"Aunt Song, if Wenwen finds a boyfriend in the future, will you interfere?" Finally, Cheng Zhili couldn't help but ask the question on her mind. She had been holding it in for too long and just wanted to talk to someone.
Song Xia shook her head: "As long as the other party's character is good, I don't think I will stop it."
Wenwen's eyes widened: "Your family is already trying to set you up with someone? Zhili, how old are you?!"
Cheng Zhili pursed her lips and lowered her eyes: "It wasn't about introducing me to someone, it just meant I could try getting to know them."
Song Xia said softly, "If you don't want to, haven't you talked to your family about your feelings?"
“Mom won’t listen. She thinks I’m not mature enough and that following the path she’s laid out is the right thing to do.”
"But this is your life!" Wenwen said angrily. "Even if I raised you, I can't live your life for you, Zhili. What do you think?"
Song Xia looked into her eyes: "Wenwen is right. The key is what you think. Auntie knows your mother is very capable, but she is not you after all, and is her decision necessarily correct? If possible, Auntie suggests you talk to your mother."
Admittedly, Song Xia looked down on Cheng's parents, but it must be said that they did put a lot of effort into Zhili, even if it was for a purpose.
Zhili couldn't sever ties with the Cheng family all at once, so she still wanted Zhili to have a proper talk with the Cheng family.
Zhili, however, lacked this confidence: "My mother always says I'm still young and my thoughts are not mature enough, so I should just listen to her."
"Since you're still young, why are we in such a hurry to think about your life's most important thing? Isn't that contradictory?" Wenwen was very anxious. "Zhili, let me tell you, when you're dating or getting married, you must find someone you like."
"What you like?" The next day, when Lin Zhili and Yu Peiyan talked about this topic after dinner, she scoffed.
"Can love put food on the table? Look at the Gu family's son, he married an ordinary girl, and what happened? After marriage, the woman was not capable, her family couldn't help, and she was always arguing with him. She has already lost several orders. And the Qin family's youngest daughter, she also married a poor boy, thinking it was true love, but he was always giving her the silent treatment. In the end, she ended up depressed, divorced, and raising her child alone. Zhili, don't be foolish."
“Your mother is right.” Cheng Shizhang put down his teacup. “Zhili, your father and I raised you not so that you could be given away to some poor kid outside.”
Before Cheng Zhili could say anything, Yu Peiyan's voice became even sharper: "Did someone outside tell you something? Are you still in contact with that so-called friend from before?"
"Mom, what are you saying? I don't mean to marry a poor boy. I just want to say that I'm still young and don't want to talk about those things yet, nor do I want to have anything to do with those rich young men you mentioned."
"Give the phone to Mom." Yu Peiyan ignored her explanation and demanded the phone directly.
Cheng Zhili took a deep breath, wanting to fight for herself: "Mom, I'm all grown up now, I have the right to make my own friends."
Yu Peiyan lowered her voice: "This is the last time, Mom will say it."
"I..." Cheng Zhili ultimately failed to resist, and she felt deep-seated fear and obedience towards her mother.
"Starting today, Mom will keep your phone safe. Just focus on your studies. Mom will take you to a banquet in two days."
"mom!"
"And don't contact people who want to lead you astray on the computer. You know, Mom can see any information on your computer. You don't want Mom to do that, do you?"
Cheng Zhili nodded dejectedly, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
Seeing that she was obedient, Yu Peiyan's voice softened: "Zhili, don't overthink it. You are your father and mother's daughter. Your father and mother have raised you with their hearts for many years. How could they harm you? Your father and mother were in an arranged marriage. Look at us now, we're doing just fine. Besides, an arranged marriage is not about pushing you into a fire pit. You can choose someone you like."
"Mom, I just feel that I'm still too young to talk about this kind of thing."
"It's not like I'm asking you to get married right away, it's just a trial period. Even if we get engaged, we can break off the engagement if we're not compatible in the future!"
Cheng Zhili wanted to argue, but she didn't know how. What her mother said seemed to make sense, but why was she still unhappy?
At this point, the contact information that Cheng Zhibo had left for Wenwen came in handy, and she called Wenwen from under the covers.
Wenwen sighed, "Zhili, you've gotten yourself into this mess. Who says that finding someone you like will inevitably lead to being deceived, a miserable life, or that the other person's character and abilities are necessarily lacking? Don't you trust your own judgment? Arranged marriages aren't entirely bad, it's just that having a purpose in the relationship and getting married might lead to future regrets. At least finding someone you like means you won't have any regrets, right? And most importantly, you don't want to find someone right now! You are you, what does other people's happiness have to do with you? Relationships are different for everyone, it's hard to learn from others. The most important thing is to strengthen ourselves, so that no matter what, we won't be bullied, and we won't find ourselves in a predicament after making a decision."
Zhili chuckled: "Wenwen, you have so many profound principles now. How come your thinking is more mature than mine?"
Wenwen snorted: "Isn't it all because of you? You seem more mature and composed than me, but you rarely have your own opinions or ideas. You really make me worry to death."
"Thank you, Wenwen." After chatting for so long, Zhili's mood brightened considerably.
"Why are we talking about this? If something happens, you must tell me. Don't keep it to yourself."
"Yes, I feel much better now."
"Your brother is somewhat useful; he knew to consider your needs and added my contact information in advance."
Zhili chuckled: "Wenwen, I haven't asked you yet, why do you have a problem with my brother?"
“It’s not just your brother, it’s your whole family. I have a problem with everyone except you.” Wenwen spoke very bluntly. She looked down on the Cheng family. On the surface, they doted on Zhili, but they treated Zhili like a toy and even thought about selling her for a high price from a young age.
From the moment she met Zhili, she knew that Zhili had psychological problems, but Zhili's family did not take it seriously or even ignore it. Is this really pure love?
Wenwen found it hard to agree. She believed that her mother's actions towards her were truly giving her all, not only enriching her material life but also taking care of her emotional well-being from a young age. She was genuinely helping her grow and become stronger, rather than constantly dressing her up and sending her out to be someone else's appendage in exchange for profit.
Zhili listened without giving any particular opinion, and didn't force Wenwen to change her views on her family, just as she hadn't yet convinced her mother to change her opinion of Wenwen.
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