Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 492 Koi Little Lucky Star 21

Yun Chu, who had always been task-oriented, felt a part of her heart, deep down, that had never truly been ignited, tremble slightly at this burning passion. She calmly analyzed:

Reliable character: The Ji family is grateful and repays kindness, and Ji Qingyuan himself is tenacious and upright, with impeccable character.

Bright future: The young man is a juren, and he is on the verge of becoming a jinshi in the future. He can greatly enhance the status of the Yun family and meets the standard of "marrying into a good family".

Emotional foundation (although it is her one-sided "family affection"): the deep bond of eight years of support, he has a deep understanding and absolute protection for himself and his family.

Family harmony: The two families know each other well. The Ji family is grateful to the Yun family, so there is no need to worry about the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law after marrying into the family.

Mission considerations: Instead of marrying a stranger from a "good family" who may have ulterior motives, Ji Qingyuan, who knows her background well, has ability and prospects, and is loyal to herself and her family, is obviously a better and safer choice!

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was no longer filled with panic, but instead contained a complex and clear scrutiny.

She did not respond to Ji Qingyuan immediately, and even avoided his undisguised gaze. She turned to her parents and elders, her voice calm but with a subtle fluctuation:

"Dad, Mom, Grandma, Uncle and Aunt, Younger Uncle and Aunt... This happened too suddenly. Let me... think about it."

Yun Chu didn't rebuke him harshly, nor did he flatly refuse. The words "Think about it" were like finding a crack in a taut bowstring, allowing the suffocating air to flow again.

Ji Qingyuan's eyes suddenly lit up surprisingly!

She didn't push him away immediately!

This is the biggest progress for his carefully planned and desperate "forcing the emperor to abdicate"!

He knew Yun Chu's character very well, and she needed time to weigh and digest this huge change.

He suppressed the ecstasy that was surging in his heart, regained some of his usual calmness and gentleness (although the predatory desire in his eyes had not completely dissipated), and solemnly bowed to the Yun family.

"Uncle, aunt, and all the elders, Qingyuan was just reckless. This matter has been weighing on my mind for years. Today, when I heard someone wanted to arrange a marriage for Sister Yun, I was anxious and impolite. I hope you will forgive me. My feelings for Yun Chu are known to all. I will study hard at the academy and wait for Sister Yun Chu's response."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Yun Chu deeply again, that look seemed to contain thousands of words, and then he turned around, walked firmly but with the high spirits of a young man who had achieved success, and left the backyard of the Yun family shop.

He used the "evil-hearted" tactic of aggressively advancing and then voluntarily giving in at just the right time to perfection.

After Ji Qingyuan left, the backyard became noisy again.

"This kid! He looks like a scholar, but he's a wolf at heart!" Yun Bai stroked his beard, scolding with a smile but with admiration in his heart.

"I think he's good!" A smile appeared on Wang's face. "It's better than those who only care about family background. We have watched Qingyuan grow up, so he can't be wrong!"

"Chu girl, he has kept this secret for eight years...what...do you think?" Second Aunt Wu asked with concern.

Third Aunt Li also agreed: "Yes, yes, although he is two years older, this child is a juren master!"

Facing the eager gazes and discussions of his family, Yun Chu said, "I'll think about it carefully."

The other members of the Yun family nodded, indicating that she should take her time to think about it and not be in a hurry.

After Yun Chu left, the Yun family started talking again.

For two consecutive days, Yun Chu ran the rouge shop as usual, but no one noticed the turmoil in her heart.

She sorted out her memories while making rouge, weighed the pros and cons while reconciling accounts at the counter, and even in the dead of night, she stared out the window at the lighted study in Ji Qingyuan's house.

Ji Qingyuan's words, his eyes, the burning passion and unquestionable courage, replayed in her mind over and over again, stirring up the habitual "sister-brother" emotional dam that she had deliberately ignored for many years.

She thought a lot: about identity, about age, and about Ji Qingyuan's career which seemed bright but was actually full of thorns.

All those ideas based on "missions" and family background analysis were ultimately no match for a thought that quietly arose in my heart:

She saw with her own eyes the young man who struggled to stand up from the mud and walked all the way to the brightly lit area with gritted teeth. The persistence and sincerity in his eyes when he looked at her were the most precious things in this world full of calculations.

It’s not that she wasn’t moved, but the identity of “sister” for many years was like a hard cocoon that needed an opportunity to break through.

At dusk the next day, the sky was dyed with a gentle orange-red. Yun Chu did not go home directly, but his footsteps unconsciously moved to the quiet stone bridge in the town that was the only way to the academy.

As she expected, the tall figure appeared in her sight - he seemed to have guessed that she might appear here, and was leaning quietly on the bridge railing, looking in the direction of the Yun family with undisguised expectation.

When he saw her, Ji Qingyuan's eyes suddenly lit up surprisingly, as if two stars fell into his eyes.

He immediately straightened his back and walked quickly forward, his voice trembling slightly but forcing himself to remain calm: "Sister Yun...you're here."

He carefully observed her expression, and the calm and composed demeanor of a scholar instantly collapsed in front of her, and he turned back into the nervous and expectant boy.

Yun Chu stopped and looked at the undisguised expectation and a hint of fear in his eyes. The hesitation in her heart seemed to be blown away by the breeze.

Yun Chu pursed her lips and spoke. Her voice was calmer than she had imagined, yet with an indescribable softness than usual: "Two days ago, it was me who was 'interrogated' in front of the whole family. Why is it that now you are the one acting like a frightened little rabbit?"

Ji Qingyuan's ears felt slightly warmed by the rare teasing in her words, but he also understood that this was her way of easing the atmosphere, and his tense heartstrings instantly relaxed.

He looked at her deeply and whispered, "Sister Yun promised to give me a chance to 'think', but for me, this 'thinking' is even longer and more difficult than the day the results were announced."

"Every moment is like torture. I'm afraid you'll just think I'm joking, and I'm also afraid... I'll scare you and make you stay away." His Adam's apple rolled. "Luckily, you came to find me."

Yun Chu looked at his frank eyes and the slightly red tips of his ears, and the familiar feelings that belonged to "Xiao Ji" quietly floated up again, and blended wonderfully with the image of the scholar in front of her whose brilliance was gradually growing.

She sighed softly and stopped beating around the bush. "Qingyuan, I've thought about every word you said that day. Eight years...is indeed a long time. It turns out I've been misunderstanding many of the details."

"Then... have you figured it out?" Ji Qingyuan's heart was in his throat. He subconsciously clenched the thing in his sleeve, and his knuckles turned slightly white.

He is like a prisoner waiting for the final judgment, or a believer longing to obtain a rare treasure.

Yun Chu didn't answer yes or no immediately. She turned her gaze to the river flowing slowly under the bridge, and said in a soft but clear voice: "You said that you admire my steadiness, intelligence, and tenacity..."

"But if one day, you have reached a high position of power and have met countless true ladies from noble families, while I am just a small-time businessman with a lot of money on my hands, how much of this admiration will remain?"

This is an unavoidable reality and the deepest anxiety in one's heart. It is also a question that must be asked in person by people who are accustomed to control and weighing.