Lu Hong thought his mind was well hidden, but in fact everyone could see it clearly.

  As for family background, Ling Jingxian's marriage to Lu Hong was a compromise. However, Ling Jingxian was stunningly beautiful and exceptionally talented, one of a kind. Lu Hong also adored her, so this union wasn't entirely unsuitable.

  Deep down, Lu An didn't reject the idea of marrying into the Ling family either. At this time, the four members of the family were talking among themselves, with no outsiders present. Lu An also didn't bother to hide it and asked very directly.

  Lu Hong's handsome face first turned bright red, then pale, his complexion changing unpredictably.

  Lu An was not very patient and frowned again: "You have no intention of marrying Sister Ju?"

  Poor Lu Hong, the pride and self-esteem of his youth were severely wounded by Ling Jingxu yesterday, and later he couldn't bear Lu Qian's questioning again and reopened the wound. Now Lu An has come to ask questions again...

  Lu Hong was too ashamed to speak the truth, so he steeled himself and replied: "I only have fraternal feelings for my cousin, nothing more." Before Lu An could say anything, he continued: "Father, I now only want to focus on studying hard, wait until I pass the imperial examination and have a promising future before getting married. I hope you will support me!"

  "Nonsense!" Lu An's face sank: "You just took the prefectural exam last year, and you'll have to wait a few more years before taking the provincial exam. After passing the provincial exam, there are still the metropolitan exam and the palace exam. Until you have made a name for yourself, who knows when that will be? Must one not get married if they haven't become a scholar-official in a day? You don't like Ruan'er, so this marriage arrangement is off. When we return to Hebei, I'll find another suitable match for you."

  Lu An's face sank, and everyone present held their breath in anxiety.

  Lu Hong was unwilling in his heart, but he didn't dare to refute, and hung his head without a word.

  Ling's expression changed for a moment, and then he reacted, hurriedly laughing to smooth things over: "Master, please calm down. Ah Hui is diligent and progressive, not wanting to get married early is also a good thing. Since Ah Hui and Jie'er don't have this fate, the engagement doesn't need to be mentioned again. Fortunately, I've never mentioned this in front of Fifth Brother, so there's no awkwardness..."

  "A voice suddenly rang out: 'Mother, I want to marry Sister Yu!'"

  Ling: "......"

  Lu Hong: "......"

  Lu An: “......”

  The six paths' line of sight suddenly shifted towards Lu Qian, who had spoken astonishing words.

  Three people looked as if they had swallowed eggs whole, each one's face more colorful than the last. Especially Lu Xiong, whose face was filled with shock and astonishment.

  Lu Qian seemed to be unaware of how shocking his words were and repeated them again: "Big brother has no intention of marrying Sister Jie, he is unwilling to go through with this marriage. I like Sister Jie, I want to marry her as my wife."

  Ling's mind was in a mess, and he blurted out: "Nonsense! How old are you? You're still just a child who doesn't understand things. What do you know about liking or not liking? Even if it were to be married, it would be years from now..."

  "I'm twelve, only two years younger than my cousin. I know what it means to like someone. I like my cousin and want to spend the rest of my life with her. I'm not yet an adult, so we can first get engaged. In four years, when I'm sixteen and she's eighteen, I'll marry her."

  Lu Qian wasn't joking, he was being serious.

  Ling's face turned pale as he took a deep breath. Just as he was about to speak, Lu An's angry voice rang out: "A lifetime of great things, how can you be so flippant! There is an order to seniority, your older brother has not yet engaged, where does it concern you?"

  In the Lu family, Lu An was a stern father who brooked no disobedience. His wives and children all trembled with fear in his presence and dared not to contradict him arbitrarily.

  Ling saw Lu An get angry, his heart trembled, and he hastily gave a wink to Lu Qian. Hurry up and apologize to your father!

  Lu Qian looked at Ling with an anxious gaze, but didn't see him. He raised his head and said: "Big brother has been clever since childhood, and has a natural talent for reading books. So he doesn't want to get married early and divide his attention, in the future big brother will definitely pass the imperial examination and bring glory to our family. I am the youngest son of the family, my natural ability is far inferior to that of big brother, and in the future I probably won't have much prospects in reading books either. It's better to get married early and have children, to continue the legacy of our Lu family."

  "Moreover, although I am still underage, I am very clear about my own intentions. When I meet a woman I like, of course, I want to take her home as my wife. What's wrong with that?"

  This seemingly reasonable but actually fallacious argument sounds quite plausible.

  Lu An was provoked by his youngest son, and he was quite annoyed in his heart. However, he did not let anger overwhelm him, and after calming down and thinking for a moment, he had to admit that Lu Qian's words made sense.

  As long as Ling Jing can be married into the Lu family, whether as the eldest son's wife or the youngest son's wife, it doesn't make much difference...

  Lu An's expression relaxed, and Lu Qian's heart was instantly invigorated. He looked at Ling with a pleading gaze: "Mother, I've grown up so big, but I've never liked someone like this before. If I can marry my cousin as my wife, I'll be content for the rest of my life, without any regrets."

  Her face was youthful, but her expression was like an adult's.

