C19

Although Xie Xuan was the third son of the Xie family, he was being groomed as the successor. As long as Xie Xuan was alive, he was undoubtedly the next head of the Xie family. The Xie family was known for keeping their word, and with the future head publicly proposing, as long as Chu Jiuge agreed, there would be no issue.

Marrying into the Xie family as Xie Xuan's savior meant that, given the Xie family's generosity, as long as Chu Jiuge didn't make any reckless decisions, she could live comfortably. Xie Xuan's proposal was indeed tempting. Besides his status, Xie Xuan's appearance matched Chu Jiuge's preferences. He was the epitome of a gentleman—graceful and composed, even when disheveled, he exuded charm. Just looking at him was pleasing.

Marrying such a man, even without love, Chu Jiuge was confident she could live well and be happy. But she couldn't marry him. Her original wish was to marry the North King, and she could only, and must, marry him.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but I cannot marry you."

"Why?" Was there really a woman who could refuse his proposal?

"Why?" Could it be that Chu Jiuge was refusing for his sake?

The first "why" was from Xie Xuan, and the second was from Xiao Jing'an.

"If I have to marry everyone I save, how many people would that be? I saved you, and the Xie family will help me deal with those two people, which is more than enough." Chu Jiuge wasn't greedy, even though she felt she was already asking for a lot.

"It's different, you did it for me..."

"Stop!" Chu Jiuge interrupted Xie Xuan. "It's all the same. Today, it just happened to be you. If it were someone else, I wouldn't stand by and watch them die either. All you need to do is keep your promise, help me deal with those two, and ensure I can get married tomorrow."

She had to fulfill her original wish.

"You still want to marry the North King? I can speak to the Emperor and have the engagement canceled. Don't worry, the North King won't trouble you." After everything that happened, Chu Jiuge couldn't naively believe the North King wouldn't care, right?

Let's not even mention how Chu Jiuge shocked everyone by kissing him in public. Just the incident at the city gate alone is enough for the North King to take offense. Eloping, fighting, writing love letters to Xiao Jing'an, offending the Xiao and Yuan families... any of these would make a man think twice about marrying her.

"No need, I will marry him." She had to marry, even though...

She felt she really shouldn't marry.

"If you're going to marry the North King, why did you write a love letter to Jing'an and ask him to elope with you? What are you trying to say?" Yuan Yunhua, who had been held back by Xiao Jing'an and couldn't speak, finally got her chance and immediately challenged Chu Jiuge.

"If I say I didn't write it, would you believe me?" Chu Jiuge asked Yuan Yunhua, but her eyes were on Xiao Jing'an. To her, Xiao Jing'an was good-looking, sure, but he was just a boy, a kid. No matter how desperate she was, she wouldn't go for someone so young.

Compared to Xiao Jing'an, she appreciated the maturity of Xie Xuan more. Unfortunately, she was already taken.

"The letter is in your handwriting, and you used the peach blossom paper that only you make. You say it wasn't you, but who would believe that?" Yuan Yunhua looked at Chu Jiuge with a smug expression, clearly not buying it.

Chu Jiuge didn't bother explaining further. Instead, she looked at Yuan Yunhua with a mischievous glint. "Miss Yuan, now that the Third Young Master is alive, aren't you going to kneel and apologize to me?"

She was quite petty and held grudges. Since Yuan Yunhua kept picking on her, she couldn't be blamed for being rude.

"You..." Yuan Yunhua's face turned pale, and she instinctively moved closer to Xiao Jing'an.

"What? Want to back out? Is this how prestigious families teach their children? Can't handle losing?" Chu Jiuge taunted, making Yuan Yunhua's face darken, which only made the scars on her face look more menacing.

Seeing the situation for what it was, Jiuge decided to let it go. "If you can't handle losing, then so be it. It's just a bet. Miss Yuan, if you want to settle it, fine. If not, that's okay too."

With that, Jiuge didn't give Yunhua a chance to respond. She nodded to Xie Xuan, leaving the flustered Yunhua behind as she headed back to the Chu residence. After all, she still had to return to the Chu family for her upcoming marriage.

Before leaving, Jiuge glanced toward the city gate and noticed the maid in pink, who had betrayed her, was indeed still there. Unbothered, Jiuge smiled and walked away with confidence.

A maid who betrays her master won't meet a good end. Jiuge didn't need to lift a finger; someone else would handle her.