Mei Runan lowered her head and said, "Actually, my brother not really…"

  Guo Dalu quickly interrupted, "You don't need to expin for him. We don't bme him either."

  Mei Runan asked, "Really?"

  Guo Dalu said, "If I were in his shoes, I might have done the same thing."

  Wang Dong added, "I might have been even harsher than him."

  Guo Dalu said, "I'm just worried about your brother. Once he finds out that you sabotaged him, he's going to be absolutely furious."

  Mei Runan forced a bitter smile and said, "He already knows."

  Guo Dalu was startled. "And how did he react?"

  Mei Runan said, "He was absolutely furious."

  Guo Dalu asked, "So what did you do?"

  Mei Runan said, "I ran away."

  Guo Dalu frowned and said, "But the time will come when you'll have to go back. That's your home."

  Mei Runan lowered her head again and remained silent.

  Wang Dong suddenly chuckled and said, "If she goes back, she will certainly suffer. But she doesn't have to go back."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Why not?"

  Wang Dong smiled and said, "Once a girl gets married, she no longer has to return to her maiden home."

  Guo Dalu suddenly ughed in realization. "That's right. If she gets married, she won't be part of the Mei family anymore. Her brother won't be able to control her."

  Wang Dong said, "So she has no choice but to get married quickly."

  Guo Dalu asked, "Marry whom?"

  Wang Dong said casually, "Of course, she should marry someone she likes. Maybe you, maybe me."

  Guo Dalu suddenly froze.

  He suddenly noticed that Mei Runan was secretly smiling.

  Mei Runan had been sitting there quietly, her head lowered and her face flushed, looking as if she was feeling miserable and heartbroken. Yet, the corners of her mouth had involuntarily curled into a smile. She smiled like a little fox that had just stolen eight chickens.

  Guo Dalu finally came to a realization—all four of these men had fallen into her trap.

  In this situation, regardless of whom she truly liked, it seemed inevitable that someone would have to marry her.

  This little fox had unknowingly ensnared them all, trapping them by the neck. Now, all she had to do was pull the rope, and one of them would be hanging for life.

  "It seems that women are indeed much smarter than men imagine."

  But the question remained—who was the one she wanted to ensnare?

  Wang Dong was still smiling, but his smile was like that of an old, cunning fox.

  He seemed certain that he would not be the one caught.

  He also seemed to know something that Guo Dalu did not. Suddenly, he smiled again and said, "Although we may not be great heroes or righteous men, we are certainly not cowardly traitors who forget loyalty and righteousness, right?"

  Lin Taiping said, "Right."

  Wang Dong continued, "So if Miss Mei has any difficulties, we must find a way to help her, right?"

  Lin Taiping said, "Right."

  Once again, he was the first to eagerly respond!

  Guo Dalu gnced at him and sighed inwardly. "Young people really tend to be overly enthusiastic at all times. Just as someone prepares a rope, he rushes to put it around his neck."

  Before he could finish his sigh, he realized that Wang Dong was staring at him and asking, "What about you? Do you agree or not?"

  Even if Guo Dalu wanted to say no, he couldn't. He just wished he could stuff an egg into Wang Dong's mouth.

  Suddenly, Yan Qi spoke up, "You don't even need to ask. When it comes to cherishing beauty and standing up for justice, who in the world could surpass Mr. Guo?"

  Wang Dong nodded as if Yan Qi had spoken his exact thoughts. He then asked seriously, "That may be true, but what about you?"

  Yan Qi smiled faintly and said, "As long as Wang Laoda says the word, how could I possibly refuse?"

  Wang Dong let out a long breath and grinned. "Miss Mei, did you hear everything we just said?"

  Mei Runan lowered her head and gave a soft "Mm" through her nose, as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

  Wang Dong said, “Then if you have any difficulties, why haven't you spoken up?”

  Mei Runan lowered her head even further, looking pitiful as she softly said, “I'm too embarrassed to say it.”

  Wang Dong said, “Just say it.”

  Mei Runan's face turned red. She looked both pitiful and embarrassed. After struggling for a long time, she finally stammered, “When my brother found out what I did, he was so furious that he almost went crazy. He kept pressuring me, demanding to know why I did this, why I helped outsiders harm my brother.”

