Xie Yankang glanced at Xie Hanyue, then said flatly, “Your older sister has reached marriageable age. If we can’t find a good match for her, our entire Xie Family will be dragged down. Even a little girl like you will have her reputation ruined. Alright, go back and rest. Just remember, everything Father and Mother do is for your and your brother’s own good.”
These words were not just to placate her; they were the truth.
The Xie Family had long since regarded Xie Hanyue as their own biological daughter, so it was only natural for them to plan for their child’s future. Besides, Xie Qingran herself had been the one to propose this marriage; no one had forced her.
Ying Xing Pavilion.
The first thing Xie Qingran did upon her return was to take off the splendid clothes she was wearing. The outfit was beautiful, but it was far too cumbersome. After wearing it for a day, Xie Qingran already felt exhausted.
Before she could even put the clothes down, Lu Jinzhi suddenly burst in. Seeing Xie Qingran in just her inner robes, his face flushed red, and he subconsciously turned his back to her.
“Xie Qingran, it’s broad daylight and you’re not dressed! Have you no shame!”
“How can you be so shameless!”
Xie Qingran’s expression remained neutral. She silently picked up an outer robe from the side, wrapped it around herself, and looked coolly at Lu Jinzhi.
“Barging into a young lady’s private chambers without so much as a word of warning—who is the shameless one here?”
“Is this the upbringing of your Lu family?”
Xie Qingran’s cold voice reached Lu Jinzhi, stunning him.
He never would have imagined that the Xie Qingran who was always so timid and submissive in his presence would actually speak to him like this.
“Xie Qingran!”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you said to Her Majesty the Empress. I’m telling you, I will absolutely not agree to this engagement with you!”
“I would rather die than marry you!”
Lu Jinzhi’s brows were knitted tightly together as he gritted his teeth and stared at Xie Qingran, as if she were some despicable person.
Hearing this, Xie Qingran couldn’t help but let out a disdainful, cold laugh.
She crossed her arms and looked coolly at the self-righteous man before her. “Who said I wanted to marry you? How can you be so brazen?”
“You still won’t admit it?”
Lu Jinzhi was livid. He spun around again, glaring at Xie Qingran through clenched teeth.
Everyone knew Lu Jinzhi as a noble and distinguished young master, but Xie Qingran had always felt there was something wrong with this man. Whether in her past life or this one, he was like a firecracker every time they met, seemingly ready to explode at any moment.
However, Xie Qingran was certain that she had never offended him in either life. In fact, in her previous life, she had even felt affection for him and had thought of spending her life with him. It was just a pity that her end had been so tragic.
The memories of her past life flooded her mind like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her. As she looked at Lu Jinzhi, a deep malice and hatred unconsciously surfaced in her eyes.
Such a look shocked Lu Jinzhi. He almost subconsciously took a step back, an indescribable panic rising in his heart, as if something that originally belonged to him was about to slip away forever.
“Sister! Look what I brought you! It’s Hawthorn Cake from the small kitchen. Isn’t it your favorite?” Xie Hanyue’s cheerful voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the standoff between the two.
Immediately after, Xie Hanyue was seen walking in with a plate of pastries. Seemingly completely unaware that Lu Jinzhi was there, she stopped in her tracks, her face flushing red.
“Brother Lu, you… why are you here too?”
“Did I interrupt your conversation?”
Xie Hanyue stood there, holding the pastries and biting her lower lip. She looked incredibly pitiful, truly like a small child who had done something wrong.
Seeing Xie Hanyue’s affected act, Xie Qingran only felt disgusted.
“Can you two go talk outside?”
“I’m very tired. I need to rest.”
Xie Qingran spoke coolly, breaking the sparks flying between the two as their eyes met.
Now, both of them were a little embarrassed, especially Xie Hanyue. Her face bright red, she put down the pastries in her hands. “Sister, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t know Brother Lu was here. I… I came to bring you Hawthorn Cake.”
“Hawthorn Cake filled with laxatives? I can’t possibly enjoy such a treat. You’d better have it yourself,” Xie Qingran said, glancing coldly at the cake.
Either Xie Hanyue’s mind wasn’t working right, or she thought Xie Qingran’s wasn’t. The color of the Hawthorn Cake was already a bit off, yet she had brought it over just like that.
“Sister, you… what are you talking about? What laxatives?”
“I just remembered that you love Hawthorn Cake, so I specially brought some over for you. You…”
Before Xie Hanyue could finish, tears began to fall like broken strings of pearls.
“Since you say there’s nothing in it, why don’t you take a bite?”
Xie Qingran walked forward, picked up a piece of Hawthorn Cake, and held it to Xie Hanyue’s lips.
Smack!
Lu Jinzhi slapped the back of Xie Qingran’s hand. His brows knitted together tightly as he berated her in a stern voice, “That’s enough! What do you think you’re doing?”
“She kindly brought you pastries, and it’s one thing not to appreciate it, but why must you be so aggressive?” Lu Jinzhi immediately pulled Xie Hanyue behind him, looking at Xie Qingran with displeasure. “You truly don’t know what’s good for you!”
Without another word, Lu Jinzhi took Xie Hanyue’s hand and started to walk out.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to glare fiercely at Xie Qingran.
Normally, Xie Qingran would have immediately grabbed Lu Jinzhi’s hand to explain and defend herself. But now, she couldn’t care less whether this man believed her or not.
She simply took off her outer robe, lay down on the bed, and lazily commanded, “Baozhu, close the door!”
Bang!
The sound of the door closing was like a heavy slap across Lu Jinzhi’s and Xie Hanyue’s faces.
Xie Hanyue froze for a moment, then came to her senses. She shook Lu Jinzhi’s arm and said in a small voice, “Brother Lu, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault you were implicated. Sister is taking her anger out on you because she dislikes me!”
“Hanyue, don’t you dare say that. You did nothing wrong. It’s just that Xie Qingran herself is petty and narrow-minded!” Lu Jinzhi’s voice was loud, as if he were afraid the person in the room couldn’t hear him.
However, Xie Qingran had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Lu Jinzhi’s punch had landed squarely on a wad of cotton.
In the main courtyard.
Xie Yankang had already cleaned up and was lying in bed, looking at Wang Shi. “You must prepare for Qingran’s wedding properly. Especially when it comes to the dowry, you absolutely must not let her be wronged, nor can you lose face for our Xie Family. Do you understand?”