Chapter 280 World Eleven (Twenty-one)

Baoshan said softly, "Miss Gu, do you recognize this person?"

The man Gu Xiaoxiao called "Du Jinyi" hung his head in panic. Gu Xiaoxiao walked over, brushed aside the man's messy hair, and looked at him for a long time, her face filled with surprise. "It's really you!"

Seeing that there was nowhere to hide, Du Jinyi had no choice but to admit it.

They found a restaurant in town and ordered a delicious meal. You Dongjun ordered his men to grind the snow lotus into powder, simmer it until it became a paste, and serve it to the table.

The four of them each had their own bowls and chopsticks placed before them, except for Bao Shan, who had a bowl of snow lotus soup in front of her. She gently stroked the rim of the porcelain bowl. She had recently been nourishing herself with snow lotus, protected by the double bone chains. While she wasn't sure if it would prolong her life, the pain in her body had largely subsided, and she felt much more relaxed than usual.

Bao Shan was thinking in her heart that when she got to a prosperous place, she would find a doctor to treat her condition and maybe her health would get better.

As for seeing a doctor in town, Bao Shan hadn't even considered it. While not poor, it wasn't wealthy either. She doubted the doctors' skills were very high and they wouldn't be able to diagnose her condition.

Bao Shan sipped her snow lotus soup and raised her beautiful eyes to look at You Dongjun. It happened that her gaze met You Dongjun's dark and gloomy one. You Dongjun's eyes flickered slightly, but Bao Shan smiled softly, looking gentle and weak. You Dongjun turned aside, and after a moment, he leaned closer to Bao Shan and said in a deep voice, "You look better. When we leave this town, let's see a doctor."

Hearing this, Bao Shan's heart moved slightly, but she frowned. She said softly, "With Xue Lian taking care of her, she'll naturally get better. But wouldn't it be too much of a hassle to find a doctor specifically to see her, and delay our trip?"

You Dongjun just said it was okay, this place was close to Gu Xiaoxiao's home, so it didn't matter even if they were late for a day or two.

Baoshan naturally complied obediently and talked about some trivial matters with You Dongjun.

Although You Dongjun had a cold face, he heard everything in his heart. He responded to Baoshan with a few words from time to time. His words were brief, and only his pair of black pupils reflected the soft and gentle beauty.

After taking a shower and changing into new clothes, Du Jinyi looked high-spirited and full of energy.

When Baoshan saw him like this, she didn't think he was a beggar or a thief, but rather a playful young master from a wealthy family.

Moreover, with Gu Xiaoxiao's temperament, most of the people she knew were of the same status as her. It was just unknown why Du Jinyi had fallen to the level of a thief.

Du Jinyi hadn't had a full meal for several months. Now, seeing the steamed meat with shrimp and Chinese cabbage and chicken soup, he only wanted to fill his stomach and had no time to answer Gu Xiaoxiao's questions.

Gu Xiaoxiao only said that she and Du Jinyi were old friends, and the Du family was prominent, so they doted on Du Jinyi beyond measure.

When Gu Xiaoxiao was a child, she was taken to the Du family by her parents.

The original intention of the Gu family's parents was to help the two children become childhood sweethearts.

The Gu and Du families are of similar status, and the Du family has a gentle temperament.

If they could cultivate a bond from a young age, Gu Xiaoxiao's parents would be relieved when she married into the Du family. However, Du Jinyi had been known as a "little bully" since he was a child. He was two months younger than Gu Xiaoxiao, so he should call her "sister."

But Du Jinyi was annoying all the time, inviting cats and dogs to walk, and he even schemed to make Gu Xiaoxiao look bad several times.

Naturally, Gu Xiaoxiao would not develop any feelings for him, and she didn't even have time to hate him.

During those days, Gu Xiaoxiao was bullied by Du Jinyi for a long time. After thinking about it, she and her maid came up with a brilliant idea to make Du Jinyi soaked in front of everyone.

It was winter that day, and Du Jinyi was wet all over. The nanny who served him was afraid that he would catch a cold, so she took off her clothes in front of everyone, revealing the crescent-shaped birthmark on her waist.

The birthmark was special, a crescent-shaped shape in the sky like a hook. However, the birthmark on Du Jinyi's waist only took the upper part of the crescent, leaving the lower part uncovered.

Since that day, Gu Xiaoxiao and Du Jinyi grew tired of each other, and the Gu family completely gave up the idea and no longer mentioned the marriage.

