The fake heiress loves to act? The max-level boss isn't interested in playing along.

He wanted to say that marriage wasn't all bad.

Marriage is about two people supporting each other; he will treat her well... well for a lifetime.

Just like Mom and Dad, supporting each other through thick and thin.

Fu Hua's eyes were still clear and bright.

But a flicker of emotion shone in his eyes, an emotion he had seen in the eyes of his enemies.

That's cruel!

All the words stuck in his throat.

"The kind of relationship I want doesn't need a piece of paper to prove it."

Fu Hua reached out and gently stroked Xie Ci's face.

"If I like you, let's be together. If I don't like you anymore someday, we can part ways amicably, simply and cleanly, isn't that better?"

Xie Ci grabbed her hand, holding it tightly: "Fu Hua, why...why would you have such thoughts?"

"There's no particular reason, that's just how I think."

Fu Hua looked at him, her eyes so clear they seemed to see right through him.

"Thank you, you are very good, really very good, but the institution of marriage itself is the exploitation of women, and I do not want to be exploited, even in the name of love."

Each of these words challenges the conventional understanding of an acknowledgment.

His upbringing, his family, and his environment...

They are all telling him,

Marriage is sacred, a destination, and a responsibility.

But what Fu Hua said seemed to make sense...

He remained silent for a long time, so long that even the moon outside the window seemed to shift its position.

"I don't know how to refute you."

When Xie Ci began to speak, his voice was deep and resonant.

"Fu Hua, I don't want to just be in a relationship. I want to have a home with you, and I want to spend my whole life with you."

That piece of paper... may indeed have many problems, but it is also a promise, a responsibility, and the most formal guarantee I can give you.

He looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "If you're unwilling, I can wait until you come to your senses, but I won't give up."

Looking at his serious expression, Fu Hua felt a soft spot in her heart.

She smiled and changed the subject: "Aren't we going to your house for dinner tomorrow?"

"right."

Xie Ci nodded, "I'll pick you up tomorrow."

"it is good."

Fu Hua stepped back, picked up her skirt from the ground, and put it on.

"Then why don't you go back first? I'm tired and want to rest."

Xie Ci watched her button her clothes, and his Adam's apple bobbed again.

In the end, he did nothing but nod and say, "Okay. See you tomorrow."

He walked to the door and then looked back at her once more.

Fu Hua stood in the moonlight and smiled at him, a smile that was clean yet distant.

Now, he has come to understand what Fu Songchuan meant.

Huahua, sometimes she's like the moon reflected in the water.

You thought you had caught her

In reality, you're just grasping at a shadow.

He used to think that what he saw was the real her, the whole her.

Now it seems like a reflection.

Xie Ci took a deep breath, turned around and left.

The door closed very quietly.

Fu Hua walked to the window and watched Xie Ci's car drive out of the alley, the red taillights disappearing into the night.

She looked down at her hands; on them...

It seemed as if the warmth of Xie Ci's chest still lingered.

She was serious about what she said about marriage just now.

Having lived two lives, she has witnessed far too much injustice and sacrifice in marriage.

She doesn't need marriage to add any constraints to herself.

In this life, she only wants to be her true self.

The reaction to the acknowledgment...

It was better than she had expected.

He did not fly into a rage, nor did he deny it.

He also said he was willing to try to understand.

That's enough.

As for what happens next...

Fu Hua lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.

The road ahead is long, no rush.

Take your time, and enjoy the scenery.

Xie Ci's car drove into the family compound parking lot.

He leaned back in the driver's seat, a cigarette between his fingers.

The fingers have distinct knuckles and are exceptionally elegant.

The cigarette rests between the index and middle fingers, with slightly protruding knuckles and a light, sinking wrist.

Each time he lifted his finger to bring the cigarette to his lips, his fingertip would lightly brush against the cigarette paper, a casual yet efficient movement.

The embers of the cigarette butt flickered in the darkness.

At this moment, his mind was filled with the words Fu Hua had just said.

Each word is like a pebble thrown into the center of a lake, creating ripples.

Is marriage exploitation?

No marriage certificate needed?

What exactly did his classmate Fu go through?

Only then would someone have such a shocking idea?

He had already vaguely sensed it.

Fu Hua is not a country girl at all.

The Fu family doesn't understand her, no matter how talented she is.

One's way of speaking reveals a person's understanding.

Who exactly is she?

Although he couldn't understand it.

But no matter what, he won't give up.

She wanted freedom, so he gave her freedom.

She wanted equality, so he gave her equality.

This lifetime,

He only had eyes for her.

The night was deep, and the view outside the car window was dazzling with colorful lights.

Xie Ci's gaze was firm. He lowered his eyes and exhaled smoke, which faded slightly with the swirling white mist.

In the interplay of light and shadow, the dappled light and shadow filtering through the fingers are shrouded in a languid composure.

Meeting the parents tomorrow is just the first step.

What he wanted was Fu Hua's whole life.

He is patient and waits patiently.

I got home after midnight.

Xie Ci didn't turn on the lights. He took off his military boots in the entryway, changed into slippers, and walked into the living room.

Moonlight streamed through the French windows, casting a silvery-white glow on the floor.

The room was quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock.

He went straight into the bathroom, turned on the cold water tap, and stood under the shower.

The icy water washed over my body, but it couldn't wash away the clear, bright eyes in my mind.

There's also the temperature and touch on the skin that belong to Fu Hua.

She was willing.

Xie Ci closed his eyes, letting the cold water hit his face.

He recalled the look in Fu Hua's eyes as she lay in bed watching him unbutton his shirt.

Calm, composed, and even a little curious.

She reached out and touched his chest, her composure bordering on professional.

It surprised him and...fascinated him.

But then she said she didn't want to get married.

What does marriage mean to a woman?

He muttered to himself, pondering questions he had never considered before.

Having children means the children will take the father's surname, and the wife will indeed have to serve her parents-in-law, sacrifice her career, and maintain social obligations...

These things, for her,

Perhaps, it really is a cage!

This matter was like a series of fine needles pricking his heart.

Xie Ci turned off the water, wiped himself haphazardly with a towel, and returned to his room.

Lying in bed, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains.

A blurry light and shadow were cast on the ceiling.

His eyes were open, his mind filled with Fu Hua's image.

The curve of her lips when she smiles, the way she focuses intently on repairing the machine...

She lay in the moonlight, gazing at him with an air of serene acceptance...

Does she really like him?

I think she likes it.

Otherwise, why would she be willing to be so intimate and honest with him?

But if you like,

Why are you unwilling to have a home with him?

I can't figure out how to say thank you.

The education he received from childhood to adulthood

His family, the marriages of everyone around him,

It's all about a marriage certificate, a promise, and a home.

If he doesn't let home become a cage, and doesn't let mundane matters bother her,

Is she willing to marry him?

What exactly did you go through to have such thoughts?

This question is like a fog, lingering in my mind and refusing to dissipate.

Xie Ci, confused and exhausted, finally fell asleep.

Then, he had a dream.