Chapter 19 Only Friend "Cousin, just now, who did you send off...?"
Lin Zhi huddled beneath the watery petals, completely concealed, yet still trembling with fear, her teeth chattering. She gritted her teeth and clung to Pei Lang's sleeve, determined not to let go.
If he discovers Xie Jin, all her efforts to persuade him today will have been in vain. Since she promised Xie Jin, she must keep her word.
Even though Pei Lang was momentarily distracted by the spring scenery, he quickly recovered and stopped in his tracks.
"What do you mean by that, cousin? Do you... want me to stay?"
Lin Zhi froze, her trembling shoulders drawing attention. After closing her eyes, she sensed Pei Lang slowly approaching, but then suddenly heard a creak.
When she opened her eyes again, the young man who had been in front of her was gone, and only the window was closed and locked from the outside.
Lin Zhi gripped the edge of the bathtub, taking a few breaths to calm herself down.
Hiding in the Pei residence wasn't a solution, and Xie Jin was worried about her sweetheart, so Lin Zhi couldn't persuade her otherwise. Under the cover of night, she secretly escorted Xie Jin to the side gate of the Pei residence.
“Miss Xie, perhaps you can’t listen to these words now, but I still have to say them.”
"Xie Shaoqing and your parents' actions were indeed inappropriate, but they ultimately meant well for you. If that person were truly reliable, they wouldn't have pushed you to this point."
"I just hope you can think this through carefully and not let temporary feelings cloud your judgment."
Lin Zhi's eyes were full of unease, as if Xie Jin would be doomed after leaving the Pei family.
She had never had any friends before, but after spending only a few days with Xie Jin, she felt a strong connection with him and didn't want to see anyone suffer.
Xie Jin listened to her words and remained silent for a moment before finally nodding heavily: "Thank you, Azhi. I've remembered everything you said."
Watching the young woman board the carriage waiting outside, Lin Zhi felt a pang of loss. She slowly let out a sigh of relief before turning back to her residence with her head down.
Looking down at the road, she noticed a dark figure in front of her. Thinking it was a servant or maid, she took a step to the side without saying a word, but unexpectedly, the person followed her and blocked her way.
Lin Zhi was already in a bad mood, and now her anger flared even more, her voice turning colder: "Insolence..."
But when she looked up and saw that the person in front of her was Pei Lang, the second half of her angry rebuke stuck in her throat, and she couldn't swallow the words.
"Cousin, who did you see out just now?"
Pei Lang's expression was relatively gentle, and his tone was soft, but to Lin Zhi, it took on a completely different meaning.
The young man's scrutinizing gaze fell upon her, seemingly pressing down on her shoulders. Lin Zhi endured her weak legs but met his gaze without fear.
She didn't believe Pei Lang. Why would someone as composed and calm as him so easily utter the words "I love you"? If he truly loved her, why did he repeatedly make things difficult for her?
Their eyes met, and Pei Lang softly repeated, "Azhi, who was the person you sent away?"
"Is it Xie Jin?"
Lin Zhi's hands, tucked into her soft sleeves, clenched tightly but still trembled slightly; Pei Lang already knew this.
"Yes, it's Xie Jin. Cousin, do you want to arrest someone and bring them back for Xie Shaoqing?"
"But I've already persuaded her to go back home. As long as she goes back and is honest with her parents and brothers, everything can be discussed!"
Under the moonlight, Lin Zhi's aloof and stubborn, fair and pretty face was like a piece of jade, yet it stirred up a sense of aggression in Pei Lang's heart, which had never been turbulent before.
"Since you know her identity, you naturally know why she fled the Xie family."
"You think you're helping her? You think you can persuade her to save her?"
Pei Lang slowly approached, and Lin Zhi's heart was in turmoil. Unconsciously, she took a step back.
"You've advised her today, and she's grateful. But what if Xie Jin is deceived and regrets it someday? Have you considered whether she'll hate you then?"
Lin Zhi was taken aback, her expression freezing on her face, but she turned her head away as if to avoid the question: "...Miss Xie would not do such a thing."
Pei Lang exhaled deeply, somewhat annoyed by her stubbornness: "I will tell Xie Zheng to keep his sister in check, and you will never see her again."
But Lin Zhi blocked his way, her almond-shaped eyes wide with anger: "No! This is her family matter, why should you meddle, cousin!"
