Dao Ming Si quickly made his way up the staircase to his room. He came to an abrupt stop just next to his opened door and raked a hand through his hair. Ah Si straightened his shoulders and walked inside to find Shancai lying on his bed. Considering her position, he guessed she had been sitting on the edge of the bed and merely fell backwards to stare at the ceiling. He grabbed the door and closed it, bringing Shancai's attention to him.

"Dao Ming Si!"Shancai shoved herself up to a sitting position and bit her lip. She placed her hands on her lap and studied Ah Si, suddenly very unsure of herself. "Welcome back."

Ah Si locked his door, then shoved his hands in his pockets, returning her gaze, a serious look on his face. Her eyes widened at the click of the lock and she began to wring her hands. She struggled, barely managing to maintain eye contact with Ah Si.

Ah Si cleared his throat and nodded. "Shancai."

"Yes...?" She looked down at the floor once before returning her gaze to his. His eyes were intense.

"Are you still tired? Hungry? Do you need anything?" His words flew out of his mouth so fast she could barely decipher what he was saying.

Shancai shook her head back and forth. "I'm fine...b-but why did you lock the d-door?" She blinked rapidly and looked away.

Ah Si pursed his lips before replying. "I'm tired of being interrupted when we're together. And I need your undivided attention for what I'm about to say."

She look back over to Ah Si and nodded. "Alright, you have it."

"What happened...I know everything now. We don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to." He rocked back on his heels and looked away. "Also, I already took care of business with the He family. We can sever ties at the end of the fiscal year." Ah Si brought his gaze back to Shancai and his face softened at her confused expression. "If Xiao Zi's friendship is a burden, you'll have a free pass." He explained with a smile, then walked over to lower himself to the floor in front of Shancai.

"How did you kn...F-free pass? What do you mean?" Shancai stuttered, looked down and began to wring her hands again.

"Our fiscal year ends in two months." Ah Si placed his hands over hers and squeezed. "I want to marry you before then."

"Huh? What? Your mother..." Shancai quickly lifted her head, her eyes wide and turning pink.

"She won't ever come between us again. I have it in writing, too. For good measure." Ah Si arched an eyebrow, still pleased with the image of his mother essentially sealing the deal on his life with Shancai.

FLASHBACK

"Ah Si, I really don't think this is necessary." Dao Ming Feng huffed as she rifled through a few pages of Ah Si's detailed bilateral contract that would prohibit her interference in both personal and business aspects of his life for the next 5 years.

"In fact, this is ridiculous. You don't know how to run this company! What are you thinking?" She tossed the contract on her desk in disgust and crossed her arms, one eyebrow arched.

"And you," she jutted her chin towards Lei. "How could you encourage him? Let me guess, you had a hand in this, too?"

Lei raised both of his hands up in surrender and shrugged. He sat down across from her and quietly poured a cup of tea. He was beginning to thoroughly enjoy this exchange.

"Mom!" Ah Si raised his voice to grab her attention. "You didn't even read half of it! Turn to page 31." Dao Ming Si ordered. He placed his hands on her desk, leaning forward to assert his dominance.

"No, this is unacceptable." Dao Ming Feng pointed at him, wagging her finger. "I said I wouldn't prevent you from marrying Shancai. I'm not signing anything!"

He pushed himself away from her desk, balling up his fists. Ah Si's nostrils began to flare as the anger washed over him. "You-"

"Page 31: Embrace Your Dreams. Each party shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the other party, its parent, subsidiaries and their respective officers, directors, shareholders and-"

Dao Ming Feng tilted her head to the side upon hearing of Ah Si's startup project again. She held up a hand to ward off Lei's quotation. He automatically stopped and returned to sipping his tea. She reached for the contract and thumbed to page 31, running her finger along each paragraph, pausing at lines of data on the following page.

"15%? Is this accurate data?" She furrowed her brow, the disbelief evident.

"Mom-" Ah Si began, harsh words about to spill from his mouth.

"It's all accurate. For the next five years, Chairman He will be the major shareholder of Embrace Your Dreams. He's already approved and signed all required documents pertaining to this temporary alliance, absolving the Dao Ming family of any prior commitments. Ah Si has procured four major investors with room for advancement." Lei smirked and blew on his tea before taking a tentative sip. He closed his eyes and nodded briefly, pausing to allow Ah Si to elaborate.

"Once the fifth fiscal year has ended, our alliance will be dissolved and all shares will be returned to us." Ah Si spoke calmly despite the rage in his system.

"Making Ah Si the major shareholder." Lei gave Dao Ming Feng a small cocky smile, savoring the moment. He took another sip of his tea and sighed, content with it and the situation at hand. Karma was unfolding before him.

Ah Si gestured towards his mother. "Depending on the results and..." He stared at her pointedly. "...other aspects, we will either renegotiate or terminate our portion of the contract."

Dao Ming Feng pursed her lips and lowered the contract, lost in thought. For once, Ah Si had bested her. She crossed her arms and let out a small laugh. Due to Shancai's impact, Ah Si had finally matured into a capable man. Temporarily giving Chairman He the majority of the shares and a small percentage of their capital gains for five years is actually a small price to pay. Especially, in comparison to what they could lose without a merger via Ah Si's arranged marriage to Xiao Zi. She was impressed by this intelligent move and even more so impressed with Ah Si's compiled data.

