Volume One, Chapter 29 Xu Zhi shook off his hand.

Hearing this, Liang Muzi truly felt uneasy. “Grandpa, arranged childhood marriages are outdated, long gone with the Qing Dynasty. People fall in love freely now!”

Grandfather Liang refused to yield. “You’ve had enough freedom. You think we don’t know you secretly race cars? Muzi, you’re an adult. There are things you must understand. No one can have everything they desire. Your engagement with Zhi was settled between your grandfather and me. Though your grandfather has passed, I am still here. The agreement stands.”

Liang Muzi was so angry he wanted to curse, but since it was Grandfather Liang, he had to choose his words carefully.

Suddenly, he remembered something and turned to Xu Zhi. “Little Zhi, say something too. Marriage isn’t something that should…”

He didn’t finish, stopping mid-sentence.

Xu Zhi lowered her head, tears falling in large drops.

Everyone looked at her.

She bit her lip, struggling to speak. “I’m sorry… Aunt Liang, I didn’t mean to deceive anyone, I… I’m sorry…”

Her thoughts were in chaos. She felt aggrieved and unbearably embarrassed, uncertain why she was sitting here, why she was part of this dinner, or why she had to face these questions.

“You should apologize to your uncle, aunt, and Grandfather Liang,” Xu Heping suppressed his anger. “Will you dare lie again?”

Xu Zhi’s shoulders hunched, feeling pierced by their gazes.

Her voice was faint, tinged with sobs. “I won’t lie anymore, I… I really didn’t mean to…”

Liang Muzi fell silent, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.

Xu Zhi was too sensitive. For him, such criticism was nothing, but she had always been the good girl in everyone’s eyes, probably never subjected to such questioning and reproach.

His mind was blank, his heart twisted in pain, and he couldn’t find words.

Zhao Nianqiao tried to ease the tension. “Old Liang, Zhi did wrong here. We’ll talk to her properly later and promise it won’t happen again. Is that alright?”

Liang Zhenguo hadn’t intended to make things difficult for Xu Zhi. Now that the girl was crying, he couldn’t continue. “Enough, don’t scold her anymore. I know Zhi is sensitive. I’m not trying to make things hard for her, but I think this matter should be clarified. Let’s eat.”

But, after such words, no one felt like eating.

Xu Zhi wanted her tears to stop, but she couldn’t; her tear glands seemed out of control.

This embarrassment was unprecedented for her.

All the grievances she had suffered recently surged in her heart, and she felt she was on the verge of collapse.

She wondered if, perhaps, she wouldn’t feel so miserable if she didn’t like Liang Muzi. She hadn’t yet recovered from the pain of heartbreak, and now had to face this.

And Chen Jing, always favored, remained an outsider—never scolded, never reproached, free to act spoiled with Liang Muzi, whom he would indulge regardless.

The shadow that had hung over her since childhood enveloped her once again, proving only one thing: she was someone not loved.

At some point, the dinner table grew quiet. Though others tried to feign calm and act as if nothing had happened, Xu Zhi bit her lip, unable to suppress her sobs.

Xu Heping’s face darkened as he shouted, “Why are you crying? You’re the one who did wrong, yet you still have the nerve to cry!”

Zhao Nianqiao frowned, then smiled apologetically at Grandfather Liang and Liang Zhenguo. “We’ve had enough to eat. I’ll take Zhi home first, you all continue chatting.”

With that, she got up and gently pulled Xu Zhi. “Let’s go home.”

Xu Zhi couldn’t control her emotions, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she rose obediently.

Suddenly, her wrist tightened.

Liang Muzi had grabbed her.

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Xu Zhi shook off his hand.

After Zhao Nianqiao left with Xu Zhi, Liang Muzi stared at his own palm in a daze.

Xu Zhi hadn’t looked at him once as she left.

Young Master Liang, used to being domineering, had never learned self-reflection.

He never thought he was wrong—whether fighting for Chen Jing or asking Xu Zhi to lie for him. But now, he began to wonder if he shouldn’t have acted that way.

Xu Zhi had cried so heartbreakingly; he hadn’t seen her cry like this in a long time.

In truth, Xu Zhi was once a little crybaby—only he knew.

Xu Heping favored sons over daughters and treated Xu Zhi harshly; Zhao Nianqiao sometimes blamed her own misfortunes on her daughter and wasn’t particularly kind. As a child, Xu Zhi often cried over these things, feeling unloved by her parents.

He was the one who listened.

He would pat her back like a little adult, telling her everything would pass, assuring her, “It’s alright, you have me, I’ll always be here for you.”

He said “You have me” so often it seemed to really work; Xu Zhi relied on him, gradually growing stronger and no longer fixating on her parents’ shortcomings.

In his memory, she hadn’t cried like this in a very long time.

Liang Muzi remained lost in thought for a long time, not realizing when the dinner truly ended. Suddenly, he stood up and strode out.

“Muzi, where are you going?” Fu Wanwen called after him.

He didn’t answer or look back; he broke into a run, leaving the villa and stopping at the Xu family’s door, forcefully pressing the doorbell.

Zhao Nianqiao remotely unlocked the gate. Liang Muzi entered, heading straight to the main house, slightly out of breath as he asked, “Auntie, where’s Little Zhi?”

“She went straight upstairs to her room,” Zhao Nianqiao shrugged. “I think she’s still crying.”

“I’ll go check on her,” Liang Muzi said, heading toward the stairs.

“Wait,” Zhao Nianqiao stopped him. “Muzi, from what you said earlier, you don’t want to accept the childhood engagement with Zhi, do you?”

Liang Muzi froze.

“Do you?” Zhao Nianqiao pressed.

“I…” He paused. “I just think childhood engagements are old-fashioned. Zhi and I have a different mindset.”

Zhao Nianqiao said, “Don’t beat around the bush. Be honest—you don’t like Zhi, right?”

The question was sharp; Liang Muzi found it hard to answer. After a moment, he said, “Little Zhi is a very important friend to me. I see her as a sister.”

Zhao Nianqiao stared at him, as if examining him.

Liang Muzi felt uneasy. “Auntie, I’d like to go upstairs to see her.”

Zhao Nianqiao moved to block his path.

“In that case, please keep your distance from Zhi in the future. After all, you’re not children anymore,” her tone cooled. “Without blood ties, don’t call her your sister. It’s not good for Zhi, and it will hurt your future girlfriend as well.”

Liang Muzi was stunned.

He hadn’t expected Zhao Nianqiao to forbid him from seeing Xu Zhi.