She Said That Kisses and Hugs Are Needed for Redemption [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 35

A quiet breeze drifted leisurely through the half-open window into the study, rustling the open pages on the desk. The crisp sound echoed between the two silent figures as an indescribable atmosphere quietly spread.

After waiting for a long time and seeing that the Alpha had yet to speak, Chi Xingcen leaned her upper body forward slightly, getting a closer look at the suspicious flush on the woman’s face.

She pursed her lips and spoke in a low, slow voice: “Why aren’t you answering me?”

Lu Xi had never experienced such a “battlefield” before, let alone having her thoughts exposed so easily by the young girl. She had thought that after hearing her express her feelings, the girl would be even shyer than her. Unexpectedly, Chi Xingcen was quite composed and insisted on confirming whether those words were indeed a confession.

Under the tension, the pen in Lu Xi’s hand was nearly snapped in two. Unfortunately, the girl continued to look at her with curiosity, making it impossible to simply brush it off.

Finally, the Alpha surrendered and gave a helpless smile: “I suppose it was.”

Having confirmed that the Alpha was indeed confessing, Chi Xingcen’s lips slowly curled upward. “Then it’s quite a coincidence. I happen to have feelings for you too.”

Her eyes were clear and her gaze lingering. She looked at the Alpha, whose ear tips had quietly turned crimson again, and spoke in a sweet voice laced with threads of affection: “So, when are we getting engaged?”

“I’ll have Butler Xu check the calendar for the nearest auspicious date.” Lu Xi’s eyes sparkled with starlight, her joy impossible to hide. “After the engagement, can I call you Cen Cen?”

The Omega raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips: “You can call me that now, but…”

Lu Xi was a bit puzzled: “But what?”

“But I don’t think I know your name yet.” Chi Xingcen’s tone was tinged with a timely touch of melancholy.

Lu Xi froze, only then realizing that since meeting Chi Xingcen, she hadn’t actually told the girl her name.

“My name is Lu Xi.” After stating her name, she gave a brief overview of her family background. “Currently, it’s just me at home, no siblings. My parents are abroad. My maternal and paternal grandfathers, as well as my grandfather, passed away years ago. I only have one grandmother resting at the ancestral home.”

This long string of information made Chi Xingcen let out a genuine laugh: “The way you’re introducing yourself makes it feel like I’m performing a background check on you.”

After a bit of banter, she blinked and asked tentatively: “Are you talking about that Lu family? One of the nine great families?”

It was common knowledge that while there were many prominent families, only nine truly held significant rank. The Ming family was one that floated at the bottom of the list, which was exactly why the Chi family was so desperate to cling to them.

Among the top three families, however, sat the Lu family.

Lu Xi possessed the memories of the original host and knew the Lu family’s situation, so she didn’t hide it from Chi Xingcen: “Yes, it’s that Lu family.”

Seeing the Omega dazed for a moment, she continued: “So, based on my family’s influence, you can stay here with peace of mind. You don’t need to worry about the Chi or Ming families coming to give you trouble.”

Compared to the Lu family, the Chi and Ming families were leagues apart; normally, their paths would never cross. However, now that Chi Xingcen was in the picture, there would likely be plenty of “interactions” with them in the future.

Once the engagement was settled, Lu Xi informed her parents abroad and her grandmother at the ancestral home that same evening. They all expressed that they would return immediately to personally handle the engagement banquet, which allowed Lu Xi’s slightly worried heart to relax a little.

Since the elders did not object, Lu Xi announced the news to the public on an auspicious hour the following day.

In an instant, the great families of the capital were shocked. Everyone scrambled to find out who the sacred person was that the Lu family heir was about to get engaged to.

Because Lu Xi didn’t try too hard to hide it, the various families easily discovered Chi Xingcen’s identity.

Immediately, people were stunned. They couldn’t understand why a family like the Lus would choose a family like the Chis, who held no rank in the capital and possessed a poor reputation, for a marriage alliance.

However, those guesses were relatively mild. As soon as the Ming family learned that Chi Xingcen was the fiancée of the Lu family heir, they sent someone to the Lu estate that very day, claiming they wanted to pay Lu Xi a visit. Their true intentions, however, remained a mystery.

That day, Lu Xi was busy picking out outfits for the engagement banquet with Chi Xingcen. Intent on giving the Ming family the cold shoulder, she refused to let them enter the manor.

“Just turn them away. No need to show them much courtesy.” Lu Xi stood outside the large walk-in closet, her eyes fixed on the closed door as she waved a hand at the butler. “Furthermore, I’m not seeing anyone who visits today.”

Having received his orders, Butler Xu nodded in understanding and withdrew to send the Ming family away.

A few people stood nearby, and a short-haired woman was introducing other gowns to Lu Xi. “Your skin is very fair, so this dark red dress suits you perfectly. You requested something simple, so the hem wasn’t made very long.”

Lu Xi nodded, carefully inspecting the gown. The dress Chi Xingcen had just gone in to try was moon-white. If she remembered correctly, the hem was embroidered with dark twin lotuses, just like this dark red gown.

Before the short-haired Alpha could introduce the next outfit, Lu Xi decided on the dark red one: “This is the one. You choose the matching jewelry. There’s still time, no rush.”

