“That's exactly what she said. Did you hear me clearly?”

As dawn broke and a light mist lingered, Jin'er sat on the steps in front of the small building and spoke those words earnestly, with a touch of sadness and a hint of sternness. As always, Ning Yi had his own principles and methods, and there weren't many times when he found himself speechless. But at this moment, he felt he didn't have much to say. It wasn't entirely guilt or gratitude; there were thoughts about Yunzhu and thoughts about Tan'er. He had considered these things carefully before, but no amount of consideration seemed suitable for an explanation.

After a long silence, he looked at the serious Jin'er beside him and smiled. "So, you've fallen in love with Yunzhu?"

Jin'er had been expecting him to reflect or at least sit there feeling guilty for a while, but who knew Ning Yi would turn the question back on her. She was slightly taken aback. "Yes," she said after a moment. "No matter what, I don't want Yunzhu-jie to be alone for the rest of her life. She… she's so good. Anyone who hurts her will be punished! You're hopeless anyway, so you might as well scram sooner rather than later…"

"You're the hopeless one…"

"I…" Jin'er's expression faltered slightly. "Anyway… anyway, I'll be with Yunzhu-jie. I love her…"

These kinds of feelings were still relatively taboo, and even with Jin'er's personality, after working up the courage to confront Ning Yi, she couldn't state her case too forcefully.

Ning Yi nodded. "Mm."

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"It's a good thing that you genuinely care about her." Ning Yi smiled. "And anyway, Yunzhu doesn't like women…"

"You…" Jin'er glared at him angrily, then huffed and got up to leave, but Ning Yi reached out and tugged on her sleeve. "Maybe I've done some things wrong."

Although he was smiling, his attitude didn't seem like a provocation this time. Jin'er reluctantly sat back down. After a moment, she heard Ning Yi say, "I've thought about your Yunzhu-jie, thought about it for a while. Then I made a decision, but now it seems like it wasn't necessarily the right one."

That was when Yunzhu had first revealed her feelings to him. He had already given these things serious consideration. At the time, the Su family's fabric problem was also happening. He had helped out, and after more than a year of getting along with Su Tan'er, he had developed a certain fondness for her. He had mentioned these things to Qin Lao and Kang Lao, wondering how to handle them.

He was a decisive person. If he truly had no feelings for someone, he wouldn't give her a second glance, no matter how beautiful she was. In his previous life, he had held a high position and was surrounded by women. In terms of beauty, modern women were better maintained from a young age, and there were quite a few who could surpass Yunzhu and Tan'er. Of course, this comparison wasn't entirely certain; it was more about different styles. Ning Yi's current fondness mainly came from their personalities, and his appreciation of their appearances played a much smaller role.

Both women's positions were clear to him, and when he couldn't be decisive, his nature led him to treat it as a real-world problem after a few days of worry. A real-world problem meant not looking for reasons, not caring about difficulties. The situation was what it was, so there was no point in self-pity. The important thing was to find a solution. It was like his attitude when he confronted the Wu family. No matter the reason, this was the current situation. You scheme against me, and I scheme against you. You're despicable, and I want to kill your whole family. Being greedy and insatiable is also not virtuous. But what good is talking about these things? The reality is that I've already cornered you. You can't expect me to show mercy, can you? Now it's time to consider how to move forward.

People always find it difficult to make choices in matters of the heart, and Ning Yi was no exception. If something was impossible, he could be more decisive than most people, but the current situation wasn't that serious, so there were many possibilities for compromise and maneuvering.

To be fair, he also felt that a man's philandering was unfair to women. He had thought that if his relationship with Yunzhu had developed faster, before he had any feelings for the Su family, he would have left the Su family and Jiangning with Yunzhu and started over somewhere else. If his relationship with Tan'er had developed faster, perhaps there wouldn't have been any further possibilities with Yunzhu. But reality was what it was, and overthinking was useless.

Separating from Yunzhu or separating from Tan'er would be difficult, so let it be. He would look for solutions in other areas. Tan'er was actually a very resourceful woman, and with Yunzhu's personality, there was no need for her to enter the Su family's household. He would fulfill his responsibilities as a boyfriend and husband in other ways. He had discussed this with Yunzhu, telling her that he probably couldn't leave the Su family, telling her about the awkward situations they would encounter if they were together. He had also said that if she really wanted a formal title, it wasn't impossible for him to arrange it. If he were forced to make a decision between the two, he could certainly do it.

Later, that was how things progressed. When Jin'er seriously told him these things, Ning Yi naturally felt moved and introspective. In any case, he had indeed done some things wrong, and he definitely felt indebted to Yunzhu. But he couldn't say too much of this to Jin'er. He added, a little more seriously, "However, I won't let your Yunzhu-jie feel unhappy. I made a promise, and I have to take responsibility for it. Jin'er, I'm very grateful that you sincerely care about Yunzhu…"

"You… you haven't reflected at all!"

