Xie Shiyan pursed his lips and said, "My father actually conspired with the princess."

Gu Jiangli said with a hint of consolation, "General Xie likes Princess Jinghe very much, so he hopes that Princess Jinghe can become your wife as soon as possible."

Xie Shiyan's eyes darkened slightly. "He's gone mad."

"Why is General Xie so insistent on the princess marrying you? Has he become so concerned about status?"

This is also what Gu Jiangli doesn't understand.

Even if Princess Jinghe is of extremely noble birth, it is still unacceptable to use such methods to achieve her goals.

If this gets spread later, won't it be criticized all the time?

Xie Shiyan's face showed some anger, but he suppressed it in his eyes. "It's not just him who cares, the Xie family's collateral branches also care."

"The Xie family helped establish the Northern Qi dynasty and has always been regarded as a family with noble blood by the Northern Qi royal family and the people."

For many years, the Xie family members have only married into high-ranking official families and noble families.

"Now that I'm the only one left in the main branch, they naturally hope that I can marry a princess from the royal family to continue the Xie family's 'noble' bloodline."

Gu Jiangli sighed in admiration, "I just can't understand General Xie's persistence."

Xie Shiyan fell silent, then stared at Gu Jiangli with an extremely serious gaze.

Her fair neck and shoulders were covered in bruises and red marks, indicating that she had suffered considerable violence.

"Was I...very rough just now?"

He was almost driven mad by the drug and showed no mercy whatsoever.

He had almost forgotten how roughly he had treated her.

Only some vague memories remain in my mind.

Gu Jiangli's body was delicate, and her skin was as white as snow. After being scratched hard, it left very obvious purplish marks, which were quite conspicuous.

He didn't lift the blanket, but he was certain that Gu Jiangli's body must have been covered in many signs of madness.

Gu Jiangli's gaze fell on his shoulder.

He also looked down at his own.

Her delicate skin is indeed extraordinary.

Even a little force will leave a mark.

Looking back on my crazy behavior at the teacher appreciation banquet, it really wasn't intentional.

I was affected even though I only inhaled a little bit, let alone Xie Shiyan who was completely affected.

Gu Jiangli did not deny Xie Shiyan's question and nodded in reply, "General, you were indeed not gentle just now."

"I..." Xie Shiyan was unusually speechless.

A hint of self-reproach slowly surfaced in her eyes.

"We were just acting, and I never intended to turn the play into a real one. If you want to resent me, I can accept it."

"After we part ways, I can give you a large sum of money so that you can live out the rest of your life in peace."

Gu Jiangli's eyes widened. "Is the General absolutely determined to have nothing to do with me anymore? Even though we've already..."

“No,” Xie Shiyan replied calmly. “Our initial goal was never to become a real couple. You were trying to survive, while I was trying to anger the Xie family.”

"With this in mind, you will inevitably have to leave in the future."

Xie Shiyan seemed to have no doubt about his guess.

His confident tone suggested he could already see what Gu Jiangli would look like when she left.

After pondering for a moment, Gu Jiangli replied:

"General, haven't you considered that the whole city already knows I'm your wife? How will we be separated after this?"

Xie Shiyan fell into deep thought.

This is indeed a difficult task.

If Gu Jiangli wants to leave the Xie family openly and honestly, it seems there is only one way.

“I can write a divorce agreement, and we will divorce. This will not affect your ability to remarry later.”

Gu Jiangli's eyelids drooped. How could this person not understand what she meant?

Was it intentional or did they genuinely not understand?

“Shi Yan,” she called out earnestly, “haven’t you considered that we could act according to the old lady’s conditions?”

"What?" Xie Shiyan was taken aback.

"I'll stay by your side, and we'll get married once I get pregnant. Isn't that a good plan between us?"

"Pregnancy is no small matter. How will you leave the Xie family if you have a child? What will happen to the child?"

"What about the child? Raise him, you're the father, I'm the mother, so raise him. Or do you think I absolutely have to leave in the general's eyes?"

Xie Shiyan was clearly taken aback.

He had never considered this possibility.

In his heart, Gu Jiangli was someone who would leave sooner or later.

He never imagined that Gu Jiangli would stay in the Xie family forever and be his wife forever.

This sudden possibility threw him off balance.

"You...you don't want to leave?"

Gu Jiangli looked into his eyes and asked, "Does Shi Yan really want me to leave?"

Xie Shiyan's breathing became slightly heavy, and he glanced away.

Gu Jiangli felt a surge of joy in her heart.

If you're unwilling to face her directly, it means you have a guilty conscience.

Since he felt guilty, it meant that he didn't really want her to leave.

"Shi Yan, I have only been in the Xie family for a dozen days, why are you thinking about making me leave so soon?"

"I don't think your dad has gotten too angry with you yet. There's still a long road ahead, and you still need me."

She intentionally changed the subject, avoiding mentioning it for the time being.

Anyway, given Xie Shiyan's personality, even if he had feelings for her, he wouldn't say it directly.

She looked up at her surroundings and said:

"By the way, Shi Yan, I've never been to this room before, but you seem to know it quite well."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!