One never expected this young man to be so bold. Ouyang Xinuo not only came, but he also brought betrothal gifts. This was clearly an act of provocation.
"No, Brother Ye, I don't think this Ouyang Xinuo is someone to be trifled with. If he doesn't get his way, he won't give up. I have to go and see."
Su Muxian's face turned red with anxiety, wishing she could fly outside immediately. However, Ye Tiancheng was even more anxious. It was for his sake, to rescue Liu Lanying, that he had implicated Su Muxian.
After all, this was because of him. Ouyang Xinuo had brought so much trouble to the Su family, and Su Muxian could not escape the consequences. Naturally, he felt very guilty.
"Su Muxian, take care of yourself and don't rush. I'll go and see."
As Ye Tiancheng was speaking, Su Muxian had already run out, and she was moving quite fast. It was clear she was very anxious. Ye Tiancheng was naturally worried that Su Muxian's anger would harm her health, so he quickly followed behind her.
"Su Muxian, slow down. They're repairing the road in this villa lately, and it's bumpy. Be careful not to fall!"
Ye Tiancheng, like he was watching a child, followed behind and shouted. Su Muxian couldn't hear Ye Tiancheng's words and walked forward rapidly.
By the time they reached the entrance, he had finally caught up with Su Muxian.
Unexpectedly, she, who was usually gentle and soft-spoken, never raised her voice when speaking to others. Yet, she ran over and started shouting at Ouyang Xinuo.
"Are you determined to ruin my reputation? Ouyang Xinuo, didn't I tell you I'm not interested in you? Can you stop causing trouble here for no reason?"
"Su Muxian, I truly love you this time. My parents will arrive soon, and they can testify for me. I've already rejected all the blind dates arranged by my family and broken off relations with all my lovers. For you, I am now a single man."
Su Muxian was furious and slapped Ouyang Xinuo. However, he had thick skin and didn't feel anything. Instead, he said shamelessly,
"My dear, hit me. You can kill me as long as you're happy, but you have to speak up for me. You can't be with Ye Tiancheng. I truly want to marry my beloved woman and live a life together."
Ouyang Xinuo used to be a dissolute young master who couldn't bear any grievance. Now he seemed to have truly changed. Facing Su Muxian's blows, he didn't even dodge. Instead, he looked at his cousin with a sincere expression.
"Can you stop talking? The young lady doesn't want you. It's useless even if you bring more betrothal gifts!"
Ye Tiancheng arrived in time and said something very harsh, which directly stunned Ouyang Xinuo.
Seeing that Su Muxian was very emotional, Ye Tiancheng was worried that Su Muxian's health might be affected. So, he quickly pulled the harassing Ouyang Xinuo aside.
Ye Tiancheng pulled him to a tree and then suddenly pushed him away. Ouyang Xinuo crashed into the tree.
"Why are you hitting me, Mr. Ye? What's wrong?"
"Can you stop harming this good girl? She just recovered from a serious illness and cannot be stimulated. If you have any humanity, you shouldn't always trouble her with your personal matters. She doesn't like you."
Ouyang Xinuo no longer had his usual arrogance. He spoke with humility, "I truly like that Su Muxian. Otherwise, if she's not feeling well, Mr. Ye, can you help me solve this problem? I can only rely on you now."
"Alright, it seems you won't shed tears until you see the coffin. I've already done you a favor by letting you see Su Muxian. But it's okay. You two should talk alone, and then you'll understand one thing: it's impossible between you two."
Ye Tiancheng had no intention of playing matchmaker, but Ouyang Xinuo had arrived aggressively, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't avoid it. He could only choose to deal with whatever came his way, taking one step at a time.
"Okay, thank you, Mr. Ye. I knew you would help me. I didn't misjudge you. You are my great benefactor."
The two were acting in front of Su Muxian, pretending to be harmonious, but in reality, they wished they could strangle each other.
Facing Ouyang Xinuo's effusive gratitude, Ye Tiancheng only wanted to roll his eyes. He didn't want to say an extra word, only wishing to resolve this matter quickly.
Ye Tiancheng took Ouyang Xinuo to the vicinity of Su Muxian's residence and asked someone to wait there. Going over directly now would be too abrupt. Ye Tiancheng had to speak to Su Muxian first.
"Su Muxian, you might have forgotten, but he is very malicious. Now Ouyang Xinuo is here with betrothal gifts, saying he wants to marry you. Do you want to talk to him face-to-face? Let him calm down first, otherwise, this person is deeply obsessed. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to escape his delusion."
"I've already heard some things, Brother Ye. Don't worry. I'm not someone who can't be seen. Anyway, this whole situation is just to distract him. Meeting him and clarifying things will be enough."
At first, he was worried that Su Muxian would be afraid, but now, hearing what this girl said, it seemed she wasn't very scared. Instead, she felt that this girl's courage was growing. Perhaps after being trained by him, she had truly become confident.
