The old lady was sleeping soundly, but hearing those words made her blood boil. “Get over here this instant! What time is it that you’re still not asleep? You’re getting too spoiled!”

Cheng Ying couldn't swallow the breath rising in her throat; she was so angry she nearly rolled her eyes back. Where was the place for a good person to walk around anymore?

Chi Wu stepped forward guiltily, patting Cheng Ying’s back to help her catch her breath. “Don't be angry, okay? You can deal with me tomorrow; I admit defeat. Go sleep with Grandma first. She’s old and can’t take any shocks.”

Hearing this, Cheng Ying felt even angrier. This was like putting a tightening spell on her!

This was telling her not to agitate the old lady any further. Why didn't he consider how much agitation he caused this very morning?

Chi Wu felt his words had missed the mark; he truly hadn't meant anything else; his concern was entirely for the old lady's health. As for last night, Chi Wu had genuinely been too drunk, his passion inflamed. “How about you just kick me a couple of times first?” He wondered if this might appease Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying rolled her eyes, hiccuping as the old lady called her into the room. Honestly, those hiccups were entirely induced by anger.

Traditional Chinese Medicine said this was meihé qì (plum pit qi); Cheng Ying felt that this ailment would likely accompany her for the rest of her life—it was a result of being extremely provoked.

The old lady spoke kindly, “Wuzi, go to sleep.”

Then she pulled Cheng Ying onto the kàng (heated brick bed) to sleep. “Tell me, why isn’t Wuzi feeling wronged? You tell me! If I hear you speaking like that again, if I ever see you bullying Wuzi again, don’t blame me for not being polite.”

Cheng Ying’s anger surged further. Without saying a word, she pulled the covers over her head, though she was still hiccuping.

The old lady, ultimately concerned for her granddaughter, got up in the middle of the night to brew Cheng Ying a cup of honey water specifically to settle her qi.

The old lady said, “You were in the wrong about this matter, so what else do you have to be angry about? I owe you; I truly owe you. I am just repaying a debt.”

Cheng Ying drank the water. “Grandma, you watched me grow up. Do you really think I’m such a person without principle?”

The old lady took a long moment before speaking. “No matter the issue, no matter what happens in the middle, the result is that you two are going to be engaged. You are my granddaughter; if I don’t scold you, who will I scold? If I don’t vent my anger with you, should I just bottle it up?”

Cheng Ying’s eyes instantly reddened. Facing Chi Wu, she couldn’t let her anger out. That wretched boy was someone she had watched grow up.

Cheng Ying felt that whatever Chi Wu was like, it was somehow related to her; he was someone she had taught; she deserved it.

Furthermore, Cheng Ying felt protective of Chi Wu and was used to understanding him. She felt that the child was already carrying enough pressure alone; she couldn't bear to add any more negative emotions. A rebellious teenager was hard enough to manage; a teenager whose rebellion was delayed was even harder.

She was truly torn apart.

If it were anyone else, Cheng Ying would have chewed them out alive. She had never suffered such a loss before.

Facing the old lady, Cheng Ying suffered a great loss for the first time; she felt genuinely wronged.

Hugging the old lady, tears streamed down her face in torrents—she hadn’t cried like this in many years.

To be honest, crying felt quite cathartic afterward. Cheng Ying mused that perhaps releasing tension like this periodically could delay aging and promote metabolism. Maybe she would need this kind of exercise in the future.

The old lady patted her granddaughter’s shoulder. “Whether you’re a university student or a girl engaged in a rural arrangement, you have to settle down eventually and find someone. Wuzi is a good boy; we watched him grow up. He’s capable, loyal, and good to you. You’ve made a sound choice. Live your life well from now on; it won’t go wrong. As for right and wrong, what’s the point when you’re a couple? Getting drunk together—that’s just how it is. Don’t worry about gossip; it will fade with time. But there’s one thing: you must manage your life well. Don’t cause trouble one day and something else the next. This kind of mistake can only be made once. A woman’s reputation, how important that is, you don’t understand.”

Saying this, the old lady couldn't help but lightly thump Cheng Ying’s back again. “Look at you, thoughtless girl, why couldn’t you be more mindful? It’s also my fault; I usually don’t say much, so I forgot that you two aren't biological siblings.”

As Cheng Ying cried, the old lady patted her granddaughter’s back and kept chattering. Mother and daughter stayed up late, not sleeping.

Cheng Ying hugged the old lady, seeking comfort. Could she really blame the old lady? She was an adult; she lacked self-preservation awareness. She deserved it. She needed to learn her lesson.

As for Chi Wu, although he hadn't heard that last remark, he was grimacing in bed halfway through the night; it hurt, and he couldn’t find a comfortable position.

Finally, he watched the light from the east room and drifted off to sleep facing down.

After the night passed, Cheng Ying’s emotions settled down. What had been a slight ripple due to the wretched boy’s issue turned out to be just that—a ripple. An engagement was an expedient measure.

No matter what the old lady said, Cheng Ying was still clear about what needed separating.

Having to coddle a child for a lifetime—that kind of life would truly be unlivable.

Accepting an arranged marriage with someone else wouldn’t have been impossible; feelings could be accumulated.

But Chi Wu—he was practically a child bride! This prospect truly challenged Cheng Ying’s worldview.

The most frequent thing she did these past two days was stare at the sky. Heavens, can you be any more bizarre? Why is life so full of surprises? And rebirth, too. By now, I wouldn’t be too surprised if my future child was Qin Shi Huang.

