The curtain falls
"Thump!" Lin Jianye kicked Lin Haoyu hard.
Before Lin Haoyu could react, he was already kneeling on the stone bricks. Looking up, Lin Jianye seemed to be in a state of extreme anxiety, pointing at him for a long time without being able to speak.
She glanced furtively at Master Wan and saw his cold and stern face, which he kept hidden. She panicked for a moment and swallowed her anger, which was stuck in her throat.
Su Wanting lowered her head and thought to herself, "My master guessed right. Sure enough, as soon as the topic of drug testing came up, Lin Jianye would definitely change his mind and believe her."
"Apologize to Manman! Apologize to this girl!" Lin Jianye said, kicking her again.
Shen Manman sniffed, pursed her lips, and tears fell. She was pampered by her parents and doted on by her brother. She had never suffered any injustice in her life. After hearing what had happened, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She pushed away Shen Ming's hand, covered her mouth, and ran out.
Lin Jianye sneered, "Aren't you going to chase after them?"
"Forget it," Shen Ming tripped Lin Haoyu by the back of the knee, strode out, and said, "The engagement is off."
“Hey, Young Master Shen.”
The person has already gone far away.
Lin Haoyu glanced at Lin Jianye's expression, then limped after him.
Lin Jianye lost his grip on the door frame, and his sorrowful expression instantly ignited the anger of the audience outside the hall.
Immediately, someone spoke up in her defense: "Now she's satisfied. She's happy that she couldn't ruin Young Master Lin and Miss Shen's engagement."
"She doesn't think that by getting Young Master Lin and Miss Shen to break up, she'll have a chance to rise in their position, does she?"
"Young Master Lin, once you've been blind, can you be blind a second time?"
The voices were clearly audible, but Lin Jianye seemed not to hear them, letting the public opinion fester.
Meng Qing couldn't stand it anymore and retorted, "You all have daughters and sisters too. Your daughters and sisters are being bullied, and you can just stand here and talk without any remorse?"
"If we can win Young Master Lin's heart for three years, what does it matter if we don't end up together?"
Who says dating necessarily means marriage?
“We didn’t say that Mr. Lin’s infidelity was wrong, but anyone can expose it, except her. A person who tramples on sincerity will never receive sincerity in this lifetime.”
"Yes, those who trample on sincerity should go to hell."
Meng Qing seemed to have heard a joke: "Really?"
"Poor young master Lin, he gave his heart to the wrong person. Why did he choose her? And why did he give her so much money?"
"He's pitiful?" Meng Qing's tongue swept across her gums. If she had known that Lin Jianye's followers were so infuriating, she really shouldn't have agreed to Gu Nan's request to help protect Su Wanting.
It seems Lin Jianye has completely brainwashed these people.
"Patriarch Lin, please give me an explanation."
Before Su Wanting finished speaking, the audience outside the hall were filled with righteous indignation.
You have the nerve to demand an explanation!
"If it weren't for you, would Miss Shen have been driven away in anger?"
"It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage, don't you understand?"
"Miss Shen left in anger, and you're still not satisfied?"
"You don't want the Lin family head to acknowledge you as his daughter-in-law, do you?"
The insults grew increasingly outrageous. Lin Jianye leaned against the doorframe, pretending not to hear. Qiu Jingxun, unable to bear it any longer, went over to Lin Jianye and reminded him, "Patriarch Lin, control yourself..."
Lin Jianye looked up suddenly, as if waking from a dream: "It looks like it's going to rain, everyone should go down the mountain early and be careful."
The mountain wind howled past, and conversations resembling "good people don't get rewarded" gradually faded into the distance.
Lin Jianye stepped out of the door, but Master Wan was a step behind. His shrewd gaze swept over Lu Yushi, and he said sarcastically, "Yushi is indeed becoming more and more like the head of the family. It seems that I am getting old and I am unwilling to do things to the extreme."
Lu Yushi paused for a moment, then glanced at him indifferently.
Meng Qing clicked her tongue: "Hiring someone to kill an illegitimate child when the child was born in wedlock, Master Wan, have you even sorted out your own family affairs? You still have the mind to meddle in other people's business."
After saying that, he pulled Su Wanting and turned to leave, raising his voice without looking back: "The Lin family head can handle the money in the box himself. Distribute it to those rabble so they can continue to make false claims for you without distinguishing right from wrong."
