TSWPF -Chapter 160 Anger

When Liu Zhihao heard Liu Zhimou’s words, he choked on his anger. He asked, somewhat speechless, “What exactly are you thinking?”

Liu Zhimou calmly stated his thoughts. Once he finished, Liu Zhihao’s already furrowed brows knitted into an even deeper crease.

Hearing Liu Zhimou, he felt deeply disappointed in him. He never expected him to be so spineless—throwing away his future for the sake of a woman.

He subtly sized Liu Zhimou up, pondering whether someone like this truly deserved to be brought back into the Liu family to claim his ancestral roots.

At that moment, doubt arose in his heart.

“If your father knew what you were thinking, he would be utterly disappointed in you,” he thought. His distant fourth uncle, a man so perceptive and clear-minded, could never have such a son.

Liu Zhimou looked at the furious expression on Liu Zhihao’s face and calmly replied, “If my father knew my thoughts, he would support me. If he cared about fame and fortune, he would have taken the official exams long ago, instead of quietly being a teacher.”

In this respect, Liu Zhimou felt he was the most like his father.

“You…” Liu Zhihao was truly infuriated by Liu Zhimou. He wanted to pry open his head just to see what he was thinking!

He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger welling up inside him.

No one had ever made him this mad before—this time, it was Liu Zhimou who did it.

“General Liu, this is my family matter; you don’t need to interfere so much.”

Liu Zhimou then said a cold remark that made Liu Zhihao even angrier.

It reflected exactly how he felt. Why should an outsider meddle in his marriage?

His heart was extremely displeased.

If he weren’t his cousin, he wouldn’t bother at all. Liu Zhihao gritted his teeth in anger. “If I weren’t looking out for your own good, would I even bother saying so much to you?” Truly ungrateful.

“General Liu, please!” Liu Zhimou didn’t want to say anything more. He simply stood up and made a gesture inviting Liu Zhihao to leave.

Liu Zhihao, unaccustomed to being treated this way, was so angry he ground his teeth and, with great strides, left the room.

His good intentions had been trampled upon, and he was genuinely furious.

“What happened to General Liu?” Seeing Liu Zhihao storm out, the old man looked at Liu Zhimou, who had followed behind, and asked with curiosity.

Liu Zhimou didn’t follow him out but instead sat down in the chair. He said lightly, “He’s angry because I didn’t listen to him. I’m not someone who blindly follows an outsider’s advice. How could I be?”

If he had obeyed, how could he maintain his own dignity?

“Oh?” The old man glanced at Liu Zhimou curiously and asked, “What did he say to you?”

Liu Zhimou poured himself a cup of tea, sipped it slowly, and then replied, “He told me not to marry Xiaoling, saying she doesn’t come from a good family and won’t benefit my career. I refused him outright, and that’s why he got angry. It’s really that simple.”

He hadn’t even been angry himself, so why should Liu Zhihao be mad at him?

The old man’s eyes widened as he slammed his hand on the table. “How dare he say that? Next time I see him, I’ll scold him until he’s covered in shame!” He had sensed Liu Zhihao’s dislike of Li Qingling, but he hadn’t expected him to say such things to Liu Zhimou.

Li Qingling was his granddaughter—how could he allow anyone to belittle her?

Even if that person was Liu Zhihao, a general, he wouldn’t allow it.

“Then what about you, boy? What do you think?” After scolding Liu Zhihao, the old man turned his gaze to Liu Zhimou.

He feared that if Liu Zhimou pursued a career, he might also think Li Qingling was of no help and discard her.

If that were to happen, the one who would be hurt would be Li Qingling.

In this matter, the old man was firmly on Li Qingling’s side.

Liu Zhimou, meeting the old man’s gaze, replied firmly, “I am not that kind of person.”

He knew what he wanted in his heart and would never forsake Li Qingling for the sake of his career.

He wanted to take the official exams and become an officer, but his goal was to improve his family’s life and ensure Li Qingling and her family would not be bullied.

If pursuing this path meant losing Li Qingling, he would rather not take it at all.

They stared at each other for a long while. The old man saw the determination in Liu Zhimou’s eyes and knew he would never abandon Li Qingling. He nodded, somewhat satisfied.

