Chapter 34 Chapter 34

Chapter 34

1

After that night, Lin Chenxin learned that Chen Gujun actually went out to water the backyard every evening.

But she didn’t know when he had started this—whether it was after she herself had begun to give up, or much earlier, back when she had asked him to help water the seeds for her.

She didn't say anything about it. Instead, she would work the soil and water the plants with Chen Gujun in the evenings, both holding onto the beautiful hope that one day the seeds would sprout.

But tonight, Lin Chenxin was very nervous. She hadn’t left the Junzi Courtyard all day, her anxiety plain to see.

Chen Gujun put down the watering can in his hand, turned to look at her, and said, “Want to go up to the roof to see the moon?”

She turned her head, met Chen Gujun’s calm eyes, and smiled.

“Okay.”

The moon tonight was very round and bright, seemingly carrying an auspicious omen of fulfillment.

Lin Chenxin felt somewhat comforted and silently let out a sigh of relief.

Chen Gujun gazed intently at Lin Chenxin’s face, at the light in her eyes, as if wanting to deeply imprint it in his mind.

His gaze was clear, deep, and affectionate, like a tranquil lake, with Lin Chenxin being the moon reflected in his eyes.

Lin Chenxin turned her head and unexpectedly met Chen Gujun’s gaze. She was slightly startled and was about to say something when a ringtone suddenly broke the quiet air.

Her whole body jolted, and she immediately, frantically took out her phone to answer.

But she was too nervous, swiping twice before finally connecting the call.

A few breaths came from the other end. Lin Chenxin anxiously clenched her hand.

Then, Doctor Jiang’s tired yet happy voice sounded in her ear.

“The surgery was very successful.”

Lin Chenxin’s heart, which had been in her throat, suddenly dropped, and her eyes instantly reddened.

She opened her mouth, letting out a choked sound.

“Thank you, thank you!”

Doctor Jiang chuckled twice and said gently, “Don’t thank me. Thank the volunteer, thank your own hard work, and thank the strong little Chenyi.”

Lin Chenxin’s eyelashes trembled slightly, tears uncontrollably welling up in her eyes.

“Mm!”

After hanging up, she received a photo of her sister.

Through the glass, it was somewhat hard to see clearly Chenyi’s condition lying on the hospital bed, only vaguely making out her pale little face wearing an oxygen mask.

But Lin Chenxin still studied it intently.

She sniffled, wiped the tears blurring her eyes, turned to look at Chen Gujun, and said, “Look at this.”

She leaned close to Chen Gujun, resting her head against him.

Chen Gujun raised his hand, wiped the teardrops from her eyelashes, and responded softly.

“Mm.”

Lin Chenxin held her phone, smiling foolishly, not at all like her usual clever and sly self.

Chen Gujun brushed aside the stray hairs at her temple, looking at her with gentle eyes.

Lin Chenxin looked for a while, then contentedly pressed the phone to her chest. After a moment, she opened it to look again, then pressed it back to her chest.

She kept looking at it over and over like this, her eyes red, her nose red, smiling foolishly all the while.

Chen Gujun watched her with a gaze that remained gentle and profound. The wind stirred the lake in his eyes, rippling layer upon layer, lifting the bright moon at its center.

—

Her sister’s matter was resolved satisfactorily.

Lin Chenxin seemed to have let go of her last worry.

That night, she stood in the courtyard, looking toward the tightly closed door of the study, the red lantern above it emitting a hazy light.

She stood there for a long time, her hands at her sides clenching and unclenching. Then, without looking back, she walked out.

Inside the study, Chen Gujun quietly looked at the orchid in his hand, allowing the wind outside the window to stir his white hair.

A long time later, he tilted his head, looking through the lattice window at the peach tree in the courtyard.

It was covered in blossoms, but the wind had blown a few off, bringing a touch of desolation that felt incomplete.

A middle-aged woman stood outside the door, not at all surprised to see Lin Chenxin.

She said expressionlessly, “Please come with me to see the Madam, Young Mistress.”

The servants cleaning nearby glanced up, then lowered their eyes and continued with their tasks.

They weren’t truly monitoring Lin Chenxin, just ensuring she wouldn’t leave the Junzi Courtyard without reason.

Lin Chenxin stepped forward with a calm demeanor, treading on the shadows underfoot as she followed the middle-aged woman to the main hall.

From a distance, she saw Ms. Liang sitting gracefully under the light inside the door. Her powdered face was very pale, her lips as red as blood. Her deep, dark eyes stared straight at her, cold, silent, and oppressive, just like the day they first met.

She stepped over the threshold and stood before Ms. Liang.

“You’re very punctual,” Ms. Liang said softly.

Lin Chenxin met the other’s gaze and replied, “Didn’t you ask me to come at this time?”

Ms. Liang had transferred nine million to her in total.

It was from Ms. Liang's personal account.

Before this, the money the Chen family gave her had always come from the family’s public account and would always be in round or even-numbered amounts.

The figure of nine million was subtle.

Especially at this tacitly understood moment.

