as not to be outdone. He quickly returned to Qingyuxuan to read, hoping that this year's Qiuwei Examination would grant him a place on the list of successful candidates. If he passed, his father and...A girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pretty face, ran towards them in a panic. She wore a dress that had been washed until it was white and patched, but her beauty still shone through.

Behind the girl, a middle-aged couple was chasing after her. The woman’s face was filled with anger as she shouted, “You little brat, stop right there! Don't you dare try to jump into the river!”

Gu Jingxi, seeing the situation, instinctively pulled his little wife aside to avoid being bumped into by the girl and incurring an unwarranted disaster.

The young girl ran to the railing, glanced at the river below, and was so frightened that her face turned pale. She then turned back to look at the middle-aged couple behind her, seeing them approaching step by step. In a moment of desperation, she sought help from the wealthy couple beside her, kneeling down with a thud: “Kind sir, kind madam, please show mercy and save me!”

Meng Jinyao saw the young girl's tears welling up, kneeling pitifully before her. She glanced at the middle-aged couple not far away, and several onlookers surrounding them. Instead of immediately attending to the girl, she chose to observe the situation first.

Gu Jingxi didn't pay attention to the girl either.

When the middle-aged man and woman saw this, they let out a sigh of relief. The woman hurried over, taking three steps in two, and bent down to pull the girl up. As she pulled her, she scolded, "You little bitch! We pitied you and took care of you according to our elders' wishes, but you want to elope with someone else Are you that desperate to get married"een brought to such a sorry state because of him; she hated Meng Dongyuan with all her being.She immediately brought up another matter, hitting Meng Dongyuan's sore spot: "Meng Dongyuan, I regret it,...