Jiang Chuting had no way to deal with him, so she could only turn around, close the door, walk back to the bed and lie down on the outer side, deliberately leaving space between them.
Lin Zhi seemed to find him strange and asked, "Why are you lying so close to the edge? Aren't you afraid of falling?"
"No." Jiang Chuting waved her hand to extinguish the candle, lay flat on her back without looking at him, and said calmly, "Go to sleep."
In the darkness, Lin Zhi quietly moved closer and asked him, "Chu Ran, are you going to sleep without letting your hair down?"
Jiang Chuting raised his hand and removed the wooden hairpin that held his hair, holding it in his hand. He stopped speaking, and Lin Zhi also fell silent, leaning her head against his side, clutching the hem of his clothes, before slowly drifting off to sleep.
Even when he was asleep, I didn't let go of his hand, as if I was afraid he would run away.
Jiang Chuting heard his even, gentle breathing beside her ear. She remained motionless, her feelings a complex mix of emotions.
That night, Jiang Chuting had another dream, but it was different from before. She dreamt of scenes with Zi Que, fragmented and scattered, but filled with laughter and happiness, as if she were reliving that past again.
When he woke up, it was just getting light. He looked up at the wooden hairpin in his hand, and the melancholy in his heart lingered for a long time.
Lin Zhi was still asleep beside him.
Jiang Chuting gazed quietly at his sleeping face. According to the plan, he should return to the Nine Heavens today; Little Nine was still waiting for him. It wasn't impossible for him to quietly slip away, leaving Lin Zhi behind, but…
Lin Zhimeng murmured indistinctly, "Chu Ran..."
Jiang Chuting's heart softened, and he couldn't help but sigh. He decided to stay another day. Before leaving, he specifically asked his third senior brother to take care of Xiao Jiu and make sure nothing happened.
Jiang Chuting woke up and wanted to get up, but when he saw Lin Zhi's hand still clutching his clothes, he gave up the idea and quietly lay down to rest with his eyes closed.
As the first light of dawn streamed in through the half-open window, Lin Zhi's eyelashes fluttered, and she finally woke up. The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was to check if the person beside her was still there.
Upon seeing Jiang Chuting, a smile suddenly appeared on her previously sleepy face, and she said in a lazy voice, "Good morning, Chu Ran."
Her bright and cheerful smile was refreshing, and Jiang Chuting said softly, "Good morning."
The two got up, washed up, changed their clothes, and ate breakfast together. Lin Zhi was still the same as before; instead of sitting in an empty space, she insisted on sitting close to Jiang Chuting, as if eating tasted better when they were squeezed together.
In the morning, Jiang Chuting planned to go out, but Lin Zhi stopped him and asked, "Do you want to go to Changhuan Garden?"
"Hmm." With Baoqi in trouble, it's less likely that the person behind it will target the people at Changhuan Garden again. But just in case, he still plans to go find Nongyu and tell her if she encounters any suspicious people or things in the future.
"I knew it." Lin Zhi smiled and pulled him back to sit down. "But you don't need to go."
Jiang Chuting looked at him, puzzled: "Why?"
Lin Zhi sat down next to him, looked him in the eye, and said, "I have already arranged people in Changhuan Garden and several other brothels. They will come to report to me every five days what they have seen and heard, and whether there is anything unusual. If you want to know anything, just ask."
Jiang Chuting had indeed seen him talking to his subordinates outside for quite a while; it turned out that was about this.
Lin Zhi analyzed, "If there really is some conspiracy behind this, they certainly wouldn't concentrate in one place. After a while, I will start from brothels and entertainment venues in other places and continue to send people down. If our guess is correct, we will definitely find useful clues in no time."
If there are enough people, this is a very good and comprehensive method, much faster than him searching around on his own. Jiang Chuting's eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded approvingly, "You've put your mind to this."
Lin Zhi didn't mean it; he just had feelings for her, but of course he wouldn't say it out loud.
"It's nothing. If we investigate together, we can prevent more people from becoming victims." Lin Zhi picked up her teacup, took a couple of sips, and then looked up at him again, asking, "Chu Ran, when do you plan to leave again?"
"tomorrow."
"If I find any information later, how should I contact you?"
Jiang Chuting thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we write a letter and have someone deliver it..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Zhi rejected the idea, saying, "I'm afraid that's not appropriate. There are some things that can't be clearly explained in a letter. Besides, if you have other questions, wouldn't that just make the messenger run around like crazy?"
"This..." He was the one who dragged Lin Zhi into this matter. Lin Zhi had already done enough by providing manpower and effort, and it was really not good to have his people go back and forth to deliver messages. After thinking it over, it was the only appropriate thing for him to do it himself.
But if that's the case, then he'll inevitably have to run into Lin Zhi again in the future...
Lin Zhi looked at him with smiling dark eyes, without urging him.
Jiang Chuting pondered for a moment before finally saying, "Then I'll probably come to see you once every two weeks."
“Half a month is too long. I act impulsively and have no way to contact you. If I miss the best opportunity to investigate the clues, or if I alert the enemy, all my efforts will be in vain. Besides, the men in black we encountered last night were all highly skilled in martial arts. I don’t know if there will be others…” Lin Zhi glanced at him, stopped in time, and did not continue.