With a wave of her hand, she dismissed everyone from the dressing area. She had already heard the sound of the doorknob turning; Chi Xingcen was likely finished changing.

The door was pulled open from the inside. The girl, wearing the moon-white gown, had her long hair pinned up. An intricately crafted laurel crown rested atop her head, with a few curled strands of hair falling beside her cheeks, casting mixed shadows that made her rounded face look small and exquisite.

Lu Xi instinctively went to meet her, offering sincere praise: “They say the clothes make the person, but by wearing this dress, you’ve added so much radiance to it.”

Chi Xingcen clasped her hands over her lower abdomen. Hearing this, she pursed her lips and smiled, appearing quite shy about the Alpha’s compliment. “It’s not as exaggerated as you say.”

“It’s not an exaggeration.” Lu Xi spoke the truth, her tone very earnest. “The dress is beautiful, but you are more beautiful than the dress.”

Seeing that the Omega’s cheeks were flushed red with shyness, Lu Xi couldn’t help but curl the corners of her mouth. She held out her hand to the Omega: “Let me take you to the mirror.”

An entire wall was covered in clear mirrors. The two stood before it, looking at each other in the reflection. When their gazes met, they both turned their heads away at the same time, not daring to look any longer.

“The nearest auspicious date is a month away. Although it’s a bit late, it makes it easier to prepare everything needed for the banquet.” Lu Xi spoke softly, breaking the silence in the room.

She then briefly mentioned that the elders would be arriving home soon to handle the arrangements.

After all, Lu Xi was the only child of her generation. Upon hearing she had a sweetheart and was getting married, the Lu elders were incredibly excited, wishing they could drop everything and rush back to see their new daughter-in-law.

Regarding this, Chi Xingcen felt some unease.

She knew the Chi family’s reputation in the capital. Furthermore, she had nearly been engaged to a member of the Ming family. If the Lu elders minded… would Lu Xi still be able to marry her regardless of everything?

However, she didn’t want Lu Xi to know about this worry.

Pushing these complicated thoughts to the back of her mind, she maintained a perfect smile, silently listening to the Alpha describe the upcoming engagement banquet.

As the Lu family invitations were sent out, the marriage was finalized. Two days later, the Ming family sent people to the Lu family again, but Lu Xi still refused to see them. A few more days passed, and the Chi family could no longer sit still. The Alpha of the eldest branch—Chi Xingcen’s father—visited the Lu family in person.

Originally, Lu Xi intended to meet Chi Xianrang for Chi Xingcen’s sake to hear what nonsense he had to say. But Chi Xingcen stated she didn’t want Chi Xianrang to have any chance to cling to the Lu family, so she had Butler Xu turn him away directly.

For several days, neither the Chi nor Ming families succeeded in seeing the Lu heir or Chi Xingcen, leaving them filled with unspoken rage.

It was night.

The study of the Chi family’s second branch was brightly lit. A man and a woman sat at the table, both frowning deeply as if troubled by something.

“Her luck is truly good. She loses a second young master of the Ming family and gains a Lu family heir.” The delicate-looking girl curled her lips, her voice thick with jealousy and resentment. “In half a month, she’s getting engaged again.”

“Are you certain you failed that time?” Chi Yanqing’s expression was also very ugly. After thinking for a long time, this was the only method he could think of now.

“If you hadn’t failed, Chi Xingcen would have been marked by another Alpha long ago. If the Lu family knew about that, they wouldn’t let her marry in.”

As long as Chi Xingcen couldn’t get married, the shares wouldn’t automatically be transferred to her name.

Chi Yueluo pondered. She wasn’t entirely sure of the outcome that night either. The people she had sent secretly hadn’t found anything, which was why she hadn’t used that incident to sabotage Chi Xingcen’s previous engagement party.

But now, they couldn’t target the engagement partner anymore; they could only target Chi Xingcen herself.

“Even if we didn’t succeed, as long as we insist on it, it becomes the truth.” Chi Yueluo’s face was calm, as if she were speaking of something ordinary. “As long as her reputation is ruined, the Lu family definitely won’t want her anymore.”

Chi Yanqing felt this was feasible. Taking advantage of the night, he began to discuss the details with Chi Yueluo.

With half a month left until the engagement banquet, the Lu family elders began returning one after another.

Early in the morning, before Lu Xi had even woken up, she vaguely heard the noise of an argument in the courtyard downstairs. Between sleep and wakefulness, she listened for a while. It sounded like the original host’s mother was speaking with Yun Mo? But she couldn’t remember what was being said.

Slowly waking up, she rubbed her aching head, threw off the quilt, and walked to the window in her slippers. Pulling back the curtains, she squinted her eyes and saw the two figures talking in the garden.

“Sister Xi doesn’t love her! She’s only marrying her out of pity. She’s only interested in the Lu family’s power and status; she isn’t sincere toward Sister Xi at all.” Yun Mo had waited and waited, and finally, the person closest to her had returned. Before Auntie Lu could meet that seductive Chi Xingcen, she had to quickly plant some seeds of doubt. Ideally, she would make Auntie Lu dissatisfied so this marriage wouldn’t happen!

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