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Lin Tian'er, who arrived shortly after, was startled by Lin Yuan's bold behavior. What on earth was going on with these two big men hugging each other?!
Annoyed, she stepped forward to separate them and impatiently shouted at the onlookers to disperse. Then she shot a fierce glare at Lin Yuan, "Have you lost your mind?!"
Mei Shuang turned red and turned to leave, but Lin Yuan grabbed her firmly, his voice resolute, "Sister, I can't let her go!"
Lin Tian'er was furious and whispered sharply, "Si Er is still waiting for you!"
"I don't like Si Er; I only like her!" Lin Yuan insisted stubbornly.
Mei Shuang was at a loss for words. She tried to break free but couldn't. In frustration, she stomped on Lin Yuan's foot when the siblings were talking.
Though Lin Yuan winced in pain, he still held onto Mei Shuang tightly.
As more and more pedestrians gathered around, Lin Tian'er saw Lin Yuan's stubbornness and had no choice but to let them get into the car first.
All the way, holding Mei Shuang's soft hand, Lin Yuan ignored Lin Tian'er's glares and felt immense satisfaction inside.
Mei Shuang stopped resisting and remained silent while he held her. She thought to herself that squeezing him wouldn't take away a piece of meat. Instead of staying outside, it would be better to go to the Lin Residence and hide for a night, planning to deal with things tomorrow.
When Mei Shuang was brought back by Lin Yuan, Mr. Lin took one look at his son's oblivious expression and exploded with anger!
He was about to slap this ungrateful son who was ruining the family reputation when Mei Shuang intervened.
"Mr. Lin, please, let's talk privately."
Mr. Lin was taken aback and thought that since his son was so determined, it might be good for him to take on this servant's role after all.
He angrily ordered everyone to leave before coldly saying, "Lin Shoutong, why are you back again?"
Mei Shuang calmly replied, "Mr. Lin, to be honest, I have no interest in your son. He is knowledgeable and reasonable, and it seems that his emotional turmoil stems from a failed relationship with Si Er. This heartache needs a remedy; you shouldn't hit him anymore. It would be better to advise him gently to prevent him from thinking too much... I still need to go to Jiangnan."
Mr. Lin's anger finally subsided. He understood his son's temperament well, especially since the boy appeared docile but could be quite rebellious when provoked.
Thus, he looked at Mei Shuang with less disdain. "What Lin Shoutong said makes sense. How about this: if you want to go to Jiangnan, I will send someone to take you to the riverside and arrange for you to stay at an inn for the night. You can set off tomorrow..."
This was exactly what she hoped for!
Mei Shuang thought to herself that she would save on travel expenses and avoid the hassle of traveling, just waiting for the next day when she could board a large boat heading to Jiangnan.
---
Lin Residence.
After finally finding Lin Shoutong, he had once again left without notice, leaving Lin Yuan extremely angry. He skipped dinner and went directly to the study to ask his father why he didn't keep Lin Shoutong from leaving.
The study was brightly lit with candles. As Lin Yuan approached the window, he suddenly heard voices coming from inside. It seemed Mr. Lin was speaking to someone; his tone was not as loud as before but rather low and somewhat... submissive.
Lin Yuan quietly leaned closer to the window and listened intently for a moment. Then he lightly tapped on the paper of the window with his finger, allowing him to see clearly inside.
His father, Mr. Lin, was standing with a bow, while across from him sat a middle-aged man dressed in official robes.
Lin Yuan was startled and widened his eyes for a closer look; it turned out to be Governor Xu!
Although the Lin family is prominent in the local area, it is still the first time for Lord Xu to visit.
"Lord Xu, this matter is my fault, my fault..." Lin Yuanwai frequently reflected, "I failed to recognize someone of such stature... I thought he was just an ordinary little scholar..."
Little scholar?
Lin Yuan was taken aback. Were they talking about Lin Shoutong?
Lord Xu seemed not to hear and casually picked up a piece of paper covered in tiny writing from the table, examining it closely while nodding occasionally, "What beautiful handwriting!"
Lin Yuanwai agreed, "Indeed, otherwise he wouldn't have been allowed to accompany my son in his studies..."
"Accompany in studies?" Lord Xu put down the paper and said seriously, "Lin Yuanwai, you have been in Qizhou for many years and have seen countless people. How could you lack such discernment? She has been accompanying your son for so long, and you haven't noticed anything unusual?"
"Well..." Lin Yuanwai was somewhat confused and smiled awkwardly, "Lord Xu, forgive my lack of insight. My son has been rather disappointing; recently he had a falling out with a daughter from a Gardener's Family. After meeting this little scholar, he has become much more restrained and has been studying diligently. At first, I was quite pleased, but later I realized that although this little scholar is knowledgeable and spirited, he has a somewhat delicate demeanor. To say something that might amuse the adults..."
Lin Yuanwai looked embarrassed and stammered, "When I returned home, I found that my son’s relationship with him seemed a bit inappropriate. My son is quite stubborn, and I fear that he—"
"Inappropriate?" Lord Xu suddenly became tense and hurriedly set down the teacup he had just picked up. "What do you mean by inappropriate?"
