Lin Xiaoxiao stared at her brother Lin Zihao, surprised. “Do you even know what marriage means?”

Zihao nodded earnestly. “Of course. If I marry Jiejie, we can sleep in the same room at night and never be apart.”

Xiaoxiao realized the situation was more complicated than they had thought.

Zhou Xiaoling flushed and shook her head quickly. “Don’t talk nonsense! We can’t get married.”

Li Yunlan chimed in, “She’s right. You and Xiaoling are family—marriage isn’t possible. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Zihao pouted, unconvinced. “No, you’re lying.”

Seeing that reasoning was getting nowhere, Li Yunlan felt a wave of relief that they had informed the Lin family. Once the Lins came to take him away, things would settle down.

Shifting the topic away from the awkward moment, she turned to Xiaoxiao. “Have you spoken with Duoduo’s mother? They’re coming for New Year’s Day dinner—that’s in three days. We should start preparing. Do Duoduo’s parents have any dietary preferences? I’ve heard people from abroad often like coffee. Should we get some?”

To Li Yunlan, hospitality wasn’t just about warmth—it was about making guests feel truly welcome and comfortable.

Xiaoxiao waved her hands. “Mom, there’s no need to go to such trouble. After all, we’re the ones who saved Duoduo. They’re coming to thank us.”

But Li Yunlan insisted, “That’s exactly why we should make sure they have a good time. I remember the overseas Chinese store sells coffee. I’ll have Xiaocheng buy some later.”

“Really, it’s not necessary,” Xiaoxiao protested. “I’ve noticed they enjoy tea as well—Teacher Linda seems quite fond of it.”

Li Yunlan looked skeptical. “Really? I assumed they all preferred coffee. But honestly, what’s so good about coffee? It’s bitter and harsh.”

Xiaoxiao played along with a grin, “I don’t like it either.” But deep down, she was a devoted coffee lover.

Over the meal, Li Yunlan finalized the menu for New Year’s Day—it was going to be an impressive spread by the standards of the time.

Still, she couldn’t shake her worry about the Wei family. Would they cause trouble?

“Even though we’re in the right, the whole situation leaves a bad taste,” she sighed.

Xiaoling looked down, guilty. “I’m sorry, Mom. It’s my fault you have to worry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Li Yunlan reassured her firmly. “People like that bring trouble on themselves. They pick fights but can’t handle the consequences. And with your second brother here, everything will be fine.”

…

Early the next morning, Zhou Xiaocheng returned with an update: Wei Guoqing had regained consciousness and was out of critical condition, but with three broken ribs, six teeth knocked out, and a fractured collarbone.

He glanced at Lin Zihao, who was seriously munching on a steamed bun, and sighed. “You’ve got quite the strength. Why did you have to hit him so hard? If my brother hadn’t shown up in time, you might have killed him.”

Zihao mumbled through a full mouth, “He bullied Jiejie. So I hit him.”

Xiaocheng couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re good at protecting people, I’ll give you that. But next time, tone it down a bit, alright? Getting hurt is painful.”

Zihao nodded. “If no one bullies Jiejie, I won’t hit.”

Li Yunlan voiced her concern, “Will there be any legal trouble?”

Xiaocheng shook his head. “No. They provoked it, and given Zihao’s condition, he can’t be held criminally responsible. As for my brother throwing Li Chunhua—there’s a witness who saw her attacking Xiaoling. He intervened to stop her.”

Xiaoling looked surprised. “There’s a witness? Second Brother, you didn’t arrange that, did you?”

Xiaocheng laughed lightly. “Silly girl, what are you thinking? It was an elderly man selling roasted sweet potatoes. He saw everything while packing up to go home.”

Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. A witness would make things much simpler—otherwise, the case could get messy.

Xiaoling widened her eyes. “The old man saw it all? And he’s willing to testify? What if the Wei family tries to retaliate? Those two are good-for-nothings who bully people all the time.”

“They won’t dare,” Xiaocheng said calmly.

When the topic turned to Old Mrs. Wei’s earlier outburst at their home, he frowned slightly. “They’re unreasonable, but I’m surprised they’d come here without checking the details first. They could’ve confronted me at the hospital.”

Xiaoxiao said with certainty, “Someone must have stirred them up. Like Xiaoling said, those two are Geng Aiguo’s lackeys. Who knows if he’s behind this?”

After all, Geng Aiguo’s divorce had some connection to Xiaocheng. He surely held a grudge.

Xiaocheng’s brow furrowed briefly before relaxing into a smile. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. I know what I’m doing.”

Xiaoxiao felt a little embarrassed. She had brought up Geng Aiguo not only out of suspicion but also with a small selfish hope—that Xiaocheng would keep his distance from Luo Anran. She still wanted her best friend to marry into the family as her sister-in-law.

She hadn’t expected Xiaocheng to see right through her. Couldn’t he be a little less perceptive?

With the Wei situation under control, Xiaoling could finally rest and recover at home.

Xiaoxiao also informed her parents about the New Year’s Day dinner and briefly explained the recent incidents.

Lin Wenbin had been spending most of his time at his sister Lin Wanyin’s place lately, helping with the kids and discussing current affairs with his father—weighing the best time to start a business.

In their previous life, he had inherited a family enterprise. This time, starting from scratch felt different, yet full of potential.

It was an era of both opportunity and challenge, where information traveled slowly. Both father and son felt confident about the future.

When he heard that Lin Zihao had nearly beaten someone to death, Lin Wenbin clicked his tongue. “At least he’s not completely clueless.”

Xiaoxiao agreed. “He knows how to protect his own. For his current state, that’s real progress. When you see him, don’t tease him, okay?”

Wenbin scoffed. “Do you think I’m like him? Don’t worry, I’ll get along with him just fine.”

But Xiaoxiao wasn’t so sure. Although Zihao had the mind of a seven-year-old, he wasn’t easily fooled. Like any clever child, he had his own thoughts and preferences.

“He’s not like An’an or Xuanxuan. You can’t sweet-talk him that easily.”

Their father, Lin Wenyuan, who had been quietly listening, suddenly asked, “Zihao’s family is from Shanghai? What’s his father’s name?”

Xiaoxiao wasn’t sure. In her original world, their two families had been old friends, but she didn’t remember anyone named Lin Zihao.

Wenbin interrupted his father’s train of thought. “Dad, most people and events in this world don’t overlap with our previous one.”

But Lin Wenyuan gazed into the distance, thoughtful. “What if there’s a slight chance they do?”