An inexplicable familiarity

At the dining table, Xavier vividly demonstrated what it meant to soften toward someone after eating their food.

He treated Zayne even more warmly and amiably than he had the night before.

He said thank you three times alone.

Even Zayne grew a little embarrassed by it. "Making breakfast wasn't any trouble. You don't have to be so polite."

Xavier remained very polite. "Let me make breakfast next time."

Xiao Yan took a sip of coffee and secretly pursed her lips.

She knew Xavier's cooking skills all too well. He was very good at making cold dishes and the like, but when it came to equipment that needed a flame or electricity...

"Sure," Zayne said cheerfully. "I'm looking forward to your cooking."

Xiao Yan couldn't hold back a laugh.

Xavier turned to look at Xiao Yan. "Partner, don't you have any faith in my cooking?"

"Oh, I have all the faith in the world." Xiao Yan didn't expose Xavier's innate kitchen-killer nature. "Will you be coming home to stay next weekend, then?"

"I... will have to see what the police unit has planned." Xavier hesitated a little. "I have to go back this afternoon and travel out of town with the captain to work a case. I don't know when I'll be back."

Go ahead. The case is important.

"Stay safe while you're away," Zayne said with concern.

"Mm-hmm," Xiao Yan agreed. "Let us know you're safe every day."

Xavier nodded with a gentle smile. "All right. I'll be careful, and I'll say good night to my partner every day."

The request had been to check in, but Xavier had changed it to saying good night.

A formulaic family requirement had become an agreed-upon greeting with emotional warmth.

That tiny detail concealed the extra effort Xavier was putting into cooperating.

How nice.

Xiao Yan gave Xavier a knowing smile.

In return, Xavier tilted his head and blinked in a cute response.

Xiao Yan then turned to ask Zayne, "What about you, Sweet Pear? When are you planning to move back?"

"I need to hire a suitable caretaker for the vacant house first. Once the house is empty, someone will still need to look after it. I should be able to get it done within this month. I'll tell you the exact moving date as soon as it's confirmed," Zayne said.

Xiao Yan wanted to say that the Xiao Family had no shortage of caretakers.

If Zayne needed one, she could simply have Xiao Jue send someone from the main household to look after his house.

But on second thought, since Zayne hadn't asked for help and had made his own plans, it was better to respect his wishes.

Besides, a caretaker sent from the main household would certainly soon discover that the house hadn't been transferred into Xiao Yan's name.

If Xiao Jue found out that her daughter was so generous that she wouldn't accept her husbands' assets, she probably wouldn't escape another scolding.

Uncle Sang had been observing the atmosphere from the side and spoke up. "Young miss, since Mr. Zayne will soon be moving back, the household account books..."

A large family always needed a principal husband to manage household affairs, great and small.

The principal husband was also the wife-head's most capable assistant in daily life and the strongest domestic support for the entire family's future.

But Xiao Yan distinctly remembered that when she had proposed making Caleb her principal husband, Uncle Sang had been standing nearby.

Was Uncle Sang deliberately bringing this up now to sound out whether Zayne intended to become the principal husband?

Had Xiao Jue instructed Uncle Sang to do this?

Or did Uncle Sang really dislike Caleb that much and would rather have Zayne manage the household?

Zayne immediately grasped Uncle Sang's meaning. He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. "There's no rush. Let's wait until all five of us are home, discuss it together, and then decide."

Phew...

Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and silently shot Uncle Sang a glare.

Uncle Sang immediately stepped back in embarrassment. "I'm getting muddleheaded in my old age. Please don't hold it against me, young miss, Mr. Zayne, Mr. Xavier."

Although Xavier could understand Uncle Sang's expectations, as well as Zayne's caution and sense of propriety.

He had absolutely no interest in becoming the principal husband or managing household affairs.

Those irritating odds and ends ought to be left to a "mature man" like Zayne, who was willing to take things on.

But.

What did Zayne's delaying tactic and the glare Xiao Yan had given Uncle Sang mean?

