Chapter 65 Night on the Long Street "Shutang, I will help you."...

Lin Shutang returned to the courtyard in the evening, but he seemed to be in a hurry, as if he had something important to do.

She ransacked the wooden house, turning it upside down for quite some time before finally emerging from the room and heading straight out into the yard.

"Shutang".

Just as Lin Shutang was about to leave the courtyard, she heard Shen Yun calling her from behind.

She stopped and turned around, and saw him slowly walking towards her.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"I'll go inside the shop and take a look."

For some reason, Lin Shutang felt a little guilty when she saw him.

Shen Yun has always been detached from worldly affairs, while Lin Shutang is obsessed with money and has to struggle to make a living. Thinking about what she has to do, Lin Shutang feels even more ashamed of herself.

It seemed like the first time I'd seen the difference between her and Shen Jun.

Shen Yun looked at the sunset on the horizon, her voice slightly heavy, "Are you going so late?"

“Yes. Manager Zhao hasn’t been feeling well lately, I’ll go check on him,” Lin Shutang said.

Shen Yun frowned, remaining silent for a long while. Then, as if smiling, her voice was somewhat ethereal, "Is that so?"

Feeling guilty, Lin Shutang didn't dare look at him and responded softly with her head down.

Shen Yun took a step towards her, his voice becoming completely deep, "Shu Tang, tell me the truth."

Lin Shutang looked up in shock, meeting Shen Yun's gaze for a moment without reacting. Her fingertips clenched into her palms, her eyelashes trembled violently, and finally, her gaze shifted unnaturally to behind Shen Yun.

“Young Master Qin will help me,” she finally said. “I’m going to the Qin residence.”

After she said it, it wasn't as difficult to say as she had imagined. Instead, she calmed down and showed no unusual expression.

"Why didn't you come to me?" He stared at her, the thorn that had been buried in his heart for many days finally being pulled out and placed in Lin Shutang's hands. Whether it healed or bled, he wanted an answer.

Lin Shutang's face had been calm and composed, but upon hearing these words, she suddenly seemed to have been stepped on the tail. She looked up at him, her eyes reddening, "Why did I come to you?"

She countered with a question.

“Chen Jun, I don’t know why you’ve been avoiding me lately. If it’s just because I broke our promise that day, I apologize. I know you have your own things to do and you have your own considerations, so not bothering you is the only thing I can do for you as a friend.”

She looked unusually serious, initially seeming somewhat resentful, but later becoming calm and composed. It was as if this person's emotional reactions were no longer important to her.

She had neither the inclination nor the energy to speculate on any changes in Shen Yun.

Therefore, we don't need to bother him; he can come and go as he pleases.

Shen Yun's throat tightened terribly, and his breath seemed to be stuck in his chest. So much so that during the countless silent moments between the two of them, he had many opportunities to speak, but he could only watch helplessly as a certain emotion in Lin Shutang's eyes grew stronger and stronger. He also clearly felt that a certain connection between them that had been built up over these days was slowly dying out.

Lin Shutang took a light breath, her voice trembling in the wind, "I can handle these things even without you."

She glanced at him one last time, left him with those words, and turned to leave.

Under the deep blue sky, the courtyard was terribly dark, and only a tall, white figure could be seen standing in the courtyard.

The crabapple leaves rustled in the evening breeze, and Shen Yun's hand, which she wanted to hold back, froze in mid-air, with only the wind slipping through her fingers.

After a long while, heavy, suppressed breaths could be heard in the wind.

Inside the restaurant.

Lin Shutang had lost count of how many glasses of wine he had been forced to drink; he felt a burning pain in his stomach.

The people at the banquet were all prominent figures in the Yizhou business community. She had made a name for herself in Yizhou because of the batch of ingenious skills she had previously introduced, and because of the influence of Young Master Qin, these people were naturally willing to meet her.

However, Lin Shutang was ultimately a woman, and these people were deliberately trying to tease her, so they didn't discuss much business, but they did drink a lot of alcohol.

Lin Shutang did not forget the purpose of his trip and tried his best to steer the conversation back on track when toasting.

However, other merchants intentionally suppressed him, so they did not buy into Lin Shutang's various win-win ideas and made it clear that they wanted to take the lion's share.

The Third Young Master Qin, seated in the main seat, ignored this, leaning back leisurely in his chair, swirling the wine in his hand and sipping it slowly, while his eyes were aggressively scrutinizing Lin Shutang at the very end of the table.

