"You and Xiao Jin belong to two different worlds. She isn't right for you."

Lin's mother took a deep breath, calming her restless thoughts before patiently guiding him.

"The moment I met her," Qin Yi locked eyes with her, his expression solemn beyond anything she'd ever seen, "my world lost its stars and oceans. Every constellation in the vast sky—reduced to dust."

Lin's mother rubbed her temples. This boy was dead set on winning her approval.

"You don't mind her past... as a boy?"

"It’s precisely because of her past that I’ve made this decision. Jin and I grew up together since we could remember. I know her roots, her heart. No one is more suited to be my life partner." His voice was steady, resolute—a quiet vow that would not bend.

"This isn’t trivial. Don’t act on impulse." Lin’s mother gripped her spoon tighter, anxiety tightening her throat. *Why won’t he listen?*

"I’m perfectly clear-headed. And I’ll stand by every word I say today." Each syllable fell slow and heavy.

"This might not be love. Just youthful hormones making you infatuated." She tried appealing to his emotions.

"Must lifelong commitment only come from love?" Qin Yi countered calmly. "Love is fragile. It lacks the ease of friendship, the depth of family bonds. Then why must it alone be the reason two people grow old together?"

Lin Hanzhang fell silent. *Protecting a daughter is no easy task,* she sighed inwardly. *Why is this boy so stubborn?*

She wouldn’t admit it aloud, but she knew her daughter’s background could never match Qin Yi’s. Such imbalance might lead to the same tragedy she’d lived through.

"If it’s not love... can you promise never to touch Xiao Jin?"

Qin Yi paused.

"I’m no Platonist."

*Hmph. Men are beasts after all—even Qin Yi, whom I’ve watched grow up.*

But... they *had* been childhood companions. Innocent. Pure.

Qin Yi might be calculating, but his character was trustworthy. He’d never let Xiao Jin suffer.

Agreeing would also be a way to repay Teacher Fang.

She’d exhausted every argument, yet his replies left her speechless. Denying her blessing now would make her seem like a heartless nun.

Silence thickened. Qin Yi waited.

"Does Xiao Jin know?"

He shook his head.

Relief flickered in his chest. Her question meant he’d already won half the battle.

"What if... she can’t accept this change?" Lin’s mother tapped her steel spoon rhythmically—*thud, thud, thud*.

"I’ll wait."

"And if she never accepts it?"

"I’ll wait forever," Qin Yi answered without hesitation. "Until the day she accepts me. I have time."

"No matter how many women I meet, no matter what happens—I will only marry her. She *must* be my wife."

Quiet.

The kitchen held its breath.

Only the pot on the stove hissed softly.

*If he truly cherishes Xiao Jin like this... he really is the best son-in-law I could hope for.*

Lin’s mother studied him a moment longer—then burst into loud, unladylike laughter.

"Hah! You’ve got guts, kid! After words like that, I’d be the villain to refuse. Go for it, young man! Take good care of Lin Jin. Study hard. Become someone this country can be proud of."

"Mm."

Qin Yi nodded—slow, deliberate, unwavering.

Lin’s mother turned off the gas as the pot bubbled over, curiosity getting the better of her. "Hey... when did you know it was Xiao Jin? Was it back when he was still a boy? Or was it just... attraction?"

Qin Yi sidestepped the question.

"If he were still a boy, I’d see him as someone else’s answer. But now that she’s become a girl..." His voice softened, tender as if cradling a priceless treasure. "She’s my perfect answer."