"Uncle Gu, Zirui is not joking. Ranran has been with me for eight years. She has done too much for me during this time. If I were to let her continue following me with nothing to show for it, my conscience would not rest easy. Although Zirui was born into a wealthy family with many brothers and sisters, aside from my late mother, the only people who truly care about Zirui are Ranran and an old servant at home." Chu Hengyuan was still kneeling as he spoke.
"Better the wife of a poor man than the concubine of a rich one! Young Master Meng, you come from a prominent family, while my Aran is just a village girl. Even if she were willing to follow you, your family would never agree to it—in the future she would only be a concubine. Even if she were willing, I would never allow it. There is too much backstabbing and scheming in wealthy households, and I will not let Aran sink into that kind of living hell. Young Master, you should just let Aran go and forget her." No matter how outstanding the young man before him was, Gu Zhentang would not gamble his daughter's life.
"Uncle Gu, Ranran is my very lifeblood. You tell me to forget her—can love really be forgotten just by saying the word? If it could be forgotten, then it wouldn't be love." Ranran was his faith; to lose her would leave him utterly helpless, filled with terror, unease, anxiety, and the constant fear of loss. How could he possibly let her go and forget her?
Chapter 61