Chapter 31 Chapter 31

Chapter 31

1

Perhaps due to that bowl of ginger soup, Lin Chenxin slept soundly and woke up feeling great all over.

She just didn’t know when Chen Gujun had put her to bed.

Seeing that not a single corner of her clothes was out of place and the quilt was pulled up to her chin, she thought of something, buried her face in the pillow, and laughed out loud.

After lounging in bed for a while, she got up and saw that the sun was already up outside, with only a few scattered puddles remaining from yesterday’s rain.

Pushing open the door, she saw the ranunculus the young master had gifted earlier—now thoroughly wilted beyond revival.

She dug the withered flower from the pot, its roots damp and black with rot.

“Young Mistress.”

She looked up, her brow twitching at the sight of the visitor.

The young woman who often came before held a food box, her eyes lowered to the ground. “Yesterday’s heavy rain delayed the delivery. Madam said she enjoyed it very much and requests that Young Mistress prepare more today for the young master and second young lady.”

Standing up, Lin Chenxin replied, “Understood.”

The woman approached with her head bowed and handed over the food box.

“The master hasn’t returned for several days. It seems there’s trouble with the business outside,” the young woman whispered.

Lin Chenxin’s expression remained unreadable as she asked softly, “When did it happen?”

The young woman glanced up at her.

“At the beginning of the month.”

Lin Chenxin felt a slight pang in her heart.

So something had indeed happened to Chen Gujun, directly affecting the Chen family’s fortune.

And Mr. Chen had patiently stayed at the Chen residence until he was certain her efforts here had succeeded before leaving.

“I heard the business matter was handled smoothly. The master will return soon.”

“Understood.”

Carrying the food box toward the kitchen, Lin Chenxin suddenly asked without turning around, “Who do you serve?”

The young woman’s heart tightened, as if her throat had been instantly gripped, making it hard to breathe.

The woman didn’t answer. Instead, she placed an exquisite box on the table and silently left the courtyard.

Lin Chenxin glanced sideways at the box. Opening it, she found it filled with the gold jewelry she had used to bribe the woman.

Clutching the box tightly, her chest heaved violently, eyes blazing with anger.

Ms. Liang—such formidable endurance.

Furious, she raised the box as if to smash it on the ground, then paused abruptly, regaining her composure in an instant, and tucked the box into her pocket.

Gold doesn’t come cheap.

—

“I’m heading out.”

The voice outside the door faded away as usual. Chen Gujun turned his head, silently gazing out the window.

His gaze was deep, far-reaching.

Yet also calm.

The hatred that had festered under the sunlight days before had now completely turned into invisible dust.

Lin Chenxin strode out proudly, carrying the food box.

Inside were pastries of all flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy.

Compared to Ms. Liang’s schemes, this was merely her most trivial form of retaliation.

But before she could meet anyone, someone saw her first.

“Lin Chenxin!”

The disbelief in that voice made Lin Chenxin halt.

She turned and saw the young master in the pavilion beside the rockery.

The young master looked equally bewildered, turning to face the person ahead.

A woman in a beige dress stepped out from Lin Chenxin’s blind spot.

Lin Chenxin’s expression shifted briefly, but she quickly regained her composure.

They weren’t exactly close, but they did know each other.

They were classmates from the same major.

“You… what are you doing here?”

The other woman’s eyes widened, her shock completely unconcealed.

Calmly, Lin Chenxin replied, “Miss Liu, I married into the Chen family. Of course I should be here.”

“Married…”

The other woman covered her mouth in disbelief.

Back then, Lin Chenxin had gotten into a luxurious, expensive car in front of many people and then vanished.

Rumors about Lin Chenxin spread at school—mostly that she had attached herself to a wealthy man, climbed the social ladder—but no one knew who owned the car.

For a long time, almost no one had heard any news of Lin Chenxin.

The Chen family stood nearly at the pinnacle of the wealthy circle. Miss Liu’s family background was only slightly better than Lin Chenxin’s before her family went bankrupt, still not enough to cross the Chen family’s threshold.

She herself didn’t know why she had become a candidate for the young master’s arranged marriage, but she never expected to see the long-missing Lin Chenxin here.

“Sister-in-law, do you two know each other?” the young master asked, looking at Lin Chenxin.

Miss Liu whipped her head around to look at the young master Chen, then at Lin Chenxin ahead.

"You..."

Naturally, she had also heard about Eldest Young Master Chen.

Lin Chenxin sighed softly and said to the young master with a smile, "Yes, we know each other. Looks like I'm going to hold you up."

The young master quickly waved his hands. "No, not at all!"

This was the second girl he had met today, and there were three more to see in the afternoon. A short break was just what he wanted.

But he still shot a cautious glance around and said uneasily, "Just... please don't be too long."

Lin Chenxin nodded.

