Chapter 40 Meeting but not recognizing each other, there is no such person in the Yue family. ...

Le Jin felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, and unable to withstand it any longer, she gave in first, "I'm sorry..."

"Apologize for what?"

Le Jin's gaze drifted away, "You shouldn't have run out on your own."

"Then what?"

And then what? Her apology was already barely enough to appease him, what more did he want?

Le Jin remained silent, so Meng Shutai waited for her again.

The two were in a very intimate pose, being incredibly ambiguous in public.

Those around her were afraid of the Meng family's power and dared not speak, but Le Jin could clearly feel the increasing number of gazes directed at her.

...Was he trying to outsmart her?

She then admitted that he had won.

Le Jin's cheeks flushed red, and she stammered, "I've already apologized."

"What about in the future? Will you still act on your own initiative?"

"Tell me."

His words were spoken very softly, a gentle command, yet they made no attempt to conceal the intense, poisonous expectation and guidance.

If she agreed to his request now and went along with what he said, he might let go, but Le Jin's inherent pride prevented her from speaking.

This isn't as simple as asking for a snack. Taking a step back means taking ten steps back; once dignity is lost, it's incredibly difficult to regain.

Le Jin gritted her teeth and made up her mind. She grabbed the hand on her chin and placed it on her neck. She closed her eyes, displaying a tragic and heroic spirit, like a hero cutting off his own arm.

"Just strangle me!"

If he has the guts, he'll kill her again in front of everyone!

Beneath his palm lay the neck he had secretly stroked countless times these past few nights. She stood before him, fully awake, the pulse of her veins stronger, clearer, and more vibrant than when she was asleep at night.

Meng Shutai was indeed angry.

Le Jin was a picky eater, so he would try to correct her. He enthusiastically prepared a table full of delicious dishes, including her favorite candied fruits and pastries, but when he returned to the room, she was nowhere to be found. She had vanished without a trace.

The crystal curtains swayed gently, and the entire room was empty.

"Some cats are naturally free-spirited and enjoy themselves when they go out to play, but they suffer when they are kept as pets."

"Since it was able to escape from this secluded mansion, it must have some skill; abandoning its luxurious life must have been the cat's own decision."

Many years later, those words have come back to life like a ghost today.

I made the decision myself...

He hasn't had enough fun yet, so who gave her permission to make her own decisions?

A familiar, barely concealed excitement surged within him like wildfire, urging him to strangle her, to kill her, to suffocate her, to fall into his arms, and sleep forever, sleep forever…

Jiang Yingyun had wisely turned her back early on, but when she suddenly heard Le Jin's words, she was so startled that she quickly turned around and was even more shocked to see the two of them in this situation.

"What nonsense are you spouting, Lady Le!"

Jiang Yingyun stepped forward and gently grasped Meng Shutai's wrist, pulling them apart. "Young Master Meng is worried about you."

Meng Shutai's soul flickered, but he quickly returned to clarity, transforming back into the kind-faced, noble young man who smiled at Jiang Yingyun.

"You flatter me, Madam Jiang. She's a lively person and often banters with me for fun, but it's not an argument."

There's no "usually" or "often" either... Le Jin touched her neck, which was still tingling from his icy hand, and rolled her eyes at Meng Shutai.

Since things have come to this point, rather than remaining at odds with him, she might as well lay everything out on the table.

"The matter of me going to the temple with you in the first place was unclear. Now that my brother has been found, shouldn't we go back to our own homes?"

Le Jin sighed deeply, as if Meng Shutai was the one who didn't understand, and walked out with an air of being tired of dealing with this childish man.

"Just wait patiently for my brother to come and discuss the marriage!"

She stood at the gate, turned around and waved to Meng Shutai, like a kitten raising its tail high.

"See you later, fiancé."

The woman's slender figure skipped out of the winery, and Jiang Yingyun's gaze darted back and forth between the two of them.

They've already separated? Why has Lady Le changed her personality today? The last time we met, she was arrogant and looked down on people, telling her to stay away from Lord Meng. How come she's completely different today?

Moreover... since they were just strangers, why would she believe that she didn't harm Jiang Xian?

This day was so strange and bizarre that Jiang Yingyun even thought she was still sleeping in Zheng Bo's bed and hadn't come to sign the contract at all.

"My lord, aren't you going to pursue Lady Yue?"

Meng Shutai gazed at the direction where Le Jin had gone for a long time, his eyes brimming with emotion, as if an invisible butterfly had followed him away, and he was not worried about losing Le Jin.

He smiled faintly: "No rush, she will come back to me."

Suddenly, Meng Shutai's eyes shifted, and for the first time today, he looked directly at Jiang Yingyun, his words full of amusement:

"Jingming sent word that he will be returning from Qingzhou soon, and you two stars, Altair and Vega, will no longer have to be separated by the Milky Way."

Thinking of that idiot, Jiang Yingyun's face flushed crimson.

