Until the other party pushed the man into the room, Ning Qiuxiu regretfully pressed the elevator’s close button and rummaged through the original owner’s memories about this person.

Zhan Qingyue, the older brother of the male lead Zhan Qingyuan.

In the novel, this character is just a backdrop, as he has always been in a vegetative state…

According to the book, as the eldest son, Zhan Qingyue was heavily relied upon from a young age.

He took over the family business before graduating from college due to his father’s severe illness.

In just a few years, he became a prominent figure in the business world.

With his good looks, he was the ideal male lead setup in the novel.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the male lead’s fate.

The author made him so outstanding only to have him get into an accident, become a vegetable, and allow the second-generation male lead to grow into a domineering president because of it.

…So tragic.

As soon as Ning Qiuxiu reached the first floor, she was caught by Wen Ling, who said with a bad expression, “I heard Qingyuan brought a girlfriend back. What’s going on? Didn’t he have a betrothal with you?”

…Here we go again.

As a female character who is obsessed with the male lead, Ning Qiuxiu was expected to be furious upon hearing he brought a girlfriend back.

She should have used their betrothal as an excuse to cause a big scene…

But Ning Qiuxiu really couldn’t do that.

She could only say, “Maybe she’s better at charming him than I am.”

“Vixen!” Wen Ling stamped her foot. “Don’t be afraid. Mom will take care of it. Let’s go find Old Master Zhan.”

“……”

Mrs. Ning, what kind of mindset makes you so keen on having Zhan Qingyuan as your son-in-law?

Ning Qiuxiu rubbed her forehead, about to refuse, when Wen Ling saw the male lead and the female lead walking from the side and quickly moved past them.

Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t stop her even if she tried.

Ning Qiuxiu watched her empty hands and Wen Ling’s aggressive back, wishing she could use a freezing spell to keep her in place.

“Zhan Qingyuan, what do you mean by this?” Wen Ling quickly walked up to Zhan Qingyuan and the female lead, Ji Weilang, and demanded sternly.

The guests in the living room were startled by her voice and stopped their conversations to look over.

Zhan Qingyuan frowned slightly and said, “Aunt Ning, I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

“Still pretending? You’re betrothed to my daughter, and now you bring back a vixen. What do you mean by this? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass my daughter and our Ning family?”

！！！

Everyone present smelled the aroma of melon and simultaneously turned their gaze towards Ji Weiliang and Ning Qiuxiu.

Ning Qiuxiu pressed her forehead.

Originally, no one knew about this, but with Wen Ling’s muttering, everyone was informed.

Ji Weiliang’s expression was also not good; she clearly didn’t know about the engagement.

Zhan Qingyuan, as the head of the Zhan family, remained calm in the face of the crisis.

He reached out and grabbed Ji Weiliang’s hand, his tone carrying a hint of coldness: “Weiliang is my girlfriend. Aunt Ning is an elder, so please be cautious with your words.”

The term “vixen” used by Wen Ling to describe Ji Weiliang was considered a derogatory term.

However, Ji Weiliang’s appearance was strikingly beautiful, with captivating eyes and exceptional beauty.

If “vixen” was intended as a compliment or neutral term, it did fit her appearance quite well.

“And the so-called engagement,” Zhan Qingyuan continued, “is merely a joke from my grandfather and others. There wasn’t even a formal verbal agreement, let alone a matchmaker or dowry. To call it an engagement seems rather far-fetched.”

Wen Ling was momentarily speechless, then defiantly said, “Just because you say it’s a joke doesn’t mean you can shirk responsibility. Don’t forget, when your elder brother had an accident and you took over the Zhan family, the Ning family helped you. If we didn’t consider you as a prospective son-in-law, would we have assisted you?”

Back then, when Zhan Qingyue suddenly had an accident and the Zhan family’s business was severely affected, with stocks nearly collapsing, the Zhan family’s elders were all gone except for Elder Zhan.

With relatives eyeing the family’s wealth, Zhan Qingyuan stepped up under enormous pressure to stabilize the situation, and indeed received considerable help from the Ning family.

However, there’s no free lunch in business.

The Ning family’s assistance to the Zhan family was driven by the profit chain behind the scenes.