Ning Yi dropped his somewhat serious tone and looked at Jin'er teasingly. "But you can't make your Yunzhu-jie happy either."

"Who says I can't…"

"Yunzhu doesn't like women…"

"But if she stays with you, Yunzhu-jie will always be unhappy. She just doesn't say it. She can't enter your family's door and doesn't have any official status. Which woman doesn't value these things?" Jin'er snorted. "I said, I admit that you're a good man in other ways, but you can't solve these problems. It's all just empty talk!"

"It's not impossible, but it's very difficult. Perhaps forcing a title would only lead to more unhappiness in the end… Of course, I won't insist on having everything perfect at that time. But I told your Yunzhu-jie that I'm a live-in son-in-law and can't enter any ancestral hall. Actually, I'm not interested in entering any Su family ancestral hall. It sounds embarrassing, right? Your Yunzhu-jie wouldn't care about that kind of title… But I guarantee that we'll be buried in the same grave after I die, not separated. You think a title is important, but I think this is better…"

"Uh…" Jin'er stared, stunned for a long while. "You're talking nonsense. How is that possible…"

"It's not like I'm dying now." Ning Yi chuckled. "There are still many years to come. Everyone will understand. The things I really want to do, the Su family can't stop. The only trouble is probably my wife at home, but by then, we'll be seventy or eighty years old, and these things should be forgiven, right?"

He paused, then shook his head. "It's too early to talk about this now. Heh, if you want to like her, then like her. If you want to dress as a man, then do it. I won't stop you. I'll be happy if you can make your Yunzhu-jie happy. But let me tell you in advance, I'm very confident about this. Brother Yuan, you have no chance. You'll only be heartbroken for the rest of your life…"

Ning Yi's indifferent attitude made Jin'er feel that he was truly detestable. After being angry for a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Just you wait!" She had originally been uneasy about liking Yunzhu-jie, but since Ning Yi was so detestable, she felt that she didn't need to feel embarrassed about it. After saying those harsh words, she turned and went back to her room. Ning Yi looked at her retreating back and couldn't help but laugh again.

It was said that women often have bisexual tendencies. Ning Yi wasn't an expert on this, but whether Jin'er's feelings were truly romantic love for Yunzhu was hard to say. One thing was certain: she really cared about this sister, worried about her, and stood up for her. If the other person was a man, he would naturally feel uneasy, but since it was Jin'er, and she could truly have this kind of familial, blood-like affection for Yunzhu, Ning Yi thought it was great.

Yunzhu's parents were dead, and she had no other relatives. After leaving the Golden Phoenix Brothel, she had only relied on Hutao. It was only after her relationship with Ning Yi was established that she had a sense of belonging and married Hutao off. Later, Ning Yi said that he would have her acknowledge Qin Lao as her adoptive father, which was ultimately an exchange of benefits. Even though Qin Lao was benevolent and somewhat accepted Yunzhu, it would still be difficult for them to become true family. Jin'er was different. They could live together day and night, relying on each other. It would give Yunzhu another place to depend on, and Ning Yi would be happy.

It might be difficult to give her an official title, but he had decided that he would treat Yunzhu well in other ways, and he would naturally do things right. With Yunzhu's personality, even if Jin'er was a man, it would be difficult to change her mind. And since they were both women, and she didn't have any tendencies in that direction, she wouldn't really be influenced by Jin'er into becoming a lesbian. If that really happened, it would only prove his failure… Jin'er was by her side, wholeheartedly caring for her, so why shouldn't he be generous and also remind himself that there was an interesting lesbian lurking nearby, always watching him covetously?

He laughed for a while, then went to the living room and recounted the Spring Outing gathering to Yunzhu and Jin'er: "Let's have Brother Yuan come along at that time…"

Ning Yi usually teased Jin'er and used all sorts of strange nicknames, but when he called her "Brother Yuan" this time, Yunzhu didn't mind. She just held her sister's hand and smiled, "Of course Jin'er will be with me."

When he returned home that morning, he found it amusing during breakfast and couldn't help but laugh. Tan'er asked him what had happened, and he smiled. "I have a friend… she's a woman…"

"Hmm?" Su Tan'er's smile revealed a hint of wariness in addition to her interest. Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er gathered around. Only then did Ning Yi realize and look at them for a moment. "Well, she likes women."

"Ah?" Tan'er and the three maids' expressions instantly turned strange. Chan'er whispered to Xing'er beside her, "Likes… not *that* kind of like, right…"

"Of course it is…"

Su Tan'er put on a knowledgeable air. "Actually… actually, these things do happen…" In fact, she didn't know much about it either.

"Um, Miss, I think Juan'er likes Chan'er…"

"Actually, the person I like is Sister Xing'er…"

In the room, the girls chattered and laughed, occasionally blushing. As the Qingming Festival drew near, Qin Shaoqian, the second young master of the Qin family, returned two days later… (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)

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