She couldn't suppress her sweet smile, but mindful of being in public, she forcefully suppressed the corners of her mouth, pursing her lips and putting on a serious expression: "Young Master Meng, a joke that's been told for many years won't be funny anymore."

"Oh? Then why are you still laughing? Jingming has heard this joke for so many years and he still likes it."

Jiang Yingyun lowered her head, hiding the brilliance in her eyes, and rubbed the small field flowers she had embroidered on the hem of her clothes.

Yuan Jingming liked her, and she liked Yuan Jingming too. But reality was too cruel. Sometimes Jiang Yingyun thought that if what separated them were vast oceans and towering mountains, that would be better than the present.

They build ships on the ocean, they climb mountains; it's no big deal.

But the difference in their social status was not something a young man's heart could move mountains and fill seas. He was a member of the imperial family, from a distinguished clan; she was merely the daughter of a minor official, driven from her home, nameless and without status.

The smile on Jiang Yingyun's face gradually faded. She turned around and looked back at the wine sales contract that the shopkeeper was holding in his hand. It was very important to her; it was the first step for her to make a living.

That day, she went alone, pushing her new wine from one inn to another, trying to sell it to everyone. She talked until her lips were blistered, and finally convinced Jude Winery to accept her wine for a try.

After their last gathering at Zuixianlou, Yuan Jingming went to Qingzhou for training. Qingzhou was not a wealthy place, and in recent years, a rebellion had broken out there.

Originally, it wasn't the Imperial Guard's turn to quell the rebellion, but Yuan Jingming made a special effort to go, as he had been racking his brains for years to earn merit.

For her sake, he constantly strived to grow; she couldn't lose.

Jiang Yingyun smiled shyly at Meng Shutai, "Young Master Meng, I still have business to discuss, so I won't talk to you any longer."

"Now? Continue?"

After her father's outburst, she still wants to sell alcohol and do business?

Jiang Yingyun smiled and nodded emphatically, tidying her hair, wiping away the tears on her face, smoothing out the marks on her clothes, and returned to the shopkeeper's office with a gentle smile once again.

She had made up her mind early on that even if she couldn't stay by Yuan Jingming's side in the future, she would still walk her own path.

"Where's the direction? Where is it? What's the route? Which way should we go?!"

Le Jin, holding Ru Yunfu's hand, suddenly realized that she still didn't know which villa in the southern suburbs housed Le Zhao!

All that work for nothing! She was so focused on looking cool that she forgot to ask Meng Shutai about his whereabouts.

Le Jin cursed under her breath, then turned around and went back with Ru Yunfu in her hand.

No sooner had he grasped the reins than Ruyunfu suddenly raised its head and let out a long neigh, then flung the reins away and galloped off in one direction.

"Hey—Ruyunfu! Come back!"

Le Jin was in a panic and ran away as fast as she could, clutching her skirt.

As if a cloud were neighing in front, its cry could be heard for miles, startling all who heard it.

Le Jin chased after the cow, panting, her words slurred: "You...you...what...is...wrong!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ru Yunfu suddenly stopped at the street corner, its dark, thick neck lowered as if it were chewing and licking something.

"Damn it!" Le Jin cursed loudly, leaning against the wall not far from it.

She pointed at Ru Yunfu in a fit of rage, "You! If you made me run several blocks just for food, I'll, I'll, I'll never share my roasted sweet potatoes with you again!"

Le Jin angrily hugged Ru Yunfu with both arms and trembling legs, and approached it to see what it was eating.

But when she looked closely, she realized that it wasn't a thing—it was Yue Zhao.

Le Zhao, covered in blood and barely breathing, and Bao Yin, whom he was holding tightly.

"elder brother!"

Le Zhao, dressed in simple, neat clothes, had been slashed in several places, and blood was flowing from his shoulders, ribs, and thighs, clearly indicating that he had been through a fierce battle.

His tightly furrowed brows twitched upon hearing this, and his starry eyes turned toward Yue Jin.

"Little... Jin'er..."

Upon seeing Le Jin, his pale lips unconsciously curled into a smile, just as they had every time he had seen her before.

The once tall and robust man now huddled against the mottled whitewashed wall, his breath as weak as a candle flickering in the rain.

"You've lost weight!"

Suddenly, all the colors before Le Jin's eyes seemed to vanish as if washed away, leaving only a pale and bland scene, with only Le Zhao's blood remaining a deep, rich red.

She didn't witness her sister die in childbirth, but at this moment, the fear of loss and the oppression of death returned.

Le Jin knelt down beside him with a thud, hurriedly grasped his hand, and tears streamed down her face.

"Are you in pain?"

She trembled as she caressed Le Zhao's face, her mind a blur.

Meng Cizhang said that Le Zhao and the others were fine in the villa. How come they're injured again? And why are they here?

Le Jin quickly grabbed Bao Yin, who was standing to the side in a daze, and asked, "Bao Yin, what's wrong with you two?"

