Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 299 Do you recognize my heartbeat?

Jiang Liuyun was stung by that smile and looked away.

For some reason, a bitter feeling and a sense of resentment arose in his heart.

He didn't even manage to ask about the woman with the mole again, but instead started refuting the matter of the annulment of the engagement:
"Do you know that if this marriage is called off today, your reputation for jealousy will spread throughout the entire capital tomorrow?"

"Jealous? So what if it's known throughout the capital? Even if it's known throughout the Great Sheng, I'm still the head of the Lin family." Lin Zhiqing didn't even blink.

Jiang Liuyun was still unwilling to give up:
"If you break off your engagement with me and have a past relationship with the Marquis of Zhenyuan's family, who in the capital would dare to marry you?"

These words were a bit too much, and a shadow fell over the brows of Lin Congli and Lin Congyan.

Lu Huai frowned in the side hall.

Lu Nanyue looked anxious and glanced at Lu Huai. Seeing that he didn't move, she felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.

"Go out and tell them now that the Lu family is willing, and we can come to propose marriage another day."

Lu Huai sighed softly, without making a move: "Sister, as far as Aqing is concerned, she has not done anything wrong, so she is not afraid of being hurt by words."

"She is not the one who should feel ashamed."

"If I were to go out and propose marriage now, it wouldn't prove anything; it would only cause her trouble and give Jiang Liuyun an excuse to slander her."

Lu Nanyue was taken aback: "When did you become so familiar with Xiao Qing'er?"

Lu Huai did not respond, but focused on listening to Lin Zhiqing speak.

Lin Zhiqing's voice was firm and powerful: "Young Master Jiang, firstly, your wrongdoing has nothing to do with whether I am jealous or not."

"Secondly, whether anyone proposes to me after the annulment of the engagement is my own business, Lin Zhiqing, and you have no right to interfere."

Jiang Liuyun could barely hear Lin Zhiqing's words; all he could see was Lin Zhiqing staring at him with a cold, almost disgusted look.

And in that look in his eyes, he actually had the idea of ​​hiding.

Before he could even adjust, Lin Zhiqing's voice came again:

"I will send the marriage certificate to the Ministry of Rites. We have known each other for a while, but it is not exactly a respectable thing to do."

"Isn't annuling the engagement what you really want? If you still want to argue, I'll play along to the end."

"Besides, is it really necessary to risk the life of that woman with the mole for a mere marriage certificate?"

"Asagao, see the guest out."

Jiang Liuyun clenched his fists, unable to utter another word.

In this confrontation, he was utterly defeated, but for some reason, he seemed to regain his senses:

"I will present you with the marriage certificate, Qing'er. I hope you won't regret it."

After saying that, he turned around and walked out.

The guard quickly followed and whispered:

"Your Highness, the Marquis is already on his way back. He instructed us that this marriage must not be called off..."

"Shut up!" Jiang Liuyun exuded a terrifying aura.

The guards immediately fell silent.

……

After watching Jiang Liuyun walk out of the Lin family, Lin Zhiqing immediately instructed Chaoyan to send the marriage certificate to the Ministry of Rites.

According to the laws of the Great Sheng Dynasty, once a marriage certificate has been formally registered with the Ministry of Revenue, it becomes invalid.

This constraint has finally been broken.

Unlike Lin Congli and Lin Congyan, who were worried about Lin Zhiqing's marriage, the younger generation, including Lin Yangyang, were overjoyed. If the timing weren't so bad, they would have loved to throw a big party to celebrate Lin Zhiqing's escape from his misery.

Within half a day, the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion and the Lin family simultaneously submitted their marriage certificates to the Ministry of Rites, and the news of the annulment of the engagement spread throughout Shengjing City.

Ironically, the incident of Jiang Liuyun being caught stealing incense in the street was simply glossed over with the phrase "having three wives and four concubines is a common occurrence."

Conversely, Lin Zhiqing has been labeled as jealous, and the topic has been the subject of much discussion.

Many storytellers and writers even used Lin Zhiqing as a model, creating many stories of "jealousy" to indirectly criticize others.

Lu Nanyue and Lin Yangyang were furious when they found out about this, and the two of them joined forces to find someone to settle accounts with in major restaurants and bookstores in the capital.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhiqing, the person in charge, remained firmly seated in the Lin family, handling mundane affairs.

When Lu Huai appeared outside Shuqing Pavilion, all he saw were the tightly closed doors and the flickering firelight on the windows.

He hesitated outside for a long time before finally knocking gently on the window.

"Lu Huai?" The woman's clear voice rang out.

“It’s me. How did you know I was here?” Lu Huai asked softly.

With a series of footsteps, Lin Zhiqing's figure was reflected in the window. She smiled and said, "Now I can tell who is who just by the sound of your footsteps."

Lu Huai pursed his lips, raised his hand to block the window, preventing Lin Zhiqing from opening it.

Lin Zhiqing inside was stunned and didn't move for a moment.

Lu Huai's chest heaved slightly as he sketched Lin Zhiqing's face in his mind. After a long while, he spoke again:
"Zhiqing, you have the ability to read faces and observe details. You can recognize my footsteps, but can you recognize my heartbeat?"

Perhaps because the night was too quiet, Lin Zhiqing heard Lu Huai's words clearly.

She couldn't hear Lu Huai's heartbeat; instead, she heard her own heart pounding.

Seeing Lin Zhiqing's motionless figure at the window, Lu Huai felt a sense of calm.
“Ah Qing, ever since I dreamt of Liu Mang’s study, even when I’m awake, I still often have that dream.”

"In my dream, although I followed you, I always felt that you were very far away from me, as if you would disappear as soon as I opened my eyes."

Lu Huai's thoughts returned to the time he spent revisiting his dreams day and night.

Every time he enters a dream, he has to endure that feeling of bewilderment and unease.

Only when he saw Lin Zhiqing the next day did that feeling recede like the tide.

Thinking of all this, he reached out to touch Lin Zhiqing's silhouette on the window, but hesitated just before touching the window.

Lin Zhiqing was such a dazzling person, seemingly fragile, yet his heart always remained at just the right distance.

Just as he was about to pull his hand back, the girl suddenly placed her hand on the window.

Lu Huai's hand trembled slightly, and he slowly put his hand back down.

Even through the window, the delicate touch was still very clear.

The thin paper couldn't insulate the warmth of their hands.

The candlelight flickered, casting their overlapping shadows onto the windowpane.

Lin Zhiqing pursed her lips for a long time before finally making up her mind: "Lu Huai, I'm right in front of you, I won't disappear, can you feel it?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Huai's eyelashes trembled. Lin Zhiqing's words were like a sweet rain flowing into his heart.

Those uncertain and ethereal feelings transformed into stars, filling Lu Huai's eyes.

He raised his eyebrows and said, "I felt it, not just from you, but also from your heartbeat."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiqing's cheeks flushed slightly, and her hand seemed to have been burned, so she gently withdrew it.

The next moment, Lu Huai's hand moved forward slightly, and his voice, like a gentle breeze, reached Lin Zhiqing's ears:
“Ah Qing, from the day you laughed and talked to me about rhinoceros lacquer, the stars in my eyes have never shone anywhere else.”