Meng Yuxiu said, "You can play the piano now?"

"Of course, believe it or not, I can make one."

Meng Yuxiu couldn't help but burst into laughter, put his arm around her waist and picked her up, saying, "I believe you. How could I not believe you?"

Chang Lili wrapped her arms around his neck, looking at his handsome face. Under the moonlight, they drew closer and closer until they merged together, clinging tightly as if they couldn't live without each other, their bodies intertwined in an ambiguous and sticky way.

Meng Yuxiu's kisses were always domineering and passionate. Every time, Chang Lili's lips felt swollen, painful and numb. He would lick her mouth clean, and when she couldn't breathe, she would hurriedly push him away, covering her numb and painful mouth with anger and shame: "Are you a dog? It hurts so much."

Meng Yuxiu looked at her with a dark gaze and said, "I miss you so much."

Chang Lili ran back to her room, her face flushed.

Hearing the sound of Meng Yuxiu riding away on horseback outside, I felt a slight sense of reluctance.

Knowing that Meng Yuxiu was about to leave, Chang Lili wanted to open the door and go out to see his back.

The old woman came out of the house, looked at her, and said, "General Meng is gone?"

Seeing her mother-in-law's solemn expression, Chang Lili's heart pounded with unease, and she nodded with her lips pursed.

"Come here, it's been a long time since we, grandfather and grandson, have had a proper talk."

Chang Lili happened to need to speak with her mother-in-law, but seeing her mother-in-law's expression, she had a bad feeling. Sitting with her mother-in-law under the oil lamp, her mother-in-law said, "Lili, about you and Meng Yuxiu..."

She paused, seemingly unsure how to begin.

Chang Lili continued, "We like each other. He even turned down the emperor's arranged marriage for me. You know that."

Of course she knew, and it was precisely because she knew that she felt uneasy. Meng Yuxiu seemed to treat Chang Lili very well. If it weren't for that relationship, her mother-in-law would be very satisfied with him.

only……

"But what if I don't agree to you two being together?"

Chang Lili looked at her mother-in-law in surprise: "What are you saying?"

"Lili, your mother-in-law has rarely interfered with you since you were little because you've always been obedient and know that she's doing it for your own good. It's the same now. Listen to your mother-in-law and break up with Meng Yuxiu, okay?"

Chang Lili: "Grandma, why are you suddenly saying this? Liking someone isn't something that can be changed overnight."

"Even if it's for my sake, and you don't want to be with him anymore, I still won't agree to your marriage. You're already disobeying me at the Light Industry Department, do you want to upset me again because of this?"

Chang Lili forced a smile, reached out to take her mother-in-law's hand, and said, "Mother-in-law, did Meng Yuxiu do something to upset you today? I'll go and scold him, please don't be angry."

The mother-in-law pulled her hand away, her eyes full of seriousness: "I'm not angry. From the beginning, I felt that you and him were not suitable for each other. He is a general, and you are a commoner. You are not a good match. Moreover, he will inevitably have to play along in the court in the future. You two are simply not suitable for each other."

Chang Lili didn't want to upset her mother-in-law, but she was both angry and anxious. She took a few deep breaths and said, "Mother, let's talk about this later. I don't know why you're so angry..."

"I'm not angry, Lili, why can't you understand? You and him are from completely different worlds!"

Chang Lili didn't sleep all night, and the next day she went to the Light Machinery Department with two big dark circles under her eyes. Jiang Yingxue laughed at her for it, but the usually cold boy next to her gave Chang Lili ice, which made Jiang Yingxue quite unhappy.

Chang Lili was also very depressed. He couldn't care less about Jiang Yingxue's little temper and was absent-minded all morning. He almost cut his finger and was scolded by the old man.

Seeing that she had something on her mind, he didn't say anything, but instead asked Jiang Yingxue to comfort her.

The people in the Light Machinery Department are all weirdos; they actually had Jiang Yingxue come to comfort her.

Doesn't Jiang Yingxue wish Chang Lili would have a long face every day?

Chang Lili was in no mood to argue with Jiang Yingxue and listlessly lay on the stone table.

Jiang Yingxue fiddled with a delicate little gadget and asked, "Why aren't you going home for dinner?"

Throughout the entire Light Machinery Division, Chang Lili was the only one who had a mother-in-law by her side. Every day, the aroma wafting from her house was enough to make anyone's mouth water. Chang Lili, like a rabbit, was always the first one to run back home for dinner.

But today, contrary to his usual behavior, he didn't even go home.

Chang Lili turned around dejectedly and asked, "I have something to ask you."

"you say."

What if your family forces you to get married?

Jiang Yingxue scoffed and said, "Impossible. I am the one who has the final say at home. Who would dare to force me to get married? Who would dare to marry me? Ask my organization if they would agree."

Chang Lili was speechless at her stubbornness. After a moment of silence, she looked at the boy who was silently fiddling with the kite and said, "What if he doesn't agree to you being with him?"

Touched on something she cared about, Jiang Yingxue's face stiffened for a moment, and she said, "Impossible."

"What if?"

"Even if they disagree, I will marry no one but him in this life. Let's see what they can do to me."

Chang Lili gave her a thumbs up and continued to bury her head in a gloomy mood.

Jiang Yingxue looked at her like this and leaned closer with a mischievous smile: "Hey, Chang Lili, is it because your mother-in-law doesn't approve of you and that person?"

Chang Lili and Meng Yuxiu's relationship is an open secret. Just by looking at the few times the General has come and Chang Lili's excited expression, one can guess most of it. This is also why Jiang Yingxue's hostility towards her has lessened considerably.

Chang Lili looked worried and asked, "Don't talk nonsense."

"You practically wear your heart on your sleeve," Jiang Yingxue said indifferently. "Isn't your mother-in-law's standard too high? She doesn't even approve of General Meng. Who does she think is good enough for you?"

“I think Meng Yuxiu is great.” Chang Lili propped her chin on her hand. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her, she just suddenly…”

Jiang Yingxue said, "Does she think General Meng is too old?"

Chang Lili thought about it carefully and said, "No way, he was fine before, and he's not old."

Jiang Yingxue continued her analysis: "General Meng joined the army at sixteen, so it's been ten years now, right? How old are you now?"

“Eighteen, and in two months it will be nineteen.” Chang Lili interrupted her wild analysis. “I told you it’s not for that reason. Our ages are just right. Look, the emperor is almost sixty, and he’s going to take a new concubine this year.”

Jiang Yingxue, being rather carefree, didn't think Chang Lili's words were particularly outrageous. She continued to say these head-threatening things to Chang Lili, "The emperor is different. Look at all the concubines in his harem, yet he only has one crown prince."

Chang Lili didn't know much about the affairs of the harem, and now that she thought about it, she realized something was amiss. She said, "That's true, the emperor has too few sons."