Zhou Bingwen had asked the housekeeper to prepare early in the morning, making sure there was chicken, duck, fish, and meat for lunch.

He paced back and forth in the living room, unable to hide his excitement. Although he had met Zhou Huai'an once before, this time was different—not only was Zhou Huai'an back, but his wife was with him too, and he'd heard his granddaughter-in-law was carrying twin great-grandchildren.

When everyone finally arrived, Zhou Bingwen's eyes lit up at the sight of Lin Xiaoxiao. He nodded warmly. "It's good to have you back. Make yourself at home—this is your home now."

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled and greeted him politely. "Hello, Grandfather."

Having spent his whole life in the military, Zhou Bingwen carried a natural air of authority. Even when he smiled, there was a sharpness in his eyes—a weathered intensity that commanded respect without a word.

Then he noticed Lin Wenbin and looked slightly surprised. "And this is...?"

Lin Wenbin introduced himself without hesitation. "My name is Lin Wenbin. I'm Xiaoxiao's cousin. I only recently learned we're related, so I took the liberty of coming today—I hoped to spend some time with her."

Li Yunlan quickly explained how they had met him and mentioned what a difficult life he'd had abroad.

Zhou Bingwen didn't say much, though he studied Lin Wenbin carefully before warmly inviting everyone to sit down.

Lin Wenbin hadn't felt nervous around the others, but something about the white-haired old man made his heart beat faster. He'd heard this was no ordinary person—his military honors could fill an entire wall. Who would dare try to deceive someone like that?

Still, he felt slightly reassured. Though the Zhou family's Western-style house was old and not much to look at, it was clear they came from a respected background. That made Lin Xiaoxiao's children future "third-generation reds"—quite the privileged start in life.

After reassuring himself, Lin Wenbin decided his sister hadn't married beneath her after all.

During the conversation, Li Yunlan asked Lin Wenbin about his life abroad. That was no challenge for him—he'd studied overseas and knew Western culture inside and out. He spoke with ease and confidence.

Li Yunlan believed every word, frequently remarking how difficult it must have been for him alone in a foreign country.

Eventually, Zhou Zhennan suggested that Lin Xiaoxiao and Lin Wenbin might want some time alone to talk as siblings. He showed them to the study upstairs.

Once they were in private, Lin Xiaoxiao finally let out a breath of relief. "You scared me to death! What if my father here didn't actually have a brother? We'd be finished. People will think there's something shady going on between us."

The more she thought about it, the more nervous she felt—especially around Zhou Huai'an. Lying to him weighed on her conscience.

Lin Wenbin clicked his tongue. "You're worried? I'm the one who should be scared. Showing up out of nowhere as your cousin, just back from abroad—it's practically inviting people to think I'm a spy. If this goes wrong, I'll be the one arrested. Not to mention I'm supposed to be a brain surgeon who's never held a scalpel. How do you think that's going to end?"

Lin Xiaoxiao paled. She hadn't even considered the spy angle—or what might happen to him if they were caught.

Now that he mentioned it, the risks were all too real. Anxiously, she said, "Then what do we do? This was a terrible idea. I thought you had a real plan. Now we're both just walking red flags."

Lin Wenbin, however, remained calm. Confident that no one in the Zhou family would eavesdrop, he leaned casually against the desk and watched his sister fret. "Relax. If we get caught, I'll take the blame. I won't drag you into it."

He ran a hand over the wooden desk. "Solid craftsmanship, by the way. I have to say, you've done well for yourself—marrying into a family with political connections. You'll have a comfortable life. But the old man... he's sharp. I'm not sure we can fool him."

Lin Xiaoxiao ignored that last part. This wasn't about who took the blame—it was about her integrity. Why had she trusted her brother? How many times had he gotten her into trouble over the years?

Feeling a wave of despair, she could already picture Zhou Huai'an's disappointed, cold stare when he found out the truth. Letting out a frustrated sound, she grabbed a book and threw it at Lin Wenbin. "You're so unreliable!"

Seeing she was genuinely upset, he quickly softened. "Alright, alright, I was just teasing. Do you really think I'd be that careless? I'd never put you in real danger. The man I'm pretending to be actually did have two letters in his luggage mentioning a brother. And I looked into it—your father here did have an older brother who went missing as a child."

"So, you see? There's no one left to disprove it."

Lin Xiaoxiao could hardly believe the coincidence. "Are you serious? But what if that missing brother shows up someday?"

Lin Wenbin shook his head. "That's not going to happen. It was during wartime, and he was very young when he disappeared. The chances of him returning are zero. He probably doesn't even know who he is. So don't worry—no one can expose me."

Lin Xiaoxiao had to admit it made sense. With no one left to confirm or deny, the story was safe.

But there was still one problem. "You can't perform surgery. What happens when people expect you to 'regain your memory'?"

He'd already thought that through. There was no way he could keep pretending to be a doctor—let alone a professor. "I'll resign after you start university. Then I'll go into business. With an opportunity like this, I could become the richest man in the country. You'll be the sister of a tycoon—I'll even fund a few labs for you."

Lin Xiaoxiao stayed silent. Her brother was always so full of big ideas. And what about their parents back in their original world? If they stayed here, who would look after them?

Sensing her thoughts, Lin Wenbin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Mom and Dad will be fine. If we can go back, we will. If we can't... then taking care of you is my responsibility.

The men in our family have always made sure the women want for nothing."

Lin Xiaoxiao pouted. "Forget it. I'm married now—I can take care of myself. Just try not to blow our cover."

Her brother sighed. Why didn't his occasionally-too-mature little sister ever trust him?

They didn't dare stay in the study too long. Once they had their stories straight, they headed back downstairs for lunch.

That was when Lin Xiaoxiao noticed—Zhou Xiaohong was sitting in the living room. She had no idea when she'd arrived.