His Tone Was Gentle and Courteous, Disarming by Nature
Elena Shen paused and met Ethan Jiang's gaze.
There was, indeed, no need for them to act like strangers.
Even if, at the very least, the marriage alliance never came to be—
She had spent the past decade growing up in the Jiang household.
"What should I call you, then?" she asked.
She used to call him big brother, but he'd asked her not to.
"Just use my name," he replied simply.
"Have you had dinner?" Ethan casually draped his coat over the arm of the sofa. Compared to her, the current resident of the apartment, he seemed more like its rightful master.
Elena glanced toward the kitchen from the corner of her eye, visibly conflicted.
"Not yet."
She rarely cooked—only when the mood struck her.
There weren't many ingredients left in the apartment today. She had originally planned to order takeout to get by.
But now that Ethan was here, she couldn't possibly serve him delivery food.
Just as she was racking her brain for alternatives, his voice broke into her thoughts.
"I already had something ordered—private home-style dishes from Lao Fu Ji in the South District. I remember you used to like it. Do you still?"
Elena blinked in surprise, then nodded. "It's still pretty good."
Eric Chen was fast.
Barely two minutes after they'd entered the apartment, the meal Ethan had pre-ordered arrived.
Eric, who remembered all too well how his boss's mood had plummeted earlier in the car while demanding an investigation into Zane Chi, did not linger for even a second after delivering the food. The ever-astute assistant vanished immediately, wisely choosing not to get in the way.
During her years in the Jiang household, Elena and Ethan didn't spend much time alone, but there were still shared meals—mostly the annual reunion dinners or birthday banquets for the Jiang patriarch.
But on those occasions, the rest of the Jiang family would always be present.
Tonight was the first time she and Ethan had dinner alone.
Throughout the meal, the atmosphere remained subdued.
After dinner, when Ethan showed no signs of leaving right away, Elena brought up the matter that had weighed on her mind these past two days.
"About the engagement—"
She had barely uttered the words before Ethan looked up at her.
His gaze made her inexplicably tense.
Gripping the glass of water in her hand, she pretended not to notice his stare and continued, "I've thought it over carefully these past couple of days. Perhaps... we should cancel it."
Ethan tapped a knuckle against the table, eyes fixed on her. He didn't agree, nor did he object—instead, he asked:
"Elena, do you dislike me that much?"
She was caught off guard by the question.
Subconsciously, she shook her head. "No, I don't."
"Then... is it because there's someone else you like?"
"Would you mind telling me who it is?" His voice remained gentle and courteous, disarmingly calm.
She shook her head again. "There's no one."
Between earning her credits, working on research projects, and staying up late tracking market trends, she barely had time to breathe—let alone date.
A shadow of unreadable depth in Ethan's eyes slowly faded. He leaned back, relaxed in his chair, still watching her.
"Then why are you so insistent on calling off the engagement?"
"…"
Elena found herself momentarily speechless.
As she struggled to formulate a response, Ethan spoke again, in the same measured, composed tone he'd maintained for years—never in a hurry, always in control.
"Elena, I've been abroad most of these years. I rarely return to China. It's true we aren't that familiar with each other."
He took the blame upon himself, never once mentioning how she had always kept her distance every time he returned.
"But if we take the time, we'll come to understand each other better."
"And... this engagement was arranged twenty years ago. Your parents were very satisfied with the match. Calling it off now would go against their wishes."
He paused briefly.
Elena instinctively looked over at him.
Meeting her gaze, he tapped the table lightly and added:
"From a purely practical standpoint, a marriage between our two families benefits everyone involved—wouldn't you agree?"
Especially the Shen family.
And Shen Group.
It was a deal with no downsides.
Even twenty years ago, the alliance between the Shens and Jiangs had been a winning move. All the more so now, with Shen Group's declining standing.
Elena understood the benefits. She knew Ethan now held full control over the Tiansheng Corporation and its crown jewel, E.R. Group—a market leader in its sector.
Marrying him would be a fast track to prominence for the Shens.
Still, she couldn't quite accept the sudden prospect of marrying Ethan.
It was like a bolt from the blue, crashing down without warning—she hadn't yet found a way to process it.
Ethan understood how she felt.
After all, everyone around her had tacitly assumed she'd end up with Adrian Jiang.
That had been the narrative since her youth. Switching partners now—of course it would take time to adjust.
He was willing to give her that time.
"Think it over again," he said, his tone still gentle.
Then, holding her gaze—clear and glass-like, filled with unspoken conflict—he added softly:
"Or if there's anything you want... just tell me."