After not seeing each other for several years, Gu Xiaoxiao could not remember what Du Jinyi looked like, but she still remembered the crescent-shaped birthmark clearly.

Just now in the dilapidated temple, Gu Xiaoxiao also recognized Du Jinyi based on his birthmark.

Du Jinyi was born with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, with his brows raised high, and a hint of pride in his expression.

Compared to when he was young, Du Jinyi's current appearance is more appealing to women.

There were bruises on his tall nose and his lips were also scratched.

If Du Jinyi deliberately softened his eyes, with his face, it would really make the woman feel distressed.

But these women do not include Bao Shan and Gu Xiaoxiao.

Gu Xiaoxiao didn't try to hide the disgust on her face. She said bluntly, "The Du family is doing well and living a stable life. Why did you become a beggar and even think about stealing people's money?"

Hearing the word "steal," Du Jinyi's fair face flushed red, and he said in annoyance and shame, "I told you, it's not stealing, it's borrowing!"

Gu Xiaoxiao snorted softly.

Seeing that the situation was tense, Baoshan spoke timidly and pushed the stir-fried shrimps in front of her towards Du Jinyi.

"I'm full, please have some more, Mr. Du."

Du Jinyi then raised his head and looked at the treasured fan. Just now on the street, Du Jinyi only saw a few people dressed in extraordinary clothes. He had been starving for months and had never had a full meal.

Du Jinyi then had an evil idea and wanted to borrow some money to buy some food to fill his stomach.

Unexpectedly, Du Jinyi was caught red-handed by You Dongjun the first time he took action, and was also recognized by Gu Xiaoxiao, the person he hated the most in the past.

At this moment, Du Jinyi looked at Baoshan, who had willow-shaped eyebrows, watery almond eyes, rosy cheeks, a pretty and delicate face, and spoke softly.

Du Jinyi's ears couldn't help but turn red, and the thought of arguing with Gu Xiaoxiao just now also faded away.

Du Jinyi reached out to take the stir-fried shrimps, but You Dongjun reached out and took the porcelain plate.

You Dongjun looked at Du Jinyi with a slightly cold gaze. He stood up and placed the plate in front of Du Jinyi.

Du Jinyi raised his arm and slowly retracted it. He was never a good-tempered person, so he said coldly, "I have my own hands, so you don't need to interfere."

You Dongjun's eyes were calm, and his voice was calm: "Mr. Du naturally has hands and feet, otherwise he wouldn't have been so agile when taking away the double bone chains."

It was the first time You Dongjun spoke in such a harsh tone that Bao Shan looked up at him.

You Dongjun looked at the snow lotus soup in front of the treasure fan and said coldly, "Why don't you use it?"

Bao Shan's cheeks flushed red as she leaned towards You Dongjun, her gesture intimate: "I can't eat anymore."

The elegant fragrance lingering on the tip of his nose could not calm You Dongjun's mind.

Instead, it stirred up the anger in his heart, causing it to surge towards his abdomen.

Bao Shan covered her lips with a handkerchief and said softly, "I can't bear to throw it away. Otherwise, leave it in the kitchen so they can heat it up and drink it in the evening."

You Dongjun suppressed his restlessness and said in a deep voice, "No, the snow lotus needs to be fresh to be effective."

Seeing the confusion and hesitation in Baoshan's eyes, You Dongjun knew that she was worried about wasting the snow lotus soup, and she was afraid that she would have to endure the discomfort and use it.

You Dongjun took the half bowl of leftover soup from Baoshan's hand and drank it all in three or two gulps.

The crimson color spread from the base of the fan's ears to her delicate face. She timidly scolded, "Master, that was used by me, how could you..."

You Dongjun said "it's okay" but he was thinking in his heart: it's just leftovers. He had carefully tasted every part of the precious fan.

Even if the best liquid in his body was like a delicacy, he would swallow it, let alone a small bowl of leftover soup.

Du Jinyi saw how close the two of them were, and how no one else seemed to be able to get involved. He felt a surge of frustration in his heart. Du Jinyi pulled Gu Xiaoxiao aside and asked, "What's the relationship between the two of them?"

Gu Xiaoxiao shook him off and said coldly, "I don't know, go ask them."

Du Jinyi chuckled, his face showing no disguising at all, in response to Gu Xiaoxiao's ridicule: "Just now when we were having dinner, your eyes were almost glued to that little Taoist priest.

