"Uh, Yingying, where did she go?"

Seeing that Yao Wenwen hadn’t followed him inside, Lin Kuang couldn’t help but ask awkwardly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yingying gave Lin Kuang an exasperated roll of her eyes. "Where did she go? She stormed off because of you."

"Ah, well, Yingying, I really didn’t mean to. You have to explain things for me when you see her," Lin Kuang said pitifully.

"Alright, alright. Wenwen probably won’t stay angry. At most, she’ll be upset for a couple of days," Xu Yingying said, unable to stifle a chuckle at his pitiful expression.

Hearing this, Lin Kuang finally let out a sigh of relief. "Phew, that’s good."

"You little rascal, you enjoyed that just now, didn’t you?" Xu Yingying asked, sitting beside him with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Lin Kuang flushed with embarrassment. "Yingying, stop teasing me. I didn’t feel a thing."

"Oh, come on. You looked like you were ready to eat Wenwen alive. How could you have felt nothing?" Xu Yingying said, clearly unconvinced.

"Uh, COUGH, COUGH... okay, to be honest, it did feel... it felt pretty good," Lin Kuang admitted with a sheepish grin.

At his words, Xu Yingying rolled her eyes at him again, thoroughly unamused. "I knew it. You’re just a little lecher, up to no good."

"No, not at all! Anyway, Yingying, what did you want to see me about?" Lin Kuang quickly changed the subject, not wanting the embarrassment to continue.

Hearing his question, Xu Yingying’s expression sobered and turned serious. "Of course, it’s about the Lin Family’s situation. Grandpa Lin probably doesn’t have much time left, and once he passes, the family will likely face a crisis. So... so... I... I..."

As she spoke, her pretty face turned red, and she faltered, unable to finish her sentence.

Seeing this, Lin Kuang was taken aback. "Uh, Yingying, you... what is it? Just say it!" he asked, frustrated. Xu Yingying was usually so direct. Why was she hesitating now?

At his words, Xu Yingying shot him an irked look. "I... I’ve decided to marry you," she mumbled, her face flushing an even deeper shade of red. After speaking, she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Hearing Xu Yingying’s earth-shattering statement, Lin Kuang felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. He was utterly stunned. He never would have expected her to say something like that.

However, Lin Kuang was no fool. After a moment of shock, he understood she was trying to help him. He knew very well that the patriarch of the Xu Family doted on Xu Yingying to the point of spoiling her rotten. The old man almost never refused her anything. Her proposing marriage now was undeniably a tactic to help him. If they got together, given how much her grandfather pampered her, the old man might very well take a huge gamble for his granddaughter’s sake.

At this thought, Lin Kuang’s heart filled with gratitude. "Yingying, thank you. Thank you so much. I know you want to help me, but I can’t accept it this way. I can’t let you sacrifice your happiness for the Lin Family," Lin Kuang said earnestly, looking at Xu Yingying’s lowered head.

Hearing this, Xu Yingying, her head still bowed, mentally cursed him up and down. She wasn’t a child, and she wasn’t stupid. If she didn’t like him, if she didn’t sincerely want to be with him, she wouldn’t be helping him like this. The main reason she’d said this today was because she wanted to become his woman. Of course, by becoming his woman, the Xu and Lin families would inevitably be tied together, achieving her goal of helping him.

However, Lin Kuang hadn’t considered that. He just assumed she was trying to help him by coming up with this "terrible idea." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

At this moment, Xu Yingying’s face was beet red, her heart filled with embarrassment. She was a gentle woman by nature, and now that Lin Kuang had completely missed the meaning behind her words, she didn’t know how to explain herself. She couldn’t possibly just blurt out, "I just want to marry you," could she? The thought of saying something so bold was mortifying.

This fool! How can he be so dense?! Xu Yingying fumed internally, wishing she could just tell him directly that she wanted to marry him.

After a moment’s thought, she lifted her blushing face. "You little rascal, it’s fine by me. Besides, I wouldn’t be losing any happiness. I’m willing to help you."

As she spoke, her beautiful eyes locked onto Lin Kuang’s. I’ve been so direct. Surely this punk gets it now, right?

However, Xu Yingying had greatly overestimated Lin Kuang’s emotional intelligence.

Deeply touched, he looked at her and said, "Yingying, thank you. Thank you for coming up with such a plan just to help me. But what I said before still stands. I can’t let you sacrifice your happiness for me. I can’t do something that would bind you to me for life!"

Hearing his words, Xu Yingying nearly fainted from sheer exasperation. How can this bastard be so dense? He already has several women, so how can he not see what I’m truly feeling? How on earth did that idiot manage to win over those beauties? she thought, feeling on the verge of a breakdown.

"You little rascal, are you really this stupid, or are you just pretending?!" Looking at Lin Kuang, Xu Yingying finally snapped, her usually gentle voice rising in volume.

This, in turn, left Lin Kuang baffled. What’s wrong with Yingying? She seems really angry. A wave of helplessness washed over him at the thought. "Yingying, I know you mean well, but... but I really can’t accept this plan."

"Idiot! To hell with ’can’t accept’! I just want to marry you, you idiot! Do you have to be so dense?!" Xu Yingying shouted, her face blazing.

At this, Lin Kuang was completely dumbfounded. While he couldn’t deny having feelings for Xu Yingying, he’d only ever entertained them in his own mind. For her to say it out loud so boldly made him wonder if his ears were playing tricks on him.

Seeing Lin Kuang just standing there, dumbstruck, Xu Yingying cursed him again in her mind. That bastard! He was so forward with Yao Wenwen just now, but when it’s my turn, he just stands there like a log. It’s infuriating!

However, she thought again, things had already reached this point. She was determined to be with him. Having made her decision, Xu Yingying threw caution to the wind.

With that, she reached out her slender arms, wrapped them around Lin Kuang, and with a firm tug, pulled him down onto the bed.

Lying atop him, her face crimson and her head bowed, Xu Yingying took the initiative and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth.

In that instant, an indescribable feeling flooded Xu Yingying’s heart, and her entire body seemed to melt into his embrace.