Confrontation

After parting on bad terms with Fu Zhiqiao, Xie Zhuo felt increasingly uneasy. When did she meet that man? And how did they even get to the point of discussing marriage?

They hadn't seen each other for only a month or two, so how could she have already started a marriage proposal with someone else? What happened in that short time that he didn't know about?

The thought of Fu Zhi Qiao being intimate with other men while he wasn't around made Xie Zhuo unable to calm down. He quickly twirled the jade ring on his thumb, completely lost and disoriented.

Wang Qianxin walked in and bowed.

"You found out?"

"Miss Fu recently posted a notice through a matchmaker seeking a son-in-law." Wang Qianxin's voice trailed off. After speaking, he lowered his head and glanced at Xie Zhuo's expression.

"Go on!" Xie Zhuo clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth.

"As soon as the news spread, all the eligible young men in the city sent matchmakers to the Fu family's door, almost wearing down the threshold. Miss Fu has taken a liking to a scholar named Zhou Lizhang, the same man who was on the street that day. He lives on West Slope Mountain, and only he and his younger brother remain in his family. He is currently studying alone at Bailu Academy..."

“A son-in-law…the threshold has been worn down by all the footsteps…Zhou Lizhang…” Xie Zhuo sneered after hearing Wang Qianxin’s words.

Based on his understanding of Fu Zhi Qiao, he knew she wasn't someone who acted impulsively, especially when it came to major life events. It was impossible for her to get engaged to a stranger in just one month.

Moreover, anyone could see that this man named Zhou Lizhang was inferior to him in every way.

Xie Zhuo became even more convinced that what Fu Zhi Qiao said yesterday was just said in anger. He was unwilling to admit the fact that Fu Zhi Qiao was going to marry someone else, and unilaterally believed that Zhou Li Zhang was someone she had deliberately brought to make him angry.

Thinking this way, Xie Zhuo felt much better. However, he still wanted to meet the person; he wanted to know what kind of person dared to covet his A Qiao.

At Bailu Academy, on the Sixian Terrace, Xie Zhuo glanced at the slender man before him with utter indifference and asked, "You're Zhou Lizhang?"

Zhou Lizhang was completely bewildered. "Does the young master know me?"

He was certain he didn't know this young master. They were clearly from different worlds. Even though the man in front of him deliberately concealed his aura, his innate nobility could not be hidden. Even wearing a simple plain satin robe could not hide the refined and noble air about him.

After meeting Zhou Lizhang in person, Xie Zhuo felt even more that he was no match for him. He was not born into a prestigious family, did not have a distinguished family background, and was even far inferior to him in appearance. Calling him a match would be an understatement.

"I advise you to recognize your own limitations as soon as possible. She is not someone you can even dream of."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lizhang was taken aback. Who was he eyeing?

Seeing the undisguised hostility in Xie Zhuo's eyes, Zhou Lizhang sensed something was amiss. During this time, he had been staying at the academy, and the only outsider he had come into contact with was Miss Fu.

Could this young master's fierceness towards me be because of Miss Fu?

Zhou Lizhang steadied himself, not wanting to lose his composure. "May I ask who you are, young master?"

No sooner had he met with Miss Fu than this young master came looking for her. Could it be that Miss Fu chose to marry someone else in order to get rid of this man?

Xie Zhuo's face was cold and stern, his gaze was sinister, and his deep black eyes revealed an unfathomable chill.

Zhou Lizhang became increasingly convinced that his guess was correct. If Miss Fu was being harassed by this person, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Miss Fu was such a good person, and he had to help her get rid of this person's harassment.

The two stood facing each other, one elegant and the other noble. They each had their own unique temperament, but in terms of presence, Zhou Lizhang was completely overshadowed by Xie Zhuo.

Xie Zhuowei remained unmoved, not even glancing at Zhou Lizhang, and said with a half-smile, "You're one of the students taking the imperial examination this year, right? If you want to have a future, stay away from her."

