How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 150 Confession

Qingru sat in the car without speaking, and Guo Zixing also remained silent, each turning their faces away to one side.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive, and Zhang Xun didn't dare to speak. He drove the car directly into the Lu family's gate.

Just as Qingru was about to get out of the car, Guo Zixing grabbed her arm.

"what?"

"Zhang Xun, go back by yourself."

"Okay, sure." Zhang Xun got out of the car briskly and left quickly.

Qingru was angry and tightened her grip. "Young Master Guo, is there anything you can't say? I'm off work now, I want to go home."

Without a word, Guo Zixing pressed Qingru into the passenger seat and got into the driver's seat himself, saying, "I'll take you somewhere."

"Where to go?"

"You will know when you go."

Qingru could no longer contain her anger. "Young Master Guo, please don't be so autocratic! I work for you, but that doesn't mean I've sold myself to you. Let me out of the car now, I want to go home."

Guo Zixing stared straight ahead, driving steadily. "Stop messing around. I think we need to make some things clear between us."

"Explain yourself? What do we need to explain between us?" Qingru almost shouted, but she regretted it a moment later. She quickly suppressed her emotions, afraid that she might say something irrational.

Guo Zixing pursed his lips and remained silent.

He wasn't speechless; he just didn't know where to begin. His visit to the Zheng family hadn't been entirely fruitless; at least for a moment, he suddenly understood what his heart truly desired.

Does he want to marry Zheng Peilan? No, he's probably just after the Zheng family's wealth and connections. As for Zheng Peilan herself, she's only good enough for him, qualified to be his wife, Young Master Guo.

To say he felt nothing for her was an understatement. When he saw Zheng Peilan heartbroken and disheveled, he felt no emotion whatsoever, and even felt a bit impatient.

But it was completely different with Qingru. When he first met Qingru, she was a hundred times more disheveled and down-and-out than Zheng Peilan, but he still became interested.

Whether it was scheming or selfishness, he simply kept this person in his heart.

Throughout what followed, he constantly suppressed his feelings, reminding himself that he should seize power and find a wife who could help him. But the more he did that, the clearer he became about what he truly wanted in his heart.

Qingru gradually became anxious in the passenger seat, and Guo Zixing drove her all the way to the top of the mountain in the suburbs.

"What are you going to do?" Qingru felt a growing unease.

Guo Zixing reached out and grabbed her, gently rubbing one of her hands against his lips, holding it tenderly in his palm, his affection completely released at that moment.

Qingru gradually calmed down, but her heart began to flutter.

The car continued all the way to the top of the mountain, finally stopping in front of a small local temple.

The temple houses a statue of the local earth god, with incense sticks and offerings placed in front of it. There are no Taoist priests; only local mountain people occasionally come to make offerings.

Beside the temple stands a large tree, so thick that it takes three or four adults to encircle it, easily visible from any vantage point in the city. Countless red ribbons are strung from the tree, hung there by people making prayers.

Guo Zixing led Qingru to the tree, his eyes brimming with affection, which he made no attempt to conceal.

Qingru was so burned by that intense gaze that she dared not look directly at him and simply withdrew her hand.

Guo Zixing held on tightly. His head was more than a head taller than Qingru's, and he was also very tall and imposing. So he lowered his head and blocked the last ray of light from Qingru's eyes.

"Qingru..."

Qingru trembled; Guo Zixing had never called her in such a tender voice before.

Just as she was about to speak, Guo Zixing captured her lips in his mouth.

A young person's first kiss is not a skill; they only know how to gently nibble and caress, expressing their love in the most primal way.

Their lips touched, their breaths mingled, and the two were pressed close together. Even without opening their eyes, they could feel each other's hearts racing.

Guo Zixing had a faint scent of soapberry on him. It was made from soapberries that Qingru and Hongyu had picked. The fragrance was delightful. I didn’t expect that Guo Zixing would still be using this after she left.

