Chapter 51
"What are your conditions? Kiyoshi, just tell me, and I'll agree to anything!"
Lin Yi lowered her eyelashes, her fair profile appearing almost porcelain-like in the dim light of the carriage, like a beautiful but unreal dream that captivated Zhao Binglin. She seemed lost in thought, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "Actually, I've had enough of Xie Chengnan. Not only is he unambitious, but the Marquis's estate, built over decades, has crumbled under his rule. He even beats and scolds me at the slightest provocation. He's afraid I'll tell my parents about this, so he forbade me from returning to the Qiu family mansion and has people following me constantly. Originally, I wanted to shake off that boy today and sneak home."
Lin Yi lifted his eyelids, his gaze, though hesitant to speak, held a hidden eagerness and anticipation.
Zhao Binglin snapped out of his daze, then was shocked, finding it hard to believe that Young Master Xie would actually beat his wife. After all, the day he harassed Qiu Qingye, and Xie Chengnan's domineering act of protecting his wife was still vivid in his mind.
A hint of doubt arose in Zhao Binglin's heart, but he suppressed it because of his even stronger affection for him.
Seeing his disbelief, Lin Yi reached under her sleeve and pinched her forearm hard a few times. The instantaneous pain almost brought tears to her eyes.
Lin Yi let out a long sigh, rolled up her sleeves, and showed him the red swelling she had just caused. "You see, I only advised him not to be idle, and he attacked me."
A striking and abrupt patch of red appeared on her fair arms.
A few tears, brought on by the pain, still clung to Lin's eyes. To Zhao Binglin, they appeared to be tears welling up in her eyes, a sign of her distress.
Zhao Binglin was shocked, followed by anger. "How dare he treat you like this! You wait, I will..."
Lin Yi interrupted him softly: "Could you take me back to the Qiu family first? After I explain this to my father and mother, I will divorce Xie Chengnan. That way, it will be legitimate for you to ask me to marry you again."
These words really resonated with Zhao Binglin.
Although he intended to elope with Qiu Qingye, it was a last resort.
Most women in Mingzhou are gentle and virtuous, but Qiu Qing is an exception. She dislikes forced marriages and instead admires sincere and courageous men. He said he was afraid Qiu Qing would get angry and ignore him, which was true, but that was only one reason.
His love for Qiu Qingye was genuine. During this time, whenever he thought that Qingye had married someone else and that she might be happily married to another, the resentment in his heart burned like a fire, making him restless and unable to eat or sleep.
Lu Yanran approached him for cooperation at this time, and he was genuinely tempted, but unfortunately, he lacked the courage. The Yong'an Marquis's mansion was of a higher rank than the Zhao family. Moreover, the kick Xie Chengnan had given him last time still haunted him. If he were to actually attack Qiu Qing, the more satisfying it would be then, the more miserable the reckoning would be later!
He had his men stake out the Xie residence for several days before finally getting this opportunity, thinking that he should at least see her and ask her in person if she was willing to go with him.
As long as Qiu Qing is willing to elope with him, the matter is a perfect match, and it can't be considered that he forced her. However, eloping with a married person is ultimately not legitimate.
Having just learned that Xie Chengnan had treated Qingye this way, he knew the divorce was his own fault. Taking Qingye away now was tantamount to rescuing her from her suffering, and was an act of justice.
The decision was made immediately, and the wheels rolled toward the Qiu residence.
To facilitate their elopement, Zhao Binglin specially asked Hulu to find a sturdy and lean horse that could run fast and nimbly.
But Lin Yi still felt the horse was too slow. Delay could lead to unforeseen problems; what if Zhao Binglin realized he'd been tricked and changed his mind? She wouldn't have a moment's peace of mind until the carriage reached the Qiu residence.
Fortunately, Zhao Binglin was not perceptive enough to see through her clumsy lie.
The carriage finally came to a leisurely stop.
As soon as the carriage curtain was lifted a corner, Lin Yi jumped off the carriage and ran to knock on the door.
Zhao Binglin followed behind her, but didn't immediately catch up. Instead, he straightened his blue robe. Qingye usually liked to wear blue clothes, and this was a special change he made to please her. Even the jade pendant around his waist had indigo silk hanging from it.
He tugged at his belt with his short, stubby fingers and asked the burly man driving the car, "Let me see if it's fastened crookedly."
...
The servant of the Qiu family quickly opened the door, let Lin Yi in, and then slammed it shut again.
As Zhao Binglin straightened his clothes and prepared to greet them with a smile, a few specks of dust hit his face.
He stared wide-eyed at the closed vermilion gate before him, took a deep breath, and turned to his attendant, saying, "Qingye is shy!"
He banged on the door knocker repeatedly, and after a long while, he heard the sound of the latch being turned.
The servant boy named Sanqi led him to the main hall, where Qiu Baiji sat in the host's seat, staring at him with a vacant expression. Qiu Qing stood behind his father, also looking at him with a complex expression.
Zhao Binglin understood immediately and respectfully bowed deeply: "Uncle Qiu, I am aware of what Xie Chengnan has done. I have sent Qingye back and ask that you grant them a divorce. I will prepare eight loads of betrothal gifts to come and marry Qingye!"
