Hearing Ji Zhuo's words, Lin Xihe's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly: "Don't say that, she's your fiancée now..."
"It's only for now, I will definitely find a way to resolve this properly."
"Xi'er, I will not let you suffer even the slightest harm again. You can rest assured now, I have already dispatched reliable people to your residence." Ji Zhuo's tone was resolute, and at this moment, he was Lin Xihe's unbreakable shield.
Lin Xihe was overwhelmed with thoughts and didn't know how to answer.
After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice calm yet tinged with a hint of detachment: "Ji Zhuo, I am very grateful that you came today. Now that I am safe and sound, I can borrow your people for a couple of days. You should return as soon as possible, so as not to cause your mother any worry."
"I will leave immediately after you finish your meal. Langfeng will stay."
Ji Zhuo had no intention of staying long today. The sudden appearance of the secret medicine from the Western Regions royal family meant he had to find out the truth as soon as possible.
Ji Zhuo sat quietly to the side, watching Lin Xihe finish her meal. After a long while, he slowly got up and left, turning back every few steps.
For the next two days, Lin Xihe and the servants in the mansion remained on tenterhooks, as if a sharp blade was hanging over their heads that could fall at any moment.
Fortunately, under Dr. Tao's meticulous care, Lin Xihe's health has almost fully recovered.
After that, every day after Ji Zhuo finished court, he would rush over as he used to do during the spring hunt.
Lin Xihe tried her best to appear aloof and deliberately distanced herself from him.
However, Ji Zhuo ignored him and continued to do as he pleased. Even when Lin Xihe told him not to come again, he turned a deaf ear, claiming that the Emperor had ordered him to investigate the secret medicines of the Western Regions, and that he was simply doing his duty here.
That day, after dinner, Ji Zhuo followed Lin Xihe back to the courtyard as usual.
Ji Zhuo never liked having people around when he was around, so he raised his hand and waved Ling Shuang and Ling Xue away.
At this moment, the two are sitting facing each other in front of the Luohan couch.
"Ji Zhuo, the five hundred men you sent are far too many for my household. Could you withdraw some of them?" Lin Xihe turned slightly to look at Ji Zhuo, her tone carrying a hint of negotiation.
Did they bother you?
“Yes, there are too many people. There’s someone standing every three steps in this courtyard now, which is a bit excessive. You can leave a hundred people, and I will pay their monthly wages for the time being,” Lin Xihe said seriously.
"What, you've got some money now?" Ji Zhuo asked with a slight upturn of his lips, his tone somewhat teasing.
In his memory, Lin Xihe used to be extremely stingy, so his offer to pay today was quite unexpected.
"Hmm... there are some. Gu Qinghuai left them for me when he left."
When Lin Xihe mentioned Gu Qinghuai's name, a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.
Upon hearing Gu Qinghuai's name, Ji Zhuo's face instantly darkened, his eyes filled with displeasure: "Don't mention him in front of me."
"How can we not mention it? He is the father of my child, and you already have a fiancée. We already agreed beforehand that we have separated."
In the past few days, Lin Xihe has mentioned to Ji Zhuo that the two have broken up several times, but Ji Zhuo has always chosen to remain silent and not respond.
"I will definitely cancel the marriage with Sun Ningxiang. I didn't want to harm her father, but if she insists on not doing so, she'll have to think carefully about whether the Sun family can continue to stand in the capital." Ji Zhuo's tone was icy cold, more so than ever before.
If it weren't for Sun Ningxiang's act of shielding him from an arrow in the past, Ji Zhuo would have already taken action against her father, since he wasn't exactly a clean official either.
A few days ago, although Ji Zhuo couldn't find anything wrong with the Jade Guanyin, he still locked up Sun Ningxiang and Jiang Huairou for a few days, and only released them today.
Sun Ningxiang knew about his past with Lin Xihe, yet she still dared to buy things for Lin Xihe with Jiang Huairou; she clearly had ulterior motives.
"Ji Zhuo, even if you break off the engagement, it's already over between us."
"Why?" Ji Zhuo's emotions instantly surged, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.
Seeing this, Lin Xihe knew she had to be frank today. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Then I'll just be frank with you. If it weren't for what happened before, I would have chosen you no matter what. But now we've broken up, and everything can never go back..."
"Lin Xihe!" Ji Zhuo shouted, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger.
"Ji Zhuo, don't be mean to me. Even if you are, it won't help..." Lin Xihe's voice trembled slightly, carrying a hint of grievance.
“Alright, I won’t be harsh with you, Xi’er. It’s just that I simply couldn’t bear to watch my mother die in front of me back then.” Ji Zhuo’s tone was filled with helplessness and pain, as if he had returned to that painful moment.
"I understand. I've never blamed you. But now that things have come to this, we can only part ways amicably." Lin Xihe's tone left no room for negotiation.
However, her calm way of saying these words angered Ji Zhuo, who suddenly stood up and strode towards Lin Xihe.
"A clean break?"
Lin Xihe felt a strong sense of oppression coming towards her, and she was startled. She quickly got up and hid behind her.
But Ji Zhuo still grabbed her hand. Ji Zhuo's grip was very strong, as if he wanted to crush her hand: "Xi'er, you weren't like this before."
"Let bygones be bygones, okay?" Lin Xihe said, backing away as she spoke, her eyes filled with fear and helplessness.
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