What he said made sense. If she went against her original intention to avoid seeing him, it would be better not to continue investigating. Jiang Chuting changed her mind: "Then I'll come every ten days." Half a month was too long, and five days was too short; she probably wouldn't find anything, so ten days was just right. She also instructed, "Don't act on your own no matter what you find; wait for me to come and discuss everything." Originally, she wanted to stay away from this child, but seeing things developing in a way that increasingly contradicted her wishes...
Lin Zhi originally wanted to say five days, as five days was long enough for him, but in the end he didn't say anything more and said, "Okay, ten days." Ten days again. He hadn't forgotten how he had endured the last ten days.
And so the matter was settled. Jiang Chuting suddenly remembered something and asked Lin Zhidao, "Anyang isn't close to here. Are you planning to stay here and not go home for the time being? Or..."
"I told you before that you could come to the Lin family to see me when you had time, and after you agreed, I did plan to go home. That way, you wouldn't be unable to find me at my house. But now you don't need to go back. I'll stay wherever I can wait for you."
Jiang Chuting was just saying it; she didn't really intend to go find him. Seeing how seriously he took it, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt: "Then your mother..."
“I made a promise with my mother that she won’t interfere in my affairs for a year. As long as I have enough fun outside, I can come home and get married after a year.” Lin Zhi curled up the corners of his mouth, his eyes fixed on Jiang Chuting’s face. “I’ll spend this year outside and see if I can meet my destined one, someone I love in return.”
"I see," Jiang Chuting nodded knowingly, and smiled at him, saying, "We will definitely meet."
His tone was almost one of sincere blessing. Lin Zhi studied him for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer and asked earnestly, "And you, Chu Ran, have you ever met someone with whom you share mutual affection?"
Caught off guard, Jiang Chuting paused for a moment. "I... I do." He admitted it instinctively, without deliberately lying to him.
Lin Zhi's eyes darkened, and her expression suddenly turned very displeased, but the corners of her mouth were still curved as she pressed on, "Really? Are you still together now?"
Jiang Chuting's voice softened: "We've been separated for quite some time now."
Hearing this, Lin Zhi suppressed the deep emotions welling up in her eyes and stopped asking questions. She simply gazed at him and said with great certainty, "Chu Ran, you will definitely deserve someone better in the future."
Recalling his previous extremely sarcastic remark, "She doesn't look that great, how could my dad be so infatuated with you?", the contrast was like night and day. Jiang Chuting's lips twitched, and he suddenly found it somewhat amusing. But of course, he couldn't bring himself to laugh.
After lunch, Lin Zhi took Jiang Chuting to a quiet residence in the city. The place wasn't large, but it was elegant and tasteful. Jiang Chuting liked it very much.
As they strolled and chatted, Lin Zhi said to him, "If you ever come to find me in the future, come to this Lovesick Cottage."
Jiang Chuting nodded, her attention drawn to the name of the small dwelling, and couldn't help but ask, "Xiangsi Xiaozhu? Why is it called that?"
Lin Zhi turned to look at him and said, "Perhaps the owner of this place experienced the pain of unrequited love here, so he poured his feelings into this place."
Jiang Chuting suddenly felt quite uncomfortable being stared at like that, so she looked away and pretended to look around at the scenery, saying, "Perhaps you guessed right."
“However, I am the owner of this place now.” Lin Zhi looked at his profile and asked with a smile, “Chu Ran, do you like this name? If you do, I won’t change it.”
Jiang Chuting said, "This name is quite good."
“Then I won’t change it.” Lin Zhi’s tone was slow, and her originally clear voice became much lower: “I just don’t know if I will be affected by the previous owner and suffer the pain of unrequited love when I live here in the future.”
Jiang Chuting glanced at him. How could someone so young have such feelings? Could it be that he already has a girl he likes? However, even if he brought it up himself, Jiang Chuting certainly wouldn't ask.
Lin Zhicha smiled at him, and he smiled back.
Jiang Chuting spent another night there and planned to go back early the next morning.
Lin Zhi knew very well that, given his character, he would never abandon this matter. Therefore, he wasn't worried at all that he wouldn't come after ten days.
But knowing this doesn't stop me from wanting to let go. There's nothing I can do for now; this is the only way for the time being.
Lin Zhi accompanied him for a while, until finally, Jiang Chuting stopped letting him see him off.
Before parting, Jiang Chuting reminded him, "Remember to change your arm dressing on time and don't get it wet."
Lin Zhi's eyes crinkled, revealing her canine teeth, and she smiled with a childlike innocence: "I know, I'll remember. You have to come then!"
"Definitely." Jiang Chuting stood there for a moment, then felt that there was nothing else to say, and turned to leave.
After his figure disappeared from sight, Lin Zhi's eyes flickered slightly. He then opened his right hand, revealing a small medicine bottle in his palm. Inside was the Thousand-Mile Fragrance he had obtained the day before. A small amount applied to the skin would retain its fragrance for twelve hours, allowing hunting dogs to track the trail. He had originally intended to use it on him to ascertain his true identity and why he was always so mysterious. However, after some thought, he decided against it. He felt that using too many tricks on him would be a desecration.
Just wait at the Lovesick Abode. For this person, waiting is the best long-term solution.
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