These sudden words startled Su Xiaoning. Her eyes widened, and she almost doubted whether she had misheard.
"Miss Gu, are you mistaken? Su Qingcai is my brother!"
“Miss Su, you don’t need to hide it anymore. I can see through some things.” Gu Zeyin gave a bitter smile, a hint of melancholy in her eyes. “To be honest, I have feelings for Young Master Su, so naturally I pay more attention to everything about him. His concern and care for you are impossible to hide. How could a brother and sister be like this?”
Su Xiaoning remained silent. She and Su Qingcai were indeed not siblings, and now that this had been suddenly revealed, she had nothing to say.
Gu Zeyin recalled the happy times Su Qingcai had spent with her these past few days, and a faint smile appeared on her face. But then she suddenly thought of Su Qingcai's unwavering habit of visiting Su Xiaoning, and a wave of sorrow washed over her.
She pursed her lips and said softly, "I've never liked anyone like this before. There are some things I don't like, but I'll try to accept them. I suppose you, Miss Su, also have feelings for Young Master Su. If possible, we can marry Young Master Su together. Even if I'm a concubine, I'm willing..."
"But I don't want to!"
Su Xiaoning found it increasingly absurd and interrupted Gu Zeyin directly.
Putting aside the fact that she didn't love Su Qingcai enough to marry him, even if that day ever came, she, a modern person, would never share her husband with someone else!
Upon hearing Su Xiaoning's displeasure, Gu Zeyin's eyes immediately reddened. With tears in her eyes, she tried to persuade Su Xiaoning, "I... I'm willing to be a concubine, is that still not enough? Do you, Miss Su, still want me to be a mistress without any status?"
"This isn't about status at all!" Su Xiaoning shook her head, firmly refusing Gu Zeyin. "I won't marry him with you!"
"how so……"
Gu Zeyin looked dejected, and two lines of tears fell from her face. Su Xiaoning didn't know how to comfort her, so she could only keep a straight face and not say a word.
The atmosphere inside was extremely awkward, and no one noticed the faint shadow cast on the door.
Su Qingcai stood quietly at the door and heard all the conversations inside.
He had rushed here because he heard that Gu Zeyin had come to see Su Xiaoning and was afraid that Su Xiaoning might be in trouble. However, he did not expect to hear Gu Zeyin say something surprising before he even knocked on the door.
However, he wasn't angry at all; in fact, a smile even appeared on his lips.
Su Qingcai thought to himself about Su Xiaoning's decisive rejection earlier, and was secretly pleased. It seemed that Su Xiaoning really cared about him, which was why she was unwilling to share him with others. Could he then conclude that their relationship was indeed worth taking a step further?
Su Qingcai felt increasingly pleased with herself and, not wanting to disturb their conversation any longer, left with a happy expression.
As soon as he left, Gu Zeyin, who was inside the room, choked up and began to speak.
"You love him so much that you don't even want him to marry someone else? Men usually have multiple wives and concubines. If you can't tolerate this now, what will you do in the future?"
Hearing this, Su Xiaoning rolled her eyes inwardly.
Ancient times are indeed ancient times; women's thinking is still so rigid! No, she has to teach this love-obsessed young lady a good lesson.
Su Xiaoning coughed lightly and stared seriously into Gu Zeyin's eyes. "Miss Gu, there are some things I hope you understand. Just because most things around you are like this doesn't mean you have to do the same things as everyone else."
Gu Zeyin shrank back under Su Xiaoning's gaze, stopping her crying. She didn't understand what Su Xiaoning meant and looked blankly at her. Su Xiaoning didn't care about that and continued speaking.
"In my time... cough, no, in my hometown, it was monogamous. Everyone could only have one spouse; having more was a crime. Most men here do have multiple wives and concubines, but what business is it of yours? Are you obligated to abide by that rule?"
"It's perfectly understandable for us women to pursue love, but we shouldn't lower ourselves. The idea of sharing a husband is completely unacceptable! You should seek a love where each other is the only one, instead of constantly worrying about this wife and agonizing over that concubine. That's all outdated!"
Su Xiaoning spoke very bluntly, and Gu Zeyin opened his mouth blankly, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
She had never heard of such concepts before, such as "monogamy" or "each other being the only one." Everyone around her told her that women should be obedient to their husbands and follow the four virtues, and that if she became the first wife, she should be generous and even take the initiative to allow her husband to take concubines.
She seemed to have both misunderstood and understood what Su Xiaoning had said today.
Su Xiaoning didn't want to say more. She waved her hand and lay down directly. "I have no interest in lecturing others. Think about these things carefully yourself. I hope you can understand them. I'm going to rest now, so I won't talk to you anymore."
She buried herself under the covers and truly ignored everyone. Gu Zeyin was speechless and could only leave looking dejected.
For the next few days, Gu Zeyin locked herself in her room and refused to come out, even when Su Qingcai came to see her.
Su Qingcai didn't pay much attention; he was happy to have some free time and could use it to secretly explore the layout of the entire Gu residence. His efforts paid off, and he actually found a secret room.
The secret room was underground, with a very hidden entrance. It was so well hidden that it was obvious there was something wrong with it.
Su Qingcai told Su Xiaoning about this, and the two of them discussed it and decided to choose a quiet night, open the entrance to the underground secret room, and sneak inside.
After opening the entrance, there was a long passageway inside. There were no oil lamps, and it was pitch black. Only the "whoosh" of the wind echoed in my ears, which sounded particularly frightening.
Su Xiaoning was a little scared and subconsciously moved closer to Su Qingcai. Su Qingcai's body trembled slightly, and he directly grasped Su Xiaoning's small hand, interlocking their fingers.
"Stay close to me."
Those three simple words gave Su Xiaoning an immense sense of security.
Su Xiaoning's tense nerves relaxed a little. She followed closely beside Su Qingcai, and the two walked in the dark to the end of the passage. In the secret room at the end, they found a tinderbox, which provided a light source.
"Strange, what is this place used for?"
Su Xiaoning wandered around the secret room. As she went deeper into the room, she reached a corner and suddenly something grabbed her ankle.
Her body stiffened, and she looked down shakily, only to see a pair of human hands!
Various supernatural tales she had read before flashed through her mind, and Su Xiaoning's face turned deathly pale, her expression contorted with fear.
She tossed the tinderbox towards the person's hand, and the firelight illuminated the area, amplifying Su Xiaoning's fear to the extreme.
The area was filled with cages of all sizes, and each cage held a living person with green eyes!
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