The system only arrives when you're old? Then let's create a super-rich family!

Wang Zhaoyue's change was so sudden that Qin Ziyang's drunkenness had mostly dissipated.

He carefully recalled the two sentences he had just said.

Wang Zhaoyue did not deny the statement that the Wang family had a powerful background.

The problem must lie in the second sentence, "Your parents and relatives must love you very much."

Qin Ziyang's eyes were full of confusion, and he pondered it over and over again, becoming more and more confused.

With the Wang family's formidable foundation at the top of the Dragon Kingdom, Wang Zhaoyue, as the direct descendant of the main branch, was born into a family of noble birth and should have been showered with love and affection.

Just like my own older sister, Qin Nian'an.

Before the Qin family had revealed its full potential, when Grandpa deliberately pretended to be poor, even though life was simple and frugal, he still doted on his eldest sister to the extreme.

That’s even more so nowadays.

My eldest sister loves acting, so my grandfather had my eldest brother personally connect her with top resources in the industry, inviting top directors and celebrities to co-star with her and support her. Needless to say, when the movie is released, there will be a massive, expensive publicity campaign, all to make her happy.

Qin Ziyang couldn't understand what kind of grievances a daughter of the Wang family of the same rank could suffer.

Could it be that the Wang family has a deep-rooted preference for sons over daughters and a contempt for women?

Or were the relatives of a collateral branch arrogant and secretly ostracizing and suppressing her?

Or perhaps the servants in the household look down on people and privately neglect or make things difficult for them?

Countless guesses flashed through his mind, but he could not find a reasonable answer.

At that moment, he fully understood the common predicament of all boys.

It turns out that when a man and a woman are together, and the woman is angry and silent, the man will rack his brains trying to figure out what went wrong.

He stared at Wang Zhaoyue, who was bowing her head and remaining silent, and after a long hesitation, he slowly spoke:

"I'm sorry, I didn't know your family treated you badly."

After speaking, Wang Zhaoyue, who had been silent for a long time, finally raised her eyes slightly.

The dim light fell on her exquisite yet cold profile. Her eyes were calm, revealing no emotion, and she replied in a low, detached tone:

"They were very kind to me."

Those six simple words completely baffled Qin Ziyang.

His mind instantly became a jumbled mess, with countless thoughts tangled and knotted together.

Her family treated her very well, so where did her sudden drop in mood, her biting indifference, and the loneliness in her eyes come from?

He couldn't understand it, he really couldn't understand it...

At this moment, Qin Ziyang felt only a sense of helplessness.

A woman's heart is truly like a needle at the bottom of the sea—hard to fathom.

The booth fell into a long, deathly silence once again, with only soft background music flowing slowly, making the surroundings even quieter and more oppressive.

A few seconds later, Wang Zhaoyue sighed softly. The sigh was very light, but it was full of endless weariness and helplessness, making people feel suffocated.

She picked up the remaining glass of strong liquor on the table, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

The spicy liquor burned my throat and esophagus, but it couldn't suppress the pent-up frustration that had been building up in my heart for years.

Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect, perhaps the atmosphere was just right tonight, or perhaps it was because no one had listened to me for so long, and I had been suppressing my feelings for too long.

Wang Zhaoyue parted her red lips slightly, her voice hoarse and soft, and slowly began to speak, revealing her past that she had never told anyone before.

"Do you think that daughters of top-tier families are born into a life of luxury and freedom?"

She gave a self-deprecating laugh, her eyes filled with bitterness.

"From the time I can remember, every day of my life has been fully scheduled, and I have never had any freedom."

"I started learning to read around the age of three, became familiar with the rules of the aristocratic family by the age of five, and began learning all sorts of knowledge at the age of seven, including the management of the matriarch, social etiquette, and everything else I would need later."

"Standing, sitting, walking, and bowing—every movement has strict standards, and even the slightest deviation will be severely corrected by the instructor. The curve of a smile, the posture of a handshake, the gesture of offering a toast, and the speed of conversation—all must be practiced and refined to achieve the utmost propriety."

"In addition to these, we also need to be proficient in tea ceremony, flower arrangement, chess, tasting, foreign languages, negotiation, and even psychology and micro-expression recognition. The philosophy we were instilled with from childhood was never about being happy and joyful, but about how to be qualified, how to be decent, and how to become the most standard role model in the family."

"You think I'm gentle, sensible, and well-mannered? That's just the result of rigorous training day after day."

She spoke softly while repeatedly raising her glass.

One cup, two cups, three cups...

She drank all the remaining drinks on the table in just a few minutes.

As the wine entered his throat, a surge of sorrow welled up within him, and the grievances and resentment that had been building up for years finally erupted at that moment.

"My grandfather truly loves me the most; he'll give me anything I want."

"But my marriage is the only thing I've never been able to decide for myself."

Wang Zhaoyue's eyes were vacant as she stared into the darkness, her voice light and airy, yet carrying a powerlessness that pierced to the bone.

"He arranged a marriage for me with a young man from a prominent family who was a good match for me, but I didn't like him."

"I don't want to marry someone who doesn't understand feelings but only interests. I don't want to spend the rest of my life trapped in a marriage bound by interests, living a life of cold respect within a wealthy family."

"I argued with my family about this and managed to get this month of free time from my grandfather."

She lowered her head slightly, her eyes filled with dejection.

"I only have 23 days left before I go home to complete the engagement ceremony they've arranged for me."

Zhang Xianglin sat quietly to the side the whole time, like a transparent person, listening silently to Wang Zhaoyue's story and helplessness, a touch of pity rising in his heart.

It turns out that even the most envied and high-society heiresses suffer from such helplessness.

Deprived of their unfettered freedom from childhood, they live within the constraints of rules and regulations, unable to even control their most basic freedom of marriage, and reduced to bargaining chips in the exchange of family interests.

But this pity lasted only a few seconds before he snapped back to reality and gave a bitter smile to himself.

He actually felt sorry for Wang Zhaoyue?

Does he deserve it?

Even if Wang Zhaoyue marries someone she doesn't love, she will still live a life of luxury and ease, backed by a top-tier Wang family. She will enjoy a life of comfort and high status, and no one will dare to bully her.

Looking at myself, I toil away every day for a few coins, worrying about making a living, and in the future I will face heavy pressures such as buying a house, getting married, having children, and supporting my parents.

In comparison, my own life is truly a mess, pathetic and ordinary.

Upon realizing this, Zhang Xianglin instantly withdrew all empathy, leaving only self-mockery and helplessness, and fell completely silent.

He couldn't empathize with the troubles of top-tier families, but Qin Ziyang could deeply understand Wang Zhaoyue's helplessness.

Because they are from the same social class, the same type of people, and stand at the same level.

They don't have to worry about money and can pursue the life they want.

Fortunately, Qin Ziyang was lucky enough.

Grandpa never forced him to take over the family's complicated business, letting him do as he pleased, pursue the life he liked, and respecting all his choices.

But Wang Zhaoyue is different.

As the direct descendant of the Wang family, she was born with the family's mission on her shoulders. Every word and action of hers had to give way to the family's interests, and even her life's most important matter was reduced to a tool for political marriage, leaving her with no autonomy.

The thought of spending the rest of one's life with a complete stranger, trapped in a cage-like, top-tier marriage, is suffocating.