WBSGVS Chapter 163 v2

Qingli was relieved and grabbed his hand without hesitation.

Nie Xiao’s cold, stiff expression crumbled in an instant. His eyes widened, staring at her like a deer in headlights. He froze, especially the hand she grabbed. It just… didn’t know what to do.

And once he felt her soft, warm palm, his brain just went completely blank.

Qingli said gently, “Nie Xiao, I like you. But I don’t want to get married again. I don’t want the matchmaking and the wedding fanfare, and I don’t want to deal with all your relatives. Honestly, your family might not even approve of you marrying me. But I do want to be with you.”

“What… what does that even mean?” Nie Xiao was so flustered by the beginning and end of her words that he couldn’t even process the middle.

“I mean,” Qingli said as she shook his hand gently, her big eyes locking onto his, “can we just… stay like this? No marriage, no ceremonies, no contracts. And if one day you decide to marry someone else, we’ll go our separate ways.”

She didn’t want a husband, but she did want to date him.

Simple as that.

Nie Xiao, whose heart had been burning with passion just moments ago, now felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on him.

“You’re saying… you want something casual? No commitment?!”

He had nearly said: How are you any different from those flirty young lords in the capital? But he held back.

Qingli gave him a sheepish smile. “No, no, not like that! It’s not about taking advantage of anyone or being taken advantage of. We’ll be fair, right?”

As she said it, she sneakily ran her fingertip along his palm.

Nie Xiao’s ears turned red instantly. Looking at the wide-eyed girl in front of him, his heart softened—it was a mix of sweetness and bitterness, and he didn’t know what to do.

If he agreed, he felt uncomfortable. He truly liked her—that’s why, not caring about public opinion, he had rushed to propose so soon after Xie Rongyun’s death.

He was afraid someone else would marry her first.

But she didn’t want to marry him. She didn’t want a big wedding, didn’t want to be introduced as his wife in front of others.

He couldn’t quite accept that.

But if he didn’t agree… that made him even sadder.

Nie Xiao felt wronged. It was clearly that bastard Xie Rongyun’s fault for making Qingli fear marriage. Yet because he came into her life late, he had to bear all of this.

And that bastard had the nerve to die early, so he couldn’t even get revenge.

If Qingli knew what he was thinking, she’d want to roast him: Had he forgotten who crippled Xie Rongyun in the first place? Wasn’t it him?

But she didn’t know that.

Qingli noticed Nie Xiao’s mood drop and sighed inwardly. Relationships like this were hard for ancient folks to accept, especially since Nie Xiao wasn’t some carefree playboy.

She withdrew her hand a bit regretfully but kept a smile on her face. “Then—”

Suddenly, her hand was pulled tight, and the next thing she knew, her arm was yanked. The heartbroken young man in black, no longer able to resist his desire, pulled her into his arms and said in a low voice, “Then… you’re not allowed to end this relationship easily.”

Qingli’s smile widened, her voice clear and cheerful. “I won’t!”

Qingli said she wouldn’t remarry—and she meant it.

Although the Mu family didn’t make a big fuss turning down the Nie family’s marriage proposal, since Qingli had just become a widow, the news still caught people’s attention.

When word spread that the marriage didn’t go through, many were shocked. Given Mu Qingli’s status, marrying into the Nie family would have been a huge step up.

She was a widow—Nie Xiao had never married.

Especially now that the Sixth Prince’s ascension to the throne was all but guaranteed, the Nie family was set to become imperial in-laws!

And Nie Xiao himself was handsome, accomplished, and well-regarded. Anyone who asked around would know he was considered the dream husband by most young ladies in the capital.

So why would anyone reject such a match?

And yet, that’s exactly what Qingli did.

When people tried to ask what happened, they all heard the same thing: Lady Mu doesn’t want to remarry. She plans to live out her days peacefully at the Xie estate, raising the late Xie Rongyun’s children and enjoying a quiet life.

Suddenly, public opinion shifted. Mu Qingli’s reputation soared, with people praising her everywhere.

And a few people quietly realized—who said a widow couldn’t live her best life?

Wealth, status, a man—she had everything.

In this lifetime, Qingli didn’t marry again. She had set clear terms with Nie Xiao from the beginning. So, whether it was the Nie family begging her to reconsider or her parents trying to persuade her, she never changed her mind.

Their relationship remained secret, but the Mu family helped cover for them without any complaints, especially after everything Qingli had done.

And because Nie Xiao never tried to pressure her with his family’s expectations, always taking the brunt of the gossip alone, Qingli’s heart softened. Eventually, the two of them held a private ceremony and invited both families’ elders, formally acknowledging the relationship in their own quiet way.

—

When Qingli opened her eyes again, she was staring at a phone screen.

On it was a post from a gossip blogger with a poll: “Do you think the infamous simp Huo Qingli will keep chasing after Shen Yanjun this time?”

There were two options: Yes and No.

The voting screen hadn’t shown results yet, so she couldn’t tell which side was winning. But just beneath the poll was a highlighted top comment that told her all she needed to know:

“Of course she will! This woman acts like she’s been brainwashed. She has a great family background, but she treats this one man like he’s the entire world. Even after a private dinner for two, she said it was just a friendly meal. Now that they’ve been caught hugging, just wait—she’s gonna tweet something like ‘It was just a friendly hug, don’t overthink it!’”

At that exact moment, someone next to her said:

“Miss Huo, please think carefully. You and Mr. Shen have no emotional foundation. Staying in this marriage only hurts all three of you. Mr. Shen and Miss Xu have always been in love. We hope you can let go—for everyone’s sake.”

Qingli chuckled softly, then quickly tapped the “No” option.

The moment she did, the poll results popped up: 21,524 votes for ‘Yes’ vs. 101 votes for ‘No’.

She calmly said, “If they were so in love, why did he propose to me in the first place?”

The lawyer was speechless. It was true—Shen Yanjun had proposed, and Huo Qingli had accepted, crying tears of joy.

But the marriage had no future anymore.

Just as he was about to repeat that point, he heard her say:

“Bring me the agreement. I’ll sign.”

The lawyer, who hadn’t expected her to agree, stared at her in shock, as if seeing her for the first time.

At the same time, the poll was auto-posted to her social feed. Millions of netizens saw a post from Huo Qingli’s account:

“I just voted… My choice is: No!”

The internet exploded:

“Did she get hacked?!”