These words seemed to touch the last chord of Pei Lang's anger. After the string snapped, Pei Lang chuckled softly. The young man, standing backlit, cast a tall shadow over Lin Zhi. "Mind your own business?"
"Why should I care about Xie Jin? Azhi, that's your family matter."
Lin Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and her blustering courage gradually faded. "...Cousin, please, Xie Jin is so pitiful."
"Please don't tell Xie Shaoqing."
The petite and pitiful girl pleaded desperately for others. Pei Lang's eyes flashed with a cold light. Just as he was about to say something, Lin Zhi suddenly ran towards the side gate, as if she was going to inform someone.
Lin Zhi thought she had run over as fast as she could, but before she could even touch the door, she was lifted up by the waist and held in the air. Pei Lang's strong, thin arms were like iron claws around her slender waist, and Lin Zhi's face turned pale with pain.
"Lin Zhi!" Pei Lang grabbed her chin with his large hand and called out to her sharply.
But seeing the little girl's stunned expression, he softened his tone and said gently, "Be good."
"You can't afford to offend the Xie family, and you can't help Xie Jin either."
Lin Zhi, however, was like a rabbit whose ears had been grabbed. In her fear, she bit down hard on the tiger's mouth near her lips.
Staring at the teeth marks and bloodstains on his hands, Pei Lang frowned and applied medicine to himself by candlelight.
"Young master, Miss Biao's courtyard has been surrounded by people."
"How can we explain this to Lord Pei if we put him under house arrest?"
Pei Lang lowered his eyes and withdrew his hand, his sharp features appearing even more profound in the candlelight.
"She thinks too highly of herself if she wants to get involved with the Xie family."
"They were used as a stepping stone and were thoroughly trampled on without even realizing it."
"How's the interrogation of that thief going?"
Pei Lang was unwilling to mention Lin Zhi again, so he got up and headed towards the water dungeon. Xing Yun hurriedly followed behind him, his expression grave: "She's very tight-lipped. She's been tortured for three days and three nights, but she won't vomit anything."
"Tsk." Pei Lang pursed his thin lips, his eyes filled with indifference and disdain.
"Since you are so kind and soft-hearted, we don't need to worship Buddha in the future; we can worship you instead."
Xingyun lowered his head in shame, watching as his young master tightened his narrow sleeves, dismissed everyone, and went alone into the water dungeon.
Knowing Pei Lang's methods, Xingyun stood guard outside the door. Just as dawn was breaking, he heard the sound of the two doors being opened wide.
Only two hours later, Pei Lang emerged carrying a piece of paper as thin as a cicada's wing. A few strands of his long hair beneath his jade crown were disheveled, and his eyes still held a chilling, murderous glint.
"Take this to Xie Zheng. There are snakes, insects, rats and ants everywhere in the capital. He's living too comfortably as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
Xingyun quickly took it, her eyes inadvertently glancing at the drop of bright red splattered on the young master's sleeve: but it certainly wasn't his; the person capable of harming him was probably still...
As soon as he thought of this, Xingyun's eyes fell on the small but fierce teeth marks and bloodstains on the tiger's mouth.
"......"
Being bitten by a girl who can't even kill a chicken must be part of the young master's scheme!
"Miss! Miss!"
When Chuntao arrived in a hurry, she handed Lin Zhi a plate of pastries.
"For me? I just had lunch, I'm not hungry yet..."
Lin Zhi put down her embroidery needle and took it with a belly full of doubt.
Ever since Pei Lang confined her to her quarters, she found even looking at books annoying, and spent her days embroidering to pass the time.
Chun Tao glanced around cautiously: "Miss, please pry it open and take a look!"
Lin Zhi followed her words and broke off a piece of pastry, from which a note fell out. After glancing at the two short sentences on it, Lin Zhi suddenly stood up.
"Xie Jin is to be sent out of the capital by Xie Shaoqing! She needs me!"
Chun Tao hadn't realized what was happening when the unfamiliar servant gave her a meaningful look, but now she felt troubled: "But the young master has ordered people to guard the courtyard gate, so we can't leave the mansion."
Lin Zhi clutched the note tightly and murmured, "Xiao Jin must have had no other choice but to ask me for help. I have to help her!"
With a gradually firmer look in her eyes, Lin Zhi whispered a few instructions into Chun Tao's ear.
A note from the author:
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