Rebirth: Find a General as Your Backer

"Miss Zhou." Xue Huai called out to her urgently, his voice filled with a hint of nervousness and anticipation. Ever since his mother had gone to see the princess, Xue Huai had had the illusion that Zhou Qi was deliberately avoiding him.

He was very anxious, afraid that Zhou Qi might misunderstand, so he came here specifically to intercept Zhou Qi today.

Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Qi stopped his hurried steps, slowly turned around, and asked with a hint of evasion in his tone, "Young Master Xue, what is it?"

Hearing Zhou Qi's unfamiliar way of addressing him, Xue Huai felt a slight pang in his heart, and paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "Miss Zhou, we've known each other for a long time, there's no need to be so polite. You can just call me Xue Huai."

Zhou Qi did not respond, but silently cast his gaze into the distance, his eyes revealing a faint sadness, as if he had a thousand words to say but could not express them.

Xue Huai took a deep breath, mustered up his courage, looked sincerely at Zhou Qi, and said, "Miss Zhou, I am fond of you, and this feeling has been hidden in my heart for a long time."

The moment he uttered those words, he seemed to gain some kind of power, his eyes becoming incredibly resolute. He secretly vowed in his heart that as long as Zhou Qi had feelings for him, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles lay ahead, he would never back down or be afraid.

He will follow Her Highness closely, fight bravely on the battlefield, and strive to earn honor, just to be worthy of her and give her a bright future. He also hopes that she will not misunderstand him. I hope her mother did not say anything inappropriate in front of the princess.

Therefore, as long as Zhou Qi could nod slightly and agree to be with him, he would take care of everything, protect her from the wind and rain, and safeguard her for the rest of her life. Xue Huai's eyes were filled with burning love and firm determination.

However, Zhou Qi felt as if she were encased in a thick layer of ice; she couldn't sense Xue Huai's fiery determination. Her past painful experiences, like wounds that were difficult to heal, constantly reminded her, preventing her from taking that step to embrace a new relationship.

"Thank you for your kind words, Young Master Xue, but I am unworthy!" Zhou Qi bit her lip, uttering these words with difficulty, as if she had used up all her strength. Her eyes were brimming with tears, swirling in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She tried hard to control her emotions, speaking her rejection in a cold tone.

Xue Huai's joy was instantly extinguished by a bucket of ice water. His heart felt as if it had fallen into an abyss, but he still couldn't help but say, "No, I won't allow you to say such things. In my heart, you are the best, the only one in the world, and irreplaceable."

"What do you know? You're a noble young master from the capital, the second son of the Xue Rong Prince's Mansion. You have a bright future ahead of you, and there will be even more outstanding women to accompany you for life," Zhou Qi said coldly. After speaking, he turned around and walked away quickly, not giving Xue Huai any chance to speak.

Xue Huai stood there dumbfounded, his usual eloquence gone, now completely at a loss. His mind was blank, filled only with Zhou Qi's resolute back and that cold rejection.

"What to do, what to do," Xue Huai muttered to himself, his heart filled with disappointment and pain. Watching Zhou Qi's receding figure, his eyes gradually reddened, and he really felt an urge to cry.

So, he ran dejectedly to Prince Rui's study. As soon as he entered, he sat down on a chair and burst into tears like a child.

This sudden turn of events left everyone in the room completely bewildered. They exchanged bewildered glances, utterly astonished by Xue Huai's unexpected action. For a grown man to burst into tears in front of everyone—only Xue Huai could pull off such a thing.

Chu Mohan frowned, feeling somewhat helpless. He really wanted to give him a good beating to bring him to his senses.

Seeing this, Ling Lin couldn't help but exclaim, "Xue Huai, what's wrong with you?" Then he tried hard to wink at Xue Huai, hoping he would see his hint. After all, if His Highness was really angry, Xue Huai would definitely be in trouble.

However, everyone understood that the reason Xue Huai lost his composure like this must be Zhou Qi.

After all, I've seen him looking so lost and disoriented lately, so I can only guess what's going on with his current outburst.

At this moment, Xue Huai felt as if he had finally seen a relative. Completely disregarding his image, he loudly and aggrievedly said, "What should I do? Miss Zhou rejected me."

Upon hearing this, everyone secretly chuckled, knowing exactly what was going on. At that moment, everyone in the room felt an urge to laugh. For those of them who had fought alongside Zhou Qi, they usually only saw her as strong and brave; this association with romance seemed somewhat incongruous, just like when they first heard the princess call Zhou Qi "Sister Zhou."

Chu Mohan suppressed his temper, gently picked up a cup of tea, and slowly drank it to hide his helplessness and amusement.

"Hey Xue Huai, you got completely routed over something so trivial?" Ling Lin smirked, mocking him mercilessly.

Xue Huai rolled her eyes at him, feeling both anxious and annoyed. She was indeed completely inexperienced in matters of the heart, and could only turn to Prince Rui for help, her eyes filled with helplessness and anxiety. "Your Highness, please give me some advice. Now Miss Zhou avoids me like the plague, and it's as difficult as climbing to heaven for me to even find a chance to have a proper talk with her."

Chu Mohan remained calm, glancing at Xue Huai's pitiful appearance without being moved, and coldly said, "Find your own way. You can't just easily get your wish to marry someone close to the princess."

Those currently inside were all trusted confidants whom His Highness had brought all the way from Mofang City. They had spent a lot of time with Xue Huai and were quite familiar with each other. Seeing Xue Huai so dejected, they all offered words of comfort.

Mo Xiong scratched his head, and a scene suddenly flashed into his mind: General Zhou had shown no mercy when he sparred with him in the military camp. He said in a simple and honest way, "General Zhou probably won't like you looking so dejected. In my opinion, General Zhou would prefer someone whose martial arts are even better than hers."

These words were like rubbing salt into Xue Huai's already bleeding wounds. Zhou Qi's martial arts skills were genuine, honed through countless battles on the brutal battlefield; Xue Huai could hardly compare.

"Stop spouting nonsense here," Changfeng quickly stopped him. He had personally witnessed the change in His Highness's attitude towards the Princess. The once cold-blooded, ruthless, and decisive general was now as docile as a kitten in front of the Princess, as if he had become a completely different person.