The panic on Gu Jiangyue's face had completely faded. She also gave a faint smile to the man in black. "Long time no see."
Gu Jiangyue thought for a while, then asked out of curiosity.
"Have you not been in the capital recently?"
"Yeah."
The man in black answered decisively, nodding casually.
"If you have something, you can go to Xie Jiuan."
Go to Xie Jiuan?
Gu Jiangyue pouted. That Xie Jiuan was like a wily fox. She had to be extremely vigilant when dealing with him. She always felt that if she was not careful, she might very well be deceived by him.
The man in black was a bit annoyed seeing Gu Jiangyue's rather meaningful expression.
What was wrong with Xie Jiuan? Xie Jiuan was a great guy.
"What's wrong with him? Do you want me to kill him for you?"
The man in black kicked Lin Yeran, who was lying sprawled on the ground, and spoke in a casual tone.
Of course he knew Lin Yeran, but in front of Gu Jiangyue, he had to pretend not to.
Looking at Lin Yeran, Gu Jiangyue suddenly got angry. In front of the man in black, she didn't need to act like a proper young lady from a noble family at all. She directly kicked Lin Yeran hard twice with all her strength.
"No, I can handle it myself."
"I'm still busy recently. If you can't handle it, go to Xie Jiuan."
The smile in the man in black's eyes flashed by. He really liked it when this little girl came to him. It was always fun secretly following her.
Gu Jiangyue nodded. Although she really didn't want to deal with that wily fox, after all, he was a prince, and he would surely be of some help to her.
Another gust of wind blew. Taking advantage of the wind, the man in black lightly tapped his feet on the ground and used his light - foot kung fu to leave. All that was left was the fluttering sound of his robe.
He had originally gone to investigate some clues. By chance, he met this little girl and secretly followed her to see what she was up to. Unexpectedly, he just happened to save her.
Gu Jiangyue stretched out her fair hand to shade the sun on top of her head. She looked up at the figure of the man in black getting smaller and smaller, and murmured involuntarily.
"If I really need you, just show up."
Gu Jiangyue didn't care about Lin Yeran lying on the ground anymore. It was clearly his own fault. Since the man in black had just asked if she wanted him to kill Lin Yeran, it meant that the man in black hadn't killed him yet. He could just leave by himself when he woke up.
Thinking like this, Gu Jiangyue left the alley and headed back in the direction of the Gu Mansion.
The vermilion gate of the Gu Mansion was wide open. Above the two doors was a large piece of fine red sandalwood with the words "Gu Mansion" carved on it, looking extremely imposing.
But for some reason, Gu Jiangyue always felt something was off about this ordinary scene.
As she walked in, Zhi Yuan quickly came to greet her. There was nothing but anxiety on Zhi Yuan's little face. Seeing that Gu Jiangyue had finally returned, she quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her into the courtyard.
"Miss, you mustn't go out now! Mrs. Ye from the Lin Mansion has come to propose marriage! She said that the eldest young master, Lin Yeran, specifically wants to marry you. His methods are extremely cruel. You mustn't marry him!"
As Zhi Yuan spoke, she reached out to close the two doors tightly.
"Mrs. Ye was clamoring to see you. I just managed to fob her off by saying you weren't in the mansion. Now you mustn't go out."
After Gu Jiangyue understood what had happened, her eyebrows frowned tightly, and a look of displeasure flashed in her eyes.
Lin Yeran had just told her that he wanted to marry her, but she hadn't expected that he would act so quickly. It was clearly pre - arranged.
Gu Jiangyue thought something was wrong. She couldn't just sit around waiting for trouble.
Right now, Gu Jiangyue wasn't sure whether she was more important or if it was more important for the Gu family to get closer to the Lin family. If the old matriarch gave the order for her to marry Lin Yeran, things would be difficult.
Lin Yeran not only loved to frequent brothels, but also had all sorts of ways to mistreat women. That was why he hadn't been able to marry a proper wife all these years. There were only countless concubines in his courtyard.
No one would want to send their daughter into a fiery pit if they could find a well - matched family. Women who fell into Lin Yeran's hands usually didn't live for more than three months, which showed how cruel he was.
Thinking of this, Gu Jiangyue began to regret not having the man in black kill Lin Yeran directly, or at least castrate him.
"I have to go and take a look."
"Miss, you absolutely mustn't!"
Seeing Gu Jiangyue's determined eyes, Zhi Yuan began to waver. Her voice got softer and softer until it completely faded away.
She knew that even if she disagreed, there was nothing she could do. But looking at Gu Jiangyue, she still thought that her own miss knew what she was doing and wouldn't do anything improper. So she gritted her teeth, opened the door, and let Gu Jiangyue go out.
The old matriarch might very well sacrifice the least - favored young lady to get a chance to become in - laws with the Lin family.
After all, the Lin family was secretly attached to Xie Chengrui. The Gu family, which was eager to find a backer, must have noticed this. In this way, they could join Xie Chengrui's camp and get closer to the Lin family at the same time.
Moreover, now that Gu Yanwu wasn't by her side, with the order of the parents and the matchmaker, and the old matriarch's command, it would be very difficult for her to disobey.
The more Gu Jiangyue thought about it, the more panicked she became. She quickened her steps and walked straight towards the place where the old matriarch was.
Although Gu Jiangyue was very anxious, she still asked the guard at the door to announce her arrival. She stood at the door and waited until she received the order to enter. Then she adjusted her state and walked in.
What came into view was the old matriarch in gorgeous clothes with gray hair. She still held a walking stick in her hand. Although her voice was old, she was chatting with a middle - aged woman beside her and smiling very happily.
Gu Jiangyue guessed that the other woman was Lin Yeran's biological mother, Mrs. Ye.
Although Mrs. Ye was middle - aged, she had a plump and curvy figure. She was wearing a noble purple robe with her hair pulled up high, adorned with many exquisite hairpins, which were obviously very valuable.
Although all the things she wore and used were of the highest quality, the combination of so many made her look a bit tacky.
When Gu Jiangyue entered the room, the two women's chatting was interrupted. They watched as Gu Jiangyue bowed respectfully.
"Jiangyue pays respects to grandmother. Jiangyue pays respects to Mrs. Ye."
"Jiangyue is here. Come quickly and let Mrs. Ye take a good look at you."
The old matriarch laughed heartily and motioned for Gu Jiangyue to step forward to Mrs. Ye.
Gu Jiangyue stepped forward. The strong smell of powder on Mrs. Ye made her want to cry.
But Mrs. Ye's smile froze instantly when she saw Gu Jiangyue. Her eyes were shifting uneasily, with a hint of contempt. Her whole demeanor was full of arrogance.
"Are you Gu Jiangyue?"