Chapter 212: Arrangement

"That's exactly what she said. Did you hear me clearly?" Jin'er spoke seriously, sitting on the steps in front of the small building as the first light of dawn appeared and a faint mist drifted. Her tone held a mix of heartache and sternness. Ning Yi usually had his own set of principles and rarely found himself speechless, but at this moment, he felt he truly had little to say. This wasn't entirely due to guilt or sentiment; he had, in fact, carefully considered the situations involving Yun Zhu and Tan'er much earlier, but no amount of consideration felt appropriate for a defense.

After a moment of silence, he looked at the serious Jin'er beside him and smiled, "So, you've fallen for Yun Zhu?"

Jin'er had been expecting him to reflect, or at least sit there feeling guilty for a while. To her surprise, Ning Yi turned the question back to her. She paused for a moment, then replied, "Hmm." After a brief silence, she continued, "No matter what, I don't want Sister Yun Zhu to be alone for the rest of her life. She... she's so good. Anyone who wrongs her will face retribution! You're hopeless anyway, so you might as well just get lost..."

"You're the one who's hopeless..."

"I..." Jin'er's expression faltered slightly. "Anyway... anyway, I'll stay with Sister Yun Zhu. I like her..."

Such matters were relatively taboo, and even with Jin'er's forthright personality, having just mustered the courage to confront Ning Yi, she couldn't assert herself much further at that moment.

Ning Yi nodded, "Mhm."

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"You genuinely care about her, and that's a good thing," Ning Yi said with a smile. "Besides, Yun Zhu doesn't like women anyway..."

"You..." Jin'er glared at him, puffing out her cheeks, then huffed and started to get up. Ning Yi reached out and tugged her sleeve. "Perhaps I did some things wrong."

Though he still had a smile on his face, his current demeanor wasn't provocative. Jin'er reluctantly sat back down. After a moment, Ning Yi said, "I used to think about your sister Yun Zhu's situation for a while, and then I made a decision. But now, it seems it might not have been the right one."

He had already given deep thought to these matters when Yun Zhu first confessed her feelings to him. At that time, the issue with the Su family's fabric business was also unfolding, and as he stepped in to help, a certain fondness had grown between him and Su Tan'er after more than a year of acquaintance. He had even mentioned these difficulties to Elder Qin and Elder Kang then, unsure how to handle them.

He was a decisive person. If he genuinely felt nothing for someone, he wouldn't spare them a glance, no matter how beautiful they were. In his previous life, holding a high position, he had no shortage of women around him. In terms of beauty, many modern women, being well-maintained, could surpass Yun Zhu and Tan'er. Of course, such comparisons weren't absolute; it was more about differing styles. Ning Yi's current affection primarily stemmed from character, with physical appearance playing a much smaller role.

With both women clearly in his life and no easy way to make an absolute choice, his nature was to agonize for a few days, then treat it as a practical problem. A practical problem, in his view, meant not seeking excuses or dwelling on hardships. The situation was what it was; there was no point in self-pity. The goal was simply to find a solution. His approach was similar to how he dealt with the Wu family: regardless of the reasons, this was the current state of affairs. You scheme against me, I scheme against you. You're despicable, and I'll kill your entire family, and it's greedy for a snake to try to swallow an elephant—but what good is talking about any of that? The reality is, I've got you checkmated. You can't ask me for mercy. Since it's come to this, the only thing left to consider is how to proceed.

People often find it difficult to make choices in matters of the heart, and Ning Yi was certainly no exception. If a situation were truly irreconcilable, he could display a more decisive "cut off the wrist" resolve than most. However, the current circumstances weren't severe, offering plenty of room for maneuver and mitigation.

In fairness, he also felt that a man's promiscuity was unfair to women. He had, in fact, considered that if his relationship with Yun Zhu had developed more quickly, before he had strong feelings for the Su family, he would have left the Su family and Jiangning with Yun Zhu to start anew elsewhere. Conversely, if his relationship with Tan'er had progressed faster, there might have been no further possibility with Yun Zhu. But given the current reality, overthinking was pointless.

Since separating from either Yun Zhu or Tan'er would be difficult, he decided to find solutions in other areas. Tan'er was, in fact, a very capable woman, and given Yun Zhu's disposition, she didn't necessarily need to enter the Su household. He would fulfill his responsibilities as a boyfriend and husband in other ways. He had already discussed this with Yun Zhu, explaining that he likely couldn't leave the Su family and the awkward situations they might face if they were together. He had also told her that if she truly desired a formal status, it wasn't impossible for him to arrange it. If it ever came to a point where he was forced to make a definitive choice between the two, he was certainly capable of doing so.

Things naturally unfolded as they did. When Jin'er spoke to him about these matters so earnestly, Ning Yi was indeed moved and reflective. Regardless, he acknowledged that he had made some mistakes and truly owed Yun Zhu. However, there was much more he couldn't explain to Jin'er at that moment. He merely added, with a slightly more serious tone, "But I won't let your sister Yun Zhu be unhappy. I made promises, and those responsibilities must be fulfilled. Jin'er, I'm very grateful for your genuine concern for Yun Zhu..."

