"What? What help?" Xu Tianze looked at Jiang Xue blankly.
"That's it..." Jiang Xue replied with two words, then pulled Xu Tianze and jumped into the lake.
The moment Xu Tianze fell into the lake, he was enveloped by a feeling of powerless fear. This was because Xu Tianze could not swim at all. Even if he desperately swung his body and struggled in the lake, it was in vain, wasting his energy.
The omnipresent water flow was like a merciless beast, swallowing him bit by bit, making it impossible for him to breathe and sinking him into eternal sleep at the bottom of the dark lake.
As time went by, Xu Tianze gradually lost the strength to struggle, and his body kept getting closer to the bottom of the lake. Suffocation, coldness, and blurred consciousness were his last senses.
However, just as he was about to fall into coma, a vague shadow swam towards him.
Xu Tianze couldn't see the appearance of the shadow clearly, but in a trance he saw a white and blue ribbon passing by in front of his eyes, and then he fell into a warm embrace. The broad chest at the bottom of the cold lake gave him real warmth and a sense of security.
Just when his consciousness was about to collapse, he felt something soft, warm and slippery against his lips.
After Xu Tianze unconsciously spat out several mouthfuls of water, he opened his eyes and walked over in a daze. He found himself lying on the grass by the lake, with his father and two brothers beside him. Except for the worried eyes of his father and brothers, the eyes of others looked at him with more or less weirdness.
"Are you feeling better, Aze?" Xu Jixue handed his handkerchief to Xu Tianze and asked him to wipe the water stains from the corners of his mouth.
Xu Tianze shook his head. Before he could say anything, he heard someone in the crowd suddenly shout at him, "Mr. Xu San, are you going to commit suicide by jumping into the lake with the young lady of the Jiang family?"
When Xu Tianze and his father and brother heard this, they showed the same sharp eyes and swept over the crowd. Not seeing the person who spoke, they frowned at the same time.
"I wonder which sir or madam is so good at talking? Even a simple slip and fall into the lake can be turned into a bunch of nonsense." Xu Jixue bowed slightly to everyone, but his words were full of innuendos and not polite at all.
"Brother, what did you say to this group of people? They are just a bunch of villains gossiping behind people's backs." Xu Shiping crossed his arms and glanced at the onlookers. He was talking to Xu Jixue, but the people around him could hear that he was speaking in a roundabout way.
"Don't be rude." Xu Li pretended to be dissatisfied and scolded his two sons in a fake manner, but his light words had no force at all.
The three of them, father and son, acted in unison, making the people around them feel embarrassed. However, due to the intimidation from the Xu family, they dared not say anything and their faces turned the color of liver.
Xu Tianze had just woken up and his mind was still in a mess. He then heard people around him say that he had jumped into the lake to commit suicide for love. His head suddenly felt dizzy and he had no idea how to respond.
Now, his father and brother's scolding of the people around him finally gave him some time to buffer, allowing him to recall everything that had just happened, the lake, the struggle, the shadow, and so on.
Jiang Xue was helped up by Song Yu. She was watching coldly as everyone was treating Xu Tianze poorly. After all, she woke up earlier than Xu Tianze. Her unclear words gave everyone the impression that Xu Tianze loved her but couldn't get her, and wanted to drag her into the lake to commit suicide.
This is why when Xu Tianze woke up, he was questioned by everyone and asked whether he wanted to drag her into the lake to commit suicide. Unexpectedly, Xu Li and Xu Tianze's two brothers stopped them.
If this continues, all her efforts will be in vain, so she has no choice but to go on stage herself. After all, she is a woman, and the advantages have always been hers, and it is easier for her to win the sympathy of others.
"Brother Tianze, please let Xue'er go." Jiang Xue struggled to free herself from Song Yu's arms and crawled towards Xu Tianze, her face pale as a tear. "The person Xue'er really loves is Brother Song Yu. Even though Brother Tianze has deep feelings for Xue'er, you can't force feelings."
Jiang Xue's words caused people around to talk about it again, and the discussion even seemed to be getting more intense.
"It's true that Mr. Xu San is deeply affectionate. After all, everyone in Shangjing City knows how much Mr. Xu San cares for Jiang Xue."
"Bullshit, didn't you hear what Jiang Xue said? The one she truly loves is Song Yu. Xu Tianze is just resentful because he can't get the love he wants."
"The Duke of Zhenguo and Jiang Xue are in love with each other, and Xu Tianze is trying to steal their love."
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"If you ask me, with the Xu family's power and prestige in the court and among the people, as long as Xu Tianze wants, Jiang Xue will marry him even if she doesn't want to."
"Shh, keep your voices down. The Xu family is powerful. Are you guys going to die?"
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Xu Tianze's ears were filled with noisy sounds, and he looked at Jiang Xue lying in front of him with a complicated expression. So this is the help Jiang Xue was talking about?
Was he destroying his reputation to help her and Song Yu? But she probably forgot that she was a member of the Xu family. No matter how unbearable she was, she could not retreat in the face of the family's interests and honor.
Otherwise, if this group of people left today, it would mean that his Xu family was bullying others by taking advantage of their power, and it would even create a rift between him and Song Yu, and between the Xu family and the Zhenguo Mansion that should not have existed.
Just as Xu Tianze was about to speak and explain the matter thoroughly to maintain the reputation of the Xu family, Song Yu angrily hugged Jiang Xue in his arms.
"Xu Tianze, we have been together for so many years, but I didn't expect that you like Xue'er so much. Why didn't you tell me before? Instead, Xue'er and I are engaged, and you are entangled in this?" Song Yu looked at Xu Tianze with disappointment and disbelief. Although he married his wife because of his father, he couldn't humiliate her so wantonly.
Otherwise, it would be a slap in the face of Song Yu, and even more so the face of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
"Do you also think that I like Jiang Xue?" Xu Tianze looked at Song Yu blankly, expecting to hear a different answer from Song Yu.
But he was destined to be disappointed. Song Yu just sneered disdainfully: "What else? Xu Tianze, have you forgotten what happened in the teahouse?"
When Xu Tianze heard Song Yu's words, he suddenly felt resentment and anger in his heart. If Song Yu hadn't mentioned the teahouse incident, he would probably have forgotten about it. How similar was that incident to this one.
That time, Jiang Xue asked herself to meet him in the name of Song Yu, but when they met, she expressed her feelings for Song Yu and even recited poems to express her feelings for Song Yu.
Song Yu happened to come over, which caused him to misunderstand. He thought it was a coincidence, but considering this time of falling into the lake, how could he not understand.
Jiang Xue must have known about her feelings for Song Yu for a long time, and she set up a series of traps just to create a rift between her and Song Yu so that she wouldn't say anything she shouldn't say.
Xu Tianze had no intention of saying it. After all, the family's training was not in vain, and he would not bring discredit to the family. If Jiang Xue behaved honestly, she could still be happily together with Song Yu.
But you can step on him, but you can't bring shame to the family.
Thinking of this, Xu Tianze straightened his voice and spoke slowly: "You all think that I'm deeply in love with Jiang Xue? But you don't even consider whether Jiang Xue is worthy of me!"
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