Xavier took a sip of coffee and silently formed a few guesses.

Zayne might simply have been exercising caution. After all, each of the five men's relationships with Xiao Yan had progressed differently.

As things stood, Zayne's relationship progress bar with Xiao Yan was the furthest along.

Next was probably Xavier himself.

Xavier didn't know the other three men's personalities very well, but he wasn't entirely ignorant of them either.

Rafayel came across as the most childish of the five. Whether by sentiment or reason, Xiao Yan probably wouldn't favor him as principal husband.

Given Sylus's identity, having him become the principal husband of Xiao Yan, the next family head, would do more harm than good for a prominent family like the Xiao Family.

What about Caleb?

Was Zayne's refusal this time meant to leave time and room to wait for Caleb to come home?

Xavier wasn't quite sure. He asked as though casually, "Dr. Zayne, have you known Adjutant Caleb for a long time?"

"He's already been promoted to fleet commander." Zayne looked frankly at Xavier. "We were neighbors for a few years as children, and afterward, we stayed in touch, though not very often."

But how had Xavier spotted the crux of the matter at a glance?

Zayne also wanted to sound out Xavier's thoughts. "Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"Just curious. Just asking." Xavier brushed it off with a smile.

Playing dumb when he knew perfectly well? Zayne went along with it and smiled. "I thought there might be some history between you two."

"Although people generally consider the military and police one family, he and I haven't actually had much contact." Xavier gave a small sigh. "I never imagined we'd have the chance to become family, either."

Xavier placed emphasis on the word "family."

Zayne smiled again and said nothing more.

Xiao Yan narrowed her eyes.

Zayne knew the situation. His refusal to take on the principal husband's duties really was because he was waiting for Caleb.

With Xavier suddenly taking such an interest in Caleb, he must have been treating Caleb as a rival to watch out for, too.

If Xavier found out that Xiao Yan had used force to sleep with Caleb right from the start...

How could that possibly end well?

She immediately broke into a cold sweat and involuntarily cast Zayne a pleading look.

Zayne gave Xiao Yan a reassuring glance, his meaning clear: Don't worry. I'll keep it secret. I won't tell him.

But Xavier took in that tiny gesture in its entirety.

During their routine sword practice after breakfast, Zayne didn't accompany them to the gym. Instead, he went to the library in the house.

Xiao Yan wasn't particularly fond of reading, and Uncle Sang had only roughly sorted the several hundred books in the library into categories.

Zayne seemed to have a compulsion about this sort of thing and wanted to reorganize all the books.

He would pack up and donate all the ones without substance, keep the meaningful ones, and sort them into categories.

Xavier changed into the kendo uniform Xiao Yan had asked Uncle Sang to prepare and sparred a few rounds with her, stopping short of making contact.

During their break, he removed his protective gear, picked up a glass of warm water, and placed it in Xiao Yan's hand.

Yet his blue eyes remained fixed on her without blinking, an unmistakably probing look in them.

Xiao Yan chuckled. "What are you looking at?"

Xavier stepped forward. "What secret do you and Dr. Zayne have that you can't tell me?"

"..." Xiao Yan tensed. How was he so perceptive?

"So there is one." Xavier frowned slightly. "I keep feeling there's something strange about you."

Xiao Yan put on a defiant expression and lifted her chin. "What's strange about me?"

"An inexplicable sense of familiarity." Xavier moved a little closer. "Did you already know me? And Zayne, too?"

Forced back a step, Xiao Yan said, "No... how did you come to that conclusion?"

"The way you treat me and the way you treat Zayne differ, from your attitude to your approach." Xavier's gaze swept over Xiao Yan's face. "It's reasonable for me to infer that you probably use different attitudes and approaches with Rafayel, Sylus, and Caleb, too."

"..." Xiao Yan swallowed with difficulty twice. "Star, I..."

"I don't feel good about this right now." As soon as Xavier finished speaking, he seized Xiao Yan's wrist.

His grip wasn't forceful, yet she couldn't pull free.