“Chengzhen, what did you want to talk to me about?”
Because he was worried about the injury on Qiao Shu’s wrist, Feng Xiao was somewhat absent-minded. He hadn’t even noticed himself that all his thoughts were now on Qiao Shu, and he just wanted to finish the conversation quickly and get back.
But the more perceptive Lu Chengzhen had noticed. Seeing his good friend’s slightly furrowed brows and his mind clearly elsewhere, he shook his head with a chuckle.
Lu Chengzhen hadn’t expected that his friend would one day undergo such a huge change because of feelings.
Just like he hadn’t anticipated that he himself would end up in such a stiff standoff with his family because he liked someone…
“A Xiao, have you noticed that since you came back this time, you’re completely different from before?”
Hearing Lu Chengzhen say something so out of left field, Feng Xiao looked at him in confusion.
“Different?”
“Yes, different. The old you was calm and composed, steady as a rock, unmoved by any east wind or west wind. You always handled everything with such rationality and calm, but today…”
As he spoke, Lu Chengzhen smiled, his tone full of emotion.
“I saw a different you.
I saw you forgetting everything because you were nervous about one person. I saw you ignoring everything around you because you were worried about one person, your heart and eyes filled only with her…”
Hearing these words from Lu Chengzhen, Feng Xiao stopped in his tracks and stood there stunned.
“A Xiao, ever since you met her, you’ve lost your reason for her. This is the most unbelievable thing for you. Haven’t you noticed it at all yourself?”
Lu Chengzhen gently patted Feng Xiao’s shoulder and continued earnestly.
“A Xiao, I heard from my sister that you don’t like her and want to cancel the marriage. But in my eyes, you clearly like her a lot and care about her deeply. At first, I didn’t understand why you, who like her so much, would push her away. But after seeing what she looks like and how outstanding she is, I got it…”
“Qiao Shu is so young and especially beautiful. Sister Yingzi said she even writes articles and earns money with her words.
But you’re eleven years older than her, you have two adopted kids, and your job keeps you from being by her side to take care of and cherish her.
A young, beautiful, and outstanding girl like her—you feel unworthy of her, that she deserves a better man, and you don’t want to hold her back, so you chose to ignore your feelings…”
Lu Chengzhen had bluntly laid bare every thought in Feng Xiao’s heart, poking through that flimsy layer of self-deception in the simplest, most brutal way.
In truth, how could Feng Xiao not understand his own abnormal behavior lately? He just didn’t want to dwell on it, didn’t dare to.
“Chengzhen, stop…”
Feng Xiao spoke weakly. He didn’t want his selfishness to ruin a girl who didn’t even know what love was.
The gap between them was too vast, like an unbridgeable chasm, one he didn’t dare cross and couldn’t cross.
“A Xiao, some things can’t be solved by running away. With feelings, if you run away, you’ll regret it for life! Like today, when you saw Little Ye confess to Qiao Shu and ask to marry her—could you stand it? No, you couldn’t. You tell yourself you want to cut ties with her, let her marry someone more worthy of her lifetime. But if Qiao Shu really married someone else, could you accept it?”
“Lu Chengzhen! Stop!”
Feng Xiao clenched his fists tightly, his handsome sword-like brows furrowed deeply.
“A Xiao, I’m not trying to force you. I just… don’t want you to regret it later. In life, it’s not easy to meet someone you like who also likes you. I hope you won’t overthink it. If you like her, just be together.”
Lu Chengzhen sighed softly, speaking slowly.
He hadn’t expected an immediate answer from Feng Xiao. He figured his highly principled friend might need a long time to sort it out.
But to his surprise, Feng Xiao might like that girl even more than he—or even Feng Xiao himself—had realized.
“No, she doesn’t like me…”
Even though that girl had been saying lately that she liked him and wanted to marry him.
But he knew she didn’t really like him.
A little girl brainwashed since childhood about their childhood betrothal—she had no idea what liking someone meant and just saw him and their betrothal as part of her life…
Understanding Feng Xiao’s concerns and knots, Lu Chengzhen smiled and said.
“Then teach her. Teach her what liking is, what love is. And if you don’t, what if she gets tricked by someone else? I heard from my sister that your little girl at home is so pure and kind-hearted—she’d be easy to fool.”
“…”
Hearing his friend’s persuasion, Feng Xiao’s heart shamefully wavered.
Lu Chengzhen saw the wavering and poured fuel on the fire.
“And how can you be sure the little girl doesn’t really like you? I heard from my sister that when Qiao Shu was dragged by Sister Yingzi to a mixer and blind date dance, she ignored all the other guys. Even when Sister Yingzi wanted her to dance with other men, she refused and ended up dancing with Sister Yingzi. My sister said Qiao Shu really resists blind dates. She just wants to be the Feng family’s daughter-in-law and doesn’t want any contact with other men.”
