Jiang Chuting's heart tightened suddenly. He just called out a name? Was it Zi Que? Could it be that Lin Zhi heard him?
Lin Zhi's expression was inscrutable. Jiang Chuting looked at him, her lips moved with difficulty, but she couldn't say a word for a moment.
The two stared at each other for a moment, then Lin Zhi couldn't help but burst out laughing. He leaned closer, his eyes sparkling, "You dreamt about me when I was little, didn't you? You were still calling me that." He had only vaguely heard the word "Que," and subconsciously assumed it referred to his childhood self, "Que." When Jiang Chuting uttered a sound, Lin Zhi assumed he was embarrassed and continued, "Can you tell me about it? What did you dream about? You don't look well; was it a nightmare?"
Jiang Chuting breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she hadn't been discovered, and said softly, "I had forgotten all about it."
He didn't deny it, which meant he really dreamed about him, even if it was a nightmare. Lin Zhi was very happy, grabbed his hand, and lay back down. "I'm right here. Dreams are all fake, don't worry." After saying that, he noticed that Jiang Chuting was quietly looking at him, his eyes clear and slightly watery, as if they contained a touch of melancholy.
Lin Zhixin's heart pounded wildly. She raised her hand to cover his eyes, "Don't look at me, go to sleep."
After Lin Zhi tossed and turned for a while and fell asleep again, Jiang Chuting raised her hand, looked at the wooden hairpin in her hand, and pondered the dream she had just had.
He knew that Zi Que had chosen to abandon him back then and was not happy in the Lin family. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become depressed and committed suicide by poison less than half a year after the marriage, and there would have been no cure.
When Zi Que, who was barely clinging to life, was brought to see Lin Xi, who was heavily pregnant, he was much thinner than in his dream, so pale and haggard that Lin Xi could hardly recognize him.
At the time, he thought Zi Que wanted to see him one last time, but he never expected that Zi Que, who was poisoned to the point of being incurable, would wish to die at his hands, in addition to wanting to see him.
Zi Que wept bitterly, his hand trembling as he handed him the dagger. "Chu Ting, please, kill me yourself. I want to die by your hand. I want you to remember me forever, to remember me so vividly. I don't want you to forget me, Chu Ting, I beg you..." His pleading was intermittent and weak, yet each word seemed to be drawn from his very bones, so sorrowful and painful, leaving one deep mark after another on his already broken heart.
He took the dagger and ended the life of his beloved with his own hands.
Blood splattered onto his clothes, his wet cheeks, his eyes, and his hair, burning hot.
Zi Que got her wish. When she breathed her last in his arms and closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
Zi Que never told him he regretted it, but he always thought of him. In this dream, Zi Que kept writing his name, missing him. Jiang Chuting believed that this wasn't just something that happened in a dream.
Turning his gaze to the young Lin Zhi beside him, he realized that Lin Zhi had not yet been born when Zi Que passed away.
So many years have passed.
Jiang Chuting sighed silently. He was now increasingly inclined to believe that he wasn't dreaming, but rather reliving Zi Que's real experience.
Zi Que gently stroked the wooden hairpin. Was it because he didn't want Zi Que to forget him, so he was using this hairpin to meet him in a dream?
Was the dream that Zique was being chased by Lin Xuan at night also real? How exactly did he offend Lin Xuan that night to cause such a panic? Zique is no longer here, and Lin Xuan has been dead for several years, so he has no way of knowing.
Perhaps, only future dreams can provide the answer. Jiang Chuting gently pressed the hand holding the wooden hairpin to her heart and closed her eyes.
The next day, Jiang Chuting returned to the Nine Heavens after leaving the Acacia Pavilion. A short while later, Wei Jia presented him with a letter, saying it had just been delivered that day.
