Strategy to Capture Men

When the ship arrived at the manor, everyone got off and went back to their rooms. Han Yanyan stopped Tang Ke.

"Why didn't you fight back?" she asked.

"He's your father's child," Tang Ke said. "It's because of your father that I can study in Dongchen."

"Ah..." Han Yanyan turned and left without giving him a second glance. "Little rabbit."

Tang Ke stared after her blankly. Did she think he was wrong to forbear and endure?

Han Yanyan suddenly disappeared from the manor for a period of time. Shortly after she returned, all Tang Ke heard anyone talking about was two pieces of news.

The first was that the current patriarch of the Yin family was dead.

Secondly, Yin Wei, Han Yanyan's mother, had hurriedly divorced her supporter, the Han family and returned to the Yin family. There, she once again threw herself into battle for the position of matriarch.

"She hopes that we can send some more people to support her." Han Yanyan said slowly, as if talking about someone completely unrelated. "She's my mother, how could she be so naïve? Caring for the head and ignoring the tail1?"

"That's why she was no match for Yin Heng right from the start," Patriarch Han commented. "All she sees are immediate short-term benefits. She can't let go even though she understands that they will bring her endless troubles in the future."

"What do you think of the matter?" he asked.

"Of course we should support her. We'll hammer our people into the Yin family one by one, like nails. The more go in, the deeper they are, the easier it will be for us to get down to business in the future."

"I'll leave it to you," her father said, at ease.

His daughter is only seventeen, yet she was doing better than some young patriarchs from other families. Most importantly, she was an SS-class spirit who rarely met her match on the battlefield.

The Yin family patriarch, her cousin, had died at her hands.

"By the way, I haven't seen Aunt Xinya for a long time." Han Yanyan suddenly mentioned.

The name meant nothing to Patriarch Han. He only grunted.

The numerous projected screens before Han Yanyan were all closed in succession as she rose. "I heard an accountant is pursuing her, is she going to remarry? Your little rabbit is going to be taken away soon, father."

Patriarch Han didn't even look up.

Bored by his non-reaction, she shrugged, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

He didn't look up until she left.

"Give me a report on Lin Xinya's recent condition," he ordered a henchman through the comms.

As dusk fell over the church, Xinya sat in the very last row, her eyes closed, deep in prayer. The light falling upon her face illuminated her indifferent features. When the prayer was over, she opened her eyes, looking at peace.

These past two years, her lot in life had improved.

Tang Ke had grown up and she no longer needed to send him back and forth from the manor, so she no longer needed to go there. Patriarch Han had also gradually lost interest in her. He had last had sex with her a year and three months ago, and she hadn't seen him since.

There was never any shortage of beautiful women around him. He had forgotten her just like he had forgotten the other lovers who he had grown tired of.

She had heard that those women had gotten a generous payout when they left him. Afterward, they could marry and live their own lives. Some of them had even given him children, and as long as they stayed, he didn't care about the woman.

Xinya had prayed just now that she might one day be just as lucky. A year and three months had passed, and she felt like she might be.

A man hurried into the church, looked around and spotted her, then walked over quietly and sat down next to her.

"Why are you so late?" Xinya asked in a low voice.

"A difficult customer," the man whispered back.

She pressed her index finger to her lips. "Shh..."

They both stopped talking and listened quietly to the sermon.

Religion is the easiest harbor for the soul. Several years ago, in search of inner peace, Xinya had found solace in faith.

This man was an accountant with a successful career and a good salary. His family had always been believers and he had been devout since childhood. The two of them had met at church. His wife had died of illness several years ago, and when he moved to the local parish and met Xinya there, he had fallen in love at first sight. He had been courting her for two years now.

Xinya had never dared to respond to his feelings. She was well aware that she didn't have the qualifications to do so.

The two of them only ever met at church or when the church organized activities for its parishioners. But so long as she was participating in something, he would be there too.

When the sermon was over, the priest said a prayer for everyone and dismissed the service. The believers dispersed, and Xinya got up to go home.

The man offered to send her home. As she always had before, she refused and turned to leave.

All of a sudden he caught her wrist.

"Xinya, is there something about me that you don't like?" He really wanted to know why she kept rejecting him.

"No, of course not," Xinya denied.

"Then why won't you try being with me?"

She tried to find the right words. "I'm sorry. It isn't something I can decide by myself."  She wasn't at liberty to do so.

"Are you talking about your son?" he said with a sigh of relief, "Why don't you try talking to him? In my opinion, he would want you to be happy, too."

Since she couldn't explain it to him, she could only allow him to misunderstand.

"Xinya, I would very much like to have a family with you. Your son will be like my own. I believe that together we'll be a happy family; you, me, and him. A child shouldn't be without a father, and even though I've never been one, I'll do my best to learn. To have a complete family, isn't that something you want?" he asked.

It was true. Xinya wanted a normal life more than anyone else.

"Xinya, I don't know what you're afraid of, but I hope that you can be brave. Please give us a try."

Be brave...

She remembered what she had just prayed for. Tomorrow it would have been a year and four months since she last met Patriarch Han. After so long, surely he had... gotten tired of her, completely forgotten her?

Could she be brave?

.....No, she didn't dare.

"I'm sorry. I can't be with you. In the future, please don't bring this up again." When she had said this, she tried to shake off his hand.

The man grasped her wrist tighter. Then he suddenly pressed forward, kissed her on the lips, and let her go.

"I'm sorry for not asking for permission first..." he whispered. "I just wanted you to know... feelings aren't something that can be let go of just by saying so."

Xinya just stood there.

"Please," he said "…just think about it. And if you're facing some difficulty, please let me know. Maybe what you're worried about isn't actually so bad. Two minds are always better than one..."

He was a very gentle and polite man. What he had done just now was completely unlike him. He had done it just to show her that he was truly serious.

Xinya knew that he was a man who could make a woman happy. But did she deserve to be happy?

She hung her head.

The smartwatch on his wrist chimed a notification. It was his man sending a file. When he opened it, the first thing he saw was the photo of a man kissing Xinya.

Patriarch Han's figure stiffened.

After a while, he lit a cigarette, leaned back in his chair and began to read the written report underneath the photo...