A chill ran down my spine.

Zhou Lizhang clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm down. He glanced at Xie Zhuo without showing any emotion. Although he didn't know who this young master was, anyone who dared to say such things must have enough confidence.

Zhou Lizhang's mind raced. Why would he come to warn him? He must have been rebuffed by Miss Fu to come to him. Yes, that must be it!

"Stay away from who? Young master, you might as well speak your mind." Zhou Lizhang remained neither humble nor arrogant, and began to play dumb.

Xie Zhuo narrowed his eyes, not caring about Zhou Lizhang's attitude. "If you continue to pester her, you'll only end up dead."

"Are you referring to my fiancée, young master? It's my good fortune to have won her favor." As he spoke, Zhou Lizhang lowered his head, a blush rising on his cheeks.

Xie Zhuo was furious at Zhou Lizhang's pretentious attitude and let out a cold laugh, "You think you're worthy?"

His cold gaze swept over them, revealing the murderous intent in his eyes.

The smell of gunpowder suddenly intensified.

The two were locked in a fierce battle, neither willing to give in.

"Whether we are a good match or not is between Zhi Qiao and me, so there's no need for you to worry about it, young master." Zhou Lizhang deliberately addressed Fu Zhi Qiao in an intimate manner.

Xie Zhuo was indeed furious; his face was so black it looked like ink could be squeezed out.

"Eloquent and persuasive, he truly deserves to be called a great talent of Bailu Academy."

Zhou Lizhang smiled slightly: "Thank you for the compliment, young master."

Can't you tell if someone is being nice or mean?

Knowing that the person in front of him was deliberately trying to provoke him, Xie Zhuo said sarcastically, "You have neither fame nor wealth, yet you still dare to dream of marrying her?"

“Young master, I think you’ve misunderstood something. I’m not marrying, I’m marrying into your family,” Zhou Lizhang clarified.

Xie Zhuo: "..."

You're still so self-righteous about marrying into my family.

Zhou Lizhang suddenly had a flash of inspiration and understood how he should face Xie Zhuo: "Zhi Qiao has countless suitors, but she chose me. Do you know why, young master? Because I can put Zhi Qiao first in everything, obey her every whim, and always put her first. Can you do that, young master?"

"I...of course I can," Xie Zhuo replied after a half-second pause.

Zhou Lizhang could naturally tell that Xie Zhuo's words lacked conviction and were merely empty boasting, so he smiled and remained silent.

"Shut up, don't let me hear her name again." Xie Zhuo gritted his teeth, his sore spot hit. "Young Master Zhou, you seem to have a younger brother, right?"

Upon hearing his younger brother's name, Zhou Lizhang's expression changed drastically. He could no longer maintain his composure, and his eyes seemed to spit fire: "Young master, don't push your luck!"

Xie Zhuo looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at an ant, and the words that came out of his mouth were even colder: "Leave her, and I will let your brother go."

Zhou Lizhang's eyes flashed, he gritted his teeth, and mimicked Xie Zhuo's contemptuous tone, saying, "You're nothing special."

"What?"

Xie Zhuo frowned, thinking, "How dare a nobody like him mock me?"

Zhou Lizhang took a deep breath: "If you think that making things difficult for me will make Zhi Qiao change her mind, you are dreaming. If she had you in her heart, I wouldn't be here today."

These words struck a nerve with Xie Zhuo. It was true that he and Fu Zhi Qiao met first and fell in love, but in the end, Fu Zhi Qiao did not choose him but chose a poor scholar.

This frustrated him.

Xie Zhuo stood there, stunned, his thoughts wandering off somewhere.

*

Fu Zhi Qiao was unaware that Xie Zhuo had already gone to see Zhou Li Zhang. With nothing to do at home, Fu Zhi Qiao was worried that Xie Zhuo would cause trouble for Zhou Li Zhang, considering how scary he looked when he was angry that day.

