Although Wu Lang is older than her, girls and boys are different. It’s common for younger sisters to be engaged first. Some even get married before their brothers do.

Shen Liu...

Lian Manman couldn’t help but slightly raise her eyebrows.

"Sixth Master, when... did you... come up with this... idea?" Lian Manman asked.

"Oh..." Shen Liu looked at Lian Manman, not answering immediately. He liked the shy look on Lian Manman now. At times like this, girls were supposed to be shy. If it were other girls, they probably couldn’t say anything besides nodding. But while Lian Manman was shy, she still managed to ask him such a question.

The person he set his eyes on was indeed incomparable to those ordinary women.

"Sixth Master, you said you never lied to me." Seeing that Shen Liu just made an "oh" and then fell silent, Lian Manman said softly, "You won’t lie to me now, right?"

This little girl was playing tricks on him, almost stepping on his head, Shen Liu thought. However, looking at Lian Manman’s pink cheeks and bright eyes, Shen Liu could only willingly fall into the trap.

"Not just now, I will never lie to you," Shen Liu said, with a very solemn tone.

Lian Manman seemed quite satisfied, pursed her lips, and a smile climbed up her cheeks.

"The first time we met," Shen Liu continued when he saw Lian Manman smile, "was in the mountains. I thought afterward to bring you into the residence."

"Oh?" Lian Manman stared into Shen Liu’s eyes, her tone carrying a hint of danger. The word "bring" was used. Shen Liu’s thoughts at the time were self-explanatory.

Shen Liu, being extremely smart, naturally guessed Lian Manman’s thoughts, subconsciously raised a hand and gently rubbed his nose with his index finger. Very few people had seen Shen Liu make this gesture. It was something he did in front of his father and grandfather when he was a child. After he became an adult, he rarely did it. Therefore, few people knew that this gesture meant Shen Liu was a bit nervous.

"... Then why didn’t you later... bring... me?" Lian Manman continued to ask, emphasizing the word "bring."

"At that time, there were some instabilities both in my duties and at home. I thought, at that time..." Shen Liu paused at this point, swallowing the word "bring" to avoid displeasing his beloved, "if you came into the residence, I was worried it would make you suffer."

Not wanting Lian Manman to face complicated internal and external affairs upon entering the residence, Shen Liu postponed bringing her in. Having a good impression of Lian Manman, who had saved him, he hoped to provide her with a good environment, rather than just bringing her into the residence, giving her a title and luxurious life, and considering it as repaying the favor.

It must be said that beneath Shen Liu’s cold exterior, there was actually a gentle heart full of affection.

Lian Manman naturally knew this, which is why she gradually changed her view of Shen Liu and grew closer to him.

"Later, when we met again in town, that time, I could have..., but it was because of that encounter that I dropped the idea," Shen Liu continued.

Both recalled the second meeting in Qingyang Town. To be honest, while Shen Liu was dazzling and splendid, Lian Manman didn’t find it entirely pleasant. Her siblings had just fought a bully in the market. It was this meeting that made Shen Liu abandon the idea of bringing Lian Manman into his residence.

It wasn’t because he was dissatisfied with Lian Manman. On the contrary, that contact made him like her even more. He no longer wanted to bring her into his residence because he vaguely felt that Lian Manman deserved something better. The plan he had for Lian Manman might erase what he appreciated and found fascinating about her.

This time, Shen Liu gave up the idea of bringing Lian Manman into the residence but decided to continue paying more attention to her.

As to when he started to like Lian Manman to the point of wanting to marry her, Shen Liu couldn’t quite explain. If he gradually ensnared Lian Manman in his trap, wasn’t Lian Manman similarly ensnaring his heart little by little?

Like spring rain nourishing everything in silence, by the time he realized, the emotions were deeply rooted.

Unexpectedly, Shen Liu faced something he couldn’t clearly explain. Seeing him tangled, speaking hesitantly like an inexperienced boy, Lian Manman’s eyes softened, and a tiny trace of sweetness surfaced in her heart.

"I understand." In the end, it was Lian Manman’s words that rescued Shen Liu.

Shen Liu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that since Lian Manman seemed satisfied with his answer, he should let her agree to the marriage proposal. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Manman, you just need to nod, and I’ll handle everything else," Shen Liu said.

Shen Liu was a reliable, capable, and responsible man, and Lian Manman never doubted that.

"Between our families... in terms of status..." Lian Manman slowly began.

"You don’t need to worry about that at all." Shen Liu was in a great mood, as Lian Manman only mentioned family status rather than other issues. This meant she liked and was satisfied with him as a person without any particular complaints. "If we’re really talking about matching status, there’s no family in Liaodong Prefecture that matches ours."

...

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