"Well..." Lin Yuanwai forced a smile and said, "My lord, I've noticed that my son seems overly enthusiastic about this scholar. You know how it is when two men are together; what kind of situation could that lead to? No matter how much I love him, I can only let him go..."
Not only was Lord Xu astonished by this revelation, but even Lin Yuan, who was eavesdropping outside, nearly burst out laughing. It turned out his father was concerned about this. He should have clarified things with him sooner. However, what kind of background did this little scholar have that would warrant Lord Xu's personal inquiry? Could he be a relative?
After recovering from his surprise, Lord Xu found it amusing. "Lin Yuanwai, you foolish man! Go ask your son if he would admit to having such tendencies!"
"This..." Lin Yuanwai felt extremely awkward. "It shouldn't be, it shouldn't be. Perhaps I am overthinking..."
Lord Xu picked up his teacup again and took a few sips. "Exactly. Speaking of which, the identity of this little scholar is indeed invaluable. To have stayed in your residence is a blessing for you."
Lin Yuanwai was taken aback. "Ah, this... I hope you can enlighten me, my lord."
Lord Xu teased him a bit. "If it weren't for your Lin Tian'er visiting my niece today and discussing this little scholar of unknown origin while showing her the little scholar's impressive work, how could I have arrived here in time? It can be said that keeping this little scholar in your residence for these days is also a merit of yours. Haha..."
As Lord Xu spoke, there was a hint of satisfaction in his tone. It was needless to say that as long as he found this little scholar, his official career would surely soar.
Lin Yuanwai remained confused. However, he understood that the identity of this little scholar was indeed something extraordinary.
To have someone like Governor Xu say it was invaluable and even come here personally—one could only imagine what kind of status this delicate little scholar must possess.
"Lin Yuanwai, did you really send her to the inn by the river?"
"Absolutely!"
"Good! But do not alarm her! Also, have your son come here; I have something to ask him!"
As Lin Yuanwai hurriedly left, he couldn't help but click his tongue repeatedly. The Governor actually seemed wary of this little scholar's movements; one could tell how powerful this little scholar was.
How could he not have noticed such a noble person these days? He even drove her away—what poor judgment!
Riverside Heartfelt Inn
Mei Shuang surveyed her surroundings.
The riverside was far from the bustling city, with clusters of reeds lining the banks. The river breeze gently swayed the white reeds in the twilight, and the floating fluff resembled falling snow, creating a unique charm.
The Xinxin Inn was built by the river, primarily accommodating guests who wanted to catch the first ferry in the morning but were reluctant to wake up early. To enhance the guests' viewing experience, the inn creatively constructed a corridor that extended over the River Surface , wrapping around to form a walkway above the water.
As a result, the corridor was filled with guests enjoying the view at night, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
Mei Shuang thought to herself that the accommodations arranged by Lin Residence were quite satisfactory.
After running around outside all day and feeling sticky, Mei Shuang couldn't care less about the view; the first thing she did upon entering the inn was to take a hot bath.
The inn's facilities were well-equipped.
Soaking in a large wooden tub, enjoying the steam of the hot water while feeling the gentle river breeze outside, Mei Shuang began to feel drowsy. After all, she had spent the entire day in fright, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep...
Although it was cool by the river, the night wind was chilly. Suddenly awakened by a gust of cold air, Mei Shuang groggily heard a faint sound.
She abruptly opened her eyes and realized it was already dark outside; the once lively corridor had fallen silent. The candlelight in her room had also extinguished, leaving only the lanterns by the river flickering weakly. The light swayed in and out as it was lifted by the river breeze, casting an uncertain glow into her room.
The water in the tub had long since cooled.
Just as Mei Shuang was about to climb out of the tub, she suddenly heard another faint sound.
She was startled, her drowsiness instantly gone. She quickly shrank back into the barrel and listened attentively to the sounds outside.
After a moment, she heard soft footsteps passing by in the corridor outside, accompanied by a low humming tune. Mei Shuang let out a sigh of relief; perhaps she had misheard earlier.
Listening closely to the sound of the water clock, it should be around the third watch of the night.
Slowly, she rose from the barrel and reached out to feel for her clothes beside it, but her hand met only emptiness.
This was alarming. She had clearly placed her clean clothes on the stool next to the barrel, but now, when she glanced over, the stool was completely bare.
What on earth! A strange scene flashed through her mind—the moment in the Cold Palace when she reached for a medicine bottle that had mysteriously appeared before her after she couldn’t find it.
That time had been due to someone’s mischief, thanks to that damned Zhao Prince. But what about now?
Mei Shuang hurriedly grabbed a towel draped over the side of the barrel and wrapped it around herself haphazardly. In a flurry, she climbed out of the barrel, still dripping wet.
Her heart raced like a drum as she cautiously looked around. Although the room was small, much of it was shrouded in darkness, forcing her to slowly back up against the wall.
It seemed that the sound she heard earlier hadn’t come from outside at all; it had originated from within.
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