The atmosphere inside the Sea God Hall had fallen into an eerie silence because of Li Qing's earth-shattering inner rant.
Qian Renxue and Bo Saixi were both reeling inside, shaken to their core by the terrifying information that revealed the future.
Li Qing himself, however, hadn't noticed a thing. He just thought his suggestion had been perfectly reasonable. Long live free love!
Seeing that the atmosphere had grown a little stilted, he assumed his democratic proposal had left everyone at a loss for words. He quickly cleared his throat, plastered an especially well-behaved smile on his face, and turned toward the only person present who was "out of the loop," Qian Daoliu, trying to break the silence and steer the conversation back on track:
"Uh, well... Senior Qian Daoliu!"
Li Qing's voice had the clear, bright quality unique to a young man. He spoke earnestly: "Since Big Sister Qian Renxue also said just now that she thinks we should start as friends and build our relationship... then shouldn't we..."
He blinked. His meaning was obvious: why not just follow this friendly, mutually agreed-upon path and let things develop naturally? Getting engaged and all that was too soon. It wasn't appropriate!
At his words, Qian Daoliu came back to himself after witnessing his granddaughter's intense emotional upheaval.
Hearing Li Qing's suggestion and seeing his granddaughter's still somewhat pale face and vacant gaze, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
It seemed Xiao Xue felt even more resistant to this marriage than he'd imagined.
That speech about free love just now probably hadn't been mere maidenly reserve. She truly didn't want to accept this arrangement.
Though he felt some regret, Qian Daoliu wasn't an unreasonable man. He respected his granddaughter's wishes.
Since neither of the two young people was interested, a melon forced from the vine wouldn't be sweet. Better to go with the flow...
A helpless, wry smile appeared on his handsome face. He was just about to nod and agree with Li Qing's compromise—that they should spend some time together and see how things went—giving both parties, especially his clearly shaken granddaughter, room to adjust.
But then—
"When did I agree to that?"
A cool, melodious female voice rang out abruptly, carrying a tremor that was barely perceptible, along with unyielding resolve. It cut off the words Qian Daoliu was about to say.
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw that Qian Renxue had raised her head.
Her peerlessly beautiful face was still tinged with pallor, but her violet eyes now shone with startling brilliance, as though two flames were burning deep within her pupils.
She stepped forward and looked straight at Li Qing. Her expression was incomparably complex, a mixture of shock, embarrassment, indignation, and the kind of resolve that came from burning one's boats.
"I did... say just now that we could start as friends."
Qian Renxue's voice had regained its usual composure, and even carried a hint of the authority befitting Spirit Hall's Saintess. "But then I thought it over more carefully."
She paused, as if gathering her thoughts—or steeling herself. Her beautiful chin lifted slightly, showing the pride she had been born with. "As the saying goes, men should marry when they're grown, and women should wed when they're grown. Since both families' elders already approve, and our circumstances, looks, talents, and backgrounds are all a decent match, why go so far out of our way with this free love and slowly building a relationship?"
Her gaze swept over Li Qing's bewildered face, and her tone grew even more certain. "Feelings are certainly important. But feelings can be cultivated, too. As long as we become engaged, we'll have plenty of time and opportunities in the future to get to know each other and build understanding. Unless..."
She changed tack. A hint of sly, vindictive light flashed in her violet eyes as she stared at Li Qing and said, word by word, "...unless you, Li Qing, have decided never to marry in this lifetime and to grow old alone. Otherwise, across the entire Douluo Continent, who else could stand alongside you, the Sea God Inheritor, but me, Qian Renxue?"
She turned slightly, showing off her flawless figure and her sacred, noble bearing. Her voice brimmed with absolute confidence. "I won't make rash claims about everything, but when it comes to looks, talent, and background, among the young women of the current Douluo Continent, if I, Qian Renxue, called myself second, I doubt anyone would dare claim to be first. An engagement with me would bring no loss to you or Sea God Island, would it?"
[If... if those predictions about my future that he just thought to himself are true... if I really do become the Angel God, only to fail because of some foolish decisions, shatter my divine position, and bring about Spirit Hall's destruction...]
Qian Renxue's heart was pounding, but her thoughts were unusually clear.
[Then this boy before me, who can foresee the future, is my greatest chance to change my fate! I have to seize him! Keep him by my side! Only by getting close to him, understanding him, and even... influencing him, might I be able to avoid that terrifying future!]
Once the thought arose, it grew wild in her heart like weeds.
Her fear of the future, her unwillingness to accept her own foolishness, and an overwhelming desire to take control of her own fate crushed her instinctive resistance to an arranged marriage. They also temporarily suppressed her humiliation at being mocked by Li Qing for having no brains.
What free love? What taking things slowly? Compared to the possibility of a miserable ending, it all seemed insignificant!
First, lock this "prophet" down!
"???"
Qian Daoliu: "???"
Li Qing: "???"
Qian Daoliu and Li Qing, one old and one young, wore practically identical expressions.
They stared in stunned disbelief, faces full of question marks, as if they'd just heard some unbelievable fairy tale.
No... girl, wasn't that a little too quick of a change of heart?!
Just a moment ago, you were solemnly insisting that marriage was no trivial matter and that we should start as friends. How did you suddenly jump to men and women marrying when they were grown and getting engaged first?
That was a huge turnaround!
Were women's thoughts always this hard to guess?!
Qian Daoliu was both shocked and delighted. He was shocked by his granddaughter's sudden change of heart, but delighted that things seemed to have taken a turn after all!
He didn't understand why his granddaughter had suddenly changed her mind, but as long as she was willing, it was a wonderful thing!
Li Qing, meanwhile, was completely dumbfounded.
He stared wide-eyed at Qian Renxue, trying to find a trace of a joke or a fit of pique on her stunning, serious face. But there was none.
Those violet eyes were clear and resolute, and even seemed to say... she was determined to have her way?
[What's going on?!]
Li Qing howled inwardly: [Did this woman take the wrong medicine? Wasn't everything fine just a moment ago? Why did she suddenly... suddenly agree to get engaged?! And what was that about unless I never marry? That logic makes no sense! Even if I do get married, I never said I had to marry you! Hey!]
He felt that his peaceful breakup plan had been ambushed by a dishonorable, one-hundred-and-eighty-degree reversal before it had even begun—right at the first step, where he'd refused to get engaged immediately!
This wasn't how the script was supposed to go!
The only person who still looked relatively calm, though her own thoughts were churning like a storm, was probably Bo Saixi.
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