C19 Chapter 19

Though Xie Xuan was the Third Young Master of the Xie family, he had been raised as the heir. As long as Xie Xuan lived, he was unquestionably the next head of the Xie family.

The Xie family stood by their word. With the future head of the family publicly asking for her hand, if Chu Jiuge agreed, the marriage would be all but settled.

And if she married into the Xie family as Xie Xuan’s savior, then given the Xie family’s fairness, as long as Chu Jiuge didn’t do anything reckless, she would live very comfortably there...

It had to be said, Xie Xuan’s proposal was deeply tempting. And even setting his status aside, his looks were exactly Chu Jiuge’s type.

Xie Xuan was the very picture of a gentleman—graceful, refined, and dignified. Even with his clothes in disarray, he still carried himself with effortless elegance. Just looking at him was a pleasure.

Marrying a man like that, even without love between them, Chu Jiuge was sure she would live well and be happy, but...

She couldn’t marry him.

The original host’s wish was to marry the North Duke. She could only, and had to, marry the North Duke.

“Thank you for your kindness, Third Young Master, but I can’t marry you.”

“Why?” There was actually a woman in this world who could refuse his proposal?

“Why?” If Chu Jiuge wouldn’t marry him, could it be because of me?

...

The two questions came one after the other. The first was from Xie Xuan, the second from Xiao Jing'an.

“If I had to marry every person I saved, how many husbands would I have by now? I saved you, and the Xie family is helping me deal with those two people and will owe me one more favor after that. That’s enough.” Chu Jiuge wasn’t greedy, though she knew she was already asking for quite a lot.

“That’s not the same. You, for me...”

“Stop.” Chu Jiuge cut Xie Xuan off. “It’s exactly the same. It just happened to be you today. If it had been anyone else, I still wouldn’t have stood by and let them die. Third Young Master, all you need to do is keep your promise, help me deal with those two, and make sure I can get married tomorrow without any trouble.”

That was the original host’s wish. She had to fulfill it.

“You still want to marry the North Duke? I can speak to the Emperor for you and have the engagement called off. Don’t worry, the North Duke won’t make things hard for you.” After everything that had happened, Chu Jiuge couldn’t possibly believe the North Duke would be completely unfazed, could she?

Leaving aside the fact that Chu Jiuge had done something utterly shocking by kissing him in public, lips pressed together and tongues tangled, just what happened at the city gate was enough that the North Duke couldn’t possibly ignore it.

Running away together, fighting in public, writing Jing’an a love letter asking him to elope with her, offending both the Xiao and Yuan families... any one of those things would be enough to make a man refuse to marry her.

“No need. I’m getting married.” She had to get married, even though...

She felt like she really shouldn’t.

“If you were really going to marry the North Duke, then why did you write Jing’an a love letter and ask him to run away with you? What exactly were you trying to do?” Yuen Yunhua had been held back by Xiao Jing’an the whole time and hadn’t had a chance to speak. The second she got one, she went straight for Chu Jiuge.

“If I said I didn’t write it, would you believe me?” Chu Jiuge said it to Yuen Yunhua, but her eyes were fixed on Xiao Jing’an.

Sure, Xiao Jing’an was good-looking, but to her he was just a kid, a little brother. No matter how desperate she was... there was no way she’d ever go after someone that young.

Compared to Xiao Jing’an, she preferred someone mature like Xie Xuan. Too bad... he was already taken.

“The letter is in your handwriting, and it was written on peach blossom stationery that only you know how to make. If you say you didn’t write it, who’s supposed to believe that?” Yuen Yunhua lifted her chin, clearly unconvinced.

Chu Jiuge didn’t bother explaining again. Instead, she gave Yuen Yunhua a pointed look. “Miss Yuan, now that the Third Young Master is alive, shouldn’t you be getting on your knees and apologizing to me?”

She was petty by nature. She remembered kindness, but she never forgot a grudge either. Yuen Yunhua had gone after her again and again, so she couldn’t blame Chu Jiuge for dropping the niceties.

“You...” Yuen Yunhua’s face went pale, and she instinctively edged closer to Xiao Jing’an.

“What? You planning to back out now? Is that how great noble families teach their children? You can dish it out, but you can’t take it?” Chu Jiuge sneered. Yuen Yunhua’s face darkened, making the wound on her cheek look even more vicious.

Chu Jiuge knew when to stop pushing. “If you can’t handle losing, then just say so. It was only a bet. If Miss Yuen wants to honor it, she can. If not, forget it.”

After saying that, Chu Jiuge didn’t give Yuen Yunhua a chance to respond. She said a quick word to Xie Xuan, left the furious Yuen Yunhua behind, and headed back toward Chu Mansion...

She still had to return to the Chu family to get married.

Before leaving, Chu Jiuge deliberately glanced toward the city gate and saw that the maid in pink who had betrayed her was, just as expected, still there.

Chu Jiuge didn’t care. With a calm smile, she walked away...

A servant who betrays her master never ends well. She wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—someone else would deal with her...