Chapter 12 Chapter 12

Chapter 12

1

Once all the guests had left, Ms. Liang was walking back with her daughter, the Second Young Miss, when she suddenly saw servants rushing about inside.

Her face darkened. "What's all this commotion?"

"There's a fire! There's a fire inside!" a servant shouted, face pale.

Ms. Liang's demeanor changed, and she immediately strode over.

The door was forcefully pushed open, revealing Lin Chenxin sitting on a chair, fanning a heap of curtains on the floor.

The pent-up smoke dispersed as the door opened.

Lin Chenxin looked at the people who had entered and said, "It's too cold at night. I wanted to light a fire to warm up."

Seeing this, even Ms. Liang, who usually kept her emotions hidden, had a vein throb on her temple.

"Lin Chenxin, you have some nerve!"

Lin Chenxin stood up without haste and looked at Ms. Liang. "You're the ones making a mountain out of a molehill."

Ms. Liang stood at the doorway, her eyes boring into Lin Chenxin.

"It seems you still don't understand what kind of place the Chen Residence is."

After saying this, Ms. Liang turned and walked out.

The Second Young Miss turned to leave, giving Lin Chenxin a cold glance as she did.

—

The spacious, bright central hall had been cleaned up and restored to its usual solemnity.

Ms. Liang sat presiding, her gaze icy as she watched Lin Chenxin being pushed in.

The Second Young Miss wore a smirk of contempt. Beside her, the young master looked somewhat uneasy but dared not step forward, only sneaking glances at Lin Chenxin with worry in his eyes.

Seeing this setup like a formal tribunal, Lin Chenxin's heart gave a thump.

"It's getting late. If I don't return soon, Eldest Young Master Chen will worry," she blurted out.

The corner of Ms. Liang's mouth twitched upward in a cold smile.

Then she raised a finger, and footsteps immediately sounded from outside.

A servant walked in, head bowed and eyes downcast, and presented a rattan cane with both hands.

Lin Chenxin's brow twitched.

What did this mean?

House rules?

They wanted to cane her?

The Chen family was truly bizarre beyond measure.

"The Chen family's precepts have always been strict. We absolutely do not allow anyone to disrupt the family's morals," Ms. Liang said.

She put on gloves and picked up the sturdy rattan cane.

Lin Chenxin pressed her lips together.

How particular.

The vast central hall was brightly lit, yet the atmosphere was exceptionally cold and oppressive.

Ms. Liang, seated in the place of honor, stared fixedly at Lin Chenxin with eyes colder than a deep pool.

She wore pristine white gloves, forming a stark and ominous contrast with the vivid red of her lips on her stern face.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Lin Chenxin took a deep breath, raised her chin defiantly, and said, "How have I disrupted the Chen family's morals?"

She put on a bold, unyielding appearance, but inwardly, her heart was already pounding.

After all, this was the first time she had encountered such a scene.

As a child, she wasn't exactly obedient. She wasn't wildly destructive, but she could be considered a willful little troublemaker.

Even so, whenever her mother hit her, she never went all out.

Moreover, her father doted on her like she was the apple of his eye; most of the slippers her mother swung down landed on him.

In all her years, the only real suffering Lin Chenxin had endured was during the years she lost her parents.

Thinking of this, she lowered her thick lashes.

For some reason today, she kept dwelling on sad memories, and her emotions were unstable.

Ms. Liang gave her a cold look, the narrow corners of her eyes revealing a hint of icy spite.

"That's not for you to decide."

As soon as the words fell, two women immediately stepped forward, intending to press down on Lin Chenxin's shoulders.

The young master pressed his lips tightly together, gripping the armrest of his chair nervously, but still didn't dare to speak up.

The Second Young Miss wore a smug expression on her face.

"This is abuse! Domestic violence!" Lin Chenxin gritted her teeth, refusing absolutely to kneel!

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Just as Lin Chenxin was considering whether to get tough and make a bigger scene, a voice seemed to come from far away, faint and hoarse.

"Lin Chenxin, come back."

Wind blew in from outside the door. The servants suddenly turned their heads, looking at the empty doorway. A cold gust of wind blew against the backs of their necks.

Outside was pitch black with no one in sight, yet it felt eerie and chilling.

