Chapter 440: Chapter 440 The Only One I Want to Marry
The New Year was approaching, and the streets and alleyways were bustling with activity, adorned with festive lights and decorations.
Lan Yan sat in the car, watching the cheerful red lanterns on the roadside and the twinkling string lights hanging from the trees.
Xiao Si said, “Ms. Liang asked me to bring you home tonight. Do you need to go back to Moon Gift Villa to grab your things?”
Lan Yan: “Mm, let’s go back.”
This year had been the most special one for her.
In the past, she had always spent it with Bai Yang and the others.
Moon Gift Villa.
Lan Yan went to her room to gather her belongings, while Xiao Si took the opportunity to visit the main building.
The first thing Jiang Yan said when he saw him was: “Why are you here again?”
Xiao Si casually sat down. “Just came to check how far along your second-child plans are.”
Jiang Yan’s preparation for a second child with Su He was something their circle all knew about.
Jiang Yan chuckled, “Don’t worry, it’ll definitely happen earlier than your first child. Maybe by the time my daughter is walking, Lan Yan still won’t have officially upgraded your status.”
Xiao Si eyed him and clicked his tongue. “You can’t even see its shadow yet, how can you be certain it’s a girl? You’re jumping to conclusions too soon—it could very well be a boy.”
The man’s deep, dark eyes gazed at him calmly. “Care to bet on it?”
At the word “bet,” Xiao Si recalled the incident with Lu Zhiyang.
He had lost tens of millions that time.
So this time, he was more cautious.
“Are you trying to set me up again? Want to fleece me of my money once more?”
He looked at him warily.
Jiang Yan said, “Don’t make excuses just because you dare not lose.”
Xiao Si: “…”
“If you’re so unafraid of losing, then pay me back the ten million from before.”
“I won that fair and square—why should I return it?”
“Then I won’t bet with you. I’m telling you, goading won’t work on me this time.”
This time, he’d learned his lesson—one shouldn’t be overly confident.
Especially with this man in front of him, one must avoid anything related to “bets.”
In his memory, Jiang Yan had never lost once in the bets among their group.
Jiang Yan wasn’t insistent about making him gamble; he’d merely mentioned it in passing.
Still, Jiang Yan teased him: “Coward.”
Xiao Si didn’t care about his remark.
“Fine, call me a coward, it’s better than losing money.”
At this point, Su Baobao came downstairs.
He happened to overhear this line.
“Uncle Xiao, did you lose another bet?”
Xiao Si looked at the little guy and said, “What, are you hoping I lost?”
Su Baobao ran over to Jiang Yan’s side, his round eyes gleaming as he grinned. “That depends on who Uncle Xiao loses to.”
Xiao Si raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”
Su Baobao said, “If you lost to my dad, then of course I’d hope Uncle Xiao lost.”
Xiao Si snorted, “Not bad—like father, like son. Just as devious.”
Jiang Yan reached out to ruffle Su Baobao’s hair.
Recently, Su Baobao had been growing quickly. Though he wasn’t yet in elementary school, he was already over 130 centimeters tall.
“Uncle Xiao, when are you going to marry Aunt Yan?”
“You little rascal, why are you so interested in adults’ business?”
“I’m concerned that Uncle Xiao might get too lonely. After all, all of Dad’s other close buddies are already paired off—only Uncle Xiao hasn’t secured his spot yet. What if Aunt Yan decides to leave you someday—what would you do then?”
Serious-faced, Su Baobao added, “Aunt Yan is pretty and capable; she has plenty of options.”
Xiao Si: “…What on earth are they teaching you in kindergarten these days? You’re just a little brat, how do you know so much?”
“Is this how you and Su He teach him at home?”
He looked toward Jiang Yan, raising an eyebrow as he asked.
Jiang Yan said unhurriedly, “It’s called being perceptive. Even a child can see it—so maybe you should stop dawdling. After all, Lan Yan’s status is different now. Behind her stands the Wei Family. Never mind Wei Ting—we haven’t even mentioned Wei Junyao. Besides, it’s only a matter of time before Lan Yan returns to the Wei Family. Wei Ting has no children of his own, and Lan Yan is the only bloodline kin he has in this world. He’ll undoubtedly want to compensate her in the best possible way. Needless to say, you’re not exactly his ideal pick for a son-in-law.”
Jiang Yan had a thorough grasp of the situation regarding Lan Yan.
“…”
If Xiao Si didn’t know Lan Yan better, he might’ve been convinced by Jiang Yan’s words.
“Stop trying to scare me with your nonsense. My Xiao Yanyan only has me in her heart.”
