“Are you awake?” When Ye Tao woke up, it wasn't Dai Yun's voice he heard, but Tan Weixin's. Ye Tao shook his head to clear his mind, and then realized that what he should be surprised about was that the voice he was hearing at that moment wasn't Tan Weishi's.

“Disappointed to see me…?” Tan Weixin turned her head, looking at Ye Tao with a gentle smile, and said softly, “I pulled back from the brink, so to speak. But when exactly did you figure it out?”

Ye Tao's head throbbed a little. Although he had slept relatively well, and being moved around a few times didn't seem to have had much of an effect, the alcohol remaining in his system was still working. He rolled his eyes in annoyance and said, “These tricks of yours… they're easy enough to figure out with a little thought. The things you put so much effort into arranging might fool everyone else. But don’t you think it would be boring if the two of us couldn't understand each other? Although your methods are interesting, whether it's the poems, plays, or persuading Dai Yun and influencing the wedding procedures, while each one alone has many possible explanations, when you put them together, it becomes very obvious. Everything you do is targeted. I just divided everything you did according to who it might affect, and the conclusion was easy to reach. You definitely wouldn't do anything pointless, would you?”

Tan Weixin raised an eyebrow and asked, “Since you knew, why didn't you warn me sooner, or simply not give me the opportunity? I don't think you had good intentions either. I bet you were never sure whether you should risk eating such a delicious little loli, right?”

Tan Weixin’s wicked remark made Ye Tao shrug helplessly and say, "Do you have to talk about your own sister like that? I haven't even asked you yet, why did you decide to give up at the last moment?"

Tan Weixin looked directly into Ye Tao's eyes and said, "I thought I could not care, but I actually couldn't do it."

That should be a very normal state of mind for a woman, right? Ye Tao remained silent.

After a pause, Tan Weixin continued, "That's only one aspect… Besides, setting up a scheme to trap you, my sister, my father, my mother, and my two younger brothers is really not a good thing. Also, Weishi is not so young anymore. She should be responsible for her own feelings. And you? Needless to say, I believe you know what you want. Maybe, whether things work out or not, the only one who might be harmed in this whole thing is me. It’s so hard to be an incomplete version of myself."

Tan Weixin's tone was heavy, and her voice choked with emotion. She turned her head away, continuing to face the window. At this moment, Tan Weixin was curled up in a soft sofa chair, with a soft wool blanket wrapped around her, holding a glass of Balentine's whiskey, which was now only a very pale amber color. The glass was made of glass, one of a batch of cups produced by the Ye family's glass workshop using pottery wheel technology. Using the rather mature pottery wheel technology in glass manufacturing was almost a disaster. The first batch of finished products was inconsistent in shape, with uneven cup wall thickness and all sorts of flaws. But the shape of these cups seemed very suitable for drinking whiskey. Except for the lack of large floor-to-ceiling windows, Tan Weixin at this moment was exactly like she had been in the original timeline: burying herself in the sofa and drinking when she was completely devoid of emotion. Now that they had copied so many things from their original lives that were needed in this timeline, Tan Weixin's habits seemed to have been captured along with them.

Tan Weixin pursed her lips, flicked away the tears that had welled up, and said, "Weishi is my sister. I've watched her grow from such a little thing to who she is today. She's closer to me than she is to our mother, and she's more willing to listen to me. And Weishi is finally grown up, she naturally has the right to pursue her own happiness. If she feels that only you can give her happiness, I will still support her and encourage her. Because... rather than saying we are husband and wife, it's more appropriate to say that we are partners in a spiritual affair, isn't it?"

Ye Tao stood up, walked quickly to Tan Weixin, gently put his arm around her shoulders, and said, "How can you say that?"

Tan Weixin didn't take it to heart. She didn't break free, but instead leaned comfortably into Ye Tao's arms, saying, "Spiritually, no one can replace me; physically, I can't replace anyone. Isn't that so? Since that's the truth, then we have to admit it. Haven't we always been like this? So what if I'm a modern woman? Modern women have been given all kinds of freedoms, including the freedom to love someone, the freedom to choose whether or not to sleep with someone, the freedom to choose the gender of a partner, and naturally the freedom to choose the number of partners... Modern women have never been all the same. Do you want to use this to criticize me?"

Ye Tao was silent. He didn't know what to say at this moment. "As someone who benefits from the rules of this era, it seems like whatever I say is wrong, right?"