This boy had a good character—he wouldn’t stoop to despicable acts.

Even so, he still issued a warning to Liu Zhimou: “If you ever do anything that betrays Xiaoling, I won’t let you off.”

“Grandfather, rest assured, I will never let her down. Without Li Qingling, there would be no me. How could I betray her?”

She was the most important person in his heart; betraying her was impossible.

“Alright, I’ll trust you for now.” The old man didn’t speak fully, merely saying, “As for what that General Liu said, just consider it nonsense and ignore him.”

That brat—if he knew what he would say to Liu Zhimou, he would have beaten him before he even entered the house.

As the saying goes, “Better to strike the son than to separate the wife.”

That troublemaker dared to try breaking up a good match—it was truly malicious.

Next time they met, he would give him a lesson, letting him know which words should and should not be spoken.

Liu Zhimou watched the old man’s righteous anger, smiled faintly, and nodded.

He had never taken Liu Zhihao’s words to heart. If he had, he wouldn’t have walked out so calmly.

Being able to make that person this angry actually pleased him.

The old man slapped Liu Zhimou’s shoulder heavily and laughed, “Good boy.”

He hoped Liu Zhimou would truly keep his word today and not disappoint Li Qingling.

Liu Zhimou twitched his mouth, suppressing the urge to rub his shoulder, and began discussing the marriage arrangements with the old man.

The old man had never been married, so he didn’t understand many things, but his enthusiasm to participate was undeniable.

Li Qingling returned home and saw this lively scene.

She glanced around and didn’t see Liu Zhihao. “General Liu? He left already?” She thought he would stay for dinner.

Hearing Li Qingling, the old man and Liu Zhimou paused their conversation. “Girl, did you need something from that brat?” The thought of his words made him want to go beat him up.

Li Qingling sat next to Liu Zhimou and shook her head. “No, I was just asking casually.”

She had no reason to see Liu Zhihao—he had no feelings for her.

“That’s good. He’s gone,” the old man said with a smile, scanning Li Qingling’s increasingly beautiful appearance with a sense of pride, “Zhimou and I were just discussing your marriage arrangements. Do you want to listen in?”

Marriage arrangements?

Most girls would be shy and walk away at this, but Li Qingling was no ordinary girl. She eagerly asked, “What are you discussing?”

The old man twitched at the corner of his eye, silently glancing at her. He thought she would cover her face and shyly leave but hadn’t expected her to ask so openly—truly shameless.

Liu Zhimou glanced at the old man, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it toward Li Qingling. In a soft voice, he asked, “Where did you go just now?”

Li Qingling was indeed a little thirsty. She smiled, picked up the tea cup, and sipped slowly until her mouth felt less dry. Then she replied, “I felt that General Liu seemed to have some opinion of me. To avoid offending him, I just went for a little walk.”

After her walk, she returned to cook.

She had secretly thought about putting a laxative in Liu Zhihao’s meal to give him diarrhea—but unexpectedly, he left so quickly.

Liu Zhimou’s displeasure with Liu Zhihao deepened.

He didn’t expect Liu Zhihao to show his feelings so openly, to the point that even Li Qingling noticed.

“Don’t mind someone like him. We just need to live our own lives,” Li Qingling said casually, waving her hand. They were on entirely different levels—there was no common ground.

She didn’t care much. He wasn’t hers, so why pay attention? She was just slightly annoyed.

Liu Zhimou carefully observed her and, seeing she was truly unbothered, quietly exhaled.

As long as she wasn’t affected…

If her mood were affected and she suddenly decided she didn’t want to marry him, who would he cry to?

“Come, come… let’s discuss the marriage arrangements!” Li Qingling set down her cup and, full of enthusiasm, addressed Liu Zhimou.

This was her marriage, so she wanted to be involved fully.

Seeing her so invested, Liu Zhimou’s heart softened, and he began discussing the details with her.

Time passed quickly. Only three days remained until the wedding, and Li Qingling suddenly felt a bit nervous.

She suspected it was what others called pre-wedding jitters.

To ease her nerves, she went to the town alone for a stroll to relax.

If she had known she would run into her rival there, she would never have come so recklessly.

Li Qingling looked at the woman in front of her and silently sighed. Truly, enemies meet by narrow paths—she had encountered her again.