newbobooks Chapter 785 It turns out, she couldn't live without him all along.
Chapter 785 It turns out, she couldn't live without him all along.
Lin Jiayou stood there, his mind a jumbled mess.
It shouldn't be like this, nothing should be like this. Gu Qingchen's words were like needles, piercing him until he had nowhere to hide.
All his plans and schemes turned into a complete joke at this moment.
Gu Lanxin struggled to get up from the ground, walked to his side, and grabbed his sleeve.
Her voice trembled violently, choked with sobs and a hint of desperate pleading, "Let's... let's go back to Chengdu. Let's leave this place and start over."
Back to Chengdu?
Lin Jiayou's thoughts seemed to be abruptly pulled back by those words. Leave the capital? Leave all his resentment and ambition behind here?
Looking at Gu Lanxin's tear-streaked, hopeful face, he felt not pity, but an indescribable irritation.
His plans were completely ruined.
But right now, it seems he has no other way to go.
He closed his eyes and squeezed out a single word: "Okay."
He spoke that one word absentmindedly and perfunctorily.
Gu Lanxin's fingers, which were gripping his sleeve, loosened slightly because of this word.
But when she looked up and saw the undisguised annoyance and coldness on his face, the little bit of warmth that had just risen was instantly extinguished.
Her heart sank little by little.
The next day, an inconspicuous carriage stopped at the side gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Lin Jingchuan, the young prince of the Yongwang Mansion, personally came to pay his respects.
The atmosphere in the main hall was oppressive.
Gu Junze sat in the main seat with a livid face, while Chu Ruohan's eyes were red, and she turned her head away from looking at Gu Lanxin and Lin Jiayou kneeling below.
"Duke Gu, Madam." Lin Jingchuan, dressed in brocade robes, looked weary and solemn. "Jingchuan has come today to propose marriage to my good-for-nothing nephew. This matter... was caused by Jiayou's wickedness. I beg the Duke and Madam to give him a chance to make amends."
Family scandals should not be made public.
Looking at his nominal nephew, and then at his niece kneeling on the ground, looking utterly lost, Gu Junze felt a lump in his throat, unable to breathe.
He gave a heavy snort, which was taken as an affirmation.
"Since the young prince has come in person, this matter is settled."
Lin Jiayou knelt on the ground, remaining silent from beginning to end, but with a cold, sarcastic smile on his face.
Only when the matter was settled and Lin Jingchuan told him to get up did he slowly stand up and brush off imaginary dust from his knees.
He walked up to Lin Jingchuan and gave a slight smirk.
“Uncle? What a wonderful uncle of mine.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was full of sharp sarcasm.
"Now you know how to control me? Where were the people from the Yong Prince's Mansion when my mother died? They probably wished I would die with her so they wouldn't have to see it!"
"Shut up!" Lin Jingchuan's face instantly turned ugly.
He grabbed Lin Jiayou's arm and dragged him to the deserted corridor outside the hall.
"I went to look for you back then!" Lin Jingchuan said in a low voice, his eyes filled with suppressed anger. "I went to the academy to look for you, and it was Qingchen who told me herself that you had returned to Jinguan City and were doing well! Only then did I feel relieved!"
Lin Jiayou was suddenly shocked and looked at him in disbelief.
"The grudges of the previous generation are in the past." Lin Jingchuan looked at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Your mother's death... wasn't what you think. Lin Jiayou, you should live for yourself, live with dignity!"
It was nighttime in the guest room assigned to Lin Jiayou for temporary accommodation.
Gu Lanxin packed his simple luggage slowly and gently.
Lin Jiayou sat by the window, looking at the dark night outside, without saying a word.
Gu Lanxin walked to his side, gently took his hand, and placed it on her still flat stomach.
Lin Jiayou's hand stiffened for a moment, and he tried to pull it back, but he didn't move.
"Jiayou," Gu Lanxin's voice was soft, with a hint of cautious tenderness, "it's all in the past. From now on, we'll raise the child and live a good life together."
"Every mother hopes that her child can be safe and sound."
mother……
Lin Jiayou felt as if something had stabbed him hard in the heart.
His hand, on Gu Lanxin's lower abdomen, was no longer so stiff.
Three days later, at the city gate of the capital.
A simple horse-drawn carriage was preparing to leave the capital.
Gu Lu, Gu Qingchen, and Qian Zhenyun all came to see him off.
Gu Lu walked up to Lin Jiayou, his gaze sharp as a knife.
"Lin Jiayou, no matter who you truly love, from this day forward, treat my sister well. Otherwise, I, Gu Lu, will never forgive you, no matter where you are in the world."
Lin Jiayou nodded silently.
Gu Qingchen looked at the two of them, her expression somewhat dazed. She tried to force a smile, hoping to ease the tension.
"I never expected that although we can't be friends, you'll become my brother-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Lin Jiayou's body visibly stiffened.
He looked up at Gu Qingchen, his eyes, which always held a calculating quality, now swirling with complex emotions that no one else could understand.
Qian Zhenyun stepped forward and spoke calmly.
"Have a safe trip."
Lin Jiayou's gaze finally shifted from Gu Qingchen to Qian Zhenyun's face.
He suddenly laughed, a laugh that carried a hint of desolate melancholy and a touch of resentful mockery.