Everyone present changed their expressions.

The little young master looked shocked and somewhat puzzled.

And the second young lady trembled almost imperceptibly upon hearing the voice and quickly lowered her head.

Even more telling was the fear and apprehension visible on Ms. Liang's face.

Lin Chenxin quietly took in everyone's expressions.

"Let go!"

She broke free from the hands restraining her, straightened up, and said, "I told you, he doesn't sleep unless I'm there."

She didn't blush at all while saying these words.

In just that short moment, she felt bold again.

Seeing that no one spoke, she straightened her clothes, looked ahead, and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go back to sleep."

Without waiting for a response, she immediately turned and left.

Ms. Liang's voice rang out coldly behind her.

"Starting tomorrow, come pay your respects every day."

Lin Chenxin's steps faltered, but she didn't look back, striding out the door.

The room fell silent; no one dared to stop her or speak.

Lin Chenxin started off with an imposing air, but as she walked, she broke into a jog.

She didn't stop until she reached the entrance of Junzi Courtyard, panting as she patted her chest.

The two dilapidated lanterns outside the courtyard gate were still lit.

She looked up and saw a dark, motionless figure standing inside.

She wasn't afraid anymore.

In fact, compared to the Chen family members outside, Eldest Young Master Chen now felt an eerie familiarity.

She let out a breath and walked in quickly.

If nothing else, her cheap husband was really something.

With each step she took closer, the figure inside retreated a step further.

He didn't want to get close to her.

By the time she reached the front courtyard, the clanking of chains had already moved onto the long corridor, heading toward the dark study.

"Chen Gujun," she called out.

The figure with its back to her stopped.

Lin Chenxin's gaze drifted downward to the shackles on his ankles.

The heavy chains blended into the darkness, barely visible, yet they conveyed a sense of oppressive restraint.

He stood there motionless, waiting for her to finish speaking.

Perhaps today really was a bit off.

The weather was bad, and her mood was unstable.

Lin Chenxin wondered what Chen Gujun had been thinking, alone in the courtyard while it was lively outside.

The little young master said he had never seen Chen Gujun visit the ancestral hall.

Could it be that Chen Gujun had never even left this courtyard gate since birth?

Lin Chenxin pursed her lips, suddenly feeling a chill.

If that were true...

It would be too cruel.

Lin Chenxin had suffered from life's unpredictability, but that suffering had never erased the sweetness she had once enjoyed.

And she didn't deny that part of the impulse to crash the banquet was because of Chen Gujun.

It was just too infuriating and too unfair.

Lin Chenxin had no reason to endure bullying in silence.

But now, it seemed even she herself felt a bit sad.

Nothing had changed; instead, she tasted the flavor of loneliness.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say many things.

Useful or not, she wanted to ramble about something at that moment.

But the unformed words stuck in her throat, finally turning into just one sentence.

"Thank you."

Her voice was very soft.

It became like the most common breeze in the courtyard, lifting the long hair behind Chen Gujun.

He moved slightly, slowly, as if about to turn around.

Lin Chenxin stood still, watching him without blinking.

But after a moment, he merely took a step, his tall, thin figure slowly entering the study.

At that moment, as his gray-white hair floated up, Chen Gujun's back seemed somewhat bent.

He was only twenty-eight, yet he already seemed old.

Lin Chenxin stood there for a long time.

She looked at the lonely, quiet four lanterns on the long corridor, and her turbulent heart calmed, turning into wordless silence.

Then she lowered her head and looked at the red string tied around her wrist.

It originally had a gold longevity lock, but she had sold it.

In the end, it became the cake her younger siblings ate on their birthdays.

That was the first—and so far, the only—time her younger siblings had ever eaten cake.

She missed her parents.

She found herself missing her younger siblings, too.

In the study, Chen Gujun gazed intently through the latticed window at Lin Chenxin standing outside with her head bowed. His dark eyes were like still lakes on a quiet night.

After a moment, he gave a slight, deliberate curl of his finger.

Peach blossoms from some unknown courtyard, scattered by the wind, drifted over the wall like a shower of pink petals, riding the breeze into this desolate place under a bright moon and scattered stars.

Lin Chenxin looked up, a subtle light dawning in her eyes.