Chapter 49 49 "You can only stay by my side, don't even think about going anywhere else..."

"Engagement?!" Ji Wenting trembled in disbelief, her eyes bloodshot. "Mother, my brother's body is still warm... and you want me to marry an Alpha from another family?!"

She covered her face and laughed, "You guys are crazy... Hahahaha, you guys are all crazy!!"

"Ji Wenting, are you still not grown up?!" Ji's mother looked at her wearily. "If you were an Alpha... No! As long as you're not an Omega, would we be willing to make this decision? Your brother is dead. Regardless of the reason for his suicide, his death is a fact. Losing an heir is too much of a blow to us. Or do you want your father to create a bastard right now and let that bastard take power?"

"My brother and I are human beings! We are not pawns responsible for the prosperity of the Ji family!" Ji Wenting cried and roared, "I might as well die with my brother—"

"You've enjoyed the benefits brought by the Ji family, but you want to do it without paying anything?! There's no such good thing in the world! Why do you think your brother committed suicide?! Was he afraid? He was doing it for the future prosperity of the Ji family!"

Mother Ji grabbed her shoulders and said, "Now the Fourth Prince is willing to help us find a suitable large family for marriage. We are the ones marrying up! If it weren't for your brother's death, the Fourth Prince wouldn't have done this favor to the Ji family!"

Ji Wenting screamed, "He was the one who killed my brother! He was the one who sent people to kill my brother. If it weren't for him, my brother would have been alive and well. Why don't you hate him? Why don't you hate him?!"

Ji's mother's eyes were red, and she choked out a sob, "Wenting..." She gritted her teeth and said in a firm voice, "He told us that Ji Shun's death had nothing to do with him. He didn't do it, but his people are still tracking down who was behind it. Once they find out who's behind it, they'll help Ji Shun get revenge."

Ji Wenting trembled and said, "How could you believe the nonsense told by a prince? They are full of lies..."

“No, on the contrary, the Ji family is different from the William family. He has no need to deceive us.”

"Of course he needs to! Because my brother has a backup plan——"

"I've already told your father, don't even think about it." Ji's mother warned, "Before he completely falls, he is fully capable of bringing down the Ji family. Do you want the entire family to pay for your so-called anger?"

Ji Wenting was shaking with anger, staring at her with his eyes wide open.

Mother Ji continued, "Your brother just left, and the Fourth Prince promised to discuss with the other family to keep the marriage secret for now. He'll announce the engagement after you graduate from Stro University." She paused and soothed, "You still have at least a year. During this year, you can do what you like. For example, didn't you say before that you had your eye on an Alpha at school? Why not give it a try? A year is plenty of time for you to have a relationship, isn't it?"

Ji Wenting sneered upon hearing this: "...How funny."

Mother Ji held her hand and warned her, "Listen carefully. You are the only child in the Ji family now, but you are an Omega. Marriage is the greatest benefit you can bring to the Ji family. Let the Fourth Prince investigate your brother's death."

Ji Wenting didn't say anything.

"Now, you and I will go out and meet the Fourth Prince. Don't say anything rude. Do you understand?"

Ji Wenting suddenly asked, "Did he come alone?"

Although Ji's mother felt strange, she still replied: "No, he came with a new assistant."

"...Okay, I understand."

——

Liang Guanyue saw Ji Wenting coming down the stairs, looking haggard. When they met, Ji Wenting's eyes instantly filled with tears. Ji's father said in a deep voice, "What are you still standing there for?"

Fu Yunlu smiled nonchalantly: "It's okay. If Wenting isn't feeling well, I can come back another day."

"I don't want marriage." Ji Wenting said quietly, "Fu Yunlu, listen carefully, I don't want marriage."

Father Ji stood up suddenly: "Ji Wenting, how dare you!!"

Fu Yunlu reached out to stop him and said with a smile, "Wenting, don't worry. You are Ji Shun's sister. I will naturally choose an Alpha with good character for you and won't let you suffer any grievances." He looked at Ji's father and said, "The family you have behind you will not let the Ji family down."

Fu Yunlu looked at Ji Wenting and told her, "This will not be bad for the Ji family."

Ji Wenting clenched his fists. His mother watched him nervously, afraid she might say something to anger the prince. She gritted her teeth and said, "Saving my brother wasn't enough... Now you want to harm me?"

Ji's mother hurriedly explained: "Your Highness, Wen Ting didn't mean that—"

Fu Yunlu crossed his legs, folded his hands on his knees, and said slowly, "Your mother should have told you that Ji Shun's death was not caused by me." He said, "He has some things about me, and as long as he lives, these things will always be in his hands. So I won't kill him. Can you sort out this logical relationship?"

Ji Wenting would not believe a single word that came out of this person's mouth. Just as she was about to yell in anger, she saw Liang Guanyue beside her shaking her head at her subtly. Ji Wenting tightly grasped the hem of her clothes with both hands, her lips moving: "...I don't want marriage." She said hoarsely, "I don't want marriage."

Fu Yunlu was only doing this thankless task out of respect for the deceased Ji Shun. One must know that there are also hierarchical differences among the nobility. The upper-class, established nobility have always looked down on the emerging nobility, not to mention that the Ji family is not even one of the best among the emerging nobility.

He chuckled and said, "I won't force you if you don't want to. It's understandable that Miss Ji wants to freely choose her marriage." He paused, his tone colder, "But don't set your sights on things you shouldn't covet, or you'll get yourself into trouble."

Hearing this, Ji Wenting subconsciously looked at Liang Guanyue next to him. Liang Guanyue signaled her with her eyes to find a chance to leave. Ji Wenting bit her lip and suddenly ran out crying.

