Normally, Jiang Chuting would have agreed, but today was different.
Remembering Pei Jing's words before leaving, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. She reached out and pressed down on Lin Zhi's hand, which was about to open the wine jar. "Wait."
Lin Zhi paused, looked at him, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Chuting withdrew his hand and said slowly, "I am not in a position to drink alcohol today. Moreover..."
Lin Zhi smiled calmly and replied, "Besides, if nothing unexpected happens, you'll be leaving again first thing tomorrow morning, won't you?"
Although she didn't want to upset him, Jiang Chuting said helplessly, "It's not tomorrow morning. I'll be leaving after sitting here for a while."
Leaving so soon? In the past, he would at least stay overnight. Lin Zhi didn't say anything, just glared at him, her eyes filled with resentment and grievance.
Jiang Chuting's eyes softened as she said softly, "I had to rush back because it concerned the safety of my family." She couldn't explain too much, so she paused and added gently, "Keep the wine; I'll drink with you next time."
"Can I say no?" Lin Zhi pouted, moved the wine jar aside, and said in a slightly drawn-out tone, "I have no other choice but to wait for you obediently."
His dejected yet sensible appearance made Jiang Chuting smile. She really wanted to reach out and pat his head, but she only thought about it for a moment.
Lin Zhi suddenly said, "Chu Ran, give me your left hand."
Although Jiang Chuting didn't understand, he still extended his left hand and handed it to Lin Zhi. Lin Zhi took out a string of bright red beads, which seemed to be the very thing he had been staring at in a daze at the door just now.
Jiang Chuting looked closely and asked uncertainly, "These are... love beans?"
Lin Zhi hummed in agreement, "I picked them myself and strung them myself, for you." The bracelet was a bit long, wrapped around three times, and fit perfectly on Jiang Chuting's slightly slender wrist. The red acacia beans were crystal clear and shiny, strung together with a thin red cord, with two more hanging at the end, very delicate, clearly made with care.
However, that's not the key point.
Love beans naturally represent longing and yearning.
Jiang Chuting examined it for a moment, pondered briefly, then smiled and asked him, "It's very beautiful, but Lin Zhi, why did you give me this?"
"I just think they look nice. I string a few together whenever I'm waiting for you, just to keep myself occupied." Lin Zhi blinked gently and said, "Especially since you're late this time, you can't take them off as punishment."
Just as Jiang Chuting was about to say something more, Lin Zhi placed his hands on the wooden table, leaned forward slightly, his dark eyes were wet, and said expectantly, "What's wrong? Don't you like it? If you don't like it, I'll give you something else." He said this, but his face was full of hope, as if he would burst into tears immediately if he refused.
Jiang Chuting smiled gently, his eyes lowered. "I like it very much." He stared at the bracelet for a moment, then looked up and said, "Thank you, I will wear it every day." He had been overthinking things because of Pei Jing. Lin Zhi liked to mix up words and phrases and didn't care about the original meaning. Giving him the bracelet must have just been a simple gift.
Lin Zhi smiled, stood up and squeezed next to him, hugging his arm tightly and resting her head on his shoulder.
Lin Zhi longed, "Chu Ran, I wish I knew magic."
Why?
"That way, I can become a bracelet, and you can wear it with you all the time, so you can see you and hear you. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Jiang Chuting glanced at him sideways, but couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle his hair.
This time when he left, Lin Zhi finally didn't bite his hand, but he was told that if he saw the bracelet, he must think of him. Jiang Chuting agreed.
Even though Jiang Chuting rushed back to the Nine Heavens as fast as he could, it was already late at night. As Jiang Chuting walked up the stairs, two people were sitting in the front hall of the wooden house, which was lit by candlelight: Pei Jing and Wei Jia.
Wei Jia is the one who sleeps the most. Every night, before Jiang Chuting has even rested, he's already dreaming. There's no reason why he's still awake at this hour, and his eyes are wide open, looking like he's on high alert.
"Master, you're finally back!" Wei Jia stood up and was about to rush towards Jiang Chuting, who appeared at the door, when Pei Jing pulled him back down to sit. However, he wasn't angry. Instead, he excitedly said to Jiang Chuting, "I made a bet with my junior brother that I wouldn't sleep and would wait for you. If you had come back any later, I would have had fifty plates of pastries!"
