The long corridor led to the center of the pond. Many young gentlemen could be seen chatting there. On the opposite side of the pond was where the young ladies were having fun.
The little dog soon darted into the bushes by the pond and disappeared. Lin Zhijie was about to go after it when Gu Liyue immediately grabbed him.
"A Jie, this is by the water. It's dangerous. Don't go there," Gu Liyue said.
Lin Zhijie was unhappy. "But it's gone. What if it falls into the water? I have to find it."
Gu Liyue explained, "Dogs can swim. You don't need to worry."
Several young men in the middle of the waterside pavilion looked over here. "That's the young master of the Lin family."
"Yes. Who's the young girl beside him? She doesn't look like a maid. Could she be the young lady of some family?"
"I've never seen her before. She's quite good-looking."
Lu Jinchen glanced at the chatting men and frowned imperceptibly.
Gu Chengzhi leaned over and whispered to him, "These guys think she's good-looking now. They'll be really surprised when they find out she's just a country maid later."
Lu Jinchen's face darkened. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Chengzhi's elder brother, who had sharp ears, had already started scolding.
"A hero's origin is never questioned. How could you be so disrespectful, Chengzhi?"
Gu Chengzhi scratched his nose and forced a smile. "Brother, I was just... talking to Jinchen. I didn't say anything wrong..."
Gu Junyan gave a cold laugh and said loudly, "Don't speak impolitely. Where have you put all the teachings from Grandfather?"
Gu Chengzhi didn't dare to say a word. His elder brother was always pedantic. This was not really aimed at him but at those young men who liked to make fun of women. He just regretted that he still dared to joke with Jinchen secretly when he knew his elder brother was around.
Sure enough, the young men who had been chatting brightly all blushed when they heard Gu Junyan's words. They felt embarrassed and didn't dare to say anything more, not even look in that direction.
Lu Jinchen pretended not to see his friend's pleading look. He stood up and bowed to Gu Junyan. "Brother Gu, I'll be back soon."
Gu Junyan nodded with a straight face. "Your Highness, feel free."
Gu Chengzhi's hair stood on end. Lu Jinchen, what kind of friend are you? Weren't we supposed to share weal and woe? His elder brother's lectures were not something an ordinary person could bear.
Gu Liyue led Lin Zhijie and also got into the bushes beside them. She softly called out to look for the little dog.
Just then, a pair of hands suddenly pushed Gu Liyue from behind. But Gu Liyue didn't notice. She was holding Lin Zhijie tightly, afraid that the little boy might accidentally slip into the water.
At the critical moment, a big hand grabbed those hands. A cold voice asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
Gu Liyue and Lin Zhijie were both startled. They looked back and saw Jiang Yingyue's pale face. Her hands were tightly held by Lu Jinchen and she couldn't break free.
Lu Jinchen sneered. "Miss Jiang, you're so bold. You dare to frame the son of the princess. Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're from the Duke's Mansion?"
Jiang Yingyue shook her head repeatedly. "No... no. I didn't..."
"Do you mean I'm framing you?"
Jiang Yingyue was so scared that tears welled up in her eyes. She kept shaking her head. "No. I... I just wanted to..."
"She just wanted to play a prank on me for fun," Gu Liyue calmly interrupted.
Jiang Yingyue was stunned. She didn't expect Gu Liyue to speak up for her at this moment.
Lu Jinchen narrowed his eyes and looked at Gu Liyue in confusion.
Gu Liyue continued, "We often play like this. I'm sorry to make you laugh, Lord Lu. But Miss Yingyue, I'm with Young Master Lin. It doesn't matter to me, but it would be bad if it hurt Young Master Lin. I hope you won't do this again in the future."
Jiang Yingyue stammered and replied dejectedly.
Lu Jinchen was silent for a moment and then let go of her hand. "Get out."
Jiang Yingyue couldn't stay any longer. She turned around and ran away in a hurry.
Gu Liyue bowed deeply to Lu Jinchen. "Thank you, Lord Lu, for saving my life. I'm afraid I won't have the chance to repay you in this life. I'll surely do my best to repay you in my next life..."
Lu Jinchen looked unhappy and turned around to leave.
The pug poked its head out from the side and then dashed out of the bushes. Lin Zhijie quickly chased after it.
Gu Liyue thought for a while and still followed Lu Jinchen. She continued, "I'll surely repay you in my next life for your great kindness, Lord Lu."
Lu Jinchen stopped but didn't hurry to leave. He just stood by the shore and talked to Gu Liyue. "She just tried to harm you, but you still excused her? I didn't expect you to be such a kind person who repays evil with kindness."
Gu Liyue pursed her lips and shook her head. "It's not repaying evil with kindness. It's just that she was raised by Lady Jiang like her own daughter. Lady Jiang has been kind to me. If there's a scene today, the Duke's Mansion will lose face and Lady Jiang will be sad."
Lu Jinchen didn't comment. He leaned on the railing by the shore and looked into the distance. The gentle breeze blew his hair, and in a trance, it seemed as if there was a halo around him, making people's hearts flutter. "You just keep giving in like this?"
Gu Liyue stared blankly. She didn't have much experience and had seen few young gentlemen. She knew he was good-looking. Even with a hidden anger, he was still so charming.
Lu Jinchen didn't get a response. He subconsciously turned to look at her. "Huh?"
Gu Liyue's face flushed instantly. She lowered her head and felt her heart pounding in her chest. She finally found her voice and stammered an explanation. "It... it doesn't matter to give in a little. I'm just staying in the Jiang family. I'm really satisfied with my current life. Compared with that, this little grievance is nothing. I'm really grateful."
Lu Jinchen was slightly stunned. Grateful? He looked at her. She was fatter and taller than the girl he had seen before, but her eyebrows and eyes were still the same, with a naive and innocent look and a bit of timidity.
But in fact, she wasn't timid at all. Maybe girls born in ordinary families didn't see the hardships of life clearly, so they were so naive.
It was good to be a bit naive.
Jiang Yingyue ran away in a hurry. When she got outside the flower hall, she saw her friend Qi Manyan standing on the corridor outside, looking in the direction of the waterside pavilion.
She couldn't see clearly from afar, but Jiang Yingyue knew who she was looking at. It was naturally Lu Jinchen. Qi Manyan's crush on Lu Jinchen was no secret.
Jiang Yingyue took a deep breath. Gu Liyue was a softie and liked to smooth things over. Why should she be afraid?
She walked up to Qi Manyan and teased, "Manyan, are you looking at the Prince Lu again?"
Qi Manyan frowned slightly when she saw it was Jiang Yingyue. She pointed in that direction and asked, "Is that the new Miss Gu from your family beside him?"
Jiang Yingyue pretended to just notice and nodded in surprise. "Yes. Oh, why is she with the Prince Lu... Alas, Sister Manyan doesn't know. She's really good at hiding. I didn't know before that she knew Young Master Lin. Well, if she knows Young Master Lin, it's not strange that she knows the Prince Lu."
Qi Manyan's face didn't look good.
Jiang Yingyue added, "The Prince Lu has always kept a distance from women. Why is he with her?"
Anger welled up in Qi Manyan's heart. She tossed her sleeves and walked inside.
Jiang Yingyue quickly followed and took Qi Manyan's hand. "Oh, Sister Manyan, what are you doing? Even if that woman has won the favor of my aunt, she can't change her status as a country girl. Why should you care about her?"