Xian looked at her for a long moment, his gaze steady and penetrating, as though he were attempting to lift the lid off her thoughts and examine what lay beneath.
"I'm not sure whether you're aware of the feud between the Keir and the Song families," he said calmly.
"I've heard of it," Yeri replied with a shrug. "And I'm not particularly interested."
Xian forced a faint smile, as if uncertain whether to admire her indifference or question her judgment.
"Before the Song family entered politics, we were also deeply rooted in business," he began. "In fact, the Songs and the Keirs were once in good terms, friends let's say. But competition has a way of fermenting into resentment. Resentment into grudges. And grudges into fractures that can no longer be mended."
His fingers traced the rim of his cup absently.
"The Keirs are formidable on their own. Even more so after strengthening ties with the Neri and the Jie families. That alliance alone shifted the balance of power."
Yeri's expression did not change. If anything, she looked increasingly disengaged.
Xian did not seem offended. He continued evenly. "I assume you know who Bryce Gate is. And that Shin is the son of Allister Keir's mistress?"
Yeri frowned.
She knew Shin was an illegitimate child. That much had circulated quietly. But Bryce Gate… why did that name feel vaguely familiar?
"You mean Calin Ricci's fiancé?" she asked after a moment. "What about him?"
"You don't know?" Realization flickered across Xian's face. He exhaled slowly.
"Bryce was once the heir apparent of the Keir family. But when he was eleven, it was discovered that Allister Keir's wife had lied and Bryce wasn't his son. To contain the scandal, he was sent abroad immediately and Shin replaced him. At the time, the Keir children were kept out of public view, so the age difference between Bryce and Shin raised no suspicion."
"...."
Yeri lowered her gaze to her cappuccino, watching the foam dissolve into shapeless swirls.
She did not need to hear this from a stranger.
What if Shin had chosen not to tell her? What if he had his reasons?
Xian's voice shifted, losing its casual tone. "There was another reason Bryce was sent away so abruptly. Eighteen years ago, he set fire to a mountain villa. Shin's mother died in that fire. Tristan nearly did as well. Shin himself barely survived."
Silence fell over the table like ash.
This time, Yeri stared at him, disbelief warring with shock. Her mind struggled to reconcile the image of an eleven-year-old child with something so monstrous.
"He was only eleven," she whispered. "Why wasn't he sent to juvenile detention?"
Xian let out a quiet laugh, "Miss Zhi, the Keir family is not a place for anyone, not even the police to intervene freely."
His gaze sharpened. "Do you even know why Madam Nafplion targeted you?"
Yeri's head snapped up. "How do you know about that? So you're not merely a passerby, but you also had me investigated."
Xian did not confirm her assumption. Instead, he said calmly, "It was Bryce who helped Madam Nafplion abduct you. And now, he's collaborating with my father and older brother to deal with Shin Keir."
Yeri "...."
"In this rivalry, you've become the weakest link on Shin Keir's side. Madam Nafplion was only the beginning. Being with him means constant danger and living in restraint." He gave a small shrug. "Besides, how confident are you that he's willing to risk everything for your sake? Other than him, who else in the Keir family can you truly trust?"
Yeri arched a brow. "You're a Song too. Why are you telling me all this?"
Xian smiled, the expression unexpectedly gentle. "I don't particularly agree with my family's methods, nor do I share their mindset.
Besides…" His gaze lingered on her. "Do you really not remember me?"
Yeri looked genuinely baffled. She truly didn't.
Xian chuckled softly. "You used to call me Brother Book and throw random things over the wall whenever I ignored you."
Gradually, Yeri's eyes widened as recognition dawned.
Back then, whenever she fell ill, she was often confined at home. When her lessons exhausted her or her private tutors were away, boredom would creep in like an unwelcome guest.
They had once lived next door to a boy five years older than her, who stayed with his grandfather.
He was always reading. Sometimes, he would visit and share stories from the books he'd devoured, recounting them with surprising patience for her.
But one day, when she was twelve, he simply stopped coming. Later, she heard they had moved away and that the neighboring house had been sold.
So… Brother Book was him?
Seeing the realization in her eyes, Xian smiled faintly. "I grew up with my grandfather. Later, he developed dementia, so we had to return to the Song family for his treatment."
Then his expression turned serious as he looked at her. "I was truly surprised when I learned that the woman Shin Keir was engaged to was you. I don't know how the two of you became involved, but you and your family are good people. I just don't want to turn a blind eye and let you get caught in this mess."
Yeri's expression softened. The wariness she had earlier was no longer as sharp.
