Lin Jiangnian was stunned, and when he looked into Zhiyuan's lonely and cold eyes, he realized something.
"Did you hear everything just now?"
Zhiyuan said nothing, turned around and was about to leave.
"etc……"
Lin Jiangnian quickly stepped forward to block her way. Looking at the girl's frosty face, he quickly explained, "You misunderstood..."
"It's not what you think."
The girl stopped, looked up at him coldly, and said nothing.
Seeing her like this, Lin Jiangnian couldn't help but feel a little amused. But he still suppressed his laughter and explained to Zhiyuan.
He told Zhiyuan about his meeting with the eldest princess today and the game of chess between them.
Zhiyuan listened to Lin Jiangnian's explanation with a cold expression. His pretty face was filled with indifference and coldness, and only when Lin Jiangnian laid out the whole story did his expression soften slightly.
"She wanted to force me to break off the engagement with His Majesty and shift the trouble to Prince Lin's Mansion. Naturally, I couldn't let her plan go as she wished, so..."
Lin Jiangnian sighed, looked at the girl's tense face in front of him, and realized that she must have misunderstood.
Indeed, anyone would misunderstand this...
Zhiyuan was silent for a long time, then stared at him again, his lips trembling slightly, but he still didn't say a word.
Lin Jiangnian walked slowly, stepped forward and took the girl's delicate and boneless hand.
Zhiyuan struggled but couldn't break free. She glared at him, her tense little face still expressionless.
The girl's small palms are soft and delicate, like tender tofu, smooth as jade to the touch, and her fingers are green, flawless, and feel great.
Lin Jiangnian couldn't let go of it. He looked down at Zhiyuan's delicate face, which had haunted him so much, and chuckled, "Are you angry?"
The girl seemed a little uncomfortable and turned her face away slightly: "No."
Really stubborn.
Lin Jiangnian stared at the girl's lightly pursed red lips with a burning gaze.
It looks hard, but feels soft.
"I met her today to cancel the engagement. Since she wants to plot against me, I naturally can't do as she wishes... But don't worry, since I promised you, I will definitely not marry her."
Lin Jiangnian made a solemn promise.
Zhiyuan looked up at him, pursed her lips slightly, and said nothing.
"Why? You don't believe it?"
Zhiyuan had a blank expression on her face and looked away: "I don't believe it."
The tone was cold, and seemed to carry a hint of anger.
Lin Jiangnian straightened her twisted face and looked into her beautiful, bright eyes: "Then what do you want in exchange for believing me?"
Zhiyuan glared at him with a little displeasure, struggled to turn away, snorted coldly, and said nothing.
Lin Jiangnian said softly, "Don't worry, it won't happen. She and I don't agree to this marriage. Even if I am willing, she won't agree..."
As soon as he said that, he saw Zhiyuan staring at him coldly.
Lin Jiangnian quickly changed his tone, "I definitely don't want to. That princess looks cold, like ice. I feel cold just looking at her. How could anyone like her?"
Given that the eldest princess's temperament is neither like a woman nor like a human, it is indeed difficult for people to like her.
Zhiyuan said expressionlessly: "I'm cold too."
"You're different from her."
Lin Jiangnian shook his head. The coldness on Zhiyuan's body was completely different from that of the eldest princess.
Zhiyuan was just a bit aloof and not good at socializing. This coldness was just her habitual disguise. Beneath her cold exterior, she was still just a naive teenage girl.
As for the eldest princess, she was more like a weapon without much emotion, unable to arouse any emotion at all.
Zhiyuan was silent, staring into his eyes. After a while, she suddenly asked, "Is she beautiful?"
“Not pretty, very ugly!”
Lin Jiangnian spoke without any hesitation.
"fraud."
Zhiyuan said coldly.
"She's really ugly, I'm not lying to you... In my eyes, she's the ugliest woman in the world. She can't even compare to my little kite."
Lin Jiangnian made a solemn promise.
Zhiyuan had a blank expression on her face, but perhaps it was because of Lin Jiangnian's words that the coldness in her eyes faded a little.
Look away and remain silent.
Seeing this, Lin Jiangnian struck while the iron was hot and gently put his arm around Zhiyuan's shoulders, holding her in his arms.
Zhiyuan's delicate body was startled for a moment, and she subconsciously wanted to step back, but Lin Jiang hugged her tightly into his arms, holding her gently. He put his head close to the girl's neck and sniffed the fragrance of her hair.
Zhiyuan's face flushed, his eyes were panicked, and he struggled.
"Let go, let go."
Lin Jiangnian naturally didn't let go, and even hugged her tighter.
"Yes, someone will see..."
The two of them were under the eaves in the courtyard. Such close contact in such a large public space was a huge challenge for Zhiyuan.
