Take the lead
Time passed second by second, but the dark clouds showed no sign of dissipating, and the mountain wind rose again, howling and pressing the light even darker.
The sound of a phone notification drifted along with the falling leaves.
Your apprentice... is quite the actor.
The screen gradually dimmed, reflecting Gu Nan's face, a cruel, bloodthirsty smile playing on his lips.
She looked up at the direction of the main hall. The dense jungle blocked part of her view, and in the dim light, she could only catch a glimpse of the vague eaves. She imagined the bustling scene in front of the hall.
"Bang!"
A dull, deafening roar shattered the tranquility of the ancient temple.
The immense inertia caused the suitcase to tumble and roll, making a loud, clanging noise as it rubbed against the ground.
Everyone focused intently. Amidst the rustling wind and the sound of thunder, it was difficult to distinguish whether it was thunder or a heavy object falling. The people who had been whispering outside the hall paused for a moment, and then a new round of gossip began.
Who is this person?
"Is she crazy? Doesn't she know that the two young masters from the Lu and Shen families are also inside?"
"The Lin family head is a kind person who likes to do charity, but those two are anything but kind. Who is this girl? Does she have a death wish to come in front of these two?"
"She's probably the first person to dare throw a suitcase in front of Young Master Lu and Young Master Shen. She's probably tired of living."
Every word was deaf to Su Wanting's ears. She half-squatted and half-knelt in front of the suitcase. Even without looking up, she could guess the change in Lin Haoyu's expression.
She deliberately refused to look up, making Lin Haoyu uneasy and hesitant to speak his mind directly, yet also afraid that she would reveal the truth.
Master said that she could make a fuss as much as she wanted, and the young master of the Lu family would not cause her any trouble. The young master of the Shen family doted on his younger sister and might even be grateful to her for reminding Miss Shen.
Moreover, her master also found her a highly skilled protector. According to her master, that person was extremely good at fighting, and with that person protecting her, she would be safe.
Her high shoulders trembled slightly, and even with her head bowed and her hair obscuring her face, her expression was still one of perfect pain.
Someone mustered up the courage to jog over before the bodyguards could make a move and advised, "Miss, there's more than just the Lin family head inside, there are... everyone else too. We have to be careful what we say. Please get up first, so as not to disturb the enjoyment of these distinguished guests, okay?"
As the person spoke, they gently patted Su Wanting's arm and gestured for her to go outside the courtyard gate.
Another person quickly came over and gently persuaded her, pulling her outside, "If you anger those two, you'll have to swallow all your grievances. Don't be stubborn, let's go outside and wait for Patriarch Lin."
A voice behind him urged, "Patriarch Lin is a good man. If you talk to him nicely, he will help you. Don't block the door and make things difficult for Patriarch Lin."
Su Wanting tilted her head slightly, and the bodyguard turned and retreated. Before he could even stand still, he heard the woman shout loudly, "Master Lin, please uphold justice!"
He was in tears.
The tone was lonely and mournful, carrying a sense of resolute determination to survive even in the face of death.
With a loud "boom," a muffled thunderclap resounded.
This resolute decision was tinged with sorrow.
The echoes reverberated throughout the courtyard, lingering for a long time.
A stubborn rock was thrown into the center of the lake, instantly creating a thousand waves.
Sun Qian, standing behind Lu Yushi, suddenly widened her eyes and muttered, "It's her."
Without hesitation, she stepped forward and whispered in Lu Yushi's ear: "Back then at Ganfeng Winery, she was the woman standing next to Miss Gu's friend."
Qiu Jingxun subconsciously looked at the woman, sized her up for a moment, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and said in a voice that only three people could hear, "It's Gu Nan again?" as if joking, "I feel like this Gu Nan is a bit of a persistent ghost."
Sun Qian nodded vigorously. These days, it was like being trapped in a ghost wall. No matter where he went, he couldn't escape Gu Nan. No matter what he did, he could find clues about Gu Nan. Gu Nan was more persistent than a ghost in the deep mountains.