Jiang Yan chuckled softly, “Let’s hope you still feel as optimistic when the time comes.”
Xiao Si: “…”
Although he told Jiang Yan he didn’t care, as he left, he couldn’t help feeling a little disturbed inside.
In the car, though he didn’t say anything, Lan Yan still noticed that something was off about his mood.
“What’s wrong?” She tilted her head to look at him, asking, “Why do I feel something’s up?”
Usually, once they were in the car, he would talk non-stop.
But today, he was unusually quiet.
Xiao Si was just about to say something when Lan Yan cut him off: “Don’t tell me it’s nothing.”
And so, before Xiao Si could even manage to get the words out, they were choked back.
“It’s nothing much, just feeling a bit down.”
“Why are you feeling down? Did something happen?”
He’d been fine just a moment ago, so what had him in a funk all of a sudden?
Xiao Si was quiet for a few seconds, then said, “What if I’m not your dad’s ideal son-in-law? What should I do?”
Lan Yan was momentarily confused about who he was referring to as “dad.”
She paused for a moment, then reached out to feel his forehead.
“You don’t have a fever, so why are you spouting nonsense?” She frowned faintly. “What does he have to do with anything? He’s him, and I’m me. My decisions aren’t anyone else’s business.”
Her implication was clear—he had no reason to worry about such things.
Because of her words, the cloud of unease in Xiao Si’s heart began to dissipate.
He said, “Oh, then I’m fine now.”
Lan Yan looked at him doubtfully. “Why did you randomly ask me this? Did someone say something to you?”
Xiao Si said, “No one in particular—I just thought of it on my own. I know you’re not interested in the Wei Family, but you are Wei Ting’s only daughter. He’s not going to let you live alone outside indefinitely. What if one day the truth comes out and he wants to bring you back? What would you choose then?”
Xiao Si glanced at her.
“Honestly, you shouldn’t feel pressured. To be fair, he hasn’t done anything to hurt you, and he didn’t even know about your existence. So whatever you decide will be fine, without needing to take other factors into account.”
Lan Yan fell into silence. The truth was, she had never considered this matter before.
“I don’t know, but none of this will affect us.”
“I know. I trust you.”
He had always trusted her—perhaps too much, to the point that his care sometimes harbored a faint fear of losing her.
…
Before long, New Year’s Eve arrived.
The Xiao Mansion was as lively as ever.
For Lan Yan, this was her first time experiencing such an atmosphere. The courtyard echoed with the cheerful laughter of children.
At the moment, she was chatting with Old Madam Xiao.
The old madam adored her deeply, pulling her close from the moment she arrived.
“Yanyan, has Xiao Si been bullying you lately?”
The old madam warmly held her hand, gazing at her kindly as she asked.
Lan Yan shook her head obediently, “Grandma, no, he’s always been very good to me. Aside from being talkative sometimes, he has no faults at all.”
The old madam laughed, “That boy has been a chatterbox since he was little—his talkativeness is normal. If you ever get tired of his babbling, just tell him to be quiet. Smacking him works too—after all, he’s thick-skinned.”
The old madam’s words were amusing and at odds with her gentle demeanor. She went on to share many stories about Xiao Si’s childhood.
While Mrs. Xiao had told some of these stories before, the old madam’s version was entirely different.
“That boy once got into a shouting match with the parrot your grandfather kept just because he wouldn’t stop talking.”
Lan Yan couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this.
An argument with a parrot did seem like the kind of thing Xiao Si would do.
“Grandma, you might not want to share all my embarrassing stories with her. What if she runs away and I lose my future wife?”
Xiao Si walked over and said this with a hint of complaint.
The old madam gave him a glare, unfazed. “If she leaves you, it’s not because of my stories—it’s because you did something to hurt her. If you can’t keep your own wife, you have no one to blame but yourself.”
Xiao Si furrowed his brows slightly. “Grandma, I’m an adult now, and you’re still smacking my butt.”
The old madam snorted, “No matter how old you get, you’re still a child in my eyes.”
Xiao Si didn’t argue further with the old madam. “Alright, fine—I’m a child. But can I take her back now? You’ve monopolized almost all her attention.”
“Fine, fine, take her,” the old madam said dismissively. “You’re so stingy.”
She promptly placed Lan Yan’s hand in Xiao Si’s.
Xiao Si clasped her hand, pulling her up. “Grandma, you’ve got plenty of people to keep you company. I only have my Xiao Yanyan.”
The old madam waved her hand, gesturing for them to leave. “Go on, get out of my sight.”
Both of them knew she was joking.
“Grandma, I’ll come back and chat with you later,” Lan Yan said warmly.