With the autumn imperial examinations approaching, Fu Zhiqiao didn't want to bother Zhou Lizhang with her own trivial matters, but she couldn't put her mind at ease. So she asked someone to find a book called "Complete Treatise on Current Affairs" and brought it to Bailu Academy.

As the provincial examination approached, the tense atmosphere in the academy grew stronger. Students carried their books with them as they walked, believing that memorizing an extra poem would earn them an extra point in the exam.

Upon seeing Zhou Lizhang, Fu Zhiqiao was a little embarrassed: "I hope I haven't disturbed your studies by coming here so abruptly?" As she spoke, she took out "Complete Treatise on Current Affairs" and handed it to Zhou Lizhang, "This book contains the questions on current affairs in the imperial examinations in recent years. You can refer to it."

Zhou Lizhang took the booklet and flipped through a few pages with delight. He bowed to Fu Zhiqiao and said, "This is wonderful! This book is so useful! Thank you, Miss Fu."

Seeing that Zhou Lizhang was alright, Fu Zhiqiao was relieved. After thinking for a moment, she cautiously inquired, "Have any strange people been looking for you lately?"

"Someone out of nowhere?" Without even thinking, she was asking about the young master from that day. Zhou Lizhang nodded.

Xie Zhuo really did come looking for him!

Fu Zhi Qiao was a little anxious, her face full of apology: "How are you? Did he hurt you?"

Zhou Lizhang shook his head and smiled. Although the young man had come with ill intentions, he hadn't done anything too outrageous to him: "Miss Fu, you're overthinking it. I'm perfectly fine."

Fu Zhiqiao was not someone who could be easily fooled. It was one thing if Xie Zhuoren hadn't come, but since he had, he couldn't just leave without doing something. She asked, "Did he threaten you?"

Zhou Lizhang hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. That young master looked like he was no ordinary person, and he really didn't know how to handle the situation on his own.

Fu Zhi Qiao awkwardly forced a smile. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

“Miss Fu, please don’t say that. Thanks to your help, I was able to prepare for the exam with peace of mind. I will never forget your great kindness in this lifetime.”

Fu Zhiqiao waved her hand and instructed him, "Be careful in everything you do during this period. Pay extra attention to what you eat and use. You must not make any mistakes before the provincial examination."

Her earnest words softened Zhou Lizhang's heart immediately. "Okay."

However, seeing Fu Zhi Qiao's tense and wary expression, Zhou Li Zhang became curious about Xie Zhuo's background. He tentatively said, "That young master seems to be no ordinary person."

Now that things have come to this, Fu Zhiqiao has no need to hide anything anymore: "He comes from a prominent family, and his temperament is inevitably a bit arrogant. Please bear with him."

Zhou Lizhang gasped, his mind reeling. What had he done? Had he been verbally provoking a scion of a powerful family yesterday?

Zhou Lizhang's face immediately turned pale.

Fu Zhi Qiao apologized again: "I promise, he won't bother you again!"

After the initial shock came a pang of sadness. A bitter smile appeared on Zhou Lizhang's lips. He had never felt that he had been mistreated by fate, but at this moment, a sense of resentment arose in his heart.

Some people are born rich, while others are born poor.

As the latter, he could only strive to improve himself and his brother's lives. What he desperately wanted in his life, the children of noble families had from birth.

God, how unfair you are!

Faced with Xie Zhuo, who was as beautiful as an orchid and a jade tree, Zhou Lizhang felt somewhat ashamed. This feeling of being unable to catch up was really unpleasant. The thought of canceling the agreement kept popping into his mind. How could someone like him bring happiness to Miss Fu?

A bittersweet feeling spread through my heart.

Now is not the time to think about personal feelings; the imperial examination is the only way out for students from poor families like him, and he needs to devote all his energy to studying policy essays.

Zhou Lizhang put aside his distracting thoughts and began to carefully read the book "Complete Treatise on Current Affairs" that Fu Zhiqiao had given him.