In a world covered in silver, the cold wind howls.

Shulan felt warm nestled in a strong, comforting embrace.

Feeling the warmth, her body stirred slightly from being held in this position for so long.

The person holding her thought she was cold, so they pulled her closer and said in a deep voice, "We'll be there soon."

She replied cheerfully, "Okay."

As he said, it arrived very quickly.

When the gust of wind subsided, she felt herself being lifted into the air once more, then her cloak was gently lifted, and a man's cautious voice said, "Shulan, we've arrived."

Shulan's eyes lit up, and her eyes squinted slightly, still not used to the bright light.

Then, in the white world, the emerald green lake was not frozen. The beauty of the snow scene on the lake was as enchanting as a fairyland, making Shulan smile and say, "It's beautiful."

He Fengmian didn't look at the beautiful scenery in the lake. He kept looking at the person beside him, at the joy on her face, his eyes full of affection.

After she had finished admiring the beautiful scenery, she suddenly spoke up and said, "Shulan, I'm sorry."

Shulan turned to look at him.

He Fengmian's face was serious and earnest: "This 'I'm sorry' is for my previous attitude. I shouldn't have treated you that way."

Shulan readily agreed, "It's alright."

After all, he wasn't targeting himself.

He Fengmian said very honestly, "Because I didn't know you at first, and when I asked Chu Wu and the others to investigate, I found that you were the kind of person who was quite selfish and self-serving. You married me because you wanted to find out about the He family's situation in the border town for the Xie family, so I didn't like it."

Thinking back, he felt quite embarrassed: "Even if my grandparents made me marry you to protect me from disaster, I only intended to ignore you and let you slip up so I could use you to hold the Xie family accountable."

Shulan nodded: "I understand."

If it were her, she would have done the same.

After all, if I hadn't traveled from another time, I wouldn't believe in ghosts and gods.

So it's possible that it wasn't Xie Shulan who shielded him from the disaster, but rather it was Shulan herself.

After all, when I arrived, putting aside the weapons, I was a great help in dealing with the pandemic and helped avoid many subsequent problems.

Seeing that she wasn't angry, He Fengmian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "But ever since you got injured, you seem like a different person... Of course, I didn't have feelings for you at the time, I just felt that you were different and very suspicious, and I wondered if you had been possessed."

Shu Lan's heart skipped a beat, but she immediately suppressed her emotions and deliberately asked, "Why would you have such a thought?"

"Because the contrast between your past and present is too great. Whether it's your personality, behavior, or way of speaking, everything is completely different from before."

"Now?"

He Fengmian paused for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "At first, I kept people on guard against you, just to find your weakness."

After spending time with you, I realized that whether you are Xie Shulan or not doesn't matter, as long as it benefits the military and the He family.

Shulan nodded and listened to him continue.

He Fengmian looked down at her and said, "But I don't know when, my admiration for you turned into love, and I started to feel unwilling to just be your business partner."

"I know I went too far in the past, and you may not be able to forgive me, so I've always wanted you to gradually get used to me and understand me better, so that maybe you'll fall in love with me."

Shulan, who already knew, cleverly pretended to have just found out and asked:

"Then why are you saying it now?"

He Fengmian said very honestly, "Suddenly I don't want to wait anymore. I just want to be there for you whether you're sad or happy."

He didn't want to see Shulan sitting there, gazing sadly into the distance, as if she didn't belong here, as if there was nothing here that she could cherish.

So he didn't care about any schemes or plots; he loved her and wanted her to stay by his side.

Shulan's heart softened.

But what he said was, "So, is the General trying to express his feelings to me?"

He Fengmian nodded solemnly: "I wonder if Shulan has any feelings for me?"

His eyes showed tension, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

Shulan didn't beat around the bush: "Yes."

Before she could even feel overjoyed, he explained very seriously: "But for me, liking someone isn't enough. If you want to marry me, you can't have multiple wives and concubines, you can't have maids in your room, you can't have mistresses or any other women."

In this life, I only accept one person for life, one lifetime. I can accept divorce, but I cannot accept physical intimacy, or even thinking of other women.

“I know this request is difficult for most people, but it is my absolute requirement for marriage. If I can’t meet it, even if I am fond of you, I will not be with you, because what I, Shulan, want is exclusivity, not a charity-like sharing.”

He Fengmian was indeed very happy when he learned that she had feelings for him.

Even after hearing all this, the joy on his face did not fade.

Instead, after Shulan finished speaking, he solemnly promised, "This is not asking you to do something against your will. I believe in quality over quantity, and we share the same idea."

He also hoped to find a woman like his parents, to share a life of mutual support and harmony, rather than having too many wives and concubines that would disrupt the peace of the household.

He said to Shulan, "You can rest assured about this. I, He Fengmian, swear to God that I will only be with you, Shulan, in this life, and I will never have any other woman."

I never would have done so before, and I certainly won't do it again. This is a promise I made as a man.

Fearing that Shulan wouldn't believe him, he took the initiative to say, "My great-grandfather had too many concubines back then, which almost led to the destruction of the He family. My grandfather deeply resented this and once said that he would never follow the path of the great-grandfather. Therefore, he only had my grandmother in his life, and they lived in harmony."

"The reason my maternal grandfather agreed to marry my mother to my father was because my father said that he only had my mother in his life, and so did my brother and me. The reason there were no young and beautiful maids in the mansion was to avoid unnecessary trouble."

"Okay." Shulan was very satisfied with this family tradition and precepts, thinking that when she saw General He in the future, she should give him a gift to thank the old man properly.

He Fengmian's eyes sparkled: "Your kindness, does it mean you agree?"

Shulan nodded: "Yes, I like you too, and I want to spend my life with you."

Upon hearing this, He Fengmian's eyes shone even brighter.

He really didn't expect that Shulan would also be interested in him, and he was very excited.

He wanted to hug her, but was afraid of being too forward, so he just said, "Thank you, Shulan. I will be good to you."

Shulan smiled when she saw him like that.

She stepped forward, hugged his waist, and said happily, "Okay, I look forward to your performance."

That should do it.

No matter what happens in the future, she will at least cherish the relationship she has now.