Chapter 359: My Son and Daughter Shall Not Enter a Marriage Alliance

When Gu Zhiyan came over, he only saw the retreating back that Ke Zhongyu had left behind, as well as his younger sister's deathly pale face and rigid body.

"What did he say to you?" Gu Zhiyan's face creased with a frown, his resentment toward Ke Zhongyu deepening further.

He wanted to chase after him to demand answers, but his arm was immediately grabbed by Gu Yinxue.

"Brother, don't go. It's nothing, I'm fine." Gu Yinxue forced out a smile, which looked especially bleak to Gu Zhiyan.

"Do you really like him that much? Do you have to marry him?"

"Brother, don't you like Shutong that much too?" A single sentence from Gu Yinxue silenced Gu Zhiyan.

Gu Zhiyan couldn't help thinking of Lin Shutong, still in prison. Before he had met with Qu Mei, the family forbade him from visiting.

He knew it was impossible for him and Lin Shutong to have a future together anymore.

His future was with Qu Mei.

Looking again at his sister's state, Gu Zhiyan said helplessly, "I understand. I'll think of something for you."

He already had his own regrets; he couldn't let his sister share the same regrets.

Gu Zhiyan reached out and patted his sister's head, saying the same words as when they were little: "Brother will always protect you."

Gu Yinxue smiled happily.

"Thank you, Brother."

"Between siblings, there's no need for thanks."

"Brother, I really do like Ke Zhongyu." When Gu Yinxue said this, she was very calm. She clearly knew that marrying Ke Zhongyu was the only way she could remain in the Gu family and be valued by them after the truth about the real and fake daughter came to light.

Besides her, the Gu family had another girl named Gu Jin. Gu Jin had been neglected by the family when she was little, because daughters were useless—daughters couldn't strategize in the political arena like sons could—until Gu Jin married according to the family's arrangement, only then did she begin to receive attention.

Gu Jin once said she envied her, because after her father went into business, she didn't have to worry about so many things. Whatever she wanted to eat, to play with, to buy, she could have. She also had the love of her parents and her brother.

Yes—the love of her parents and her brother.

If she weren't a member of the Gu family, all of that would be gone.

After all, who could bear to give up the love of parents and a brother, a life with money to spend, people to serve them, and people to flatter them? And she had lived this life for twenty-eight years.

It is hard to go from luxury to simplicity.

……

At the dinner table, the earlier unpleasantness seemed as though it had never happened. The two families ate dinner together harmoniously.

After the meal, everyone saw the Gu family off to their cars and watched the group leave.

After the cars disappeared, Ke Zhongying rubbed her cheeks as she walked back: "My face almost froze from smiling. Fake-smiling all evening—exhausted me to death."

These words were overheard by Old Madam Nian. She reached out and poked her granddaughter's cheek: "You were quite willful today too, not giving anyone any face at all."

"Grandma!" Ke Zhongying protested. "During dinner my face nearly cracked from smiling! Isn't that enough?"

Old Madam Nian smiled helplessly, had Ke Zhongying help her to her feet, then glanced at Ke Zhongyu: "I ate too much tonight. You two siblings keep an old woman company to walk off the food?"

Ke Zhongying steadied her grandmother: "Sure."

Ke Zhongyu gave an "Mm" and followed them out.

Before long, the nannies in the living room had all gone out too.

Old Master Nian sat on the sofa. Nian Jingchuan and his wife Cui Moyuan also sat down, while Ke Yue and Ms. Nian sat opposite them.

The implication couldn't be clearer: the old madam had gone to get a sense of things from the children, while the old master would discuss the real business with them.

"Father," Ms. Nian got straight to the point, "my son will not enter into any marriage alliance with any daughter of the Gu family."

Her attitude was even somewhat forceful.

Outsiders might not understand, but everyone present knew why she would have this reaction—because she and Ke Yue were themselves a marriage alliance.

Back then she had resisted with all her might, but ultimately without success. Her father's stance was firm, but her mother said one sentence: "Zhaoning, consider it us begging you."

She couldn't bear it in her heart, and agreed.

