"I heard that you and a maidservant in your family—your maidservant, that is—are deeply in love, and that you would risk everything for her... Moreover, you swore an oath for her that you would never take another woman as your consort in this lifetime! Is this true?" Zhan Mengdie whispered. "Rest assured, I truly mean no harm; I just need to confirm it."

"Hah... even if it were true, what then!" Chen Chen let out a sorrowful, loud laugh. "She has already been locked away, and the entire family will absolutely not permit this... All the clan desires is my marriage to you, nothing more! Because the union of you and me will strengthen the Chen family! But she cannot! To stake the fate and hope of the entire lineage on the painful bond between one man and one woman—when the two weep, everyone else laughs... Isn't that wonderfully amusing?"

"It certainly is amusing! But... since they intend for us to cry, why should we let them laugh? Are you truly willing to submit to this arrangement?" Zhan Mengdie fixed her gaze on him. "I can see that in your heart, you still refuse this arrangement... and I feel the exact same way!"

Chen Chen’s eyes lit up. "Ah, what do you imply, Young Lady?"

"Just as that person said earlier... why don't you simply withdraw from the Jianghu?" Zhan Mengdie's eyes held a mixture of tenacity and pain. "You have the woman you love, and I, Zhan Mengdie, also have a man whom my heart desires. Since neither of us is willing, why must we force this?"

"Withdraw from the Jianghu..." Chen Chen murmured the words, saying nothing. After a long pause, the look in his eyes gradually hardened, as if he had finally let something go; his entire demeanor eased. "After this incident, even if the Chen family refuses to retreat, they will have no choice! Young Lady Zhan, your words have truly provided a sudden awakening! You’ve startled me out of my dream; I thank you for this guidance!"

He laughed heartily, regaining his former dashing demeanor, and squinted with a smile. "Young Lady Zhan is indeed blessed with celestial intelligence and rare grace. This makes me intensely curious. What sort of man could command the devotion of a celestial being like yourself? Might this humble Chen be fortunate enough to learn the name of that lucky soul?"

Zhan Mengdie sighed deeply, her expression in the afternoon light showing a look of profound heartache and devastation. She looked away bleakly. "His status is likely not much higher than that of your maidservant. He... is merely from a minor family, and furthermore, an illegitimate son with no standing... We

For more novels, visit storyread.net.