Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 331 Forgive and Forget
His words, even after just a few sentences, were brimming with smugness.

Lin Zhiqing didn't look at Jiang Liuyun, but stared at Lin Yangyang:
"Cousin, you've brought me here as they asked. Have they kept their promise?"

"Can't you see that this is just a trick of theirs?"

"It's possible that in the end, neither you, me, nor my cousin will be able to return to the Lin family."

Jiang Liuyun frowned, clearly in a bad mood.

However, even he himself couldn't tell whether his bad mood was due to Lin Zhiqing spreading rumors or because Lin Zhiqing was ignoring him.

He shifted his feet slightly, blocking Lin Zhiqing's gaze from Lin Yangyang, before speaking:
"Don't try to bewitch Lin Yangyang with words. Don't you know why she did this?"

“That’s right!” Lin Yangyang replied, “If you hadn’t refused to save Shi’an, I wouldn’t have ended up like this!”

"Only by cooperating with the Jiang family can I see a glimmer of hope. If I do nothing, you will only let Shi'an lose his life in vain."

"Well said!" Jiang Yunhe clapped his hands twice: "That's exactly the point."

“Zhiqing, I have always valued you. As long as you tell me about Zheng Kuo, I will forgive all the things you did to the Jiang family before.”

"Let bygones be bygones?" Lin Zhiqing sneered, looking extremely angry.
"In all my years, I have never heard of a perpetrator forgiving a victim."

"This Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion is truly a place where hidden talents abound, and they come up with all sorts of absurd ideas."

"You harmed my father, you harmed my fourth uncle, you harmed my cousin, and now you want to harm me too. You say you'll forgive and forget, but how long will the Lin family continue to languish?"

"The Lin family has already survived for so many years, what's a few more?" Jiang Yunhe smiled nonchalantly.

"Zhiqing, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

Seemingly because he had Lin Zhiqing under control, he shed several masks of pretense and began to speak more rudely:

"The Lin family has enjoyed a life of luxury for many years. Lin Congrong and Lin Qingshan have enjoyed the best resources since birth, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people."

"Why are you all able to always be well-dressed and have no worries about food or clothing? Back then, I was just a lowly soldier, crawling and fighting on the battlefield. What was Lin Congrong doing?"

Lin Zhiqing remained silent, simply staring at Jiang Yunhe.

Jiang Yunhe didn't care whether she answered or not, and replied to himself:

"Lin Congrong was playing pitch-pot and cricket fighting with those young noblemen. How come he was able to rise to a high position as soon as he arrived? Isn't it because of his family background?"

Upon hearing these words, Lin Yangyang frowned almost imperceptibly.

Lin Zhiqing couldn't stand it any longer: "If my father relied on his family background, why would he ignore my grandfather's objections and join the army? Couldn't he just sit back and wait to inherit the title?"

"Besides, he earned his high position through countless scars and bloodshed. You, a second-rate scoundrel who climbed to the top by scheming against others, what's the difference between you and a thief?"

"Snapped!"

As soon as Lin Zhiqing finished speaking, a burning pain shot through her face.

Jiang Liuyun's lips parted slightly, a hint of surprise in his expression.

Lin Yangyang stared intently at the hand Jiang Yunhe had used to hit her, gritted her teeth, but quickly looked away.

Jiang Yunhe withdrew his hand, his eyes looking like he wanted to devour someone:
"Who gave you permission to talk nonsense?"

He was a veteran of the battlefield, so he had considerable strength.

Lin Zhiqing suppressed the taste of blood in her mouth and looked at Jiang Yunhe with a mocking gaze:
"Whether what I'm saying is nonsense or not, you know very well in your heart."

"Insolence!" Jiang Yunhe seemed to have been turned on by some kind of switch, and he became extremely violent.

He raised his hand again, about to strike Lin Zhiqing's face. Lin Yangyang clenched her fist and slowly took a step forward.

“Father!” Jiang Liuyun grabbed Jiang Yunhe’s wrist.

Jiang Yunhe turned his head and stared at Jiang Liuyun with an almost terrifying look.

Seeing this, Lin Yangyang's chest heaved slightly as she retreated.

"Father, don't fall for this woman's scheme. She's deliberately trying to provoke you." Jiang Liuyun pressed Jiang Yunhe's arm down.
"If she dies in the Jiang family, we won't be able to explain ourselves!"

Jiang Yunhe turned his head and stared fiercely at Jiang Liuyun's face: "You better be afraid that we won't be able to explain ourselves."

“Of course, don’t forget, we also need to get information about Zheng Kuo out of her.” Jiang Liuyun swallowed hard.

"Hmph." Jiang Yunhe shook off Jiang Liuyun's hand and made no further move.

The Jiang Yunhe just now seemed to be a completely different person from the one who usually appears in public, which shows how skillful his disguise was.

That bloodthirsty look was the first time Lin Zhiqing had ever seen it on the faces of people in Dasheng.

Previously, she had only seen them when treating certain special psychological patients.

However, this is not a bad thing; she had her reasons for deliberately provoking Jiang Yunhe.

People are prone to impulsiveness when they are extremely angry, and their words and actions can reveal a lot about them.

For example, Lin Zhiqing has realized that Jiang Yunhe is someone who is very sensitive about his background, and he especially cannot accept others saying that he is not as good as Lin Congrong.

Throughout the entire conversation, he stood while speaking, clearly intending to exert pressure on others by looking down at them.

In other words, he lacked the confidence and assurance to exert pressure on others when at eye level.

This is probably because Jiang Yunhe used to compare him with others, but he couldn't surpass them, so he pays special attention to this point.

Furthermore, although the Jiang father and son seem to be of one mind, they are extremely averse to physical contact with each other, which clearly indicates that they have considerable conflicts in their daily lives.

Moreover, they each harbored their own ulterior motives and seemed somewhat wary of each other.

That's a good thing.

As for the slap on her face, Lin Zhiqing's eyes sharpened for a moment. She knew she couldn't catch a wolf without risking her cub, and she would definitely repay it a hundredfold or a thousandfold.

In addition, she did not miss the worried and distressed look in Jiang Liuyun's eyes when he looked at her earlier.

Sensing Jiang Liuyun's hidden feelings for her, she activated her eye muscles, and her eyes suddenly became very vulnerable.

Jiang Liuyun was unaware of Lin Zhiqing's thoughts. When his gaze fell upon the bloodstains at the corner of Lin Zhiqing's mouth, he found it extremely irritating.

Similarly, he also noticed Lin Zhiqing's vulnerable gaze.

He closed his eyes and raised his voice:

"If you keep refusing to let go, don't blame me for being impolite. Consider that slap just now a lesson for you."

Lin Zhiqing frowned, turned her face away, and refused to look at him, clearly not wanting to talk.

He's usually so stubborn, never willing to suffer any loss, but today he's so obstinate... Jiang Liuyun took a deep breath, keeping an eye on Jiang Yunhe's reaction.

Seeing Jiang Yunhe's growing impatience, his heart tightened again, and he turned his attention directly to Lin Yangyang:
"Lin Yangyang, you said you know something about Zheng Kuo. Tell me about it first."

Lin Yangyang glanced at the bloodstains at the corner of Lin Zhiqing's mouth, met her gaze for a moment, then immediately looked away, her tone becoming slightly harsher:
"Zheng Kuo died long ago."