Of course, she was getting ahead of herself; the father of that child hadn't even been found yet.

No matter how full of surprises—and thorns—life was, one had to live it as it came.

Back when the Japanese devils swept through the village, everyone still had to get by, right?

This situation was nothing; it really wasn't a big deal.

Cheng Ying comforted herself this way.

Early the next morning, Cheng Ying and a wincing Chi Wu carried things to visit the teacher.

The old lady had said this was a matter of rénqíng (social obligation), and they would visit again after the scores came out.

As for the old lady, she was probably discussing matters with the Chi family’s elders.

Cheng Ying found Chi Wu significantly less pleasing to look at than before yesterday. Even one's own child could be infuriating at times. “You really are a case of ‘kill without burying.’ You leave behind the mess and let others clean it up?”

Chi Wu pursed his lips. If it were about using strategy, he could claim to be wronged; but if it wasn't about strategy, this was the first time Cheng Ying had spoken to him so coldly.

Chi Wu rallied his spirits. He thought of Sun Pangzi; wasn't that approach built up step by step? Chi Wu thought to himself that he needed to learn this spirit of shamelessness. “We are still young; studying is the priority. Some things we shouldn't get tangled up in.”

Cheng Ying almost spat blood. Could he be any more shameless? How could he utter such a thing?

She had taught him Hòuhēixué (the art of dark maneuvering); was this how he was supposed to greet her?

Teaching children well was paramount. Those who taught children badly were truly wicked.

Cheng Ying resolved that once she had children, she would definitely change this; teaching social morality was a must. The consequences of a child lacking virtue were severe.

Cheng Ying said, “You truly are a master; how did I fail to see it? You little brat, you’re actually an expert in Hòuhēixué.”

Chi Wu pursed his lips; he had indeed learned well. “It’s not that I bear no responsibility. After all, I was beaten last night. How can it be that Dad just scolds me once and that’s the end of it? We are young; let the adults handle these things.” How convenient. He was convinced someone would help clean up the mess.

Then Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying. “I learned quite well, but my teacher is even better.”

Cheng Ying’s face darkened as much as it could. He was telling her that his direct teaching and implicit instruction had worked well. This proved why moral education was so necessary when teaching children. Look at what this resulted in—a counterattack.

Inhale, exhale, complete a full week’s cycle. Cheng Ying felt that if she could swallow this breath, she could ascend to immortality. She had certainly reached the Qi Refining stage.

Chi Wu pursed his lips; he seemed to have said the wrong thing again. He hadn't meant anything else; he just wanted to tell Cheng Ying that they were the same kind of person, that they were closer, that they could understand each other.

Judging by Cheng Ying’s expression, Yingzi didn’t see it that way.

Chi Wu felt quite dejected. He didn't know why; everything he said seemed wrong.

Cheng Ying glanced at Chi Wu beside her. “Can I ask one thing? What exactly happened that day?”

Chi Wu blushed; it was hard to answer, especially since he didn't know how much Cheng Ying understood.

That was crucial. If he said too much, he feared Cheng Ying would resent him. If he said too little, he feared Cheng Ying wouldn't take the issue seriously, and then the duck in the pan would fly away—it would truly be a loss not worth the gain, leading to endless regret.

Chi Wu weighed the scale: how could he phrase it so that Cheng Ying would take it seriously, yet also accept it, making the situation seem natural?

Cheng Ying cast him a sidelong glance. “Just tell me what happened.”

Chi Wu flinched, not daring to be stubborn. “It was just like that. We were drunk. I finally managed to get you into the room, and in a haze, you clung to me and wouldn't let go, so I just slept. My head was foggy, and I don't remember anything else. When I woke up in the morning, I was dreaming.”

As he said this, Chi Wu’s face flushed. The latter part wasn't a lie; he had done a bit more. But in the first part, he had left things out. “Then someone came in. I didn't even know what was happening, and you were already climbing on top of me, and then someone came in! I was startled and nervous, so I didn't dare say anything. They just said I was forced.”

“By the time I understood what was happening, everyone was gone. I explained it.”

Cheng Ying closed her eyes. If she drank such strong liquor again next time, she would be a pig.

It was all for naught that she had secretly taken the fruit from her spatial dimension, packed it into jars, sneakily placed them in the back room to ferment, and then smuggled them back into the dimension for filtering and storage. All that effort was just digging a pit for herself—a man-eating pit.

However, even now, Cheng Ying couldn't bring herself to smash the wine jars in the dimension; that was money!

But Chi Wu’s account, taken at face value, had no loopholes, except for how their clothes were removed. She had been asleep and drunk. Chi Wu said he was also drunk and asleep.

So, in this matter, no one could be blamed. You could claim ignorance, and naturally, others could also claim ignorance, making the truth impossible to verify.

Then there was the morning: a boy having a wet dream while waking up, suddenly interrupted by people bursting in—it was bound to be confusing. This made more sense. Cheng Ying could only attribute it to fate.

It was surprising that Chi Wu attributed the fault to not clarifying Cheng Ying's innocence, not saying that nothing happened between them—that was quite a way to shift the focus.

Cheng Ying wanted to say, For such a massive misunderstanding, why are you so pleased, as if you designed this? Do you perhaps like me? But she simply couldn't bring herself to ask that question.

PS: Please vote with pink tickets; this is the first update, dears! RP