Chapter 73: Emotional

Lin Ting stepped out of the carriage but turned back to add, “It’s about Ling Yun.”

Some things were better not said in front of Duan Ling.

Duan Ling didn’t press further.

Lin Ting was worried that Xia Zimo might disappear in the blink of an eye.

Without waiting for the coachman to set up the footstool, she hastily jumped off the carriage and hurried toward him.

Xia Zimo took a few steps, sipped his wine, and kept his eyes on the ground, not looking ahead.

As a result, he didn’t notice Lin Ting.

When someone blocked his path, he didn’t even glance up, simply veering to the side.

His steps were unsteady, and he seemed on the verge of falling.

Lin Ting frowned as she watched Xia Zimo.

He was handsome, dressed in fine clothes.

Even though he was half-drunk, unkempt, and hadn’t shaved, he still exuded the air of a nobleman, with an added touch of unruly charm.

Yet, the more she looked at him, the more she wanted to punch him.

Duan Xinning had been so distraught over him that she couldn’t eat or sleep, while he, claiming to go out of the city to find his father, was now drunk as a skunk, showing no intention of seeking out Duan Xinning.

Seeing Xia Zimo veer to the left, Lin Ting also moved to the left, continuing to block his path.

Xia Zimo didn’t get angry or perhaps he couldn’t be bothered to argue with someone blocking his way.

He staggered to the right, and Lin Ting blocked him again.

Someone half-drunk already had poor balance, and Xia Zimo couldn’t steady himself.

He fell to the ground, his wine jug shattering, spilling alcohol everywhere.

Finally, he reacted, glancing at the hem of the skirt in front of him with the corner of his eye.

“Miss, this street is so wide. Why must you walk right in front of me?”

Lin Ting, of course, didn’t help him up.

If he wanted to fall, let him fall.

“I’m here to settle accounts with you.”

Only then did Xia Zimo raise his head, his gaze unfocused at first, slowly sharpening as it landed on Lin Ting’s face.

He recognized her.

“Miss Lin Qi?”

She pointed to a less crowded but open area nearby, where they could meet openly without causing any misunderstandings.

“Come with me.”

He patted his head, which ached from drinking too much, and got up to follow Lin Ting.

Lin Ting stayed a few steps away from Xia Zimo, not wanting to smell the alcohol on him.

She got straight to the point.

“Why haven’t you gone to the Duan family to propose?”

The corner of Xia Zimo’s mouth twitched.

“Did Ling Yun ask you to come and question me?”

She thought of Duan Xinning, who had cried so bitterly yesterday, worried she might be pregnant, and couldn’t help but kick him.

“Does that matter?”

Passersby, seeing her suddenly kick him, glanced over curiously but, unable to hear their conversation, soon moved on.

Xia Zimo knew he was in the wrong and understood that Lin Ting was venting her anger on behalf of Duan Xinning.

So he didn’t dodge, letting her kick him hard.

It wasn’t a light kick, and he felt the spot where she’d struck would likely bruise.

Lin Ting actually wanted to kick him a few more times, but for now, it was more important to get to the main issue.

“Just answer me. Why haven’t you gone to the Duan family to propose? Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done with Ling Yun.”

At this point, Lin Ting instinctively glanced back in the direction of Duan Ling.

The Duan family only knew that Xia Zimo intended to propose to Duan Xinning, unaware that they had already consummated their relationship.

Xia Zimo remained silent.

Lin Ting, hearing no response, grew impatient.

“Speak up!”

He clenched his fist.

“I…”

But nothing followed.

Lin Ting waited for a long time, only to hear Xia Zimo utter a single “I.”

Growing impatient, she pressed him sharply.

“Don’t tell me your promise to propose was just a lie to deceive Ling Yun?”

Xia Zimo pressed his still aching temple and said, “I didn’t mean to deceive Lingyun. It’s just that I can’t go to her family to propose marriage for now.”

Lin Ting’s fists clenched, and her eyes blazed with intensity.

“What do you mean by that?”