"You... you haven't reflected at all!"

Ning Yi dropped his brief serious demeanor, looking at Jin'er teasingly. "But you can't make your sister Yun Zhu happy either."

"Who says I can't..."

"Yun Zhu doesn't like women..."

"But if she's with you, Sister Yun Zhu will always be unhappy; she just won't say it. She can't enter your household and has no official status. What woman doesn't value these things?" Jin'er scoffed. "I said it, I admit you're a good man in other aspects, but you can't solve these issues. It's all just empty talk!"

"It's not impossible, but it's very difficult. Forcing a formal status might ultimately lead to more unhappiness... Of course, I wouldn't insist on having everything perfect in such a situation. But I told your sister Yun Zhu that as a live-in son-in-law, I can't enter any ancestral hall, and frankly, I have no interest in entering the Su family's ancestral hall; it sounds quite embarrassing, doesn't it? Your sister Yun Zhu wouldn't care for that kind of status... But I promise that after I die, we'll be buried in the same grave, not separated. You think status is important, but I believe this might be better..."

"Uh..." Jin'er stared wide-eyed, stunned for a long moment. "You're talking nonsense, how could that be..."

"I'm not dying now," Ning Yi said with a chuckle. "There are still many years left. Everyone will understand. The Su family can't stop what I truly intend to do. The only trouble will probably be from the one at home, but by then, she'll be in her seventies or eighties, and these matters should be more understandable."

He paused, then shook his head. "It's too early to talk about all this. Anyway, if you like her, then like her. If you want to wear men's clothes, that's up to you; I won't stop you. If you can make your sister Yun Zhu happy, I'll be happy too. But let me tell you upfront, I'm very confident about this: Brother Yuan, you don't stand a chance. You'll just be heartbroken for life..."

Ning Yi's nonchalant attitude made Jin'er feel, for a moment, that he was utterly detestable. After fuming for a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Just you wait!" She had initially been quite anxious about her feelings for Sister Yun Zhu, but since Ning Yi was so obnoxious, she no longer felt the need to be embarrassed about it. She tossed out her threat, then turned and went back to her room. Ning Yi watched her retreating back and couldn't help but smile again.

It's said that women often have bisexual tendencies, and while Ning Yi wasn't an authority on the matter, it was hard to say if Jin'er's feelings for Yun Zhu were truly romantic love. One thing was certain, however: she genuinely cared for her older sister, worrying about her and standing up for her. If the person were a man, he would naturally feel a grudge, but with Jin'er, the fact that she could have such a familial, blood-like affection for Yun Zhu, Ning Yi found it quite good.

Yun Zhu's parents had both passed away, leaving her with no other relatives. After arriving from Jin Feng Tower, she had only relied on Hu Tao. It was only after her relationship with Ning Yi was established, giving her a sense of security, that she married off Hu Tao. Later, Ning Yi suggested she acknowledge Elder Qin as her adoptive father, but that was ultimately an exchange of interests. Even if Elder Qin was benevolent and had some appreciation for Yun Zhu, it would naturally be difficult for him to become a true family member. Jin'er, however, was different. They could live together day and night, relying on each other. Ning Yi was happy that Yun Zhu could have another person to depend on.

While a formal status might be difficult to grant, Ning Yi had decided to treat Yun Zhu well in many other aspects and would naturally follow through. Given Yun Zhu's personality, even if Jin'er were a man, it would be hard to make her change her heart. And since they were both women, Yun Zhu, who had no such inclinations, certainly wouldn't be genuinely influenced by Jin'er to become a "lesbian." If that were the case, it would perhaps only prove his own failure... In any event, Jin'er's presence by her side was wholeheartedly for Yun Zhu's benefit. So why not be generous? It would also serve as a constant reminder that there was an interesting "lesbian" constantly "eyeing" his partner from the side.

He chuckled for a while, then went to the living room and recounted the details of the spring outing event to Yun Zhu and Jin'er. "Brother Yuan, you should come along too..."

Ning Yi often bantered with Jin'er, using various strange nicknames for her, so Yun Zhu didn't mind him calling her "Brother Yuan" this time. She simply held her younger sister's hand and smiled, "Jin'er will, of course, go with me."

That morning, back home, he found himself amused again during breakfast and couldn't help but laugh. Tan'er asked what had happened, and he chuckled, "I have a friend... she's a woman..."

"Hmm?" Su Tan'er's smile, though interested, also showed a hint of wariness. Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er clustered around. Ning Yi then realized, looked at them for a moment, and said, "Oh, she likes women."

"Ah?" Tan'er and the three maids' expressions immediately turned strange. Chan'er whispered to Xing'er beside her, "Likes... not *that* kind of liking, right...?"

"Of course it is..."

Su Tan'er adopted a slightly learned expression. "Actually... actually, such things do exist..." though she herself didn't really understand it.

"Hmm, Miss, I think Juan'er likes Chan'er..."

"Actually, I like Sister Xing'er..."

Inside the room, the girls chattered and giggled, sometimes blushing from their teasing. As the Qingming Festival drew closer, two days later, Qin Shaoqian, the second young master of the Qin family, also returned.