sjar Chapter 723 Tell me, what are your true feelings for me?
Chapter 723 Tell me, what are your true feelings for me?
Song Ruyan's cursing was still echoing in the courtyard when a servant came in to announce that Young Master Lin had arrived.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Jiayou, carrying several exquisite food boxes, stepped calmly into the courtyard.
He spotted Qian Zhenyun with his arm in a sling under the eaves at a glance, and his face immediately showed just the right amount of concern.
"Brother Zhenyun, are you feeling better?"
He strode forward, handed the food box to the servant behind him, and bent down to check Qian Zhenyun's injuries.
Qian Zhenyun shifted his body to the side, subtly avoiding his hand.
Gu Qingchen stood up and stood between Qian Zhenyun and Lin Jiayou.
She didn't say anything, just stared at him coldly.
The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly plummeted to freezing point.
Song Ruyan and Chu Ruohan exchanged a glance and tacitly led their servants to retreat to the flower hall, leaving the courtyard to the young people.
"Qingchen, why are you looking at me like that?" Lin Jiayou's face showed a hurt expression. "I heard you were in danger and I was worried all night. I specially brought some nourishing soup from the best restaurant in the city."
Gu Qingchen twitched the corners of his mouth, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"You're certainly well-informed," she asked, emphasizing each word. "We barely had an accident, and you already know. Young Master Lin, have you planted your spies on the walls of our Duke's mansion?"
That was a very blunt question.
The color drained from Lin Jiayou's face, and he staggered back half a step, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"You...you doubt me?" His voice was filled with heartache. "I admit, I did send people to follow you secretly. That night, you and he left the manor late at night, heading to that place in the south of the city where all sorts of people gather. How could I not feel at ease?"
“I sent people to follow you to protect you! If my men hadn’t noticed that something was wrong with those thieves in time, immediately returned to the manor to report, and then sent someone to the Jingzhao Prefecture to send a message and mobilize your family’s guards, the consequences would have been unimaginable!”
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and his eyes even reddened.
"I did all of this for you. But you doubt that I orchestrated it all?"
This explanation misrepresents surveillance as protection and scheming as deep affection.
Every word stands on the moral high ground, and is impeccable.
Gu Qingchen's mind was in turmoil.
Reason is screaming wildly that he's lying, that he's using an even bigger lie to cover up the previous one.
From the rattle drum to the chief镖头 (bodyguard), and then to last night's assassination attempt.
Each link in the chain is connected to the next, and every single thing is shrouded in mystery.
Emotionally, faced with his heartbroken appearance and the words "It's all for you," she couldn't find a single word with solid evidence to refute him.
She found herself trapped in a giant net, and no matter how much she struggled, it only tightened around her.
Seeing her silence, the pain in Lin Jiayou's eyes deepened.
He took a step forward, seemingly wanting to take her hand, but then stopped halfway.
"Qingchen, calm down and think it over carefully." His voice was tired and hoarse. "I don't want these unfounded suspicions to create a rift between us. I'll give you time, and I'll give myself some time too."
After he finished speaking, he looked at her deeply, his eyes filled with complex emotions—hurt, disappointment, and a hint of reluctance.
Then, he resolutely turned around and left without looking back.
That silhouette carried a sense of loneliness and desolation, a feeling of being misunderstood.
Gu Qingchen stood there, looking in the direction he left, feeling a chill run through her body.
As Lin Jiayou walked out of the Qian family's courtyard and turned a corner, all the dejection and hurt on his face vanished instantly.
A cold, sharp smile slowly curved the corners of his lips.
When it comes to women, pushing them too hard will only provoke their resistance.
Occasionally loosening your grip and letting her struggle in the quagmire of self-doubt will be more effective.
He stood at the crossroads in a good mood, seemingly waiting for someone.
Before long, Gu Lanxin's personal maidservant arrived from another direction, carrying a lantern.
"Young Master Lin, Miss is waiting for you."
Lin Jiayou nodded and followed the maid, going familiarly to Gu Lanxin's boudoir.
Gu Lanxin had already prepared tea and snacks in the room, and when she saw him come in, she quickly went to greet him.
"Jiayou, you're here." Her voice was still as gentle as ever.
Lin Jiayou sat down at the table, took her slightly cool hand, and asked softly, "What's wrong? You look preoccupied."
Gu Lanxin bit her lip, as if she had made a very difficult decision.
She raised her head and looked directly into Lin Jiayou's eyes.
"My aunts have found a family for me."
"That man is the son of the Wang family, a Hanlin Academy scholar. His family background, character, talent, and appearance are all top-notch. My family is very satisfied and is urging me... to make a decision."
She emphasized the words "settled down" very heavily.
"Jiayou," Gu Lanxin's eyes reddened, her voice pleading, "I don't want to marry anyone else. Tell me, what are your true feelings for me?"
"If you have no feelings for me, I will give up on this idea and obey my family's arrangements. If you have feelings for me..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.
This is forcing him to make a statement.
A fleeting hint of annoyance flashed in Lin Jiayou's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper tenderness.
He turned around and pulled Gu Lanxin into his arms, gently patting her back and sighing.
"Don't you understand my feelings?"
His voice was deep and magnetic, close to her ear, but he never gave her a direct answer.
"But right now, I am still in officialdom, and my position is not yet secure. If I were to marry you now, it would be beneath you."
He started drawing those unrealistic promises again, spouting those sweet-sounding but empty words.
Gu Lanxin stiffened slightly in his arms.
She wasn't stupid; she could tell from his words that he was being perfunctory and making excuses.
Just as she was feeling disheartened and about to push him away, Lin Jiayou whispered something in her ear in a seductive tone.
"Lanxin, give me a little more time."
"In a few days, there will be a temple fair at Jingxin Nunnery outside the city. I'll take you to a place... a place where it's just the two of us."
Dr. Qian changed the dressing on Qian Zhenyun's arm wound every day, and thankfully it didn't get infected again.
But his mother, Song Ruyan, would poke his forehead and scold him every time she saw him, saying that he had completely disgraced himself.
Gu Qingchen has been staying at home these past few days and hasn't gone anywhere.
She needed a completely quiet place to go through everything from beginning to end, from the fake rattle drum to the one-armed chief镖师 (bodyguard/escort), and then to Lin Jiayou's meticulously planned "hero saves the beauty".
She sat on the steps under the veranda, holding a blade of grass in her hand, unconsciously scratching at the ground.
Qian Zhenyun sat in the chair behind her, not saying a word, just quietly keeping her company.