For the first time in his life, Chen Tingfeng tasted the bitter feeling of shooting himself in the foot.
He was silent for a moment. "Then how can cousin forgive me? Beat me up?"
His voice was low, and upon closer listening, there was even a hint of grievance.
Fu Zhen had never heard him speak like this. For a moment, she was so shocked that she couldn't think of anything. All that ran through her mind was: "Did you faint from kneeling in the ancestral hall?"
Chen Tingfeng: "..."
It's like casting pearls before swine.
He let out a cold snort. "In any case, the love knot is gone. You want to marry him? Not unless I'm dead."
Even if he were dead, he'd haunt her as a ghost.
For some reason, when Fu Zhen heard his blunt words, she surprisingly felt a bit more at ease. This was the real Chen Tingfeng. The person before must have been possessed by a ghost!
Speaking of marriage...
Fu Zhen looked down at him kneeling on the ground and said quietly, "He is the only son of the Duke's Mansion, and his elder sister is the Noble Consort De in the palace. It's a family of high power and great wealth. If I marry into his family, I'll never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of my life. There will be no sister - in - law above me to make my life difficult, and no younger siblings below me to cause me trouble. He is also willing to propose marriage to me with the courtesy due to a principal wife, and his heart is completely set on me. Cousin, do you think I shouldn't accept?"
Chen Tingfeng clenched his fists. Out of her sight, his face was as cold as ice.
If Fu Zhen were just his cousin and he had never had feelings for her, then a family like the Duke's Mansion would indeed be an excellent destination. Apart from suffering a bit from her mother - in - law for a couple of years, she wouldn't have to worry about anything else. The young man was simple and kind, and seemed easy to deceive. With Fu Zhen's means, she could play with him like a dog.
It was a pity that he, a hypocrite with greedy desires, had come along.
"All the things you mentioned, you can also have if you marry me. In fact, I can do even better than him!" Chen Tingfeng suddenly turned around and grabbed her wrist. The scalding heat seemed to burn all the way to her heart through her skin.
Fu Zhen suddenly opened her eyes wide.
Chen Tingfeng stared at her and said extremely seriously, "Everything that Wei Yuan has, I have too. And things that he doesn't have, I can also obtain. If you want wealth and honor, I can offer you jewels and treasures with both hands. If you're afraid of trouble, I'm also an only son. My only half - sister is only interested in seeking immortality and will never bother you. My parents dote on you very much. If you marry me, you don't have to worry about your in - laws making you angry. Even on the night of our wedding, the power to manage the household will be in your hands."
"Zhenzhen, I'm no worse than others."
So, since she could consider others, why couldn't she just look up and see him?
He, Chen Tingfeng, would only be better than others.
Fu Zhen was greatly shocked for a moment. Looking into his eyes, which now showed a bit of tenderness and determination, she felt extremely dazed.
What he said... seemed to make sense.
The warmth on her wrist was still continuously spreading. The ancestral hall fell silent, and the only sound was the occasional howling of the cold wind hitting the wooden window.
The candle beside burned out and made a "crack" sound, which suddenly woke her up.
No! She didn't say those words to listen to Chen Tingfeng's confession!
She struggled, but Chen Tingfeng held her tighter. Chen Tingfeng stared into her eyes intently, not allowing her to escape even a little bit. "When I said I have feelings for you, I never meant it as a mere joke."
A person like him would never easily fall in love. But once he did, unless he died or his soul disappeared, he would never let go easily.
Fu Zhen was silent. Chen Tingfeng saw her cold expression and his heart skipped a beat. His grip on her wrist loosened slightly, but then he tightened it again the next second.
He wouldn't let go.
"...Do you love me?" Fu Zhen asked.
Chen Tingfeng pursed his lips. "I love you."
His tone was so firm that it seemed if Fu Zhen said she wanted to see his heart the next second, he would take out a dagger and stab it into his chest to cut out his heart for her.
"What if I said," Fu Zhen raised her eyes and looked directly into his eyes, as if trying to see into his heart, "I would die if I got close to you?"
There were too many uncertainties about Chen Tingfeng. She believed that he loved her now, but he was a powerful official. To strive for the throne against all odds, there would inevitably be intrigue. Would this little bit of love be enough in the face of plots and schemes?
Chen Tingfeng felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him on the top of his head. The previous confusion suddenly dissipated in front of his eyes.
So that's it... So that's it.
"Someone around me has targeted you?" The calm eyes that had always been like a still deep pool finally showed a trace of panic. It turned out that he could be flustered too.
Chen Tingfeng staggered to his feet. Having knelt for too long, he could hardly stand up straight. Even the short two steps were extremely painful for him.
His eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed Fu Zhen's shoulders and his eyes kept scanning her body, as if trying to see the injuries she had suffered through this. "Has someone targeted you, Zhenzhen?"
His voice was extremely soft and slow, full of trepidation and hesitation, for fear that if he spoke a bit louder, Fu Zhen in front of him would say something that would make him furious.
He had already sent people to watch over her... He had also been secretly watching! Why could someone still find an opportunity to target her!
He gritted his teeth so hard that his teeth made a "creaking" sound. Anger swept through his mind from his chest, almost burning away his sanity.
Who? Who on earth?
Fu Zhen pursed her lips and reached out to support him, who now looked extremely disheveled. Seeing him anxious and angry for her, and filled with hatred for her sake, the thorn that had been deeply stuck in her heart and had been grinding her to bleed finally softened.
She let out a soft sigh. "There's no danger now, but what about in the future?"
She wasn't injured... This news briefly sobered Chen Tingfeng, who had been blinded by anger. When he heard her question, he grabbed her shoulders and looked at her eagerly with his eyes. "I'll protect you well. I will definitely protect you."
A lie. He clearly hadn't been able to protect her in the previous life.
Fu Zhen suddenly felt her eyes get hot. She couldn't help but turn her head to maintain her calm expression. "What if you can't protect me?"
"That won't happen!" Chen Tingfeng suddenly pulled her into his arms and hugged her so tightly that it seemed he wanted to merge her into his flesh and blood. "It won't..."
Fu Zhen insisted, "What if? What if someone uses me to threaten you, and you have to fight for the throne? How will you choose?"
On one side was Xie Yan, who had grown up with him, and on the other side was the sweetheart he claimed to love. Chen Tingfeng, how would you choose?
Chen Tingfeng's eyes were so red that it seemed they could drip blood.
This was a really difficult question to answer. Even Fu Zhen herself couldn't give a perfect answer when faced with such a question.
If he chose her, he would put his childhood friend in an unjust position. But if he didn't choose her, then what he had said before would be like a castle in the air and would collapse in an instant.
Chen Tingfeng, how will you choose?