The whole family died tragically? The eldest daughter is the most powerful in the capital after her

Inside the teahouse, the candlelight flickered slightly, reflecting the anxiety between Song Zhennan's brows.

He looked at Lin Ruoqiao opposite him: "I know all this is very sudden for you, but I really like you. The elders in my family are stubborn and they don't agree with our marriage, but I don't want to give up on you."

Lin Ruoqiao gently blew away the floating tea leaves, raised her eyes and looked at him, her voice calm: "Mr. Song, I am not surprised by the elders' attitude, but did you ask me out just to say this?"

Song Zhennan frowned, his eyes pleading: "No, I want to tell you that no matter how much my family objects, my mind will not change. We don't have to care about their obstruction, we can just leave the capital, hide our identities, and live our own lives."

The teacup was gently placed on the table, making a slight sound.

Lin Ruoqiao raised her eyebrows slightly, with surprise in her eyes: "Elope?"

Song Zhennan nodded, his expression becoming more determined: "That's right. I know this will be difficult for you, but as long as we are together, everything can be solved. I can feel that you have feelings for me, too. If so, why don't you put everything aside and follow me?"

Lin Ruoqiao's eyes gradually turned cold, and she said in a disappointed voice: "Mr. Song, let's not talk about whether such a ridiculous proposal as elopement is feasible. I want to correct a misunderstanding of yours. Your so-called 'feeling' is just your own imagination. I have a good impression of you at most, but I have never loved you."

Song Zhennan's face froze. He didn't expect her to be so straightforward. After a while, he whispered, "You really don't have any feelings for me?"

Lin Ruoqiao took a deep breath and said, "I may have some feelings, but I will never betray my family. Mr. Song, do you know what eloping means? It means that my parents will be disgraced because of me, and my sisters will be divorced by their in-laws. Have you ever thought about what consequences your words of 'hiding your identity' will cause my family to suffer?"

Song Zhennan hurriedly shook his head: "I will take good care of you and will never let you suffer any grievances. As for your family, I..."

Lin Ruoqiao interrupted him, her eyes turning colder, "What can you do? You just want to avoid the blame from your elders, but you have never really considered the difficulties that your two families will face after you elope. How can my family gain a foothold in the capital? How can your parents explain to outsiders? Your proposal not only shows that you are irresponsible, but also exposes your selfishness."

Song Zhennan sat up straight suddenly, stung by her words, and said with reluctance: "I really love you, is this wrong?"

Lin Ruoqiao shook her head, her voice tired: "Love is not wrong, but your approach is wrong. All you want is an easy solution, but you never really take any responsibility. Eloping is not a relief, but an escape. I thought you were a responsible person, but now it seems that I was wrong."

Song Zhennan was stunned, his lips moved but he couldn't speak.

His hands were clenched into fists, with veins faintly visible, as if he was suppressing his emotions.

Lin Ruoqiao stood up, speaking in a firm and calm tone: "Mr. Song, I am very disappointed in you. You and I may have some fate, but we are not a good match for each other. I hope that what I said today is our last farewell. From now on, you and I will take care of each other."

She turned and left, her steps firm and she never looked back.

Song Zhennan sat there blankly, watching her leave, his eyes gradually dimming.

Afterwards, Lin Ruoqiao went to find Lin Ruoxuan.

When Lin Ruoxuan saw Lin Ruoqiao coming in, she greeted her with a smile: "Seventh sister, it's so late, why haven't you rested yet?"

Lin Ruoqiao curled the corners of her lips, sat down opposite her with a bit of ease, and gently placed the teacup on the table: "I have something to tell you, it's about Song Zhennan."

Lin Ruoxuan raised her eyebrows, looked up at her, and said in a teasing tone: "Oh? Why did you suddenly mention him? Is there something in your heart that you can't let go of?"

Lin Ruoqiao shook her head and smiled in relief: "I came here just to tell you that I have completely let him go. I used to think he was a trustworthy person, but now I see clearly that he is just an irresponsible coward."

Lin Ruoxuan leaned back in her chair and smiled, "This is a good thing! How did you figure it out?"

Lin Ruoqiao lowered her head and took a sip of tea, she said with emotion: "I met him today, and he proposed to elope, and even said he would hide his identity and fly away. My heart sank at that time. He didn't even have the courage to solve the problem, but he talked about spending his life with me."

Lin Ruoxuan raised her eyebrows slightly: "Then how did you respond to him?"

"I told him that I didn't love him and I would never betray my family because of him. His proposal was just a cowardly escape and would only put both families in trouble. I have never seen such a selfish person and I am extremely disappointed."

After hearing this, Lin Ruoxuan patted her hands gently, her eyes full of relief: "Seventh sister, I'm really happy for you that you can see this clearly. Your heartbeat accelerated for him before, but it was just the ignorant feelings of a young girl. Now that you have come to your senses, do you feel a lot more relaxed after letting it go?"

Lin Ruoqiao nodded and said with relief: "Yes, I thought it would be very painful, but now I don't feel any heartache at all. Even after saying those words to him, I was just glad that I didn't take this wrong step."

Lin Ruoxuan couldn't help laughing, her tone teasing: "That's right. It seems that you are really disenchanted! Now is the time to completely draw a line with him."

Lin Ruoqiao also smiled, her eyebrows curved: "You are right, there is still time for everything, fortunately I woke up in time."

In the main room of the Qi family.

Lin Ruoxue had just put on her cloak and was about to go out. Before she stepped out of the threshold, she heard a noise at the door.

She raised her head slightly and saw the old lady walking in quickly, followed by several maids serving her.

Her expression changed slightly, but she quickly adjusted her mood and stepped forward to greet him respectfully: "Why are you here, old lady? You didn't tell me in advance so that I could be ready to pick you up."

The old lady waved her hand, her eyes swept over Lin Ruoxue, her brows slightly frowned, and her tone was neither salty nor bland: "I came here today by chance. Since you are going out, you don't have to pay attention to me. But I do have a few words to say to you, it doesn't hurt to listen."

Having said that, the old lady sat down directly in the main hall and had no intention of letting anyone leave.

Lin Ruoxue stood aside with her head lowered. Madam Qi arrived shortly afterwards and sat down at the bottom. She smiled and tried to smooth things over: "Mother, you have come to visit us. Your words are important to our family. How dare we disobey you?"

The old lady nodded, took a sip of tea, and changed the subject: "The recent events in the Lin family have caused a lot of uproar. You are the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest son, so you must know more about it than others, right?"