Chapter 612.2: Slap in the Face

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Dark Guard A and Dark Guard B also disappeared into thin air.
Gu Chenglin actually wanted to watch the drama as well but was pulled away by Gu Chengfeng.
Only Marquis Gu and Gu Jinyu remained in the garden.
Gu Jinyu looked at Marquis Gu with a helpless expression, "Father... Let me explain..."
But Marquis Gu asked in a daze, "What happened at the teahouse?"
Gu Jinyu's expression changed, "Father——"
Marquis Gu stared deeply at her, "In the teahouse, Zhuang Yuheng was drugged, and you were almost taken advantage of by him, wasn’t that what happened?"
All of a sudden, Gu Yan emerged from behind a tree, "Of course not! She discovered that Zhuang Yuexi wanted to harm someone, followed her out of curiosity, and ended up witnessing An Junwang’s plight! An Junwang didn't drag her inside, it was her who went in by herself!"
Gu Changqing sighed and pulled Gu Yan over, "Alright, enough, go back and go to bed now, won’t you?"
"I'm not done yet." Gu Yan wriggled out of Gu Changqing's grasp. After he was taken away by Gu Changqing, he persuaded him with both soft and hard tactics to use his qinggong to bring him back here. It was not easy to come over, and he wanted to finish what he started.
He roared at Marquis Gu from halfway across the garden, "An Junwang told her to escape quickly! But she didn't! An Junwang couldn't control himself and had to stab himself!"
"She kept saying, 'An Junwang, what's wrong? What happened? Do you need me to call a physician for you?' What ‘call a physician’? That’s bull! You saw him being drugged by Zhuang Yuexi, how could you not know what happened to him?"
Gu Changqing couldn't stand it anymore. He angrily said, "Who taught you all these nonsense!"
Gu Yan used to be obedient, but ever since Marquis Xuanping moved into Bishui Alley, Gu Yan had become more and more mischievous!
"I ommphh——"
Gu Yan wanted to continue, but his mouth was covered, and he was mercilessly carried away by Gu Changqing, who used qinggong to leave the estate.
Marquis Gu wasn't interested in the entanglement between Zhuang Yuexi and Zhuang Yuheng. He was only concerned about the role Gu Jinyu played in it.
He clenched his fists and looked at her, "Is what Gu Yan said true?"
If Gu Jiao had said these words, Marquis Gu wouldn't believe a word. He would only think Gu Jiao was trying to frame Gu Jinyu.
Ultimately, he didn't understand Gu Jiao well enough.
But he did understand Gu Yan. Did Gu Yan need to resort to framing Gu Jinyu when he openly bullied her? It was as clear as day!
I bully you, what can you do to me?!
The whole family spoils me because I'm sick!
That was how Gu Yan was.
Another important point was that this matter didn’t involve Gu Jiao. Whenever Gu Jiao was involved, Marquis Gu was almost always biased towards Gu Jinyu.
However, now it was only Gu Yan and Gu Jinyu, so Marquis Gu could relatively view the whole situation objectively.
But if Gu Yan so much as mentioned that An Junwang had feelings for Gu Jiao, it would ruin everything.
Gu Jinyu hesitated to speak, "Father... I..."
If it was merely Gu Jinyu being unwilling to endure hardship at the border while also seeking a good reputation, it could still be attributed to a bit of vanity of a young girl. But taking advantage of the situation to scheme for An Junwang to marry her was truly heartbreaking.
Marquis Gu turned away in disappointment, clutching his chest.
His heart ached.
Meanwhile, Gu Changqing rode out of the estate with Gu Yan, sending him back to Bishui Alley on horseback.
They rode together on the same horse, with Gu Yan sitting in front.
The sixteen-year-old's body couldn't block Gu Changqing's view. Gu Changqing tightly held the reins with both hands, encircling him in his arms.
Gu Yan's excitement waned, and he started feeling a bit tired now. His slender body leaned against Gu Changqing's sturdy chest, and his head began nodding off.
Gu Changqing was both amused and exasperated. He freed one hand to wrap around his slender waist, asking, "Feeling tired now?"
"Hmm?" Gu Yan mumbled sleepily, then immediately straightened up, wide-eyed and very awake. "I'm not tired!"
Seeing through his pretense, Gu Changqing chuckled and asked, "How did you find out about those things?"
Gu Yan proudly replied, "I investigated, of course! I'm so clever!"
Gu Changqing chuckled and muttered, "Really not modest at all."
He didn't ask exactly how Gu Yan investigated because Gu Yan had started nodding off again. But even without asking, he could guess a thing or two.
Since Zhuang Yuheng moved into Bishui Alley, Gu Yan probably inadvertently learned about the incident where Zhuang Yuheng was drugged by Zhuang Yuexi that day.
Zhuang Yuheng didn't suspect that Gu Jinyu's appearance was not a coincidence at all; he simply regarded her as genuinely passing by, that she was genuinely unaware, and genuinely concerned about him.
But Gu Yan, this little schemer, wasn't so easily fooled.
He might not have found concrete evidence, but by piecing together all the fragments of the incident and combining it with his understanding of Gu Jinyu, he basically reconstructed the truth of that day.
In the midst of this, Gu Changqing glanced down at the sleeping Gu Yan in his arms, and couldn't help but say with a wry smile, "With such a sharp mind, why don't you use it to study?"
……
The next day, Zhuang Yuheng packed his things and boarded the carriage bound for the border.
Empress Dowager Zhuang also came to Bishui Alley to see him off. He wasn't being exiled, but life on the border was harsh, and if he wanted to protect his sisters, he would have to endure some hardships.
"If you can't bear it, come back. The capital is your home."
Empress Dowager Zhuang didn't actually say this sentence.
Compared to being a hostage in the State of Chen, Zhuang Yuheng's journey this time appeared even more daunting and distant. He wasn’t acting for his homeland, nor for anyone's ambition; rather, he was embarking on a completely new journey with a wholly unique identity, bearing a heavy burden and facing a long road ahead.
He would no longer rely on any power or receive any help. Every step he took would have to be his own.
"Here, take this." Xiao Heng handed him a book he took from the study. "Don’t you want to learn that book from the State of Yan? I've organized it and added some annotations."
It was a book copied from that arithmetic book of the State of Yan, originally with annotations, but Zhuang Yuheng's grasp of the Yan language wasn't great, so Xiao Heng translated it into the language of the State of Zhao.
Xiao Heng's movements had been limited these days, indicating that this book had been prepared long ago.
Zhuang Yuheng took the book and said to Xiao Heng in the wheelchair, "If you can start from scratch, so can I."
He had learned Xiao Heng's real identity.
Strictly speaking, it was Xiao Heng's situation that inspired him. If someone could accomplish this, it meant that this path was viable. Xiao Heng was only fourteen when he had his accident.
If the fourteen-year-old Xiao Heng could do it, why couldn't he?
Zhuang Yuheng solemnly said, "Wait for the day I return to the capital!"
Xiao Heng replied, "I'll be waiting."
Empress Dowager Zhuang gave Zhuang Yuheng a brocade box.
He opened it only after boarding the carriage.
It was a hairpin.
His twentieth birthday would probably be spent on the road, and this was the coming-of-age gift prepared by his grandaunt.
He wiped away the tears in the corners of his eyes and smiled, "Thank you, Grandaunt."Raz P.'s Thoughts

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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…