Chapter 282: Rainbow Pill (1/2)

Still not completely understanding what Gu Bing’er was getting at, Yuan Bailong listened to her with curiosity, but also a bit of apprehension.

“I am asking to marry you,” she said straightforwardly. “If we marry, our families will be connected through marriage, and will become much closer to one another.”

“Wait, what?” Yuan Bailong was even more stumped when he heard the words. Was he just proposed to? Realizing this, his face suddenly turned crimson, his ears so red that they seemed as if they could drip blood.

“It is very simple.” Gu Bing’er thought nothing of it, “I will at some point be used in a political marriage anyway,” she explained. “But right now, the best partner would, without doubt, be the Yuan family. You and I know each other well, as we have had quite a few dealings with one another, and marrying me will bring you closer to the position as an heir due to your connection with the Gu family.”

“I am not sure I want to marry you for that purpose,” Yuan Bailong frowned. “I know political marriages are what we nobles can look forward to, but I do not want to just use you to raise my own position.”

“By raising your position, you will be very useful to me too,” Gu Bing’er said with a calm and collected voice as if she was completely fine with the fact that she was trying to marry herself off for political gain.

While the two were speaking, everyone else in the room had quietened down and were looking expectantly, at the two speaking friends, curious as to whether or not this would turn into a marriage.

“Well, let’s say that I agree to marry you, how will you convince your family to allow their only miss to marry me? Although I am in the running to become the next heir to the Yuan family, I am not the smartest of the candidates, so my chance of success is not very high.”

“That is why you need me,” Gu Bing’er smiled sweetly. “You are indeed a bit simple-minded, but then you will have me to take care of all our scheming for you.”

Yuan Bailong had not really considered this possibility, but the more he considered it, the more plausible it sounded. He would benefit greatly if he married Gu Bing’er, but was she really okay with him?

He was not so gullible as to think that she had fallen in love with him—she was far too apathetic when facing him, but why should this mean they could not marry?

Love was a luxury that commoners could pursue; they were nobles, and for them, it was about marrying for family connections and benefits. Still, it was not like they hadn’t grown somewhat fond of each other after spending so much time together; it certainly made it more bearable for both of them, instead of the chance that they would be matched with someone they didn’t get along with at all.

Finally reaching a conclusion, Yuan Bailong looked at Gu Bing’er with shining eyes, “How are we to make them approve of us though?” he asked curiously.

Although the wedding would increase his standing in the Yuan family even further than his current performance with Xue Wei’s deal, he was not sure that the Gu family would approve of him as their son-in-law.

“That’s simple,” Gu Bing’er smiled, now that she realized that Yuan Bailong was accepting her proposal. “I will tell my brothers that I have fallen deeply in love with you and that you are equally enamored with me. My brothers spoil me silly since I am the only sister they have, so they will definitely help me convince my family elders, and I believe we will succeed.”

Yuan Bailong nodded his head; it sounded like a plan. Then he turned around and noticed that the whole room was silent. All of the people within the room were either leisurely seated in chairs or leaning against something, looking at Gu Bing’er and Yuan Bailong with rapt attention and a knowing smile on their lips.

“Big Brother, what is marriage?” Luoluo suddenly asked, “can it be eaten?”

Xue Wei smirked when he heard the small child’s question, but he answered honestly, “It is when two people promise to be together all their lives.”

“Then can I marry Big Brother?” Luoluo asked with sparkling eyes, making Xue Wei laugh out loud.

He shook his head, “No,” he said. “We are family, and family cannot marry one another. And I already have a wife waiting for me to return to the Chang’an continent.”

“So family is more important than marriage?” Luoluo would not let go, and Xue Wei gently rubbed her head.

“It is different but just as important,” he promised her. “I will never leave you alone, but one day, when you’re grown up, you will also find someone who makes your heart warm, and you’ll want to spend your entire future with them.”

Luoluo thought about it before she nodded her head solemnly, “I cannot marry Big Brother, because you are my big brother.”

Xue Wei smiled when he saw that the child had understood. He then turned to Gu Bing’er and Yuan Bailong and smirked at them too, “I wish to congratulate you on your engagement,” he said teasingly, and while Gu Bing’er was completely unaffected, Yuan Bailong was turning crimson as he realized that everyone in the room had been listening to their conversation.

“Thank you,” Gu Bing’er did not see anything wrong with accepting Xue Wei’s congratulations, neither did she feel uncomfortable about it. She was, in fact, very pleased that she had managed to convince Yuan Bailong to marry her.

She had interacted with him quite a few times recently. They had met each other often at the academy, not to mention they had gotten to know each other quite well from their deals with Xue Wei about the Qi cultivation—it was not like they got along poorly.