Chapter 156 It’s time to fulfill the engagement

Chapter 156 It’s time to fulfill the engagement

Ke Meng quickly said, "I understand what Miss Shen is thinking, and I am willing to respect your decision. I just hope to have a chance to get to know you better and let you accept me slowly."

Seeing Ke Meng's sincerity, Shen Zhen couldn't help but feel touched, but she knew that there was a huge gap between their social statuses, so how could she make a big mistake because of a momentary impulse? So she said softly, "Sir, do you know that I am just an ordinary farm girl? There is a huge difference between me and you, how dare I marry someone so high?"

Upon hearing this, Ke Meng immediately understood Shen Zhen's concerns and hurriedly explained: "Miss Shen, don't worry. I don't care about status. In my eyes, you are the unique cloud."

After hearing this, Shen Zhen frowned slightly and continued to persuade, "Your Excellency needs to think carefully. I am only twelve years old this year, and I am still young, while your Excellency has reached the age of marriage. If you waste your time waiting for me, it will not be worth it."

After saying these words, Shen Zhen turned and left, no longer paying attention to Ke Meng's reaction.

However, Ke Meng was not discouraged, but became more determined to pursue Shen Zhen. He often used his free time to go to the photo studio and take the initiative to help. Every time he went there, he would carefully prepare a surprise for Shen Zhen, sometimes a handful of wild fruits picked from Baiyun Villa, sometimes a bunch of wild flowers picked by the roadside.

On this side, Shen Zhi never expected that Zhan Xiao would come back from Haizhou to see her.

When Shen Zhi saw Zhan Xiao, her eyes lit up. She found that Zhan Xiao seemed more handsome than before, and exuded a unique charm. However, despite her joy, Shen Zhi tried to keep her expression calm.

"Why are you back?" Shen Zhi asked calmly, with a barely perceptible hint of expectation in his voice.

Zhan Xiao answered directly: "I miss you." His eyes were full of sincerity, and he expressed his longing for Shen Zhi without any concealment.

Hearing this, Shen Zhi's cheeks flushed instantly. She lowered her head and shyly fiddled with the corner of her clothes, trying to hide her inner joy.

This time Zhan Xiao not only came back alone, but also brought several secret guards with him. In addition, Mr. Sun also followed them back to the capital. Shen Zhi noticed that they all looked a little tired, and guessed that they may have experienced a lot of hardships along the way and must be exhausted now, so he considerately arranged for them to rest first.

Zhan Xiao personally visited Shen, and the two chatted for a long time in the side hall. No one else was present, and no one knew what they talked about. But when Zhan Xiao walked out of the side hall, he was relaxed and smiling, which surprised everyone. Everyone speculated, was it because he finally got Shen's approval? Or did he successfully convince Shen to agree to his request? In short, Zhan Xiao looked very happy at this time, as if all his troubles had left him.

In the past few days, Zhan Xiao stayed with Shen Zhi almost all day, and the two got along better and better. Zhan Xiao would take the initiative to share with Shen Zhi some information about the Japanese pirates in Haizhou, describing in detail their combat mode, organizational structure, and possible hiding places. At the same time, he also mentioned some signs he had observed recently, which made him feel that the number of Japanese pirates seemed to be increasing gradually.

Shen Zhi listened carefully to Zhan Xiao's story and occasionally put forward her own views and suggestions. She believed that in order to repel the Japanese pirates, it was necessary to first have a deep understanding of their background and motivations. She also suggested strengthening patrols along the coastline of the Haizhou area, adding sentries and watchtowers to detect the invasion of Japanese pirates in advance. For coastal villages and towns, self-defense forces could be organized to improve residents' awareness and ability of self-protection.

Zhan Xiao appreciated Shen Zhi's suggestion and promised to take it into strategic consideration. He felt that Shen Zhi's viewpoint was feasible and could bring new ideas to their actions against the Japanese pirates. At the same time, he also noticed that Shen Zhi's understanding of military strategy was amazing, as if she had wisdom and insight beyond ordinary people. Even Mr. Sun was amazed by Shen Zhi after hearing it.

Zhan Xiao's parents are both dead now, he is a complete orphan, and he has no brothers or sisters. Mr. Sun treats him as his own child, so he naturally knows Zhan Xiao's thoughts clearly.

Mr. Sun was actually happy to see that Zhan Xiao liked Shen Zhi. After all, Shen Zhi was not an ordinary girl. Although she was a woman, she had very unique insights into marching and fighting.

However, Shen Zhi is still young and has not yet reached the stage of marriage, so when Mr. Sun saw that Ke Meng was mentioned in the letter Shen Zhi sent to Zhan Xiao, they had a deep sense of crisis.

So, Mr. Sun began to encourage Zhan Xiao to rush back to Qingzhou Prefecture immediately to discuss the engagement with the Shen family and settle the marriage early to avoid regrets later if someone interferes.

Fortunately, Zhan Xiao and Shen Zhi were frank with each other in a private conversation and exchanged their ideas. This conversation brought their relationship to a new level, and Shen Zhi was satisfied with Zhan Xiao and expressed his willingness to give him a chance.

However, just when Zhan Xiao and Mr. Sun thought that everything was fine and they could breathe a sigh of relief, something unexpected happened and caught them off guard.

On this day, Zhan Xiao and Mr. Sun invited everyone in the Shen family to Wangxian Tower for dinner to discuss the engagement of Zhan Xiao and Shen Zhi. This should have been a happy gathering, but fate seemed to play a joke on them at this moment.

When they arrived at the gate of Wangxian Tower and were about to enter, they saw another family coming to eat. When the man in that family saw Zhan Xiao, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He immediately walked up and said enthusiastically, "Are you Xiao'er?"

Zhan Xiao stopped walking when he heard this, and looked at the man in front of him in confusion. He felt that the man looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before. He looked at the man carefully, trying to find some clues from his memory, but his mind was blank.

"May I know who you are?" Zhan Xiao asked.

The man paused, obviously not expecting Zhan Xiao to have forgotten them. He laughed awkwardly and said, "Xiao'er is really forgetful. He even forgot his lifesaver."

Zhan Xiao frowned. He had always been clear about gratitude and resentment. He would never forget the favors others had done him.

Seeing that Zhan Xiao didn't respond, the man pulled his daughter to him and said, "This is my daughter Ye Ningshuang. You and I have been engaged since childhood. Our two families have lost contact over the years, and she has been waiting for you. Now she is sixteen years old. Now that we have met, it is time to fulfill the engagement."