He secretly glanced back at the Buddha statue and muttered to himself, "Is it inappropriate to talk about ghosts in front of this Buddha I don't even know?"
The Buddha statue could not answer him. Inside the main hall, the mountain breeze blew through the hall, and Lin Jianye smiled warmly and spoke gently: "Get up first, come in and tell me, what trouble have you encountered, or have you been bullied? Don't rush, tell me slowly."
His seemingly concerned gaze concealed a sharp edge as he glared fiercely at the bodyguard who hadn't managed to get rid of the woman immediately.
Outside the hall, people's admiration for Lin Jianye reached a new peak once again.
"I knew the Lin family head would get involved in this matter. There's nothing I can do about it; that's just the kind of person the Lin family head is. I even suspect that he's done so much charity work that he thinks he's some kind of saint."
“I don’t know about others, but if we’re recommending a living bodhisattva, and the Lin family head isn’t chosen, then everyone here will bear the responsibility.”
"I don't know what grievance this girl has that made her rush over during the Lin family's ancestral worship ceremony."
"Yes, thankfully the Lin family head is kind-hearted and didn't get angry when she interrupted the ancestral worship. If anyone comes to cause trouble on my important ancestral worship day, no matter what their reason is, I will make sure that person knows what it means to have good judgment."
The discussions outside the hall grew louder and louder, all of which entered the hall. Lu Yushi looked at Lin Jianye with amusement and at his suddenly straightened spine. His brow twitched and his eyes lingered briefly on Lin Haoyu.
Lin Haoyu's forced composure was clearly deliberate; his clenched fists were so tight that his fingernails seemed to dig into them, and his eyes flashed with a ruthless, sinister glint, as if he were about to unleash venom to kill someone at any moment.
"Speak."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Su Wanting didn't rush to speak or get up. She just lowered her head and sobbed, her eyelashes damp with moisture, and didn't shed a single tear for a long time.
“The Lin family head asked, so hurry up and answer. If you keep crying, the Lin family head will be busy with other things and won’t have time to uphold justice for you.”
"Today is the important day for the Lin family head to worship his ancestors. If you have something to say, say it quickly and don't waste the Lin family head's time."
"If you don't speak, then leave. If you ask, then don't answer. What's the point of crying? Patriarch Lin asked you questions kindly, and Miss Shen is backing you up. You still won't open your mouth. Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Or are you trying to hook up with Young Master Lu and Young Master Shen? Don't you even know your place? Are you even worthy?"
"It's not just Young Master Lu and Young Master Shen, there's also Young Master Lin inside. Young Master Lin and Miss Shen are about to get engaged, so don't bother."
The urging gradually turned into insults.
Sun Qian subconsciously looked at Lin Haoyu, wondering if Su Wanting was too scared to speak. He turned around and met Lu Yushi's gaze. Their eyes met and they understood each other. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Haoyu had already walked up to Su Wanting.
His broad frame cast a shadow, and the oppressive aura pressed directly against Su Wanting's face.
"What do you think this place is? Do you think you can spout nonsense in front of Young Master Lu and Young Master Shen!"
His eyes narrowed, staring intently at Su Wanting with a venomous look, his gaze warning and trying to drive her away, while he concealed the panic in his eyes perfectly.
Looking towards the door, his tone suddenly turned cold and sharp: "What are you all standing there for! Today is an important day for my father to pay respects to his ancestor, and you're all slacking off here? Letting these inexplicable people come up here and disturb his peace! Get them out of here right now."
The last few words were almost roared out, but the mountain wind was so fierce that it couldn't even begin to describe them.
The bodyguards exchanged a glance and quickly stepped forward.
Sun Qian: "Wait..."
Shen Manman: "Eh..."
"Smack!"
The trekking pole slammed heavily against the doorframe, causing dust and ash to fall from the roof beams.
At the same time, they stood in front of the bodyguards, blocking their way.
