Which one of them do you want me to marry?

Meng Xingzhou was utterly disappointed in Meng Qingyue. Coupled with Meng Changle’s instigations, he finally made up his mind. Very well, if she was so foolish as to want to marry, then he would grant her wish!

Early the next morning, several young men arrived at the Meng residence one after another. Madame Meng was puzzled at first, but after hearing the details from Meng Changle, she fell silent, pondering for a moment before choosing not to say more.

Throughout the morning, four young men came and went. Ostensibly, they were visiting the Meng sons, but everyone knew they were there to meet Meng Qingyue.

At lunch, everyone gathered around the table, and Madame Meng eagerly asked, “Qingyue, among the young men who came today, is there anyone you like?”

Even the Marquis of Huainan looked on expectantly, waiting for Meng Qingyue to shyly confess which gentleman had caught her eye.

“No,” Meng Qingyue replied bluntly.

Madame Meng was taken aback but pressed on, “Then... do you have any feelings toward any of them?”

“No.”

Madame Meng exchanged a look with the Marquis, both seemingly hesitant to speak. The Marquis, however, lacking such patience, cleared his throat and spoke slowly, “Qingyue, the marriage proposals were agreed upon by your mother and me, with your brother personally overseeing the arrangements. Yet, with your current attitude, who exactly are you trying to impress?”

Meng Qingyue put down her chopsticks, a look of helplessness on her face.

Madame Meng hastily tried to smooth things over, “Let’s eat first, let’s eat first. We’ll discuss this later...”

But the Marquis’s displeasure was palpable as he spoke again, his tone growing sterner, “Qingyue, though I do not know who your biological parents are, the Meng family has raised you all these years, and your marriage is still something we decide.”

Madame Meng tugged at her husband’s sleeve, signaling him to stop. With so many people present, continuing would only embarrass Qingyue.

Yet, words long held back in the Marquis’s heart now spilled out, “Even if you feel you are not a true Meng by blood and thus hesitate to grow close to us, your mother and brother have treated you sincerely. Are you truly so cold-hearted?”

“Your brother painstakingly found suitors for you. What is it that you find lacking? Must you be like your sister, only satisfied marrying into a prestigious family?”

“I’ll be more direct—your sister is a true bloodline of the Marquis’s household. But you, Qingyue, you are a fatherless, motherless wild child. Do you expect to enter the palace and marry a prince?”

Madame Meng was flustered, feeling her husband’s words harsh and cruel. Fearing Qingyue would harbor resentment, she quickly tried to explain, but Meng Changle grabbed her mother’s hand, sneering, “Father is right. Our whole family cares about our sister so deeply, yet how does she repay us? Mother, don’t spoil her anymore.”

Madame Meng grew anxious, “You child, your sister is still young—what does she know...”

Seeing her husband and eldest daughter united, she felt helpless and urged Meng Xingzhou, “Xingzhou, go persuade your father and sister to stop arguing!”

Unexpectedly, Meng Xingzhou, who usually took charge, remained silent and unmoving despite Madame Meng’s repeated nudges, as if feeling guilty.

The Marquis lost patience. His brows knitted tightly as he glared at Qingyue and spoke coldly, “You have reached marriageable age. Sooner or later, you will have to marry. If you dislike our arrangements, you may return to your biological parents—I will not stop you! But as long as you remain in the Meng household, you cannot be willful!”

Meng Qingyue sighed deeply, thinking, Here we go again.

For the past three years, every time she quarreled with Meng Changle, the Marquis would say the same thing: “If you’re not satisfied, you can go back to your biological parents.”

But who didn’t know that Meng Qingyue was adopted by the Marquis’s family and had no biological parents? Their words only confirmed that outside the Marquis’s household, she had nowhere else to go.

Each time she heard this, she would panic and admit fault, fearful of being cast out.

But three years was long enough even for a clay doll to gain some spirit. The pain in her heart deepened, and she found herself wishing her biological parents were still alive. Even if they were humble commoners and she often went hungry, at least she would not have to constantly endure humiliation and read others’ moods.

Under a roof, one must bow.

Madame Meng watched her daughter being scolded so harshly by her husband, feeling both helpless and heartbroken. Unable to mediate, she took Qingyue’s hand and urged, “Qingyue, quickly agree to your father’s wishes! Just say you’ll marry—hurry!”

She just wanted to calm the situation, but Qingyue kept her head down, silent.

“Mother, haven’t you noticed?” Meng Changle, usually gentle before their parents, sneered now. “Our sister’s ambitions are sky-high. She doesn’t like any of the suitors our brother found for her.”

Madame Meng hesitated, disappointment washing over her as she let go of her daughter’s hand.

Why was this child so stubborn?

Could they as parents be harming their daughter?

Her eldest son insisted on finding a match for Qingyue himself, fearing any slight against her.

Her family had treated Qingyue with nothing but sincerity. What was she being so obstinate and wronged about?

The phrase “an ungrateful white-eyed wolf” suddenly flashed through Madame Meng’s mind.

No matter how well they treated her, it was useless.

Seeing the four Meng family members all fix their gaze on her—some angry, some disappointed, some uneasy, some smug, like wolves ready to tear her apart—Meng Qingyue felt a sudden weariness.

She retorted, “The suitor you say you’ve painstakingly found for me?”

Her expression was inexplicably resigned, then a mocking smile curled her lips. Slowly and clearly, she spoke so everyone could hear, “Four men came today. But which one do you mean by ‘the carefully sought suitor’? The lame one who needs help walking? The one older than you, whom I call grandfather? The one who openly said his previous wife died at his hands and intends to take me as a concubine? Or the last one, who already has a wife and children, thirteen concubines, and expects me to become the fourteenth?”

Having said this, she met their stunned expressions and sneered, “So, father, which one do you want me to agree to?”