Seeing her blush and her eyes tinged with a hazy, rosy hue.

He had heard of Lin Shutang before. He was told that she was Lin Bainian's daughter and had recently entered Yizhou. She had also made a name for herself in the timber industry and was said to be a formidable young talent.

He'd wanted to get to know him for a long time.

Unexpectedly, this woman not only had a knack for business, but was also incredibly beautiful.

Within Yizhou City, everyone knows that Qin San is the most tender-hearted man when it comes to women. Since she came to him for help, how could he bear to see the beauty suffer? Naturally, he was willing to solve her problem for her.

It's just that she seems unable to understand human language. His words are full of sincerity, but she only talks about business calculations. She really doesn't understand romance.

Since she wanted to play, he would play with her.

Anyway, the night is long, and he has plenty of time to slowly while away the hours with her.

Therefore, he chose this restaurant and invited all his business partners over.

Sure enough, watching the prey in the cage struggle to its death is much more interesting than watching it deliberately submit.

“Come on, Miss Lin, have another drink.” A fat man to Qin San’s right stood up, raised his cup and handed it to Lin Shutang. “Drink this cup, and then we can have a proper talk about Jingmutang.”

As he spoke, his malicious gaze quickly swept across the room, eliciting a low murmur of laughter.

Lin Shutang's head was already spinning, and he couldn't even see the person in front of him clearly. All the scenery seemed to be overlapping.

She shakily stood up, holding onto the table frame, and could only instinctively take the glass of wine that had been handed to her.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch it, a hand with distinct knuckles reached out and took it first.

Lin Shutang stared blankly as she looked down at the long, beautiful hands that resembled bamboo joints. She saw Shen Yun dressed in a long, white robe, her hair held up by a single black jade hairpin, with half of it draped over her back.

The cool moonlight outside the window fell on him, making him appear exceptionally out of place in the decadent and sensual private room of the restaurant.

His face was cold and hard, his eyes swept over the person who handed him the wine like a blade, and his voice was like pearls shattering on a plate, "I'll drink it for her."

The soft voice cleared into everyone's ears in the room, resounding and powerful, making the music behind the screen seem to fade away.

The man was so suffocated by the oppressive aura emanating from Shen Yun that he could barely breathe, as if someone were holding a cold blade to his neck. Although he did not know the man's identity, he could tell that he was no ordinary person, so he dared not utter a word and sat down dejectedly with his legs weak.

Qin San, on the other hand, had been in the business world for many years. Although he was momentarily stunned by Shen Yun's aura, he quickly recovered.

He scoffed, "You're going to drink it for her?"

"Who are you to her? Why are you drinking for her?" After saying that, he deliberately made eye contact with the people at the table and laughed, but the laughter on the table, which was deliberately restrained, seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.

Shen Yun glanced at him coldly, her fingertips casually tracing the rim of the cup. "I've heard that Young Master Qin loves the fine wine from Zhangtai Ferry. I once saw you drinking with a friend on a painted boat, and I even prepared a small gift, but I never had the chance to present it to you in person. I wonder if there's an opportunity now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin San's expression changed instantly. He sat up straight and looked at Shen Yun with a deathly pale face.

Shen Yun glanced at the man with cold eyes, parted his thin lips slightly, sipped the strong liquor in his hand, and without saying another word, he slipped his fingers through Lin Shutang's fingers and led her out of the room.

Behind the door, rustling sounds arose, and several voices could be faintly heard, such as "Boss Qin, are we just going to let him go like that?", "Who exactly is this person?", "That Madam Lin..." and so on.

On the long street, the moonlight fell like flowing water, covering the ground, and the empty street was only occupied by a shadow huddled together.

Lin Shutang was hanging on Shen Jun's back, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, and her head buried in the crook of his shoulder.

Her consciousness was already blurred, and she was unsteady on her feet.

I nearly tripped and fell several times just on the stairs coming down from the restaurant.

But the person was restless, clinging to Shen Yun's clothes like an octopus, making it difficult for Shen Yun to walk.

With a sullen face, Shen Yun finally squatted down and, without any hesitation, lay directly on top of him.

"Lin Shutang, do you recognize me?"

So easily fooled? Does that mean she'd happily cling to anyone who comes along?

"Chen Jun." She buried her face in his neck, her voice slurred from the alcohol, completely devoid of the cold and resolute tone she had used when she spoke those words that evening.

They can change their minds faster than turning the pages of a book.

