A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Cen Yan knelt in the courtyard for at least six hours.

He could barely kneel steadily, his hands unconsciously bracing himself before forcing himself to kneel properly again; his back still burned from time to time, from the whip marks inflicted by his adoptive father.

He was extremely thirsty.

But he didn't regret it at all.

Someone came in.

Cen Yan didn't pay much attention at first, assuming he was just his adoptive father's advisor.

My family members don't dare to come.

But he heard that the footsteps were wrong; they were very light and not the footsteps of a man.

He suddenly looked up and ran into Xiang Linzi, who was acting suspiciously.

Xiang Linzi seemed to have been caught red-handed, and immediately ran into the study; Cen Yan wanted to pull her back, but he was forced to kneel as punishment and dared not move.

Fearing that Xiang Linzi would also be beaten, he hesitated for two seconds before getting up to stop her.

But he forgot that he had been kneeling for six hours, and now his knees were stiffer than wood. As soon as he moved, he knelt down with a thud.

"Lin Zi!" he called to her, "You go out first, this has nothing to do with you!"

Xiang Linzi had already rushed to her uncle's side.

The eldest patriarch of the Xiang family was named Xiang Zan. He spent most of his time in the army, was tall and dark-skinned, and had an imposing presence that rivaled his father's.

Lin Zi is usually very afraid of her uncle.

"What are you doing here?" Xiang Zan looked at his niece with an unfriendly gaze. "You should leave now."

He hadn't slept all night, but he was still in good spirits, only more irritable.

Lin Zi's legs were trembling, but she tried her best to remain calm: "I was the one who liked Cen Yan first. If you want to hit someone, hit me. I've brought shame to the Xiang family. Please don't make things difficult for him."

Cen Yan has already entered.

Because his adoptive father had told him to kneel, and he had already disobeyed his father by coming in, Cen Yan continued to kneel in front of him: "Father, I can atone for my sins. It has nothing to do with Lin Zi."

"You had no idea I liked you before, and you never made any advances. It was me. I seduced you," Lin Zi said.

She also knelt down, beside Cen Yan, "Uncle, please punish me, please stop hitting my elder brother."

Xiang Zan was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time.

Cheng Tianxun arrived at this time.

He sized up the two people kneeling before his uncle, raising an eyebrow: "Playing the tragic love story? What a star-crossed couple."

He then told his eldest uncle, "Don't believe their nonsense. Beat those two dishonest guys to death, and see if they dare to continue their secret dealings."

Xiang Zan's complexion worsened.

But this nephew is no ordinary junior; he holds power and is deeply favored by the old man, so Xiang Zan cannot treat him lightly.

"Who moved you here? Lin Chuan?" Xiang Zan asked.

"Besides him, there's no one else. If those two siblings had put their minds to something worthwhile, they wouldn't be so good-for-nothings," Cheng Tianxun said.

Xiang Zan: "..."

Cheng Tianxun also intended to say something.

He was always outspoken and had no inhibitions, so Xiang Zan had no interest in listening to him. Just as they were about to see the guest off, the warlord's wife, Xiang Ying, arrived.

Xiang Zan then went out to greet his younger sister.

"All of you, get out," Xiang Zan said. "Cen Yan, go back to your courtyard and reflect on your actions. You are not allowed to leave the courtyard without my permission."

Cen Yan should be the one.

The three of them went out of the outer study. The sun outside was a bit bright, and Cen Yan's steps were heavy, and he could no longer walk.

After taking a few steps, Cheng Tianxun helped him up.

There happened to be a pavilion not far away, with stone tables and chairs inside, so he helped Cen Yan over to sit down.

"Why has this gotten so big?" Cheng Tianxun asked.

Xiang Linzi, who had been so righteous before, was now heartbroken and on the verge of tears; but she didn't want to cry in front of Cheng Tianxun, that mischievous guy, so she tried her best to hold it in, her eyes red.

