The boss has no descendants, but he encounters four smaller versions of himself

She forced herself to look away and turned to look at the other side of the living room.

It has three huge floor-to-ceiling windows that bring the flowers and plants in the courtyard outside and the distant skyline into view without reservation.

Sunlight streamed in through the clean glass, casting bright spots of light on the carpet.

In a daze, she was back to that lazy afternoon. She leaned against him, pointed to the floor-to-ceiling window design in the magazine, and said jokingly, "Si Nian, look at this. I wish our home would have a floor-to-ceiling window like this in the future. We can put a super comfortable sofa here and snuggle up together, watching the rain in summer and the snow in winter."

How did he respond? He seemed to lower his head and kiss the top of her head, whispering, "Okay, whatever you say."

She said, "I was just kidding. We don't have that much money to decorate a house like that. I'll just dream about it. As long as I'm with you, I'm willing to live anywhere."

Before her stood a huge floor-to-ceiling window, and in front of it, a comfortable sofa just as she had imagined…

Everything perfectly matched the home she had casually described back then.

So... without her knowledge, he had already secretly prepared a wedding room for the two of them?

Her already restless heart was suddenly stirred up.

With increasing trepidation, Wen Xiaoman continued walking inside.

She pushed open the bedroom door.

What comes into view is the kind of super-sized bed she likes, next to which is a walk-in closet, and further in is a spacious bathroom, where you can vaguely see the freestanding bathtub that she once said was "only a big bathtub is comfortable".

However, what shocked her the most was the bedroom walls.

That wall, which should have been plain, was now covered with photos—all of her!

There are her slightly naive photos from two years ago, candid snapshots of her, and most of all, photos of her and Qiao Sinian together when they were together.

Those past events that she had deliberately buried were now incredibly clear, filling the entire room in an almost assertive manner.

At this moment, Wen Xiaoman couldn't quite describe how she felt.

A sour, throbbing pain, yet a surge of immense warmth rushed in, instantly washing away all her doubts and uncertainties.

She had never been so certain as she was at this moment that Qiao Sinian's love for her had never changed, and was even deeper than she had imagined.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have decorated the bridal chamber according to her preferences in a place where she couldn't see it, and he wouldn't have secretly hung their photos all over the bedroom.

Qiao Sinian liked her, and Mr. and Mrs. Qiao did not lie to her.

However, Wen Xiaoman searched the entire villa but couldn't find Qiao Sinian.

"Sinian!"

"Si Nian, where are you?"

"Qiao Sinian, come out here!"

She called his name, her voice echoing through the empty villa.

Apart from her own echo and heartbeat, there was no other sound.

What about people?

Qiao Sinian, where are you?

............

Meanwhile, at the Qiao family's old residence, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

Just before Wen Xiaoman arrived at the villa, Qiao Sinian had already received the news and left ahead of time.

At this moment, he was sitting opposite Mr. and Mrs. Qiao. Although his face was pale and his figure was much thinner than before, his deep eyes were still sharp, and even more so because of his anger at this moment, they had an even colder sense of oppression.

He looked at his anxious parents and broke the silence, asking in a low voice, "Who told you to bring her here?"

Mr. Qiao met his son's cold gaze and took the initiative to take responsibility: "Si Nian, this was all my idea. After I found out that Wen Xiaoman was someone you cared about and a girl you liked, I went and invited her over."

Qiao Sinian's face was gloomy.

Before her son could get angry, Mrs. Qiao said, "Si Nian, we know you don't want Xiao Man to know about your health condition, but... you are our son, and of course we have to think about you. How can we bear to see you in this situation, unable to even keep someone you like by your side? Blame us if you want. This time we acted on our own initiative, but... since she's willing to come to see you, it means she cares about you too. Why don't you... meet her, okay?"

Qiao Sinian's expression softened slightly, but he still did not give in.

Mrs. Qiao continued to persuade, "Si Nian, no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first. We brought her here for no other reason than to hope that... she can accompany you on this last journey, so that you... can be happier and have fewer regrets."

Upon hearing the words "the last leg of the journey," Qiao Sinian's body stiffened.

He slowly raised his head and finally spoke again: "You... told her about my situation?"

Madam Qiao quickly shook her head. "No, we know you don't want to talk about it, so we've kept it a secret for you. We haven't revealed a single word. But Si Nian... I can tell that Xiao Man is a kind and loyal girl, and she's sincere towards you. If you keep pushing her away without saying anything, isn't that another kind of torture for her? It would be better... better to tell her the truth honestly, and let her choose whether to stay or leave... That would be better for her."

"You don't understand!"

Qiao Sinian abruptly interrupted his mother, his tone filled with barely suppressed anger, "I will handle my own affairs. I don't need you to decide for me what is best for her!"

He took a deep breath, and then, as if in resignation, said in a low voice, "I will go see her, but after that, you must send her back safely and do nothing else."

Mr. and Mrs. Qiao were both taken aback upon hearing this.

Although her son had agreed to meet her, his attitude... clearly showed that he hadn't changed his mind and still insisted on pushing Wen Xiaoman away.

Looking at her son's resolute expression, Mrs. Qiao asked unwillingly, "Just...just one meeting?"

Can't we spend more time together?

Qiao Sinian: "Hmm."

The tone left no room for negotiation.

Mrs. Qiao wanted to persuade him further, but Mr. Qiao grabbed her arm, shook his head, and said softly, "Never mind, it's good to be able to meet...."

There wasn't much they could do to begin with. Their original goal was simply to minimize their son's regrets. Sinian's health could deteriorate at any moment, and no one could make any promises about the future.

Mr. Qiao recalled the terrifying phone call he had received earlier and couldn't help but ask, "Si Nian, A Yi called earlier to say you fainted, we were all terrified. How are you... feeling now?"

"Don't worry, it's not the first time," he said calmly. "I'm fine for now."

After saying that, he got up to leave.

Mrs. Qiao suddenly said, "By the way, Sinian, do you know you have a son?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Sinian stopped in his tracks.