It was just the question of whether it meant 9 AM or 9 PM that had given her pause.

Ms. Liang gazed at her with an unreadable look, a faint smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

"You are clever. My judgment of you was correct."

Lin Chenxin didn't feel particularly honored.

Ms. Liang soon resumed her expressionless demeanor, staring at her as she said, "On these few days each month, the master does not attend to the domestic matters of the household. Today is your last chance."

In truth, yesterday and the day before would have been safer; that middle-aged woman had also been waiting at the gate of Junzi Courtyard on those two days.

Lin Chenxin knew this, but the day before yesterday, she had to ensure her sister's surgery went smoothly, and she cautiously confirmed there were no signs of rejection yesterday either.

To her, nothing was more important than her sister's surgery.

Without waiting for her reply, Ms. Liang withdrew her hand from the table, stood up expressionlessly, and left.

As she passed by, Ms. Liang's voice whispered in her ear, "I hope you can withstand the consequences of learning the truth. Do not disappoint me."

Lin Chenxin frowned, but Ms. Liang had already moved past her and out the door.

She looked at the key on the table, walked over without hesitation, clenched it in her fist, and then stepped over the threshold without looking back.

—

Perhaps due to the deserted surroundings, the long, winding corridor had an eerie, sinister feel.

The path ahead was lit, but left everything beyond it in darkness. Beyond the railings, the surroundings were pitch black, not a shred of light penetrating, like thick, dark fog closing in.

Lin Chenxin's palms grew cold, and her heart hammered uncontrollably.

The surrounding silence was unnerving. Perhaps due to excessive tension, she felt like this path went on forever.

And that door, clearly at the end of the corridor, seemed impossible to reach.

Lin Chenxin fixed her burning gaze on the door ahead. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back and quickened her pace.

During her time in the Chen family, she had been deeply struck by its severity.

This severity was not about being heavily guarded at every turn.

Rather, it was that every person scrupulously followed the Chen family's rules.

All this rigorous self-discipline formed an airtight, suffocating strictness that permeated this place.

When she reached the main door, she didn't dare look around or overthink things. Immediately, she tried key after key. Hearing a "click," she quickly caught the falling lock.

Her heart lurched, then leapt into her throat. She let out a breath, put the lock back on the door, then slipped inside, closing the door behind her.

Turning around, she saw another door ahead, painted red with carved flowers, grand and imposing, exuding an indescribable sense of solemnity.

Yet, the moment Lin Chenxin looked directly at it, she found herself short of breath.

Once inside, the originally dim light grew even darker.

Looking up, she saw dense branches tightly blocking the sky above, as if she'd stepped into a dark cave—it made her scalp prickle.

She clenched her fingers, held her breath, and strode forward to unlock it.

Steeling herself, she pushed the door open. An icy, piercing cold immediately rushed at her, enveloping her completely.

She couldn't take a single step inside. Lasting less than three seconds, she turned around, her face pale, bracing herself against the doorframe, gulping air.

An intense feeling of suffocation was like a hand gripping her heart. The pitch-black darkness, where she couldn't see her own hand, wrapped around her like thick fog.

She tightened her fingertips, turned her head to look at that terrifying, towering tree, her face was deathly pale, unable to breathe.

This tree was unimaginably large, like a monster that had gained sentience.

Its massive trunk was firmly rooted in the courtyard, its gnarled roots snaking aggressively, invading every corner, dangerously stopping right at the threshold, just a hair's breadth from breaking out the door.

And its lush canopy was like a giant cloud blotting out the sky, preventing even a sliver of moonlight from entering the entire ancestral hall.

Its growth posture was greedy and insatiable, stretching over the walls, covering the towering roof, thirsting to absorb more of heaven and earth's essence, as if devouring the entire Chen estate would still not be enough.

Lin Chenxin clutched her chest, her face devoid of any color.

A bizarre, chilling sensation invaded her body from every pore, and that indescribable feeling of oppression aggressively stole the air before her.

An intense horror made her tremble uncontrollably, her teeth chattering.

The cold was airtight, seeping directly into her very bones.

Just standing at the doorway and seeing that tree felt like a massive mental attack. She hardly dared imagine the consequences of actually walking inside.

But she had come all this way...

Gritting her teeth, she tightened her grip on the key in her hand.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept from behind her, lifting her hair and rustling the leaves ahead.

Her eyes widened in disbelief at the strange phenomenon before her.

Then she looked down; the longevity lock on her wrist also emitted a crisp, tinkling sound.

Air rushed back into her lungs, dispersing that terrifying pressure for her.

She raised her head, her eyes shining with a fierce light. With determined resolve, she stepped inside.

A gentle breeze paved a path forward for her. Without the slightest pause, and without looking at the giant tree that could induce mental pressure, she went straight to open the final door.

The moment she pushed the door open, the wind ceased, and a few greenish-yellow leaves drifted to the ground.

And Lin Chenxin's figure vanished into the dark doorway, as if stepping into a deep, bottomless abyss.