You are a stubborn person and you will keep asking for what you want.

I thought the young Taoist priest was yours, but now he's being affectionate with someone else, and you can't even say a word. You're really worse than when you were little!"

Gu Xiaoxiao glared at him. She was naturally unhappy about You Dongjun's behavior, but she couldn't bear Du Jinyi's ridicule: "Of course I'm not as good as you. You gave up being a good young master and came to be a beggar."

The two started arguing again. You Dongjun thought they were just being noisy, but Baoshan was kind-hearted and wanted to mediate. You Dongjun had no choice but to follow them.

Du Jinyi wanted to hide the fact that he left home, but when he was provoked by Gu Xiaoxiao and saw Bao Shan coming to mediate with a gentle voice, he couldn't help but worry that his image would be ruined by Gu Xiaoxiao.

After all, Gu Xiaoxiao is a beggar on the left and a thief on the right. If this gets out, it will not be good for Du Jinyi's reputation.

Du Jinyi then slowly told the story of why he left home.

Du Jinyi is extremely doted on in the Du family, but there are also people who dislike him, such as Du's father.

Du's father was willing to let Du Jinyi take the imperial examination. He had already prepared the money and would donate money to help Du Jinyi get an official position if he passed the examination.

Or if Du Jinyi went on a business trip, Du's father had already arranged someone to take Du Jinyi with him.

But Du Jinyi chose neither. He just made friends all day long, with people from all walks of life.

Among them was a man named Chen Wu, who kept instigating Du Jinyi all day long.

Chen Wu took Du Jinyi to see a play and read a storybook. He pointed to a sentence in the storybook and said to Du Jinyi: "You are just like what this person said, a bird in a cage, a flower in a fence, without any freedom at all.

Your father, mother, grandparents treat you well not because of who you are, but because of your identity.

It's a pity that you think you are favored, but you don't have any sincerity at all!"

Du Jinyi was already extremely spoiled by the Du family. When he heard Chen Wu's words, he became furious and felt that his father did not care for him and his mother did not love him.

At Chen Wu's suggestion, Du Jinyi ran out of the house, intending to use this as a bargaining chip to verify the sincerity of the Du family.

When Du's parents came to pick him up, Du Jinyi suggested that they should not interfere in his affairs in the future.

Du Jinyi thought that the Du family would come looking for him in three days at most.

However, Du Jinyi waited for a month but there was no sign of the Du family.

Du Jinyi ran away from home and lived in Chen Wu's house.

Because he had money on him and was the young master of the Du family, Chen Wu worshipped Du Jinyi like a god.

Du Jinyi treated Chen Wu as a close friend, thinking that when he returned to the Du family, he would definitely treat Chen Wu well.

But the Du family had not come for a long time, and Chen Wu was getting anxious. He had originally deceived Du Jinyi in order to become Du Jinyi's confidant.

But the Du family remained as still as a mountain, and Chen Wu could not wait any longer, so he went to find out what was going on.

Du Jinyi didn't know what Chen Wu had found out, but after Chen Wu came back, he seemed like a different person. He drove Du Jinyi out of the house without even giving him a penny.

Chen Wu closed the door and said angrily, "You still think you are a young master. It's really ridiculous!"

Du Jinyi finally realized that he had been deceived by Chen Wu, but he was unwilling to return to the Du family in disgrace, so he just wandered around, waiting for the Du family to come and pick him up. This wait lasted for four or five months.

After hearing this, everyone felt that Du Jinyi was asking for trouble. He was a rich young master, but he was not satisfied and wanted true love.

He was deceived by Chen Wu, but because of his anger, he was unwilling to return home. He would rather steal money from others to survive and wait for the Du family to come and pick him up before he would go back.

Gu Xiaoxiao felt more and more that her dislike for this young master back then was understandable - he caused trouble for no reason and thought he was not wrong.

Bao Shan softened her voice and said soothingly, "Master Du, you've been away from home for so long, and your family must be missing you.

Why don't you go home and relieve them of their longing for you? You can also ask them in person why they didn't come looking for you after learning that you left home. Is that okay?

Du Jinyi originally wanted to go home. Life outside was too hard, and he was just forcing himself to endure it and barely managed to get through it.

Before, no one gave Du Jinyi a way out, but now after hearing Bao Shan's words, Du Jinyi nodded modestly and agreed to go back to the Du family.