——

Standing in a blind spot behind the rockery, Lin Chenxin gazed at the shimmering lake ahead, while Miss Liu beside her looked at her, wanting to speak but hesitating.

After a long while, Miss Liu whispered, "Are you here of your own free will?"

She glanced at Miss Liu and said softly, "Yes."

"But I heard..."

"If it's just hearsay, how much can you trust it?" she said lightly.

Miss Liu looked at her face and, seeing no sign of pretense, let out a small sigh of relief.

That sigh made Lin Chenxin smile faintly.

Not long after, Miss Liu said, "I won't go blabbing about it."

"Mm." She chuckled softly.

Miss Liu relaxed, a smile appearing on her face as well.

Bumping into someone you know here was a nice surprise, after all.

"Are you doing this voluntarily?" Lin Chenxin asked.

Miss Liu was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Voluntary or not, it doesn't matter. I'm not the youngest, the prettiest, or the most obedient in the running. However they choose, it won't be me. I just heard that the Chen family's residence is even more luxurious and magnificent than the mansions princes used to live in. With this opportunity, of course, I wanted to come and see it for myself."

Hearing Miss Liu's frank words, she laughed out loud.

"It's just that the young master doesn't seem very willing."

At these words, Lin Chenxin's smile vanished.

Miss Liu clicked her tongue softly and said, "The Chen family isn't as unattainable as the rumors suggest. Instead, it's terrifyingly feudal. They don't care about family background when selecting people—only whether the person is gentle, obedient, and, most importantly, healthy enough to bear children."

Everyone had to submit a medical examination report before entering the matchmaking pool.

Those in poor health couldn't even pass the first round.

At this, Miss Liu frowned deeply.

Lin Chenxin silently clenched her fingers at her sides.

"What about you? You and the eldest young master..." Miss Liu coughed awkwardly.

Lin Chenxin snapped back to attention and said unhurriedly, "Very well."

Perhaps misunderstanding something, Miss Liu blushed and asked, "In what way?"

Lin Chenxin looked at her strangely.

Miss Liu's face turned even redder. Under her gaze, she covered her face with her hands.

After a moment, Miss Liu calmed down, took a deep breath, and composed herself.

"By the way, Cheng Liao has been looking for you."

She frowned. "Him?"

Miss Liu nodded. "Yes. It seems he even visited your sister in the hospital."

At these words, her eyes turned cold.

"What did he go there for? Did he go often?"

Miss Liu was startled by the coldness in her eyes and said with wide eyes, "I'm not sure. Probably not often."

Many people knew about Cheng Liao's feelings for Lin Chenxin, so there was a lot of gossip on campus.

The news about Cheng Liao visiting the hospital was also just gossip.

Lin Chenxin regained her composure.

Miss Liu let out a sigh of relief and said happily, "We'll all be going our separate ways soon. We're planning a class reunion soon. Professor Yu will also be there. Will you come?"

Mentioning school matters softened Lin Chenxin's gaze considerably.

She looked ahead and said, "Sorry, I probably can't make it."

Miss Liu was a bit disappointed.

"It's okay. The time hasn't been set yet. It might be postponed," Miss Liu said with another smile.

She turned to look at the other's face and smiled as well.

Seeing her smile, Miss Liu giggled.

"Lin Chenxin, you're really beautiful. Your skin is so fair and smooth. How do you take care of it?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Natural beauty?"

Miss Liu: "..."

"You're so annoying!"

She laughed.

——

Having been delayed, it was nearly noon by the time she reached the Nameless Courtyard.

She needed to return before the servants brought the meal, so time was tight.

Without pausing, she walked straight toward the locked room. But the moment she reached it, she froze in place.

The lock was severed.

With a grave expression, she touched the severed lock. The break was neither natural nor sawed through—it was cleanly sliced, as if cut by a single, precise stroke.

Who could have done such a thing?

She clenched her fist. There was no time to dwell on it. Composing herself, she immediately pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The door creaked shut behind her, leaving only a few golden threads of light piercing through the cracks and spreading a hazy glow on the floor.

Lin Chenxin stood at the entrance, her breath catching as she faced the life-sized painting before her.

A tall, well-proportioned woman in the painting looked at her with a smiling face.

Her eyes were lively and bright, her pupils clear and translucent, and her cherry-red lips curved slightly upward. The figure seemed almost alive, standing vividly before her.

Lin Chenxin’s gaze wavered, unable to look away.

Though she had imagined what Chen Gujun’s mother might be like, seeing her with her own eyes still left her stunned by her breathtaking beauty.

She couldn’t help but step closer.

No matter how near she moved, those shimmering eyes seemed to follow her.

Stopping before the painting, gazing at the “living” figure, she couldn’t resist reaching out and gently touching the painted face.

In that moment, what struck her first was not awe—but sorrow.

For such a flawless, captivating woman.

And for Chen Gujun, who lived as neither man nor ghost despite his grace and brilliance.