Chapter 730 He's been pretending for so long, he might even think it's real

He heard Gu Qingchen's footsteps coming back, but did not look back. He just cut off a branch of overblooming osmanthus and handed it to her.

"You're so angry, calm down."

His voice was gentle, like the breeze blowing through the yard, and it easily soothed the restlessness surging in Gu Qingchen's heart.

Gu Qingchen took the osmanthus branch, put it to her nose and sniffed it gently. The sweet fragrance relaxed her tense nerves a little.

She didn't tell her what happened in the carriage, and Qian Zhenyun didn't ask.

The two of them just stood there in silence, one pruning the branches and the other watching him prune the branches.

The years are quiet and good...

At this moment, an inconspicuous figure appeared outside the courtyard gate like a ghost, and bowed slightly in the direction of Qian Zhenyun.

Qian Zhenyun put down the scissors, wiped his hands, and said to Gu Qingchen, "Wait for me."

When he walked out the door, the man immediately came forward and reported a few words quickly in a low voice.

A moment later, Qian Zhenyun came back with a piece of drawing paper in his hand.

He spread out the drawing paper on the stone table.

Gu Qingchen leaned over to take a look and saw a golden hairpin painted on the paper. The style was not particularly outstanding.

"What is this?" Gu Qingchen asked.

"Those thugs in the south of the city have confessed." Qian Zhenyun's voice was as calm as water. "They took money to do things, and the money came from a pawnshop. This is the jewelry that was pawned."

Gu Qingchen's gaze was fixed on the golden hairpin, and his eyes gradually became colder.

She recognized this hairpin.

She had seen him at the Duke of England's birthday party.

The personal maidservant beside Princess Jiahe at that time was wearing exactly this one on her head.

She would never mistake the bead with the red dot.

"Princess Jiahe." Gu Qingchen slowly uttered these four words, with a cold arc at the corner of his mouth.

I see.

While she was still worrying about how to deal with the prince's pressure, Princess Jiahe was behind her, using the most vicious and despicable method to completely ruin her reputation.

She made note of this account.

Qian Zhenyun looked at the murderous intent in her eyes and was about to persuade her to calm down when a servant came hurriedly to report outside the courtyard gate.

"Sir, Miss, Master Lin came to visit late at night and said he had something extremely urgent to discuss."

Lin Jiayou?

Gu Qingchen and Qian Zhenyun looked at each other and saw a bit of surprise in each other's eyes.

Without waiting for them to speak, Lin Jiayou walked in hurriedly.

He seemed to have been running all the way here; his breathing was a little rapid, and his usually neatly combed hair was a little disheveled. His face was haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Qingchen!" When he saw Gu Qingchen, his eyes lit up at first, but then the light dimmed and turned into thick fatigue and guilt.

He also held a piece of paper in his hand.

"Qingchen, I found out." Lin Jiayou quickly walked to the stone table, unfolded the drawing paper in his hand, and said in a hoarse voice, "It was someone close to Princess Jiahe who spread the rumors behind her back."

On the drawing paper, it was the same golden hairpin, even the red dot on the bead was depicted exactly the same.

Gu Qingchen looked at the drawing paper, then at Lin Jiayou's face which was filled with fatigue and anxiety, and his heart sank suddenly.

In Qingfeng Tower, she questioned and humiliated him in such a harsh voice in front of everyone.

And after suffering such injustice, he did not make a single excuse, but secretly ran around all night to clear her name.

Gu Qingchen took a deep breath, took a step forward, and bowed solemnly to him.

"Lin Jiayou, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you."

Lin Jiayou seemed to be shocked by her action, and quickly reached out to hold her arm to stop her from bowing.

"Qingchen, what are you doing!"

His eyes instantly turned red, but instead of saying "It's okay", he held her arms and forced her to raise her head and look at him.

His eyes were like two whirlpools, filled with tenderness and grievance that could drown a person.

"I don't care what the world thinks of me, nor do I care if I'm being wronged."

He stared into her eyes, enunciating each word with a trembling voice, "Qingchen, I only care about whether you believe me or not."

Gu Qingchen knew what he meant and what Lin Jiayou was referring to, but she did not respond.

Do you believe him?

Reason told her that Lin Jiayou's affection carried an unsettling sense of oppression.

She looked away sheepishly, avoiding his gaze that was too intense to respond.

Qian Zhenyun, who was standing nearby, took in all of this.

He watched as Lin Jiayou used such a clever method to easily weave Gu Qingchen's guilt into a new web called "trust", and quietly clenched his fists in his sleeves.

Gu Qingchen broke free from Lin Jiayou's hand, turned around abruptly, and slammed the evidence on the table.

With a "bang", the suffocating ambiguous atmosphere was completely broken.

"Princess Jiahe!" Her eyes burned with rage, "She's really courting death!"

Lin Jiayou knew when to quit and immediately changed his role.

He frowned, a look of worry on his face. "The princess's actions are indeed vicious, but she is the legitimate daughter of Prince Yongding after all. Qingchen, don't act impulsively, or you will give people another excuse to criticize you."

It sounded like he was speaking out of consideration for her.

"I know my limits." Gu Qingchen sneered.

She didn't look at Lin Jiayou again, but turned her gaze to the person who had remained silent from beginning to end.

Qian Zhenyun met her gaze, without any extra words, just nodded slightly, his eyes calm and firm.

At that moment, Gu Qingchen understood very clearly who was the person who would stand with her unconditionally at any time.

"Doesn't Jiahe like to play such despicable tricks?" A bloodthirsty smile spread across Gu Qingchen's lips. "Then let's play a big game with her!"

The night is dark.

In the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, a slender figure had been waiting for a long time.

Gu Lanxin twisted the handkerchief in her hand tightly, her eyes fixed on the direction of the Qian family's courtyard.

When she saw Lin Jiayou walking out of the yard, her heart suddenly rose to her throat.

Under the moonlight, Lin Jiayou's profile no longer showed fatigue and grievance, but a hint of satisfaction after his plan succeeded.

That smile, like a poisonous thorn, pierced into Gu Lanxin's heart.

As soon as Lin Jiayou turned the corner, the smile on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by a look of worry.

He saw Gu Lanxin waiting there, walked up quickly and held her cold hand.

"Lan Xin, why are you here? It's late at night and the dew is heavy. What if you catch a cold?"

Gu Lanxin saw the concern in his eyes, but the pain in her heart didn't lessen at all. She cried, "Jiayou, I heard what they said outside. How could they... How could they slander you and Qingchen like that?"

Lin Jiayou sighed, took her in his arms, and patted her back gently.

"All of this is a means of infighting in the court. Those people want to use us to deal with the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion."

He blamed all the sins on an invisible enemy, and made himself into a helpless pawn.

He held her face in his hands, his eyes full of affection and strength.

"Lan Xin, that's why I have to become stronger. Strong enough to protect you under my wings, so that no rumors can hurt you in the slightest."

Gu Lanxin looked into his deep eyes and listened to his resounding promise. All her doubts and jealousy were completely melted away at this moment.

She nodded vigorously, her eyes full of obsession and admiration, and she became more and more devoted.