But before he could even begin, his father called him over and asked, "What happened between you and Yan Zhi? Why are you suddenly claiming that you and Yan Zhi have no relationship whatsoever?"

"What do you mean, what happened? She lied to me!" Gu Liji exploded at the slightest provocation.

"What did she lie to you about?"

"She tricked me into getting engaged, and then used the Gu family's status to elevate the Yan family's status."

His father gave him a strange look. "Didn't you agree to the engagement yourself? Besides, isn't a marriage alliance all about mutual benefit? It's normal for her to do this. Otherwise, with your reputation, what would Yan Zhi, an excellent student, see in you? She completed all the projects she participated in this year so well, and she even considered your reputation in public..."

His mother also said, "I also think Yan Zhi is a good person. Yan Zhi is capable and ambitious, which complements you perfectly."

"..." Gu Liji couldn't understand. He didn't know what kind of bewitching potion Yan Zhi had given them, making them all think she was nice.

Feeling misunderstood, he went to Cheng Qicai's house and told them about his relationship with Yan Zhi.

After she finished speaking, Cheng Qicai exclaimed "Oh my!"

He angrily downed the water in his glass, frowning as he looked at her with displeasure. "Cheng Qicai! What's with this reaction?"

Cheng Qicai's gloating expression was too obvious, so she toned it down a bit. "But isn't your purpose in getting engaged a marriage of convenience? If it's a marriage of convenience, even if she doesn't use her status as your fiancée in the business world, others will automatically assume that she's trying to curry favor with you, right?"

"Didn't you understand? I don't want to marry her. I got engaged to her so that she would give up the idea of ​​marrying me."

"Now that neither of you likes the other, and you've already broken off relations, you don't have to get married. Isn't that perfect? ​​What are you still worried about?"

"..."That makes some sense—bullshit! "So I was just used by her for nothing?"

“Yan Zhi is wrong about this, but look at how much she has done for you this year. Every time you want to attend a party, Yan Zhi takes care of everything for you. And when something happens at home, she goes back in your place…”

"That was just a tactic she used to manipulate me. How did you all fall for her tricks?"

Seeing the two arguing, Gu Rongqi spoke up: "The power struggle within the Yan family has been fierce in recent years. Her father built his fortune on her mother's assets when he was young. After her mother passed away, her father married his former lover, who had her younger brother. Her father wants to hand over the company to her brother, but her brother is now engaged in a marriage alliance with the Xiang family. She wants to gain power and needs more leverage, so..."

Cheng Qicai suddenly realized, "So Yan Zhi chose Zhong Gu Ge? Speaking of which, Yan Zhi is quite impressive."

Gu Rongqi replied, "Hmm."

Even with Yan Zhi's reasons, Gu Liji was still angry. "Hmph! So what? Does she try to seize power by taking advantage of my feelings?"

"Um...didn't you say you had no feelings for her? If you had no feelings, what did she take advantage of? And, Brother Gu, not to be rude, but your feelings..."

"She took advantage of..." Gu Liji couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he abruptly raised his voice to change the subject, "What's wrong with my feelings?"

“Think about how many women you’ve had in the past, and how much sincerity you had towards them. Anyone would think your feelings… weren’t genuine,” Cheng Qicai tried to smooth things over as Gu Liji’s face grew darker. “Of course, I don’t mean to belittle you, but for girls who want a normal, healthy relationship, it’s hard to consider you in their criteria for a partner. They’re always afraid you’ll cheat on them…”

"It's great to be friends with you, but it's too easy to get hurt in a serious relationship with you. And everyone in this circle knows your personality... so I always thought that with Yan Zhi's personality, you weren't her type!"

Gu Liji got engaged too quickly. His parents told others that it was a marriage alliance. Cheng Qicai even asked him about it, and he only replied, "It's just an engagement, not a wedding."

Cheng Qicai thought it was because her sister got married that Gu Liji had recklessly chosen to arrange a marriage. Who knew they'd go through with this contract thing!

That's pretty trendy!

Gu Liji was unconvinced and seized on her last question, asking, "Why am I not her type?"

"Yan Zhi is mature and opinionated, and she's methodical and organized. She seems to prefer someone who's equally matched and has a high IQ... Hmm, your personality seems more like the kind Yan Zhi dislikes!"

"Cheng Qicai, are you and Yan Zhi family or me family? Why do you always praise her!" Gu Liji found Cheng Qicai's words extremely grating. "I used to think my brother liked elegant and intellectual women, but in the end he still fell for you."

"...What family? I've never heard you call me sister-in-law. What business is it of yours who I'm praising?" Cheng Qicai pouted. "You think, you think of everything, that's why you're so presumptuous to think that Yan Zhi can't live without you."

"..."

Seeing that his expression was even more unpleasant, she softened her tone and said, "Didn't you come here to have us analyze this for you? We all thought it was a business engagement, but who knew that in your eyes, Yan Zhi likes you! You didn't fall for Yan Zhi, and now that you've discovered the truth, you've broken down, haven't you?"

"Who likes her!" Gu Liji suddenly stood up, his voice cracking as he glared angrily at Cheng Qicai.

His strong reaction startled Cheng Qicai.

Watching Gu Liji leave angrily, Cheng Qicai moved closer to Gu Rongqi and said, "With this reaction, he still says he doesn't like him. I wonder if Yan Zhi really doesn't like Brother Gu at all."

"Who cares? If we're meant to be, we'll be together. If we're not, there's no point in saying anything more."

Gu Liji seemed to be refuting Cheng Qicai's statement. He tried his best to sabotage Yan Zhi's efforts to secure projects. As long as she set her sights on one, he would snatch it away.

However, Yan Zhi was not a lamb to be slaughtered, and the two of them went back and forth, neither willing to give in.

Some time later, Gu Liji heard the news that Yan Zhi had gone on a blind date.

This matter had nothing to do with him in the first place; he had already announced to the public that the two of them had no connection whatsoever.