A faint smile appeared on Tan Weixin's face, shining brightly in contrast to the tears that hadn't been wiped away. "Yes… everything is wrong. I just feel that using a trap to ensnare you and Weishi's feelings is a bit despicable and selfish. I believe father and mother can understand Weishi, and can also sympathize with you. And you don't need to be with Weishi because of my coercion and machinations… I'm afraid, I'm afraid my schemes will ultimately make me lose you. I use Weishi to compensate for my physical debt to you. I'm sorry to you, and even more sorry to Weishi. And emotionally, I have no right to make choices for anyone… Is that reason enough?"

Ye Tao put Tan Weixin's head on his chest, stroking her like an injured kitten. Deep down, Tan Weixin was still a modern woman, a modern woman who dared to face her own emotions. She would constantly make choices, constantly clarify what she needed and liked, constantly acquire and constantly abandon...

"Xin'er, it's okay. Everything will be alright," Ye Tao comforted awkwardly.

"Then why did you let me manipulate you even though you knew what was going on?" Tan Weixin suddenly raised her head and asked suspiciously, "If I hadn't stopped in time, Weishi would be lying next to you now. Such a beautiful little girl, naked and curled up on your chest, warming your chest with her gentle breath, softly calling out: Brother-in-law... Brother-in-law... And all your requests would be fulfilled by this little girl who is full of respect, admiration, and love for you... Do you actually want such a thing to happen?"

Tan Weixin's detailed description made Ye Tao break out in a cold sweat. He shifted uncomfortably and said, "Hey, hey, stop… How can you talk like that? If others heard, it would be a super big problem." Ye Tao sighed and said, "Xiao Shi has always been a very interesting and good younger sister…"

Tan Weixin interjected, "Do you want me to sing that song, 'How Many Good Sisters Do You Have'?"

Ye Tao was speechless. He said fiercely, "Don't interrupt! I always remembered to give Xiao Shi gifts when I didn't know her feelings. But after knowing, it's a bit awkward. Especially when I first realized this. Although I'm very confident, I'm not so narcissistic that I think everyone will like me. Actually, maybe there's a bit of bad intention. I believe that since you set up this plan, you must have made thorough preparations. I was wondering how you were going to sort out such a complicated relationship. Although I'm worried that you'll still carry out the plan to the end, doing something that will inevitably damage the trust between us, on the other hand, it's probably what you said: I haven't figured out whether to eat the little loli if she's offered up." Ye Tao shrugged helplessly.

"You scum!" Suddenly, Tan Weixin jumped up, her finger poking Ye Tao's face. Tan Weixin's pouting look was very rare. In fact, since being injured while protecting Tan Wei'ran, Tan Weixin had hardly ever been angry. She always tried to bury all her emotions, letting them slowly rot away. This time, when she suddenly got angry, she almost didn't know what an angry expression should look like. Her expression actually looked a bit cute.

Ye Tao ignored her and wrapped his arms around Tan Weixin, chuckling, "That's right, as expected of a fickle woman. I've never seen you change your face like this before."

Tan Weixin's fist weakly hammered Ye Tao, but that was even less effective than tickling. Tan Weixin, who had always been very restrained and rational, gave up after a few punches. She said angrily, "How can you say that this will destroy our mutual trust, but also say that it's hard to resist temptation? Are you planning to dump me? Let me tell you, don't even think about it! Do you think I'm the kind of woman who can be dumped so easily?" This was probably the first time in this life that Tan Weixin had used the word "lao niang" (your mother) to refer to herself, emphasizing her strength, but Tan Weixin, baring her fangs and claws, could only give people an even more adorable impression, even less intimidating than when she was quiet.

Ye Tao chuckled, hugged Tan Weixin, and said, "In this era, no one can separate us. You're the only confidante I have, and I'm the only one you have. We've been lovers for two lifetimes. One lifetime was from body to spirit, and the other lifetime was from spirit to spirit. Isn't that enough for you to understand me? What kind of person do you think I am?"

Tan Weixin calmed down. After thinking about it seriously, she said, "You… two words: perverted." She immediately pushed Ye Tao away and said, "Alright, alright, hurry up and go to Dai Yun's room. Today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, you belong to her. As for the rotation lineup of the Ye family's harem, we'll discuss it later."

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...It's Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all couples