  Wang Dong asked, “And what did you say?”

  Mei Runan's face flushed even more. “I couldthink of anything else to say, so I had no choice but to say… I had no choice but to say… I had no choice but to say…”

  She suddenly seemed to freeze, unable to say anything beyond those three words.

  Guo Dalu couldn't take it anymore. He blurted out, “Say what?”

  Mei Runan bit her lip hard, as if making a great decision. With her face burning, she said, “I had no choice but to say that the person I helped was not an outsider.”

  “He then asked, ‘If not an outsider, then who?’ And I had no choice but to say… to say…”

  Guo Dalu couldn't help but ask again, “To say what?”

  Mei Runan said, “I had no choice but to say that he was my brother-in-w… because I was already engaged to him.”

  As soon as she finished speaking, her entire body seemed to go weak, and she almost colpsed under the table.

  Guo Dalu nearly fell under the table himself.

  Wang Dong blinked and asked, “And what did your brother say after hearing that?”

  Mei Runan said, “Hearing that, his anger subsided a little, but he warned me that if I was lying to him, he would beat me to death. Then he forced me to bring… bring him home.”

  Wang Dong asked, “Bring what home?”

  Mei Runan bit her lip and whispered, “Bring the person…!”

  Wang Dong asked, "Bring whom?"

  Mei Runan stammered, "B-brother-in-w..."

  Wang Dong pressed further, "Whose brother-in-w?"

  Mei Runan hesitated before answering, "M-my brother's brother-in-w."

  As soon as she said this, it was as if all the strength drained from her body again.

  Guo Dalu also felt weak all over.

  Wang Dong let out a long sigh, as if he had finally managed to piece together what she meant.

  To be fair, understanding what a young woman was trying to say wasn't always easy.

  Wang Dong chuckled, "So now, there's only one question left."

  Lin Taiping asked, "What question?"

  Wang Dong said, "Among the four of us, who is Mei Runan's brother-in-w? And is he willing to go back with her?"

  Lin Taiping said, "Who wouldn't be willing? Could he really bear to watch Miss Mei get beaten to death by her own brother?"

  Wang Dong said, "But what if someone refuses?"

  Lin Taiping replied, "Then he isn't really our friend. And for someone who isn't truly our friend, we don't need to be polite."

  Wang Dong cpped his hands. "Exactly! Even if someone refuses to go, the other three will force him to. Do we all agree?"

  Lin Taiping said, "Agreed."

  Wang Dong gnced sideways at Guo Dalu and asked, "What about you?"

  Yan Qi suddenly said coldly, “That's a question you shouldn't have asked. Do you take Mr. Guo for an ungrateful man?”

  Wang Dong ughed, “Then that’s perfect! Now that all the problems are solved, Miss Mei, what are you still waiting for?”

  But Mei Runan insisted on making them wait a little longer. Women seemed to have a natural talent for making men anxious.

  Her eyes darted around, shifting from face to face among the four men.

  Guo Dalu really hoped those eyes wouldn't stop on him.

  It wasn't that he disliked this "Suan Meitang." If, this morning, she had cimed to like someone else instead of him, he would have been furious.

  But liking someone was one thing—marrying them was another.

  And being forced to marry them was something entirely different. It was like how he enjoyed drinking, but he certainly didn't want someone holding his nose and pouring wine down his throat.

  He could only hope that this “Suan Meitang” had some kind of vision problem and had her eyes set on someone else.

  Unfortunately, her eyes were perfectly fine—and they were staring straight at him.

  Not only was she looking at him, but she was also smiling. A sweet, captivating smile.

  Anyone who knew they had caught a big fish would smile sweetly.

  Guo Dalu wanted to smile back, but he just couldn't.

  Inside, he sighed. What bad luck. Who told me to be more handsome than the others?

  Mei Runan suddenly said, “I promised that when I made my decision, you would be the first to know.”

  Guo Dalu said, “Actually, you don't have to be so faithful to your word with me. Girls often forget the things they promise.”

  Mei Runan giggled, “I haven't forgotten. Come with me, and I'll tell you.”

  She suddenly stood up and walked outside, her steps light and graceful—like a swallow.

  A swallow that had just caught seven or eight fat caterpilrs.