Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Chapter 1291 Something went wrong

Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat as he finally realized that Jia Zhang was not simply interested in the old man's plight. Her words were full of other meanings, and these meanings made Li Xiangqian feel inexplicably uneasy. The Jia family - what exactly did she mean by the Jia family?

"You mean...something happened to the Jia family?" Li Xiangqian finally raised his head, with a complicated light flashing in his eyes.

Jia Zhang didn't answer immediately, but just looked at him silently, as if waiting for his reaction. The atmosphere in the air was getting more and more tense, and Li Xiangqian could feel her approaching pressure. She didn't act relaxed or casual as usual. Jia Zhang in front of her was like a hidden bomb, ready to explode at any time.

"Don't you understand?" Jia Zhang suddenly moved closer and whispered, "The Jia family is now on the verge of bankruptcy, and the creditors have come to the door. If you really care, you shouldn't just stand here and watch. Do you think I asked you to save this old man because I think you are so kind? No, you are the hope of the Jia family, and only you can change all this."

Li Xiangqian's head buzzed, and he felt a heavy burden that he had never felt before. Jia family? What was his relationship with the Jia family? He instinctively wanted to refute, but found that he had no solid reason to refuse.

"What do you mean?" Li Xiangqian's voice became a little low, with an inexplicable confusion and anger. "I have no idea what the Jia family you are talking about is like, so how can I solve your problem?"

Jia Zhang's eyes became more determined. She looked at Li Xiangqian and didn't seem to be in a hurry to give an answer. She just said slowly: "You don't understand, Li Xiangqian, your relationship with the Jia family is much more complicated than you think. You have never really understood your own situation, and you have never really understood what the people around you can give you."

These words seemed to push Li Xiangqian into the abyss. He suddenly felt a severe dizziness and his heartbeat accelerated involuntarily. Jia Zhang's words were like a key, unlocking the long-sealed secret deep in his heart. He began to recall his experiences from childhood to adulthood. Those fragments hidden deep in his memory seemed to gradually emerge, but were quickly swallowed up at a certain moment.

"What are you talking about?" Li Xiangqian's voice became more urgent. He subconsciously took a step back, but Jia Zhang in front of him seemed to have expected all this and remained calm.

"You really don't know?" Jia Zhang's smile was a little bitter, and her eyes were still so calm, as if she had seen through all of Li Xiangqian's struggles. "Your status in the Jia family cannot be ignored. You are a part of our family, whether you admit it or not. You have never really understood yourself, and you have never realized what responsibilities you bear."

Li Xiangqian's mind went blank. He suddenly felt that he was trapped in an inescapable puzzle, and all his emotions and thoughts were in a mess. He wanted to resist and get rid of this heavy responsibility, but Jia Zhang's calm and deep eyes were like invisible shackles that locked him tightly.

"Do you think it's unfair?" Jia Zhang seemed to see through Li Xiangqian's thoughts and whispered, "But this is reality, isn't it? You may never be ready to take on all of this, but no matter what, you can't avoid it. The Jia family needs you, and you, Li Xiangqian, you can't hide anymore."

Li Xiangqian suddenly felt an unbearable pressure. He felt as if his throat was being strangled, and breathing became increasingly difficult. Every word and sentence was like her accusation, which bit by bit devoured his confidence and determination. The old man's face was still pale, as if the whole world had nothing to do with him, and all the pain and responsibility were ruthlessly stripped away.

He took a deep breath, his eyes became confused, and the chaotic voices in his mind gradually made him lose his sense of direction. Jia Zhang seemed to have noticed his hesitation, and her tone softened a little: "You may not want to admit it, but this is the fact, Li Xiangqian. What you can save is not just the old man in front of you. What you can do is to give the entire Jia family a chance to stand up again. And you have the ability to do it."

"I don't have the ability." Li Xiangqian's voice was so low that it was almost unnoticeable. He felt like he was being crushed by an invisible heavy stone. "Why don't you go find someone else? Am I really your hope? I don't understand those complicated things at all."

Jia Zhang was not angry at Li Xiangqian's rejection. She just looked at him coldly, as if waiting for some kind of change in his heart. She did not give him more time to think, but slowly walked to Li Xiangqian and whispered: "You don't need to understand everything, you just need to make a choice. Because for some things, avoiding them will not solve the problem. Only by facing them can you gain true freedom."

Li Xiangqian stood there, his heart in turmoil, unable to move. His eyes were fixed on the still weak old man, while Jia Zhang's voice echoed in his ears like a death warrant, forcing him to be unable to breathe.

Li Xiangqian stood there, like a stone tablet blown by the wind, his inner confusion surged like a tide, almost swallowing him up. Every word of Jia Zhang left deep cracks in his heart like a knife, making him start to doubt his decision. She said he had a responsibility and mentioned that the future of the Jia family was closely related to him, but what did all this have to do with him? For whom should he do what?

For a moment, Li Xiangqian felt extremely heavy in his heart, but there was also a kind of resistance burning deep in his heart. He didn't want to be led by anyone, nor did he want to bear the burden that didn't belong to him. He just wanted to do what he thought was right and what he wanted to do. Saving the old man might be what he wanted to do, and he didn't need anyone to decide for him.

"Ms. Jia Zhang, stop saying these things." Li Xiangqian finally spoke, his tone was stubborn and calm. "I don't need you to tell me what to do. Who I save and who I help is my own choice."

Jia Zhang raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at the determination in Li Xiangqian's eyes, and raised an unknown smile at the corner of her mouth, as if she had not expected Li Xiangqian to be so resolute. A trace of displeasure flashed in her eyes, but she immediately regained her composure.

"Do you think you can do whatever you want? Do you think you can save everyone?" Her voice became low, as if carrying an unspeakable threat. "You know that not everyone is worth saving. Don't you understand that your so-called 'good intentions' sometimes hurt yourself?"