Qiu Baiji was so angry that his beard was trembling, and after a long while he finally managed to utter, "Dream on!"
"Uncle—Qing doesn't like Xie Chengnan at all, she—"
"She doesn't like Xie Chengnan, so why would she like you?!"
Most doctors are calm and collected, but this was the first time Zhao Binglin had ever seen the head of the hospital so furious. He was so shocked that he knelt down and looked to Qiu Qing for help.
Lin Yi patted Qiu Baiji's arm reassuringly and sighed softly, "Father, let me talk to him."
Lin Yi walked up to him, her gaze looking down at him.
"Zhao Binglin, the situation was urgent just now, and I had no choice but to lie to you. I blame myself for not explaining things clearly to you all this time, which allowed you to have illusions. Now I will settle things with you clearly and honestly."
Zhao Binglin's brain capacity wasn't enough to understand why the situation had taken such a sharp turn for the worse, or perhaps he simply refused to believe it. He looked up at Lin Yi, murmuring, "...Qingye?"
His expression was helpless and at a loss, and Lin Yi actually felt a pang of pity. Then, she cursed herself inwardly; this was the man who had kidnapped her, and she was so soft-hearted. She wouldn't even know how she died one day.
Lin Yi's voice was not loud, but every word clearly reached everyone's ears, "Last time in front of the Xie Mansion, Cheng Nan told you, but you still didn't give up. Today, in front of Father, I will make it clear to you again - Qiu Qing has never liked you either. Everything before was just using you, and there was not a trace of sincerity in him."
A crack appeared on Zhao Binglin's bewildered face. Lin Yi saw this, paused for a moment, and continued ruthlessly, "Even if I don't marry Xie Chengnan, there has never been any possibility between us from the beginning to the end."
Zhao Binglin's voice trembled as he struggled to squeeze out a sentence: "But Xie Chengnan isn't good to you... The only one he's been bad to is me, only I am truly sincere..."
“He’s been very good to me.” Lin Yi interrupted him. “He has never hit or scolded me; on the contrary, he has always protected me. That was just a fabricated story to lower your guard and send me back to the Qiu family.”
Zhao Binglin was devastated and couldn't process it for a moment. "But you have an injury on your hand...?"
Lin Yi lifted his sleeve and looked down at the red marks that were beginning to turn blue: "I injured myself, just to make you believe me."
"Is that so?" Zhao Binglin murmured. "You really like him? No. That's not right. You don't like Xie Chengnan. You like the Crown Prince. You only like the Crown Prince."
He suddenly looked up, like a trapped beast struggling for its life, and roared, "You only love the Crown Prince! But it's impossible for you two! In that case, what difference does it make whether you marry Xie Chengnan or me?!"
“That was before.” Lin Yi took a light breath. “Now I like Xie Chengnan.”
She was saying this to Zhao Binglin, but it also seemed like she was saying it to herself: "He treats me so well, why can't I like him?"
Like the clear moonlight finally breaking through the clouds, she visibly relaxed. At the same time, a warning sound from the system rang in her mind. Amidst the cold, mechanical hum, Lin Yi said, word by word, "I don't like the Crown Prince. I just like Xie Chengnan."
The system warnings were ignored, so I finally gave up, and silence suddenly returned to my ears.
Lin Yi took two steps back, avoiding Zhao Binglin's hand that was trying to grab her skirt.
"Get up, you look terrible."
A grown man, seven feet tall, reduced to this state for a woman who doesn't love him—it's truly pathetic. Lin Yi suddenly realized that he was the culprit who had caused this predicament. He was also a pitiful person deceived by Qiu Qingye. If possible, Lin Yi hoped his ending would be better.
But that didn't stop her from uttering heartless words in a gentle tone.
"Zhao Binglin—"
The way Qiu Qingye looked at him was finally devoid of deliberate flattery and barely concealed disgust; it was the gentlest she had ever shown him since she married into the Marquis's household. But Zhao Binglin was even more frightened.
"I obtained the imperial decree of marriage by myself. It is a golden decree, and there is no turning back. I love him, and I will not divorce him unless he grows tired of me. I am very grateful to you for not listening to Lu Yanran's instigation—otherwise I would have hated you to death."
“From beginning to end, my contact with you was all out of exploitation and scheming, for which I apologize. I can’t continue down this wrong path. I hope that from now on, we can go our separate ways and not bother each other.”
Lin paused for a moment, then said softly, "Thank you for genuinely liking Qiu Qingye too."
Zhao Binglin finally staggered to his feet and stood there silently for a moment. Suddenly, he roared at Lin Yi, "I don't believe you—you're lying to me!" His eyes turned bloodshot, and he lunged at Lin Yi.
Two guards who were already waiting nearby stopped him.
Lin Yi never expected that his obsession with Qiu Qingye was so deep, and the situation had spiraled out of control.
The system's voice appeared at the opportune moment: "[The system has detected that the host has severely hurt an innocent man's feelings. Goodness value decreased by 100, currently at 43.]"
That damn goodness value... it's appeared again.
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