A warm breeze blew by, making Xiao Zhixuan's heart sway like lake water. The masculine breath that kept blowing on her face, and the restless hand on her waist, made her face flush. But she still had some stubbornness in her heart, and she would never allow herself to show any sign of failure in front of this man. So she slapped the hand that was holding her away, turned around quickly, pressed her heart that was about to jump out of her chest, and said, "But I don't like you!"

Xia Qing smiled nonchalantly, then moved closer to her and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't like me now. We still have plenty of time to cultivate her slowly in the future. When Miss Third knows my good points, I'm afraid she won't want to leave even a step."

Xiao Zhixuan didn't expect this man to be so shameless, so she glanced at him and snorted, "But I like humble gentlemen, not warriors who fight and kill all day long."

Xia Qing bent his waist slightly, forcing Xiao Zhixuan to take two steps back, and then slowly said: "That's because the third lady is still young and can't tell the difference between good and bad men. Those weak scholars can't even lift anything, let alone protect their wives and children. And..." He looked at her again, smiled wickedly, and said: "Xia can guarantee that they are definitely not as useful as a warrior like me at times."

Xiao Zhixuan was stunned for a moment, then she understood what he meant, and her face turned red again. But she was unwilling to admit defeat, so she raised her chin, looked him in the eye and said, "But I heard that those things will become useless if you use them too much. Uncle Xia has many concubines at home, and I'm afraid he has long been unable to do it."

A trace of worry flashed across Xia Qing's eyes, and then he reached out and gently pinched her chin, and whispered in her ear with his thin lips: "Don't worry, Miss San, on the day of the wedding night, you will naturally know whether I am useful or not."

The evil words carried with them a hot breath and kept blowing into her ears. Xiao Zhixuan was, after all, an inexperienced little girl. Although her mouth was firm, her body was completely soft. She felt a little hot all over and hurriedly stepped back, trying to distance herself from this man as quickly as possible. However, her foot slipped and she fell backwards into the lake.

Fortunately, a pair of big hands quickly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. However, Xiao Zhixuan felt that the aggressive aura emanating from this person was more terrifying than falling into the lake. She struggled desperately in panic, but how could she break free from Xia Qing's restraints with that little strength?

What was worse was that he stretched out a hand and clamped her little face again, then slowly pressed her face down. Xiao Zhixuan was almost scared to tears, and she began to regret that she shouldn't have come to see him alone. Her elder brother had clearly reminded her that this man was not a good person and she should stay away from him. She could only blame herself for being too competitive and angering him. Just when she closed her eyes resignedly and tears were about to burst out, she heard his smiling voice coming from above, "Don't worry, I won't touch you before you agree to marry me."

Xiao Zhixuan opened her eyes in a daze, and then she felt a weight on her head. She quickly reached out to touch it and found that a jewel-studded hairpin was inserted into her hair. Xia Qing lifted her chin and took a closer look. She seemed very satisfied and said, "This hairpin was left by my mother. Once you wear it, you are mine. You can't regret it in the future."

Xiao Zhixuan took her hand away from the swing, feeling dazed for a moment. After a long while, she finally said, "Why me?"

Xia Qing's eyes were somewhat deep, and she said, "Because from the first time I saw you, I knew that we are actually the same kind of people."

Xiao Zhixuan didn't understand, she just stared at him stupidly with her eyes wide open. Her flushed face and misty eyes made Xia Qing quite emotional. He couldn't help but lower his head and pecked her on the forehead, and then said, "As long as you agree, I will immediately send the betrothal gifts to the Marquis' Mansion. I can't wait any longer."

Xiao Zhixuan's heart was beating wildly, and then she bit her lip and said, "If I promised you, would you really help my brother and our family, or even betray the Xia family?"

Xia Qing showed a contemptuous expression and said, "Don't worry, the Xia family is just a surname to me. If this surname is not still useful, I would not bother to play tricks on them." He hid the disgust that flashed in his eyes, and smiled at Xiao Zhixuan and said, "If the third lady can form a good relationship with me, your family will be my family, and I will naturally treat them well."

