Yun Weisheng packed his things and set off on that very day.
The Yun family members held back their tears and reluctantly saw him off at the city gate before returning home with heavy hearts.
Inside the mansion, Yun Xi was still in a coma. No one knew what kind of dream she was trapped in. Her forehead was covered in sweat, dampening the blue hair at her temples, which stuck to her face messily.
Yun Qi and Liu Jingyue were sitting together by the bedside, watching over her. There was a thick, unwavering sorrow in their eyes.
Just then, a young servant came to report:
Shen Zhou had come.
The dull air instantly turned menacing.
"He still dares to come!" Yun Qi snorted coldly. He grabbed his long spear and rushed out without a word.
Fearing that Yun Qi might do something irreversible on impulse, Liu Jingyue told Saixing and Lingyan to watch over Yun Xi. Then, she hurriedly lifted her skirt and followed after him.
Outside, Shen Zhou still looked as gentle and amiable as ever. He was as elegant as a jade tree, exquisitely handsome.
Without any unnecessary words, Shen Zhou got straight to the point:
"Marry Yingying to me, and I have a way to wake her up."
Both Yun Qi and Liu Jingyue were stunned by the sudden anger on their faces.
"Why should we trust you?!" Yun Qi almost shouted angrily.
"How did Xiaoxi trust you before? And look at what happened to her now!"
But Liu Jingyue immediately grabbed Yun Qi.
Even though Shen Zhou had deceived them before, his feelings for Yun Xi were real. She believed that no matter how bad Shen Zhou was, he wouldn't harm Yun Xi.
"Tell us. What's your method?"
Taking out a porcelain bottle from his bosom, Shen Zhou didn't hide it anymore and said directly:
"I got this from the Holy Master. He said that the thing inside can wake Yingying up."
"Although I don't know what it is that he wants from Yingying, it's true that the Holy Master doesn't want Yingying to be in danger. Whether the thing in this porcelain bottle is real or fake, we'll know once we try."
"However..."
Retracting his hand a bit, Shen Zhou's voice was firm:
"Once Yingying wakes up, I want her to marry me."
"You're so despicable!" Yun Qi was so angry that he almost jumped up and stabbed him with his spear.
"Taking advantage of someone's vulnerability is not what a gentleman does! If you really love Xiaoxi, how could you force her like this!"
With a cold smile, Shen Zhou remained unmoved:
"I've never been a gentleman. I can't do the thing of letting go and being self - sacrificing. I only know that if it's something I want, I'll get it by any means necessary."
"So? Will you agree or not? I don't have that much patience to waste with you. If I can't get what I want, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"You..."
"Enough!"
Yun Qi was about to say something else, but his words were cut off by Liu Jingyue's loud shout.
Pulling Yun Qi behind her, Liu Jingyue took a deep breath and tried to calm her tone as much as possible. She said:
"Although marriage is usually decided by the parents' order and the matchmaker's words, Yingying didn't grow up with us. We can't make decisions about her matters."
"If you want her to marry you, you can persuade her yourself after you wake her up. If she really agrees, I won't say a word. Whether it's marriage or betrothal, it's up to you two."
"Mother!" Yun Qi looked at Liu Jingyue in shock.
"How could you..."
"Don't say a word!" Liu Jingyue waved her sleeve impatiently. She met Shen Zhou's eyes and said:
"So? Mr. Shen, do you have the confidence to persuade Yingying?"
Laughing heartily, Shen Zhou didn't answer her. He simply said two words:
"Lead the way!"
The pill in the porcelain bottle was indeed effective.
Not long after Yun Xi took it, she slowly woke up.
"Little sister!"
"Yingying!"
Yun Qi and Liu Jingyue exclaimed in unison and immediately rushed over. Saixing and Lingyan, who had been nervously observing by the side, also gathered around the bedside.
Saixing was the first one who couldn't hold back her tears. They streamed down her face:
"Miss, you're finally awake. You've worried me so much. Wuwu..."
Yun Xi hadn't figured out what had happened yet. After smiling and comforting everyone a few words, she noticed Shen Zhou standing alone aside.
"You..." Yun Xi blinked in confusion.
"Why are you here?"
The joyful atmosphere suddenly froze.
The happy smiles on everyone's faces were instantly replaced by worry.
In such a short time, they still remembered the condition that Shen Zhou had proposed earlier!
Only Shen Zhou, smiling like a fox that had achieved its goal, said boldly:
"I'm here to marry you."
The events before she fell into a coma flooded back into Yun Xi's mind. Her face changed several times:
"You're dreaming!"
Pouring himself a cup of tea on his own, Shen Zhou glanced at everyone and said slowly:
"This is a deal. Yingying, they... have already given their consent. As for you..."
"I think you'll also agree."
"Snort—"
Propping herself up and leaning against the head of the bed, Yun Xi sneered:
"You think? Do you think things will happen just because you think so?"
Shen Zhou didn't answer.
He placed the cup on the table neither too heavily nor too lightly. Then he said:
"Yingying, you were in a coma, so you don't know yet. General Yun has already set off for the southwest to lead the troops to suppress the bandits."
"I heard that these bandits are different from the previous ones. They are well - equipped. Although they are fierce and brutal, they are also resourceful. I wonder how much chance of victory General Yun has this time?"
Yun Xi frowned tightly. She looked at her mother and brother.
Both of them nodded slightly. From the undisguised worry on their faces, Yun Xi knew that Shen Zhou wasn't lying.
The hand that was holding the quilt had unknowingly tightened. Yun Xi tried her best to calm her mind and said:
"So you're threatening me?"
Curving his lips, Shen Zhou lazily leaned back on the chair. He looked at Yun Xi's eyes that seemed to want to cut him into pieces:
"Don't put it so harshly. Yingying, I'm trying to help you."
"After all, if it were someone else, they could just ignore this matter. No one would say anything. But once we get married, General Yun will be my father - in - law. As a son - in - law, I can't just watch my wife's beloved father be in danger and do nothing, right?"
"Am I right?"
Yun Qi gave Shen Zhou a fierce glare. He patted Yun Xi's slender hand and said:
"Little sister, don't listen to his nonsense. If it were somewhere else, it would be one thing. But the southwest is the place where I grew up. Father has been leading the troops to guard that area for more than ten years. He won't be unable to deal with a few bandits."
"He just wants to trick you into marrying him. You just have to refuse him firmly."
"Tsk—"
Shen Zhou laughed mockingly without mercy:
"I must say, General Yun, you're really naive. Do you know who issued this imperial edict?
"If they were just ordinary bandits, couldn't anyone from the southwest go? But the emperor up there specifically appointed your father to go. Haven't you noticed anything at all?"
Of course Yun Qi had noticed.
The emperor's mind was unpredictable. Since Emperor Zhaohuan had become suspicious and wanted to suppress the Yun family through this incident.
No matter what the Yun family did, they were wrong.
In that case, why should they let their little sister be forced to marry her enemy, who she didn't like and who had deceived her?
Yun Xi wasn't a fool.
She understood Yun Qi's intention to protect her, and she also knew that the Yun family was really in danger.
She didn't want to gamble on the emperor's heart. At least, if she agreed to Shen Zhou, she could protect her family.
Suddenly looking up and meeting Shen Zhou's ambiguous peach - blossom eyes, Yun Xi said:
"Okay, I'll marry you.
"But I also have a condition."