Chapter 583: 583: Then Marry Me_1

Xiaobei finished speaking all at once and then lowered his head, nervously afraid to look at Xiumei, holding the brocade box high in his hands.

Xiumei froze, her mind buzzing.

It took a moment for her to understand.

Xiaobei had just proposed to her!

Good heavens! Xiaobei had asked for her hand in marriage!

Xiumei had never thought about it before, not knowing when Xiaobei started to have feelings for her.

Xiumei intended to reject Xiaobei by saying she didn’t plan to get married, but as the words came to her lips, an image of the imposing Xu Zhengyong suddenly flashed in her mind…

He was in full armor, carrying an aura of grandeur, his face smudged with dirt, looking weary and travel-worn.

Just as she was thinking, the figure in her mind transformed into the one in front of her—Xu Zhengyong went from her mind to reality, looking straight at her and Xiaobei…

Xu Zhengyong, having a day off, rushed to King Rui Residence to reunite with Wei Ruo and others.

He was travel-worn, having ridden half a day alone on his horse.

As soon as he dismounted, he rushed towards the backyard, only to stumble upon Xiumei and Xiaobei, who were conversing in the corner of the long corridor.

Xiumei, looking at Xiaobei then at Xu Zhengyong, didn’t know how to respond and abruptly turned and ran away.

“Lady Xiumei…”

Xiaobei was unsure whether he should chase her.

Just as he was hesitating, Xu Zhengyong darted off after her like a gust of wind.

Xiumei ran out of King Rui Residence, heading to the outskirts.

She ran past two streets and reached the outskirts—a vast field, with diligent farmers working on the frozen ground.

Running along the field, Xiumei was finally caught up by Xu Zhengyong.

“Meimei!” Using his lightness skill, Xu Zhengyong soared to reach Xiumei. “Meimei, stop running! Why are you running?”

Xiumei looked at the tall figure standing before her, unable at the moment to explain why she was running.

“Meimei, what’s wrong?”, Xu Zhengyong asked with concern.

“Why are you chasing me? Our Miss has arranged for you to meet with several eligible young ladies!”, Xiumei muttered.

“Ruo Ruo arranging for me to meet with young ladies has nothing to do with me chasing you.” Said Xu Zhengyong, “I can’t just abandon my childhood sweetheart because I’m getting married, can I?”

“You…”

Hearing Xu Zhengyong’s words, Xiumei felt a surge of anger for no apparent reason.

But when she pointed at Xu Zhengyong, she didn’t know what to say.

“Forget it, I won’t argue with you. You can go do whatever you want, just leave me alone!” Xiumei grumbled.

“How could I ignore you? You ran out of the house for a few miles, acting so strange. Of course, I need to find out what’s going on!”

Xu Zhengyong continued to ask, “Did that guy upset you? Just say the word, and I’ll go back and give him a lesson.”

“No, no!”

Xiumei quickly stopped Xu Zhengyong.

“Then why did you run away when you saw me?” Xu Zhengyong pressed.

“Can’t I avoid seeing you?”

“No, you can argue with me over who’s older or younger, but you can’t run away when you see me.” Xu Zhengyong sternly proclaimed, displaying an unexpected domineering manner.

Having been in the military for some days, there was quite a change in him. He sounded more forceful than before when he spoke.

“Why do you care about me so much? You’re about to get married, and you’re still bothering me. What’s that about? Although we spent our childhood together, we’ve grown up now. We’re of marrying age. It’s not appropriate for us to meet privately like this anymore!”

“Then agree to marry me. That way, I won’t have to meet other women or avoid you.” Xu Zhengyong immediately proposed a solution.

“What nonsense are you talking about! Who wants to marry you? And who said they would marry you just to continue seeing you?” Xiumei was on the brink of anger.

“Who said I just want to marry you to continue seeing you? When my mother asked about my marriage, I naturally thought of you. I even specifically asked Ruoruo about it. But you didn’t want to, so I didn’t force you!”

Xiumei stood stunned for a moment, suddenly recalling that her mistress had indeed mentioned matchmaking for her during their earlier stay at the Hejian Prefecture manor. She had sternly refused.

“How… how can you be so casual, looking for someone else when I don’t agree! Is it that as long as a woman agrees, you’re good to go?” Xiumei protested.

“Who said I would agree to marry any woman? It was just a delaying tactic. They can find me whoever they want, but none of them will be to my liking. I am just doing this to give my mother peace of mind, so she doesn’t worry about me not getting married!” Xu Zhengyong declared loudly.

Having spent much time in the military, he was used to talking in a loud tone.

He looked serious and rough when he was stern, yet his words were a sincere confession of his feelings.

Xiumei’s eyes widened: “You don’t really want to meet those women?”

“Why would I bother looking at those delicate and weak women? If I’m getting married, I’ll marry you! No one else! If you won’t marry me, then I won’t marry at all!”

Now, Xiumei was completely dumbfounded.

Within a day, she had been proposed to by two men, leaving her completely dazed.

“Um, I… I should go back. The miss will be worried if she can’t find me.”

Xiumei slipped away from Zhengyong and walked back with quick steps.

Her mind was in chaos at the moment, and she had no idea what to do.

Walking right behind Xiumei, Zhengyong didn’t dare to provoke her again. They maintained a three-step distance as they headed back to King Rui Residence – one in front, one following.

On seeing Xiumei walk into the room, looking distracted, Wei Ruo immediately came forward to inquire.

“My dear Meimei, what happened to you?”

Wei Ruo pulled Xiumei over to her and provided a stool for her to sit down.

“Come, tell me, what happened?” Wei Ruo held Xiumei’s hand, ready to listen patiently.

“Miss, Xiaoyong said he wants to marry me. What’s going on? How can Xiaoyong want to marry me? We… we always quarrel!” Xiumei looked baffled.

Wei Ruo responded, “Xiaoyong did indeed wish to marry you. He mentioned it to me before, rather seriously. However, as you hadn’t considered it, he respected your decision and never brought it up again.”

“So, Miss, you knew about it beforehand?”

“Yes, he discussed it with me.”

“But don’t you find it strange, Miss? Whenever we see each other, we start arguing, like mortal enemies from a past life! How could he suddenly change, wanting to marry me?”

“I don’t quite understand either. But judging from what I know about Xiaoyong, he may like to joke around and make snide remarks, but he is not one to fool around when it comes to serious matters. Since he said it to you as such, he must genuinely want to marry you. He wouldn’t jest about that.”