"Do you still get sick often?" Xian asked gently.
Yeri shook her head with a small smile. "As you can see, I look very healthy now. I go to school like a normal person."
Xian nodded in agreement. In truth, when he saw her at Zoren Lin's banquet, he had been stunned by her transformation.
It wasn't that Yeri hadn't been beautiful back then, but there was always a sickly pallor clinging to her, a fragile thinness that made her seem as though a strong gust of wind could carry her away.
Her beauty had once felt delicate, almost breakable. Now, she looked radiant and captivating.
For a while, the two of them spoke about the past, trading fragments of memory and filling in the years that had quietly passed between them.
"You and Shin Keir…" Xian hesitated before continuing. "He didn't force you into this engagement, did he?"
Yeri waved her hand dismissively. "No. Don't worry. It's a mutual agreement."
"So… you like him," Xian said, his eyes flickered with something restrained and unwillingness.
It wasn't a question. It was a confirmation.
Yeri smiled in a way that neither denied nor elaborated.
Even if he was someone she had once known, she had no intention of discussing the intricacies of her relationship with Shin Keir.
"I suppose I couldn't stop you from getting engaged, could I?" Xian said wryly.
Yeri blinked, slightly taken aback. He made it sound as though she were marching onto a battlefield to offer herself as sacrifice.
"Are you worried because I'm someone who doesn't know much about the world? Because I rarely socialized and spent half my childhood being sick?" She teased lightly, "Rest assured, I'm not as ignorant as you think nor I'm blinded by love. I know what I'm doing."
Xian did not look relieved.
Because he knew that no matter how strong a person was, how long could anyone endure constant proximity to danger? Eventually, the fear seeped in, lodging itself deep.
And if one day Shin Keir abandoned her… No one, no matter how resilient, could remain unshaken when left alone in a world brimming with malice.
"Yeri," he said, more earnest than before, "I may not be as powerful as the Keir family, and I don't have the ability to openly oppose my own family. But if you're ever in trouble, you don't have to hesitate. You can come to me anytime."
The words had barely settled between them when a cold, domineering voice sliced through the air.
"What trouble would require her to seek you," the voice asked evenly, "instead of her fiancé?"
Both of them turned.
Shin Keir stood a short distance away, hands in his coat pockets, gaze calm yet suffocatingly oppressive.
For a brief second, even the air felt heavier.
He walked over unhurriedly and sat beside Yeri as though the seat had always belonged to him. His arm wrapped around her waist with effortless familiarity, drawing her slightly closer.
At his feet, Carpet wagged enthusiastically, tail thumping against the floor.
The simple, joyful motion clashed oddly with the frost crystallizing in the air above.
Shin's bone-piercing gaze lifted to Xian. "What is a Song doing approaching my fiancée?"
The title was deliberate.
Yeri felt the tension coil like wire between them as she lightly touched Shin's sleeve. "Brother Book used to be my neighbor, We were just catching up."
But Xian no longer wore his earlier gentleness. The warmth receded, replaced by something composed and calculating.
"Catching up," he echoed mildly. "And offering a reminder. After all, it is only natural to be careful with someone like you."
The words were polite. The implication was not.
Shin's fingers tightened imperceptibly at Yeri's waist, "Someone like me?"
"A man who calculates risks for breakfast and swallows acquisitions for dinner," Xian replied calmly. "In your world, everything has value. Everything is weighed and measured. It's difficult not to wonder what benefit Yeri provides."
Yeri "???"
Shin's lips curved faintly, though no amusement touched his eyes. "How interesting. I wasn't aware the Song family had developed such moral sensitivity... Or is this concern selective?"
The words glided like silk, but there was steel beneath.
Xian did not flinch. "Concern becomes selective when patterns repeat themselves. A capitalist protects what generates profit. When returns diminish, investments are liquidated."
A faint smile ghosted his face. "Surely you understand that principle better than anyone."
Yeri "???"
Shin's gaze sharpened.
"And the Song family?" he asked evenly. "Do they call their arrangements philanthropy? Dressing ambition as righteousness does not make it cleaner."
The implication was unmistakable. Hypocrisy.
Xian's jaw tightened for the briefest moment. "At least we don't pretend sentiment is strategy,"
"And at least I don't pretend strategy is sin," Shin countered smoothly.
Yeri "???"
Silence fell, thick and combustible.
Two heirs. Neither raising their voice. Neither retreating an inch.
Yeri suddenly felt as though she were seated between two opposing empires disguised as men.