Xia Zimo remained silent for a long time before loosening his tightly clenched fists and turning his face away, as if he couldn’t bear to face Duan Xinning’s close friend.

“I’ll go to Lingyun myself another day and explain everything.”

It was clear he wasn’t planning to tell her the reason, and Lin Ting could see through it.

“Lingyun thought she was pregnant with your child yesterday. Some things shouldn’t be borne solely by the woman.”

Xia Zimo was shocked, his expression complicated.

“Are you saying Lingyun is pregnant?”

Lin Ting glared at him.

“No, and thankfully not. Otherwise, she’d be in terrible misfortune to be stuck with someone as irresponsible as you.”

Xia Zimo didn’t argue, but he thought to himself that if Duan Xinning were to marry him, it would indeed be a great misfortune.

Lin Ting was too tired to say more and turned to leave.

Xia Zimo took a few steps forward, wanting to catch up and say something, but in the end, he didn’t.

He also turned and walked away, looking utterly dejected.

Inside the carriage, Duan Ling seemed barely aware of the commotion outside.

He was sipping tea, his fingers idly tracing the rim of the cup.

Only when he heard Lin Ting lift the curtain and enter did he look up, meeting her still-angry face.

“Finished talking?”

Lin Ting replied, “Finished.”

Duan Ling poured her a cup of tea to soothe her throat and guessed, “I remember Young Master Xia had intentions to propose to Lingyun, but no one has gone to her family to formally propose yet. Did you talk to him about this?”

He had guessed correctly, so Lin Ting chose her words carefully.

“Yes, it was about that…”

Duan Ling remained unmoved.

“Is Young Master Xia no longer planning to propose?”

The two families hadn’t exchanged betrothal letters, and their parents hadn’t met to discuss the marriage.

Xia Zimo had only mentioned it verbally, so he could back out at any time.

However, the Duan family naturally wouldn’t care about Xia Zimo.

Even if he was the heir to the Marquis of Shi’an, neither family could overpower the other.

Lin Ting took a sip of tea.

“Yes.”

Duan Ling’s expression remained calm as he lifted the curtain and watched Xia Zimo’s retreating figure.

“Did Young Master Xia give a reason?”

Lin Ting said angrily, “No, he only said he couldn’t propose for now and would personally explain it to Lingyun another day.”

If it weren’t for the fact that in the original story, he had treated Duan Xinning well and she had liked him, leading to a good ending, Lin Ting wouldn’t have let this slide.

Duan Ling lowered the curtain.

“What do you think is the reason he’s not proposing?”

“His head got slammed in a door.”

Knowing she was still angry about someone else’s affairs, Duan Ling asked, “Has he fallen for someone else?”

Fallen for someone else?

Lin Ting fell into deep thought.

In the original story, Xia Zimo did have a lot of romantic luck, but his eyes were only on Duan Xinning.

There were rarely any female characters causing trouble, except for… her, the vicious and foolish supporting female character.

But she hadn’t caused any trouble this time.

Lin Ting gritted her teeth.

“I don’t know. If he dares to fall for someone else, I won’t let him off.”

Duan Ling’s expression remained indifferent, not wanting to get involved in their affairs.

“Shall we head back now?”

“Let’s go.” Lin Ting was seething with anger.

She would go back and advise Duan Xinning to find another man.

Duan Xinning was the third daughter of the Duan family.

With her status, she could have any man she wanted.

There was no need to cling to Xia Zimo.

But then it occurred to her that they were the original male and female leads of the story, and it was highly likely that she wouldn’t be able to separate them.

Lin Ting grew even angrier.

In the following days, Lin Ting had a lot of free time.

The cloth shop’s business was thriving, and the shopkeeper managed everything for her, so she didn’t have to worry about it.

As for the bookstore, it wasn’t taking any new orders recently, as Jin Anazi had his own matters to attend to.

As for Duan Ling, after his wedding leave ended, he often left early and returned late, still busy with the rebellion led by Xie Qinghe.

