This evening, Meng Jingwei chatted with Shi Ran for a long time, but in the end, she decided to respect Shi Ran's choice and not interfere.
After eleven, the two returned to their rooms to rest.
Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for a while, they kept Qing Muyue and Tang Si out, and the two sisters slept in the same bed.
In the living room, Qing Muyue played cards with a few brothers. After the game ended, Lu Yanming and Han Yu left, leaving Tang Si behind.
After everyone else had gone to rest, only the two brothers remained in the living room.
Tang Si sat on the sofa, smoking one cigarette after another without pause. In a short while, the living room was filled with smoke, permeated with the scent of nicotine.
Qing Muyue sat opposite Tang Si, with his legs crossed, looking at him calmly. "Nothing to say?"
"Sigh..."
Tang Si flicked the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray, sighing deeply. "What is there to say?" He shook his head repeatedly. "I can't explain it clearly right now."
"If you can't explain it clearly, then take your time," Qing Muyue said.
Perhaps Tang Si had too many burdens in his heart, as he furrowed his brows and ran a hand through his hair. "Ran Bao'er is pregnant with triplets. Although I'm happy, she doesn't want to be with me right now. Can you ask Xiao La Jiao to help me persuade her?"
Completely at a loss, Tang Si could only seek outside help.
"What do you think Ah Wei was talking about with Shi Ran for so long?" His implication was that Meng Jingwei had been trying to persuade Shi Ran.
Hearing Qing Muyue's words, Tang Si's eyes lit up, his previously dim gaze instantly filled with a constellation of stars.
"What is it?" He looked at Qing Muyue expectantly.
Qing Muyue shrugged and shook his head.
His demeanor was very clear.
Tang Si drooped his head in dejection. "If even Xiao La Jiao can't persuade her, what am I supposed to do?"
He had racked his brains but couldn't figure out how to persuade Shi Ran.
"What are your thoughts?" Qing Muyue wanted to know Tang Si's plan.
Tang Si sat up straight, leaning back on the sofa, his head resting against the backrest, looking up at the ceiling. "What else can I think? If the Zhao family isn't dealt with, Ran Bao'er and her family will never find peace. But Ran Bao'er is already over four months pregnant. If I can't resolve the matters with the Zhao family quickly, I won't be able to give her and the child a proper status."
"Marriage can also lead to divorce," Qing Muyue observed that Tang Si was somewhat stubborn. "Seeking revenge on the Zhao family doesn't necessarily have to be through marriage."
"My original plan was to play the long game, but who knew Ran Bao'er would get pregnant."
This was something Tang Si had never anticipated. "She has too many worries. The disfigurement has caused her some psychological trauma, and she doesn't want to be with me right now."
Every time he thought of this, Tang Si felt immense helplessness.
He could understand Shi Ran, but he could not accept her choice.
Tang Si believed Shi Ran should trust him.
Yet, his words and actions did not provide Shi Ran with enough security.
The two brothers had a heart-to-heart talk in the living room and finally went to their respective rooms to sleep at three in the morning.
Tang Si lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. With nothing to do, he picked up his phone to browse Weibo. However, after unlocking it, he saw a reminder of missed calls on the screen, more than ten of them, all from Zhao Wuyan.
His expression turned a few shades colder, and the darkness of the night couldn't hide the chill in his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, Tang Si finally fell asleep.
He slept until he woke up naturally.
Seeing that the sun was high in the sky, he immediately got up, quickly put on his jacket, and shuffled in his slippers out of the guest room. He walked to the door of the room where Meng Jingwei and Shi Ran were resting and knocked. "Ran Bao'er?"
He called out a few times, but there was no answer from inside.
Tang Si then reached out and turned the doorknob.