Chapter 634: 565 doesn’t want you to miss out on love
She watched Zhongli Wuzhi’s retreating figure, her facial expression growing increasingly ugly. Inhaling and exhaling, inhaling and exhaling, she felt the oppression in her chest growing rather than subsiding.
Little Snowball approached her feet, sniffing, and was about to jump on her when it saw Song Lili pick up a throw pillow from the couch and toss it away.
Even though the pillow wasn’t thrown at Little Snowball, the action scared it enough to dart away immediately.
It lay on the carpet not too far away, blinking its eyes at Song Lili, confused.
"Absolutely idiotic!"
Initially, she had only heard from Wen Nian that Zhongli Wuzhi’s marriage was his way of punishing himself, and she didn’t entirely believe it. Now, after having communicated with Zhongli Wuzhi herself, she knew that he really held that belief. He even spoke so self-righteously, and anger truly surged from all over her body to her heart.
With the discomfort stifled inside her, she couldn’t help but erupt!
It was at that moment that Lu Xiaoer, who had been standing behind the staircase on the second floor, slowly started to come downstairs.
Hearing the footsteps, Song Lili involuntarily swallowed and composed herself. She turned to face Lu Xiaoer,
"Will you stay the night here?"
"No, I want to go home, there’s still quite a lot I haven’t packed up."
Lu Xiaoer’s face also looked terrible, but she still forced a smile and pointed toward the door,
"You don’t need to see me out; the driver is waiting outside."
After she finished speaking, she headed straight for the porch... Song Lili took a deep breath and hurriedly went forward to grab Lu Xiaoer,
"You heard everything..."
"...No."
"Xiaoer, you definitely heard it all."
Song Lili forcefully pulled her back and made her sit down on the sofa.
Lu Xiaoer looked somewhat absent-mindedly at the coffee table, which still had the tea Uncle Wei had prepared for Zhongli Wuzhi, the tea still warm...
"You called me here because you wanted me to learn that he married Princess Chinian for reasons other than love."
"No."
Song Lili hastily explained,
"I asked you to come here in hopes that you would give Zhongli Wuzhi another chance. Zhongli Wuzhi and Chinian may have a hundred reasons to get married, but not one of them is because of love."
Lu Xiaoer took a deep breath,
"Two days ago, Uncle Zhongli and Auntie went to my house early in the morning."
"..."
Lu Xiaoer looked at Song Lili, giving her a smile, "You know? It turns out Uncle Zhongli and Auntie really took a liking to me."
"They went to see you? Is it because they too hope that you’ll give Wuzhi another chance?"
"I used to worry that being so stubborn in my ways and having an extreme personality, I might not be well-received if I married into someone else’s family. Especially... you know, whenever my dad and Uncle Zhongli Yuting meet, they just bicker."
Lu Xiaoer clasped her hands tightly,
"Uncle Zhongli and Auntie spoke a lot to my dad, and he was even scared by it. He must have never seen Uncle Zhongli submit to him that way before... That day, I was also hiding upstairs, telling myself not to listen, then couldn’t help but worry..."
"Xiaoer, in one’s life, one truly should... follow one’s heart, or else, you’ll regret it."
Song Lili advised earnestly.
Lu Xiaoer let out a long sigh and fixed her gaze on Lili,
"He, Zhongli Wuzhi, did what he desired, what he felt was right. Consequently, no one has the right to interfere with him."
"The hurt you received, it originated from Princess Chinian."
"..." Lu Xiaoer pursed her lips. Earlier, while upstairs, she had vaguely heard a snippet of the conversation between Song Lili and Zhongli Wuzhi.
But she was not clear about the specific details.
Song Lili looked at Lu Xiaoer and told her everything that happened between Princess Chinian and Zhongli Wuzhi at the Anlin Dingsheng Hot Spring Hotel that day.
Lu Xiaoer’s face showed surprise, but that flicker of astonishment vanished in an instant.
She was clearly forcing herself to reject understanding anything that Zhongli Wuzhi had done or said.
"Even after discovering the drugs used by Princess Chinian, Zhongli Wuzhi never mentioned it to Wen Nian."
"That day, when I tried to help him out of a tough spot, he stubbornly refused, pretending to be charmed by the Princess. But in reality, his mind was clearer than anyone’s."
"He followed that lead and found many more clues. The most crucial piece of physical evidence for the court’s case was also found by Zhongli."
"So, he knew that the trap set by Princess Chinian would hurt you."
"That is... the thing that Zhongli Wuzhi found most unbearable; thus, he decided to marry Princess Chinian. By marrying her, he could blatantly neglect her, deceive her. He wanted to seek justice for you in his own way."
"Xiaoer, Zhongli Wuzhi is a very smart man, you’ve been with him long enough to know that... But you also see how foolish he is being now."
"Not for anyone else, it was just for you."
Song Lili said a lot in one breath, somewhat urgently.
She didn’t have time to worry whether her words might be misunderstood; she just wanted to pour all the critical information into Lu Xiaoer’s mind in this brief moment.
"..."
Lu Xiaoer fell completely silent, not even sighing, just sitting quietly on the sofa.
Her gaze remained fixed on the cup of cold tea on the coffee table.
"Xiaoer, if what happened between you and Zhongli Wuzhi today were to happen to me and Ah Nian, I believe you would persuade me as well."
Lu Xiaoer’s brows furrowed as she looked at Song Lili, "I wouldn’t."
"You would."
Song Lili confidently said, "Because you know Wen Nian is my beloved. Because you wouldn’t let me miss out on my lover."
"..."
"Wuzhi made mistakes; he messed up by being impulsive, without considering the consequences."
"He messed up by not protecting you when you were in danger, by allowing you to get hurt, by letting you suffer."
"He knows he can’t get your forgiveness, so he respects your decision, but doesn’t his heart ache?"
"Betting his own marriage to punish himself, to punish Princess Chinian. Such foolish actions that even Old Master Zhongli and Lady Zhongli can’t persuade him to give up. How much resentment, how much hatred must he carry inside to choose such an extreme path?"
"Xiaoer, I guarantee with my integrity, Zhongli Wuzhi truly loves you."
"..."
Lu Xiaoer looked at Song Lili in stunned silence.
Her friend, defending Zhongli Wuzhi to this extent.
"By leaving, you let Zhongli Wuzhi compound his errors. What could have been healed will become a perpetual wound, bleeding from time to time."
"Even so... it’s the consequences of his own actions."
Lu Xiaoer moved her lips as she spoke, but her tone wasn’t firm, and there was hesitation in her eyes.
"Xiaoer..."
"Lili, stop talking. I’m really tired."
Lu Xiaoer stood up and walked away. Song Lili wanted to stop her but saw Lu Xiaoer stretch out her hand first to prevent her.
"..."
Song Lili pressed her lips together and then let out a long sigh.
————
On May 6th, at Anlin Dingsheng Hot Spring Hotel.
The wedding of Zhongli Wuzhi and Princess Chinian was held there.