Su Wanting turned around decisively, her eyes clear and without any trace of gloom, as if a grand drama had come to an end. She was too lazy to maintain her expression and had no interest in pressing Lin Jianye for an explanation.
Lin Jianye's eyelids drooped, obscuring half of his eyeballs, and his cloudy eyes held an eerie light as he stared straight at her back.
The hall was filled with Buddhist light behind him, and his sinister gaze was strangely incongruous. A deep wind swirled up fallen leaves, and his figure disappeared into the distance. The weariness on Lin Jianye's face vanished, his palms clenched tightly, and he was furious yet had no choice but to be respectful.
"Young Master Lu, you meant to remind Young Master Shen, but you don't have to embarrass me. Making Hao Yu look bad in public also makes Manman lose face."
Lu Yushi ignored him, and the air seemed to freeze.
Master Wan strode out the door with his hands behind his back and declared, "Let's go sit in Xiangshan Palace."
The tone of the command left no room for argument.
Qiu Jingxun made a move, but was stopped by Lu Yushi's gaze. He exchanged a glance with Sun Qian and strode away.
The noisy hall fell silent instantly. The two looked at each other without speaking. As the wind blew and the clouds rose, the chanting of sutras from the next hall came softly.
"Young Master Lu means that we should go down the mountain first."
"Huh?" Qiu Jingxun looked him up and down, and sighed in surprise, "You knew what he meant with just one look?"
Sun Qian nodded, quite proudly.
Although he was not as good as the other four in the company, he was far superior to them when it came to understanding the boss's thoughts.
Qiu Jingxun leaned closer, gesturing with his chin, and asked, "Then guess what Yu Shi thinks of Gu Nan?"
"Well."
"How so?"
"Mr. Lu probably doesn't even know it himself."
"..." Qiu Jingxun looked disgusted. "You're quite good at making excuses for yourself."
Sun Qian mumbled, not wanting to speak, firmly believing that she hadn't guessed wrong. President Lu appreciated intelligent people, and would treat Miss Gu, who was skilled at planning and could even scheme against President Lu, with extra favor.
He had never seen Lu Yushi like anyone else, but at least, Lu Yushi's feelings for Gu Nan were definitely different from those for others.
The two bickered as they descended the mountain. By the time they passed the low pavilion, it was completely dark, a strong wind was blowing, carrying away broken branches and blocking the stone steps, and the earthy smell in the air was growing stronger.
Sun Qian pushed aside the leaves blocking his way, stepped aside to signal Qiu Jingxun to go first, and amidst the whistling wind, his phone suddenly beeped and then disappeared.
The dark clouds were so thick they looked like they were about to drip ink. Sun Qian had no time to trace the source of the sound and followed Qiu Jingxun down the mountain quickly.
Footsteps were drowned out by the strong wind. Gu Nan turned sideways from behind the tree, playing with her phone while chewing on a leaf.
Jin Yan: [Boss, that woman went back to the hotel. Is the mission complete?]
【Um. 】
Jin Yan: [If I'm not mistaken, the person beside her is Meng Qing! Meng Qing went to protect her, why are you still bothering me? Do you know how difficult it is to walk on a mountain path without steps?!]
Gu Nan raised an eyebrow: "If you don't mind being resented by Lu Yushi and being targeted by Master Wan, you could actually step in. Interested? I'll contact you next time."
"Boom!"
A thunderclap exploded in the pitch-black sky, lightning cleaved the heavens, and the surroundings were suddenly illuminated by blinding light.
She closed her phone and raised her hand to shield her eyes; soon, the rain poured down in torrents.
He lowered his arm, looked up, and saw that there was another person in the low pavilion.
?
Their eyes met, and they saw a hint of dissatisfaction in each other's eyes.
"Hehe, what a coincidence," Gu Nan greeted with a forced smile.
The sound of rain pattered past Lu Yushi, who let out a soft, cold snort.
Gu Nan: ?
"What kind of attitude is that? What did I do to you?"
A confident and assertive retort.
Lu Yushi was so angry that he laughed, clenching his back teeth, unable to open his mouth for a moment.
Su Wanting could have directly asked Shen Ming for help. Shen Ming dotes on his sister and would naturally have allowed her to produce evidence to verify its authenticity.
After a standoff, the person seeking help turned out to be someone completely unrelated to the matter.
