The One in My Heart

3

An raised an eyebrow. The tone of the conversation made it seem like they didn’t want to continue. But what would happen to his family's business then?

While his father was momentarily at a loss for words, An smiled and said, “That's right, my family is asking for this marriage to help revive the company. If you don’t want to, we’ll have to find another way, or even consider a marriage alliance with another family.”

“So, if we proceed with this marriage, what do I stand to gain?” The man was asking what benefits he would get to make up for the loss after the divorce scandal with An’s brother. An subtly looked at his father. This was not something he could decide, so he reluctantly glanced at his father for guidance.

His father coughed and said, “Actually, neither of you is really interested in business... but if we do a marriage alliance, we could merge the companies. The condition is... you must never divorce my son, no matter what happens. If a divorce happens, you’ll have to return all shares to my family.”

An was stunned. At the age of 18, his father told him that he owned 30% of the company’s shares, while his brother had 15%. His father had been worried that his brother might do something reckless due to love, but now his brother had left the family for another man.

“Alright.” The tech company, T.F, wasn’t beyond saving. Even with the added pressure of his brother’s actions, the family business could still be revived. The man thought to himself that adding another company would expand the family’s assets. His family already had investments in the arts and media; now adding technology would be a new challenge.

“Well then, let's pick a date to register the marriage. The wedding will remain at the end of the month!” The man smiled and made the decision. An's family had no objections, as they stood to gain from this arrangement.

An suddenly remembered his past life, where his family had been helped after bankruptcy. In the end, the other family had shown kindness by rescuing them.

“You can choose the day that suits you. I’ll follow your arrangement,” An said with a smile. The man raised an eyebrow at him, but remained silent, causing An's smile to falter slightly.

The woman quickly intervened, saying, “Alright, An, don’t worry. Just talk to Tần about the contact details!”

Contact details? An took his phone and handed it to the man. “Could you type in your number for me?” He thought, if I need anything, I can always contact him. The man slowly typed the number and handed the phone back to An.

An carefully saved the number at the top of his contact list, just in case he needed to reach out.

“I have to go now, there’s a meeting in a bit.” The man addressed An and then turned to the adults: “I need to leave, I’ll contact An later. Goodbye, Uncle and Aunt.” With that, he stood up.

The adults quickly stood up as well, and An stood up with them, escorting him to the door.

“See you!” An called out cheerfully. Tần waved back at him, “See you.”

An felt that the man wasn’t as cold as he had imagined. Though he was using the company and remaining shares as part of the marriage arrangement, An believed that the family would recover quickly.

“Dad, Mom... I’m sorry I couldn’t help much.” He spoke softly. If he had chosen economics instead of pursuing art back then, would their family be in this situation?

“You have nothing to apologize for. Our company is just at the stage where it needs new leadership!” His father smiled and patted his son on the back, relieved that his youngest didn’t abandon them for love.

An understood his parents’ sentiments and simply smiled, heading upstairs quickly. He had a livestream session tonight. Even though he was the youngest son and could be lazy, he still had to work a bit unless he was offered a minor role in a show. Otherwise, his parents gave him money to spend, or he earned from reselling old items or livestreaming on a platform he was familiar with.

The livestream platform Rabbit. Tonight, An was livestreaming a game, just some casual games like strategy or farming. His fans were mostly girls who liked his appearance, and while some called him “baby” or “little boy,” An often found it awkward to know how to address them, so he just shyly called them "friends."

“Hey everyone, I broke up today, so I’m just going to play a game with Mr. Định!” An adjusted the camera and started reading and replying to the comments slowly.

“I don’t feel love anymore, so I broke up. Let’s remove him from my friends list!” An decisively removed the person, causing some viewers to be stunned.

Ai_Ăn_An: Wow, my baby is so ruthless... Tuyệt_Đỉnh_: I’ve never seen anyone break up and then just cut ties so decisively like An!

An laughed: “If it’s not decisive, should I just drag it out? We’re adults here, dragging things only causes pain! Now, Mr. Định, get on the game!”

Đỉnh_VIP: Here, here! Let me join!

Thus, An began his livestream.

Meanwhile, in another room, a man heard loud noises from upstairs. Wasn't it the younger sibling playing games for over five hours again? Below him was his younger brother, Thiên An, who would be his future bride.

“Định, are you playing games? How long have you been at it?” His mother called up, and hearing the footsteps made him think of An, who always ran like that.

“I’ve only been playing for a short time! I’m meeting a friend, just need one more hour!” The voice trailed off, followed by more thumping, causing his mother to shake her head helplessly. Tần hung his shirt on the hook: “After we get married, we’ll move out on our own.”

“Are you coming home this weekend?” His mother asked. Tần nodded, “Of course.” His family had no serious issues, and as long as there was no betrayal or infighting, he’d always return home.

His mother smiled with satisfaction. Parents only wish for their children to stay close.

“An is a good child, and his family is like a close friend of ours...” The woman gently spoke as she set the food on the table.

Tần sat down and listened to his mother, understanding her words. It was precisely because they were close that he reluctantly agreed to this marriage for practical reasons.

At least that family wouldn’t manipulate him for their own benefit. Tần smiled quietly, listening as his mother complimented An. Suddenly, he asked, “What about Ân? What happened to the one who backed out of the marriage?”

The family had two sons and one daughter, but the eldest son was always difficult for the mother and father to understand. Perhaps it was because of his childhood or a lack of parental love that things turned out this way. The woman smiled awkwardly, “It was just an accident. The other family didn’t mean to do it…”

Tần remained silent, staring at his mother, and the tension was broken by the mischievous voice of the younger son.

“Hey, is dinner ready? Oh, are you getting married at the end of the month? Can I see a picture of my future sister-in-law?” Định sat down, rubbing his shaved head.

“Call her ‘sister-in-law.’ She’s shy, so you’ll have to wait until the wedding day,” Tần said calmly.

Định frowned, “What? Why are you hiding her from me? Afraid I’ll kidnap her or something? Just so you know, I’m straight! I’m the one who’s going to have a son for the family, ha ha ha!” He said something silly and laughed loudly.

Tần didn’t argue with him, knowing it was just a joke. He did, however, know that Định’s straightness was the real deal.

“Alright, let’s eat,” he said with a tolerant smile. His parents sighed in relief.