"I tell you this because I don't want to deny your love and the person who belongs to you, Xiaozi." Shu Baizhu also stood up.

She was only 1.65 meters tall, and when she stood up, she had to raise her head slightly to meet Ziyi's gaze.

"Do you remember when you followed me home during your senior year of high school and saw my dad worried about the family factory? To impress yourself, you suggested investing in it?"

They were all still young at that time. Ziyi was eager to give Shu Baizhu a sense of security, and Shu Baizhu had not yet truly understood the thoughts of each family member. They suggested that Shu's father was in trouble and Ziyi could help.

Ziyi dared to bring it up, and Shu Baizhu had no objection. After a brief shock, Shu's father gladly accepted it.

He began to inquire about Ziyi's family background, both openly and secretly.

Ziyi had nothing to hide. Almost all her classmates knew what her mother did for a living. They also knew that Chunyang Cottage was hers and they would visit her home every now and then. As for what her father did for a living, Ziyi didn't mention it much except to Shen Zhiming and Shu Baizhu.

My good friends and classmates just thought that Ziyi came from a divorced family and Ziyu was a single parent raising a child.

If the Shu family wanted to find out, Ziyi had no intention of hiding anything and openly stated her family background.

Shu Baizhu laughed, and then tears suddenly slid down her cheeks. Seeing this, Ziyi felt uncomfortable. She pulled out a piece of paper from the table and handed it to him, "So, you don't want me to give your family too much?"

"My mom went shopping at the mall and wanted to put your bill on the bill, and you said okay. Ah Zhen wanted to buy some limited edition sneakers, more than 10,000 yuan a pair, and you agreed too. Xiaozi, I know you agreed to spend all this money because of me, but..."

Shu Baizhu sat down helplessly, covering her face with her hands, tears streaming through her fingers. "It's not that I don't want you to spend that money, but they can't feed them. My parents clearly don't like you, but they still want to use your feelings for me to make you spend money and give them resources. I don't want you to be treated like a fool by them, and I don't want them to become like this, completely unrecognizable to me."

Ziyi and her family are a difficult choice for Shu Baizhu.

"I told you to ignore them, but you never listened to me. Tell me it's okay. I don't know what to do, Xiaozi."

Shu Baizhu's words were tactful enough. Her parents not only disliked Ziyi, but also unscrupulously disparaged Ziyi as a "stupid, rich, and fool" in places where Ziyi couldn't see or hear them.

But could Shu Baizhu tell Ziyi these words exactly as they were? She couldn't. "Because you never listened to me..."

"You blame me. It's me who made your family become like this." Ziyi's voice was hoarse. "That's why you are always cold to me. You don't want me to spend money on your family anymore. You really blame me."

The air was stagnant for a while, and apart from the sound of Zizi's breathing, there was only Shu Baizhu's low sobs.

"Yes... I blame you, Ziyi. I thought my family was a happy family."

The moment he looked into Ziyi's eyes, Shu Baizhu's vision, which he had just wiped clean with a tissue, was blurred by hot tears again.

This was the thing she was most reluctant to admit, but she had to admit it in front of Ziyi.

Ziyi took a deep breath, not knowing what to say. She rubbed her temples and walked back and forth a few steps, her tone a little aggressive, "Shu Baizhu, it's not that I'm stubborn and don't want to listen to you, it's..."

Ziyi was almost choked with anger when she was halfway through her words. She hated herself for still thinking about saving face for Shu Baizhu and protecting her self-esteem until this moment.

"I know, it's not that you don't want to listen to me, but my parents, my brother, and Azhen came to you," Shu Baizhu said on behalf of Ziyi, "They used me as a bargaining chip, and you couldn't refuse, right?"

"Actually, I've always wanted to tell you that your family..." Ziyi was once again speechless because of her tangled thoughts. She was so angry that she poured a full cup of tea and drank it in three or two gulps while standing in front of the table.

"My family doesn't love me that much. They don't even love me." Shu Baizhu curled his lips. "When you used to come to my house for dinner, you would always argue with my parents at the dinner table. At that time, I would kick you under the table to make you behave yourself."

Her parents had woven a beautiful dream for her, making Shu Baizhu believe that her parents' love was equally shared among the three of them. But as she grew older, she discovered that dreams were as fragile as a soap bubble.

Whether she loves him or not is something that can be seen at a glance, but she seems to be a stubborn person in the game, deceiving herself and staying in the game for so many years, and even stubbornly lets Ziyi bear her anger towards the injustice in her family.

"I thought you were arrogant and rebellious," Shu Baizhu, filled with sarcasm, couldn't help but chuckle. She laughed at her own ridiculousness, and also at the strange rules and customs of this world. "Actually, you are the one who is willing to give me a lot of love. Even though you are angry, you still want to save some dignity for me and don't want me to be too sad."

"So, we're not suitable, Xiaozi. That night you changed your mind and didn't want to get engaged to me. I was happy for your choice, and I was also...really relieved."

Otherwise, they would not be happy together. Her feelings for Ziyi were too complicated, and Ziyi would be forced to bear the burden of her family every minute he was with her.

She wanted Ziyi to be well, so she had to restrain all her emotions, and all Ziyi got from her was grievance.

Ziyi thought that with Shu Baizhu's proud personality, she would only be able to make Shu Baizhu truly happy if she left and avoided all the embarrassment that belonged to Shu Baizhu.

She sat down again. The fish in the bowl had gone completely cold, but Ziyi still put the piece of fish into her mouth.

The cold fish had an indescribable fishy smell, but Ziyi tasted a different flavor in the fish. Perhaps it was relief, after getting Shu Baizhu's personal admission of his love for her.

The resentment in my heart seemed to dissipate in the breath.

"Forget it, it's all in the past." Ziyi opened a pack of wet wipes, wiped her hands, and curled her eyes at Shu Baizhu, "It's the past."

The moment she was reborn, or in other words, the moment she died in her previous life, there was no possibility for her and Shu Baizhu to be together anymore.

"Yes, I hope you can find happiness, Xiaozi." Shu Baizhu raised the goblet on the table, and the golden tea in the goblet swayed. "I'll use tea instead of wine to wish you happiness."

"You too," Ziyi raised her glass and clinked it with Shu Baizhu's, the glasses making a crisp sound when they collided. "But I still say the same thing. If you have any troubles in the future, you can still come to me. The emotional issues are over, but the feelings we have known each other for many years will never fade away."

Shu Baizhu hummed lightly, and blinked her red and swollen eyes at Ziyi. As she blinked, her eye sockets began to ache again, but this time, she held it back.

"What if Qin Yuhuan and I start fighting over resources?"

Ziyi: ...

"I didn't expect you to be the kind of person who could joke."

It makes people feel absurd and like they have seen a ghost.

"Maybe it's because we've talked it out," Shu Baizhu said, pretending to be relaxed. "Xiaozi, I still want to say sorry for my indifference and blame towards you in the past. You were innocently blamed and became my punching bag."

I'm also sorry that I can't respond to this love.