If he doesn't help, and the matter is posted online, the Lu family will be in the news that very day.
Whenever Su Wanting spoke, her firm voice made it hard for Master Wan not to suspect that he had set her up. Meng Qing's deliberate words on his behalf before leaving only fueled Master Wan's suspicions.
Gu Nan didn't even show her face, yet she easily created three enemies for him.
It's a grand game of chess, and everyone is a pawn. He, as the sole victim, was manipulated and forbidden to speak out, while the instigator cried foul first.
"No?"
Gu Nan feigned grievance: "You've been cold and sarcastic to me ever since you came in. What, did you build this pavilion? Am I not worthy to stay with you and take shelter from the rain?"
“Turning the tables on her.” Lu Yushi sighed, not wanting to argue with her.
If it weren't for the discovery that Su Wanting was related to her, and that Meng Qing was her good friend, judging from her expression, one would really think she had suffered a great injustice.
"What's the meaning?"
Lu Yushi remained silent.
He considered himself to be quite tolerant of Gu Nan, having been schemed against by her multiple times without retaliating, and admitted that he was exceptionally indulgent because of his admiration for her.
His original intention in coming to Xingyin Temple was indeed to sever ties with the Shen family and Master Wan. Although Gu Nan's actions did not inadvertently facilitate his plans.
But he dislikes falling into other people's traps and being forced to move forward.
I really dislike it.
Ignoring Gu Nan's gaze, he turned around on his own.
The torrential rain poured down, carrying a devastating force that swept over everything. Rainwater slid down the corner of the pavilion, forming a curtain of water that fell rapidly, with raindrops splashing everywhere and landing on my sleeves, leaving them feeling cold.
The strong wind blew the rain down at an angle, and the cold wind swept over my face, calming down most of my anger.
He paused, then turned around.
Gu Nan squatted on the stone bench, her knees curled up to her chest, her loose sweatshirt covering her ankles, her hair loose and messy, draped over her shoulders, curling up into a ball, trying to trap the warmth.
He looked around.
The low pavilion was drafty, and when the rain poured down, even the stone table inside could be chilled by the wind.
His thick eyelashes drooped in an arc, concealing the indescribable undercurrents in his heart. He silently took off his coat, stepped in front of Gu Nan, and raised his hand to offer it to her.
The dim light was blocked by a shadow, and Gu Nan subconsciously looked up, her face full of question marks. This person was just about to strangle her, and now he's kindly bringing her clothes?
She preferred to believe that Lu Yushi planned to strangle her with his clothes and then dump her body in the wilderness.
He raised his hand and gestured twice: "Let me tell you, you may not be my match."
Before she could finish speaking, her coat was ruthlessly tossed onto her arm by its owner, who then turned and walked back to the pavilion to take shelter from the rain.
Gu Nan was stunned for a moment, unable to move. Her coat was piled on her arms, still carrying the warmth of her body. The warmth spread from her arms throughout her body, and the earthy smell in the air was masked by the elegant fragrance of sandalwood.
She remembered that she didn't like the smell of agarwood.
A pang of conscience made him gaze at Lu Yushi's retreating figure.
The person standing at the corner of the pavilion was tall and straight, unafraid of wind and rain. Raindrops splashed and sprayed water, half of which seeped into his shirt, staining the cold white shirt with floral patterns.
Gu Nan pulled her coat tighter, her limbs warming up, but her heart tightened again, condemning the unease within her.
He broke the oppressive atmosphere in the pavilion by speaking: "Actually, you're a pretty good person."
Lu Yushi didn't move, but a smile appeared on his lips, as if he were helpless. He thought to himself, "I've been tricked by you, and I can't bear to see you freeze. If I were to call you a bad person, it would be a terrible injustice."
“With such heavy rain, Sun Qian can’t bring people up the mountain for a while. How about we chat? Aren’t you cold standing there?” Gu Nan pursed her lips and called out slowly, “Boyfriend, have you ever been in a relationship? I feel like our relationship is a little different from normal people’s.”
Lu Yushi silently grumbled to himself, "What normal person would try to ruin their boyfriend like this?"
He turned around as instructed.
Lightning illuminated the dark rain curtain.
His usually calm pupils suddenly contracted, and despite his best efforts to control his expression, he still couldn't suppress the unnaturalness.
The figure in the pavilion overlapped with the blurry image in my memory.
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