Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 262 Lu Huai is back?!

Having received confirmation, Lin Yangyang took the little beggar out as Lin Zhiqing had instructed.

Lin Zhiqing went back to the inn first to pack her luggage.

Lin Yangyang moved quickly, returning in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Without pausing, the two met up and immediately mounted their horses, galloping towards Shengjing City.

After entering the city without any hindrance, it was already completely dark.

Lin Zhiqing and Lin Yangyang returned at just the right time; if they had been any later, Lin Congli would probably have reported them to the authorities.

Although the two were out on business, they were still lectured by Lin Congli and Lin Congyan.

This is a special kind of care from elders.

After finally dealing with the two, Lin Zhiqing returned to Shuqing Pavilion and immediately began to organize the information she had gathered from her trip to Yongqing.

After thinking it over and over, she picked up her pen to write a letter.

Aunt Mu and Chaoyan were making the bed together.
“Miss, Miss Lu came by while you were away.”

"Nan Yue, what brings her here?" Lin Zhiqing put down his pen.

Before she went to Yongqing County, she sent a letter to Lu Nanyue.

The letter stated that if Lu Huai returned to the Lu family, Lu Nanyue should write back to her.

Lu Nanyue came to visit in person. Could it be that Lu Huai has returned?
"I only sent some medicine for injuries, nothing else." As she spoke, Aunt Mu asked Chaoyan to go to the side courtyard to get the medicine.

Lin Zhiqing frowned slightly.

After returning from Bianliang, she visited the Lu family once, but did not reveal that she was injured, only saying that she had caught a cold.

Even if Lu Nanyue discovered she was sick, she should have been given medicine for colds, not medicine for injuries.

She touched the mark on her neck that had faded considerably.

Apart from Aunt Mu, Lin Yangyang, and the two elders of the Lin family, no one else in Shengjing City knew about the injuries he had sustained.

As for outside the city... Lin Zhiqing's eyes lit up, and Lu Huai and Jiang Liuyun also knew!
But Jiang Liuyun would never use Lu Nanyue to deliver anything.

Only Lu Huai would do that!

Lu Huai is back!?

The thought just crossed my mind when it was abruptly interrupted by the faint sound of pebbles colliding outside the window.

Aunt Mu didn't hear it, but Lin Zhiqing did.

She took a sharp hairpin and slowly walked towards the window.

When Lin Zhiqing began researching flowers a few months ago, she planted some easy-to-grow flowers and plants in her yard.

She looked out the window carefully, and apart from the flowers and plants, everything seemed normal.

Lin Zhiqing frowned slightly. Just as she was about to step out to take a look, she noticed someone move in the shadows in the corner.

She gripped the hairpin tightly: "Someone come here..."

As soon as she finished speaking, a somewhat dark-skinned face appeared and smiled at her.

It's Yun Feng!
Lin Zhiqing's pupils contracted.

"Miss!" Aunt Mu came over: "Were you calling me just now?"

"It's nothing." Lin Zhiqing coughed lightly, and Yun Feng's figure had already disappeared from sight: "Aunt Mu, I'm tired today. Go find Chao Yan and put the medicine into storage."

"Yes, I'll go right away." Aunt Mu didn't think much of it.

Not long after she left, Lin Zhiqing looked out the window again.

A sharply defined face appeared before her, a warm smile on his lips, and he spoke softly.

The sound didn't come through, but Lin Zhiqing could make out his lip movements.

He called out "Aqing"!
"Lu Huai, you're back?" Lin Zhiqing lowered her voice:

"It's not safe outside. Come inside and tell me what you need to say."

Lu Huai was slightly taken aback, but considering the purpose of his visit tonight, he did not refuse the suggestion to enter.

Yun Feng leaped and hid among the flowers, keeping watch for the two. After entering, the two looked at each other and both saw worry in each other's eyes.

Lin Zhiqing gestured for Lu Huai to sit down: "When did you get back? Are you injured?"

Lu Huai shook his head: "I just arrived in Shengjing during the day and was not injured. Yun Feng protected me very well."

His expression was honest; he wasn't lying.

Lin Zhiqing breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

"Ah Qing," Lu Huai called softly, but his gaze shifted elsewhere. "Is your injury any better? I heard from people in Hengzhang that you were unconscious for a long time."

"It's just a cold, nothing serious." Lin Zhiqing sat down at the table.

Lu Huai's gaze swept across her face, glanced at the red marks on her neck, and then subtly looked away: "I got the things back."

As he spoke, he took out the amulet and the jade flute and placed them on the table.

Lin Zhiqing picked up the two items, placed them against her heart, and smiled sweetly.
"Thank you."

“Since I have promised you, I will certainly live up to your trust,” Lu Huai said, momentarily lost in thought upon seeing her smile.

Then, he frowned slightly and pursed his lips, as if he still had something to say.

Lin Zhiqing didn't ask, but she guessed what was going on and just waited quietly.

"Do you know who attacked you that day?" Lu Huai asked after hesitating for a long time.

As expected, that was the problem.

Lin Zhiqing gripped the jade flute tightly: "Lu Huai, you should know who he is, right?"

Although she was asking a question, she used a tone of affirmation.

Seeing that Lin Zhiqing showed no signs of sadness or grievance, Lu Huai's throat tightened.

When did you realize he had a problem?

"Was it the night you received the Lin family's ancestral seal?"

Lu Huai not only knew that Jiang Liuyun had a problem, but he also guessed when Lin Zhiqing would discover that Jiang Liuyun had a problem.

He has always been very meticulous.

Lin Zhiqing nodded slightly: "That's right, it was that day."

Upon receiving a positive answer, all of Lu Huai's guesses came true. He felt an indescribable sadness, and his hands under the table slowly clenched.

He only knew that Lin Zhiqing had a hard time in the Lin family, but that Jiang Liuyun had always protected her.

Jiang Liuyun is her proper fiancé.

Because of this, Lu Huai couldn't get involved in many things.

He couldn't fathom what Lin Zhiqing had gone through to become the person who remained unfazed even when Mount Tai collapsed before him.

Lin Zhiqing was just a hair's breadth away from dying at Jiang Liuyun's hands.

Heartache, regret, and guilt surged through Lu Huai's heart, causing a sharp, throbbing pain.

Lin Zhiqing noticed his every expression and movement, and spoke softly:
“Lu Huai, you don’t need to feel guilty. This matter has nothing to do with you, and it’s a good thing for me.”

"If I am pleased with it, I will surely be heartbroken."

“But my marriage to him was based on profit, and I am glad that I did not end up in the inner courtyard of the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s mansion and become the wife of the heir.”

"I am just Lin Zhiqing."

These few words, though brief, are as pleasant as a spring breeze.

Lu Huai pondered these words repeatedly in his mind.

She said that if she were to be pleased with it, she would surely be heartbroken.

So that means... she doesn't like Jiang Liuyun?

Lu Huai's mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts. He kept his head down, completely unaware of the feeling of relief that was welling up inside him.

Lin Zhiqing was skilled at reading faces, but at this moment she couldn't see Lu Huai's face clearly:

“Lu Huai, even if this hadn’t happened, my marriage to the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s family would still have failed.”