他不想再做家族的棋子

Qingyi lost three years inside a prison.

Today, he finally returns to the Murong family.

But no one at home asked how he spent those three years, or what he wants to do next.

They have already arranged the answers for him.

Your engagement ceremony with Huo Minxian cannot wait any longer.

The Murong and Huo families are going into business together, so this marriage must go ahead.

I just got back. The first thing you say to me is to get married?

This isn't only your marriage; it's the interest of two families.

Since you carry the Murong name, you should do your part for the family.

When I was in prison, you treated me as the Murong family's mistake.

Now that you need a marriage alliance, I'm the Murong family's son again.

Qingyi, you're in no position to choose your life now. The Huo family still accepts you, which is already a great courtesy.

So leaving prison wasn't for freedom; it was just walking into another prison with no door.

Qingyi came home, yet he's still a chess piece the family can move.

Murong Qingyi, I will not marry you.

Good, because I don't want to marry you either.

Then go tell them to cancel the engagement at once.

Why must it be me? You can refuse too.

My father's death is connected to you. You owe the Huo family, so you should be the one to settle this.

You can hate me, but your accusation isn't the answer to today's marriage.

Don't act like a victim. You're the one who went to prison, not me.

But now there are two people being pushed into this marriage.

Your family wants you to obey; my family wants me to obey too.

I'm not like you.

Of course we're not alike.

Yet neither of us has a choice, and we still treat each other as the enemy.

That's exactly what they want.

Both wanted out, but neither turned against the family. They aimed their anger at each other first.

Is that Miss Huo on the screen?

The reporters saw it too!

Shut it off! Turn it off now!

Minxian and another man suddenly appeared on the screen.

Minutes ago she was the bride chosen by two families; now she's the subject of every guest's gossip.

The Huo family felt humiliated and decided to cancel the engagement.

For Qingyi, this was an exit that cost him nothing.

Are you satisfied now?

I didn't arrange this.

Does it even matter who arranged it?

You get to leave the marriage, but everyone will only remember that I made the Huo family lose face.

I don't need this kind of trick to get my freedom.

But you already have your exit. And me? I have to bear this scandal alone.

The Huo family has already decided to cancel the engagement.

Qingyi, this is exactly the outcome you always wanted.

Don't make this look any worse.

Who said I want to cancel it?

You've opposed this marriage all along; what are you trying to do now?

I never opposed leaving; I opposed only being allowed to leave when you permit it.

Accepting the cancellation today just lets others decide for me again.

You think you still have another choice?

The Huo family's business has problems outsiders can't know. I have the photos, and I know where the witness is.

The scandal at the cinema can stop today.

The reporters won't get more photos, and the witness won't come out to talk.

But the engagement continues.

How the two families cooperate from now on, I will negotiate.

You're threatening the Huo family, and the Murong family too.

Three years ago, you didn't need to listen to me. Now, you have to.

Qingyi didn't walk out through the open door.

He seized the secret both families feared and turned it into a bargaining chip.

The man just out of prison, whom no one welcomed, suddenly became the most powerful one.

You won.

At least they can't decide everything for me anymore.

They can't decide for you, but they can still decide for me.

If I didn't have these chips, they would never treat me as someone worth bargaining with.

I understand why you fought back. But what you used to protect yourself was my engagement.

You said we're both chess pieces. Now that you don't want to be one, you start moving others.

Qingyi took back part of his choice, but he also controlled someone who had none.

This is his victory, yet not freedom for them both.

The chaos at the cinema hides another secret.

The person who showed the footage wanted revenge on Minxian, but the film reel was later taken by a strange woman.

She left no name, only a gentian flower.

Susu...

Ren Susu is the woman Qingyi once loved.

Three years ago, he believed she was dead.

The gentian flower made him doubt for the first time that this past might not be over.

Keep looking for that woman. I want to know who she is and why she took the reel.

The next day, the joint engagement ceremony began.

Qingyi and Minxian stood together, and Qingyi's older brother was also waiting for his own fiancée.

When Fang Mulan walked in, Qingyi suddenly forgot everything around him.

Because she had a face he could never possibly forget.

Susu?

Second Young Master Murong, hello. My name is Fang Mulan, your brother's fiancée.

Who exactly are you?

I've already introduced myself. Fang Mulan.

Did you take the film reel lost at the cinema?

Just think of it as my gift to you upon meeting.

Do you know Ren Susu?

Today is a good day for an engagement. From now on, we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other slowly.

Qingyi had just won a negotiation using someone else's secret, and Mulan had already walked into the Murong family carrying his.

Is she Susu?

Why did she choose to become Qingyi's future sister-in-law?

The first episode answers neither question.

Qingyi only knows that the identity, the relationships, and the timing of the next game are all beyond his choosing.