Her mind seemed to be enveloped in a thick fog, leaving her bewildered.
"Xia Chuyi, after you and He Qing break off your engagement, I'll have someone propose to your family on my behalf." After releasing her hand expressionlessly, Huo Shiqian continued indifferently.
Her eardrums roared, and Xia Chuyi felt as if she was hallucinating.
Why would he suddenly mention proposing? Chuyi's mind went from foggy to muddled.
Why was Uncle Liberation Army's train of thought so erratic?
"You're going to propose to my family? Do you even know my situation before you talk about proposing?" Xia Chuyi shook her head as she stepped back, increasing the distance between them with a disapproving look, seriously gazing at him.
He was just too hasty about marriage!
Huo Shiqian closed in on her forcefully, for every step she took back, he advanced one, determined to close the gap.
"You'll naturally understand after we're married." Huo Shiqian's tone remained unchanged, his expression calm as if he was casually talking about the weather.
As Huo Shiqian drew nearer, she found herself backed into a corner by the wall, locking eyes with him for a long while, her heart in turmoil.
In her past life, Huo Shiqian had also brought up marriage with her—it was three years later, after he returned from the dispatched troops, learned the truth, and had proposed to her.
And at that time, though she had unraveled her misunderstandings towards him, she still declined.
"I'm sorry, I can't accept."
This time, she still chose to refuse.
If they had met under different circumstances, she would have been willing to start a family with Huo Shiqian. Huo Shiqian was handsome, capable at work, and more importantly, he was a very responsible person.
Unfortunately, it was exactly because of his sense of responsibility that she didn't want to be with him.
Their meeting was an accident that should never have happened.
In both lifetimes, upon learning the truth, his first instinct was to propose marriage, to take responsibility for her.
But could a marriage built on responsibility last?
In the years to come, would there come a day when he met his true love, and then looking back at the reason this marriage started, would he feel regret?
She quickly sorted through her thoughts.
"Uncle Liberation Army, what happened between us wasn't voluntary, I've said it before, I don't mind, you don't need to feel responsible for me."
Xia Chuyi spoke very earnestly, trying to make Huo Shiqian understand.
The air around them suddenly turned colder.
After a freeze, she heard Huo Shiqian's voice, devoid of any warmth, dictated, "You might not mind, but I do."
The oppressive aura that came from him made Xia Chuyi choke up instantly.
"I don't mind, so what are you worried about, men don't lose out..." she muttered under her breath.
Catching the increasingly grim look in his eyes, she quickly raised her hands, "I don't need you to take responsibility, really, I don't!"
Fearing he wouldn't believe her, she patted her chest, adopting a well-behaved demeanor that assured him she wouldn't hold him responsible.
Huo Shiqian's expression turned even more grim, and he was silent for a moment.
Just when Xia Chuyi thought she might die from the coldness emanating from Huo Shiqian, he leaned forward, propped his hand against the wall, and trapped her against it.
"What, what do you want to do?" Xia Chuyi stared at him, nervously speaking.