Chapter 201 Zhizhi, Zhizhi
As she put it, it was a face crisscrossed with scars.
The half of his face below his eyes, which should have been beautiful, was shattered and fragmented, with withered vines crawling all over his skin, making it impossible to recognize his original features.
She didn't lie to him?
Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised.
Moreover, just like Jiang Zhi, she dared to slap him the first time they met.
Why do they look so alike?
In a moment of panic, Jiang Zhi slapped him, but now she deeply regrets it.
I shouldn't have acted so impulsively.
Fortunately, I am naturally vigilant, and although the disguise on my face is troublesome, I have never failed to do so.
Otherwise, the truth would have been exposed today.
She took the veil from his hand and put it back on.
Lu Yuan concealed the disappointment in his eyes and took a step back.
“It was I who overstepped my bounds, but this slap…” He paused, even feeling that the slap was very familiar to him, “Never mind.”
This means they're planning to let her go.
Jiang Zhi also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Please keep my contact with the Canal Gang a secret, Lord Lu," Jiang Zhi added.
Lu Yuan agreed and casually pushed a small plate of cherry pastries in front of her, saying, "To express my apology, I will treat you to tea today."
Jiang Zhi looked at the cherry pastry in front of her.
He then shook his head.
“I don’t like things that are too sweet,” she said with a perfectly timed smile. “These were all ordered by Yuan’er. Since Lord Lu is treating, I’ll have the shopkeeper pack them up for her to take down.”
“That’s a real shame,” Lu Yuan said, picking up the small, delicate cherry pastry. “I used to have a friend who loved eating these little things.”
"Oh," Jiang Zhi replied indifferently.
“It’s a pity she’s dead.” Lu Yuan stared at her.
Jiang Zhi remained expressionless. "Lord Lu, please accept my condolences."
"But then she came back to life."
"That's... wonderful."
After faking her death and leaving the Eastern Palace, she did not seek any information about Kyoto in order to completely cut off any clues about herself.
Having lived in Xuzhou for so long, I've only occasionally heard others mention it, and I've never taken the initiative to ask.
To this day, she still doesn't know whether Xiao Xuanyou or Shen Ci'an truly believed she was dead, or whether they discovered her empty coffin.
But she had no intention of returning to Kyoto, and whatever they thought about it, it had nothing to do with her anymore.
She was still somewhat surprised to hear Lu Yuan mention it now.
Sure enough, they found out she wasn't dead.
Then I need to hide even better.
Otherwise, if Xiao Xuanyou catches her again, she will definitely not have another chance to escape.
Lu Yuan couldn't glean anything from her eyes and said calmly, "Unfortunately, no matter how hard I search, I can't find her."
"Is it possible that your friend doesn't want to go back to her old life?" Jiang Zhi suddenly asked.
Lu Yuan frowned, "Don't you want to go back to your old life?"
“Yes, otherwise why would she try to escape by dying?” Jiang Zhi tried to comfort him. “Why can’t we respect her wishes, let her disappear, and live the life she wants?”
Lu Yuan's expression turned serious.
It seems he never asked Jiang Zhi what kind of life she wanted.
Their initial closeness was merely a matter of mutual exploitation and cooperation. By the time he gradually realized his feelings for her, she had already become engaged to Shen Ci'an and then married him.
Lu Yuan suddenly remembered a sentence that Shen Ci'an had said to him in prison after he learned that Jiang Zhi and Shen Ci'an were engaged.
"You don't understand what she really wants... Pressuring her too much will only backfire."
I see.
Shen Ci'an knew what kind of life she wanted, which is why Jiang Zhi ultimately chose him.
I hadn't thought about this much before, but now it all makes sense.
Some thought emerged from the depths of Lu Yuan's heart, lingering around him in subtle ways.
"Whatever she wants, I want to hear it from her own mouth." Lu Yuan's expression was indifferent, but his eyes were sharp as if they were coated with frost.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade her, Jiang Zhi became too lazy to say anything more.
She loves her life now.
There is no hatred, no fear of being implicated, and no need to fight to the death with those people.
The spice business with the Canal Gang has been on track.
Once she has saved enough money, she will find a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains. If she is happy, she will marry a handsome and obedient young man; if she is not happy, she will live out the rest of her life alone.
She didn't think much about the rest.
*
Jiang Zhi introduced Lu Yuan to Ye Liangze, the young leader of the Cao Gang.
She had put in a lot of effort to get in touch with this young gang leader.
Now that Lu Yuan is going to benefit from this, she feels quite resentful.
Lu Yuan and Ye Liangze arrived shortly after they had been waiting in the private room.
Having been involved in the canal transport for a long time, Ye Liangze had a rare bronze complexion in Xuzhou, deep-set eyes, dark green pupils, and a slightly pointed canine tooth when he smiled.
It is said that Ye Liangze's mother was a Hu woman, and he also has half Hu blood. His long black hair is slightly curled, and he is tall with broad shoulders. Standing next to Lu Yuan, he is not inferior in terms of imposing presence.
He first nodded to Lu Yuan, then went straight forward and embraced Jiang Zhi, who had also stood up.
Lu Yuan's eyes trembled slightly, and a sudden, inexplicable irritation rose in his heart. His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists.
However, Ye Liangze only hugged her briefly before letting go, unable to hide the smile on his face. "Zhizhi, we haven't seen each other for three or four days. I miss you so much."
He smiled, revealing a set of white teeth, and the wolf fangs hanging from his neck by a leather rope swayed gently, exuding an untamed wildness.
Zhizhi, Zhizhi.
Lu Yuan felt a slight tightness in his chest.
He dared to call her that.
Jiang Zhi glanced at Lu Yuan and couldn't help but explain, "Young Master Ye lived outside the Great Wall in his childhood and is naturally unruly. Please don't take it to heart, Brother Lu."
Lu Yuan is using the alias Lu Zhao this time, and his public identity is that of a wealthy businessman from the capital.
"It's alright," Lu Yuan said coldly.
Ji Zhiya only resembles Jiang Zhi somewhat; who she is close to is none of his business.
After the three sat down and exchanged brief introductions and pleasantries, they quickly got down to business.
Ye Liangze was cheerful and open-minded, and Lu Yuan was eager to make his acquaintance. In the short time it took to drink and chat, the two became familiar with each other.
"I wonder how many goods Brother Lu is transporting from Xuzhou to the capital this time?" Ye Liangze asked.
"There are about ten cargo ships, and I don't have many people. Boatmen, trackers, cooks, and so on all need to be arranged."
"No problem, no problem. Since Brother Lu is Zhizhi's friend, I will definitely arrange the most reliable manpower for you, and the price will be the lowest among all the fleets," Ye Liangze said loudly.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan raised his glass and said, "Then I would like to thank Young Master Ye in advance. I would like to offer you a toast."
"Brother Lu, you're too kind," Ye Liangze downed his liquor in one gulp without even flinching. "It's all for Zhizhi's sake. Who can blame me for liking her?"
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and gave Jiang Zhi a meaningful look.
For some reason, Jiang Zhi felt a little guilty.
Ye Liangze never hid his feelings for her. She had rejected him before, citing her ugly appearance, but he didn't mind at all.
Because she had to do spice business with the Canal Gang, she couldn't refuse too much, so she maintained a distant but not too close relationship with him.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with doing so.
If given the opportunity, it wouldn't be a bad idea to develop a relationship with this exotic young man in the future.
But now, being looked at by Lu Yuan felt as if he could see through all her dark thoughts, making the tips of her ears turn slightly red.
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