CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 24 TRUTH_2

Ke Lian seemed a bit surprised, but there were some hints of understanding in his emotions. Du Xixi was even more surprised than him: "You know?"

She only thought that perhaps Ke Lian had heard Bai Zhan mention it, but from what Ke Lian said, it seemed there was some communication among the brothers regarding the situation between Mo Ying and Bai Zhan. They knew a little, but since Mo Ying had never confirmed it herself, they only treated it as speculation.

Du Xixi’s eyes brightened, and she instinctively turned her head to look at the kitchen door. Seeing nothing unusual, she asked Ke Lian, "Quick, tell me, what is Bai Zhan’s attitude and thoughts towards Sister Mo Ying?"

Ke Lian glanced at the seemingly closed kitchen door thoughtfully, then hugged Du Xixi, intentionally raising his voice a bit: "I told you, Bai Zhan has no feelings for his fiancée who passed away early, but his family members are pressuring him to marry a woman of similar social standing."

"Why?"

"Naturally, it’s because of passing on the family line." Ke Lian raised his voice further, drawing a glance of surprised doubt from Du Xixi.

Seeing Ke Lian deliberately looking towards the kitchen door, Du Xixi realized something, smiled, and also raised her voice loudly: "Passing on the family line? Can’t you pass on the family line by marrying a female soldier?"

As expected, no sooner had Du Xixi’s words fallen than they heard a moderate breathing sound from the kitchen, perfectly allowing Du Xixi and Ke Lian to catch it.

Du Xixi and Ke Lian pretended not to hear it, one guessing, the other explaining, slowly revealing the reasons why Bai Zhan had been so indifferent to Mo Ying over the years.

As it turned out, Bai Zhan and Ke Lian, along with others from the Military Department, were good brothers, but he himself came from a family of civil officials, with generations as scholars. Nowadays, many family members are renowned professors and scholars in the Star Era.

But the Bai Family’s descendants were becoming fewer, especially by Bai Zhan’s generation. As the last hope of the Bai Family, they believed he should marry a daughter from a family of similar standing, also of civil officials, to more smoothly propagate the family line and revive the Bai Family.

Bai Zhan’s former fiancée, that poor woman who died young, was a lady from a family of civil officials, well-versed in poetry since childhood, undoubtedly the ideal future matriarch in the eyes of the Bai Family.

However, Bai Zhan found his former fiancée very pretentious, obedient and well-behaved in front of elders, yet arrogant in front of them. Thus, he often wore a gloomy expression after the engagement, earning the nickname "Black Face."

He lacked the courage and power to defy his elders’ wishes, so he endured his distaste for his former fiancée, pretending to be a "deeply in love" engaged couple with her.

In reality, he and his former fiancée were more estranged than polite acquaintances, eager to treat each other as strangers. Off the "stage" where everyone was watching, they’d ignore each other, living their separate lives.

As Du Xixi guessed, Bai Zhan’s feelings for Mo Ying were very pure, without any inappropriate thought between a man and a woman. Perhaps because of Mo Feng, even though Bai Zhan was the same age as Mo Ying, he saw Mo Ying as an older sister.

Being friends, brothers, or even family, Mo Ying was the right choice in Bai Zhan’s eyes, but as a lover? Bai Zhan never considered it.

When Bai Zhan accidentally learned of Mo Ying’s admiration for him, he first told a few brothers, including Mo Ying’s brother Mo Feng, in a panic.

They all knew about this matter.

But to maintain the usual harmonious facade, everyone suggested Bai Zhan should not be too cold towards Mo Ying. If he didn’t want Mo Ying to keep admiring him, he could distance himself a bit.

At the very least, he shouldn’t harm their cordial relations. That’s why Mo Ying felt Bai Zhan was always avoiding her. This was indeed true.

"So, Bai Zhan wishes to return to the past with Sister Mo Ying, pretending this unrequited love never happened, nor did he ever know about it?" Du Xixi summed up, yet felt something was off. But she couldn’t pinpoint what.

"Xixi, if you secretly loved someone, but that person didn’t like you, what would you do?" Ke Lian gently tapped Du Xixi’s forehead, asking softly.

"I don’t know, I’ve never secretly loved anyone, so I can’t relate." Du Xixi shook her head. If she had experienced it personally, perhaps she’d have some input. But she had no such experience!