Shen Yun snorted coldly and tightened his grip on her knees to prevent her from slipping down.

"Chen Yun, what brings you here?" Lin Shutang's voice came through, his hot breath burning against his neck, wet and warm.

“I am very happy that you came to find me.”

She spoke haltingly, as if she was organizing her thoughts.

Shen Yun looked ahead, seemingly sighing, her voice tinged with helplessness and resignation, "Lin Shutang, why do you have to push yourself so hard?"

"Because... I need to save my father and brothers."

It was just a casual question, and I didn't expect to get an answer, but a girl's soft, drawn-out yet remarkably firm voice came from beside my ear.

The man was clearly out of his mind, but after mentioning Jingmutang, he started talking non-stop again.

"Only when Jingmutang is established will I be qualified to get involved with Xiyue."

She paused, and as she spoke, it was as if the grievances that had been building up for months finally had an outlet to be released. Her voice involuntarily became tinged with sobs, and tears slid down Shen Yun's collar and into his chest, as if they were burning a hole in his chest.

"I'm terrible at woodworking. I even got blisters on my hands while making that crossbow. But thankfully, my senior brother is back safe and sound. I just want my father to see that I've protected Jingmutang well and haven't let him down."

Shen Yun paused for a moment upon hearing this, and when he spoke again, his voice was already a little hoarse. He turned his head slightly to look at her, "Have you thought about how you will get out of here unscathed?"

She shook her head against his neck, her tone casual, her feigned ease making one feel a pang of sympathy, "Let's take it one step at a time."

Under the moonlight, the two were bathed in frost. Shen Yun walked very steadily, and Lin Shutang felt very secure leaning against his back, without feeling uncomfortable at all.

The burning sensation in my stomach gradually subsided, and I could smell the familiar cool pine scent emanating from him.

The person who was just moments ago crying with tears streaming down her face now hugged her arms tightly, found a comfortable position, turned her head to the side, closed her eyes, and her breathing became shallow and long.

The lanterns of the restaurants along the long street began to go out one by one. Shen Yun walked towards the courtyard in the night. The person on his back was quiet for a long time, so long that Shen Yun thought she had fallen asleep. But then he heard her soft voice again, very low and very soft, as if afraid of shattering some illusion.

“Actually, I know that you are not from Liyang County, and your family has not been in the timber industry for generations,” she said.

Shen Yun paused, her face slightly taken aback, and a sudden panic gripped her heart.

He opened his mouth, his voice a little dry, "How did you know?"

The person behind him seemed to chuckle, "I've been with you for so long, if I still didn't know, wouldn't I be a fool?"

"The people of Liyang County love sweets and are mostly generous and forthright. They often wear oak talismans at their waists. You are very different from them."

“You’ve been in the woodworking business for generations, but you don’t know how to carve wood. When you were helping me, you didn’t even know what tools I needed, nor did you recognize the wood.”

"Then how dare you let me stay by your side?"

"Because I believe in you."

Without hesitation, the person on her back blurted out, "Chen Yun, you won't hurt me."

Hearing her resolute voice, Shen Yun was speechless for a moment, "Why do you believe me?"

Lin Shutang rubbed her cheek against his neck, greedily inhaling the coolness of Shen Yun's body.

His breath carried the aroma of wine, and his voice was as soft and sweet as malt sugar melting into water, rippling outwards in circles, or like the clear tolling of a temple bell in the mountains, striking Shen Yun's chest with unparalleled clarity.

“You can tell what someone is like the first time you meet them,” she said.

"You knew it the first time you met him?"

He subconsciously murmured the same sentence over and over, glancing back at the person on his shoulder.

The girl's cheeks were flushed, her long eyelashes drooped, a faint smile played on her lips, and her breathing was long and even; she had truly drifted off to sleep.

"Shutang".

He suddenly called her name.

"Hmm?" Lin Shutang hummed in response, her brows furrowing slightly, as if she was somewhat displeased that the sudden sound had interrupted her sweet dream.

“I will help you,” he said slowly.

As if she understood what that sentence meant, Lin Shutang's brows gradually smoothed out, her lips slightly curved upwards, and she responded vaguely, "Mm."

I know.

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Author's Note: Sichuan Pepper: This line sounds familiar, doesn't it? Is this a genuine help this time, or just stirring things up from behind? (Eating popcorn)

Shen Yun: (Smiling) You seem to know quite a lot?

Sichuan pepper: (Greatly alarmed) (throws away the melon and disappears into the ground)