Conditions

She lowered her head, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and her voice was no longer as cold as before. "You say you have me in your heart, yet you're engaged to someone else. Fu Yunlang, you..."

Her voice trembled with tears as she spoke.

The beautiful woman was shedding tears, and she was the woman he had once loved so much. Fu Yunlang's heart immediately turned towards Zhao Ruyu.

He quickly got up and went forward to hug Zhao Ruyu and comfort her, but Zhao Ruyu quickly got up and avoided him, not letting him get close.

She wiped away her tears, her face resolute, her voice turning cold again. "Fine, let's end it here. From now on, you go your way, and I'll go mine. Even if we meet again, we'll remain strangers."

With that, she turned to leave.

"Ruyu." Fu Yunlang stepped forward to grab Zhao Ruyu, but was stopped by Fushu.

In the past, when the two went on dates, Zhao Ruyu would not bring Fushu into the house, but would leave her outside to keep watch. But today, she brought Fushu in.

Fushu understood her mistress's intentions and was also eager to see her mistress stay away from Fu Yunlang. Therefore, at the crucial moment, without her mistress's orders, she took the initiative to stand up and block Fu Yunlang.

Fu Yunlang couldn't care less about Fushu; he was worried that Zhao Ruyu would leave.

Although the Earl of Suiping's Residence is not as powerful as the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence, and the second branch of the Zhao Family has even separated and become commoners, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, not to mention that the Earl of Suiping's Residence has risen again because of Zhao Zhiwei. It is not something he can afford to offend.

If his pursuit of Zhao Ruyu damages the reputation of the Zhao Family's daughters and consequently affects Zhao Zhiwei, Kang Shilin could destroy him.

When he seized one of Zhao Zhiwei's estates, he was thoroughly humiliated by Kang Shilin, Wu Zong, and others.

He didn't dare use force, so he could only stand there and hurriedly said to Zhao Ruyu's back, "Ruyu, believe me, I had no choice. My mother forced me to do this. If I didn't agree, she would hang herself. As her son, what could I do? That's why I came to find you as soon as I was released from confinement."

Zhao Ruyu turned around and looked at Fu Yunlang: "So what do you plan to do?"

After being rebuked by Zhao Ruyu's sarcastic remarks, Fu Yunlang seemed to have regained his former feeling, and the sense of alienation he had felt because of Zhao Ruyu's improved beauty had disappeared.

Right now, he only feels that Zhao Ruyu is very beautiful and pleasing to the eye. If he were to truly lose Zhao Ruyu, his heart would break.

He said, "You're the only one in my heart. I married her for my mother's sake. Ruyu, you said you liked me, wasn't that the truth? Or do you only want the position of the second mistress of the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence? If you truly love me, can you please stop talking about titles? I love you, and you love me. Isn't it most important that we can stay together for life?"

"So?" Zhao Ruyu looked at him indifferently.

"I... I..." Under her gaze, Fu Yunlang almost couldn't continue, but gritting his teeth, he still managed to say, "Be my concubine, and I will treat you well for the rest of my life."

"My mother said..." He looked extremely ashamed, "Your family is just a commoner, and you have no dowry. If I marry you, our future will be very difficult. She loves me the most and doesn't want me to live a poor life, so she firmly disagrees with our marriage and even arranged a betrothal for me behind my back."

He looked up at Zhao Ruyu, his eyes filled with longing. "Ruyu, if you care about me, will you marry me? I will treat you well, and I will only be good to you for the rest of my life."

Zhao Ruyu had already turned away when he said "become a concubine." But upon hearing this, she seemed somewhat moved and wanted to turn back, but then restrained herself.

In Fu Yunlang's eyes, this meant that she was attracted to him, but didn't trust him.

What he didn't see was that Zhao Ruyu, standing with her back to him, had a somber expression and icy eyes.

Zhao Ruyu felt a deep sadness at this moment.

In their past life, they were a famous, loving couple in the capital.

So, even after being reborn, she still hopes to be with him.

But after experiencing two lifetimes, she finally saw clearly that he was indecisive, irresponsible, and had limited abilities. He made vows of eternal love, but in reality, he wanted to have women on both sides and had everything.

In her previous life, the Earl of Suiping's Residence had not divided its branches. Although she was an adopted daughter of a concubine in the Earl of Suiping's Residence, she was still valued by the old lady. Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu also thought highly of her and gave her a generous dowry. Most importantly, the Wei Family was still around. Therefore, she was able to marry into the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence and become the second wife.

In this life, the Earl of Suiping's Residence split up, the Wei Family was wiped out, and she became the adopted daughter of the beheaded Lady Wei. With a bad reputation, no dowry, and no noble title, who would marry her as a principal wife? Even with her stunning beauty, she could only be someone's concubine.

The struggle for the throne among the princes was too fierce; it was a matter of life and death. The fate of the Earl of Suiping's Residence, who were exiled in her previous life, still Youyu her. She dared not become a prince's concubine.

Having been given a second chance at life, all she wants is to enjoy wealth and luxury in peace and tranquility.

She sighed deeply.

In Fu Yunlang's eyes, this meant that although Zhao Ruyu was tempted, she still didn't trust him.

He simply raised his hand. "I swear. If I treat Zhao Ruyu badly, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."

Zhao Ruyu's eyes flickered, and she finally turned around with a moved expression, glaring at Fu Yunlang with a mixture of resentment and reproach.

Fu Yunlang's heart fluttered, and a joyful smile appeared on his face. He reached out to embrace Zhao Ruyu. Zhao Ruyu quickly took a few steps back, avoiding his hand.

Fushu quickly stepped forward and stood between the two.

"Ruyu, don't you still believe me? What do you want me to do for you to marry me?" Fu Yunlang asked, his face full of sorrow.

Zhao Ruyu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Fu Yunlang was anxious and said many sweet words, making Fushu, who was standing between the two of them, blush and wish she could cover her face and run away.

After Fu Yunlang made another round of vows, Zhao Ruyu finally spoke, "If you want to take me as a concubine, you can. But you have to promise me a few things."

Fu Yunlang was overjoyed. "Alright, go ahead."

"First, I don't want to tarnish the Zhao Family's reputation. After all, Zhao Zhiwei is a renowned scholar of the Great Jin Dynasty and the top female scholar in the imperial examination. If people knew that her sister had married and become a concubine, it would inevitably affect her reputation. Therefore, a small sedan chair will suffice when she enters the mansion. She can be picked up in the evening; there's no need for a grand display."

Upon hearing this, Fu Yunlang was overjoyed.

He was going to marry a girl from the Cen Family. Taking a concubine would already displease the Cen Family Cen Family, and if he made a big fuss about it, who knew what they would do to him. Zhao Ruyu that he use a small sedan chair to pick up the bride, and do it quietly at dusk, was perfect. By the time the Cen Family girl found out, it would be too late for any trouble.

He barely managed to suppress the smirk from his lips, and nodded with a heavy and ashamed expression, saying, "Okay, I promise you."