Sheng Shiwen watched her for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. "Forget it. I’ll stop teasing you. If you don’t want to make my older brother angry, then so be it."

Now that he had seen through her, Dong Lili dropped her pretense of aloofness.

She feigned shyness and said, "Xiao Wen, saying things like that... you’re not trying to trick me into marrying you, are you?"

"My dream since we were kids has been to marry you. No matter what it takes, I only have one goal: to make you my wife."

"Is that all true?" Dong Lili’s eyes sparkled with delight.

At that moment, she was actually starting to consider marrying Sheng Shiwen. She did have some fondness for him, but it was limited to seeing him as the younger brother of the man she loved.

But the man she loved was going to marry another woman. If that was the case, then marrying Sheng Shiwen wasn’t so bad. At least she could see his brother at the dinner table every day.

As long as she could be near him, she would gladly accept it. In fact, she was now more afraid that Sheng Shiwen wouldn’t marry her.

Seeing that Dong Lili was swayed, Sheng Shiwen added, "Mm, of course what I said is true. And don’t worry, I’ll even help you make Fu Guoguo cry."

"You..." Dong Lili looked at him, her heart a tangle of emotions. She didn’t know if this was the right thing to do.

Sheng Shiwen seized the opportunity. "Lili, whether you believe it or not, I really do like you. If you want to be closer to my older brother, please consider marrying me, okay?"

Dong Lili nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Xiao Wen, you’re so good to me!"

Sheng Shiwen smiled faintly. "Silly girl. I love you so much. If I’m not good to you, who else would I be good to?"

"Thank you, Xiao Wen. You know I’ve always liked your older brother, yet you’re still willing to marry me. I’ll try to like you from now on, too."

Dong Lili meant what she said. Even though Sheng Shiwen was a far cry from Sheng Shijing, it was a fact that he had liked her since they were children.

"Lili, after you marry me, I won’t let you suffer any grievances. We’ll be happy!" Sheng Shiwen’s heart was a battlefield of conflicting emotions.

He wanted to use her to deal with Gu Jiaojiao’s friend—his future sister-in-law—but his feelings for her were also real.

"Mm, I believe you, Xiao Wen." Dong Lili nodded firmly.

Sheng Shiwen pulled her closer and whispered, "If you really believe me, then give me a kiss."

Hearing this, Dong Lili’s face instantly turned bright red. She lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye.

She bit her lip lightly. "I... I don’t know how to kiss anyone..."

"How can that be? You’re about to get married, but you won’t kiss me? Wouldn’t I be getting the short end of the stick?" Sheng Shiwen pretended to be shocked.

"Lili, are you going to kiss me or not? If you don’t, I’m going to kiss you."

At that moment, Sheng Shiwen truly wanted to kiss the girl he had secretly loved for over a decade.

Dong Lili gritted her teeth, summoned her courage, wrapped her arms around his neck, and took the initiative to kiss his cheek.

Sheng Shiwen was secretly delighted but feigned surprise. "You really kissed me! Wouldn’t it be rude if I didn’t return the favor?"

Dong Lili’s face was as red as an apple. She said in embarrassment and anger, "Didn’t you tell me to kiss you? I did, and now you’re blaming me... Mmph!"

Sheng Shiwen silenced her chattering lips with his own. Dong Lili instinctively tried to push his mouth away with hers.

A jolt went through him, and his body began to heat up. A wave of panic washed over his heart, and his kiss became rougher.

Sheng Shiwen felt like he was about to suffocate, but he held back.

’I can’t treat Lili like this,’ he thought. ’If I push her too far, she might really leave. Then all my effort will have been for nothing.’

So he couldn’t do anything to hurt her. After a long moment, he finally released her and asked, "Let me take you home."

Dong Lili was so limp from his kiss that she felt like she was floating on a cloud.

"No, let me take you home instead. And while I’m there, I’ll tell your parents that you’ll be coming to my house tomorrow to formally propose."

Hearing her words, Sheng Shiwen assumed she wanted to go in and make his older brother angry. The fire in his heart was instantly extinguished.

But Dong Lili truly wasn’t trying to provoke Sheng Shijing. She knew Sheng Shiwen had run away from home and that it would be awkward for him to go back alone.

However, neither of them voiced their true thoughts. Sheng Shiwen saw her red, swollen lips.

Feeling a little guilty, he said, "Lili, why don’t we get a room at the guest house for the night?"

"You! I’m done with you." Dong Lili stomped her foot, turned around, and ran back home.

Sheng Shiwen could only trot after her to the Dong family’s house, thinking, ’If Uncle Dong and Aunt Dong want to yell at me, then let them!’

"Lili, why are you crying like this?" Aunt Dong asked, her heart aching for her.

She had been waiting in the living room for her daughter because she knew the eldest son of the Sheng family had brought his fiancée home.