealing a three-story building standing solitary in the quiet world.
Dim yellow light seeped through the cracks of the top-floor windows.
The night grew even quieter.
She looked at the bamboo forest.
Then at the patch of earth where she wasn’t sure if anything had been planted.
Sang Wan glanced back at Lou Ye, her eyes shining brightly.
This was the utopia in her heart.
She knew it could never come true, so she could only entrust it to poetry.
But unbeknownst to her, Lou Ye had made that utopia a reality.
“If I hadn’t divorced, if I hadn’t been with you…”
Stopping in front of the attic door, looking back at the secluded little courtyard.
Sang Wan looked up at Lou Ye and asked, “How long do you plan to keep this a secret?”
“For a lifetime,” he said.
Lou Ye clasped Sang Wan’s hand and pulled her into his embrace.
This was his refuge from frustrations. Whenever he was overwhelmed with irritation and had nowhere to vent, he would first go to the basketball court, and after calming down, he would come here.
Later, after joining the Lou family business, when he wanted to avoid people, he still came here.
It was as if living in the courtyard she dreamed of would bring him closer to her.
His heart would also quiet down.
Only when Jiang Huai and others accused him of wasting this treasure did he open the front yard to visitors, turning it into a private gourmet restaurant of high-end exclusivity.
Even then, only a select few were allowed in.
“Let’s go inside…”
The cold wind blew as Lou Ye led Sang Wan through the gate.
First floor: living room.
Second floor: study.
Third floor: bedroom.
The small attic was simply arranged but contained everything necessary.
It was as if they had anticipated that they would stay here overnight, and had prepared everything accordingly.
She had initially planned to just take a quick look around before returning to the apartment.
But upon reaching the third floor, stepping onto the soft carpet, seeing the roaring fireplace against the wall and the plush bed beside it,
Sang Wan felt every bone in her body relax.
They talked about their tumultuous youth, and her obsession with the dream of a little courtyard.
They talked about the poem she sent out shortly after, when she was exhausted and caught in a whirlpool of despair.
The crackling fire and the soft pattering of snow outside made the perfect white noise.
Sang Wan didn’t even know when she fell asleep.
In the late night, she was woken by heat.
The room was warm.
But the warmth of the embrace behind her was even greater.
Lou Ye’s arm stretched across her waist, possessively holding her close, making it impossible to part.
Awakened by the heat but unwilling to disturb him, Sang Wan carefully slid away, gently pulling his arm off her.
No sooner had she moved than Lou Ye reached for her again.
She dodged.
He pursued.
After two rounds of this, Lou Ye finally woke.
Along with him, his desire for her stirred.
Sang Wan stiffened.
Lou Ye pulled back, grabbed a pillow, and placed it between them, shielding them beneath the blanket.
He pulled Sang Wan back into his arms and said in a husky voice, “Be good, sleep well.”
In the darkness, Sang Wan blinked.
For some inexplicable reason, her eyes grew warm.
His warm palm gently stroked her back, and Sang Wan drifted back into a deep sleep.
When the phone rang, she thought it was her alarm.
She opened her eyes to find dawn breaking outside.
It was not yet seven.
The call was from Lou Ye’s phone.
Hearing the caller on the other end address him as Young Master Lou, Sang Wan knew it was from the Lou family ancestral home.
Sure enough, after hanging up, Lou Ye didn’t linger in bed but got up immediately to wash.
“The time’s still early, you can sleep a little more.”
“Eat something in the dining room before heading to the company. Yang Yan will come to pick you up later!”
“And be careful opening the door—don’t let cold wind in…”
Lou Ye’s detailed reminders finished, then he left.
Sang Wan couldn’t fall back asleep.
Snow had fallen all night, and when she stepped outside, the courtyard was marked only by Lou Ye’s footprints as he left.
At a glance, the yard looked like it was covered by a thick, seamless quilt of snow.
As she left the courtyard, the butler was already waiting at the gate, guiding her to the dining hall.
Just as Sang Wan entered the dining room, Lou Ye stomped the snow off his shoes and lifted the curtain to enter.
The old man of the Lou family had little rest these days; before dawn, he was already awake, adding millet to the birdcage’s feeding bowl.
Seeing Lou Ye, the old man scrutinized him from head to toe before withdrawing his gaze indifferently.
“Back from that Sang Wan, huh?”
“Yes.”
A subtle glint flashed in Lou Ye’s eyes as he hung up his coat.
Turning back, he lifted the curtain and looked toward the butler.
“Bring some food over.”
“Yes, Young Master Lou.”
The butler left at once.
The courtyard fell silent.
Lou Ye stepped forward and poked at the feathers on the bird’s rear through the cage.
Inside was a yellow-feathered, red-crested crested cockatoo—the old man’s favorite, named Little Phoenix.
At his poke, Little Phoenix screeched loudly.
The old man glanced back at Lou Ye, then fed the bird some peeled sunflower seeds with a cold snort.
“When you broke off that marriage with the Shao family, you said you liked men! What, don’t you like that anymore so soon?”
“I do!” Lou Ye answered calmly. “But between men and Sang Wan, I prefer Sang Wan.”
The old man’s face darkened.
Lou Ye glanced at the brand-new snuff bottle on the table.
“Did you trade with Grandpa Ming for this? Or… did Ming Qing give it to you?”
The old man said nothing.
Lou Ye knew it was the latter.
The two sat in silence for a moment.
The butler knocked and brought in breakfast. Lou Ye took a hot towel to wipe his hands and leisurely began to eat in the dining room.
The atmosphere eased somewhat.
The old man finally spoke heavily, “If you’re just playing around, I’ll let it be. Twenty-six is not too young, not too old—you can play for a few more years. But if you…”
“I’m serious!” Lou Ye looked up, meeting the old man’s gaze from a distance.
“What? The men of the Lou family are losers, eager to be handed over like gifts?”
“Grandfather…”
Lou Ye put down his chopsticks.
“When my mother died, you told me I had to be strong enough to get everything I wanted. I did. Then you told me people can’t act on their desires! So, you’ve said every bad thing there is!”
“Either we all do this properly. You enjoy your old age, watch me marry Sang Wan, and get yourself a granddaughter-in-law.”
“Or we don’t do this at all. One day I’ll bring a grandson-in-law home to pay respects to you.”
The old man glared.
Lou Ye stood up, wearing his usual indifferent expression.
“Granddaughter-in-law or grandson-in-law, you pick one!”
The old man refused to choose.
Of course, he wanted a granddaughter-in-law!
But that granddaughter-in-law could never be Sang Wan!!!
“The Lou and Ming families have had nearly a century of ties…”
The old man’s voice was low and firm.
“Ming Qing is the child I watched grow up, the one you played with since childhood! In looks, temperament, ability, and skill—how can that Sang Wan compare?”
“Don’t even mention the nanny…”
The old man’s cloudy eyes brimmed with disbelief.
“She’s not even worthy to carry Ming Qing’s shoes!”
Lou Ye suddenly lifted his eyes, his expression darkening in an instant.
The silence was so thick you could hear a pin drop.
Even Little Phoenix in the cage seemed to sense the tension, shrinking its neck and folding its tail, not daring to make a sound.
In the dead silence, Lou Ye curled his lips slightly.