“Good girl. Now go, but make sure you’re back for the family dinner.”
Xiao Si took her hand, leading her away.
As they left the courtyard, Lan Yan asked, “Where are you taking me?”
Xiao Si brought her to the garage. “You’ll see soon.”
He opened the car door for the passenger seat and gestured for her to get in.
Lan Yan complied without question.
After getting into the car, she voiced another concern: “If we go out now and miss the dinner, won’t it be bad?”
This was, after all, her first time joining the Xiao family’s New Year’s Eve dinner—it wouldn’t be right to be absent right away.
He replied casually, “Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time—we’ll make it back.”
Seeing how confident he was, she let it go and didn’t press further.
Soon, the car left the Xiao Mansion.
Once Xiao Si had driven off, someone informed Mrs. Xiao and the others.
“Is everything ready? They’ll be here soon.”
Mrs. Xiao looked at everyone and asked.
Xiao Lanxin reassured her, “Don’t worry, Second Sister-in-law; everything’s in place. That rascal decided to pull something this big last-minute. Thankfully, our family’s not short on money or staff; otherwise, who’d want to deal with this on New Year’s Eve?”
Meanwhile, in the car, Lan Yan noticed that after leaving the Xiao Mansion, they didn’t head downhill but instead drove further up the mountain.
Given her past experiences, she was naturally sensitive to certain things.
Turning to look at Xiao Si, she asked curiously, “What are you up to? Planning a surprise?”
Xiao Si, without so much as blinking, replied, “No surprises. Just wanted to take you up to see the night view. From up there, you can see half of Yue City.”
Lan Yan eyed him skeptically, “Are you sure you’re not lying to me?”
“When have I ever lied to you?” he countered.
Hearing this, Lan Yan couldn’t think of a suitable reply.
She felt that asking further would yield no answers anyway.
About twenty minutes later, the car came to a stop.
The surroundings were pitch dark, with the only source of light coming from a two-story building not far ahead.
“There’s a house here?” she asked casually.
It genuinely surprised her—she hadn’t expected anyone to live at the mountaintop.
“Are we disturbing anyone by being here?”
The presence of a residence suggested that someone might own the area, and trespassing might not be appropriate.
Unbuckling his seatbelt first, Xiao Si turned to look at her. “Get out.”
With that, he stepped out of the car.
Lan Yan: “…”
Tonight, he really was being uncharacteristically tight-lipped.
Following suit, she also unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.
The moment she stepped out, a cold breeze swept by.
Instinctively, she tightened her coat around her.
And in the next second, she was enveloped in a warm embrace.
He opened his coat wide and wrapped her up in it as he held her tightly.
With his arm around her, he led her toward the illuminated little villa ahead.
“Where are we going? Do you know the people here?” Lan Yan asked again.
“You’ll see when we get there,” he replied, calm as ever.
She tilted her head to look at his profile in the moonlight. “I feel like you’re acting strangely tonight.”
He dropped his gaze to meet hers. “How so?”
Lan Yan: “You’re being evasive, and you seem distracted.”
“Really?”
“You tell me.”
They bantered back and forth as they walked forward.
When they reached the small building, Xiao Si naturally opened the door.
What greeted her was a small courtyard filled with pink balloons.
Lan Yan squinted her eyes, growing increasingly suspicious of what was going on.
Yet Xiao Si, as if nothing were amiss, kept holding her and guided her down the little stone path in the courtyard.
“Xiao Si, seriously, what are you up to?” she asked, a mix of exasperation and curiosity in her tone.
The moment her words fell, the space ahead of her suddenly lit up. Suddenly, a group of people jumped out from the shadows.
Just as quickly, the sound of party poppers rang out around her.
Lan Yan froze as she took in the sight of familiar faces—Su He, Mrs. Xiao, and a host of others.
Wait…
Just as she was standing there in stunned disbelief, the man who had been holding her subtly let her go.
Before she could react, he stood in front of her and dropped to one knee.
His movement was so unexpected that she was caught off guard. Although she’d had some vague suspicions earlier, she had never considered this possibility.
“You…” she began.
But before she could finish, he interrupted her. “Lan Yan, I do have a surprise for you. But I’m not sure if it counts as a surprise for you.”
“I’ve thought about this carefully before deciding to do it. I know it may seem sudden to you, and you might not be fully prepared. But for me, you’ve already become the person I want to cherish for the rest of my life, my one and only. And you’re also the only person I’ve ever wanted to marry.”
After finishing his speech, Xiao Si looked straight into her eyes, cautiously asking, “So, Lan Yan, will you marry me? Will you give me the chance to be part of your life?”