"It's a regular alliance between two families. Elena and I are already legally married."
The moment Ethan Jiang said that, Uncle Peter, who had been tipsy, instantly sobered up quite a bit.
He instinctively looked toward Adrian Jiang, who had been unusually quiet and reserved throughout the evening.
Everyone was caught off guard by the sudden announcement that the youngest daughter of the Shen family had married Ethan.
The entire dining hall fell silent for a moment.
Even Mr. and Mrs. Jiang looked somewhat surprised.
From the moment their eldest son brought up the idea of marrying Elena to now, it hadn't even been a full month.
They had originally thought their younger son was being reckless.
But now, it seemed even the son they were most proud of had gone through with the marriage in a rather impulsive way.
As if he were afraid that if he waited a moment longer, the bride might slip away.
A hush fell over the table.
Then, Adrian's voice broke the silence, with a hint of sarcasm laced in his seemingly warm words.
"That was fast. Congratulations, big brother… and sister-in-law."
His eyes were so dark they seemed bottomless, staring across at Elena like a silent abyss. Beneath the calm surface of his gaze, a storm of resentment surged—barely suppressed.
No one noticed how tightly he was gripping his wine glass, his knuckles pale from the pressure.
Elena dug her fingers into her palm, pretending not to hear the sneer hidden in Adrian's last two words.
The atmosphere at the table gradually warmed again.
But all the uncles and relatives remained visibly surprised by the unexpected switch in the arranged marriage.
For so many years, everyone had assumed it would be Adrian who would marry into the Shen family. No one had expected that Ethan, the eldest son, would end up taking on the marriage.
Uncle David was the first to recover.
He smiled at Elena, who sat beside Ethan.
"If I remember correctly, today is your birthday, isn't it, Elena? What a joyful occasion—double happiness. I only prepared a birthday gift for you today, but I'll have your wedding present sent first thing tomorrow morning."
The other uncles also came to their senses and began offering congratulations.
"When's the wedding?" Uncle Peter asked. "Have you two decided yet?"
Leaning back in his chair, Ethan glanced at Elena. "There's no rush. Elena's still young, and her coursework is heavy right now. We'll talk about the wedding after the new year."
The topic didn't linger long.
After all, everyone had long assumed that it would be Adrian marrying into the Shen family. Now that it was Ethan and Elena instead, these shrewd elders knew better than to press too much—they might accidentally bring up something best left unsaid.
The conversation quickly shifted.
Shadowlight Media's market value has been soaring lately. Adrian, is that why you arrived so late today? Busy with company matters?
Uncle David asked with a tone of approval. He was about to continue with, "The younger generation of the Jiang family certainly has a knack for entrepreneurship," when Adrian, who had unknowingly put down his wine glass and begun toying with his black-lacquered Tiffany lighter, replied casually:
"Uncle David, don't laugh at me. I've been chasing after a girl. First time I've met someone I like—I'm doing my best to win her over."
Elena kept her head lowered, gently stirring the delicate pastry in front of her with a spoon.
Ethan remained calm and indifferent, as if listening—and yet not really.
The sudden announcement of Ethan and Elena's marriage, followed by Adrian's declaration of a "girlfriend" at such a formal family dinner, left the uncles at a loss for words.
Before anyone could respond—
Mrs. Lin snapped coldly, "That little actress?"
She usually avoided bringing up unpleasant topics during family events. But Adrian had gone too far—he'd already stirred up enough public scandal with that woman, and now he dared to bring her up during a formal family gathering?
If she didn't stop him now, he might bring the girl home tomorrow.
"Adrian Jiang, don't blame me for not warning you ahead of time—our Jiang family does not welcome just anyone into this house."
Adrian's eyes darkened with ridicule.
"So—"
"So only arranged marriages count as proper?"
His gaze swept toward Elena, who sat quietly beside his brother, her presence practically invisible.
Rage boiled beneath his skin. The words legally married echoed endlessly in his mind, like a nightmare he couldn't wake from.
"I finally found someone I truly like. I refuse to be manipulated,Does that make me some kind of traitor?"
Just then, a few work emails from Silas Ji came through.
Noticing how tense and restrained Elena had been throughout dinner, Ethan took her upstairs early as the gathering wound down.
"Did you get enough to eat?"
He asked once they reached the second floor.
Elena nodded. "Yes, I'm full."
"There's a bit of work I need to handle—it won't take long."
"Go ahead, Ethan," she replied softly.
When they reached the third floor, Elena instinctively turned toward her own room. But she had only taken a few steps when Ethan called her back.
"Elena."
"Come with me to the studies."
"Me?" She paused and turned to look at him.
"I might distract you… I'll just wait in my room—"
Ethan cut her off with one sentence:
"Elena, we may be legally married, but we barely know each other. We need to spend more time together. Don't you agree?"
What did she think?
She thought… maybe it didn't need to happen this quickly.
Maybe she needed more time to adjust to being married.
But under Ethan's dark, steady gaze, Elena, ever timid and lacking confidence in moments like these, didn't dare say it aloud.
She bit back her inner protest, preparing to nod in defeat when an idea suddenly popped into her head.
Her clear eyes lit up slightly. She decided to go along with Ethan's words and gently tried to excuse herself:
"I agree. You're right, Ethan. We're still not that familiar with each other—we definitely need to spend more time together."
Ethan stood at the top of the stairs, watching her carefully prepare her escape route.
Right after that warm agreement, she quickly sneaked a glance at him and continued:
"But—"
"I left my phone downstairs. I was planning to go get it… If I go back and forth from studies, I'll definitely disturb your work. So maybe we can talk more another time—"
Before she could finish—
Ethan pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
Once the call connected, he calmly instructed:
"Uncle Li, please bring Elena's phone upstairs."
Elena: "...?"
"Any other requests?" he asked, after hanging up.
Elena froze, swallowing the rest of her sentence.
With great reluctance, she shook her head. "... No."
Ethan: "Then come with me to the studies."