Chapter 407 The Possibility of Marrying Zhu Shi 3
Zhu Shi was completely dumbfounded.
“This is all… what a mess…” she said.
I was also completely stunned by this sudden turn of events—or should I say sudden turn of events—and didn't know how to respond to Mazao for a moment.
Although I knew that Ma Zao had a very strong sense of protecting Xiao Wan, I didn't expect that she would transfer that protective instinct to Zhu Shi at this critical moment and become a staunch supporter of Zhu Shi and my marriage.
Lu Chan's face showed a thoughtful expression. He seemed to have moved away from his "spectator" state, his expression turned serious, and he spoke up: "Excuse me, may I say a word?"
“Lu Chan, this is a matter between Zhuang Cheng and the Zhu family. You shouldn’t interfere, should you?” said Old Master Zhu.
However, I wanted to buy myself some time to process and think things through in this chaotic situation. Although I didn't know what Lu Chan wanted to say in this setting, I still offered my support: "It's okay, Lu Chan, go ahead and say it. Just say what you're thinking."
"Thank you." Lu Chan looked at everyone. "As Mr. Zhu said, this matter is not something I should interfere with, but I still want to say that we should be cautious about the marriage between Zhuang Cheng and Zhu Shi."
"It would be most foolish for a group to have internal divisions caused by matters between men and women. Zhuang Cheng and Ma Zao are mutually attracted, but he wants to marry Zhu Shi, which will inevitably lead to conflicts in the future. Right now, there may seem to be no problem, but there are still some hidden dangers. If we cannot eliminate them, we should not rush into things."
"Hidden dangers—for example?" I asked.
“One of the things I’ve heard is that Ma Zao comes from the apocalypse,” Lu Chan said. “Although I can’t confirm the truth of this from a personal perspective, since you’re all discussing this based on this premise, I’ll assume it’s true.”
"She clearly lacks understanding of the common sense of modern society, or only has a one-sided understanding, and marriage is one of them. As she gains more experience in modern society, she may develop a new understanding of marriage, and at that time she may not be able to view Zhuang Cheng and Zhu Shi's marriage with the same mindset as she does now."
"Furthermore, she herself is still quite young, just a girl of about thirteen years old, and shouldn't be formally involved in romantic relationships yet... I'm sorry, I don't intend to criticize Zhuang Cheng on this matter. But objectively speaking, people at different stages of their development are very likely to have different understandings of love."
Just as she lacked understanding of marriage, at the age of thirteen, did she still lack understanding of love, or only have a one-sided understanding? And when she enters a new stage of life and her understanding of love changes, will she still be able to accept Zhuang Cheng and Zhu Shi's marriage with equanimity?
Although Lu Chan can be a bit out of line at times, the reasoning he's putting forward right now is very mature and correct, and I have to admit that.
Admittedly, Asaho has lived through countless years in the post-apocalyptic era, but due to the unique characteristics of that era, the human spirit cannot mature normally under the constant erosion of forgetfulness. Therefore, Asaho's spirit cannot yet be considered to have reached adulthood. At least in my observation, Asaho is less a spiritually mature person and more a child with a deeply wounded heart.
It is precisely because Asa is still in the developmental stage, both physically and mentally, that Asa and I made an agreement not to officially start dating for the time being, but to wait until Asa grows up before making a decision.
"This is only Ma Zao's problem so far. Next is Zhuang Cheng and Zhu Shi's problem." Lu Chan looked at the two of us. "No matter what, you are both young men and women in the prime of your lives. Judging by the standards of a handsome man and a beautiful woman, you should be quite attractive to each other. And then there is the matter of marriage. Can you guarantee that you will not make mistakes for each other?"
"Let's leave aside physical intercourse for now. Anyway, you're going to have children, so you'll definitely have intercourse again and again before the children are born. One child might not be enough, I think two or three wouldn't be too few... Under this premise, can you guarantee that you will keep your initial agreement and not unite with each other spiritually?"
"Of course, it wouldn't be excessive for Da Wuchang to have three wives and four concubines, but since we've made this important agreement, we need to abide by it, otherwise we might suffer a backlash in the future. Besides, I don't want such a hidden danger to be planted in my workplace."
After listening, Zhu Shi nodded seriously and said, "I believe Zhuang Cheng won't break his promise and fall in love with me. Besides, I can guarantee that I will absolutely not let personal feelings interfere with our marriage..."
Lu Chan asked, "Are you trying to say it's because you don't have any romantic feelings?"
"Hmm?" Zhu Shi's expression changed.
We haven't told Lu Chan about Zhu Shi's situation yet.
