Chapter 35: I Will Marry You

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: I Will Marry You

Her gaze was questioning.

Shen Tingyu looked down, a little unsettled, avoiding her direct gaze.

"If you are willing, I can marry you."

Perhaps worried she would think him too flippant about a matter as serious as marriage, he quickly added, "A life-saving debt must be repaid with one’s hand in marriage."

Cui Lingyao was...

She was left speechless.

After a long moment of silence, Shen Tingyu looked up at her.

His eyes, usually so clear and gentle, were now tinged with a hint of bashfulness.

Clearly, he was also uncomfortable for bringing up marriage so presumptuously, but he continued anyway. "If you marry me, Aunt can rest easy. And as for Xie Jinbai..."

He paused, his tone turning serious. "After we’re married, I will help you slowly put his suspicions to rest."

He was confident he could help her solve both problems.

As long as she married him.

’Marry him...’

Cui Lingyao couldn’t quite place the emotions she was feeling.

Her heart was just hammering in her chest. A wave of palpitations, the likes of which she’d never felt, washed over her, along with an immense sense of absurdity.

Her breath caught. After a long, quiet moment, she curled her fingers and tapped lightly on the table. When he looked at her, she said, "For now, I’ll believe that you genuinely want to help me. But Shen Tingyu, I don’t remember this life-saving favor you mentioned. It must not have been anything significant, so there’s certainly no need for you to stake your future on it. I..."

"It was significant."

Shen Tingyu gently cut her off, his handsome face filled with sincerity. "You might not remember, but I can never forget it."

During the hunt that year, he had been young and reckless. He’d wandered into the mountain forest reserved for military generals and was cornered by a black bear. Just when he was in a desperate, sorry state, she was the one who saved him.

She was a young woman in red riding gear, her jet-black hair tied in a high ponytail. Astride her horse, she held a bow, and with a single arrow, she shot the bear in the eye, saving him from peril.

As she lowered her bow, her beautiful eyes swept over him.

He could never forget the free-spirited light in her eyes.

He was captivated in that single glance.

He desperately wanted to know which noble family she belonged to, whether she was betrothed, or if her heart already belonged to another.

’If not...’

That very day, Shen Tingyu saw her again.

Atop the Lu Platform, she had changed out of her riding clothes and into a formal gown. Her ponytail was gone, her hair now styled in the bun of a married woman as she sat beside the Fourth Prince.

Her being an unmarried maiden was an illusion.

The truth was she was already a married woman.

The boyish infatuation that had just begun to bud, already growing wild, was forcibly snuffed out.

The disappointment and bewilderment he felt then were like a thicket of thorns, ensnaring him completely.

Shen Tingyu remembered that suffocating feeling for two years.

Until three years ago, when he learned that she had drowned...

Shen Tingyu’s lashes trembled, and he instinctively lowered his gaze to hide the emotion in his eyes.

His lips twitched. "Since you’ve already considered marrying Wang Zifu, why not consider me? I... I won’t hurt you."

He kept emphasizing that he would not hurt her.

He simply wanted to help her.

Because she had saved his life.

His clear, gentle voice was low and earnest.

Paired with his handsome face, it made it all too easy for one to trust him.

Cui Lingyao was conflicted.

Mrs. Shen was gravely ill, and the matter of her marriage was urgent. She really did need help.

Originally, she had planned to find an opportunity to go to her older brother, confess her identity, and have him figure out a way to help her.

But after waking this morning and smelling a familiar scent, she was startled to realize that Xie Jinbai might already be watching her every move. The thought of seeking out people from her past was instantly dismissed.

Moreover, to dispel Xie Jinbai’s suspicions, she had to convincingly play the part of Pei Shuyao.

’And as Pei Shuyao, what would she do in this situation?’

’No matter how unwilling she might be, she would have no choice but to obediently marry whomever she was told.’

A moment ago, Cui Lingyao had indeed considered just marrying her former cousin, Wang Zifu.

But if she married Wang Zifu, setting aside whether he would even agree without knowing her true identity, wouldn’t he eventually see through her facade just by living in close quarters?

Even Shen Tingyu, who barely knew her, had seen through her in just two days, realizing she wasn’t the same person on the inside.

Wang Zifu was no fool, either. There was no telling when he might also figure out who she really was.

Cui Lingyao was really starting to fear these clever men.

This business of returning from the dead in someone else’s body was too strange. The fewer people who knew, the better.

Now, the only person who knew the truth was standing right in front of her, eager to help. It was, indeed, the best solution.

As if sensing her wavering resolve, Shen Tingyu offered her a small smile.

"Since you’re unwilling to reveal yourself to Xie Jinbai, it means you have no desire to return to Prince Yu’s Mansion. In that case, the only way for you to live in peace is to make him believe he’s mistaken you for someone else."

He laid out the situation with careful logic, explaining, "Our marriage would only be a matter of convenience. You don’t need to feel burdened. I’m doing this willingly, and for my part, it’s no great sacrifice."

He was considering her from every possible angle.

He was even reassuring her not to feel any pressure.

Cui Lingyao was truly starting to be swayed.

She had little sense of belonging in this world, so she didn’t see marriage as something particularly important.

The whole idea of getting married felt unreal to her.

’Besides, he said it’s just a matter of convenience.’

’That means even if I marry, my life could continue as it did when I was an unmarried maiden.’

’I could have the status of a married woman without having to share a bed with a man.’

’I could stay by Mrs. Shen’s side and fulfill my filial duties, I wouldn’t have to leave this aristocratic circle, and it would be more convenient for completing my system’s mission.’

’Plus, Shen Tingyu knows my identity and will help cover for me.’

’With his intelligence, he could probably really put Xie Jinbai’s suspicions to rest.’

’There really was no better option.’

How could she not be tempted?

But...

The young woman across from him was lost in thought, her long, thick lashes cast a faint shadow on her cheeks. A warm summer breeze drifted past, gently stirring the wisps of hair at her temples.

Shen Tingyu watched her discreetly for a moment before speaking again. "Aunt is gravely ill; your marriage cannot be delayed. You must make plans soon. ... Is there anything about my proposal that’s giving you pause? Perhaps you could tell me."

’He’s rushing me to agree.’

’He seems so... impatient.’

Cui Lingyao didn’t understand why.

Even if he was truly doing this to repay a debt, he shouldn’t be this eager to wager his own marriage.

He didn’t seem like the impatient type.

But what he said did make sense.

Thinking of Mrs. Shen’s pale, waxen face, Cui Lingyao made her decision.

She looked up at the man across from her and said, "Then take Pei Shuyao as your concubine."

’Since this is just a matter of convenience, it’ll be easier to extricate myself as a concubine than as a wife.’

’It won’t affect his ability to take a proper wife, either.’

She was unwilling to take the title of his wife so brazenly over a so-called "life-saving debt."

As her words fell, the pavilion grew quiet for a moment.

Shen Tingyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at her for a few seconds before asking in a raspy voice, "You want to be a concubine?"

’The way he put that...’

"It is Pei Shuyao who will be the concubine,"

Cui Lingyao corrected him, pressing her lips together. "And it is only a matter of convenience."

"I see..." Shen Tingyu nodded lightly.

Cui Lingyao thought he had agreed, but then he said, "I don’t take concubines. I only take a wife."