"Right, exactly."
Lu Jinse leaned back into the chair and crossed her arms.
"Comrade Xu Yueshan, this is the cognitive gap between us. What you consider a trifle, I consider a big deal. You think your silence was a form of support for me, but I view it as rebellion and antagonism against me. As the ancients used to say, those who follow different paths cannot make plans together, and half a word is too much for those who disagree. That's pretty much what this means."
"Heh heh."
Lu Lili laughed out in the living room. "Sis, you hit the nail on the head. If a husband and wife can't talk to each other, living together is really awkward. You talk about the east, he talks about the west; one tells the dog to attack, while the other yells at the chickens."
Even though Lu Lili was taking her side, Lu Jinse frowned deeply.
Why was Lu Lili jumping all over the place with her words, starting one thought and finishing with another? What was she even trying to say?
Was she trying to smooth things over and muddy the waters?
Xu Yueshan's expression turned ugly as he turned to look at Lu Lili. "Your sister made a very good point just now. It would be best for you to stay quiet."
"Brother-in-law, don't be mad."
Armed with a screwdriver, Lu Lili finally pried open the canned fruit. She brought the can over, pulled out a chair, and sat right between them.
"My sister made herself so clear, don't you get it yet? Sis is mad that you didn't take her side yesterday, and now she wants to break up with you. When two people are getting along well, they can tolerate anything; once things go bad, they can't tolerate a single thing. Sis, do you want some canned fruit?"
She scooped out a hawthorn with a spoon.
Lu Jinse said, "No thanks."
Glutton.
Xu Yueshan felt irritable. "What does it matter if I get it or not? My dad found out about this last night and chewed me out until my head was spinning, let alone Grandpa—if Grandpa knew, he'd bring out the family clan rules. This engagement cannot be canceled."
Oh.
The corners of Lu Jinse's lips curved upward slightly.
She understood now.
So Xu Yueshan only came to pick her up because he was under pressure from his dad! No wonder he got here so fast.
Lu Lili ate a piece of hawthorn and said, "Brother-in-law, isn't this simple? If Sis isn't willing to marry you, it must be because she doesn't like you. But I'm willing to take her place in the marriage—doesn't that solve the problem of not being able to call off the engagement?"
She made another proactive move.
Opportunities had to be created; you couldn't just sit around and wait for them.
"What?"
Xu Yueshan was shocked.
"You're saying you'll take her place?"
He subconsciously looked at Lu Jinse.
Lu Jinse's expression was calm, but a storm was brewing in her heart. Lu Lili was charging full speed ahead on a path to court her own destruction.
"That's right."
Lu Lili replied with a serious look. "Doesn't that marriage paper only say that the Xu family's eldest grandson and the Lu family's daughter had an arranged childhood betrothal? It doesn't specify a first name. I'm a Lu family daughter too, and my last name is Lu."
Xu Yueshan shifted his gaze, looking Lu Lili up and down. "Are you kidding me? Aren't you supposed to be reporting to school?"
"If you agree to let me take her place, I'm willing to give up my studies."
Lu Lili pushed the can aside. "This way, we can preserve the engagement between the Xu and Lu families, successfully fulfilling the elders' wishes, and I'll also be willing to wholeheartedly look after a revolutionary martyr's widow with a broad mind, repaying my mother-in-law's kindness on your behalf."
Was she being serious? Was this not a joke?
Xu Yueshan compared Lu Lili to Lu Jinse in his mind, and quickly concluded that Lu Jinse was still better and far more outstanding.
He declined tactfully, "Lili, you really shouldn't stir up trouble. We aren't a match."
"Brother Yueshan..."
Lu Lili grabbed his arm, shaking it as she acted spoiled.
"I'm not stirring up trouble, I'm serious, I really am! I liked you the first time I saw you. Without even getting to know each other, how do you know we aren't a match? You and my sister are the ones who aren't a match."
"Lili, let go."
As if touching a hot potato, Xu Yueshan hurriedly stood up.
"What does a grown man and woman tugging at each other like this look like? I'm your brother-in-law!"
Lu Lili stood up as well, refusing to let go of her grip.
"You used to be my brother-in-law, but not anymore. My sister is breaking off the engagement with you anyway."
