Gu Qingze looked at Song Jinnian quietly, his eyes full of inquiry, trying to find even the slightest clue from his face, but in the end, he gave up helplessly.
No matter how carefully one looked at it, Song Jinnian looked as if he was simply feeling aggrieved because his good intentions had been misunderstood. His expression was clearly filled with sadness, with almost no flaws at all.
Could it be that...Is it really that I am thinking too much...?
Gu Qingze's mind instantly flashed through every detail of his time with Song Jinnian these days...
Brother Jinnian did help him a lot...
Most importantly, if he was deliberately pretending to be innocent, there was really no need to do so.
There was nothing particularly precious on Ling Xiao and I. Considering the value, there was no need to be so deliberate. It couldn't be that it was just out of some bad taste, right?
Like, I like watching other people being manipulated...
Maybe...I'm really overthinking it.
Gu Qingze shook his head slightly and decided not to dwell on this matter too much. Instead, he slowly approached Song Jinnian, reached out his hand and gently touched his head, comforting him for a long time.
He waited until Song Jinnian seemed to have almost recovered before he continued speaking.
"Brother Jinnian, even though you said that...if possible, I still hope you can help me investigate this?"
Gu Qingze held his hand tightly, with a very serious look on his face.
"? Qingze brother, I have already helped you analyze the pros and cons, why are you still so obsessed with this matter?"
Song Jinnian gave a faint smile, as if he was just out of curiosity.
"Can you give me an explanation that will convince me?"
Gu Qingze sighed deeply. In fact, he wanted to complain when Song Jinnian said that it was unreasonable for him to collect information while in the brothel.
But Song Jinnian suddenly became different from his usual self. At that time, his suspicion of Song Jinnian took precedence over this incident, and the test just now occupied a large part of his mind.
But...now...if Brother Jinnian must hear an opinion that is completely in line with his interests, he has it.
"Brother Jinnian... My desire to gather information during my stay at the brothel wasn't in vain."
"After all....just because you meet the top courtesan doesn't mean everything will be alright."
"Brother Qingze, what do you mean?"
"Let me ask you, if it were Brother Jinnian, could you guarantee that the information she told you would not be adulterated and that she would tell you everything she knew?"
Gu Qingze stared into his eyes closely.
"I understand the plight of the chief courtesans of all generations, and I wouldn't be like a 'saint', saving all of them and changing their fate. I don't think I have that kind of ability."
"I was just wondering, if I could know what happened to the other former top courtesans..."
Gu Qingze paused for a moment before continuing.
"I'm just making an assumption. There's nothing else to it. I don't mean to curse them, nor do I mean to not wish them the best."
"Suppose... they're having a rough time, facing a difficult situation. Could I... use this to my advantage and make a deal with the current top courtesan, promising her a good future? Wouldn't that increase the chances of her telling the truth?"
"After all...if that were the case, she and I would become a community of shared interests, like grasshoppers on the same rope. Even if it were to protect her future, she wouldn't lie to me and harm me."
After Gu Qingze finished speaking, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
He didn't want to put it in such a utilitarian way. After all...a big part of his desire to understand this matter was due to emotional reasons.
It's too impersonal to directly lay out the pros and cons of the matter and analyze them clearly, and it also seems very cold...
He would not have said that if Song Jinnian had not insisted that he must be given a reason that could convince him.
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