“I’m sorry, but I previously possessed the ‘self that specializes in exploring and repairing souls,’ and I also experienced a soul-altering state of ‘sacrificing dreams,’ so I can tell the traces of your soul’s changes and your current state at a glance,” Lu Chan said.
“Okay… I don’t have a reason to keep it a secret forever. You’re right. And then?” Zhu Shi asked.
“Even if you don’t have romantic feelings now, what will you do if you take them back later?” Lu Chan said. “You might say that you don’t plan to take them back, but things are unpredictable. When I was providing services at Mingzhuo’s place, I never thought that I would turn back, but in the end, I did.”
"It's not just that there's fate between people, but also between ourselves. Perhaps in the future, you will be drawn to the 'dream' you've lost, and then come into contact with it. No one can know what the outcome will be."
In fact, not long ago, Zhu Shi had planned to regain his past self and reclaim the power of the Heavenly and Earthly Manifestations, and even put it into practice, only to fail in the end. No one can predict what will happen in the future; even the divination masters dare not guarantee that they can see through everything.
Furthermore, I had promised Zhu Shi that I would help her win back her romantic relationship. Although this thought faded after learning the truth about Zhu Shi's loss, the impairment of emotional function is ultimately an abnormal state. In my heart, I still hope that my friend can return to a whole state.
“But marrying Zhu Shi is a good thing for Zhuang Cheng,” Ma Zao suddenly spoke up. “Although I hesitated a bit when I heard that Zhu Shi wanted to have a child with Zhuang Cheng, I can still accept it. Besides, Xiao Wan… Zhu Shi is my best friend, and Zhuang Cheng is the person I like and trust the most.”
“I don’t want Xiaowan to marry and have children with a man I don’t know. I want my best friend and the person I love and trust the most to be together… Isn’t it better for us to stay together? If I object now, I’ll definitely regret it later.”
Although it was a wonderful idea, I wondered if things would really go that smoothly.
“Good morning…” Zhu Shi looked at her silently.
Lu Chan readily accepted the advice and said, "I understand, but in any case, marriage is a very important matter, and I believe everyone agrees on that. Precisely because it is so important, we should not make a hasty decision after bringing it up in a rush."
"Furthermore, the organization of believers by Elder Zhu is still in its initial stage, and the Zhu family's cultivation within the believer community has only just begun. Such an important event as the divine marriage ceremony should be carried out after the believer power has expanded and stabilized. At this stage, our status as the divine agent authorized by Zhuang Cheng is more than sufficient. According to the law of diminishing marginal utility, even if we add another layer of halo to the Zhu family in the near future, it will not improve efficiency much."
Mr. Zhu frowned and asked, "So... do you mean to drag this out? Or do you mean to pretend nothing happened today?"
“I have a compromise,” Lu Chan said. “It’s not advisable to get married immediately, but we can have the two parties sign a marriage contract first.”
"So, you mean you want me to become Senior Brother Zhuang's fiancée?" Zhu Shi asked tentatively.
“Exactly.” Lu Chan nodded. “With this identity, the marriage in the future should feel more real, and it can also help you re-examine your relationship. At the same time, in terms of fate, the marriage agreement with the Zhu family can also serve a similar purpose to marriage, allowing the Zhu family to better serve as a bridge between Zhuang Cheng and the believers.”
"If any conflicts are discovered in the future, it is possible to cancel the engagement midway. Of course, doing so will cause significant damage to the Zhu family's position within the believers' forces, so we can first have Ma Zao become the adopted daughter of Old Master Zhu or Zhu Shi, and then have Zhuang Cheng and Ma Zao get married."
"Hmm?" Zhu Shi seemed to have found a loophole. "In that case, it doesn't seem necessary for me and Senior Brother Zhuang to be together..."
Mr. Zhu quickly said, "Anyone with eyes can see that such a method is a risky approach, and it will still leave loopholes and flaws in the law of destiny. Isn't the reason for suggesting that Zhuang Cheng marry you precisely to fill these loopholes and flaws, my silly granddaughter!"
"Is that really all there is to it...?" Zhu Shi asked doubtfully.
"In short... that's all I have to say. The final decision rests with Zhuang Cheng." Lu Chan looked at me. "Zhuang Cheng, what do you think?"
Ma Zao hugged my arm tightly.
I don't want to see Asa's disappointed expression.
“I think it’s okay,” I said. “Zhu Shi, what do you think? If you can’t accept it, I will respect your opinion.”
All eyes turned to Zhu Shi, who in turn looked at Ma Zao.
Ma Zao looked at Zhu Shi with expectant eyes.
Zhu Shi looked up at me again, and I looked back at her. After a moment of eye contact, she nodded.
“I want to be Senior Brother Zhuang’s fiancée,” she said.
(End of this chapter)
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