Jiang Xian was the only one who could write a letter to Jiang Chuting and deliver it to the back mountain. The thick letter mostly talked about the latest happenings in Jincheng, and only at the end did he vaguely mention that the Ninth Prince's whereabouts were currently unknown, the situation in the palace was changing rapidly, and his father couldn't eat every day, which made him very nervous, fearing that something might go wrong at this critical moment.
Jiang Chuting's eyebrows twitched. He had never asked before, but it turned out that Lord Jiang was actually a member of the Ninth Prince's faction.
Even though Jiang Xian was his best friend, the matter was of utmost importance, so when Jiang Chuting replied, he did not tell him about Pei Jing's affairs in the Nine Heavens.
Jiang Xian probably wouldn't come looking for him anytime soon. He planned to wait until Pei Jing left and he had finished his business before going to Jincheng to meet up with Jiang Xian. It had been a long time since they had a proper drink together.
After sending the letter out, Jiang Chuting thought of something and began searching around the house.
Pei Jing followed behind him, turning around as he went. "Master, was the letter you just sent to Jincheng? Do you have any friends in Jincheng?"
Jiang Chuting replied succinctly, "Yes, there is." Pei Jing seemed thoughtful. Jiang Chuting continued searching, opening a brocade box containing a jade pendant, and then another containing a hairband.
Pei Jingjing looked at it for a while, then asked curiously, "What are you looking for after searching for so long?"
Hearing his question, Jiang Chuting paused in his action of opening the brocade box. Yes, what was he looking for?
Lin Zhi said he wanted something of his to carry with him, but he didn't give her the wooden hairpin, so she really came back to look for something else.
They had agreed to stay away and keep their distance, but every time he got close to Lin Zhi, his thoughts seemed to get out of control.
Jiang Chuting felt that this was not a good sign and that it would be better to tone it down a bit.
Jiang Chuting said gently, "I wasn't looking for anything." She was about to put everything away when Pei Jing took a liking to the light blue hair ribbon and wanted it. Jiang Chuting said, "This is one I've used. If you like it, I'll go buy you a new one."
Pei Jing thought to himself, "I don't want this one since you didn't use it," and insisted, "I want this one."
It wasn't anything important, so Jiang Chuting agreed, took it, and handed it to him. But Pei Jing immediately noticed the lingering teeth marks on his fingers, and his anger flared up. Without saying a word, he grabbed his hand and demanded, "Who bit me like that?!"
Jiang Chuting took a moment to react before withdrawing her hand, smiling and saying, "A mischievous child."
"A child?!" Pei Jing simply couldn't believe it. Jiang Chuting seemed unwilling to talk to him anymore, and turned to take a book from the bookshelf. Pei Jing stared at his profile, his thoughts becoming more and more certain, and his gaze grew colder and colder.
From then on, Jiang Chuting would meet with Lin Zhi on the appointed days. If there was any news, she would go out with Lin Zhi to investigate. If there was nothing to report, she would stay overnight at Xiangsi Xiaozhu and then return to Jiuchongtian. Lin Zhi sent out more and more people, but a month passed, and even if there were occasional signs of trouble, they were always found to be false alarms after investigation.
This almost made Jiang Chuting doubt whether she had been overthinking things, and whether there was any conspiracy at all; the two men in black had just happened to be nearby that day.
The investigation made no progress, but recently other strange things have been circulating in the city – someone found an abandoned baby in the wilderness.
It is said to have no ears or hands, a deformed head, a mutilated mouth, and loose skin, making it look extremely terrifying. It was already dead when it was found.
As rumors spread, they inevitably became distorted and exaggerated. Jiang Chuting didn't believe them entirely at first, but after hearing Lin Zhi say that the government had already investigated the matter, it seemed to be true.
When he was having dinner with Lin Zhi, he heard people around them talking about this.
When faced with such bizarre events, people tend to associate them with an ominous meaning.
At the next table, one of the people said mysteriously, "It must have attracted some evil spirit or malevolent force, causing a ghost to possess it! Otherwise, how could it be so mysterious!" This earned him a chorus of agreement from his tablemates.
