Although Xing Yuanzhi's eyes are big and bright, charming and lovely, staring at oneself like that is still a bit scary. Just as Cheng Jinyang was about to say something more, he suddenly heard her laugh and say:
"The matter of breaking off the engagement isn't urgent. Let's reconsider it."
Cheng Jinyang: ???
"Are you changing the terms?" he asked, frowning displeasedly.
Xing Yuanzhi was stunned for a few seconds before realizing that the other party was referring to the monthly compensation of 10,000 yuan. She immediately explained with a wry smile:
"No. After returning home, I reconsidered the matter of breaking off the engagement and thought it's better to put it on hold for now."
She pushed the marriage contract back and continued:
"My current situation is actually quite similar to Uncle Cheng's back then. We both faced family pressure and had to make choices against our hearts."
"Uncle Cheng eventually abandoned the family and chose to spend the rest of his life with Aunt Xie. Now, people praise me as 'Xing Family's Qingfeng.' If I can't even summon the courage for this, how can I dare to claim the title of 'Qingfeng'? When the day comes for me to depart, how can I face Uncle Cheng under the nine springs if I lack the courage to stand by my decisions?"
[T/N: Qingfeng mean Clear Phoenix.]
"As for breaking off the engagement, I, Xing Yuanzhi, disdain to do it!"
This righteous speech was delivered with such fervor and eloquence that if Cheng Jinyang's intelligence were a little lower, he probably would have believed her nonsense outright.
"Um." He pondered for a moment, cautiously saying, "Actually, we don't have any emotional foundation. So our situation, compared to my parents, is different."
Xing Yuanzhi maintained a smiling posture, but her facial muscles stiffened slightly at his words.
"This marriage arrangement is purely due to political considerations from our elders," Cheng Jinyang continued, "Now that my father has passed away, this marriage arrangement naturally needs to be reconsidered. Besides, I don't want to force you to fulfill this contract just because of our fathers' past agreement. So, let's just forget about it."
Xing Yuanzhi furrowed her eyebrows slightly and lowered her head to drink water to conceal her embarrassment.
Of course, she understood Cheng Jinyang's excuses, which were the same excuses she had casually given him at the coffee shop yesterday.
Now that the roles were reversed, and she wanted to maintain the relationship for further probing and observation, he was eager to keep his distance from her!
How could the noble Xing family endure such humiliation!
However, the matter was significant, and the more he politely refused, the deeper Xing Yuanzhi's suspicion of him grew.
Suppressing the humiliation of being rejected, she pursed her lips and said, "Do you look down on me?"
Cheng Jinyang was puzzled, "Why would you say that?"
"I know you must still resent my words from yesterday."
Thinking of the consequences of her secret exposure, Xing Yuanzhi secretly resolved to be straightforward, "I admit it! I couldn't withstand the pressure from the family at that time, so I came to you to break off the engagement, causing damage to your dignity. I was wrong!"
"But this matter is not just between you and me; it also involves the old agreement between our fathers! Now that my uncle has passed away, and you are being ostracized by the family, impoverished, and struggling to make ends meet... I can't just sit by and watch you in your current situation!"
She looked extremely serious, her chest trembling, her face slightly red. She thought to herself, 'Although these words are straightforward, they are sincere, and I almost believed them myself.'
Since they were discussing livelihood issues, and thinking about the 10,000 yuan monthly compensation promised by Xing Yuanzhi before, Cheng Jinyang's reluctance softened a bit as he said, "If you really care about improving my living situation, how about increasing the monthly compensation?"
"15,000 yuan per month, deposited into the account in two installments, how about that?" Xing Yuanzhi also breathed a sigh of relief. It's just a matter of spending some money, no big deal.
"Alright." Cheng Jinyang pushed back the engagement once again. "This amount is enough to cover my daily expenses and have some left over. It's like my life has no economic pressure at all. Thank you very much, Miss Xing Yuanzhi. Take this engagement back."
Xing Yuanzhi: ....
She suddenly had the urge to vomit blood.
I'm giving you money so you won't break off the engagement! Not to solve your financial problems!
But just now she was adamant, falsely claiming "I cannot sit idly by and watch his current situation," so now it's like she's trapped herself in a cocoon, and all her previous arguments are now null and void.
However, Xing Yuanzhi, known as the Qingfeng of the Xing Family, had a sharp wit in argumentation. Suddenly, she shifted the topic, saying:
"Not only economic pressure. Mental health is also crucial when living alone. I heard you once had depression?"
"Sigh." Cheng Jinyang felt somewhat embarrassed; this was something he couldn't hide. "In the past, facing sudden life changes, I couldn't cope and had suicidal thoughts. But now, it's under control."
"That's not good." Xing Yuanzhi shook her head immediately, showing concern.
"Depression, this psychological illness, if left untreated for long, can cause organic brain damage."
Cheng Jinyang's face darkened. How did she know about my medical records too, just like sister Wu? So, she even investigated my medical history?!
"How about this?" Xing Yuanzhi smiled, clasping her hands together. "Let's live together for a while. I can also take care of your psychological issues. If we get along well, and there are no issues from our families, then we proceed with the marriage contract as planned. But if we find we're not compatible, or if there are familial obstacles, we can dissolve the engagement later. This way, it's accountable to our fathers and uncles, right?"
At this moment, she finally revealed her true intention:
To live together, observe Cheng Jinyang closely, determine if he possesses the ability to manipulate and infiltrate dreams, whether he has learned Xing Yuanzhi's secret, and most importantly... whether he has recorded it somewhere or handed it over to someone else.
If all answers are "no," then Xing Yuanzhi, once confirmed safe, could simply claim incompatibility and leave without any regrets.
If one of the answers is 'yes', on one hand, it is necessary to directly or indirectly control him to ensure that the family's shameful matters will not be exposed externally; on the other hand, the ability of penetrating dreams is far superior to the memory reading of the Ru Nan Zhou family in terms of probing intelligence.
The target will perceive being read memories, but penetrating dreams... honestly, how many people can stay awake in dreams? How many people forget the contents of dreams after waking up? Even if one wakes up and perceives unfamiliar people in dreams, who would think of the ability to penetrate dreams, rather than understanding it as imagination in one's subconscious?
It's ridiculous that the Cheng family, despite their status, lets such a gem gather dust without being aware, isn't it just letting my Hejian Xing family intervene? Reaping the consequences of not seizing the opportunity.
If Cheng Jinyang really possesses such ability... Her mind immediately became active. If he can be of use to me, I must win him over!
"No need."
However, Cheng Jinyang's answer made her face darken.
"But you live alone here. If your heart condition recurs..." Xing Yuanzhi refused to give up.
"There are doctors to treat me." Cheng Jinyang said lightly.
"What if you suddenly have an attack and no one takes you to the hospital?" Xing Yuanzhi persisted.
"Then it's my fate to die, no one is to blame." Cheng Jinyang said.
Xing Yuanzhi: ...
Wait! She suddenly realized the key point.
If the other party really wants to refuse living together, just a casual 'please leave' would do. Could one still insist on staying shamelessly? However, the fact that the other party patiently talked so much implies...
"What do you really want?" Xing Yuanzhi asked solemnly.
Seeing the other party finally getting to the point, Cheng Jinyang smiled faintly and said in a deep voice, "The Cheng family's Universal Gravitational Algorithm."