Dao Ming Si spoke to his mother's heart through capital gains and longevity.

She laughed again. Ah Si stared at his mother, his eyes widened upon hearing her laugh for a second time. His gaze frantically darted over to meet Lei's as if to ask what's happening. Lei tilted his head to the side and raised a single eyebrow. He stuck his thumb out and pointed towards Ah Si's mother as another smile crept along his face.

Ah Si jerked his attention back to her, comprehending her intentions. His entire body relaxed and the feeling of euphoria began to consume him. Dao Ming Feng pulled a drawer open and removed her seal, placing it next to the contract. She gathered the pages together and placed them in order before binding them together. She signed her name at the bottom and stamped her seal against the red ink pad before pressing it next to her signature.

"Sufficient?" She smiled up at Ah Si.

"No," Ah Si replied, crossing his arms. His mother's smile disappeared as dismay spread across her face. She froze in place, the seal mid-air.

"Thumb print, too." He rocked back on his heels and looked at Lei out of the corner of his eyes.

Lei couldn't contain his laughter. He lowered his teacup and brought a hand up to his face to stifle his chuckles. Ah Si was nothing short of thorough.

Dao Ming Feng let out an exasperated sigh, but pressed her thumb against the ink pad, then under her signature. Her eyes sent daggers to Lei, promptly shutting him up.

Dao Ming Si smiled so hard, his eyes almost closed. He rubbed his hands together and immediately snatched the contract away before his mother could change her mind. She laughed again, but this time at his reaction. Her eyes were twinkling in amusement and happiness.

Ah Si waved at Lei to follow him out, but turned back to face his mother. Her eyes were still sparkling as her smile grew. He cleared his throat. "Mom, thank you."

She pulled her head back a bit, startled at his gratitude. "For?"

"I get to marry the love of my life." He sent her a bittersweet smile.

Dao Ming Feng's smile faded and her eyes grew red.

"And because of you, my relationship with her is indestructible." Ah Si looked over to the window, picturing Shancai's smiling face. His face softened and his eyes glazed over for a moment as he pictured them cuddling in bed. His grip on the contract tightened, biting into his palm. It snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked over to his mother.

"So, although at times it was painful for both of us, I'm grateful." Ah Si looked over to Lei, then back to his mother. "Because of your interference, every relationship that's important to me is now stronger than ever."

"Love you, too, brother." Lei murmured, giving Ah Si a pat as he walked by to leave. His job was done here.

Ah Si smirked at Lei, shoving his shoulder. He nodded and waved goodbye, then returned his gaze to his mother.

"Mom, goodnight." He tapped the contract against his palm, then used it to wave at her before leaving the office.

As soon as Ah Si was out of sight, Dao Ming Feng let the guilt consume her. The tears fell until her mascara ran down her face. She covered her face with both of her hands and slumped forward against her desk. She removed her hands, pushing the hair out of her face and reached for a tissue only to freeze at the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Yu Sao had silently ambled over to her side, holding out a handkerchief.

Their eyes met and the almighty Dao Ming Feng crumbled.

Yu Sao leaned forward, pulling Dao Ming Feng into her embrace.

END FLASHBACK

Ah Si nodded at the thought of securing their future. "...and as for the free pass, well, newlyweds are selfish and friendships can grow distant..." Ah Si trailed off once Shancai's expression changed from bewilderment to comprehension. Her face softened and she memorized the face of the man who won her heart. The man who repeatedly saved and continued to improve her life.

"Shancai, I don't want to wait anymore. I want to marry you as soon as possible." Ah Si smiled, pulling her hands apart to link with his. "I think we need to get you some hearing aids, too." His smile broadened to a grin as Shancai's eyes squinted at his comment.

"It's not my fault that you try to tell me important things at the stupidest times! Drowned out by jet noise or fireworks." She scoffed and jerked one hand away to smack him on the shoulder.

"You idiot." Her lip bottom lip quivered as she fought the urge to cry.

"Hey, don't." Ah Si's smile disappeared at the sight of her trembling lips. He brought a hand up to move hers from his shoulder to his cheek. He nuzzled against her palm and gave her his brightest, happiest smile.

"Shancai-"

"No." She shook her head vehemently and moved her hand from his cheek to cover his mouth.

Ah Si raised his eyebrows in surprise, but allowed her to silence him.

"Dao Ming Si." Shancai removed her hand from his mouth and held onto his chin. "I love you."

She smiled and pulled his face to hers. She ran her hands through his hair, holding him in place as she moved her lips against his. Ah Si put an arm around her waist and pulled her towards the edge of the bed, closer to him. He moaned at the contact and pulled away to place a kiss against her forehead. He smiled and pushed the hair away from her face. Shancai returned his smile and caressed his cheek. "Ah Si?"

"Mm?" He rubbed his cheek against her palm, then braced himself against her thighs to push away. He leaned back comfortably, still kneeling, running his hands up and down her thighs in a comforting gesture.

"I'm ready."