When Father Ji saw her running away, he was about to call for someone to catch her. Liang Guanyue, who had been silent the whole time, stood up and said, "Mr. Ji, all this has been a huge blow to Miss Ji. For her mental health, it's better not to be so rude." He said, "Miss Ji and I went to the same university and have met a few times. We can be considered on speaking terms. Why don't I go find her?"

Fu Yunlu frowned, grabbed Liang Guanyue's wrist, and said coldly, "Did I allow you to leave?"

Liang Guanyue patted the back of his hand soothingly, shook his head and said, "I will do what I promised you." He pulled Fu Yunlu's hand away and quickly chased after her.

Fu Yunlu wanted to follow along, but Ji's father seemed afraid that Ji Wenting's words would make him unwilling to help them find other families for marriage. When Fu Yunlu was hesitating whether to catch up, he took the opportunity to say, "Your Highness, please don't listen to Wenting's nonsense about marriage..."

Liang Guanyue followed the directions Ji Wenting had given her and arrived at a dilapidated backyard. The Ji family followed the aesthetics of the old aristocracy, and the entire manor was modeled after an ancient garden style. Ji Wenting was frantically trying to climb over the wall to escape, but Liang Guanyue couldn't bear to watch. She knelt on one knee and offered her her shoulder: "Step on it."

Ji Wenting didn't hesitate and stepped on him to climb up. She sat on the wall, panting, and said, "Guan Yue, I don't want marriage."

Liang Guanyue nodded: "I understand."

"Once I get the information, we will share Fu Yunlu's crimes." Ji Wenting looked at him, "We will definitely be free."

Liang Guanyue didn't tell her that Fu Yunlu wasn't the shackles that bound her freedom. Even without Fu Yunlu, you, who enjoyed the conveniences provided by the Ji family, would have no choice but to marry into a family - unless you could take power in the family as an omega, but who could tell if that was another shackle?

A flower that had always lived in a greenhouse, she had grown accustomed to enjoying every privilege from birth. Ji Shun's death was merely the first storm she had experienced in her life.

Liang Guanyue said, "Hurry up, Fu Yunlu will be here soon."

He was right. Not long after Ji Wenting escaped, Fu Yunlu found him.

He saw Liang Guanyue with her hands in her pockets, calmly observing a crow preening its feathers on a rockery not far away. His anger suddenly surged to his head: "Where did you let her go?"

Liang Guanyue turned around and said lightly: "The manor is too big, I couldn't find her."

"Liang Guanyue, don't treat me like a fool."

"I really didn't catch up with her. How can you believe me?"

Fu Yunlu walked forward, her eyes like sharp blades searching his face for any trace of lying: "Where did she go?"

"Does it matter where she goes? If you're worried that she has something Ji Shun gave her, wouldn't it be better to send someone to control her?"

"Just now, I received news that Ji Shun had seen you a few days before his death, but I remember you said in person that you had never met him." He stared at Liang Guanyue intently, "Today you let Ji Wenting run away again--"

Liang Guanyue remained calm and said, "That's because he told me some unpleasant things, so I didn't want to tell you." Hearing Fu Yunlu's last words, he suddenly understood and sneered, "Oh, I see. So brother is suspicious of me."

"...I don't doubt you."

"Yeah?"

"You were the one who proposed the marriage, but you were also the one who let Ji Wenting go," Fu Yunlu said. "I'm confused about this. Is that not okay?"

Liang Guanyue looked around and said, "Brother, don't you think the Ji family is very big?" He smiled and said, "I even went in the wrong direction when I came here, and you pulled me back." He said, "I really didn't let Ji Wenting go, it's just that she is more familiar with this place than I am, so I let her slip away. I wanted to come out alone to chase her because I had planned to talk to her."

Fu Yunlu said coldly: "What?"

"Tell her the truth, it was me who suggested the marriage," Liang Guanyue said.

"……Why."

"Her liking me is a burden to both her and me," Liang Guanyue said, "so it's better to let her hate me."

Fu Yunlu was silent for a while, then said, "What about the meeting with Ji Shun?"

"He asked me out." Liang Guanyue was calm and composed. "He asked me to meet him and told me that he had been with you for many years and had done many things for your brother. He knew all your likes and dislikes better than I did. He was special."

"Then, he told me to stay away from you and not to try to get close to you, please you, and deceive you."

Liang Guanyue held Fu Yunlu's face, lowered her eyes and whispered, "But from the beginning, I was forced to stay with you. It was my brother who wouldn't let me go."

“…”

"I thought I would hate you, but I've fallen in love with you more and more... I often imagine a future where we'll be together for the rest of our lives—a future where my brother loves me dearly, too." Liang Guanyue kissed the corner of his eye. "I want to tell him these words, but I know it's pointless to say more, so I just tell him: I won't leave Fu Yunlu, ever."

Fu Yunlu looked at him in confusion, feeling the warmth of Liang Guanyue's lips against her skin and hearing Liang Guanyue's soft sigh: "I lied to you and said I had never seen him because I didn't want to make you unhappy. But if you doubt me, if you doubt that I would do something bad to you by your side, then we can end it here."

"You are the fourth prince of Ninobea, and I am an orphan born on a garbage planet. We are two parallel lines. Starting from today, it ends and we can both get back on track—"

Fu Yunlu grabbed his wrist, stared at him intently, and said, "Liang Guanyue, I'm not just the prince of Nino Bingya, I'm also your Alpha." Fu Yunlu leaned forward and kissed his lips, declaring in a deep voice, "You can only stay by my side. Don't even think about going anywhere else."