Although Yi Ning didn't know who those two people were, she guessed from Luo Shenyuan's expression that he knew.
She followed Luo Shenyuan and could see Cheng Lang through the gaps between the bamboo leaves.
Yining heard Cheng Lang's gentle, slow, and meaningful voice: "Fourth Uncle said that we must bring that person back. But you told me he's missing?"
The guard whispered, "Second Young Master, I'm a poor servant. You said you were playing chess with the monk in the alley. But when we went there, the place was completely deserted..."
Before he could finish his words, Cheng Lang suddenly raised his hand and slapped him in the face.
The slap was so loud that the guard turned his head away and his face quickly became red and swollen.
Cheng Lang said coldly, "Who taught you to make excuses? If someone is missing, won't you go look for them?"
Yining was also frightened by the slap.
She looked at the tall, graceful Cheng Lang, and thought of the pleading look in Luo Yiyu's eyes, and she almost held her breath.
One of the guards admitted his mistake and left. Cheng Lang turned back, his face grim.
When Yi Ning saw his expression, she somehow thought of the words on the note from He Bao and Cheng Lang's ambiguous attitude towards Luo Yi Yu.
She suddenly felt an inexplicable dull pain, slowly spreading in her heart. Why had that child back then become like this? Was this unfamiliar Cheng Lang the same child who had leaned on her shoulder, catching dragonflies for her to see?
How come she doesn't recognize him at all?
A breeze blew by, and the shadows of the bamboos on the ground swayed, and the sash tied around Yining's waist also fluttered with it.
The other guard immediately raised his head alertly and looked towards the bamboo forest: "Who is there?"
After hearing this, Yi Ning subconsciously looked at herself and saw the shadow of a ribbon moving on the ground. She could tell at a glance that someone was hiding there. She whispered, "Third brother, I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
Luo Shenyuan glanced down at Yi Ning's sash and sighed. "It's nothing. This is the Luo Mansion. They wouldn't dare act rashly. Stand here and don't leave." He then walked out and smiled at Cheng Lang, saying, "Second Master Cheng isn't always known for his gentle manners and good manners. He even slapped a servant."
Cheng Lang first glanced at the bamboo forest.
There was another person there, but Luo Shenyuan hid her.
Cheng Lang was somewhat curious about Luo Shenyuan; he knew he held many secrets. But strangely, no one in the Luo family knew of his uniqueness. Even his father, grandmother, and others didn't take him seriously. When his two older brothers mentioned him, their tone was unabashedly indifferent.
He retracted his gaze and smiled faintly: "It turns out that Mr. Luo San still has the habit of eavesdropping on others. If Mr. Luo San really wants to listen, you can just tell me and I will tell you everything."
"I'm not in the habit of doing that. I just saw Second Young Master Cheng dealing with his servants, so I didn't bother him." Luo Shenyuan spoke in a gentle tone, a faint smile on his face, as he spoke fluently. "Besides, Second Young Master Cheng also has a hobby of stalking others. It's just mutual."
Cheng Lang looked at him without saying anything.
"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Cheng. Please continue." Luo Shenyuan nodded slightly and stepped back.
Cheng Lang signaled the guards around him to follow quietly: "No need to get close, just see who he is with."
He stood in the shade of a tree, hands behind his back, waiting. After a while, the guard returned and said to him, "Luo Shenyuan is with his sister, the seventh daughter of the Luo family. Second Young Master, do you want to..."
Cheng Lang still remembered this seventh young lady, who had the same name as her, "Yining".
He looked at the lotus flowers growing on the lake, as if he was thinking about something. He paused and said, "Since it's just a child, forget it. You pack your things, and we'll return tomorrow."
He stroked the jade pendant in his palm, suddenly recalling the summers of his childhood at the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion. The lattice fan was open, letting in a cool breeze. A sweet incense burner filled the room. He sat on her lap, trying to raise his head high, watching as Yining's delicate white fingers pointed at the words on the book, teaching him to read sentence by sentence: "...I only love the lotus, which rises from the mud without being stained, and washes in the clear water without being coquettish. It is straight inside and out, without vines or branches, its fragrance becomes clearer as it spreads, and it stands tall and pure. Lang'er, have you memorized these words? In the future, you must be a gentleman like the lotus."
When he was young, he said obediently: "Lang Ge'er knows, I remember everything my aunt said."
She smiled and touched his head.
He had promised her that year. Perhaps she had already anticipated the absurdity of the Lu and Cheng families before her death... But he was in power, how could he stay clean?
Cheng Lang clenched the jade pendant and closed his eyes for a while.
Luo Shenyuan sent Yining back to Old Lady Luo. On the way, Yining was still thinking about Cheng Lang.
Yining knew she shouldn't have any more contact with him, even though she felt heartbroken for the child she had raised and was horrified that he had become like this. But what could she do? He was already this old, and she was no longer the Luo Yining of the Ningyuan Marquisate.
No matter how ridiculous he is, it's his business.
When Mrs. Luo saw that Luo Shenyuan had sent her back, she invited Luo Shenyuan to have lunch.
The old lady didn't seem anxious about Luo Shenyuan's studies. Instead, she said, "The Autumn Examination is only a month away. Your elder and second brothers study all day long, as if they were facing a great enemy. I'm afraid they're getting bored. Why don't you stay here today and read with Yining? It'll be nice to have some free time."
Luo Shenyuan had no objection and followed Mrs. Luo's advice. He actually took a book and read it beside her without saying a word.
Yi Ning spent the entire afternoon reading with Luo Shenyuan until Luo Shenyuan saw her face was full of bitterness, staring at the pages with a look of deep resentment. Then he put the book away and asked her, "Have you read enough?"
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