My Fiancé's Scandals Never End, So I Married His Uncle Instead-Chapter 17: Late-Night Private Chat

Celia Sterling had just gotten out of the shower and climbed into bed when she received the message.

They’d only been friends on WeChat for two days, and she never expected Silas Norwood, that cool and unapproachable man, to be the one to message her first.

She looked at the timestamp on the message:

2:15 AM.

’So even Mr. Unattainable stays up late?’

Cece: [Still up this late, Silas?]

NSY: [I’m used to it.]

’What a night owl.’

Celia sighed to herself and replied tentatively:

Cece: [Did you need something, messaging me so late?]

NSY: [Nothing in particular. Just wanted to chat.]

Celia finished typing out "I’m going to sleep" and then silently deleted it.

She got up and poured herself a cup of cold tea to stay awake. Knowing he was a cool, taciturn person, she mulled it over and took the initiative to find a topic of conversation:

Cece: [I saw the new online game the Norwood Group launched at 8 PM last night. The graphics are beautiful.]

NSY: [Mm.]

Cece: [Congratulations on the successful approval of the Norwood Group’s new energy project. Your business empire is expanding again.]

NSY: [Mm.]

Celia was silent for a long time. She padded out of her room barefoot, went downstairs, and grabbed a business paper from a corner of the dining room. She found the section on the Norwood Group and began reciting from it like she was reading a script:

Cece: [I heard the Norwood Family’s mining operations in Solisia discovered a new non-ferrous metal, which is a huge boost for the semiconductor industry. My brother even said at dinner that you have the Midas touch. The Norwood Family has done so well since you took charge.]

Cece: [That huge plot of land in the North Suburbs, are you planning to develop it into a prime commercial district or a residential complex, Silas? The scenery there is so nice. If it’s residential, can I reserve a unit?]

Cece: [The Norwood Family also acquired Fairlight Electronics and the DK Beauty Group?]

She sent several more topics she’d found in the newspaper, one after another, but he didn’t reply again.

「Jade Orchid Manor.」

Silas Norwood looked at the chat window, a faint smile touching his eyes as he saw the girl racking her brain for topics, having clearly run out of things to say.

He rarely had time to rest and had no intention of wasting this private, idle chat on trivial, official topics about the company.

He dialed her number directly.

Celia Sterling stared at the incoming call from Silas Norwood’s private number. She paused for a moment before answering, "Silas."

"Cece." It was Silas Norwood’s signature cool voice, refined and with a hint of inexplicable sexiness. "You and I don’t need to talk about such formalities."

Celia’s voice dropped a little, tinged with a slight embarrassment. "...Okay, Silas."

"I’m free tomorrow evening. Would you like to have dinner together?" His tone was elegant, as if asking for her opinion, yet it was also very deliberate.

Thinking of the "daily date" plan she’d agreed to, Celia nodded hesitantly. "S-Sure. What would you like to eat, Silas?"

Silas slowly passed the decision to her. "How about you make the arrangements, Cece?"

It was three in the morning by the time she hung up.

Celia, who would normally have been sleeping like a log long ago, was unusually wide awake. After tossing and turning for a long while, she dialed a number.

The call was rejected three times in a row.

On the fourth try, the other person finally picked up. Her best friend, Quinn Sinclair, sounded utterly defeated. "Girl, I just pulled two all-nighters in a row. I literally just fell asleep..."

"I only have one question. You can go back to sleep right after."

Quinn’s voice was faint. "Shoot."

"Recommend a suitable restaurant for me." Celia thought for a moment. "Something suitable for a man who seems... otherworldly."

"Otherworldly? Then why is he eating at all? Just take him to a temple to smell some incense."

"..." Celia was speechless. "I’m being serious with you."

"Serious? Who are you treating? Won’t that bastard Declan Norwood get jealous?" Quinn said reflexively, then suddenly jolted awake. "Holy shit! I’ve been trying to reach you for days and you never replied. I was so sleepy I forgot I was still waiting for the update on that whole situation."

Celia felt a pang of guilt. "I haven’t really been checking my WeChat messages lately." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I don’t want to hear your excuses." Most of Quinn’s sleepiness had vanished. "About Declan Norwood cheating... you think our overbearing brother Kade would stand for that? Did you break up with that scumbag or not?"

Celia hummed in agreement. "The engagement is off."

"Nice!" Quinn exclaimed. "That clingy bastard Declan Norwood didn’t pester you endlessly? I was just gossiping about this with my dad at dinner the other day. He was so sure you guys couldn’t call it off because too much was at stake."

Celia paused for a few seconds. "The engagement wasn’t exactly called off. I just swapped him for someone else from the Norwood Family—the otherworldly one I just mentioned."

A loud thud came from Quinn’s end, as if she had rolled off the bed. A moment later, she continued her incredulous gossiping, "Swapped fiancés? Cece, you Sterlings and Norwoods are something else..."

Celia didn’t want to get sidetracked. "So, can you help me pick a restaurant or not? Your family is in the hotel and restaurant business; you know the high-end places in Metropia better than I do."

"What’s the rush?" Quinn pressed, digging for more details. "Let’s be real, among all the powerful families in Metropia, the Norwood Family produces the most handsome men by far. No other family even compares. So who’s the new guy?"

Celia’s situation with Silas Norwood hadn’t been officially announced yet. The scandal of Declan Norwood’s cheating had just died down, and neither family wanted to become a trending topic again so soon just to entertain the public.

Kian Sterling and Silas Norwood had agreed to postpone the official announcement of the engagement until the Qixi Festival next month.

"It’ll be announced on the official website next month. You’ll find out then." Quinn couldn’t keep a secret to save her life among Metropia’s circle of heiresses, and nearly every one of those girls coveted Silas Norwood, their ’white moonlight’. Celia decided to keep it under wraps for as long as she could. "Just don’t go spreading it around the circle yet."

"What about our friendship? At least give me a hint!"

Celia sidestepped the question, tossing the truth to her best friend in a joking manner. "He’s the cool, ascetic type. And drop-dead gorgeous."

There was a long silence on the other end.

Then, Quinn let out a long, sharp hiss.

"Cece, I’d still recommend you pick a different type. Cool, ascetic, and beautiful... that’s too similar in style to that Silas Norwood guy. Your new man will be completely overshadowed by him. It’s like picking up a glass marble. It looks pretty enough on its own, but then you put it next to the finest piece of mutton-fat jade. Can you really stand looking at that comparison every day?"

Celia dodged the topic perfunctorily. "So, the restaurant?"

"Right, a cool, ascetic ’celestial being’..." Quinn said with an ’oh’. "Actually, there is a restaurant. It’ll be absolutely perfect for him."

The next afternoon, Silas Norwood received a location pin for a restaurant from Celia Sterling on his phone.

It was a niche but very famous place within their circle called The Dynasty Restaurant, known for its uniquely shaped pastries and vegetarian dishes. The style was fresh and elegant, and it offered excellent privacy.

Along with the location, she had sent a link to the restaurant’s introduction.

Silas Norwood opened it. Inside were photos of exquisitely crafted dishes: a "Jade Rabbit" made of tofu, a "Glazed Cup" made from lychee, lotus-shaped pastries, cherry-blossom-shaped ’blessing buns’...

Cece: [Is this okay, Silas?]

NSY: [It’s fine.]

Cece: [Should I wait for you downstairs at your office after work?]

NSY: [Mm.]

In the Sterling Design and R&D Department, Celia Sterling let out a soft breath of relief after receiving Silas Norwood’s affirmative reply.