Chapter 1 — The Seat That Belongs to Me

On the day my father turned sixty, Shen Yanbai brought his junior student, Xu Zhiyao, to the birthday banquet. The moment they stepped inside, he pulled out a chair and seated her in the place beside me.

That was supposed to be my seat. The red cloth napkin my mother had folded by hand still lay neatly on the table, and a name card bearing my name, "Wen Nanzhi," was taped to the back of the chair. My father looked at the young woman with tear-reddened eyes. After a brief pause, he asked, "Whose child is this?"

Shen Yanbai pulled out the chair as casually as if he were in his own home. "Her name is Xu Zhiyao. You could say she is part of our family."

The entire table fell silent. Xu Zhiyao lowered her head, her fingers clutching the hem of her dress. "Uncle, Aunt... I have no family left. If my coming here today has caused any trouble, I am truly sorry."

Shen Yanbai gently took her wrist and turned to me. "Nanzhi, your family has so many people. What harm is there in letting her experience a little family warmth? Don't be so petty."

I looked at the chair someone else had taken and let out a short, involuntary laugh. Perhaps he had forgotten that today's birthday banquet was also meant to be our formal introduction before our two families finalized the engagement.

My mother was still standing beside the main table with a bottle of wine she had just taken from its gift box. She wore a deep-red qipao, her hair pinned neatly in place. Since three o'clock that afternoon, she had personally inspected every seat. The main table had ten places. My father sat at the head, Mother to his right, and I beside Mother. Shen Yanbai had been assigned the seat to my left.

My father had arranged it himself. He had said that this was the first time Young Master Shen would formally meet all the family elders. Even though the engagement ceremony had not yet taken place, the seating could not be treated casually. He had even told my mother to place Shen Yanbai beside me.

"Let everyone see that the man Nanzhi chose is truly worthy," he had said.

Yet now Shen Yanbai stood beside my chair, solicitously holding a seat for another girl. As soon as Xu Zhiyao sat down, she accidentally brushed against the name card hanging from the backrest.

"Wen Nanzhi," she read softly, as if she had only just noticed it. Then she looked up at me with a perplexed expression. "Sister Nanzhi... is this your seat? Then I should stand up."

Though she spoke of standing, her hand remained wrapped around the napkin. Shen Yanbai immediately placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Just sit."

He turned to me, his brow faintly furrowed. "Nanzhi, today is your father's birthday banquet. Don't make things awkward for everyone. Just move over and sit in the chair beside this one."

The words made the atmosphere even more suffocating than when he had called Xu Zhiyao family. My aunt froze with her chopsticks above a plate of cold dishes. My younger cousin dropped his phone and looked from me to Shen Yanbai.

My mother set down the wine bottle. Her tone remained gentle. "Yanbai, the seating was arranged in advance. If Miss Xu was coming, why didn't you let us know so that we could prepare?"

Before he could answer, Xu Zhiyao hurriedly stood. "Aunt, I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

Her eyes reddened almost at once. "I wasn't planning to come. But Senior Brother Yanbai said Uncle was hosting a birthday banquet today and that the whole family would be gathered together. I am all alone in my rented room, and he was worried that I would dwell on it, so he brought me along."

At the words all alone, her voice dropped to a whisper. The relatives exchanged uneasy glances. My father remained standing beside his chair, studying Xu Zhiyao with the polite composure of a host.

"Where is your family?" he asked.

Xu Zhiyao's fingers trembled. She said nothing. Shen Yanbai answered for her. "Her parents passed away a few years ago, and she has no relatives left to contact. We had the same academic adviser in graduate school. I help her whenever I can."

My father nodded faintly. "That certainly hasn't been easy."

He turned to a waiter. "Add another chair and a place setting."

Only then did Shen Yanbai relax. He lowered his head toward Xu Zhiyao. "See? Uncle and Aunt are both very kind. You don't need to be nervous."

Xu Zhiyao smiled faintly, her eyes still shining with tears. "Thank you, Uncle."

My father did not respond. He simply turned to me. "Nanzhi, come sit over here."

He pointed to the empty chair beside my mother. It had originally been my aunt's place; she was stuck in traffic and running late, so it remained vacant.

I did not move. This time, Shen Yanbai truly lost patience.

"Nanzhi."

He said my name softly, but his tone carried a heavy admonition. During our three years together, whenever he spoke to me that way, I was always the one who compromised. He was busy, so I waited. He went on business trips, so I saw him off. He missed our dates, and I found excuses to explain it to my parents.

Whenever he said that Xu Zhiyao's circumstances were special, I would argue with him over the phone, then swallow my resentment and let the matter go.

But today was different. This was my father's birthday banquet and the day I had planned to officially bring Shen Yanbai into our family. My mother and I had discussed it long ago. She feared that my father might announce the engagement too abruptly, so she intended to wait until the banquet was halfway through, after a few rounds of toasts, and raise the matter naturally.

Even the red envelope for Shen Yanbai had been prepared. It was not an ordinary greeting gift. Inside were a bank card and a copy of a cooperation proposal drafted by the legal department of my father's company.

A waiter soon brought over another chair and carefully set out a place setting at the end of the table. My father nodded slightly.

"Sit."

Xu Zhiyao pressed her lips together and bowed politely. "Thank you, Uncle."

Just as she was about to take her seat, Shen Yanbai let out a barely audible sigh of relief.