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

So she frowned, her eyes filled with worry.

She bit her lower lip slightly, her voice trembling with a hint of helplessness as she said, "My lord, you come from the most prestigious family in Dongling and are a renowned young talent. Your family is of noble birth and must have many expectations and strict requirements for your marriage."

At this point, she smiled bitterly and said, "As for me, my status is so lowly. I am just an ordinary woman from the Great Zhao Dynasty. I have no illustrious family background or noble title. How could your parents and family agree to let you marry me? There are so many obstacles, like an insurmountable chasm. How could you possibly overcome them so easily, sir?"

Upon hearing this, Wenze gently grasped Lingyan's shoulders.

He looked directly into her eyes with a firm yet gentle gaze, trying to convey strength and confidence through his eyes: "You don't need to worry about any of this. Although family matters are complicated, since I have decided to marry you, I will do my best to deal with them. I will not let external factors interfere with our relationship. I will use my abilities to persuade them. You just need to tell me honestly whether you are willing or not."

Ling Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

She then took a deep breath and said resolutely and decisively, "I don't want to."

These two simple words echoed in the silent air, carrying an undeniable firmness.

Like two sharp steel needles, they pierced straight into the silent air, vibrating violently and echoing repeatedly in this confined space.

The voice was cold and resolute, without the slightest hesitation or doubt.

It was as if an invisible barrier had instantly appeared between the two of them.

Wenze felt as if a beautiful glass tower in his heart had been ruthlessly shattered by these two words, the scattered fragments tearing at his soul.

His eyes quickly reddened, his gaze like a blazing flame, tightly fixed on Ling Yan, as if trying to see through her.

He then forced out a question with difficulty: "Why?"

His voice carried a barely perceptible hint of pleading and resentment.

Ling Yan's face remained calm as water, and she replied in a soft and indifferent voice, "Because I'm afraid that although you may genuinely love me now, time will pass and beauty will fade. When I grow old and my youth is gone, how much of your current infatuation will remain? One day, your novelty will dissipate like the morning mist."

"As for me, I am just an orphan girl from the Great Zhao Dynasty, with no relatives or family to rely on. Once I am rejected by the adults, in that unfamiliar land of Dongling, I will be like a rootless duckweed, drifting in the wind and rain, left to fend for myself. The thought of such a fate makes me shudder. Therefore, I am unwilling."

Her gaze was calm as she looked directly at Wenze, yet it revealed a certainty and resolve born of experience.

Upon hearing this, Wenze frowned, his eyes filled with anxiety and resentment.

He stared intently at her, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "How do you know I would do that?"

Upon hearing this, Lingyan smiled faintly, a hint of bitterness in her eyes, and said softly, "But even you can't guarantee that it won't happen. People's hearts are fickle in this world, and vows are as fleeting as the wind. If you can solemnly promise that no matter how time flows or how the wind and rain rage, you will always be devoted to me and never abandon me, then Jiajia will have no doubt and will immediately follow you."

Upon hearing this, Wenze froze, his eagerness turning into hesitation.

His lips moved slightly, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

He was struggling internally, wanting to make a promise, but reason extinguished the flame of impulse like cold water.

Because he wasn't sure.

Therefore, he could not answer with absolute certainty that he would not.

His gaze gradually dimmed, and he lowered his head in silence, unable to look at her.

Seeing this, Lingyan raised her chin slightly, a smile appearing on her lips, and said softly, "So, my lord, you see, you can't guarantee anything yourself. The emotions in this world are unpredictable, like a candle flickering in the wind. How could I dare to bet my whole life on them so easily? Jiajia is also unwilling to gamble her entire life on those unknown variables."

She paused slightly, then continued, "So let's part ways here. Fortunately, your feelings for Jiajia aren't very deep yet. This lingering affection has only just begun to sprout in your heart, like the new green shoots of early spring, not yet deeply rooted. I imagine it will soon be gently blown away by the winds of time, erasing me from your memory. And Jiajia will gradually forget everything about you. In this way, parting amicably and forgetting each other in the vast world is not such a bad ending."

Because the feelings weren't deep, he couldn't make a promise.

If it were something deeply ingrained, he would probably be willing to make a solemn promise.

Upon hearing this, Wenze felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his chest.

My heart was struggling painfully inside, each beat accompanied by a sharp, stabbing pain.

He knew that her words hit the nail on the head. There were too many variables in the world's emotions, and promises were so pale and powerless in the face of the long years.

So even though his heart was churning with turmoil and he felt almost suffocated, he still slowly nodded.

The nodding motion seemed to have used up all his strength, carrying a sense of helplessness and bitter relief.

Seeing this, Lingyan gave him a genuine smile.

That smile contained boundless appreciation and satisfaction.

Wenze was dazzled by that smile.

During this time, he always felt that she was unclear to him, as if she were very far away.

Only now did he realize that he was a little closer to her.

So he endured the pain and finally had a passionate encounter with her…

Because this was his last night with her in this life.

So he was even more frenzied than they were on their first night together.

…………

It was just past midnight, and he would set off to leave Dazhao after daybreak.

However, Lingyan couldn't stay until dawn, since she had to attend the morning court session, and it was a grand court assembly at that.

So she bid him farewell at this moment, her eyes revealing a hint of distance and politeness, and said softly, "Jiajia will not see you off later, sir. I wish you a safe journey and peace and happiness in the future."

Upon hearing this, Wenze looked at her with such a distant and indifferent expression.

It felt as if countless tiny needles were piercing my heart, and the pain spread throughout my body.

He knew that this parting might be forever, but he was powerless to change it.

Her eyes gradually reddened, and tears welled up in them, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

He replied in a broken, nasal voice, "Okay, and I wish you the same..."

His voice was filled with suppressed sobs, as if every syllable carried his deep reluctance to part.

But in the end, he still added the following words: "I also wish you a peaceful and carefree life ahead."

Upon hearing Wenze's response, Lingyan's lips curved upwards slightly.

That smile was faint, like a fleeting breeze in spring, vanishing before anyone could truly capture it.

Then she moved gracefully to take a bath, her every move exuding a unique kind of freedom.

After she finished bathing, she wore an elegant dress, the hem of which swayed gently behind her.

Her face was calm as still water, her eyes fixed firmly on the distance, as if everything around her was no longer relevant to her.

Then she walked straight to the door, never once glancing at Wenze or uttering a single word.

That resolute departing figure was like a sharp sword, slicing straight through the last trace of "affection" between the two.

As Wenze watched her retreating figure, his heart clenched, and a wave of panic instantly overwhelmed him.

Without thinking, he shouted, "Jiajia, wait!"

Her voice trembled slightly, and she pleaded.

His feet moved involuntarily toward her, his eyes filled with eagerness and reluctance.

Ling Yan paused slightly upon hearing Wen Ze's call.

But only for a moment, and then they quickened their pace again.