Among the many types of tea, only black tea does not follow the saying that the newer it is, the more fragrant it is; it needs to be stored for a longer time to become fragrant.

Zhou Yu'er frowned and took a few more sips. However, she didn't understand tea and couldn't find fault with An Zhengzheng's words.

Zhou Rongsheng probed meaningfully: "Have you tasted it before?"

Such fine tea would be reserved for the elders in the An family. The fact that it ended up in An Zhengzheng's hands suggests that, as rumored, the third branch of the An family intends for An Zhengzheng to take charge of the household.

If Zhou Xu were to marry An Zhengzheng...

An Zhengzheng finally understood what he was planning.

She lowered her eyes slightly, shook her head and smiled, "It's just a wild guess after looking at the books in the study."

"Is that so..." Zhou Rongsheng felt it was a pity.

He never expected An Zhengzheng to lie to him, after all, this was a good opportunity to impress his future father-in-law.

Just then, the boat docked, and An Zhengzheng calmly put down the tea.

Zhou Rongsheng went to his study to handle some business, while his second wife, Madam Zhou, who had accompanied him all the way, took them to see Zhou Xu.

Zhou Xu had already heard the news and was restless when he arrived in the lobby.

"Cousin-cousin." Zhou Yu'er was startled as soon as she entered the door.

For the past six months, she had been guarding An Zhengzheng's door, and her understanding of Zhou Xu came entirely from the jade slip.

An Zhengzheng was also frightened by Zhou Xu. He had obviously lost a lot of weight, and even his complexion was not as good.

"You've come." Zhou Xu stood up, almost unsteady on his feet.

An Zhengzheng was silent for a while, then asked him, "...What's wrong with you?"

Zhou Xu gave a wry smile, then couldn't help but cough twice before looking at Madam Zhou.

Madam Zhou was a second wife, and she wasn't particularly close to this son who wasn't her biological child. She just gave a couple of dry laughs and then left.

After everyone left, Zhou Xu said, "It's nothing, just a minor illness."

His eyes flickered slightly when he looked at An Zhengzheng.

Zhou Yu'er felt that he had been wronged a lot, and frowned as she said, "Cousin, An Zhengzheng knows about it."

An Zhengzheng didn't say anything, she just watched quietly.

Zhou Xu remained silent for a long while.

In the end, An Zhengzheng spoke first, asking in as gentle a tone as possible, "Is it because of the illusion during the annual assessment?"

“I…I don’t know, maybe even earlier.” He said to An Zhengzheng, “Let me take you to visit the Zhou family.”

Zhou Yu'er's face turned deathly pale.

There were only the three of them in the lobby now, and Zhou Xu's words were meant to get her out of there.

An Zhengzheng understood Zhou Xu's meaning, and after thinking about it, she agreed.

The two went out one after the other. Zhou Yu'er wanted to follow, but Zhou Xu turned around and glanced at her.

Zhou Yu'er finally stopped.

On what grounds?

Thinking of Zhou Xu's indifferent gaze, her heart ached.

The difference between his flustered and helpless state when he met An Zhengzheng was too great.

Zhou Xu took An Zhengzheng to the most suitable place in the Zhou family to talk.

The Zhou family was very large and powerful; their mansion even had a lake.

The two were talking in the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Zhou Xu asked her, "Is this scenery pleasant?"

An Zhengzheng frowned and said, "...I didn't come here to admire the scenery."

Hearing her cold words, Zhou Xu gave a bitter smile. When he looked up again, An Zhengzheng was looking at him seriously.

When did it start?

Zhou Xu didn't dare to look at her, and turned his back to her to look at the lake. The emerald green lake reflected the blue sky, and the white clouds seemed to be floating on the water.

“I don’t remember,” he said. “Ever since I learned that you got the top score in the joint entrance exam, I’ve been asking about you everywhere.”

"You're just trying to understand your opponent, that's normal."

"After I lost a battle with you, I regarded you as my opponent and even moved a mountain to observe your training."

An Zhengzheng remembered these things; Zhou Yu'er had told her about them.

"Later, I couldn't help but compete with you in everything I did, and I wanted to team up with you. When I found out you went to Ghost City, I followed you..."

This was something An Zhengzheng hadn't expected; it turned out that their meeting in Ghost City that day wasn't a coincidence.

An Zhengzheng said, "You are a natural talent. Perhaps my presence has made you feel insecure? That may not be love."

“That’s what I thought at first too.” Zhou Xu sighed softly, and finally couldn’t help but turn around. “But that day in the snow, in the night, you were in my arms… you used your body heat to warm me.”

An Zhengzheng knew this was the trigger!

She explained, "That was just an illusion. The real you and I were just unconscious in the snow from beginning to end... and quite far apart."

Let alone hugs, there wasn't a single physical contact between them from beginning to end!

Zhou Xu's ears turned slightly red, as if he still needed to explain.

But An Zhengzheng poured cold water on his enthusiasm with a single sentence: "Besides, I only did it to save you. It was an act of desperation, a human instinct, and an act done out of good intentions."

The light in Zhou Xu's eyes went out instantly.

He cried out, somewhat unwillingly, "But, even so, we can still, we can still..."

It can also help cultivate feelings.

“No.” An Zhengzheng interrupted him, her voice much colder than before.

Zhou Xu was stunned. He had thought that An Zhengzheng would refuse, but he did not expect her to refuse so decisively.

"Why?" he couldn't understand. "Is there anything about me that makes me unworthy of you?"

He came from an excellent family, was born outstanding, and had a promising future. Many people in the Siyue Sect were watching him... He had never been moved before, thinking that these things were nothing but fleeting clouds.

But he had truly fallen in love and hoped that these things could win a little of An Zhengzheng's favor.

He experienced the illusion of severing all emotions time and time again. He knew how many women of the Joyful Union Sect were striving for this, hoping only to marry into the Zhou family.

Every woman in the world seeks a good marriage.

But now, An Zhengzheng has this opportunity right in front of her, so why would she say no?!

He insisted that An Zhengzheng give her a reason.

An Zhengzheng looked at Zhou Xu, who had a blank expression, and suddenly smiled.

She asked him, "Does today's scene resemble our first meeting in the library?"

"What do you mean?" Zhou Xu's eyes showed confusion.

An Zhengzheng prompted him: "Back then, when you asked me why I wanted to learn martial arts, do you remember how I answered you?"

"You said that in cultivation families, there's never a saying that all cultivation techniques are taught to daughters." Zhou Xu had a good memory.

"Yes, so do you see the difference between you and me?"

An Zhengzheng smiled, her eyes holding something Zhou Xu couldn't understand.

"Given your talent and the fact that the clan's resources are geared towards you, it's only natural for you to embark on the path of ruthlessness. If you encounter obstacles along the way, you can always abandon this path and choose a different one. If all else fails, you can still inherit the family business."

"But because I was born a girl, I have to fight for everything myself. From the family's martial arts techniques to the qualification to inherit the family business, none of these are things I was born with. I have to put in a hundred times the effort... just to get one-tenth of the treatment that men receive."

She spoke calmly, her words clearly resentful, yet devoid of any emotion.

This is the predicament that An Zhengzheng, as a woman, has to face from birth.

She asked Zhou Xu, "What makes you think that I should give up what I've worked so hard for just because I met a man?"