After reapplying the medicine and bandaging Lin Zhi's wound, Jiang Chuting asked for a room to stay in by herself.
"Chu Ran, I don't believe you have no feelings for me at all."
Jiang Chuting seemed to be possessed, the sentence kept replaying in her mind. She raised her hand to her forehead, her breathing became slightly heavy, and she closed her eyes.
He didn't answer at the time because he realized he simply couldn't deny the statement against his conscience.
Initially, he was indeed exceptionally lenient and indulgent towards Lin Zhi because Lin Zhi was Zi Que's child. He also felt that he should treat Lin Zhi as an elder because of the age difference. Otherwise, he would not have made such a firm promise to Xiao Jiu that time.
But when Lin Zhi confessed her feelings to him, and when he realized the different feelings he had for Lin Zhi, he was shocked to discover that the deep concern he felt for her when she didn't save him from collapsing on the roadside because of the glass flower, and the many questions he shouldn't have asked, already spoke volumes.
However, he had long ago placed a firm framework around his relationship with Lin Zhi, so he was unaware of it and would never think about it in that direction.
It wasn't until Lin Zhi unleashed her passionate love for him, breaking through this constraint, that he became aware of this and suddenly realized the reason for his special feelings for Lin Zhi.
He had actually developed feelings for the child without even realizing it.
Seventeen years have passed since Zi Que left, and he has fallen for someone again, and that person is Zi Que's biological son.
Jiang Chuting felt that the person who was absurd was not Lin Zhi, but himself.
After a while, her thoughts were in turmoil. Someone knocked gently on the door from outside. Jiang Chuting thought it was Lin Zhi, so she only glanced at the door and didn't move.
Then, Shao Jun's deliberately soft voice rang out from outside: "Master Chu, are you inside?"
When Jiang Chuting heard it was him, he got up and opened the door for him. Shaojun held a blue brocade box about the size of a baby's palm and asked, "I picked this up while I was picking up my bundle. It seems to have fallen out of your bag." Jiang Chuting had looked unwell the whole way, and Shaojun hadn't dared to speak to him, so he only managed to ask him now.
Jiang Chuting recognized it at a glance. It was a disguise pill made for him by the Nine Heavens Pharmacist. One pill would last for about twenty-five to thirty days. If he was going to be away for a long time, he would carry two pills with him as backup.
"It's mine, thank you." It probably fell out of his bag during the fight. Judging by the time, he needed to take another pill to prevent the effects from suddenly wearing off and revealing his true appearance again.
Jiang Chuting took the box, opened it, and found it empty. She couldn't help but look up at Shaojun.
His eyes held no malice, but Shao Jun was still startled by his gaze, realizing something. He quickly waved his hands, "It was empty like this when I found it. I didn't take anything from inside. I promise!" He had been wondering why Jiang Chuting was carrying an empty box. Now it seemed the contents had fallen out.
"What is it? Is it important?" Shaojun clasped his hands tightly together, feeling very guilty. "It's all my fault for rushing around and not paying attention to what was around me. Should I go back and look for it for you?"
The dock is crowded with people every day, so by the time you go looking for it, it's probably been trampled to pieces and you won't be able to eat it anymore.
"It's alright, it's not your fault," Jiang Chuting said gently. "What's inside isn't important, you don't need to worry about it."
"Really?"
Seeing Jiang Chuting nod, Shaojun breathed a sigh of relief, said a few more words to him, and went back to his room.
Jiang Chuting returned to the table and sat down, staring at the empty medicine box in his hand, and sighed softly after a long while.
This is truly a test that came at the perfect time. It seems that the time to return to the Nine Heavens will have to be brought forward.
But given the current situation, how can I tell Lin Zhi that I'm leaving?
Jiang Chuting felt increasingly stifled and decided to go for a walk. She pushed open the door, but before she even reached Lin Zhi's room, Lin Zhi had already opened the door and blocked her way.
When Jiang Chuting saw him, her heart skipped a beat, and she slowed her pace.
Lin Zhi stared intently at him, asking somewhat suspiciously, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Chuting had been deliberately making quiet movements, but it seemed that Lin Zhi had been listening to his movements the whole time, afraid that he would sneak away.
Jiang Chuting said, "I'll go for a walk."
"Where are we going?" Lin Zhi immediately replied, "I'll go with you."
Jiang Chuting gently advised, "Lin Zhi, you're injured, you should rest. I'll be back in a bit." Compared to his firm desire to distance himself from Xiao Jiu, his feelings for Lin Zhi were more of an escape, an avoidance of this inappropriate relationship.
"No, I want to follow you." Lin Zhi's eyes were full of stubbornness, she refused to agree no matter what, and said through gritted teeth, "Don't even think about getting rid of me."
