Gu Liyue couldn't hold back any longer. She grabbed Qin Caiyin and said, "Tell me who that person is. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Qin Caiyin hung her head. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "It's... Young Master Jiang the Third."
Gu Liyue felt completely stunned. What did she just say? The person she liked was Jiang Che? Jiang Che was so unreliable. How could she...
"Jiang Che is not half as good as my fourth brother!"
Qin Caiyin's face flushed. She looked at Gu Liyue in surprise and said, "There's no reason when it comes to liking someone. I like him, not because he's from the Jiang family, nor because of his appearance or knowledge. It was just that one glance... Liyue, do you know how it feels in that one glance?"
Gu Liyue's heart tightened. How could she not know? One glance could last for an eternity. It was just like her and Lu Jinchen. She would always believe in Jinchen. But Jiang Che - did Caiyin also believe in Jiang Che no matter what?
She suddenly stood up and said, "Jiang Che must have used some sweet words to deceive your affection. I'm going to ask him right now. If he has any issues, he should come at me. Why does he have to hurt you!"
Qin Caiyin quickly grabbed her and said, "What are you talking about? When has he ever deceived me?"
Gu Liyue was so anxious that her eyes turned red. She said, "He didn't deceive you? Why are you so infatuated with such a person? What's so good about him? He has a good appearance, but there are plenty of handsome young men in the capital. His family background is good, but you know a bit about the dirty secrets beneath the surface of his family. Moreover, he's the third son, and he's not outstanding in knowledge or literary talent. Even he..."
Qin Caiyin also got anxious and said, "No, I've said before that I like him, not because of his appearance, family background, knowledge, or literary talent. I just like the person himself, that's all. Liyue, I know you're biased against him, but that's not a reason to convince me."
Gu Liyue shook her head and said, "It's not a bias, it's the truth. Caiyin, Second Aunt said yesterday that his personality was similar to my fourth brother's, but I don't think so. My fourth brother is brave and responsible, but he has none of those qualities. You only think I don't like him because he always protects Jiang Yingyue, but that's never been the case. Protecting Jiang Yingyue shows that he values family affection, but he's as timid as a mouse. He doesn't dare to show his dislike for me in front of his mother. He only dares to pick on me, a little girl. Do you understand?"
The more anxious she got, the more she felt that her words didn't make sense.
"But have you ever thought that the reason he targets you so much might be because he likes you?"
Qin Caiyin's words completely stunned Gu Liyue.
"He always looks for you. Maybe it's because he likes you. Liyue, do you remember when I asked you before, using Fang Min as an example and saying that she had fallen in love with a young man?"
Gu Liyue stammered, "So, it wasn't Fang Min, but you?"
Qin Caiyin nodded and said, "Yes. Life is really strange. I can't figure out how I fell in love with him. But it was just that one glance, only that one glance, and I seemed to... fall into his charm."
It took Gu Liyue a long time to find her voice. Her tone was a bit trembling as she said, "But Caiyin, he... you... what will happen after you two get together? Have you thought about it?"
"I haven't thought about it." Qin Caiyin pursed her lips and smiled. "He doesn't like me. How could he be with me? But since my heart already belongs to someone else, how can I drag Fourth Cousin down? So I might as well leave far away. If I stay away from all the disputes, no one will talk about my reputation, and no one will care if there's a girl with a bad reputation in the Qin family."
Gu Liyue felt even more uncomfortable and said, "But all these things are clearly not your fault."
Qin Caiyin climbed onto Gu Liyue's couch and lay down. She buried her head in the pillow. It was hard to tell if she was crying or laughing. Then she lifted her head. Her face was flushed because she had been lying there for a while, and she looked really cute.
"I was really scared when I was kidnapped. I was worried not only about my reputation but also thought that I might lose my chastity and even my life. I even thought that if the bandits wanted to ruin my reputation, I mustn't let the Qin family be wronged. I would just find a way to end my own life... Later, the carriage was running so fast. The bandits were holding me and trying to escape. How could they have the time to harass me? When the carriage rolled down the hillside, I thought I was going to die. But unexpectedly, he showed up..."
Qin Caiyin's eyes were filled with smiles as she said, "He's a good person. Even if he doesn't like me, his eyes are full of concern. I just assume that's love, so I'm really happy in my heart. He hurt his leg. I only found out later that he jumped off to save me. He's not good at fighting, and his leg was injured. But he leaned on a branch and carried me on his back. It took him half a day to reach the official road step by step..."
"Liyue, when I was lying on his back, I wished that time would stop forever."
It took Gu Liyue a long time to find her voice and ask, "He... saved you like this?"
Qin Caiyin nodded and said, "He was shaking all over when he killed someone. I was also really scared, but when I saw him like that, I wasn't scared anymore. I wanted to give him strength. He walked with difficulty, but he kept comforting me and telling me not to be afraid. He saved me, and we would both be okay. Liyue, I'm really happy."
Gu Liyue looked at Qin Caiyin. When she was saying these things, her face was calm. Gu Liyue could even imagine that in the past few days, Qin Caiyin must have thought about these scenes countless times and enjoyed every moment in her mind.
Qin Caiyin closed her eyes and leaned on the couch, as if she was having a beautiful dream.
Gu Liyue didn't disturb her. After a long while, she whispered, "The time he spent with you was longer than the time you were kidnapped."
Qin Caiyin opened her eyes and said, "He saved me. How could I harm him? Do I have to pester him and make him take responsibility for me? Although I like him, I can't do such a thing."
Gu Liyue closed her mouth. After thinking for a while, she called Tangyuan in and said, "Go and find out how Young Master Jiang the Third is doing now."
Tangyuan stared at her in surprise and said, "Young Master the Third? Why does the young lady want to know about him?"
Gu Liyue smiled and said, "He saved Caiyin's life. I want to thank him. Let me find out about his situation first."
Qin Caiyin quickly raised her head and looked at Gu Liyue with blinking eyes. She said, "Liyue, you're so kind."
Gu Liyue shook her head helplessly. She knew that Qin Caiyin must be eager to know about Jiang Che's news. But due to a girl's shyness, she couldn't ask directly. She could only find out secretly.
The two of them chatted for a while. Then Danju came over and said, "Miss, Miss Cousin, Young Master the Fourth is in the courtyard. He said he wants to talk to Miss Cousin."
Qin Caiyin jumped up at once and said, "Oh, I said I would come to see how his injury is. I was so busy talking to you that I forgot. He came to find me first."
She quickly put on her clothes and went to the side hall with Gu Liyue. When she saw the long whip mark on Gu Chengzhi's face, she was shocked.
"Is it that serious? That Princess Yunxi is so vicious. She hurt you like this?"
Gu Chengzhi originally wanted to ask her why she refused the marriage proposal. But when he heard her say that Lu Yunxi was bad, he forgot what he was going to say and quickly defended her, saying, "Cousin, you've misunderstood. Princess Yunxi was just being careless at that time. It was mainly because I felt so guilty that I didn't dodge. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been hurt like this. Actually, the injury is not that serious. It's just that new flesh is starting to grow, so it looks a bit scary."