Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1148 - 365: The Shameless Little White Flower_4

Chapter 1148: Chapter 365: The Shameless Little White Flower_4

Shen Ji’s face was ashen as he avoided Lu Zhu’s outstretched hand trying to pull his, and he said indifferently, "You are my cousin, and I’ve always treated you as my own sister, never having had the slightest romantic sentiment towards you. As for what happened today, for now, I’ll assume you’re spouting nonsense because you can’t bear the loss of your aunt. You should go back!"

At this point, he turned to the servant standing frozen in the corner and barked, "Why aren’t you taking the young miss away?"

"No, Brother Ji, you can’t do this to Zhuzhu. Zhuzhu loves you, Zhuzhu doesn’t ask for anything except to stay by your side, even if it’s as a concubine, Zhuzhu is willing. Please, keep Zhuzhu with you, okay?" Lu Zhu sobbed, trying to grab onto Shen Ji’s sleeve, but he dodged away once more.

"What you speak of, marrying you, was just a jest by your aunt while she was alive, one I never took seriously. If you continue to deceive yourself, the Shen... family cannot keep you any longer!"

If Shen Ji had any sympathy or pity for his cousin who had lost her mother, it was all gone after Lu Zhu’s disruption today. He was a rational man, and he was very clear about who he liked and whom he wanted to spend his life with.

If he didn’t make things clear today, it would not only allow his cousin to continue deceiving herself, but it would also cause the woman he had finally married and loved to doubt him and drift apart from him, which was the last thing he wanted to see.

Shen Ji gripped his wife’s hand tightly but dared not look at her face.

Previously, Liu Tinglan had threatened in a letter that if he didn’t resolve the matter with Lu Zhu, she would call off their engagement. At that time, Shen Ji had no feelings for Lu Zhu and had never considered making her his secondary wife, thinking that it would be fine as long as he remained firm, even feeling that Liu Tinglan was making a mountain out of a molehill by threatening him with the cancellation of their engagement.

Although he felt that way, he was willing to indulge the woman he loved, so despite deeming it unnecessary, he managed to persuade Father Shen and Mother Shen and swiftly arranged a decent marriage for Lu Zhu, finally settling his fiancée’s heart and marrying her.

Today’s incident made him believe his wife was right. If he hadn’t captured his wife’s heart early, he was sure his cousin’s equivocal words would have completely ruined his lifelong happiness.

"No—it’s not like that, you clearly liked Zhuzhu. You left your books to comfort Zhuzhu every day; were all those just lies?"

Struck by such a blow, Lu Zhu’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, her little face filled with despair. Despite how hard the two maids who ran to help her tried, they couldn’t lift her up.

Shen Ji closed his eyes for a moment, his face growing incredibly somber, deeply regretting his excessive concern for his newly bereaved cousin. How ridiculous that this concern, clearly stemming from fraternal love, was now being used as evidence against him.

At this moment, Liu Tinglan trembled with anger. She couldn’t figure out exactly how she felt, only wanting to fiercely break away from the hand of the person beside her and run to a place where she could be alone and calm down. She believed this man liked her, but who was to say whether he had feelings for this frail and dependent cousin?

Even if he didn’t, the thought of someone coveting her husband right before her eyes disgusted her, and she didn’t want to stay here any longer.

"Let go, Shen Ji, let me go!" Liu Tinglan heard her voice say these words, the fury in her tone startling even herself.

Shen Ji’s complexion turned a deep shade of blue, and as he looked at his wife, who turned her head away from him, a deep pain flashed in his eyes. His grip tightened as if he wished he could meld the woman before him into his very bones. "No, I won’t let go, I would rather die than let you go."

Liu Tinglan took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, reflecting her own image, feeling a dense, prickling pain in her heart. As sweet as their wedding night was, today’s scene was equally ironic. Her heart still loved this man, but she would not let her dignity be trampled by anyone.

If she showed the slightest compromise today, others would think she was easy to bully. Her outburst today was for no other reason than to test the attitude of the Shen family. She and the woman weeping on the floor were destined to live in discord; if the Shen family continued to shield the latter, this place would never be her home.

This spectacle in the eyes of Lu Zhu was immensely infuriating. This shameless wench had come into the picture after her; Brother Ji was rightfully hers. If it weren’t for this wench interfering, she would be the one receiving tea today.