Pei Jing's eyes were filled with gloom, and he curled his lips into a smile. His gaze, sharp as a sword, was fixed on Jiang Chuting, and he added casually, "Yes, not only will the pastries be gone, but you'll also fall into a deep sleep and never wake up."
Jiang Chuting walked in, and upon hearing this, his heart skipped a beat, and he stopped in his tracks. Pei Jing raised an eyebrow at him.
Wei Jia yawned widely, and Jiang Chuting said to him in a deep voice, "Wei Jia, go to sleep first."
Wei Jia, oblivious to everything, rubbed his eyes and said, "Master, Junior Brother, I'm going to sleep now." He then got up and ran back to his room.
As soon as Wei Jia left, Pei Jing suddenly stood up, walked around the table, strode up to him, grabbed his arms with both hands, and quickly looked him over with a predatory and inquisitive gaze, as if checking for any clues or traces.
Jiang Chuting stared coldly into the air.
Pei Jing said viciously, "You're lucky you came back in time. If you had been any later, I would have snapped his neck!"
His once young and handsome face now appeared gloomy and frightening due to the fierce look between his brows. Jiang Chuting understood that Pei Jing wasn't just trying to scare anyone.
From the moment he arrived in the Nine Heavens, he displayed a disregard for human life. Even though this person posed no threat to him and had spent over two months with him, he could kill him at will if he was unhappy.
Jiang Chuting used her inner force to shake off his hand, took a step back, and turned her body slightly to the side. Without looking at him, she said, "If I don't do as you wish, who will you attack next? My senior brother? Or the disciples of the Ninth Heaven? Are you going to kill them one by one for me to see?"
Pei Jing approached him and said, "I can spare their lives and not force you, as long as you stay by my side and don't see anyone else."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chuting couldn't help but chuckle softly, turning to look at him and saying, "As long as I stay by your side and don't see anyone else, isn't that forcing me?"
Pei Jing's lips curled into a cold, hard smile, and he didn't reply. Jiang Chuting remained calm throughout, neither yelling at him nor being aggressive. She simply walked leisurely to the bookshelf, took out a book, retrieved the folded white paper inside, and sat down at the wooden table.
This was the gift Pei Jing gave him when he became his disciple, saying he would make a promise to him.
Jiang Chuting said, "Xiao Jiu, your master believes in you. You must still remember what this is, right?"
Pei Jing's lips twitched violently as he saw him unfold the white paper. Before Pei Jing could roll up his sleeves and pick up a pen to write, he sneered, "Of course I remember, but don't forget, Master, what I said back then was that I would agree to anything I could do." He emphasized each word, "But if you're going to write that I'll let you go, I absolutely cannot do that."
Jiang Chuting knew all too well that Pei Jing was so eccentric and stubborn, and had never expected anything from him. To put it bluntly, this wasn't negotiation or bargaining; it was simply a matter of seeing how far Pei Jing would back down. If Pei Jing refused to agree to anything, he would be helpless.
He simply picked up a pen and wrote on the paper: "Our affairs should never involve other people."
Pei Jing stepped closer and stared at the line of words, his expression shifting unpredictably. Suddenly, he said, "The other person you're most worried about isn't your senior brother, Wei Jia, or even the disciples of the Nine Heavens, but the person you met last night, right?"
Jiang Chuting knew that he had been naively convinced by Lin Zhi's previous teasing words. He put down his brush and sighed softly, "He's just like you, nothing more than a child to me. I have no lingering feelings for him, so you really don't need to overthink things."
Since he said that, Pei Jing said decisively, "Fine, I promise you, I won't involve anyone else." Then he changed the subject, his low voice carrying a strong sense of pressure, "However, if anything happens between you and him in the future, it will be you who breaks your promise first. Then what I promised today will be null and void."
Pei Jing had previously disregarded the man she met with Jiang Chuting at the teahouse, but she couldn't resist Lin Zhi's hostility and vigilance.
He can ignore other people for the time being, but he must get assurances about this person before he can feel at ease.
Jiang Chuting was certain that nothing would happen between her and Lin Zhi, but she was worried that Pei Jing would use this as an excuse to make trouble, so she remained silent for a moment.
Seeing this, Pei Jing walked over and knelt down on one knee beside him, his tone softening, "Master, as long as you can guarantee that you will never develop feelings for your old friend's son, nor be with him, then I will never break my promise."
The candlelight flickered, casting a soft glow on Jiang Chuting's face, as warm as jade. He pondered for a moment, then looked at Pei Jing and said, "Alright, I promise you."
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