Chapter 373 I Won’t Make Do with Someone Like You
After returning from the General's Mansion, the image of Xiao Yechen kneeling on the ground with red eyes kept lingering in Xiao Qinghe's mind.
Xiao Qinghe's heart was a little confused. She wanted to go back and sort out her thoughts, but Xie Zhang stopped her: "Sister He'er, can I talk to you for a moment?"
That day, Xiao Qinghe rejected Xie Huaiyin and exposed Xie Zhang's intention. Although Xie Huaiyin still lived in the Xiao family during this period, he did not get close to Xiao Qinghe again.
Xiao Qinghe immediately collected his thoughts and went to the garden pavilion with Xie Zhang.
Entering the pavilion, Xie Zhang got straight to the point: "I want to marry Sister He'er. I know I don't have much of an advantage compared to others, but I think I'm the most suitable for Sister He'er."
Xie Zhang dressed up deliberately today. He wore a dark blue brocade robe with cloud patterns, which made him look handsome, elegant, calm and reserved. When he said this, his eyes were firm and he was very confident.
Xiao Qinghe did not interrupt and waited for his next words.
Xie Zhang continued, "Sister He'er and I are both deeply in love. I can't let go of my late wife, and Sister He'er can't forget Wei Lingze. If Sister He'er marries someone else, no matter his character or family background, Sister He'er will continue the family line for him. But I'm different. I have Huaiyin, and that's enough for me. Sister He'er doesn't need to have children or even consummate the marriage with me to marry me. Nothing needs to change."
These words were similar to the fake marriage proposed by Zhang Zhilan and Xiao Yechen.
It sounds good at first, but it’s not the case when you think about it carefully.
"What my cousin means is that you don't need a wife who understands your feelings, you just want Huaiyin to have a mother, right?"
Xiao Qinghe hit the nail on the head. Xie Zhang frowned slightly, then nodded after a moment: "You can say that."
"My cousin loved his late wife deeply, and he treasured his daughter Huaiyin even more. If I marry him, will I always care about Huaiyin, ask about her well-being, and make her happy?"
"Huaiyin is very well behaved and obedient. Sister He'er doesn't need to worry about it."
Xie Zhang subconsciously defended himself, but Xiao Qinghe didn't refute him. He continued, "When Huaiyin grows up, does my cousin need me to take her out to socialize, teach her how to manage a household, and choose a marriage for her?"
"These are not difficult things for Sister He'er."
"It's really not a difficult thing for me."
Xiao Qinghe nodded, agreeing with Xie Zhang's statement, and then said: "But this means that after we get married, I have to devote some energy to Huaiyin, and I also need to do the socializing for the Xie family during festivals. On the contrary, my cousin feels at ease to leave Huaiyin to me. If Huaiyin is unhappy, my cousin and the Xie family can blame me at will."
Xie Zhang's brows furrowed even more tightly, and he said anxiously, "Sister He'er, why would you think that? Since I took the initiative to ask for your hand in marriage, I must believe in you."
"Really? But last time Huaiyin started crying, my cousin kept blaming me for not taking good care of her. If he was like this before we got married, wouldn't he be even worse after we got married?"
Xiao Qinghe's tone grew colder, and before Xie Zhang could reply, she spoke again, "Cousin, you're wrong. You and I are not the same kind of people. The feelings between Wei Lingze and I have long been exhausted. I've let go and have no attachments. I won't remain a virgin for him. If I marry again in the future, I'll definitely find a husband who shares my feelings, not someone like you who I'll just have to make do with."
Xiao Qinghe's refusal was straightforward and direct. Xie Zhang's face was filled with disapproval: "Mutual affection? Sister He'er and Wei Lingze have been childhood sweethearts for so many years and haven't had a happy ending. Now you still believe in love?"
The reason why Xie Zhang dared to propose to Xiao Qinghe was that he felt that she had been deeply hurt and had seen too many unfaithful people in the past two years. Let alone love, she would not even trust a man.
But now Xiao Qinghe told him that she wanted to find a husband who was in love with her.
This was completely contrary to what he expected.
In addition to disbelief, there was also a subtle hint of sarcasm in Xie Zhang's tone. In his heart, even if Xiao Qinghe divorced Wei Lingze, now that Wei Lingze was dead, Xiao Qinghe should still keep a place for Wei Lingze in her heart.
After all, they were once husband and wife and had been friends for so many years.
How could she like another man?
Xiao Qinghe understood the implication behind Xie Zhang's words, and her expression grew even colder. "It's true that Wei Lingze and I didn't have a happy marriage, but there are still many loving couples in this world. My aunt and Uncle Shen got married within a few months of each other, and Princess Hengyang even decided to marry her husband after only meeting him once. They're all living happily. Why should I seal my heart and love for a bad person?"
"Sister He'er, you are different from them..."
Xie Zhang emphasized his tone, and Xiao Qinghe interrupted him again: "I'm no different from them. It's my cousin who wants to suppress me so that I will willingly throw myself on Huai Yin and become a stepping stone for you and Huai Yin!"
Xiao Qinghe's tone was still gentle, but his eyes were as sharp as a knife, piercing through the surface and into the deepest part of Xie Zhang's heart.
Xie Zhang's throat choked, and he softened his tone: "Sister He'er, I'm not as bad as you think. I just think people's hearts are fickle. You've already been divorced once, so you shouldn't bet your lifelong happiness on an illusory relationship."
"My cousin also said that people's hearts are fickle. If there was no love from the beginning, wouldn't it be more terrifying if such a person plotted against you?"
Xiao Qinghe was clear and organized, and was not affected by Xie Zhang at all.
Xie Zhang knew he couldn't persuade her any further, so he calmed down and said, "Since Sister He'er is so determined, I can only wish her to find someone like her soon. However, if Sister He'er ever figures things out, she can still come to me. The Xie and Xiao families are related by marriage. Even if we don't have feelings for each other, as long as the friendship between the Xie and Xiao families remains, I will treat Sister He'er well."
Xie Zhang was about to leave when Xiao Qinghe called out to him, "Cousin."
Xie Zhang paused for a moment before turning around.
The cold wind was biting as Xiao Qinghe stood in the pavilion, his brows and eyes as cold as a painting. "The relationship between the Xie and Xiao families cannot compare to that between the Xiao and Wei families. The Wei family didn't treat me well in the beginning because of our long-standing friendship, so I can't count on the Xie family either."
Once a woman gets married, she will be trapped in the harem, and her husband's family will have many ways to make her suffer.
Xiao Qinghe had walked this road once and would never walk it again.
Xiao Qinghe was very determined and didn't interrupt, leaving Xie Zhang no room for maneuver. Xie Zhang pursed his lips and was about to say something else when he heard Xiao Qinghe say, "Don't worry, cousin. I've found someone who shares my feelings. He treasures me like a treasure. Not only does he not mind my past, he also thinks I deserve all the good things in the world. He is a hundred times better than you, cousin, in my opinion."
Xiao Qinghe also had a hint of sarcasm in his last words.
Xie Zhang's expression changed slightly and he walked away in a huff.
Xiao Qinghe walked out of the pavilion in a good mood and told Quezhi, "Ask the kitchen to warm up a pot of wine."
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