Why don't you marry Qingyue instead?

Meng Xingzhou stared at Meng Qingyue’s lips as they parted and closed, his fists clenched tightly within his sleeves. Especially upon hearing the words "I have fallen for someone else," the nameless fire in his chest flared with such intensity that he could barely breathe.

How could she have fallen for someone else? For so many years, he had treated her like a precious pearl, cherished her as if she might dissolve if held in his mouth, and always prioritized her above all else. Yet, she had fallen for another? How could she?

Meng Xingzhou’s gaze slowly drifted downward, landing on the pile of porcelain shards. The rage that had been surging in his eyes subsided, replaced by an indescribable bleakness. An overwhelming sense of powerlessness and loss washed over him; it felt as though everything he did was in vain, and no matter how much he sacrificed, he could never truly enter her heart. He had spent the last few days scouring every market, large and small, just to find an identical porcelain doll. He had come rushing over, filled with joy to present it to her, only to step into the room and hear that she already had a suitor.

Then what of him? What was he, exactly?

Self-mockery, sighs, irony, and helplessness flooded his heart. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with a dead, icy chill. "The Meng family has truly spoiled you! Someone, lock the Second Miss in the woodshed!"

"Without my orders, no one is allowed to see her!" Madame Meng hesitated, stepping forward to dissuade him. "Xingzhou, your sister has not yet fully recovered..." In truth, she was secretly worried, for what Qingyue had said might very well be the truth. When the Princess had personally sent her back that day, she had already been suspicious. If Meng Qingyue had indeed made the acquaintance of some noble person, then... everything would follow a logical path.

But Meng Xingzhou held his ground, insisting that Meng Qingyue was lying. "What is the status of a Princess? And what is hers? Even if the Princess lowered herself to send her back, does she really think so highly of herself?"

Under Meng Xingzhou’s insistence, Meng Qingyue was locked in the woodshed. Madame Meng could have intervened, but after Meng Changle remarked, "If Qingyue refuses to marry, how is our sister to conduct herself?" she helplessly gave in. Let it be; let her be locked up. Three days of confinement, and surely Qingyue would yield.

That night, the Marquis of Huainan returned to the estate. Upon hearing the news, he showed no reaction. "Blood is thicker than water. Since Xingzhou and Changle are of one mind, we should naturally support our own biological children."

Meng Qingyue once wondered if she was cursed by bad luck. Otherwise, why had she not known a single day of peace in these past few months?

The night in the woodshed was bitterly cold. She curled her body tightly, yet felt waves of chill rising within her. As she lay in a drowsy state, plagued by hunger and cold, a servant came to ask, "Second Miss, the Master asks if you will marry or not?"

Summoning all her strength, Meng Qingyue hurled a wooden bucket from the wall at him. "I will not!"

In the main hall, the Marquis of Huainan’s family looked troubled. Madame Meng sighed first. "Alas, this child... she is truly too stubborn. It is all because we have spoiled her too much over the years." As she spoke, she thought of her daughter freezing in the woodshed, and her eyes reddened. "Even if she agreed to marry Chen Sheng, what would it matter? Her sister will be able to protect her husband’s family in the future. Why can she not understand such a simple truth?" Madame Meng’s words were filled with deep disappointment, believing her own failure in raising her daughter had brought this trouble upon the family.

The Marquis of Huainan’s brow had not relaxed. Turning his head, he noticed Meng Xingzhou, who had been lost in thought. "Xingzhou, your sister has always been close to you. Why not go and persuade her?"

Meng Xingzhou slowly raised his head, his eyes still clouded with a dazed expression. "Persuade her to do what?"

"To marry Chen Sheng, of course." The Marquis frowned, finding both siblings strange lately. "Qingyue must marry. At present, Chen Sheng is her best option. If she does not marry him, who else is there?"

*Who else is there?*

Meng Xingzhou chewed over these words, his mind in such disarray that he had completely lost his composure. As night deepened, he returned to his quarters, dejected, only to be stopped by a soft voice behind him.

"Brother."

Meng Xingzhou turned and saw Meng Changle. The woman’s gentle voice held a hint of coldness. She looked at him and suddenly spoke, "Brother, do you want to marry Qingyue?"

Meng Xingzhou stared at her in shock.

Meng Changle seemed not to notice, stepping closer and whispering in a voice only they could hear, "Qingyue’s heart is tied to Axian, and I have never been able to rest easy. Yet, she is so arrogant that she doesn't even look at someone as handsome as Chen Sheng."

"I was thinking, Brother, you are talented and accomplished, well-versed in both literature and martial arts. If you were to marry Qingyue, it would not be a disgrace to her."

Meng Xingzhou listened, stunned. At first, he panicked, fearing his own secret thoughts had been discovered. But as Meng Changle finished speaking, he let out a sigh of relief. *That’s right, of course.* Changle was simply worried and, in her desperation, had thought of him.

He patted her head and smiled. "Nonsense. Qingyue is my sister; how could I marry her?"

Meng Changle did not miss the flicker of longing and hesitation in his eyes. She smiled meaningfully and spoke again, "Besides, Qingyue is not our biological sister. Without the constraints of blood, you are both unmarried—why could you not marry?"

Meng Changle’s figure faded into the night. Meng Xingzhou remained staring at the direction she had left, his heart churning like a stormy sea.

*Marry Qingyue?*

He had never dared to think of it before. It was a thought that haunted his dreams at midnight, a desire for the one he longed for but could never attain. Yet, he had never dared to face his own heart, feeling it was utterly filthy and a violation of all morality. Even seeing Qingyue made him think of his own sordid nature, forcing him to keep a cold face, to act with indifference and heartlessness. He thought he could deceive himself into believing he was not that sort of depraved man who would covet his own sister.

But Meng Changle’s words tonight had pierced his heart. *Yes, she is not my biological sister. What do I have to fear?* We are both unmarried; why could I not marry her? Rather than letting a greedy, treacherous man like Chen Sheng be Qingyue’s husband... why could he, Meng Xingzhou, not be the one?

His eyes gradually grew firm, and his furrowed brow smoothed out. His mood lightened, and he looked up at the stars filling the sky, bright and gentle.

"Second Miss, this is the meal the Young Master sent. He also asked me to pass on a message: he will definitely rescue you, so please do not worry."

When Meng Qingyue took the food box, she was so hungry she felt as though her stomach was pressed against her spine.