Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

"I don't believe it!"

Xiao Ce's mind was in turmoil. He suddenly let out a low roar, his gaze fixed on her cold eyes and brows. His breathing was rapid and disordered, filled with an unyielding stubbornness that refused to admit it.

"These aren't your true feelings, they're just things you said in anger, aren't they?"

His eyes were filled with anxiety and fear, and he refused to accept her cold words.

"Sayings in anger?"

Ling Xi sneered through her tears, her expression instantly turning icy.

"Xiao Ce, what makes you think that I could still be completely devoted to you back then, knowing you already had Mu Wanning and An'er?"

"impossible……"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, before I married you, I already had someone I liked in Jicheng. Back then in Jinling, when Xiao Xiao and I went to Nanyin Temple, we even drew a marriage fortune stick, which was for me and him."

Her gaze was cold as she recalled the note Xiao Xiao had seen in his study.

Xiao Ce's body swayed slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief. The bitterness and pain of being rejected by her surged up at this moment, and a deep despair completely engulfed him.

"I don't believe it!"

Xiao Ce gripped her shoulders tightly and shook her repeatedly, his strength already out of control. His eyes were bloodshot, and a terrifying, almost collapsing obsession surged within them.

Ling Xi's shoulder ached from his grip, her eyes filled with resistance. She instinctively tried to pull his wrist away, but couldn't budge him an inch.

"Xiao Ce, are you insane? Let go of me!"

"I won't let go!"

Xiao Ce's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with an unprecedented panic and fear.

"I don't want to let go..."

With that next sound, he softened again. Before Ling Xi could speak, he leaned down and kissed her lips fiercely.

It was not the tenderness and affection of the past, but an extreme, chaotic, and obsessive plunder, hasty and disheveled, filled with the fear and regret of losing and regaining something, and a stubborn force, as if possessing it in such an extreme way was the way to keep the person who was about to be lost.

Ling Xi was stunned for a moment by his sudden outburst of rage. The next moment, she suddenly exerted all her strength and pushed him away.

Having broken free from his grip, she bent over, panting heavily, her slender shoulders rising and falling slightly, a hint of fear and anger in her eyes.

"Xiao Ce, what are you doing?!"

Xiao Ce, already unsteady from being drunk, nearly fell over when she pushed him with all her might. He staggered back two steps and haphazardly braced his hands on the small table beside the couch.

With a soft "clang," the bowl of medicine, which had been sitting still for a long time and had long since cooled, overturned and fell to the ground, bowl and all.

The porcelain bowl shattered instantly upon hitting the bluestone pavement, and the dark medicinal liquid gushed out, a faint, bitter medicinal aroma slowly permeating the air.

Xiao Ce steadied himself, his head still fogged up from the alcohol. He glanced casually at the spilled medicine on the ground, unable to discern its effects. His brow was furrowed, his bloodshot eyes still fixed on Ling Xi.

"Do you hate me that much? You don't want me to come near you at all?"

Ling Xi lowered her eyes to look at the mess on the ground, and at the bowl of medicine that had been overturned again. A deep pain instantly welled up in her eyes. She slowly raised her eyes, the panic from before gone, leaving only a coldness.

"Yes, that's how much I hate you. I only wish that we... will never see each other again in this life."

"Will we never meet again in this life?"

Xiao Ce froze on the spot, the obsessive madness in his eyes instantly fading, leaving only a desolate and desperate look. He stared fixedly at the cold and resolute person before him, his Adam's apple bobbing laboredly.

"Alright... as you wish."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice hoarse and broken, devoid of any further entanglement or coercion. Then he turned away silently, his already unsteady figure now utterly despondent. His broad shoulders slumped, each step unsteady. His boots scraped across the ground, lightly grazing the puddle of medicine. The bitter smell of the medicine lingered in his nostrils, but he was oblivious, as if he had lost his soul, and continued walking slowly.

Ling Xi stood there, all strength gone. The indifference and determination she had just forced herself to maintain shattered. She watched his lonely and desolate figure disappear little by little outside the door, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She won, but she was still heartbroken.

……

At this moment, the Qingyu Academy study was quiet and still, with only the lingering warmth of boiling water and the faint aroma of tea.

Qin Qi sat opposite Ling Heng, a faint melancholy between his brows, his heart filled with vexation.

He stared directly at the composed and leisurely person opposite him. Ling Heng was dressed in a white brocade robe, exuding a gentle and elegant air, with a dignified and upright posture.

He held the teapot between his fingertips, his movements unhurried and deliberate, filling a cup with clear tea, and steadily pushing the teacup in front of Qin Qi, his expression remaining calm and gentle.

"Try it, the newly harvested 'Green Stream Moon,' it will soothe your mind and calm your nerves."

Ling Heng's voice was warm and deep, carrying a soothing tone.

But Qin Qi was filled with annoyance at the moment and had no interest in sipping tea. He pursed his lips slightly, tightened his jaw, and showed no intention of raising his hand.

"Well done, Prince Huan! What a brilliant plan!"

Qin Qi finally couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned forward halfway, and his long-suppressed anger exploded, filled with resentment at being tricked.

"Sending your Second Prince to Jinling this time not only secretly settled your sister's marriage with Yizhi, but also killed two birds with one stone, scheming to ruin my sister's marriage as well. Your cunning schemes behind the scenes are truly impressive!"

He stared coldly at Ling Heng, who remained calm and composed. There was no trace of remorse in his eyes; he still maintained his gentle and indifferent demeanor, which only made his own anger seem even more pathetic.

"Brother Qin, what makes you say that?"

Ling Heng slightly raised his eyes, his gaze calm, showing no sign of panic at being exposed. There was even a faint, gentle smile on his lips, his frankness impeccable.

"Don't call me that, who's your Brother Qin...?"

"I was just thinking that since my Chu Kingdom wants to dissolve a marriage alliance, we should show our sincerity to your Emperor Liang by forming a new marriage alliance, so as to demonstrate my Chu Kingdom's determination to maintain the alliance forever."

His eyes were clear and bright, revealing him to be a gentleman who puts the public good and the people first and considers the overall situation.

"What a fine alliance, showing your sincerity! I think the alliance between the nation and the people is nothing but a guise. Today, I, Qin Qi, will make this clear: I will never agree to marry my sister off to Jicheng."

"Over the years, I've always let Wushuang make her own decisions and never interfered. Does she think that now that she's back with her parents and brothers, she's lost even this basic freedom?"

"Stop talking nonsense, that's not what I meant."

"Then let her decide for herself."

"Sure!"

As soon as Qin Qi finished speaking, he suddenly regretted it. He was unsure of what his sister would choose, but when he looked at the person across from him who was leisurely drinking tea, he seemed to have a sure thing.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Back then, Yizhi said you were meticulous and your strategic skills were far beyond what ordinary people could do. I didn't believe it. I never expected that my Qin family would be tricked by you in the end."

"You flatter me."