He turned around and, before getting into the carriage, looked back at Qian Zhenyun one last time.
"It seems that among the three of us, you have ultimately won."
After saying that, he climbed into the carriage without looking back.
The carriage curtain fell, blocking all view.
Qian Zhenyun did not reply, but his gaze shifted slightly and fell on Gu Qingchen beside him.
The wind ruffled her hair, and her gaze was fixed on the direction the carriage had gone, lost in thought.
The carriage rumbled and soon disappeared at the end of the official road.
A breeze swept through the empty suburbs, carrying a hint of coolness.
Gu Lu withdrew his gaze, turned to Qian Zhenyun, and patted him on the shoulder.
"I have official business to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. Qingchen, I'm leaving you in charge."
Qian Zhenyun nodded solemnly.
"rest assured."
Gu Lu mounted his horse, said nothing more, and galloped off in another direction, soon becoming just a black dot.
In the world, only Gu Qingchen and Qian Zhenyun remained, along with the carriage behind them.
Qian Zhenyun looked at Gu Qingchen's profile, which was still gazing into the distance.
"What are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing." Gu Qingchen came back to his senses and shook his head. "I just feel that life is unpredictable."
She turned around, ready to get into the car.
"Let's go back too."
Qian Zhenyun followed behind her and held the car door open for her.
The carriage slowly started moving and headed towards the capital.
The carriage was quiet, with only the sound of wheels rolling over the road.
Gu Qingchen leaned against the car wall and closed her eyes. After seeing Lin Jiayou off, she felt no relief, but rather as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her.
Suddenly, the carriage braked sharply.
She lurched forward uncontrollably, but Qian Zhenyun caught her.
"What happened?" Qian Zhenyun's voice turned somber.
The coachman's terrified voice came from outside: "Young master, young lady, there's... there's an ambush!"
Before the words were finished, several dark figures darted out from the woods on both sides of the road, their long swords gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and rushed straight at the carriage.
"Protect Qingchen!"
Qian Zhenyun gave a low shout, shielding Gu Qingchen behind him, while he lifted the carriage curtain and kicked the assassin next to the driver.
The clash of swords and the flash of blades erupted outside the car in an instant.
Gu Qingchen's heart leaped into his throat. He drew the soft sword from his waist and peered out through the crack in the carriage window.
There were no fewer than ten people, all masked, ruthless, and deadly.
Although Qian Zhenyun's guards were excellent, the enemy came prepared and had the upper hand in numbers.
"You're their target! Stay in the car and don't move!" Qian Zhenyun shouted back at her before drawing his sword and joining the battle.
His swordsmanship was fierce and his movements were agile. In the blink of an eye, two assassins fell to his sword.
But the assassins, as if possessed, rushed towards him recklessly, disregarding their own lives.
As Gu Qingchen watched him being surrounded, her heart felt as if it were being gripped by countless hands.
Just then, an assassin bypassed the fighting circle, cleaved through the wooden planks of the carriage with a single slash, and thrust the sharp blade straight at her face.
"Qingchen!"
Qian Zhenyun's roar was heart-wrenching.
He abruptly pushed aside the enemy in front of him, ignoring a slash coming from behind, and turned around with incredible speed, pulling her tightly into his arms.
"Pfft."
The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was dull and suffocating.
Gu Qingchen's eyes widened suddenly; she smelled a strong stench of blood.
The warm liquid ran down Qian Zhenyun's back, soaking through his clothes and scalding her hands.
He swayed slightly as he held her body.
"Qian Zhenyun!"
Her voice trembled with fear that she herself was unaware of.
Having succeeded in his attack, the assassin did not linger. He exchanged a glance with his companion and quickly retreated, disappearing into the forest.
The guards were about to give chase when Gu Qingchen sternly stopped them.
"Stop chasing! Quick! Get back to the city! Find a doctor!"
Qian Zhenyun leaned against her, his face as pale as paper, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"I'm fine..." He opened his mouth, his voice weak, "You...you're not hurt, are you?"
Gu Qingchen looked at him, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
She tried to cover the wound on his back with her hand, but the blood wouldn't stop, gushing out from between her fingers, staining her dress and her eyes red.
"Don't speak, don't speak!"
Meanwhile, on another official road...
Inside an unassuming carriage, Lin Jiayou slowly opened his eyes, a cold smile curving his lips.
He lifted the carriage curtain and looked in the direction of the capital.
Gu Qingchen, you will never truly understand your own heart.
A hero saves a damsel in distress, risking his life to protect her.
With such a debt of gratitude, let's see how you'll refuse this time.
This is the last thing I can do for you before I leave.
Qian Zhenyun.
He lowered the carriage curtain, shutting out everything from the outside world, his eyes a deep, unfathomable darkness.
When Qian Zhenyun was carried back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion by the guards, he had already fallen into a coma.
Gu Qingchen followed behind, utterly distraught, his hands and body covered in his blood.
She watched as the maid carried out basins of bloody water, her mind going completely blank.
It wasn't until this moment that she truly realized it.
She is afraid.
She was terrified.
She was afraid that this person would just die like that.
She feared that in the future, no one would be there to helplessly clean up her messes when she acted impulsively.
She feared that in the future, no one would ever look at her with such focused eyes and smile again.
She can't live without him.
It turns out, she couldn't live without him for a long time.