TSWRLM -Chapter 370 I Don’t Like It

When asked this by Xiao Qinghe, Zhang Zhilan burst into tears again.

After crying for a while, she suddenly asked Xiao Qinghe, “Miss Xiao, you don’t like Brother Yechen, right? You won’t be with him, right?”

She truly liked Xiao Yechen so much that she didn’t want to marry anyone else.

As long as Xiao Qinghe didn’t end up with Xiao Yechen, she still had hope.

Zhang Zhilan’s eyes were full of expectation, looking at Xiao Qinghe as if she had grasped the last lifeline.

Xiao Qinghe didn’t answer directly. She said, “Marriage is no less than being reborn for a woman. Whether Xiao Yechen and I end up together or not, he is not the right person for Miss Zhang.”

“How could he not be right? I like him so much. As long as I can marry him, I’m willing to do anything for him. His heart isn’t made of stone—over time, he will surely accept me.”

Zhang Zhilan refuted without hesitation, full of hope for the future.

Xiao Qinghe had already anticipated this reply. She gently asked, “Miss Zhang, do you really know Xiao Yechen?”

Zhang Zhilan felt a little guilty but still nodded: “I do know him. He may seem cold on the outside, but he has a warm heart. Sometimes he looks a bit fierce, but he’s really soft inside. I’ve been pestering him for two years—though he’s annoyed by me, he has never scolded or hit me. I’ve even seen him help beggars on the street.”

When Xiao Yechen returned with the army in triumph, Zhang Zhilan liked him at first sight. Over these two years, the more she learned about his character, the more she thought he was a truly good person.

“Do you know about his family and upbringing? Have you seen him kill someone? Do you know what he’s like when he loses his temper?”

Xiao Qinghe’s questions came one after another, leaving Zhang Zhilan increasingly uncertain. She couldn’t answer them. After a pause, she felt annoyed: “Miss Xiao, if you want to marry General Xiao, just say it directly. There’s no need to boast indirectly like this. Brother Yechen grew up in the Xiao family—I naturally don’t know him as well as you do.”

“I’m not boasting,” Xiao Qinghe shook her head, softening her tone. “I just want to tell you that hearts are fickle. The Wei and Xiao families have been close for generations. I and Wei Lingze have had years of childhood friendship, and look at where we’ve ended up. You shouldn’t spend your whole life chasing someone who doesn’t love you.”

Back then, Xiao Qinghe had defied her parents without hesitation to marry Wei Lingze. She had been even more determined than Zhang Zhilan.

She and Wei Lingze had years of childhood friendship. Even though the Xiao family delayed the wedding, her feelings for him had never changed.

She thought three years was nothing. She thought that even if there were cracks between them, marriage and her efforts could mend them.

But reality proved her wrong.

Over the past two years, she had seen too many women like her who had wasted their lives on the wrong person. She didn’t want Zhang Zhilan to make a hasty mistake.

Zhang Zhilan, who had been like a wary hedgehog, felt completely flustered after hearing Xiao Qinghe.

No one would willingly reveal their own pain in front of a romantic rival.

Xiao Qinghe seemed truly to be looking out for her.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Zhilan quietly objected, “It’s different. You and Wei Lingze were also provoked by Cao Chun Xi.”

Xiao Qinghe smiled: “If a relationship can be easily provoked, that only proves there were problems in it to begin with.”

Zhang Zhilan felt uneasy. She wanted to argue but thought of Xiao Yechen and fell silent.

Over these two years, she had been pestering Xiao Yechen, but he had never responded. Xiao Qinghe and Xiao Yechen had always followed the rules and never crossed any boundaries, yet Xiao Yechen’s feelings had never wavered.

If Wei Lingze had been like Xiao Yechen back then, Xiao Qinghe wouldn’t have divorced.

Zhang Zhilan had no words to refute. After a while, she pouted and said, aggrieved, “But I just like him. I don’t want to marry anyone else but him.”

Xiao Qinghe understood Zhang Zhilan’s stubborn heart. She lowered her eyes and said, “Xiao Yechen and I haven’t set a marriage yet. If you insist, you can fairly compete with me. If you win, you marry him. If you lose and still cannot let go, I may allow you to become his concubine. How about that?”

“How could that be?” Zhang Zhilan’s eyes widened, forgetting even to cry. “I could never be a concubine.”

“But didn’t you just say you’d do anything to be with Xiao Yechen?”

“I still can’t be a concubine! My parents would kill me!”

Zhang Zhilan shook her head frantically, and some of her sadness faded.

Seeing that she hadn’t completely lost her reason, Xiao Qinghe’s lips curved slightly: “Then first, find a way to beat me.”

Zhang Zhilan: “…”

In looks, family background, and talent, she couldn’t surpass Xiao Qinghe in any way. How could she have a chance of winning?

Thinking this, Zhang Zhilan’s shoulders slumped.

Xiao Qinghe considered for a moment and said, “I know you’re frustrated and not in the mood to marry. I can find a way to stop your parents from pressuring you for now, giving you some time to breathe.”

“Really?”

Zhang Zhilan’s eyes lit up immediately.

If her family hadn’t been pushing her to marry, she wouldn’t have even come up with the foolish idea of a fake marriage and embarrassed herself.

Xiao Qinghe nodded in assurance, comforted Zhang Zhilan a bit more, and once her emotions were stable, had Quezhi escort her home.

After Zhang Zhilan left, Xiao Yechen stepped out.

Thinking of how Zhang Zhilan had looked, Xiao Qinghe softly reminded him: “Don’t bring up today’s matter again. If Miss Zhang comes to see you again, observe her state first. Don’t provoke her and make her despair.”

Xiao Yechen nodded and then took a step forward, saying, “I will not take a concubine.”

“What?”

The topic shifted too quickly, and Xiao Qinghe couldn’t keep up.

Xiao Yechen stared at her intently and said each word deliberately: “I only like one person in my life. I will never take a concubine. Not even you, He’er, have the right to interfere.”

Previously, Xiao Yechen had been awkward and cautious around Xiao Qinghe. Now, he exuded a sharp, dangerous edge.

Xiao Qinghe realized he had overheard her conversation with Zhang Zhilan. She hurriedly explained, “I only said that casually. I wasn’t really going to take a concubine.”

“Casual words won’t do either,” Xiao Yechen said firmly, stepping closer. “I don’t like it.”

He could go along with Xiao Qinghe’s jokes, even show affection openly in front of others, but this—joking or not—was unacceptable.

The young lady had said she didn’t want to guess his feelings. He would be his true self in front of her.

Xiao Qinghe had grown used to Xiao Yechen’s humble demeanor. Only now did she notice his height and the strong pressure he radiated.

He wasn’t a playful dog wagging his tail—he was a wolf forged on the battlefield.