In fact, it wasn’t just him-the court officials were all overwhelmed with work.

Initially, Emperor Jiade thought that Xie Qinghe, being a scholarly and seemingly weak man, wouldn’t be able to cause much trouble even if he rebelled.

However, he still wanted General Yang Liangyu to suppress the rebellion as soon as possible to avoid complications.

But coincidentally, General Yang fell ill, and Emperor Jiade had no choice but to send another general instead.

Who could have expected that Xie Qinghe would lead the Xie family army to victory after victory, capturing several cities?

When the news reached the court, it caused an uproar.

Xie Qinghe had started his uprising in Suzhou and was marching toward the capital with unstoppable momentum.

In just a few months, his forces had grown significantly.

Emperor Jiade grew restless.

He then sent the still-recovering Yang Liangyu, who, despite her illness, managed to achieve an immediate victory and recaptured a city.

Seeing this, Emperor Jiade felt slightly reassured, but he remained troubled day and night.

Because Yang Liangyu sent back a message, saying that someone in the court was secretly aiding the rebels, leaking the Yan army’s defensive arrangements and supply routes.

She urged Emperor Jiade to investigate thoroughly.

Emperor Jiade didn’t conduct the investigation secretly but instead ordered the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot to investigate openly.

During this time, they continuously arrested and interrogated people, leaving the court officials in constant fear, worried that they might be next.

The changes in the Yan dynasty were palpable to the common people, and Lin Ting had also heard some rumors.

But Lin Ting rarely asked Duan Ling about these matters, mainly because they saw each other less often.

In the morning, he would leave before she woke up.

At night, he would return around midnight, by which time she had already fallen asleep, unaware of when he came back.

Tonight, a light rain started at midnight, and the damp breeze carried a slight chill.

After bathing, Lin Ting leaned on the windowsill, looking out at the front courtyard.

The wind blew through the window, brushing her face and tousling her loose hair.

Tao Zhu came in and draped an outer garment over Lin Ting, advising, “The weather’s turning cold. Don’t sit here in the wind; you might catch a cold.”

Lin Ting rested her chin on her hand, watching the rain fall from the sky.

“I know my limits.”

Tao Zhu followed her gaze outside.

Beyond the rain, there was a courtyard gate shrouded in the misty rain.

The night was dark, and so was the gate.

“Are you waiting for Lord Duan to return?”

“Not at all. I just can’t sleep, so I’m sitting here watching the rain. Why would I wait for him?” Lin Ting tightened her outer garment and stopped looking.

The sound of the rain still lingered in her ears.

Tao Zhu also thought it was unlikely.

After all, Seventh Miss hadn’t married Lord Duan out of affection but out of revenge.

Why would she stay up late, waiting for him to return?

“It’s getting late. Shall I help you rest?” Tao Zhu moved to close the window.

Lin Ting stopped her, not letting her close the window, and gently pushed her away.

“I already said I can’t sleep. You go and rest. Don’t worry about me. I’ll go to bed when I’m tired.”

“Then don’t stay up too late. Even if you can’t sleep, lying in bed is better than staying awake.”

After Tao Zhu left, Lin Ting sat back down by the windowsill, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward the courtyard gate, her fingers idly tapping on the windowsill.

The sound of the rain was somewhat hypnotic, and she fell asleep on the luohan couch in front of the windowsill.

In her drowsy state, Lin Ting felt someone lifting her up.

She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, but upon catching the scent of agarwood, she instinctively grabbed the arm holding her and sniffed.

Halfway through, Lin Ting was set down, and the agarwood scent seemed to be fading away.

Lin Ting reached up and grasped that hand.

Duan Ling was in the process of removing Lin Ting’s shoes when he was pulled back onto the bed.

He had bathed and changed his clothes before returning home, so the smell of blood was completely gone, leaving only the pleasant aroma of agarwood.

She turned and embraced Duan Ling, her head unconsciously nuzzling against his lean chest, her arms encircling his waist:

“Duan Ling…”