Gu Jiangli threw down those words and left, refusing to turn back no matter how much Jiang Huaisong insulted her from behind.
She had already witnessed the losses that the original owner had suffered.
Since she is now in control of this body and Jiang Huaisong is not a target of the mission, there is no need to get entangled with him anymore. It would be better to draw a clear line between them.
What she needs to focus on now is her mission target, the city lord's eldest son, Jiang Huaizhi.
The man who was sickly yet gentle and refined in the original owner's memories.
Zizai had warned her not to trust the original owner's memories too much about this man, so she would definitely have to put in more effort.
Gu Jiangli arrived at the corner of the corridor on the other side of the courtyard.
This is the only way for people from Jianghuai to attend banquets in the front hall.
She had to wait here and meet this man.
Before long, several footsteps came from the other side of the corner.
It's time.
She ruffled her hair at her temples, pulled her clothes down at her shoulders to slightly reveal her fair skin, and after gathering her emotions, squeezed out a few tears.
With everything ready, she took a deep breath and ran towards the other side of the corridor.
She had only run two steps when she bumped into a man's arms.
She feigned panic and quickly backed away, but her steps faltered, and she cried out as she leaned backward.
Just then, an arm caught her around the waist, preventing her from falling into an embarrassing situation.
The man was dressed in white with black hair, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, fair skin, and delicate features. His eyes were dark and deep, like ink-colored gemstones, radiating a serene light.
He is exactly the same as the eldest son in the original owner's memories.
However, seeing her beauty in person was even more captivating than I remembered.
"Miss Gu?" The servant beside Jiang Huaizhi called out with great confusion after seeing her face clearly.
Gu Jiangli hurriedly stood up, quickly taking several steps back. She frantically wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes and choked out, "..."
"I have offended the young master. Please forgive me."
Jiang Huaizhi's smile was like a gentle breeze, and he said softly:
"It's alright, it doesn't matter."
He saw tears still on her beautiful face, her hair was a little messy, and her clothes were torn, so his expression became much more worried.
He turned his head and gave a wink to the servant, who immediately took out a cloak and handed it to a maid, who then draped it over Gu Jiangli's shoulders.
Jiang Huai asked with a hint of concern, "Miss Gu, has something happened?"
Gu Jiangli frowned, gripped his cloak tightly, tears welling in his eyes, and hesitated to speak.
"Miss Gu, there's no need to be afraid. Once you're here at the City Lord's Mansion, you're a guest. If anyone bullies our guest, we'll definitely seek justice for you."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jiangli seemed to have suffered a great injustice, and her eyes welled up with even more tears. She bit her lip, the words stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Huaizhi's worry deepened. Then, as if he had thought of something, he asked:
"Miss Gu, are you not speaking because you dare not? Do you feel that even the City Lord's Mansion cannot seek justice for you? Could it be that the person who bullied you is Huai Song?"
Gu Jiangli immediately knelt down, tears welling up in her eyes, sobbing uncontrollably:
“Young Master, let’s pretend we didn’t see anything today. Rumors about me and the Second Young Master are all over the city. If others find out that the Second Young Master came to see me in private today, my reputation will be completely ruined.”
"What?! Huai Song actually went to see you without my permission?"
Jiang Huai hurriedly helped her up, his face a mixture of shock and anger. He then quickly asked the people around him, "What are the rumors circulating in the city?"
His attendant stepped forward somewhat awkwardly and whispered a few words in Jiang Huaizhi's ear.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaizhi's expression turned even more shocked, as if he were hearing such a rumor for the first time: "Is this really true?!"
He looked at Gu Jiangli, who was still sobbing with her head down, not saying a word.
Based on what she just said, it's clear that the person who bullied her was Jiang Huaisong.
However, because Jiang Huaisong was the son of the city lord, Gu Jiangli could not resist him, which is why she suffered grievances at his hands.
“Miss Gu, it seems that the rumors circulating in the streets are all untrue.”
Gu Jiangli raised her aggrieved eyes and sobbed softly:
"I don't know why such rumors are circulating in the city. The Second Young Master and I only glanced at each other on the boat on the Qixi Festival. He waved to me, and I bowed back. That's all."
"After that, the second young master did come to see me, but I politely declined each time."
"But rumors have spread throughout the city that I have secretly fallen for the Second Young Master, and that we have been meeting in secret and exchanging gifts..."
"I have no way to explain myself; no matter how I try, no one will listen. Today, I came to celebrate the city lord's birthday, and the second young master again asked to see me. I thought it would be good to see him at the city lord's mansion, to clarify things, and to make the second young master give up on me and not come looking for me again. But he..."
Gu Jiangli stopped there, covering her mouth with sobs.
She doesn't need to elaborate on what happened afterward; that's for the person in front of her to imagine.
Seeing the look of pity in Jiang Huaizhi's eyes, she continued:
"Young Master, please pretend you never saw me today, and pretend nothing happened. If this gets out, I really... can't imagine how much gossip it will cause."
Jiang Huai had just raised his hand to comfort her when, upon hearing her last words, his gentle hand clenched into a fist, and he said angrily:
"That Huai Song is really too much, cough cough cough..."
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