Some of his words were true, some exaggerated, but he wasn’t lying.
More importantly, if saying this could get his friend to stop running from his feelings, break the deadlock, and end up with Qiao Shu, then it was him doing a good deed.
From what he knew of his friend, if he really missed Qiao Shu, he’d never like anyone else again. He might never remarry in his life.
So, push as hard as he could!
“Chengzhen, thanks.”
Hearing things from Lu Chengzhen that he hadn’t known, Feng Xiao suddenly thought maybe the little girl wasn’t brainwashed by Grandpa Qiao like his sister said, but… maybe she really did like him…?
Either way, having clearly seen his own heart, Feng Xiao decided not to run anymore.
“Comrade Feng Xiao, if you really want to thank me, lend me three thousand bucks.”
Hearing this from Lu Chengzhen, Feng Xiao looked at him in surprise. But seeing the seriousness on his face, he realized his friend wasn’t joking.
“Okay.”
Feng Xiao nodded without asking more and agreed outright.
“You’re not even going to ask why I need to borrow such a big sum?”
Lu Chengzhen gave a bitter smile. Thinking about it, he was pretty ridiculous—his own emotional mess unsolved, yet here he was fixing Feng Xiao’s.
“No need. If you want to tell me, you will. Chengzhen, whatever it is, you can come to me.”
“A Xiao, thanks…”
…
While Feng Xiao sorted out his feelings with Lu Chengzhen’s help,
In the Feng Family Residence, Qiao Shu had been called into the study alone by He Yingzi for a serious talk.
“Shushu, are you really set on marrying A Xiao?”
“Mm-hmm! Sister, I’m serious! I have to marry Feng Xiao!”
After Lu Chengye’s sudden confession and proposal, Qiao Shu was even more convinced she had to marry Feng Xiao.
She believed that once she was a married woman—and married to someone with such a strong presence and reassuring fighting skills like Feng Xiao—he’d definitely block all those messy suitors tight!
Oh, almost forgot—there was also the stepmom buff of marrying with two kids!
With the attribute of being the kids’ mom—two kids’ mom, no less—no one would bother her anymore!
To show more sincerity, Qiao Shu quickly added.
“I super love him! This lifetime, it’s him or no one! Sister, if you don’t want me to end up alone forever, don’t block me from marrying Feng Xiao or set me up with those random strangers for blind dates. I really don’t like blind dates…”
These words happened to be overheard by Feng Xiao, who had just returned. Learning his sister was talking with Qiao Shu, he’d come over.
He’d been about to knock but stopped, for the first time doing something totally out of character and immoral: eavesdropping.
But his straight, pine-like stance didn’t look like eavesdropping at all. It looked like standing at attention, his aura righteous and intimidating.
“Shushu, you’re still young. You don’t understand love. You don’t really love my brother. I don’t want you making a choice now that you’ll regret in the future.”
Though Qiao Shu kept calling her “sister,” He Yingzi treated her like a daughter, seeing her as a child—practically her own.
So she viewed things from a parent’s perspective. In fact, some of her thoughts matched Qiao Shu’s mother, He Meijun’s, exactly.
But many parents, under the banner of “for your own good,” do things that are wrong for the child, making the child resent them.
And in Qiao Shu’s eyes, He Yingzi had become that kind of “well-meaning parent.”
But Qiao Shu wasn’t a child; her mind was mature. She understood all the big principles.
So she didn’t reject this somewhat misguided love. On the contrary, she knew He Yingzi truly cared for her and was thinking of her.
After all, no parent who loved their child wanted them marrying an “old man” eleven years older with two kids.
“Sister, I’m not young. In our country, eighteen is adulthood, and I’m nineteen now. I’m an adult with my own judgment and independence.”
Qiao Shu went to He Yingzi’s side, hugged her arm, and coquettishly pleaded softly.
“Sister, you’re not me—how can you be so sure I don’t really like Feng Xiao? Maybe like you said, I don’t understand liking yet. But I can say for sure: if I marry in this lifetime, I only want to marry Feng Xiao, be the Feng family’s wife, forever Grandpa’s granddaughter-in-law, forever Mom and Dad’s daughter-in-law, forever Sister’s sister-in-law, forever Ningning and Kangkang’s little aunt…”
“So, Sister, please don’t stop me from marrying Feng Xiao or keep setting up blind dates. I really don’t like it, I hate it. And if I regret it later… I’m still so young. So what if I regret? Worst case, I divorce.”
