Lotus shook her head but didn't speak. She wasn't sad, just a little melancholy.

They were even a little lost, unsure of how to work harder to become stronger so that others wouldn't dare to see them as a target for sycophancy.

Lei felt sorry for her when he saw her like this. She must have been wronged at the banquet today, which is why she was lost in thought alone in the middle of the night.

He, a man, felt uncomfortable about what happened at the banquet today, let alone a young girl like Lianhua. There will definitely be many more occasions like this in the future, and it is impossible to completely eliminate them.

"Don't worry, things will definitely get better and better for our family. Those people won't dare to look down on us so easily anymore. If there are any more people like that, we'll slap them in the face and let them know that they've messed with the wrong people."

Perhaps because he had lived with He Jiuniang for a long time, Leizi was not the type to be submissive. If someone dared to come to him with sarcastic remarks, he would definitely slap them in the face, otherwise people would think he was easy to bully.

That's true, but that's not why Lotus was melancholy.

"You go back to sleep first, I'll be fine by myself for a while."

Lotus spoke in a muffled voice, still feeling somewhat down.

Lei Zi didn't leave. He pursed his lips and tentatively asked, "Is there something on your mind that you can tell me?"

He had liked Lotus for a long time, and sometimes he made it quite obvious. He believed that Lotus was aware of it, but she never showed it, which made him a little uneasy. He didn't know what Lotus was really thinking.

Especially after recent events, he feels a real sense of crisis.

As Lianhua became more and more outstanding, more and more people took a liking to her, but he had not yet achieved fame and fortune, and could not promise her wealth and honor. There were many things he could not bring himself to say.

He used to think that since his family had decided to wait until they were 18 to get engaged, he should work hard in the next few years to try to pass the imperial examinations and get a degree so that he would have a better chance of winning when he proposed to Lianhua.

But now the competition is getting fiercer, and whether those people are after the Lu family's power or genuinely like Lianhua, they are all potential threats to him.

He felt he couldn't wait any longer; if he waited any longer, the lotus flower would be snatched away by someone else.

Hearing this, Lianhua grinned and said casually, "It's nothing, I'm just a little reluctant to part with Aunt Jiu Niang and the others."

When she was with He Jiuniang before, she could ask her for advice on any problem. But soon He Jiuniang was leaving, and she felt like she had lost her backbone. She also had to force herself to become that backbone, which made her feel tired and confused.

A mix of various emotions naturally shaped her into the person she is today.

Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Lei Zi couldn't guess the specific reason, but he had a general idea. He thought for a moment and changed the subject.

"I heard that several young masters sent you invitations tonight, and they're thinking of asking you out later."

"Um."

Lotus nodded without refuting, but she didn't want to say more. This was exactly what she hated most. Even though she had already refused, those people still kept coming to her and sending her invitations.

“I’ve also received invitations from people.”

Lei Zi let out a sigh of relief, looking somewhat helpless.

Lotus nodded; she knew about this as well.

Currently, these three are the main targets for others to curry favor with, so it's normal for them to receive posts from others.

Just as she was thinking about how to deal with it, Lei Zi suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Lotus was startled, not expecting him to do something so bold.

"what you do?"

Lotus stared at him with wide eyes, her gaze filled with surprise, but without the disgust she showed when looking at others.

Lei Zi felt more at ease and his courage was ignited.

"Lotus, you know I have feelings for you, right?"

She's so smart, he doesn't believe she doesn't know.

Lianhua looked away and tried to pull her hand back, but Leizi held it tightly.

This is the default setting.

"And how do you treat me? Is it the same way I treat you?"

Lei Zi stared intently at her, eager to know her answer.

For Lei Zi, this was a day he had been waiting for for a long time.

Although it wasn't the best time he had anticipated, he felt that if he didn't speak up now, he would never have the chance again.

Lianhua didn't know how to answer him. Her eyes unconsciously looked to the other side. After a long while, she finally said, "Leizi, I'm a year older than you, and my family..."

Her only remaining family member is her aunt, who once almost ended up in a brothel. She only knows how to run a small business and is not a well-bred young lady from a prominent family. She is not a good match for him at all.

Lei Zi is studying hard and will eventually pass the imperial examinations and become an official. He should marry a daughter of an official family so that she can be his wife and a loving and respectful wife.

She was just an orphan girl being fostered by the Lu family. Right now, all she cared about was making money through business, and she didn't dare to think about having any future with Lei Zi.

But it would be a lie to say that I don't like him at all.

Since she came to the Lu family, she has been well taken care of by the Lu family members, especially her younger brother who is one year younger than her.

At first, he would call her Sister Lotus, but from some point on, he started calling her by her name all the time. He would openly protect her whenever something happened and try every means to please her. His feelings for her were no longer those of a younger brother for his older sister.

She knew all this in her heart, but dared not respond, fearing that she would bring him misfortune.

The Lu family is so kind; she couldn't bear to see any of them get into trouble.

She thought that as long as she pretended not to know, he would gradually give up on that idea, but she didn't expect him to be so persistent, and even reveal his feelings to her at this moment.

“Your family is very good, and it doesn’t matter that you’re older than me. I just like you, and my parents like you too. As long as you agree, my mother can go to my second aunt to propose marriage. Then we’ll be engaged, and naturally no one will make things difficult for us.”

He was referring to receiving a post from someone else.

Lotus was stunned; he had actually guessed that this was what was troubling him.

And then there was what he said about the engagement.

This was something she had never imagined.

Furthermore, she knew that her aunt liked her, but she wasn't sure if that liking was the same as liking a daughter-in-law.

Lei Zi is so outstanding now, and she is very popular with the teachers at the academy. It is certain that she will become an official in the future. Will her aunt still like her?

Because of her past experiences, she was somewhat insecure, so she never dared to think about these things and only wanted to do business for the rest of her life to support herself.

But now her heart is wavering.

She wanted a home of her own.

A real home.