22 Lifetime
◎What is "only love"? ◎
Liang Youwei and Qin Zhen's love affair was no secret. Neither of them had any intention of hiding it. It was only a matter of time before it spread in the imperial capital's circles.
Soon, East Second Ring Road, Qin's house.
"Over twenty years later, Qin Zhen is finally in love." Uncle Qin pointed at Qin Zhen, who was concentrating on making tea, and smiled. "After all the twists and turns, it's still that girl from the Liang family."
Second Aunt also smiled. "Before, when the two families met, they joked about it, but the two children denied it. Now that Youwei has graduated from college, they're no longer hiding it."
Qin Zhen just smiled and handed over the tea without saying anything more.
The Qin family was large, so the gathering was anything but quiet. Instead, everyone chattered, making the noise lively. Qin Zhen was in a good mood, so he didn't find it annoying to listen.
"But then again, Youwei isn't a proper daughter of the Liang family anymore. Xiaozhen, are you and Youwei serious about dating?" After Third Aunt laughed, she thought of a practical question. "You're twenty-five now, but you're not young anymore."
As a cousin of the Si family, she had some connection to the Liang family, so she naturally knew Liang Jiangsheng well. Liang Youwei certainly wouldn't have much of a claim to the Liang family inheritance; who knows, one day, even the "Liang" surname might disappear.
The question asked by the third aunt was exactly what Qin's father and mother were thinking, but the only son's answer was not satisfactory.
"Of course I'm serious. Whether she's from the Liang family or not, I'll marry her." The man's voice was calm and his tone was firm. "I don't need a wife to bring me anything."
Qin's father snorted inexplicably and remained silent. Qin's mother, Jiang Yuhe, smiled gently, "Xiao Zhen is young."
Qin Zhen paused. He understood what his parents meant, but he just didn't want to go along with them. He had been obeyed too much when he was little, and now that he was older, he just wanted to do things his own way.
When everyone saw the appearance of the family of three, they probably had some ideas in their minds. They all smiled and talked about other things.
"Sister-in-law, I heard that your foundation recently produced a talented young woman? Is that true?"
"Look at what my second brother's wife said. Zhizhi is just a little gifted in physics, but I don't dare praise her..."
Qin Zhen's white fingertips clasped the green jade cup, and he didn't even look at the people around him, just concentrated on drinking tea quietly.
…
The Qin residence was exceptionally quiet after nightfall. The Qin family members did not live together, and there were only three Qin family masters in the huge main house.
In the hall with a distinct Chinese style, Qin's father and mother sat on both sides. Qin Zhen said nothing and replied to Liang Youwei's message with his hand.
Youwei: Qin Zhen, I want to drink the soy milk at your doorstep!
Qin Zhen: OK, what time will it be delivered tomorrow?
Youwei: 10 o'clock, then I have to write a paper in the afternoon. Are you free? Stay with me~
Qin Zhen: I have to go to work tomorrow. Can you come to my office?
As soon as the message was sent, Qin's father frowned and looked over: "Qin Zhen, do you have to keep touching your phone while chatting with your parents?"
"Dad, I need to take care of some company stuff." Qin Zhen remained calm. "It will be done soon. You can talk about what you want to say first."
"Do you really want to marry that girl from the Liang family?" Father Qin said straight to the point, "She's not suitable for you."
The person on the other end sent a "Okay then" meme, and Qin Zhen replied, "Just looking at a document first, I'll be back in a bit," before putting his phone away. The moment he looked at his father, his eyes were cold: "Really, Dad? If she's not right for me, who else could be right for her?"
"Her personality doesn't suit her to leave the Liang family." Seeing his unfriendly attitude, Qin's father sneered, "The Qin family's foundation is already far behind the five major families in the imperial capital. Now, instead of thinking about raising the Qin family to a higher level, you want to marry a troublemaker. Qin Zhen, I chose you as the heir, is this how you want to run the family now?"
"If she were still the legitimate Liang San, I would have no objection to you marrying her. But now she's a fake. Marrying her will do you no good and will only bring you many unknown troubles."
Qin's father spoke frankly and without reservation.
"Dad, Liang Youwei is not a problem." Qin Zhen pursed his lips, his eyes becoming colder. "If I marry her, I will take good care of her. She will not bring any harm to the Qin family."
"Really? Are you controlling her, or are you spoiling her?" Qin's father didn't believe him at all. "Do you really think I don't know? From childhood to adulthood, how many times have you cleaned up her mess? Not counting the Liang family, there's you, Shao Yue, and later, there's also that girl from the Zhao family."
He was completely baffled. "What kind of magic potion did Liang Youwei give you? You two are all completely bewitched by her! And didn't I tell you that you and that Liang Youwei girl are incompatible? Aren't you afraid of bringing bad luck to the Qin family?!"
Qin Zhen pretended to be blind, ignored him and listened silently.
Seeing that Father Qin's words were becoming increasingly meaningless, Mother Qin placed her hand on his and patted him gently: "Why are you so angry? A little girl, how can she be so clever?"
She looked at her proud son and said calmly, "Xiao Zhen, there are many reasons why I won't let you marry Youwei. Besides Youwei's personality issues, there are many other things that need to be considered. Marriage is different from love. Love only requires considering whether you like each other at the time, but marriage is a matter between two families and two groups."
She paused, looked at Qin's father, who was still stern, and said with a helpless smile, "Look at you, why are you still angry? Forget it, I'll talk to my son alone." Then she stood up and said, "Xiao Zhen, come with your mother to the study."
Qin Zhen understood that some things could not be said in front of his father, so he obediently followed: "Yes." After answering his mother, he bowed slightly to his father.
