entangled feelings

Ever since Chen Ying suffered a threatened miscarriage due to an accident, she has spent her days recuperating in her dorm room. Unconsciously, despair and helplessness have made her reflect on her past.

She left her dilapidated home, hoping for a promising life, when she stumbled upon Crown Prince Li Lin. She had hoped to capitalize on Li Lin's status to turn her life around, but now, all this seemed ridiculous to her. For the past three months, her memories of her time with Li Lin flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. But now, she was left with only a sense of desolation, unable to bear the thought of the past. She slowly closed her eyes.

Li Lin came in with the medicine and wanted to feed her, but turned his head away. Shoucheng drove Li Lin away.

Chen Yun said weakly, "Master, I'm so afraid he'll use me again. I no longer have any family or friends to rely on. I don't want to lose another child. Master, can you take me away?"

Shoucheng frowned and looked at Chen Yan, "Okay, Master promises you. Get up and drink the medicine first."

A week later, Li Lin went into the bedroom with the medicine in his hand and found the quilt folded. No one was in the room. He hurried out.

The waiter bumped into Li Lin, who grabbed him and asked, "Waiter, where did the girl in this room go?"

"Oh, I checked out with an elderly man. It happened in the middle of the night."

The bowl in Li Lin's hand fell, and water spilled all over the ground.

Five months later...

Li Lin had long since returned to normal life at the palace. He was currently reviewing memorials in his study. However, he quickly threw the memorial onto the table.

"This Chen Yun, I've sent so many letters, why hasn't she agreed to come back? Can't my Qiankun Kingdom help her rise from poverty? We are all in a contractual relationship, so does it mean I have to beg her? Absurd! How could a dignified prince be wrong? Isn't it just that she's still angry? This person is so stingy, it's better not to have her."

Queen Xue Lian of Qiankun Kingdom and Emperor Li Lieo of Qiankun Kingdom came to Li Lin. Seeing that Li Lin was impatient with his review, they deliberately cleared their throats to interrupt his thoughts.

When Li Lin saw his parents coming, he immediately stood up to greet them.

"Lin'er, what memorial makes you so impatient?"

Li Lin said helplessly, "It's just those civil and military officials who submit memorials every day asking me to appoint a crown princess. It's so annoying."

Xue Lian said, "You're already twenty-five. You don't even have a concubine. Your brothers have all started families and established careers, but there's no news about you. Who wouldn't be anxious?"

Li Lie'ao said, "But those people are always trying to get their daughters into the palace so that they can use them as influence. I am also uncomfortable with this. But where can I find someone who doesn't have influence in the palace?"

At this time, a guard walked in and said, "Your Highness, the target has returned the letter. He also left a message..."

Li Lin panicked when he heard this. He had been trying to find out about Chen Yun. After finding her, he kept writing to her, hoping she would reply. However, he didn't know that after he offended Chen Yun, she didn't want to listen to a single word he said.

"Replying to the prince, the woman is staying at a farmer's house in Taiping Town. She also said, 'Prince, don't bother me anymore.'"

Li Lie'ao heard this and looked at Li Lin, who was so flustered that he didn't know how to move his hands and feet and couldn't speak. He became interested: "Oh? This woman can make our Lin'er so helpless?"

"Father, Mother, I need to disappear for a while to find someone."

Li Lin tried to leave, but Xue Lian stopped him and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Long-lost person."

"Lan Xixi?"

"No, more important than her."

"Leave all the affairs of the court to your father, and go and return early."

After saying that, Li Lin expressed his gratitude and left.

Li Lie'ao seemed to understand, and he and Xue Lian smiled with relief and said, "We'll just have to wait and see!"

A few days later...

In Taiping Town, Chen Ying walked out of the house with a basket and her eight-month-old belly.

This time, she was no longer as gloomy as before, and she greeted Shoucheng who was in the house with a cheerful look.

A man had been waiting at the door for a long time. This man was Shi Lu, the son of a wealthy local businessman.

"Miss Chen, I'll take you to pick strawberries today!"

"Thank you, Brother Shi. But what are strawberries?"

"As young and immature as a girl, I fall in love with a beauty at first sight. Thousands of scars are not thorns, I just hope to be able to appreciate the beauty."

Shi Lu deliberately offered her hand to help carry the basket and gently touched Chen Yun's hand. Chen Yun understood what Shi Lu meant. However, her identity and past made her not want to have any emotional connection with other men, even if they were good people.

"Brother Shi, I don't know how to thank you enough for taking me in and providing me with shelter. I shouldn't bother you again."

Chen Yun deliberately grabbed the basket back and then dodged slightly.

Although Shi Lu was politely rejected by Chen Yun, he was not annoyed. He just smiled and said, "Don't worry, Miss Chen. It's just that the scenery of this strawberry garden is extremely beautiful. I thought you might like it, so I took the liberty to invite you."

Chen Yan felt a little reluctant and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother Shi is so kind. If I refuse, it would seem unkind of me. But I'm not very mobile and I'm afraid of being a burden to Brother Shi."

Shi Lu waved his hand quickly: "Miss, you are joking. It is my honor to be able to travel with you."

As soon as the two left, Li Lin arrived.

"Who is she? Why is she so close to Xiaoyun? No, why should I be jealous? She's just a friend. She gave birth to my heir, and I provided value to her. That's all our relationship is. Yes, that's all."