"It's my fault," Cen Yan replied to Cheng Tianxun. "I'll talk to you next time."

"I don't know when I'll see you again. My mother might not be here to plead for me; she might be advising my uncle to clean house." Cheng Tianxun was always the one to stab people in the back.

My uncle just said that Cen Yan should go back and reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors.

They're locked up, and we don't know when they'll be released. We don't even know what the conditions for their release will be.

Xiang Linzi's face paled even more.

In the distance, a chicken coop was moving, frantically running towards them.

Upon reaching the front, Lin Chuan bent over, panting heavily. He couldn't take such intense running; his lungs felt like a broken bellows.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Tianxun felt a toothache from disgust.

Lin Chuan pointed at his younger sister: "I told you to wait in your room, why did you come here? Can't you just stop making things worse?"

Lin Zi was so aggrieved that she was about to cry.

She turned her head to one side.

Then the group went to Cen Yan's courtyard.

"My father told me to go and propose marriage to Miss Hu. I told him that I admire Lin Zi and only want to marry her," Cen Yan said.

Cheng Tianxun and Lin Chuan both looked at him.

"Just say it!" Lin Chuan never expected that his wise, intelligent, and prestigious elder brother would be such a simpleton.

It would be better to let Lin Chuan speak.

I guarantee I won't let Cen Yan get beaten up.

"Your uncle must be furious. If a bomb were thrown in front of him, he would definitely treat you as 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble'," Cheng Tianxun said.

Lin Zi was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

"You...you don't have to do this. I told you, I can leave." She had been holding back her tears for a long time, but they still welled up in her eyes.

She cried and said, "It's not your responsibility, why are you playing the hero?"

"Speak properly, what do you mean by taking responsibility?" Cheng Tianxun asked curiously. "Stop crying, I can't hear you."

Cen Yan: "..."

Xiang Linchuan shared the same sentiment and was very curious.

Did his sister and older brother get together?

My sister is indeed capable and efficient; she even managed to sway my brother, who is as steady as a mountain.

But he couldn't press her for details, after all, she was his own sister. Xiang Linchuan was incredibly curious, yet he also felt his curiosity was rather lewd; two little voices were fighting inside him.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Only Xiang Linzi's voice could be heard cursing Cheng Tianxun: "Get lost! All you do now is watch the show."

Cheng Tianxun sneered, "You don't appreciate kindness. Without me joining in the fun, would you two have left the outer study so quickly?"

He then asked, "How do you know I can't grant your wish?"

Lin Zi immediately stopped crying and looked at Cheng Tianxun with her big eyes: "Second Brother, do you have any ideas?"

Such obsequiousness and such a rapid change of heart are astonishing.

"When I leave later, you two come with me. I'll take you to the pier so you can catch tonight's cruise ship and make a quick getaway," Cheng Tianxun said.

He added, "My eldest uncle is still in the outer study. No one has given any order that Cen Yan cannot go out. It's all up to Cen Yan's self-discipline."

Everyone: "..."

It didn't sound reliable at first.

But upon closer examination, this seems to be the only way out.

"We still have to run," Lin Chuan said. "Second brother, you pay for it, and then eldest brother's private property will all be given to you to pay off the debt."

Lin Zi hesitated: "Won't this implicate you?"

She glanced at Cheng Tianxun, then at Lin Chuan, and asked, "Will my uncle hit my father?"

Lin Chuan: "You only remember we're here now? Why didn't you think about the consequences when you ruined your uncle's precious treasure?"

"I kissed him before I even folded the folded folded folded it," Lin Zi said.

Cen Yan: "..."

Lin Chuan and Cheng Tianxun were somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.

All bark and no bite; as expected of Miss Xiang, she's never been reliable in her entire life. Cen Yan is the same; he not only refused the marriage but also stabbed his adoptive father in the back. If he doesn't get beaten up, who will?

These two might actually make it work; they're definitely on the same wavelength.