The Spring Festival banquet was drawing to a close.
Chu Xinxin, An Yi, and a group of noble ladies were saying goodbye.
Suddenly, An Yi nudged Chu Xinxin with her elbow and whispered, "Your husband is here to see you."
Chu Xinxin turned around, and Zhou Huaichuan was standing not far away watching her.
Chu Xinxin was about to go over without even thinking.
An Yi pulled her back: "Hey, don't pay any attention to him."
"Huh? Why?"
"Let me tell you, you can't spoil a man. The more you care about him, the less he cares about you."
An Yi explained it very logically: "You have to keep him hanging on and ignore him, then he'll chase after you."
Chu Xinxin: "Where do you get all these high-sounding principles from?"
"Practical experience, believe it or not."
"Who have you ever pursued?" Chu Xinxin asked skeptically, especially considering An Yi's constant bickering with Chu Yun...
"Holy crap, you don't actually like Chu Yun, do you?"
An Yi's face turned pale with anger: "Chu Xinxin, you are insulting me!"
Chu Xinxin patted her shoulder: "Sweetie, I'll tie her up and throw her on your bed tomorrow... I'll also teach you a practical tip: forced love is always sweet!"
An Yi couldn't argue with her, so she could only leave in resentment.
Chu Xinxin waved at her while holding a small handkerchief, and almost bumped into Zhou Huaichuan when she turned around.
Zhou Huaichuan appeared behind her without her noticing.
"Zhou Huaichuan, what's wrong?"
The two stood very close. Zhou Huaichuan was tall, and from a distance, it looked as if he was holding Chu Xinxin in his arms.
Chu Xinxin looked up at him, her thick eyelashes like two brushes, sweeping back and forth across Zhou Huaichuan's heart.
Zhou Huaichuan suddenly had a thought: it seemed that before, at some point in time, he had looked at Chu Xinxin and talked to her from this angle countless times.
And Chu Xinxin, with her eyes crinkled in a smile, clung to him, refusing to come out.
“Su Shi asked me to apologize to you. He didn’t mean to say anything bad about you just now.”
Zhou Huaichuan shattered the dream that had never happened, and his vision cleared again.
"I know, he just told me." Chu Xinxin seemed to have thought of something and became very happy: "He really is as you said, an extremely good person!"
Zhou Huaichuan pursed his lips into a tight line, and after a long while, he simply nodded and let out a soft "hmm" from his throat.
"I'm going back now."
Chu Xinxin took a few steps and then ran back, tiptoed and reached out to touch Zhou Huaichuan's forehead, smoothing out the "Chuan" character on his forehead.
"Frowning makes you look older and makes it harder to find a wife!"
Chu Xinxin waved her hand: "I'm really leaving now, goodbye."
As the girl turned around, Zhou Huaichuan noticed a jade pendant engraved with the character "Su" hanging from her waist amidst the fluttering of her dress.
......
[Sister, I think once you regain your appearance, winning over Zhou Huaichuan or Su Shi will be a piece of cake, won't it?]
The system was feeling quite exhausted looking at the progress bar, which still hadn't been bound to a target character.
Chu Xinxin: "Then what's the point? Do they like my face or me as a person?"
[It's just a task, don't take it so seriously.]
Chu Xinxin: "You don't understand the sense of accomplishment from conquering someone. Besides, the matchmaking system emphasizes mutual strategy. I'm giving Zhou Huaichuan a chance to win me over right now."
I don't quite understand.
"Think about it, if he likes me even though I look like this, how touched I would be. If I'm touched, then the final progress of the mission will naturally follow."
Chu Xinxin spouted a bunch of fallacies: "I understand, I understand, it's all for the mission."
The system sighed: "Well, okay, I just think Zhou Huaichuan is too dull. He's handsome, but you can't judge a book by its cover."
"Wait a little longer, let me deal with Liu Xin first."
Chu Xinxin chatted with the system as she stepped out of the Duke's mansion.
As soon as she appeared, everyone at the door turned their attention to her.
[Sister, Chu Xuan has come to pick you up—oh no, I mean to kidnap you.]
Chu Xinxin sensed something and looked up. Standing at the foot of the steps of the Duke's mansion was a man in an indigo robe with a dignified appearance.
Although the man was standing at the bottom of the steps, his imposing manner remained undiminished.
A single, casual glance is enough to make one feel utterly subservient.
This person is none other than Chu Xinxin's "cheap" father in this world, Prime Minister Chu.
Chu Xinxin seemed oblivious and calmly walked towards the carriage of the Qi family.
Chu Xuan then spoke up: "Xin Xin, your father has come to pick you up."
Chu Xinxin pretended not to hear and kept walking.
"Someone, take the young lady back."
Chu Xuan didn't mince words and went straight to the point.
Yun Gui drew his sword with a clang and stood in front of Chu Xinxin, whispering, "Miss, Haitang is in their hands."
Chu Xinxin then looked at Chu Xuan properly: "Release my maid."
Chu Xuan said calmly, "That maid was barbaric and unreasonable, and even encouraged her young lady to run away from home. Such a wicked servant will only ruin your reputation. I know you are thin-skinned, so I took it upon myself to deal with her for you."
Chu Xinxin laughed angrily: "My lord, we have never met before, yet you keep claiming to be my father. Even if you really are Prime Minister Chu, so what? Haitang is a member of the Qi family, not a slave of your Chu family. Or is it that... Prime Minister Chu's power has become so great that he can interfere in the family affairs of all officials?"
Chu Xuan's pupils shrank: "How dare you! How can you speak to your elders like that? The Chu family has a clean reputation for generations, and you are a rebellious daughter! Guards, seize that woman and send the young lady back to her residence!"
Chu Xinxin refused, and Chu Xuan said, "Have you thought it through? Your maid..."
"Shameless!"
Chu Xinxin pushed Yun Gui aside and got into the Chu family's carriage.
When Zhou Huaichuan arrived after hearing the news, the Chu family had already left.
"Don't worry, Master, Yun Gui has always been by Miss Chu's side," Yun Zheng said.
"Yes, send more people to keep an eye on things, and also, go and inform Qi Yi."
......
The Prime Minister's Residence.
Main courtyard.
Chu Xinxin was forced to kneel on the ground by several old women, while Yun Gui lay to the side, his life hanging in the balance.
Chu Xuan's return was marked by such swift and decisive actions.
Lady Liu regained her air of being the high-ranking wife of the Prime Minister, sitting calmly in the seat of honor and drinking tea.
Chu Yun stood aside, watching Chu Xinxin with a gloating expression, unable to stop smiling.
"From this day forward, you shall remain in your Qiluan Courtyard until your wedding."
Chu Xuan's voice was cold. In his opinion, he didn't have as much affection for his eldest daughter as he did for the other concubine daughters who had been raised by his side since childhood.
Chu Xinxin: "A grand wedding? What grand wedding?"
Lady Liu coughed and said, "Your father and I have decided to betroth you to Liu Xin, the heir of the Prince of Huainan."
Chu Xinxin scoffed: "Let me marry him? Fine."
Chu Yun was somewhat taken aback when Chu Xinxin's expected screaming and crying did not occur: "You're willing?"
Chu Xinxin: "Why would I be unwilling? I'd be living a widow's life as soon as I married him, and if I ever got tired of him, I could just give Liu Xin a dose of medicine."
Once he's completely gone, I'll adopt a son from a collateral branch, and the entire Huainan Prince's Mansion will be mine.
"Then I'll buy ten beautiful young servants to serve me every day. I won't have to serve my husband or in-laws, there will be no fighting among sisters-in-law, and not even a first wife or concubines. Why wouldn't I want that?"
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