With the Zhan family’s strength, their cooperation was beneficial to both sides, akin to ancient succession struggles for the throne.

Winning would bring significant benefits.

Once Zhan Qingyuan had stabilized his position, the cooperation between the two families deepened, ultimately benefiting the Ning family as well.

Now, with Madam Zhan’s remarks, it seemed as if Zhan Qingyuan was a heartless person using women.

This completely infuriated Zhan Qingyuan. He coldly said, “Aunt Ning, please think carefully before speaking.”

As the main character, Zhan Qingyuan exuded an intimidating presence when angry.

Madam Zhan was instantly put on the defensive by his words.

At this moment, the butler came over and announced that Elder Zhan requested them to come inside.

Discussing such matters in public not only embarrassed them but also damaged reputations.

Thus, the main characters and Ning Qiuxiu and her mother were invited to a private room.

Throughout this, Ning Qiuxiu remained silent.

She knew that arguing in such a situation would be futile.

Only someone with the authority to make decisions could resolve the issue.

Now, this person has arrived.

Old Master Zhan seemed to be unaware of the conflict between them.

He showed no signs of displeasure and even greeted them with a smile, saying, “Let’s sit down and discuss things calmly. Let’s not damage the goodwill between the two families and give others something to laugh about.”

His words provided a way for both sides to ease the tension without causing too much embarrassment.

However, Wen Ling, the notoriously difficult mother, was not the type to let things go just because you said so.

With a sneer, she said, “Maintain the goodwill between the two families, sure. Then you tell us how you plan to give us an explanation.”

Old Master Zhan, clearly aware of Wen Ling’s temperament, did not show any signs of anger.

He gestured for her to sit and said, “This matter, indeed, I had discussed it with Old Ning. It’s our fault as old men. We made grand promises but didn’t handle things properly, causing discomfort for the younger generation.”

Old Master Zhan’s words were skillful.

He neither denied that he and Old Ning had indeed agreed on this so-called childhood engagement nor did he claim it was anything more than a joke without practical significance.

Ning Qiuxiu noticed that the female lead’s expression relaxed, clearly comforted by these words.

Wen Ling was immediately displeased, saying, “So, you’re planning to back out?”

“Back out? How could we?” Old Master Zhan said. “However, if I were to force Qingyuan to marry Qiuxiu, would she be happy? As a mother, would you be happy seeing your daughter spend her life with someone who doesn’t like her, or even hates her?”

“……”

Old Master Zhan’s words left Wen Ling speechless.

Her eagerness to matchmake Ning Qiuxiu and Zhan Qingyuan was not only because Ning Qiuxiu was deeply in love with Zhan Qingyuan but also because Zhan Qingyuan was one of the most outstanding young people, holding the power of the powerful Zhan family.

Who wouldn’t want to marry their daughter to such an exceptional person?

But if Zhan Qingyuan didn’t like Ning Qiuxiu, or even hated her, what was the point of such a marriage?

Her face changed colors from green to white, and then she reluctantly said, “If our Qiuxiu is willing, then I am willing too.”

Everyone: “……”

Look at this mother.

Ning Qiuxiu knew it was her turn to step in.

Ning Qiuxiu slightly lowered her eyes and spoke with a hint of grievance: “Actually, I’ve always known that this so-called engagement is just a joke between Grandpa and Grandpa Zhan. However, over the years, neither family has denied it, so we foolishly took it seriously. I didn’t dare to fall in love or speak to other boys, otherwise, I would feel that I was letting down Brother Qingyuan.”

Elder Zhan and Zhan Qingyuan were both speechless.

Indeed, the engagement between the families had never been officially acknowledged or denied.

The reason was that no one had really taken it to heart.

In the past, although Ning Qiuxiu and Zhan Qingyuan were childhood friends, their feelings were pure and not considered romantic.

As they grew older, and Zhan Qingyuan went abroad for further studies, their interactions were limited.

It was only in the past year, with Zhan Qingyuan taking over the Zhan family and rapidly maturing into the legendary CEO, that Ning Qiuxiu’s feelings for him deepened into what could be called love.