"Then I'll ask him to come in."
As soon as Ouyang Xinuo entered Su Muxian's room, his entire demeanor changed. He was no longer as arrogant as before, always looking down on people.
Standing before his beloved woman, he looked shy, which instantly reminded Ye Tiancheng of a quail.
"Speak up. Didn't you just say you didn't want to marry Su Muxian? She's right in front of you now. Say whatever you want to say."
Ye Tiancheng was now like a matchmaker, trying his best to mediate. Of course, he hoped that if these two were not compatible, they would separate as soon as possible. Ouyang Xinuo was too bad, and Ye Tiancheng didn't want to be a matchmaker. He also didn't think that if they truly had fate, lovers would eventually end up together.
"Su Muxian, I truly like you. The moment I first saw you, I was captivated. I've had women before, but yesterday I sent them all away when I went home. From now on, there will only be you. Let's be together for a lifetime, just the two of us, okay?"
He didn't expect this impetuous fellow to speak so eloquently. Moreover, from his demeanor, he seemed to have some genuine affection, which was different from Ye Tiancheng's impression. Could it be that he was truly moved?
People say that when a man is moved, his personality changes, and he becomes more responsible. But is this deep affection the same as what he felt for those women before? Is it all temporary?
Ye Tiancheng, as an observer, shouldn't say too much. Su Muxian seemed like a smart and perceptive woman, and she would say what she needed to say. There was no need for Ye Tiancheng to interject.
"I know your intentions, but I also need to be clear from the start. I have no interest in you, and my ambitions are quite high. I also feel that you are not worthy of me."
Su Muxian's straightforward and decisive statement stunned even Ye Tiancheng. It was very courageous for a young lady to act this way.
"Su Muxian, if you feel I'm not worthy of you in any way, you can tell me. I can change. If you think I don't have money, I'll find a way to make more money. If you think I don't have status, I'll find a way to change myself."
From the sincerity in this man's eyes, everyone who was smart could see that Ouyang Xinuo was not joking; he was serious. Since he wasn't here to cause trouble, Su Muxian had to say something sincere.
"I've been married before, and I'm even pregnant with a child. This is what is called a miscarriage. After I tell you this, even if you become angry and disgusted, I hope you can keep it a secret for me and not let others despise me."
Su Muxian's courage exceeded Ye Tiancheng's imagination. As a modern woman, having been married and having a miscarriage was not something that could be said so easily.
The miscarriage was, of course, fake, just an exaggeration. The current Su Muxian seemed to have changed all of a sudden, no longer bothered by these small matters, and her overall demeanor had elevated significantly.
"Su Muxian, I know you were married. You've had a miscarriage? Is what you're saying true? Aren't you just saying this to refuse me? Do you know how important a woman's reputation is? You have to be responsible for saying these things and can't just speak carelessly."
"I'm not speaking carelessly. This is all real. I am such an unworthy woman, so please don't judge by appearance. Even the most beautiful apple, if it's worm-eaten inside, doesn't taste good. So please let me go."
He was clearly a bit stunned. It felt too difficult to accept a woman having such a past at such a young age, with such complexity. It was truly incredibly difficult.
"Su Muxian, I can't quite accept it. Give me a moment to process."
Ouyang Xinuo sat weakly on the stool, then poured himself a cup of tea. However, the cup was shaking, and he couldn't even pour the tea into the cup. His hands were trembling too much.
"You don't need to waste your time here anymore, Ouyang Xinuo. I've said all I need to say, and you should leave. Otherwise, it will be a real blow to my reputation."
To disrupt Ouyang Xinuo's heart, Su Muxian delivered a killing blow. After saying this, Ouyang Xinuo was clearly startled. As if waking from a dream, he fled as fast as he could.
His escape was so swift that even Ye Tiancheng, with his martial arts and internal energy, couldn't catch up.
"Brother Ye, did you see? I don't need to do anything. As long as I say something exaggerated, those men who like me will be scared and run away because they can't accept someone as unworthy as me. If I don't strive to improve, my life will only continue to fall."
What Su Muxian said made sense, but it didn't stop Ye Tiancheng from feeling sorry for her. "When you find the man you love, the right person, you can keep all these things hidden. Since you're starting anew, there's no need to tell others."
The reason Ye Tiancheng felt so sorry for someone was that he had never imagined that a woman's reputation would suffer such a blow because of a divorce from him. Perhaps her value in the marriage market had plummeted. Before marrying him, Su Muxian was a very sought-after woman, but now she wasn't. Even a devoted pursuer like Ouyang Xinuo would look at Su Muxian differently because she had been married. Ye Tiancheng felt even more that he should compensate this poor woman.
As Ye Tiancheng spoke, he lowered his voice because the truth was always too cruel. "Only I truly feel guilty towards you. Others won't genuinely care about you; they'll mostly be watching the show. Don't pay attention to them."