Jiang Chuting didn't speak, but stared at him for a moment before giving in and walking downstairs. Lin Zhi followed him closely.
As soon as they stepped out of the inn, Lin Zhi grabbed his sleeve and pressed him for an answer as they walked: "Chu Ran, I asked you if you have any feelings for me, why didn't you answer? Are you unwilling to answer, or afraid to answer? Is it so hard to admit you like me?"
From the moment Lin Zhi confessed his feelings, he was completely direct and straightforward, without the slightest hint of tact, leaving Jiang Chuting with no way to escape.
Jiang Chuting really didn't know what to do with him. She pondered for a while with a headache before saying to him, "Lin Zhi, you are still young. Perhaps your feelings for me are not so clear. I advise you to think about it calmly again."
"How can I stay calm when facing you?" Lin Zhi said angrily, "You've thought about this for so long, and you're just going to use such a lame excuse to reject me? Let me tell you, I want to kiss you, hug you, possess you, and be with you for the rest of my life. I've thought about everything a husband and wife should think about, except for having children. Isn't that enough? I'm almost seventeen years old. I'm not so dense that I can't even tell what love is. Please, don't treat me like a child, okay?"
Despite the crowds on the street, Lin Zhi spoke so frankly and without any restraint. Feeling the strange looks around them, even the composed Jiang Chuting felt her scalp begin to burn. She pulled her hand away from his and quickened her pace.
Lin Zhi's eyes darkened. She caught up with him, and without saying a word, dragged him to a secluded corner and pushed him inside.
Jiang Chuting noticed that the wound on his shoulder had started bleeding again, soaking a patch of his purple clothes. How could the wound possibly heal if it kept getting worse like this? Her eyebrows twitched, and she was about to say something to him when she saw the boy in front of her turn red in the eyes, puff out his cheeks, and start to shed tears.
When he cried, Jiang Chuting felt as if his soft spot had been hit, and he couldn't say a word.
"Tell me, do you want me or not? At least give me an answer." Lin Zhi's voice was hoarse.
Jiang Chuting felt both softened and heartbroken by his crying. After a moment of hesitation, she asked earnestly in a gentle tone, "Lin Zhi, you said you wanted to be with me for the rest of your life?"
Lin Zhi fluttered her moist eyelashes, nodded firmly with tears in her eyes, and said, "Yes."
Jiang Chuting sighed inwardly, then looked at him and asked, "Do you really know what kind of person I am to have such thoughts? Are you sure that you like me?" The last sentence was spoken in a very soft tone.
Lin Zhi nodded again, "Of course I'm sure. You are you, and of course I like you."
No, you can't be sure at all.
Jiang Chuting felt a lump in her throat and continued to ask, "If, and I mean if, I had a different face, would you still recognize me? Would you still say such things to me?"
Without hesitation, Lin Zhi said decisively, "Of course I can! How could I not recognize you? You're different from everyone else."
A bitter feeling welled up in Jiang Chuting's heart, and a hot breath choked her, causing a painful lump in her throat. But you just can't recognize me. Chu Ran is Jiang Chuting, and Jiang Chuting is Chu Ran. You're liking someone you hate, and you're also hating someone you like.
Lin Zhi felt that he was constantly questioning her feelings, and anxiously asked, "What do you want from me to give me an answer?"
Jiang Chuting knew that what he wanted was not an answer, but a satisfactory one.
But he probably can't give that satisfactory answer.
Jiang Chuting lowered her head and took a soft breath, then looked up to meet his gaze and said in a low voice, "I can give you the answer right now, Lin Zhi."
Lin Zhi held her breath, not daring to blink.
But then he said, "There's absolutely no possibility between the two of us." He wanted to cut off his escape route while he still had a sliver of reason left.
Lin Zhi was shocked by his resolute decision; her heart felt as if it had been ripped open, and her tears flowed even more freely.
His lips trembled, and he shook his head. "I don't believe a word you say. Say it again, quickly!"
Jiang Chuting said helplessly, "Lin Zhi."
Lin Zhi was agitated: "Don't say it's impossible! How could it be impossible for us? You clearly have feelings for me too, I can feel it. Why are you running away?!"
He kept getting closer as he spoke. He was injured, and Jiang Chuting couldn't fight him. He cornered her against the wall, with nowhere to retreat. Just as his face suddenly drew near, Jiang Chuting turned her head away, avoiding his kiss.
After Lin Zhiqin touched his face, she tried to restrain herself, her body suddenly stiffened and she stopped moving, her breathing becoming rapid and heavy.
Jiang Chuting was in a state of confusion and truly did not know how to deal with him. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly noticed that his breath was extremely hot.