Father Qin didn't bother to give him a look and just stood up and left the main hall.
study.
Warm honey water had already been prepared on the rosewood table. Qin Zhen took the initiative to pour two cups and handed one to his mother.
"Xiao Zhen, do you really like You Wei?" Qin's mother took it and asked gently. Qin Zhen answered calmly: "Yes, I really do."
"Then do you believe you will always truly love her? Will you ensure that you will never tire of her recklessness? Will you always respect her and give her the dignity that a wife deserves?" Mother Qin's voice was filled with a mother's unique tolerance, neither hurried nor slow, and every word was serious. "You won't."
"Mom..." Qin Zhen subconsciously wanted to refute.
"Don't rush to refute me. Let me tell you a story first." Qin's mother sat down and motioned for him to sit down.
"You should know about Youwei's adoptive mother, Madam He. The current Liang Youwei is no different from the young He Jingshu. At that time, Liang Jiangsheng was already in his thirties, but he was infatuated with her, just like you are now.
He didn't care about her humble background or her spoiled and willful nature. He bought her a yacht, gave her a plane, and even rented out an entire manor full of roses, just to make her smile. After a year of dating, Liang Jiangsheng proposed to He Jingshu without signing any prenuptial agreement, and voluntarily gave her half of the Liang family.
Qin Zhen was stunned when he heard this.
He couldn't imagine that Uncle Liang and Aunt He had ever gone through such a "passionate love period." Could such a cold and mean person love someone so passionately and selflessly?
"Love you very much, right?" Qin's mother smiled, understanding his facial expression. "Your father and I grew up together, but I've never seen him like this. Logically, Liang Jiangsheng loves He Jingshu so much, he shouldn't do anything to let her down. But do you know how Liang Youwei's true identity was discovered?"
She looked into his eyes and spoke word by word: "Liang Jiangsheng's new lover is pregnant. He has a new lover and he made her pregnant. He betrayed He Jingshu, completely betrayed her..."
Mother Qin spoke slowly about the incident, and the more Qin Zhen listened, the more silent his temperament became.
"So you see, even if you loved someone so much in the past, the end result was still a mess, with only superficial affection." Qin's mother said calmly, "Even your father gave you many brothers and sisters, didn't he? The richer you are, the more stingy you are; the more powerful you are, the meaner you are. You never know what kind of person you will become in the future."
"Liang Youwei's willfulness and ignorance may seem cute and pitiful to you now, but in the future, it will be troublesome and stupid. If many years later, you really get tired of Liang Youwei, and Liang Youwei is not a real Liang family member, she has no parents, and no one to rely on, what will be waiting for her?"
"Day after day of torment, never-ending despair, constant, unignorable pain. If you can't give her a lifetime of happiness, don't marry her. Don't marry a woman with no way out. You think you're fighting the world, but in fact, you're dragging her down with you."
The honey water in my hand gradually lost its original warmth, and the old clock made a ticking sound, bit by bit, knocking on my heart.
"...I won't, Mom." After a long moment, Qin Zhen raised his head, his voice slightly hoarse, "I'm not Liang Jiangsheng, nor am I Qin Zhenghe. I'm Qin Zhen."
Qin Zhen will only love Liang Youwei for the rest of his life.
What's more, Liang Youwei is indeed a fake daughter, but what she gets is definitely not less than what Liang Jingyi, the real daughter.
"Mom, I will inherit everything from the Qin family smoothly, and the mistress of the Qin family will only be you and Youwei." His eyes were firm, "Qin Zhenghe will completely step down sooner or later."
I can protect Liang Youwei, and I can protect you even more.
Seeing that her son still refused to listen, Mother Qin sighed slowly. She had said everything she needed to say, and there was no point in saying more. So she could only watch.
She also wanted to know what kind of person her son would become in the future.
＊
The night at the Liang family was more lively than that at the Qin family because Liang Jiangsheng organized a family dinner with all six members of the family gathered.
"Are you in a relationship recently?" Liang's father rarely showed a normal expression to Liang Youwei, and his tone could barely be considered gentle.
"Yeah, Dad." Upon hearing this, Liang Youwei's heart tightened and she subconsciously put down her chopsticks, ready to listen to the lecture.
Liang Zhihui paused for a moment, then used his serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of white meat for Liang Youwei, signaling her to continue eating. Liang Youwei pursed her lips and whispered softly, "Thank you, second sister."
"Qin Zhen has good abilities, but his personality is a little cold. How are you getting along with him?" Liang Jiangsheng swallowed the food that Ms. He brought him and asked without any emotion.
To be honest, he was very satisfied with this relationship.
If Liang Youwei was his biological daughter, then it would be a loss to talk to Qin Zhen, but Liang Youwei was not a real member of the Liang family, so she would gain by bringing Qin Zhen along.
While Qin Zhen was certainly capable, the Qin family certainly couldn't compare to the established five great families. Si, Shao, Liang, Yao, and Zhao were the true aristocrats of the Beijing world. The other surnames were inferior to them.
It is easy to be rich, but hard to be noble. The class system is clear and the gap is difficult to cross.
"It's okay. Qin Zhen talks less, but he has a good temper." Liang Youwei lowered her head and replied in a low voice.
After all, he gave himself a card after returning to the imperial capital.
"This is my own bank card. I transfer my salary and dividends into it every month. I can use the money in it as I please."
Liang Youwei had taken the money, but she hadn't checked the balance or used it. She loved the internet and had read many breakup posts about men making bills and demanding repayment. Since she had no money to pay, she simply stopped using his money.
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