1190 Xi Meili's Decision
After realizing that Xi Meili had passed out while standing, Xi Shengmo quickly carried her to the bed.
"To think she'd lose consciousness from this… Where did all that effort she put into mental training go?" Xi Mingze was truly speechless.
Xi Shengmo merely shook his head in silence.
While she was asleep for the next several minutes, Xi Meili had a dream about the moment she asked Yuan if he was willing to marry her at the restaurant.
"Sorry, but I cannot be with you, since I already have a partner." Yuan said to her with a regretful-look on his face.
"W-What? Who?!"
"She's a Divine Beast just like you. In fact, you've already met her— the Divine Serpent that came to this place with me."
"N-No way…" Xi Meili mumbled as tears flowed from her eyes.
It was at this moment Xi Meili woke up from her dream to find herself sleeping on the bed beside her mother.
"M-Mother? What happened? Why am I sleeping next to you?" Xi Meili was still in a confused state.
"..."
Eventually, Xi Meili's head cleared up, and she recalled what happened right before she passed out.
"What you said… If you're messing with me, I will really get angry…" Xi Meili stared at Xi Mingze with a serious look on her face.
Xi Mingze sighed and recalled her conversation with Lan Yingying and the others to Xi Meili.
"No way… No wonder why he refused to marry me…" Xi Meili sighed out loud after hearing everything.
"What? He refused to marry you?" Xi Mingze was surprised, as this was news to her.
"Well… Not exactly…" It was Xi Meili's turn to recall her conversation with Yuan to her parents.
"So now that you know he's already impregnated another woman, and the fact that he's refused to marry you, do you still want to chase after him?" Xi Shengmo asked her with a serious expression.
Xi Meili didn't immediately respond.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, her eyes were filled with resolve.
"Even after learning about his child with Lan Yingying, my feelings for him have not changed. At least now I know that he's willing to procreate with a Divine Beast, which was my biggest worry. I also realized that I was being too hasty with this marriage stuff. It's true that we haven't known each other for long, so I am planning on following him for the time being as a companion until he accepts me."
"Are you serious about this? What if he doesn't respond to your feelings?" Xi Shengmo then asked.
Xi Meili showed a bittersweet smile on her face before responding, "As long as I can continue being by his side, I think I can live with that. If you're worried about our lineage, there's still Murong."
"I am not worried about that! I am worried about you!" Xi Shengmo raised his voice.
"I will be fine, father."
"..."
The room became silent.
"Haa…" Xi Mingze broke that silence a moment later with a deep sigh.
"If that is truly what you desire, I will not stop you. Just know this— With his talents and promising future, I expect there to be a lot of competition for his attention. Not only will you have to compete with his current admirers, they will only continue to grow in the future."
"I am well aware. And thank you, mother, for your support." Xi Meili smiled.
Xi Shengmo rubbed his eyes and sighed, "I doubt anything I say to you will change your mind, so I will concede. If you ever feel like returning home, just know that we will always be here for you."
Due to his pride, he decided to act like he disapproved of her decision until the very end even though he had already accepted her resolve in his heart.
"Thank you, father. Then regarding my matter with the Azure Dragon Family…"
"As I've already said multiple times by now, they are expecting a visit from you, so go there and politely refuse. I will deal with everything else afterward." Xi Shengmo said.
"Then I will go meet them as soon as possible tomorrow! Also, I am going to bring Yuan with me since I promised to show him the other cities."
"Just don't cause any unnecessary trouble when you are there…"
"Now that I have both your approval, there is no longer any need for me to cause trouble." She smiled.
"So you were planning on causing trouble if I didn't approve…" Xi Shengmo sighed.
Xi Meili chuckled.
"Is there anything else for me?" She asked a moment later.
"No, you can go now."
"Alright!"
After leaving their room, Xi Meili stood outside with a pondering face for several moments before she made her way to Yuan's room.
"Yuan, it's me. Are you busy?" She knocked on the door and asked.
"No, what's up?"
"I have decided to go to Azure Dragon City tomorrow. You are coming with me, right?"
"If that's what you want."
"That is what I want."
"Okay, then I will come with you."
"Then let's continue this talk during dinner."
After speaking with Yuan, Xi Meili did not leave immediately and went to knock on another room.
"Yes?" Lan Yingying's voice resounded from inside.
"It's me, Xi Meili. I'd like to speak with you if you're not busy."
Lan Yingying opened the door a moment later and welcomed her inside, "I can talk now."
"Thank you."
Once inside, they sat before each other.
"What would you like to talk about?" Lan Yingying asked.
"About Yuan."
"Yuan?" Lan Yingying raised an eyebrow.
Xi Meili nodded and said, "Specifically about your child with him, if you don't mind."
"Oh… Well, what would you like to know?" Lan Yingying didn't mind the subject.
"Mostly why you decided to have his child and what led to that point. I am asking because I have decided to follow Yuan with the intention of becoming his partner."
"I see… Well, it all started when I met him…" Lan Yingying began telling Xi Meili about her history with Yuan and everything that led up to her impregnation.