Startled, she instinctively raised her hand to touch his wet face, feeling an alarming heat. "Lin Zhi, what's wrong? Why are you so hot?"
Lin Zhi didn't speak, but raised his hand to hold his. Before he could even touch him, his body suddenly went limp, and he closed his eyes and fell into his arms. Jiang Chuting quickly caught him.
It's probably because the wound was repeatedly irritated that it caused the high fever, and Jiang Chuting didn't even notice anything unusual about him the whole way.
After sending him back to the inn, the doctor came to see him and prescribed medicine. The inn's staff helped to brew the medicine and brought it over. Jiang Chuting fed it to him and then stayed by his bedside, applying a cold towel to his forehead.
Lin Zhi, with his eyes closed, kept calling out in a daze, "Chu Ran, Chu Ran, Chu Ran..."
Jiang Chuting's heart melted at his call, and she squeezed his hand back, whispering in his ear, "I'm here."
Lin Zhi stopped calling his name, his breath hot against his nose, and began to whisper anxiously, "Don't go, don't leave me... don't go..."
Reaching out to gently stroke his pale face, Jiang Chuting felt an overwhelming pang of heartache.
What should one do if they encounter someone like this?
After staying up until late at night, Lin Zhi's body finally cooled down, and Jiang Chuting breathed a slight sigh of relief, closing her eyes wearily by the bedside.
As dawn broke, Jiang Chuting suddenly opened her eyes, sat quietly for a moment, and raised her hand to look at it.
The room was poorly lit, but he could see that the skin on his hands seemed whiter than before. He quickly raised his hand to touch his face, finally confirming that he had regained his appearance. It was a little earlier than expected.
The person on the bed suddenly moved, and Jiang Chuting's heart jumped. He dodged to the side, but thankfully he mumbled a few words and did not wake up.
Jiang Chuting walked back to the bedside and gazed at his face. Now, she really had no choice but to leave.
Back in his room, he wrote two letters, picked up his bundle, and slipped one under Shaojun's door, telling him that he had to leave early and that if he was too afraid to go to find his friend alone, he should find a security escort agency to pay for someone to escort him.
Then he went to Lin Zhi's room, stood quietly by the bed for a while, and placed the letter on his pillow. The letter didn't even address Shao Jun's elder brother; he simply said he had to leave.
Lin Zhi will understand what he means once he sees it. Jiang Chuting can already foresee that Lin Zhi will definitely be very angry with him.
It's better to let Lin Zhi be angry with him than to let Lin Zhi hate him even more.
The person on the bed moved their hand twice. Seeing that there was no time to delay, Jiang Chuting took two steps back, made up her mind, and turned to leave without lingering.
After leaving the inn, he did not immediately return to the Ninth Heaven. Instead, he changed his clothes, took off his hairpin and bracelet, and sat down at a nearby breakfast stall to wait.
He was very worried about Lin Zhi's reaction.
Just then, Lin Zhi rushed out of the inn.
"Chu Ran!" Lin Zhi held the torn letter in his hand, was without a coat or shoes, his face was pale, and he looked panicked. He shouted Chu Ran's name loudly: "Chu Ran, Chu Ran!"
He ran along the cold ground, dressed in only thin clothes, calling out, "Chu Ran, Chu Ran!" He looked around anxiously, but couldn't find that familiar figure at all. He really left so heartlessly. Lin Zhi cried out, feeling more and more aggrieved and sad. "Chu Ran, don't go, don't leave me, why did you do this to me? Come out and see me."
Jiang Chuting clenched her fists tightly. Seeing Lin Zhi heading straight in her direction, she hurriedly lowered her eyes, instinctively trying to hide herself.
Unexpectedly, Lin Zhi was already injured and ill, and coupled with the fact that he was dressed too lightly and was too emotional, his body went limp and he fell right next to the breakfast stall.
Jiang Chuting's body reacted before her brain could process it. She abruptly stood up and rushed over to help him up, her tone unconsciously tinged with urgency: "Are you alright?"
Lin Zhiyi looked up and saw that it was him. Her gaze suddenly turned cold, and she disgustedly shook off his hand. Because she used too much force, she staggered.
"Watch out." Jiang Chuting couldn't help but help him up again. Lin Zhi, panting, snapped at him angrily, "Get away! Don't touch me!"
She shook him off again, not even glancing at him once more, and walked away in the cold morning wind.
Jiang Chuting stood quietly for a while before returning to her seat. She wanted to pick up her water glass and take a sip, but found that her hand was trembling slightly.
The pain in my chest felt like being pricked by countless poisonous needles.
"Chu Ran, I don't believe you have no feelings for me at all."
This once again confirms that he was indeed not without feelings for Lin Zhi.
Because he was feeling extremely uncomfortable being treated coldly and harshly by Lin Zhi.
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