An uninvited guest slipped out from behind the door, her long legs straight and her figure tall. Dressed in a neat and capable black outfit, her high ponytail swayed slightly. She stood in front of the door with clear eyes, arms crossed, leaning against the doorway, and asked sarcastically, "Young Master Lin, are you in such a hurry to kick people out? Are you feeling guilty?"
Sun Qian stopped abruptly, subconsciously turned around, and silently met Lu Yushi's gaze. His eyes were slightly excited, and he mouthed rapidly, "It's her, Meng Qing!" It had taken him more than half a month to find Meng Qing's whereabouts, but Gu Nan had interfered with him some time ago, and he had lost track of her and never found her again.
Hearing the noise, Meng Qing glanced over and met Lu Yushi's gaze. Her surprise lingered for only a moment before she mentally cursed Gu Nan. She quickly looked away, her expression unchanged, and tapped her suitcase with her trekking pole: "Isn't anyone curious about what's inside?"
"What kind of thing is worthy of being an eyesore in front of Young Master Lu and Young Master Shen?" Lin Haoyu said fiercely but was actually weak inside. He raised his head and blocked Shen Manman, who was about to step forward. "Manman, don't go over there. Be careful."
Shen Manman took a deep breath, hesitated about the marriage again, pushed away Lin Haoyu's arm, and retorted, "What danger could a girl like her be in?"
Even though she was dissatisfied with Lin Haoyu's cold attitude and didn't understand what the woman meant by "feeling guilty," she didn't want to argue with Lin Haoyu in front of outsiders. She silently suppressed her anger, her every word and action carrying the self-possessed pride of a rich young lady. With a look of pity on her face and her eyebrows slightly furrowed, she said, "Who bullied you? Tell me, and I'll stand up for you. Get up first."
Su Wanting stood up and hastily wiped away tears that were hard to tell whether they were genuine emotions or just acting, and timidly addressed her as "Miss Chen."
"You know me?"
Su Wanting opened her mouth, seemingly hesitating over what to say.
Shen Manman patted her shoulder gently and said, "It's okay, don't worry. Just tell me what's wrong. Even if I can't help you, my brother is here. He will definitely be able to help you."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Shen Ming, who smiled helplessly, then stepped forward and coldly stared at Su Wanting: "Speak."
"I……"
The first word was abruptly interrupted by Lin Haoyu.
"It looks like it's about to rain. Why don't we pay our respects to our master first, and then go to Xiangshan Temple together later? That way we won't have to wait until it rains and the mountain roads become difficult to travel."
Sun Qian sensed that he wanted to get rid of her, and chimed in, "She does seem to have some grievances, but it's only a few words anyway, she shouldn't be so impatient."
Lin Jianye noticed his son's repeated obstruction and guessed that the girl was probably related to him. He was angry but couldn't show it, so he had to cover it up for his son.
“Haoyu is right. This rain is predicted to be quite heavy. We still have a few girls here, and if the rain gets too heavy, we’ll have a problem finding them. Let’s all disperse for now. We’ll go to Xiangshan Hall after we’ve offered incense,” he asked, but his tone left no room for argument. “You go to Xiangshan Hall and wait for me. I’ll be there right away, okay?”
Those watching the commotion outside the hall chimed in, "Yes, yes, Patriarch Lin is so thoughtful. We grown men can get soaked in the rain, but this little girl will definitely get sick if she gets wet."
"Since she won't say anything anyway, I might as well go to Xiangshan Palace to calm myself down first."
"Really, you can't get anything out of her with ten blows. She's full of important people. I don't have time to waste with her."
Shen Manman retorted, "Sick? Didn't you see she had something to say? Xingyin Temple is so big, can't it accommodate a girl to take shelter from the rain? If you weren't wasting time by taking turns saying one sentence each, you would have finished speaking long ago."
Miss Shen's bad temper could be heard from time to time in the crowd, which made Su Wanting feel very uncomfortable.
Meng Qing sneered: "Others are one thing, but isn't Young Master Lin curious?"
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