Shi Lu would occasionally introduce the scenery along the way, and Chen Yin would listen quietly and occasionally respond with a few words.

Soon, they arrived at the strawberry garden. The juicy strawberries, set against the green leaves, looked like rubies. Chen Yun couldn't help but be captivated by the beauty, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Li Lin hid behind a tree along the way and watched from afar.

Shi Lu looked at Chen Yun's expression, his heart filled with joy. He walked into the strawberry bushes, carefully selected the largest and reddest strawberry, and handed it to Chen Yun: "Miss Chen, try this strawberry. Freshly picked ones are the freshest and most delicious."

Chen Yun was slightly startled and wanted to refuse, but seeing Shi Lu's sincere eyes, she couldn't bear to refuse him, so she gently took the strawberry and put it in her mouth. The sweetness of the strawberry instantly spread in her mouth, and she couldn't help but praise: "This strawberry is really delicious."

Shi Lu looked at her satisfied expression, and the smile on his face deepened. He approached Chen Yun and whispered, "As long as Miss Chen likes it, I'm glad. I discovered this strawberry garden by chance. Whenever I feel down, I come here. Now that I can share it with you, the strawberries seem even sweeter."

Li Lin sucked in a breath, and the flowers and plants in his hands almost turned into a pile of rubble. "Isn't this the performance of a lecher? It seems that many girls have been deceived by him this year."

Chen Yan could feel Shi Lu's warm breath brushing past her ears, and a ripple appeared in her heart. She subconsciously took a step back and said, "Brother Shi, the strawberries here are really good. You should eat more too."

Shi Lu noticed Chen Yan's estrangement and felt a little lost, but he still forced a smile and walked slowly with Chen Yan in the strawberry garden.

Suddenly, Chen Ying slipped, and Shi Lu was quick to grab her hand, while Chen Ying leaned in the arms of Li Lin who suddenly appeared.

The moment Chen Yun saw Li Lin, his body stiffened slightly and the expression on his face became complicated.

"Xiaoyun, I finally found you."

Chen Yun immediately shrank away and said resentfully, "I'm sorry, please leave here."

Li Lin sighed and glanced at Chen Yun's large belly, realizing the fetus was safe. "I can't abandon you and your child again. It was my fault. I've drawn a line between us. Now it's time to take you back."

Chen Yun subconsciously covered her belly, but said to Li Lin coldly, "Don't get me wrong. The child in your belly is mine, not yours. I will raise him alone. From now on, please go back and enjoy your aristocratic life."

Just as Chen Yun was about to leave, Li Lin grabbed her arm and said, "Can't you just give me a chance? No, it's not like we're already in love."

Chen Yun also seemed to realize something, blushed and lowered his head.

Shi Lu released Li Lin's hand, then walked up to him and said, "You abandoned her and hurt her. What's the point of coming back now? Don't worry about her from now on. I will take good care of her and the unborn child for you."

Li Lin glared at Shi Lu, his eyes burning with anger. "What makes you think you can take care of her? Do you know anything about our past or her?"

Chen Yan pulled Shi Lu away, and Li Lin followed behind.

"Could you please not follow me! You're acting like a little woman hiding from her husband. Our relationship is clearly as thin as water..." Chen Yan's words went from being heard widely at first to being whispered softly, sounding a little embarrassed.

"No. You can't escape."

Li Lin suddenly grabbed Chen Yun's hand, making it impossible for her to break free. Chen Yun turned around and shouted, "Li Lin! Don't come near me again! You tease me as easily and cruelly as crushing an ant. If you keep doing this, you'll only drive me to death!"

Li Lin responded unconvincedly, "If you continue to be so willful, you'll only drive yourself to death! I can provide power and wealth, what can he promise? Your child is mine, not his. The status of you and your child should also be attributed to me."

Chen Yun slapped Li Lin in the face, then said to him indifferently, "Be kind and find another woman. I promise there are many people waiting for you to bear your children. That way, your family won't be stained by our cheap blood. There's no need to use children as an excuse."

At this time, Chen Yun felt a little short of breath, and Shi Lu immediately pushed Chen Yun away. Li Lin became concerned. But before he could understand the situation, Shi Lu blocked Li Lin's way.

Shi Lu said coldly, "You don't understand her, do you? She's already 32 weeks pregnant. She's in the third trimester, so she's just not feeling well, and you've made her even more angry. But it doesn't make sense to you. Don't you understand what she needs? So I hope you won't disturb our lives anymore."

After saying that, Chen Yin held Shi Lu's hand and left.

Li Lin followed Chen Yan back home. The journey seemed particularly long. His frown was like a surging tide of thoughts that he couldn't hide. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a suitable way to express his inner thoughts.

At this moment, the hateful figure in front - Shi Lu, actually turned around from time to time, and made Chen Yin laugh with all kinds of witty remarks and funny actions.

"Is it really that funny? She's never laughed like that in front of me. No... It's like I never understood her. I know very little about her likes and dislikes, her joys and sorrows. She's already lost her family, all alone in this world. If she loses her unborn child, she'll truly be left with nothing. It was me who made an unforgivable mistake back then."

Thinking of this, Li Lin recalled what happened with Chen Yun in the past. They were like strangers, but they had experienced something heart-pounding. He didn't know why he was unwilling to give up.

Chen Yun and Shi Lu walked into a room. Li Lin stopped, realizing he had missed her. He could only cry bitterly. In the middle of a deserted town street, he cried silently, alone.