Chapter 20
The sudden question catches Lu Hong off guard and he instantly turns red
Knowing that Ling Xiao cannot see, Lu Hong still averts his eyes sheepishly and coughs in a not-so-natural manner, “Cousin Xiao, why are you suddenly asking about this”
Ling Xiao has sensitive ears and follows the voice to look at Lu Hong, “I have my own intentions for asking this
Cousin Hong just needs to answer me
Do you like A Shu?”
Like!
Of course he liked!
He fell in love with her at first sight, he was mesmerized by her and tossed and turned
Every day, he would go to great lengths just to see her one more time
Every once in a while, when he said a word or two, his heart would blossom and he would be in a good mood for the whole day
Ling Xiao waited quite patiently, and only after a long time did Lu Hong gather the courage to nod his head
Thinking that Ling Xiao couldn’t see, he hmmmed again
Ling Xiao didn’t feel surprised either
He couldn’t see with his eyes, but he still had a keen sense of hearing
Every time Ah Shu was mentioned, there would be uncontrollable excitement in Lu Hong’s voice
When they met, even if Ah Shu was cold, Lu Hong was still happy
What else could it be if this wasn’t liking?Today is grandmother’s birthday, there are many guests in the residence
A Shu has to greet the guests, and if she goes to the garden now, that means she won’t have a chance to talk when she sees her”
Ling Xiao lowered his voice and laughed, “After the luncheon, when the troupe starts singing, I’ll quietly call Ah Shu to the Autumn Water Pavilion
You don’t startle anyone else and come over alone as well
If you have anything to say, just talk to Ah Shu!”
Lu Hong was both shocked and delighted: “Are you telling the truth?
Cousin Xiao, you’re not lying to me!”
He had always wanted to find a chance to talk to her privately and alone, but unfortunately, he had no good opportunity to do so
He didn’t expect that Ling Xiao would take the initiative to bring up this matter today
This was simply a good thing that fell from the sky
Ling Xiao nodded with a smile
Lu Hong clutched Ling Xiao’s hand and was somewhat incoherent with excitement, “Cousin Xiao, thank you
You are really too good to me”
Ling Xiao grinned, but secretly thought in his heart
I didn’t do this all for you
Ah Shu has been quite preoccupied lately, and I don’t know if it’s because of Lu Hong
Instead of dragging this out in such an ambiguous manner, it would be better to let the two of them face to face to make things clear
If A-shu is interested in Lu Hong, then all will be happy
If the flowers are intentional and the water is heartless,, it will make Lu Hong die sooner
If it is not, then it will be a happy ending for all of us
A high theater stage was set up in the Ling residence, and the most famous opera troupe in Dingzhou City was specially invited
Many tables and chairs were placed by the stage
The men and women sat on one side of the stage, watching the opera and laughing at the same time, it was quite lively
Ling Jingshu and Ling Jingyan sat together, not knowing what they whispered, and smiled at each otherCousin Shu is really something, it’s only been a few short days and she’s already so familiar with cousin Yan”
The acidity in Ling Jingxian’s words couldn’t be covered up, “Those who don’t know may think that the two of them are sisters!”
She and Ling Jingyan had some unpleasantness in the beginning, even if she wanted to get closer, she couldn’t pull this face for a while
Looking at Ling Jingshu and Ling Jingyan’s close friendship, her heart was inexplicably indignant
Ling Jingwan smiled, “Cousin Yan rarely returns to Dingzhou for a few days, so I guess she should return to the capital soon
Cousin Shu is no longer close to her, but it is impossible for her to follow her to the capital
There is nothing for you to be concerned about”
That made sense
Ling Jingxian’s heart suddenly calmed down quite a bit, picking up the pastries and sending them into her mouth to watch the show
Stay in the house all day long, go out and do very little opportunity to guests, daily come and go to see are those faces, do nothing more than reading embroidery playing the qin and painting and so on
Today, the theater troupe sings, since everyone is interested in watching
At the moment, on the stage, a white and handsome martial arts student stands with his head high, holding a long sword, imposing
Another comically dressed clown was running and somersaulting at the same time, attracting a burst of applause and praise
Ling Jingshu was quiet by nature and had little interest in listening to the opera, gossiping with Ling Jingyan
The maid Jingyu quietly came over and whispered, “Ninth Miss, the young master doesn’t want to stay here because he thinks the theater is too noisy
He wants you to accompany him back to the Autumn Water Pavilion!”
Ling Jingshu did not doubt it and immediately answered with a smile
Ling Jingshu stepped into the Autumn Water Pavilion with a smile on her face and called out, “Ah Xiao”
Ling Xiao was nowhere to be seen, but an unexpectedly handsome face came into view, smiling and warm as the spring breeze: “Cousin Shu”
It was actually Lu Hong!
Ling Jingshu’s smile abruptly disappeared, her voice cold: “Why are you here?
Where is Ah Xiao?”
Could it be that he was trailing Ling Xiao?
Lu Hong hesitated slightly before telling the truth: “It was cousin Xiao who specifically asked me to come here to wait for you”
Ling Jingshu: “” What is Ling Xiao up to?
