Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

“I hate wearing skirts the most. They are so complicated, long and inconvenient. I also don’t like wearing jewelry. The jingling is annoying. But I can only suppress my disgust and put on these things that I hate the most, as if I am wearing layer after layer of disguise. I hate people who speak softly the most, but I changed my habit of eleven years for him and started to speak softly and slowly.”

“I’ve always been someone who likes to speak loudly and freely, saying whatever I want, instead of having to think things through before I speak, as if every word has to be carefully crafted before I can say it. That makes me feel incredibly painful, as if I’m tearing my soul apart. I also don’t want to go out of my way to talk to, socialize with, or try to please anyone other than my family and my brothers in the military. I just want to let things take their natural course.”

"But for his sake, I forced myself to become a smooth talker, saying one thing to one person and another to another. This change made me feel like an actor, playing different roles in different situations, but I lost my true self. I have been practicing martial arts, swordsmanship and military strategy since I was a child, always thinking that one day I could go to the battlefield with my father and brothers to fight the enemy and devote myself to the Great Zhao."

"But after meeting him, I never practiced martial arts for a single day, never practiced those skills again, and never read a military book. I buried my dreams deep inside. I love freedom the most and hate being locked up in the mansion or in the room. But for him, I practiced these things in the room for seven whole years and could not go out."

“Every day I miss the outside world. I miss the magnificent rivers and mountains. I want to wear my favorite Hu clothes, with my hair tied in a high ponytail, riding a horse and galloping freely in the sunset, chatting loudly with my brothers, eating meat and drinking wine, and sparring together.”

"I don't have to follow any rules, I don't have to be serious all the time, I don't have to always show the most perfect and flawless version of myself, I just want to be the most comfortable and relaxed version of myself, but I can't do that."

At this moment, the nostalgia, regret, and longing in her eyes were so distinct.

“I’ve been so tired all these years! I dream about these things I hate the most every day. Do you know how impatient and annoyed I was back then? But for him, I did it for seven whole years. I persevered day after day and year after year.”

“Whenever I feel like I can’t go on, I think of him and I feel like I can persevere through anything. When I learned that he has never had another woman by his side all these years, I felt even more motivated. So for him, I can persevere through even the most difficult and painful things.”

"For the past eight years, I have not allowed myself to make even the slightest mistake. I have always pretended to be the most perfect version of myself that everyone likes. I have almost forgotten what I am really like!"

After saying that, she smiled and looked at Lingyan, asking self-deprecatingly, "Don't you think I'm ridiculous? After all these years and so much, I still haven't won that one person's heart. How ridiculous!"

Lingyan was heartbroken after hearing what she said.

This silly girl really is silly!

She had sacrificed so much; she couldn't imagine how she had endured the disgust to gradually transform herself into the very thing she hated most.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he has completely become a different person.

She felt sorry for her and hugged her, not knowing what to say.

My chest felt so tight that I couldn't utter a single word.

Jiang Muxue knew that she was heartbroken at this moment, so she smiled and hugged her tightly in return.

After a long while, Lingyan finally released her and asked, "Why do you think He Jingchuan would like the way you act? He's a military general, would he really like a woman like that?"

Jiang Muxue replied matter-of-factly, "Doesn't he like it? Many of the soldiers in my camp are also military officers, and they all like women like this. Not only them, but most men in the world like women like this and don't like a vulgar, inappropriate woman like me."

She paused, then continued, "Moreover, He Jingchuan was so cold to me for that month, and considering the preferences of many men, I felt that he must also like this kind of woman and dislike my true self. Moreover, He Jingchuan comes from a prominent family. Even though his father, brothers, and ancestors were all military generals, he has loved literature since childhood."

"He loved poetry and books, and became the top scholar in the imperial examination at the age of fourteen. Even after he became a general, deep down he still preferred virtuous and gentle women, not someone like me..."

Upon hearing this, Lingyan quickly interrupted her, saying, "Like you? What's wrong with a woman like you? You are a good woman. No one dictates that a woman must look the same. There are so many women in the world, and each woman is unique. Women can have many different appearances. There are women like you and women like the noble ladies in the capital. There's no need to force yourself to change."

"Be yourself the best version of yourself. There's no need to pretend or change. Just be happy and carefree. Why care what others say? You're living your own life, not according to other people's opinions. Live it however you want."

Jiang Muxue listened blankly without saying a word, her eyes fixed on Ling Yan.

His eyes shone with a light he had never seen before.

Then Lingyan looked at her seriously and said, "I admire women like you very much, but you are wrong. He Jingchuan does not like the kind of woman you are. He does not like weak women who seem to be cut from the same mold as those raised by aristocratic families."

"If he really liked her, then why hasn't he liked any of the many noble ladies in the capital who are just like you over the years? If he wanted to like someone, he would have done so long ago. It's because he likes women who are unrestrained, free-spirited, bold, independent, vibrant, and genuine."

“Otherwise, why would he not like any of the many women in Dazhao or even the whole world, but instead fall for a married woman like me? Because I am that kind of woman. Perhaps most men in the world like women like you, but He Jingchuan is not like that. He is not that superficial.”

"Furthermore, if you hadn't interacted with him using your disguise, but instead interacted with him as you truly are, he would have definitely fallen for you before meeting me. I can guarantee that. Even if he hadn't fallen for you, he would have considered you a close friend, instead of avoiding you like the plague he does now."

"The reason you felt he was indifferent to you that month was just your imagination. It wasn't indifference; it's just that he always treats people he doesn't know well that way. If you spend more time together, things will be different."

"Furthermore, have you seen how he treats women like you? He keeps his distance just like you do. This shows that he really doesn't like this type of woman. You're just thinking about him based on the thoughts of most men in the world, but he is He Jingchuan. How could he be as vulgar and superficial as other men?"

After saying that, seeing that she seemed to be deep in thought, Lingyan continued, "Why do you think He Jingchuan likes me?"

Jiang Muxue smiled and replied, "If I didn't know you, I would have thought he was just after your face, but after getting to know you, I think he truly likes you as a person."