Now, the “engagement” that both families had almost forgotten was being brought up again…

“But!” Realizing that Zhan Qingyuan was about to speak, Ning Qiuxiu raised her voice slightly to prevent him from interrupting, “A forced marriage is not sweet. Since Brother Qingyuan doesn’t like me, I won’t force it. However, considering how long I’ve been deceived, can I make a request, Grandpa Zhan?”

Elder Zhan felt a pang of guilt from Ning Qiuxiu’s words.

Since she had made a concession, it was acceptable to grant a request.

He said, “Of course.”

“I want to marry Brother Qingyue.”

Everyone was stunned once again.

“You’re crazy!” Wen Ling was the first to voice everyone’s thoughts.

Zhan Qingyue was indeed exceptional, but he was now a vegetable, and doctors said he might never wake up.

Why would a beautiful heiress like Ning Qiuxiu want to marry a comatose person?

Even if he was the eldest son of the Zhan family, a vegetable has nothing to offer. What could she gain by marrying him?

Nothing at all.

“I’m serious,” Ning Qiuxiu said, her face tinged with a blush, “Actually, I’ve admired Brother Qingyue since I was a child. But due to the engagement with Brother Qingyuan, I could only see him as an older brother. I’ve already fallen for him and hope Grandpa Zhan can fulfill my wish.”

With Ning Qiuxiu’s words, everyone’s expressions varied.

Elder Zhan looked inquisitive, Zhan Qingyuan appeared slightly surprised, and the female lead’s expression was far from pleasant.

As written in the book, her initial approach to the male lead was actually to get back at Ning Qiuxiu.

She didn’t have any feelings for the male lead; she was merely exploiting the relationship, including coming to the Zhan family this time to irritate Ning Qiuxiu and show her that the person she liked now liked her back.

But Ning Qiuxiu was saying that she had always liked Zhan Qingyue!

What was the point of her actions now?

Her face was understandably darkened.

Ning Qiuxiu finished her shameless speech without changing her expression.

She glanced around at everyone’s reactions, feeling quite satisfied.

Hmph, did they not expect this twist?

Saying she liked Zhan Qingyue was a lie; her real interest was in his special constitution.

In a world without spiritual power, building and nurturing talisman arrays is almost impossible, as talisman paper cannot absorb the spiritual energy of the world.

It can only be sustained by people.

Zhan Qingyue, however, seemed to have been born for her.

Although Zhan Qingyue was a vegetable now, Elder Zhan cherished him greatly and had people carefully tend to him.

Ning Qiuxiu didn’t have the ability to scale walls or sneak into his room, and she couldn’t find another way to deliver talismans to him.

Unless… she became his bedside companion.

This was the simplest, most direct approach.

Perhaps due to having crossed over twice, Ning Qiuxiu didn’t place much importance on marriage.

It might be because in the cultivation world, people often sought partners who were beneficial to their cultivation, which led to her distorted view of marriage—she saw it as finding someone beneficial to herself, just like finding a cultivation partner.

As for lifelong happiness, who knows how long she would stay in this world?

If she fell in love or got married and had children only to suddenly cross over again, it would be terrible.

So, she didn’t see anything wrong with sacrificing her marriage for her goals.

If the spell didn’t work out later… the Zhan family would have to break off the engagement, and so would her family.

It wouldn’t be too unreasonable.

Ahem.

“Well…” Old Master Zhan was troubled by this request and directly passed the ball back, “Even if I agree to it, your parents won’t.”

“Right, I can’t agree to it,” Wen Ling now aligned with Old Master Zhan.

Ning Qiuxiu smiled lightly and said, “Anyway, my request is here. My mother and I probably won’t have much appetite for today’s birthday banquet, so we’ll excuse ourselves.”

Ning’s father and mother could only be persuaded privately, and there was no need to argue here.

Ning Qiuxiu tactfully suggested her departure, pulling Wen Ling along.

After the commotion, Wen Ling had forgotten all about the engagement with Zhan Qingyuan and only wanted to prevent her daughter from foolishly marrying a vegetative person, so she didn’t insist on staying.

As the mother and daughter reached the door, Ning Qiuxiu suddenly stopped and said, “Grandpa Zhan, you probably still hope to arrange a marriage for Brother Qingyue to bring some good fortune, right?”

Old Master Zhan’s hand, which was reaching for his cane, paused.

And Ning Qiuxiu had already stepped out the door.