The clean, sunny disposition unique to young people, along with their strong masculine aura, made Qingru blush, their lips meet, and a flutter of excitement welled up in her heart.

Another kiss might lead to trouble.

Qingru gently pushed him away, and Guo Zixing raised his head and distanced himself.

"What's wrong?" His voice was hazy and sexy after the kiss, and Guo Zixing's phoenix eyes were filled with desire, making Qingru dare not look him in the eye.

She took a few deep breaths, barely managing to calm herself, and pushed Guo Zixing a little further out.

"It's time for me to go back."

As soon as the servant opened his mouth, Qingru was startled by her own voice, which was soft and melodious, with a hint of unsatisfied charm.

What Qingru didn't know was that Guo Zixing saw a completely different side of her.

Guo Zixing looked at Qingru's rosy face, her red and glossy lips, and her trembling body, and immediately became aroused.

He pinned Qingru down in the car, not content with just a fleeting encounter. Ignoring Qingru's small hands trying to push him away, Guo Zixing covered her again, his tender, delicate kisses once more, carrying an undeniable force.

Qingru was forced to endure the kiss, while desperately pushing Guo Zixing away.

The cool evening breeze woke Guo Zixing, and he reluctantly let go of Qingru.

"Slap!" Qingru's eyes welled up with tears of grievance, and she slapped him.

Guo Zixing gently stroked the cheek that Qingru had slapped, a wicked smile on his face, and said casually, "I'm sorry, Qingru, I acted impulsively."

He didn't mention the rudeness at all, only saying that he acted impulsively.

Qingru turned around and walked down the mountain in anger, but Guo Zixing grabbed her arm.

"What else do you want to do?"

"The truth will become clear if it is not explained, Qingru, I like you."

Qingru paused. What had she heard?

Guo Zixing walked up to Qingru and said earnestly, "I said, I like you. Guo Zixing likes Lü Qingru."

Qingru looked up at Guo Zixing in disbelief.

What a joke, like her? How could he like her? Isn't he going to marry Miss Zheng?

“Qingru, I know what you’re worried about. You think I want to marry Zheng Peilan. I admit I used to have that thought, but at that time I didn’t know what I wanted. I just felt that she was of noble status and worthy of me. I didn’t like her.”

Qingru felt both bittersweet and happy. She had become the kind of person she used to dislike the most—the kind who was always anxious and insecure about relationships.

"Pah, what's this about being worthy or not? You have to be someone who's even interested in you."

Guo Zixing chuckled, realizing that such a person was not entirely without feelings for him.

To be honest, putting aside his status as the young marshal, Guo Zixing himself is extremely handsome and capable, and there are quite a few people who want to marry him.

Guo Zixing raised his hand and brushed a stray strand of Qingru's hair away; the touch of their bodies sparked with excitement.

After coughing a few times to cover it up, Guo Zixing put his hands in his pockets.

"Qingru, I'm serious. Before I met you, I always thought I should marry a woman of equal social standing, fight my way up in the Guo family compound, and eventually become the new ruler. But after meeting you, I felt that there should be new possibilities in life. Your tenacity and vitality remind me that even with my own strength, I can still make a name for myself."

Guo Zixing spoke with great conviction, his heart surging with emotion, "Qingru, I'm serious, I like you. Do you feel the same way?"

Qingru blushed. She never expected that Guo Zixing's loss of composure was a confession, and she immediately blurted out something reckless.

"No, I just see you as my boss."

After saying that, she felt a little regretful, but mostly she felt relieved. After being harmed by the Guo family for so long, she still wanted him to like her. It wasn't that simple.

Guo Zixing smiled indulgently, seeing through Qingru's insincerity. If she truly didn't like it, why was she so clumsy in her response when kissing?

He held Qingru in his arms affectionately for a while before sending her back, feeling incredibly relaxed the whole way.

Qingru's heart also underwent a slight change, which she had to suppress as much as possible.

For some reason, she didn't want her father to find out yet.