Jiang Chuting had no appetite. When she heard the words "ghost fetus," her eyelids twitched, and she raised her hand, closed her eyes, and pressed her temples.
"What nonsense! It's probably because the child's mother has some kind of illness or poisoning." Lin Zhi didn't believe in such things. Seeing that Jiang Chuting seemed to be in a bad mood, she thought he was just being kind and pitying the child's bad luck. She gently comforted him and served him a bowl of soup. "If you don't have a good appetite, drink some soup. It'll fill your stomach."
Jiang Chuting forced a smile at him, "Okay."
For some reason, he felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. This feeling of being shrouded in mist was unsettling.
Jiang Chuting stayed two more days because of the abandoned baby. Lin Zhi was overjoyed that he could stay longer, but still felt slightly puzzled.
"Chu Ran, what's wrong? Why are you thinking of investigating this matter?"
"I don't know either." Jiang Chuting told the truth. The child had already been buried, and it was almost impossible to find the child's mother. There was really no point in investigating further. He said, "It's just a gut feeling... Never mind, I won't investigate anymore."
Another night was spent at the Lovesick Abode. When Lin Zhi woke up, she was leaning against him with her eyes closed.
Jiang Chuting knew that he had actually woken up.
As soon as Jiang Chuting moved, Lin Zhichang's eyelashes trembled, and his hands tightly wrapped around his body, commanding him, "Don't move. You're not awake yet. Sleep with me for another day."
Jiang Chuting sighed, "I can't sleep anymore. I've stayed long enough this time. I'll come back in ten days."
Lin Zhi got up and leaned against his chest, saying earnestly, "Chu Ran, don't you think the way you're coaxing me sounds like the kind of man who'd start something and then abandon it at any moment?"
Jiang Chuting chuckled. This child always liked to misuse words and phrases. He patiently said, "The saying 'starting a relationship and then abandoning it' doesn't apply to you and me."
Lin Zhi puffed out her cheeks and glared at him with her beautiful eyes: "That's what I'm going to say. You have me outside, and maybe you're keeping someone else somewhere else. It must be tiring to travel between the two places every now and then, right? You must be working so hard."
Jiang Chuting was speechless for a moment. Because what Lin Zhi said seemed to make sense.
Isn't he like a powerful figure at home, with a formidable little devil outside? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh heartily. Lin Zhi, who was originally sulking, saw him laugh and her eyes warmed up, her gaze becoming somewhat infatuated. "Chu Ran, you look so beautiful when you smile."
Jiang Chuting suddenly felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and even felt unable to meet his eyes. She patted his shoulder and said softly, "Alright, I have to get up and leave."
"Still urging him? He must be itching to go back and appease the other one."
Jiang Chuting said, "Stop talking nonsense."
Lin Zhi snorted and withdrew from him.
Lin Zhi didn't try to stop him, but before Jiang Chuting left, she grabbed his hand and bit it hard, saying angrily, "No matter what you do after leaving me, you have to be on time for every appointment with me, otherwise, I will not forgive you."
Back at the cabin on the back mountain, as he was climbing the stairs, he bumped into Mo Lin, who was just coming out. Mo Lin gave him a look that was extremely difficult to describe before turning around and walking away.
Jiang Chuting ignored him and went inside. The "unapproachable Buddha" was indeed unapproachable, with a stern face, cold eyes, and a gaze as sharp as knives. As Jiang Chuting entered the room, the Buddha seemed to want to tear him to pieces.
Jiang Chuting was already used to it. With one hand behind her back, she smiled at him and called out, "Xiao Jiu."
Pei Jing gritted his teeth and sneered, his tone full of sarcasm: "Ha, isn't this our busy man who has the world on his mind and bears heavy responsibilities? You still remember you have a home? You've finally decided to come back?"
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Did you notice? I changed the title of my story, hehehe.
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