  It gives people a kind of inexplicable sense of discord.

  Ling's eyes flashed with anger as he glared at Lu Qian, "You're only twelve years old, your future is long ahead of you, what are you talking about 'this lifetime' for? Isn't that ridiculous!"

  "Making a marriage is not a trivial matter. You must think carefully before speaking out. You keep saying you like your sister-in-law, but it may just be a temporary impulse, or perhaps it's just sibling affection. If the marriage is really settled, then there can be no regrets later on."

  Ling's tone also relaxed a lot.

  Lu Qian's heart was filled with great joy, and without hesitation, he said: "Mother, rest assured, I will never regret it."

  Being able to spend his whole life with Ling Jingxuan was the greatest obsession of his past life. Reborn and returned, his love for her not only did not diminish, but instead became even more intense. How could he possibly regret it?

  Ling and Lu An exchanged a glance, paused for a moment, then said: "This is not a trivial matter, let me discuss it with your father for a few days before making a decision."

  Lu Qian suppressed the excitement in her heart and returned to her usual obedience: "Thank you, Father and Mother."

  ......

  Lu Hong did not make a sound.

  He stared at Lu Qian in shock, as if he had never seen him before.

  The words spoken with Lu Qian yesterday are still in my ears. Lu Qian's meticulous and caring comfort is remembered clearly... Why did it become like this after just one night?

  When did Lu Qian have unusual thoughts about Ling Jingxu?

  He actually didn't notice at all?

  Then the two brothers went to Yonghe Hall with Lu An and his wife, as usual, to pay their respects and chat with their cousins. Then the guests who came to celebrate the birthday arrived one by one, and the noise was no less than yesterday.

  Lu Hong's thoughts were in disarray, his mind preoccupied with worries, and he muddled through the day.

  Until nightfall, Lu Hong finally got the chance to speak with Lu Qian alone: "Second brother, follow me, I have something to ask you." His expression didn't look too good and his voice was somewhat stifled.

  Lu Qian had expected this and was not surprised at all. He nodded calmly and followed Lu Hong into the house.

  This calm and composed attitude made Lu Hong even more suffocated with anger. A nameless fire was burning fiercely in his heart, and his handsome face also sank: "Second brother, were the words you said this morning serious? Do you really want to marry your cousin?"

  Lu Qian raised his head and instead of answering, asked: "Big brother, do you think I would joke about something as important as my lifelong matter?"

  A lifetime's major events in four words, sounds extremely harsh.

  Lu Hong stared at Lu Qian's still immature face, and suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly: "I'm really too stupid. The two of us brothers have been together day and night, you know my thoughts like the back of your hand, but I didn't know you also had a crush on our cousin Rong."

  No wonder Lu Qian was unusually concerned about him and Ling Jingxu!

  No wonder Lu Qian was so anxious to ask yesterday!

  He wasn't concerned about himself at all, but rather wanted to confirm that he had completely given up on himself because of Ling Jingxuan's rejection!

  This feeling of betrayal made Lu Hong's heart ache, and his words lost their usual humility: "Second brother, originally Father and Mother were planning to propose a marriage for me. If I had agreed at the time, what would you have done?"

  A hint of sharp sarcasm crept into his tone.

  Lu Qian's expression remained unchanged: "Since big brother has refused, why think about it anymore."

  How can he not think more?

  "Jiamei should be my wife!" Lu Hong glared at Lu Qian, gritting his teeth and squeezing out a few words: "You're doing this, clearly taking something that belongs to me."

  That sentence struck a chord in Lu's heart, hitting his weakest spot.

  Lu Qian's expression also changed, and he said coldly: "Big brother says such things, I'm afraid it's not proper! Unmarried men and women, what's the point of fighting over it? Moreover, this is a marriage that you first gave up on, and I was the one who begged Father and Mother to reconsider. Does that mean that if you don't marry her, I can't marry her either?"

  Lu Hong: “......”

  Lu Hong had never thought that Lu Qian's words would be so sharp and piercing, his handsome face suddenly turned red and white. The anger in his heart grew more intense: "Lu Qian! I gave up on the marriage because she didn't like me, I didn't want to force her into something difficult, I didn't want to coerce her into marrying me. But you, knowing that I have feelings for her, still asked our parents to propose a marriage between us. Isn't this taking away someone's loved one?"

  Lu Qian's eyes suddenly flashed with a frightening light, his expression gloomy: "Whatever you think. In short, I must marry her!"

  Lu Hongqi's handsome face turned pale.

  Lu Qian no longer looked at Lu Hong and turned around to leave.

  "Wait!" Lu Hong suppressed his anger and shouted at Lu Qian: "You insist on marrying your cousin, I have nothing to say. However, I want you to promise me one thing."

  Lu Qian stopped in his tracks and turned around to ask: "What's up?"

  "I want you to promise me that before making any marriage proposal, you must express your intentions to my cousin and get her consent." Lu Hong took a deep breath and continued: "If she is unwilling, you cannot force her."

  Lu Qian thought for a moment and then agreed: "Alright, I promise you. After the birthday banquet of my great-grandmother is over, I will go find her."

  ......