If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

"Uncle, only the person drinking the water knows whether it's hot or cold. As for whether the marriage is suitable or not, I have my own scale in my heart."

"I will not marry your daughter."

I will marry no one but you?

These words carry immense weight!

Xi Jian was somewhat taken aback, then chuckled dryly twice. "Qingyu, don't joke around. You've only known each other for a short time, how could you be so affectionate?"

Xi Rui was also baffled. "Yes, Qingyu, you and Fanfan are just strangers who met by chance, why are you doing this to yourself..."

Wang Jue had never seen such an irrational father and son, who could truly place a girl's joys and sorrows above the honor of their family.

No wonder she developed such a free-spirited personality like Xi Lingxian.

The Xi family is currently at its peak.

Xi Jian was appointed Chancellor, and Xi Rui was appointed General of the Cavalry. The father and son together controlled almost all the troops in the important towns upstream.

Even the Wang family of Langya couldn't openly pressure them into marriage; both father and daughter were adamant and refused to negotiate.

They disregarded the benefits of the marriage alliance between the two families, and ignored the dangers of being alone.

The father doted on his daughter, who stubbornly pursued her romantic love.

The Wang family had more than a dozen daughters, but none of them received the same favor and attention as their father, Grand Commandant Wang.

Schemes and calculations are all about exploiting the weaknesses of human nature;

Right now, he's at a loss as to where to begin.

……

Winter Solstice

The Xi residence was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and servants were busy coming and going. In the kitchen, mutton was stewed, rice cakes were steamed, and sesame balls were fried.

Xi Lingxian was woken up by the bell before dawn every day at the academy. After finally returning home, she slept until the sun was high in the sky.

Even on the day of the festival, Xi Jian doted on her and didn't say anything. Only her grandmother, Madam Qu, complained a couple of times that she was so lazy, what would happen when she got married?

Qiluan Pavilion

Xi Lingxian suddenly felt uneasy in her sleep, as if someone was watching her.

She opened her eyes groggily and saw someone sitting on the edge of her bed, backlit, so she couldn't make out their face clearly, but she recognized their features all too well.

Wang Jue.

Xi Lingxian's mind went blank for a moment, and she instantly became clear-headed.

She sat up abruptly, the blanket slipping off her shoulders to reveal her pale yellow nightgown underneath.

Her hair was loose and disheveled, hanging over her shoulders, and her face was flushed from just waking up.

Wang Jue looked at her. His face was expressionless.

It was as if he wasn't trespassing into a woman's room, but rather reviewing official documents in his own study.

Xi Lingxian took a deep breath and swallowed back the scream that was about to rise in her throat.

"How did you get in?"

"The door wasn't locked," he said.

Xi Lingxian's lips twitched.

The door wasn't locked? This is her house, why would she lock the door?

She thought that only her foolish younger brother would barge in without permission, but she forgot that there was someone even more unreasonable than Xi Song.

"This is my home, and it's early morning. You, a stranger, are sitting on my bed—if someone sees me like this, how am I supposed to live?"

Wang Jue looked at her, his gaze darkening.

He said, "Don't worry, nobody knows."

"...What exactly do you want?"

Wang Jue stared at her for a long time.

"I don't know," he said. "I just wanted to see you."

Xi Lingxian was speechless for a moment. "You see, your methods are really unique. Anyone with a weak heart would be scared to death by you..."

Before she could finish speaking, a tall figure suddenly loomed over her from the edge of the bed.

Her pupils contracted sharply, and her body instinctively shrank back until her back pressed against the bedpost, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

Wang Jue leaned down, one hand braced against the bedpost next to her ear, and the other hand raised, his fingertips gently touching her cheek.

It felt very light, as light as a falling leaf, yet the hairs on her body stood on end.

Her voice was low and trembling noticeably, "What's wrong with you now?"

His fingertips slowly slid down her cheekbone, across her face, and stopped at her jawline.

His voice was low, so low it sounded like he was telling a long-buried secret: "The ninth day of the third month, the day you chose, you said it was an auspicious day, suitable for marriage."

Xi Lingxian suddenly gripped the blanket tightly.

Her breathing quickened, her chest heaved violently, and her eyes churned with a torrent of emotions.

"You said that the peach blossoms were in their best bloom that day, and you would marry me wearing a peach blossom hairpin." His voice continued, unhurried, like a cold snake coiling around her heart, tightening its grip.

Xi Lingxian's eyes suddenly reddened.

"Let's get married next March, on the same day."

Xi Lingxian raised her head and met his eyes.

"The daughter-in-law of the Langya Wang family and the legitimate daughter of the Jingkou Xi family—there could be no more suitable marriage in the world."

"With our two families joining forces, no one in the court can stand in our way. Your father needs me, your family needs me, and you need me too. This isn't a question of whether you like me or not; it's a question of whether you can handle it."

Xi Lingxian's breath hitched.

"I will give you wealth and status, and the confidence that no one will dare to bully you. In this world, only I can protect you."

He paused, then gently pressed his thumb on her cheekbone.

"I assumed you were just throwing a tantrum. Whether you want to study or play more, that's fine with you."

"Not getting married isn't an option, and marrying someone else isn't an option either. Trust me, you can do it this time, okay?"

"Wang Jue, I don't want to repeat the same mistakes." Xi Lingxian's voice was as calm as a stagnant pool. "You actually know very well that my personality is not suitable to be the mistress of the Langya Wang clan. I am not tactful, not patient, not worldly-wise. I can't do it, and I don't want to."

"If you're not suitable, who is?"

"Xie Wanyi is more suitable than me, isn't she? Why can't you admit it? What's there to deny?"

"Like you said, marriage is a matter between two families. So why can't you find someone suitable to be your wife?"

"Xie Wanyi won't do, or there are other ladies from respectable families. In terms of temperament and personality, there are plenty of people more suitable than me, aren't there? I really don't understand what you're so fixated on?"

His voice suddenly softened.

"I don't want them."

Xi Lingxian lowered her head and stopped looking at him.

You don't want them just because you're used to me.

But how much do you actually love me?

Xi Lingxian no longer wanted to beg Wang Jue for love; in her past life, she had loved too humbly and hysterically.

She didn't feel there was any need for her to continue hoping for love from him.

The situation reached a stalemate.

If you still stubbornly believe that she is angry and throwing a tantrum, or that she is playing hard to get, then you are only fooling yourself.

Before this, every time they met, her every confrontation was resolute, without a trace of affection.

He had already tried so hard to persuade them, but the Xi family seemed to be stubborn and didn't care about anything.

Stubborn and unyielding, leaving himself no room for compromise.

Wang Jue took a deep breath.

He was never a very patient person, so he was an exception when it came to her.

Xi Lingxian said coldly, "Even if you ask me a hundred times, my answer won't change. Stop bothering me."

Her face was indifferent and tired, and there was an invisible distance between her brows and eyes, as if she regarded him as a complete stranger.

"Let's call it even and part ways amicably."

In the stillness, Wang Jue slowly raised his eyes, a chilling smile playing on his lips.

"OK."

"Remember what you said today."

"Don't regret it."

Just you wait!