Jiang Tian chuckled and shook her head: "Zhou Yuncheng, how old are you? Don't you think it's childish to say something like that?"

Zhou Yuncheng's expression immediately turned ugly.

He sensed the difference between Jiang Tian before and now.

Jiang Tian used to be dignified and gentle in front of him, but now she has long since distanced herself from him.

"I'm not joking, I just wanted to express my thoughts to you."

“Duan Muqing is not right for you. I always felt that the two of you wouldn’t last. But haven’t you liked me for a long time? Rather than being with a pretty boy, why not choose me?”

"Regarding Tao Xinrou's matter, I admit that I was wrong. During that time, I did nothing. I was just suddenly bewitched."

"Perhaps we can give each other a chance to start over."

As Zhou Yuncheng spoke, he became increasingly eager, having lost all his former dignity.

Disappointment flashed in Jiang Tian's eyes: "I didn't expect you to be this kind of person."

“We’ve known each other for so long, you should know what kind of person I am. I was wrong before, and I apologize to you,” Zhou Yuncheng said, his eyes burning. “We both need to restart this journey.”

Shaking her head, Jiang Tian stated, "I'm not interested in starting over."

"Are you sure you really like me? You just feel that you're not used to not having me, and that no one will be as tolerant of you as I am."

"If Tao Xinrou alone can expose your true colors, how can I trust you?"

Zhou Yuncheng's expression was somewhat gloomy; he knew that Tao Xinrou was an insurmountable obstacle.

He attributed his actions during that period to being bewitched.

After all, Shen Qingshu's return hadn't sparked much interest in him, yet he had developed a certain tenderness for Tao Xinrou.

"That's not it. I'm sure I want to start a family with you. My feelings for you, though not as strong as they were for Shen Qingshu before, will last until we get married. I won't have any other thoughts about you."

When Zhou Yuncheng said these words, there was no hesitation; it was a genuine expression of his heart.

Although he couldn't quite figure out what his feelings were for Jiang Tian, ​​the fact that a man had developed the idea of ​​wanting to start a family with a woman meant that his feelings for her had changed.

He was somewhat nervous as he said this, fearing that Jiang Tian would mock him again.

However, to his surprise, he was met with Jiang Tian's barely suppressed laughter.

Jiang Tian laughed for a long time before stopping. She took a sip of coffee, cleared her throat, and then told him, "Maybe I should tell you the truth."

Just that one sentence suddenly made Zhou Yuncheng's heartstrings tighten.

What's the truth?

“There are many reasons why I want to marry a woman. Maybe it’s because I am liked by your mother; maybe it’s because I am suitable to be a perfect wife and can help you save face; maybe it’s because you can control my family and don’t need to worry about being attacked.”

"But I want to tell you that the me you know has never been the real me. The reason I like you has never been because of who you are."

Zhou Yuncheng's pupils contracted.

Jiang Tian told him the whole story.

"If you remember, you should recall that you had a distant cousin who lived in your house for a period of time."

"During that time, I had a very good feeling about him, but I was too shy to express it. My family was too strict with me; they didn't want me to have too much contact with boys, so I could only bury my budding feelings in my heart."

"Unexpectedly, he passed away soon after falling ill."

Jiang Tian suddenly looked up at him with deep affection: "Don't you think you look a lot like him? Your temperament is also very similar."

Zhou Yuncheng felt as if his heart had been struck by a hammer, and blood flowed freely instantly.

He remembered that cousin; he did look quite like him.

"What...what do you mean?"

"Don't you understand? I've been using you as a substitute. You're playing dumb again. Could it be that your feelings for Tao Xinrou aren't just transferred from being a substitute?"

"I didn't pursue you because I liked you, but because I wanted to experience that feeling. After all, liking someone when you're young and not being able to pursue them can have a significant impact on your life as an adult."

"To be honest, when I saw you entangled with Tao Xinrou, I felt absolutely disgusted. The feeling I wanted to pursue was completely shattered by you. You don't even deserve to be a substitute."

"Why don't you think about it? Back then, I had many opportunities to make you marry me. No matter what schemes or tricks I used, even if I did what Tao Xinrou did, you would definitely marry me. After all, the pressure and sense of responsibility from your family wouldn't allow you to stand idly by."

"But I didn't do any of that. Why? Because all I was pursuing was that feeling."