What they were talking about was what Shen Zhihuan had experienced in her previous life.

In fact, she was even worse off than Shen Ling in her previous life. She couldn't bring herself to do something like shamelessly trying to please her mother-in-law, so naturally she was even less liked by Wang Yulian.

At first, she even felt sorry for Lele's background and wanted to treat him as her own child.

Reality, however, slapped her hard in the face and taught her that no matter what situation she was in, she should never act like a saint.

Fortunately, all of that is in the past now. Shen Zhihuan has a family who truly loves her and is about to start a new family.

She feels very happy with her current life.

"Fortunately, I'm one of the luckier ones."

Shen Zhihuan took Zhao Haiyin's and Grandma Xie's arms on either side, smiling sweetly.

"Only then could she marry into such a good family."

Looking into her clear eyes, Zhao Haiyin felt even more heartache.

It should be noted that from the very beginning, both families said that it was Shen Ling who was going to marry into the family.

If Shen Ling hadn't interfered and insisted on taking away Shen Zhihuan's marriage, Zhao Haiyin couldn't even imagine how their fates would have unfolded.

Shen Zhihuan had already had a very difficult first half of her life. Her family of origin was unhappy, and if she were tormented by her in-laws on top of that, it was unimaginable how miserable she would become.

Zhao Haiyin and Grandma Xie held Shen Zhihuan in their arms, so heartbroken that they were speechless for a moment.

In the end, it was Grandpa Xie who was the first to emerge from his grief, and he said cheerfully:

"They say that after hardship comes happiness. Our Zhihuan is lucky. She even managed to avoid such a huge pitfall as the Gu family. Things will definitely get better and better in the future!"

Zhao Haiyin and Grandma Xie exchanged a glance and quickly wiped away their tears.

"That's right, our Zhihuan is so lucky. We should stay far away from the Gu family in the future, so as not to get tainted by their bad luck."

Looking at the Xie family's concerned eyes, Shen Zhihuan felt a warmth in her heart, and nodded with a smile no matter what they said.

"Time flies! It seems like it won't be long before we take the college entrance exam."

Grandma Xie gently patted Shen Zhihuan's shoulder.

"Don't worry about things at home, Zhihuan. Just focus on preparing for the exam. Let's try our best to get good results this time and get into your favorite university."

“That’s right. As for the engagement this weekend, Zhihuan, you don’t need to worry about it. We’ve already planned everything. You just need to wait until everything is ready and then see if you’re satisfied.”

Grandpa Xie was beaming with joy, already planning in his mind who to send invitations to.

"Don't feel any pressure. Just think of it as a family gathering, a meal to celebrate our engagement, so that Lan Shen can go back to the army with peace of mind."

With all the elders being quite reliable, Shen Zhihuan had nothing to worry about and could comfortably become a hands-off manager.

"Okay, then thank you for your hard work, Auntie and Grandpa and Grandma."

Carrying the fruit prepared by Zhao Haiyin and Grandma Xie, Shen Zhihuan went into the study and buried herself in her books. If she weren't worried that studying for too long would be bad for her eyes, she wouldn't have stopped.

As she straightened up and stretched, Chen Zhihuan glanced out the window and realized that it was already completely dark outside.

The clock on the wall showed that it was already past nine o'clock at night.

"It's already so late."

Shen Zhihuan walked to the window and looked at the dark house across the way with some surprise.

"Xie Lanshen hasn't returned yet. Could something have happened that delayed him?"

She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should go out and tell Zhao Haiyin to call the military and ask.

The study door creaked open, and Xie Lanshen strode up to her.

"Waiting for me?"

The deep, magnetic male voice was exceptionally pleasant to listen to, and no matter how many times Shen Zhihuan listened to it, she would always feel her heartstrings being plucked.

She coughed lightly, embarrassed, and was about to say something when Xie Lanshen suddenly leaned close to her again.

"Don't move yet."

Warm fingers stroked her temples and then gently traced along her earlobe.

Xie Lanshen's pleasant scent enveloped her, and he spoke again only after tucking her stray hair behind her ear.

"Sorry, I promised to take some time to help you with your studies these next few days, but something came up today and I had to be late."

After doing all this, he did not leave.

Instead, he maintained this extremely intimate distance and spoke to Shen Zhihuan in a low voice.

His voice suddenly became closer, and Shen Zhihuan couldn't help but blush. After a long while, she whispered something.

"It's alright, you should focus on your important business."

Although she concealed it well, Xie Lanshen still didn't miss the fleeting unease in Shen Zhihuan's eyes.

His expression instantly turned serious, and he asked her in a very sincere tone.

"Did I do something that made you feel uncomfortable?"

As the two spent more time together, Xie Lanshen's feelings for Shen Zhihuan deepened.

He couldn't bear to see her acting reluctantly, and he hoped that she would marry him out of genuine affection.

Xie Lanshen is a genius in military affairs, but he is completely clueless when it comes to romance.

He was genuinely afraid that he might do something wrong and upset Shen Zhihuan, causing her to become disgusted with him as well.

Being stared at intently by such a pair of beautiful and deep eyes, Shen Zhihuan's cheeks couldn't help but burn again.

But more important than feeling shy is clearing up the misunderstanding now.

"You've misunderstood. You didn't do anything wrong, and I don't feel uncomfortable at all."

Shen Zhihuan lowered her head, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her dress with her fingers, and explained:

"We're getting engaged soon, but I just haven't quite adjusted to the mindset yet."

Looking at her fluffy head, Xie Lanshen couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips, thinking that she looked exceptionally cute like this.

"Don't feel nervous, it's just an engagement, there's no need to feel pressured."

He gently pushed open the window, and the cool evening breeze immediately dispelled his unease.

"You just need to be yourself and interact with me at your own pace."

"I hope you will feel genuinely happy when you are with me, and I will not force you to do anything."

"Between the two of us, everything should proceed gradually. No matter what happens, I'm willing to wait for you."

The clear moonlight outlined Xie Lanshen's handsome features. Perhaps because of his age, he spoke and acted in a very mature way, which gave people a great sense of security.

Shen Zhihuan could sense Xie Lanshen's sincere attitude and couldn't help but smile softly, feeling much more relaxed.