!!! Ling Jingshu frowned, a not-so-wonderful conjecture swept through her mind, “Why did A Xiao ask you to come see me?”
Her disgusting indifference was like a pot of cold water poured down, extinguishing most of Lu Hong’s joyful excitement
The smile on his face also stiffened slightly, “Cousin Xiao also has good intentions, wanting to give the two of us a chance to be alone for a moment and talk for a while ” “No need!”
Ling Jingshu said coldly, “There is a difference between men and women, and we always have to avoid suspicion
Moreover, the two of us aren’t half familiar with each other, I don’t think there’s anything to talk about
You leave first!”
Lu Hong could no longer laugh, and the words hidden deep in his heart rushed out, “Cousin Shu, what did I do wrong?
Why do you hate me so much?
Never show me any false colors?”
Why?
Ling Jingshu tugged at the corners of her lips, without a hint of laughter in her eyes, and without looking back, she commanded, “Bai Yu, go and stand guard at the door, don’t let anyone in”
Today there was an opera troupe singing in the mansion, and all the maids and maids went to join in the fun
Now the Autumn Water Pavilion is empty
Bai Yu carefully closed the door and stood guard outside the courtyard door
Lu Hong stood under the veranda and Ling Jingshu stood in the courtyard
The two were separated by a distance of about three meters, facing each other from afar
The long awaited solitude suddenly became a reality
But Lu Hong’s heart swayed and sank
Ling Jingshu, who never looked at him squarely, finally raised her beautiful bright and clear eyes today and stared straight at him, “Lu Hong, I will tell you the answer to the question you just asked me now”
Lu Hong wanted to say something, but forced himself to hold backYou didn’t do anything wrong”
Because you haven’t gotten around to itI have guessed a thing or two about your feelings for me
However, I don’t have any half-hearted feelings for you
Therefore, I am unwilling to let you have half a misunderstanding”
In this life, I will never repeat the same mistake again, and I will never be moved by your gentle and deep feelings again
Ling Jingshu’s tone was calm, and there was no more of her usual disgust in her eyes when she looked at him, as if she was looking at an unrelated stranger
Such calmness was even more hurtful than the cold disgust from before
Lu Hong’s handsome face slightly blanched, forced himself to calm down: “Cousin Shu, the two of us have been together for a short period of time, you are not familiar with my character and disposition
It makes sense to be wary of me”Like you siblings, I lost my mother at a young age
I know what it’s like to not have a real mother, so I studied hard since I was young, hoping to get into the imperial exams and make a name for myself as soon as possible
Before I met you, I had never paid attention to young girls of my age, let alone thought about my life
But when I met you in the garden that day, I fell in love with you at first sight
These days I’ve been trying my best to get close to Cousin Xiao so that I can take the opportunity to see you a few more times
Cousin Xiao saw what I was thinking and purposely created an opportunity for me to be alone with you and show my feelings”I’ve already thought about it
After today, I will mention the marriage between the two of us to my father and mother
If the heavens have mercy on me and I am fortunate enough to take you as my wife, I will be completely devoted to you in this life”If you don’t believe me, I’ll make a vow to the heavens now
Heaven is above, I, Lu Hong, am in love with Ling Jingshu, and my love will not change in this life
If I violate this oath, I will be struck by heavenly thunder and not be allowed to die”
The handsome young man poured out his heart with deep emotion
This scene is enough to capture the hearts of all maidens!
In her previous life, she was intoxicated by such tenderness and affection, and easily delivered a heart
Wholeheartedly trust and rely on him, with full of hope for the future, married to the Lu family
But who would have thought that in only a few short years, he would change his heart!
Abandoning his wife, he stayed in the capital and never returned to Dingzhou
It was all because of him that she ended up in that miserable situation!
Huge hatred and intense pain stirred endlessly in her heart, and Ling Jingshu’s voice was sharp and agitated: ”What you think is your business, it has nothing to do with me
I don’t have the slightest bit of goodwill towards you, and I have never had any thoughts of marrying you
Leave when you’ve finished your words!”
All of Lu Hong’s expressions froze
A passionate confession was rewarded with an indifferent rejection
Anyone else wouldn’t be able to face it frankly
What’s more, under Lu Hong’s courteous appearance, he has never lacked the superiority of the children of the world’s families and the pride of a young man’s ambition
Lu Hong pursed his lips, suddenly striding over, in front of Ling Jingshu only two steps away before stopping: “Where exactly am I not good, why do you hate me so much, not even a chance to give me?”
He had a good birth and a good father, he was the first son of the Lu family’s eldest house, and would be the future head of the Lu family
He has been smart since childhood, he can’t forget, he is extremely gifted in reading, and he has the merit of a Xiu Cai early on
His future is unlimited
He was born with a good look, good manners and temperament, is a beautiful young man everyone said
How could Ling Jingshu not like him half the time?
Lu Hong could not suppress his surging emotions and suddenly reached out to hold her hand
He had just touched her fingers, before he had a chance to take her long, soft hand into his palm
Ling Jingshu’s face turned abruptly pale, her whole body seemed to spasm, and her heart surged with intense regurgitation and nausea, staggering back a step and then vomiting with a wow sound