Xiao Zhixuan stared at him intently, as if trying to determine how sincere he was. Finally, she made up her mind and said, "Okay, then swear!"

+

When Xia Qing's betrothal gifts were delivered to the Marquis' Mansion, Xiao Du's reaction could almost be described as a rage. The matchmaker who was waiting to be rewarded was so frightened that he could hardly speak. He could only stammer, "General Xia said that the marriage was personally agreed to by the Third Miss."

Xiao Du got angrier and angrier as he listened. He kicked a red cloth onto the ground. Yuan Xi was afraid that he would get angry and scratch the wound, so she quickly grabbed him and said, "Don't worry, get Xuan Er here to ask."

So Xiao Zhixuan was invited to the flower hall with trepidation. When she saw the room full of betrothal gifts, she lowered her head and twisted the handkerchief in her hand, looking like she had done something wrong. Xiao Du became more and more unhappy, pointing at the matchmaker who was shivering in the corner, and said, "I want to ask, when did you agree to this marriage!"

Xiao Zhixuan looked around the room, finally took a deep breath, looked directly at Xiao Du and said, "Yes, I agreed, big brother, I am willing to marry him."

Xiao Du's blood surged up, and he coughed several times with his hands covering his lips. Then he trembled and pointed at her, unable to speak for a while. Seeing this, Yuan Xi quickly stuffed some silver into the matchmaker's pocket and asked him to leave first. Then he grabbed Xiao Zhixuan and said anxiously, "Xuan'er, do you know who Xia Qing is? I heard that he not only has a complicated identity, but also has great skills in playing with women. You are still young and inexperienced, but you must not be fooled by his sweet words."

Xiao Zhixuan raised her head and said stubbornly, "I know everything. He has never hidden anything from me. Sister-in-law, Xuan'er knows what she is doing. I am not a child anymore."

Xiao Du heard something from her words, and hurriedly walked up to her and said, "You have met him, when did you meet him, did he do anything to you? Did he threaten or force you?"

Xiao Zhixuan met his concerned gaze, and felt touched and ashamed, so she lowered her head and said, "No, he didn't do anything. Anyway, I am willing to accept this marriage. I will go and tell my father later. I will marry him when the date is set. You...you don't have to worry about me."

Seeing her like this, Xiao Du thought that his little sister had been deceived by that man and could not distinguish right from wrong. He felt sad and anxious, and pointed at her and said, "I am your elder brother, how can I ignore you? You are a daughter of a marquis, but you secretly went to meet that playboy. If it gets out, how can you get married in the future?"

Xiao Zhixuan stiffened her neck, stared at him with a determined look and said, "I won't marry anyone else but him. Brother, I have reached the age of marriage and have the right to choose my own husband."

Xiao Du's eyes turned red with anger. He raised his hand and looked at Xiao Zhixuan's stubborn face, but he couldn't hit her. This was his little sister who he had cherished since she was a child. How could he bear to hurt her, but how could he watch her fall into the fire pit like this? Yuan Xi saw that the situation between the two was becoming more and more stalemate, and hurriedly stepped forward to grab Xiao Du's sleeve and said, "Adu, it's time to change the medicine. Talk to her about these things slowly." Then he winked at Xiao Zhixuan to leave quickly, and forcibly pulled Xiao Du back to his seat.

Xiao Du dug his right hand into the corner of the table, as if he had thought of something again. With a wave of grief in his heart, he closed his eyes with a tired look on his face and said, "Xi'er, I feel a little tired." Yuan Xi felt a little sad when she heard his tone. She held his head softly in her arms and gently comforted him, "Xuan'er was just confused for a moment. She will understand your painstaking efforts."

Xiao Du leaned in her arms, sighed, and said, "No matter what my true identity is, I really treat Xuan'er as my own sister, and I also regard this family as my only responsibility. Since I was a child, I have wanted to protect them and not let them get hurt. But now, my second brother regards me as an enemy, and Xuan'er also... Xi'er, I can't do anything. I am not worthy of being their eldest brother."

Yuan Xi sighed and said, "Have you ever thought that maybe they have all grown up and no longer need your protection?"