"Hasn't it been called off yet? The elders don't agree to it! Let go of me, let go before you talk."
Xu Yueshan couldn't dodge fast enough, his handsome face flushing red.
"I won't let go, I won't! If you don't agree to me, I'm not letting go."
Lu Lili pressed tightly against him like a mudfish.
...
Good heavens.
Lu Jinse watched in a daze. The offensive was way too fierce!
Ever since her rebirth, Lu Lili really dared to say, dare to think, and dare to do anything.
A thought suddenly popped into her head.
If Lu Lili married into the Xu family, with her shameless, python-like clinging tactics and ability to wrap herself around a man, Huang Yushuang—who usually loved putting on delicate, affected airs and bursting into pear-blossom tears at the drop of a hat—might not be able to defeat her.
Wouldn't the Xu family become a very lively place?
"Lili, stop messing around!"
Xu Yueshan caught sight of Lu Jinse sitting there drinking water as if nothing was happening, his brows locking tightly... Why was she being so cold?
Hmph!
She must be deliberately putting on a calm front!
Usually, whenever Yushuang just spoke a word to him, this woman's face would turn dark as thunder.
"Jinse, I'm going back. Think it over again; marriage is not a child's game, and there's no medicine for regret in this world! Don't throw little tantrums and try to test my bottom line. My patience has limits."
He didn't want to talk anymore.
Lu Jinse was boiling with rage as she listened. This man was truly a megalomaniac!
She hadn't even spoken yet.
"Hey?"
Refusing to let him leave, Lu Lili said in a cooing voice.
"Brother Yueshan, why are you leaving? Since my sister doesn't want to marry you, isn't this the perfect time to talk about me taking her place?"
"Lili, I don't have time, I have to go to work. Stop messing around."
Xu Yueshan strode toward the door.
Lu Lili refused to let him go.
The two of them looked like they were locked in a tug-of-war.
Lu Jinse couldn't squeeze a word in even if she wanted to, so she simply sat back and watched the show.
Ha, this was getting interesting.
...
Xu Yueshan was a man after all, heavy and physically strong; he won this tug-of-war match.
He finally made it to the doorway.
Pushing open the front door, he found a young, tall, straight-backed, and strikingly handsome military officer standing outside.
He even recognized this officer: it was his uncle's second son, Gu Yuncheng.
Xu Yueshan's surprise outweighed his joy. "Why are you here?"
"Yueshan?"
Gu Yuncheng's eyes were full of astonishment. "What are you two doing?"
He had taken leave today to visit Lu Jinse, never expecting to run into Xu Yueshan here, with a young maiden tangling all over him.
...
Lu Lili, who had been stubbornly holding onto Xu Yueshan and refusing to let go, changed expression drastically the moment she saw Gu Yuncheng.
Why was it him?!
As if she had seen a ghost, she let go of Xu Yueshan, panicked, scrambled back into the room, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
...
Lu Jinse, who had been watching the fun all along, caught sight of Gu Yuncheng.
She inwardly cried out that things were bad.
He had come?
And he ran right into Xu Yueshan?
The timing was all wrong.
Just as Lu Jinse was calculating her next move, she saw Lu Lili rush back like a cannonball and crash into her room.
Ha.
So she knew how to feel embarrassed after all?
Leaving the living room, Lu Jinse walked to the door and greeted him warmly. "Commander Gu is here, please come right in."
Then she turned back to ask Xu Yueshan, "Weren't you going to work? Off you go."
She was showing him the door.
"I..."
Hesitant, Xu Yueshan desperately wanted to know what Gu Yuncheng was doing at the Lu family. Why was he even carrying a gift?
Gu Yuncheng picked up on his hesitation. "Yueshan, do you still have business here?"
Standing at one meter eighty, Xu Yueshan was still a good seven or eight centimeters shorter when standing next to Gu Yuncheng. He raised his head and asked,
"Second Brother, who are you looking for at the Lu family?"
Gu Yuncheng's phoenix eyes remained ripples-free.
"I accidentally bumped into Miss Lu with my car last night, and came by today to check on her. Yueshan, what's going on here? I saw a young lady clinging to you."