Ke Yue reached over and gently took his wife's hand.

At this moment, he could only remain silent, and only dared to remain silent.

Back then they called it a childhood betrothal, but in reality the Ke family had no fewer than three options. It was only after he met the grown-up Zhaoning once that he mentioned the Nian family to his parents.

It was only after they married that he learned Zhaoning had not wanted the marriage alliance.

Because of a marriage alliance, Zhaoning had suffered grievances at home.

In that moment he felt terrible—yet the one thing he didn't feel was regret.

Precisely because he felt no regret at all, he was startled to realize his own selfishness.

To get closer to his wife, he had lied and claimed he didn't want a marriage alliance either, selfishly and basely pushing everything onto the elders, and doing everything in his power to warm her heart.

He succeeded. He finally had her love. They had children together. Yet to this day he had never confessed that it was because of his own choice back then that she was forced into the marriage alliance.

Ke Yue snapped back to attention. The old master sitting opposite wore a grave expression—a man who had commanded the winds and clouds his entire life, yet the one place he could not obtain obedience was from his daughter.

The old master looked at his daughter and son-in-law: "What's so bad about marriage alliances? You and Ke Yue have lived well all these years, haven't you? Don't others envy you?"

"Not everyone is me and Ke Yue." Nian Zhaoning met her father's aged face and clouded eyes. "Ke Yue and I are survivor bias. Have all those people in marriage alliances been happy? Father, don't tell me happiness isn't important. Happiness is very important—more important than fulfilling duties. I hope my children get to be themselves first."

"In short, if the Nian family and the Gu family must enter into a marriage alliance, you can choose anyone—just don't choose my son and daughter."

The old master frowned: "Gu Yinxue isn't bad."

He still wanted to bring about the marriage between the two families, to make the relationship among the three families more solid.

Since ancient times, marriage ties have been the fastest way to build and stabilize relationships.

"It has nothing to do with whether someone is good or not. It has to do with whether my son likes them." Nian Zhaoning stood up. Without any harshness in her voice, she spoke with a gentle yet powerful tone: "Father, when will you understand that you are not your father, and I am not my father? As independent people, we can choose not to continue acting according to the ways of the previous generation."

"You and Mother followed the organization's arrangements—one meeting and you were married. Ke Yue and I followed our parents' arrangements—three meetings and we were married. Using the previous generation's key to open the next generation's lock—is that right?"

After asking this, Nian Zhaoning nodded to her father and brother and returned to her room alone, without even saying, as she usually did, 'Ke Yue, let's go.'

Ke Yue sat on the sofa, a flash of sorrow passing through his eyes.

The old master sighed: "She still resents me."

Ke Yue explained on his wife's behalf: "Father, Zhaoning isn't resentful toward you. I upset her, which is why she's so emotional."

Nian Jingchen looked at his brother-in-law: "Go keep Zhaoning company. Dad isn't angry."

Ke Yue rose and walked toward his wife's chambers. He raised his hand and knocked on the door, but the door did not open.

He stood quietly.

Ke Zhongyu and Ke Zhongying, the brother and sister, were keeping their grandmother company on a stroll through the corridor. Many "fortune" lanterns hung from the trees in the courtyard, a scene of perfect harmony.

"Good grandchild, tell Grandmother—why were you so angry at the Gu family today?" The old lady patted Ke Zhongying's hand. "Which blind person from the Gu family made my good grandchild angry?"

"The Gu family tried to force Gu Yinxue onto my brother." Ke Zhongying didn't tell the full truth, but she didn't lie either.

The old lady smiled: "My, so protective of your brother. Have you two stopped fighting?"

"We fight," Ke Zhongying said. "We fight, but my brother wouldn't harm me, and I wouldn't harm my brother."

The old lady laughed: "How would making your brother marry a young lady of the Gu family be harming him?"

Ke Zhongying was shocked: "That's not harming him? It'd be keeping him from being with the person he loves, making him marry a fake…"

The matter wasn't settled yet. Realizing she had misspoken, she quickly shut her mouth.

At such close range, the old lady had of course heard it.

"A fake what?"