Qiao Shu spoke her true thoughts openly and frankly.
This honesty stunned He Yingzi. Looking into the girl’s clear, limpid eyes full of childlike innocence, staring innocently at her, she suddenly felt that if anyone was at a disadvantage, it might not be this little girl…
Maybe she should worry about her own brother, who had fallen hard for Qiao Shu…?
“Sigh, I get it. I won’t block you and A Xiao’s marriage anymore, and no more blind dates.”
“I knew Sister was the best to me!”
Qiao Shu didn’t hold back and hugged He Yingzi in a loving hug.
Being hugged so unguardedly by Qiao Shu’s soft, fragrant body, the usually steady and capable He Yingzi couldn’t help blushing deeply.
Feeling the sensation ancient texts described as “warm, fragrant, soft beauty in one’s arms”—especially since the soft girl in her arms was a great beauty like Qiao Shu—even as a woman, He Yingzi felt her heart race a bit.
She suddenly understood why her usually calm, highly moral brother had lost his reason and fallen for Qiao Shu.
Because… it was Qiao Shu. No one could resist this little girl’s charm…
Knock knock knock—!
Just as He Yingzi became a bit addicted to Qiao Shu’s fragrant and soft embrace and couldn’t extricate herself, a knock sounded at the door.
Hearing this knock, He Yingzi finally returned to normal.
She patted the little girl’s head, had her sit properly, and then said to the person knocking outside, “Come in.”
“Sis, what were you talking about with Qiao Shu?”
Feng Xiao pretended he knew nothing as he walked in from outside.
Now back to normal, He Yingzi’s mind was exceptionally clear. Seeing Feng Xiao knock at such a perfectly timed moment, she had long guessed that he had been eavesdropping outside earlier.
However, since he was her little brother no matter what, she gave him face and did not expose him.
Qiao Shu did not think about whether Feng Xiao’s timing was coincidental. At this moment, her entire heart was filled with—
“Feng Xiao! You came at the perfect time! Big Sis agreed to our marriage. Let’s go get our marriage certificate right now!”
Marriage, marriage, get married quick!
“…”
“…”
Faced with the little girl’s so urgent appearance, He Hong and Feng Xiao, the two siblings, both fell silent.
“What’s wrong, Feng Xiao? You still don’t want to marry me? You dislike me that much? But what about me don’t you like?”
Seeing Feng Xiao silently looking at her like that, Qiao Shu’s pretty little face immediately scrunched up. Her pink little mouth drooped, and her face was full of ‘I’m not happy.’
She felt she had worked hard enough this time to win Feng Xiao’s affection.
She made delicious meals for him three times a day, asked after his well-being every day, and took special care of him…
For an ordinary person, they wouldn’t be able to resist her first hurdle at all.
No, she didn’t even need to specially strategize to build affection—the other person would already have maxed out their fondness for her.
The more she thought about it, the more Qiao Shu felt that Feng Xiao was probably, possibly, maybe really sick!
Could it be that he was injured down there, so he became a ‘pervert’?
She had heard that men who became impotent would indeed develop twisted personalities…
As Qiao Shu was lost in wild thoughts, her gaze toward Feng Xiao grew increasingly strange. Feng Xiao sighed helplessly, knowing she was definitely thinking nonsense again.
Seeing how much the little girl wanted to marry him, he decided not to evade any longer and simply followed his heart—
“Alright, let’s get married.”
“…?!!”
Hearing Feng Xiao say this so suddenly, Qiao Shu was utterly stunned.
“Really?”
Qiao Shu asked uncertainly again, her pretty eyes staring at Feng Xiao with extreme tension.
Faced with the little girl’s nervous expression, Feng Xiao only felt that she was incredibly cute.
“Really.”
After getting Feng Xiao’s affirmative answer, the wish-fulfilling Qiao Shu’s eyes shone brightly, her smile radiant like the stars.
However, before she could even leap up in joyful celebration, He Yingzi’s next words thoroughly doused her excitement—like being drenched in ice water, chilling her to the heart.
“You two, sober up a bit.”
He Yingzi looked at Qiao Shu’s brilliantly smiling little face. Though somewhat reluctant, she still said it.
“Shushu, you said it yourself—you’re only nineteen. You haven’t reached the legal marriage age yet. What are you going to use to get married with?”
As soon as these words came out, the two who had been full of joy and ready to marry immediately fell silent.
Oh, starting from 1980, their country’s legal marriage age for women had changed from eighteen to twenty. And Qiao Shu just happened to be short by one year…
‘…QAQ’ Qiao Shu: Sob sob! Why is getting married so hard!