But Bao Yin ignored her, as if she didn't exist in front of her, her eyes vacant and her head slightly swaying.

"Baoyin? Baoyin?"

Le Jin didn't hear Bao Yin's reply, but she heard Le Zhao's explanation: "She seems... to have gone mad with fright."

"What……"

Le Jin's pupils dilated, reflecting Bao Yin's blank and twitching features, like a malfunctioning puppet.

While Le Jin was still reeling from the shock and grief, Le Zhao leaned heavily on her shoulder and held her hand tightly.

"go home……"

"Little Jin'er, take me home..."

"Okay, I will definitely take you back. We'll go back to Shuzhou." Tears streamed down her cheeks and into Le Zhao's hair. Le Jin wanted to hug him, but she found that he was injured in his ribs, so she couldn't even hug him.

"No, let's go back to our home, back to the home we had in Luoyang when we were kids..."

After he finished speaking, he fainted and collapsed completely into Le Jin's arms.

The Le family moved from Luoyang to Shuzhou to do business after marrying into the Meng family, so their former residence must still exist.

But now that Baoyin has gone mad and Lezhao is unconscious, how can she, a newcomer, know where he and his sister lived when they were children?

"System! System! Say something!"

Having exhausted all other options, the only help Le Jin could think of was that clueless system. But it was usually completely silent, and Le Jin had never tried to call it. At this point, she could only try anything as a last resort.

[Ding-dong]

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Le Jin shouted at the system before it could speak, "What do we do now? I don't know where they live!"

The sticky blood flowed onto her hands, itching like ants crawling across them, bringing a wave of panic. Tears streamed down Le Jin's face, her voice trembling: "Please don't die... I beg you, Le Zhao."

[An unforeseen event has been detected in the host task process; points are now permitted to be used]

[You can use your accumulated points to redeem "Location Relocation". Are you sure you want to use it?]

Le Jin's eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously: "Use it!"

The next instant, the three of them and their horse suddenly found themselves in a small alleyway with white walls and blue tiles.

Fortunately, the area was sparsely populated and deserted, so their strange movements went unnoticed. Le Jin cautiously searched the alley; there were no houses or doors, just a passageway.

The Le House should be nearby.

Le Jin gently leaned Le Zhao against the corner of the wall, then stood up and patted Ru Yunfu. "Keep an eye on him for me, okay?"

Ru Yunfu watched with her big, round, watery eyes as Le Jin led the mentally challenged Bao Yin away from the alley, then lowered her head and nuzzled against Le Zhao, who was unconscious and had a furrowed brow.

Outside the alley was a row of small, quiet houses, most of which had their doors closed, and the red paper couplets on the doors had faded.

Since entering the book, the places she has stayed have been either royal palaces or state temples, and even her home in Shuzhou was magnificent and luxurious. This is the first time that Le Jin has seen the mortal world outside of the main characters.

The streets are lined with gray flagstones, some broken in half, with tender green shoots sprouting stubbornly from between them. Occasionally, a few old banyan trees stand along the sides, their branches and leaves spreading out in a jagged, lush manner.

They are ignored, yet live freely and unrestrained.

Behind the last banyan tree on the street, two empty paper lanterns spun around under the low eaves, with the word "Joy" written on them.

Le Jin dragged Bao Yin to the house and banged on the door.

Is anyone there? Is anyone there?

Families who leave their hometowns but retain their old houses usually leave behind servants or relatives to guard the house. Le Jin peeked through the crack in the door and saw an old man with white hair in the small courtyard.

Worried that the elderly man might be hard of hearing, Le Jin knocked on the door harder, "Grandpa! It's me, Le Jin! I'm home! Open the door!"

The old man walked unsteadily toward the gate, but upon hearing Le Jin's last words, he suddenly stopped and stood there for a moment, as if deep in thought.

"Who are you?"

"Le Jin!"

"I don't know him. There's no such person in the Le family."

The old man, his back hunched, turned around and picked up the broom again to sweep the leaves in the yard, muttering in a trembling voice, "These young lads are just making a mess of things."

"Don't know him/her?"

My heart pounded twice.

She's the beloved eldest daughter of the Le family, how could you "not recognize" her?

However, it's understandable that she might be too young and the older man too old to know her well.

Le Jin quickly dismissed her doubts and continued knocking on the door: "Grandpa, do you know Le Zhao? Le Zhao!"

A figure in the courtyard, dragging a broom, rushed to the door, pulled out the latch, and revealed half of a deeply lined face, staring at Le Jin.

You mean our husband?

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Author's note: That's how I am, I buried a foreshadowing for more than thirty chapters [scared]... When I was writing the beginning, I knew that my writing was not mature, but I still stubbornly did not change it for the sake of this "connection".

So I'm incredibly grateful to all the readers who, after reading the book's rather naive opening, were willing to continue reading! hhh [sprinkling flowers][sprinkling flowers][sprinkling flowers]