Her fair face flushed and she looked panicked. She wanted to struggle to get away, but Lin Jiangnian took the opportunity to hug her slender waist, hugged her tighter, and whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry, no one else dares to come in without my order."
Even so, Zhiyuan was still very uneasy. Such an intimate hug in public was extremely embarrassing for her.
Just as she was about to continue struggling, Lin Jiangnian leaned back slightly and stared down at the girl's flawless and beautiful face under her flushed face. Her apricot-like eyes were staring at her with shame and anger, and her red lips were shining.
“Let go… um…”
Before the girl could even utter a word, she was blocked.
Lin Jiangnian lowered his head and kissed the girl's stubborn little mouth.
Attacked again, the girl's delicate body trembled and suddenly tensed up.
Although this was more than the first or second time he had been raided, all of the previous times had happened inside the room. This was the first time in public.
The girl's delicate and boneless body was stretched straight, her hands tightly grasping Lin Jiangnian's clothes, she was extremely nervous.
When Lin Jiangnian let go of the girl in his arms, the girl was breathing rapidly, her face was flushed, her whole body was numb, and she almost collapsed in Lin Jiangnian's arms, without any strength left.
Breathing in the fresh air, Zhiyuan gradually came to her senses. An uncontrollable feeling of shame and anger suddenly surged in her heart. She struggled to get up and wanted to run away.
But Lin Jiangnian was quick to act and hugged her again, kissing her delicate face again.
"Are you still angry?"
The girl's face flushed red, and she was so ashamed and angry that she almost couldn't face anyone. She turned her head away, not daring to look at Lin Jiangnian, and snorted stubbornly.
"Okay, okay, I won't bully you anymore."
Lin Jiangnian stopped there and seeing Zhiyuan's ashamed and angry look, he didn't provoke her any further.
"Let go, let me go..."
Zhiyuan's voice was a little trembling.
"That won't do. Hug me again."
“…”
After spending a few moments of tenderness and friendly interaction with the girl in his arms, Lin Jiangnian finally let go of the kite.
The kite regained its freedom, took two steps back, turned around, breathed rapidly, and straightened its clothes.
Even though I couldn't see her, I could still sense her emotions. Her rapid breathing caused her chest to rise and fall, and Lin Jiangnian stood at her side, looming.
It was not until a long time later that he finally calmed down.
Lin Jiang walked forward, came to Zhiyuan's side, and took her hand again.
This time, the kite was too lazy to even struggle symbolically.
They have kissed and played, and except for that last step, they have done everything they should and shouldn't do. There is no need to struggle anymore.
Zhiyuan, feeling a little bit self-destructive, let Lin Jiangnian play with her...hands. Then she seemed to think of something, turned her head to look at him, and when she saw Lin Jiangnian looking at her, she quickly turned away.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Jiang asked in a young voice.
Zhiyuan was silent for a long time, his lips moved slightly, but he still didn't say anything.
She wanted to ask him, what would he do if the eldest princess really planned to marry him?
Although it's impossible, what if...
No one knew what the eldest princess was thinking or why she did this.
Zhiyuan really wanted to ask, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to ask.
This is not in line with her character!
She also found it difficult to speak.
Finally, Zhiyuan took a deep breath and turned his gaze towards the courtyard. After a while, he suddenly spoke.
"Do you still remember Xu Lan?"
"Xu Lan?"
When Lin Jiangnian heard this name he hadn't heard for a long time, he looked at Zhiyuan beside him with some surprise: "What happened to her?"
Zhiyuan was silent for a moment: "She is also in the capital now, did you know?"
"Know."
Lin Jiangnian hesitated, then nodded. Seeing Zhiyuan looking at him, he added an explanation: "I just found out..."
"When I first arrived in the capital, I ran into a young man named Xu Zhongshan in a teahouse. The name sounded familiar to me at the time, and then I ran into him again at the Lu family wedding. After I came back, I asked Qingqing to look him up..."
After checking, Lin Jiangnian quickly found out the truth.
Xu Zhongshan, the second young master of the Xu family, Xu Lan’s second brother!
The Xu family's roots were in Linzhou, but Old Master Xu was serving in the capital. Besides Xu Lan, only Xu Lan's father remained in Linzhou. As for her eldest and second brothers, they had already been in the capital for many years, and Lin Jiangnian had never met them.
The Xu family is somewhat famous in Beijing. After Lin Qingqing investigated, she brought back another piece of news.
Xu Lan is coming to Beijing!
When Lin Jiangnian heard the news, he was somewhat surprised.
Why did that girl come to the capital?
However, Lin Jiangnian had just gotten into trouble and didn't have the time to deal with her. In addition, when he learned about the Xu family, he didn't take the matter to heart for the time being.
I was a little surprised that Zhiyuan suddenly brought it up.
"Why did you mention her suddenly?"
