Arranged marriage, love blossoms; a fiercely devoted soldier dotes on her alone.

at this time,

Xiao Zhan calmly said, "Many relationships end without arguments or formal farewells. There's no need to block each other, no need to confront each other, and no need to say hurtful things. It's just a matter of gradually reducing sharing, ceasing to greet each other, remaining silent across the screen, and slowly drifting apart."

After a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, Deng Ying said, "Brother Zhan, it's only been a short time since my brother left, and you treat me like this? How can you face the kindness my brother showed you? My brother entrusted you with the position of the top leader in Beijing so that you could help me and the Deng family when necessary. Now, how can you treat me and the Deng family like this? Don't you feel any remorse?"

"I used to think that everything had to end dramatically, but now I understand that no contact is the answer. Silence is the unspoken ending we both understand."

Xiao Zhan remained calm and said, "I did promise your brother I would take care of you and the Deng family, but that doesn't mean I'll help you without limits. Over the past few months, I've silently shouldered and resolved many issues involving the Deng family and Deng Zhisheng's life. I don't need to tell you these things, because I believe it's what I should do."

In fact, Deng Ying knew or had heard that Xiao Zhan had secretly helped her handle some tricky matters. This led her to mistakenly believe that Xiao Zhan still had feelings for her.

Then Deng Ying said, "Brother Zhan, I dare not say that I am the person who loves you the most in this world, but I dare say that you are the person I love the most in this world."

They say that meeting someone depends on fate, and staying together depends on true love.

"I have only one true heart, and I gave it all to you without reservation. We grew up together as childhood sweethearts. After you returned from the army, we reunited, and my heart was always thinking of you and missing you. Every breath I took was filled with longing and concern for you."

Xiao Zhan knew that Deng Ying was trying to play the emotional card again.

This wasn't the first time she had done this.

Xiao Zhan had always decisively rejected Deng Ying's confessions in the past...

Xiao Zhan said, "My wife once told me that no matter how strong a man is, a woman will not be afraid of him. A man can't conquer a woman with money, looks, or talent. What a man wants to completely conquer a woman is never strength or money. What can truly make a woman willingly stay and wholeheartedly accompany you is never physique, strength, or suppression. It is gentleness, empathy, and understanding."

"Because the sense of security a woman needs is never about how capable you are, but about having a place where her emotions can always find a home when she's with you."

"Excuse me, Deng Ying, what did you get from me?"

"Money? You have more money than you can spend in a lifetime."

"Emotions? Have I ever given them to you? Or have you given them to me?"

"Deng Ying, I'll ask you again, do you really understand me?"

Have we ever empathized with each other?

Deng Ying: "I will give you a woman's tenderness, I will give you the necessary respect, I will put you at the center, I only want to be your woman, even if it's without any title, I'm willing."

Xiao Zhan continued, "Many men work tirelessly, earning money and becoming stronger, thinking that this will bring happiness to women. But they overlook the most crucial point: what women care about most is whether their emotions can be accepted. When they feel wronged, is there someone to understand? When they are sad, is there someone to comfort them? When they are exhausted, is there someone to sympathize with them? When things happen, they don't have to bear it alone, nor do they have to exhaust themselves internally. Tell me, have I ever given you any of that?"

Deng Ying: "Brother Zhan, you used to be so good to me."

Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Deng Ying, then let me ask you, what is the most precious thing in a relationship between a man and a woman?"

Deng Ying hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's about treating each other with sincerity, and about men solving all the problems for women."

Xiao Zhan: "Wrong. It's not that men solve all of a woman's problems, but that men understand how to see a woman's emotions."

"Because she confides in you not to ask for reason or solutions, but simply to make you understand her grievances. Her complaints about life aren't just being dramatic; they're a way of letting down her guard in front of the person she trusts most."

"Because adult love is never about conquest, but about acceptance. The gentlest man is one who can understand her loneliness."

"When two people spend every day together, the worst thing is to have nothing to say to each other."

"Women are not afraid of ordinary days or hardship, but they are most afraid of having someone by their side yet feeling more lonely than when they are alone."

"A word of concern, a patient listen, and gentle companionship are far more heartwarming than material things."

"The most reliable man is one who can tolerate a woman's vulnerability."

Even the strongest woman has moments of exhaustion, helplessness, and self-doubt. Her willingness to show her vulnerability to a man is the ultimate form of trust. Not mocking, not blaming, not being perfunctory, but knowing how to care and understand—that is the best form of affection.

"The best state of a relationship between a man and a woman is never about one person dominating the other, but about cherishing each other and moving forward together."

"No matter which party is stronger, they cannot retain true love; only gentleness can heal the heart. Truly high-level love does not rely on brute force or control, but on understanding, respect, and compassion."

"Deng Ying, I'll ask you again, what's the difference between liking and loving?"

Deng Ying thought for a moment and said, "Liking someone is being attracted by their charisma; loving someone is accepting their entire reality."

Xiao Zhan: "You're right, but my understanding is that liking is about feeling happiness from taking, while love is about feeling happiness from giving."

"For example, knowing that the other person won't leave you is called a sense of security; knowing that you won't leave them is called a sense of belonging; and knowing that both of you won't leave is called a sense of happiness. The best love begins with a spark and ends with a lifetime together."

"I have never been attracted to you. I only have the care and love of a brother for his sister. Deng Ying, let go of your obsession and stop agonizing over a love that is not meant for you."

"Why!"

Over the phone, Deng Ying sighed softly and said, "It's not hard to find a man, but it's hard to find a good man. It's not hard to find a man who is good to me, but it's very hard to find a man who is only good to me."

Xiao Zhan continued, "So women must remember: whoever cherishes you, stay with them until old age; whoever doesn't value you, replace them. Sometimes you have to be ruthless and save your love for the one who loves you most."

Deng Ying: "The principle is simple to say, but it is too difficult to do. I clearly understand everything, but I still can't help but soften my heart and compromise time and time again. I always hold on to a sliver of hope, thinking that my tolerance and concessions can warm a heart that does not cherish me. In the end, I slowly woke up to the fact that one-sided accommodation cannot be exchanged for favoritism, and giving without any bottom line will only make me suffer. The sadness that I swallowed in secret and the tears that I shed in secret at night are slowly waking me up. No matter how reluctant I am to let go in the future, I must force myself to wake up and stop staying for people who do not love me. I will save the last bit of sincerity for people who know how to cherish me."

Xiao Zhan: "Congratulations, Deng Ying, you've finally figured things out. From now on, don't waste your time on people who aren't worth it."

Deng Ying: "Brother Zhan, you're hanging up now. Goodbye."

Xiao Zhan just put down his phone.

Then Xia Keke said, "Xiao Zhan, I think Deng Ying called you as a final test!"