Zhiyuan's gaze remained fixed on the courtyard, and she spoke calmly, "I remember you had a good relationship with her?"
"No, not at all!"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head decisively without any hesitation.
"I don't know her at all!"
“…”
When it comes to the desire to survive, Lin Jiangnian is well versed.
Although it was unclear why Zhiyuan suddenly mentioned Xu Lan, Lin Jiangnian quickly distanced himself from Xu Lan.
However, he didn't lie.
He and Xu Lan were not very familiar with each other. Apart from the disputes they had at Prince Lin's Mansion, their relationship was indeed not very good.
Zhiyuan looked back at Lin Jiangnian and said nothing.
But there was a hint of... scrutiny in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Jiangnian remained calm and pretended to be stupid.
Zhiyuan retracted her gaze and said softly, "I haven't seen her for a while. If you have time, let her come to your house and visit."
Lin Jiangnian was stunned, staring at Zhiyuan's face, somewhat unsure.
Let Xu Lan come to your house and have a seat?
Could such words come out of Zhiyuan's mouth?
When did her relationship with Xu Lan become so good?
If Lin Jiangnian remembered correctly, although Xu Lan and Zhi Yuan had a good relationship, it was not to the extent that Zhi Yuan could personally invite her to come over and have a visit, right?
Thinking back carefully, Xu Lan and Zhiyuan didn't have much interaction when he was in Lin Wang Mansion.
As if seeing the suspicion in Lin Jiangnian's eyes, Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, and explained softly: "It was my aunt's idea."
"Aunt?"
"Um."
Zhiyuan looked away and said calmly, "My aunt had a good relationship with her. After she left Prince Lin's Mansion, I haven't seen her for many years..."
Lin Jiangnian nodded, this made sense.
"Okay then."
Lin Jiangnian pondered for a moment and said, "If I have time in a couple of days, I'll go visit the Xu residence and ask her to come over and have a chat."
I haven't seen that girl for half a year. I wonder how she is doing now. Why did she suddenly come to the capital?
However, when mentioning the Xu Mansion, Lin Jiangnian seemed to be thinking about something.
Lin Hengzhong had mentioned this to him back at the Lin Wang Mansion. The Xu family, a family of longstanding acquaintances, seemed to have other plans recently...
Hearing that Lin Jiangnian was planning to visit the Xu Mansion, Zhiyuan hesitated to speak. When she saw Lin Jiangnian's thoughtful expression, she quickly understood something and stopped talking.
Just then, footsteps were suddenly heard outside the yard.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
Xiao Zhu ran into the yard breathlessly. Seeing the two people under the eaves, he paused. When he saw Zhiyuan under the eaves, he subconsciously felt a little guilty: "Sister Zhiyuan, you are here too?"
Zhiyuan glanced at her, nodded lightly, and said nothing.
Xiao Zhu's momentum suddenly weakened, and she looked like a timid concubine meeting the wife, and obeyed submissively.
"Xiaozhu, why are you here?"
Lin Jiangnian looked at Xiao Zhu: "What's the matter?"
Xiao Zhu then remembered the important matter and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, the guard outside the door came to report that someone wants to see Your Highness."
"To see me?"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head: "Didn't I tell you that I won't see anyone?"
Ever since the news spread that Lin Jiangnian had arrived in the capital alive, countless people wanted to come to the Jiang Mansion to see him, but they were all stopped outside the mansion.
After Zhou Huiguang's death, there was such a big commotion in the capital that fewer people came to visit Lin Jiangnian, but there were still some.
"But the other party said that he is an acquaintance of yours, Your Highness."
Xiao Zhu panted and said, "Also, she asked me to tell His Highness something, saying that His Highness would definitely be willing to see her after hearing it."
"What's up?"
"The other party said... Your Highness, do you still remember the bet you made with her?" Xiao Zhu repeated.
Lin Jiangnian didn't take it seriously at first.
bet?
Um?
When did he ever make a bet with anyone?
Are you just bored because you’ve eaten too much?
Just as he was about to shake his head, he was suddenly startled and seemed to vaguely remember something.
Wait, a bet?
Why does it sound familiar?
After a moment of thinking, Lin Jiangnian quickly remembered something...
Back when I was in the Prince Lin's Mansion, I had indeed made a bet with a certain ignorant young lady.
What was the bet?
Lin Jiangnian looked at Xiao Zhu: "Is the other person a woman?"
"I guess... I guess so."
Xiao Zhu described the other person's attire and then blinked: "Your Highness, do you know him?"
"Okay, let her come in."
Lin Jiangnian waved his hand.
That’s right, they all match.
It really happened as soon as he said it.
After giving the order to play, Lin Jiangnian turned around and saw an unfriendly gaze falling coldly on him.
Zhiyuan stared at him: "Woman?"
Lin Jiangnian: “…”