Kawakami Mizuki

one year later.

Lin Chuyi stood at the far corner of the banquet, looking down at the wine-red liquid in the goblet, which reflected the light from the flower-shaped chandelier above her head, as if every little star was broken into it.

In such a bustling and noisy dinner party, she only felt that her interest was fading.

A man in a suit inadvertently saw a woman far away across the sea of ​​people, and couldn't help being amazed.

Leaning against the column behind her, she looked down at the wine in the glass. Her long straight hair like a ribbon hung down, covering half of her cheeks. Under her slender eyelashes were pure black eyes like glass beads.A well-cut dress was ankle-length, with a deep obsidian upper body, which gradually turned dark blue from the waist down, and scattered light reflected from the hem of the skirt.

He has seen countless people, but at this moment he feels that none of them are half as good as the person in front of him, so he hastily left his female companion and came forward to strike up a conversation.

"Miss, what's on your mind?"

But Lin Chuyi seemed to have never heard of it, and kept his head down in silence.

He wasn't discouraged either, he just smiled cheekily and said, "Why don't we drink away our worries together?"

"I never drink." Lin Chuyi casually put the wine glass on the tray of a passing waiter, turned and left.

Since the Ye family moved out, the Yi family is the leading family here.I thought that the Yi family had its own reasons for being the best, so I participated in this dinner.It's ridiculous that Yi's family is no different from other families, but a false prosperity full of indulgence, like a frog at the bottom of a well.

Lin Chuyi wandered around the back garden of Yi's house, intentionally avoiding wild mandarin ducks to flirt, but inadvertently walked further and further away.

Turning a corner again, the noise gradually faded away, and the dim street lights were not as magnificent as the front hall, and a thin layer of dust fell.The grass and trees that haven't been pruned for a long time are growing wildly, the half-person tall grass and trees are intertwined in a messy way, and the leaves are also covered with a layer of dust, and the surrounding area reveals a sense of desolation.

Lin Chuyi strolled along the guide stones that were faintly visible under her feet, and stopped after walking a certain distance.The road ahead was hidden in the lush vegetation, leaving only a half-person-high gap.Lin Chuyi's eyes fell on the branch inside the gap. The broken branch hung on one side, and the break was still very new.She pondered for a while, and finally bent her body, carefully pushed aside the protruding branches of the bushes, and walked into it.

After walking in, the space is relatively spacious, and the vague guide stone still extends to the end of the corner. The roses on both sides of the road, which were originally used for viewing, have not been pruned or watered. They grow tenaciously and recklessly, presenting a wild beauty. .When Lin Chuyi turned her head, she saw a small garden stone arch behind her. The low walls on both sides blocked the grass and trees in the lower places, but they couldn't stop the branches protruding wantonly from above the wall.

This is rather like the layout of a small courtyard in the old days.

Lin Chuyi continued to walk along the path and walked around the corner, and saw a small courtyard with sloping roof beams. In front of the courtyard was the most common set of stone tables and two stone benches. A child sat on one of the stone benches. Look blank.

Lin Chuyi wanted to walk over quietly, but unexpectedly, she stepped on a dead branch and made a small sound.The child turned his head vigilantly, and when he saw that it was a stranger, he turned his head back silently, his expression unchanged.

The child's face still retains the innocence of a child, but the expression on the face is like an adult.

Suddenly think of a person.

Lin Chuyi couldn't help teasing her, walked up to him with a smile on purpose, and said, "It's not cute for a child to have a straight face. Come on, give me a smile." She stretched out her hand as she spoke, as if to Pinch the child's face.

The child raised his hand and was about to slap Lin Chuyi's hand away, but Lin Chuyi had expected it a long time ago, and retracted before the child's hand was patted, and before the child could react, he reached out and touched the child head of.

Well, it's silky and soft to touch.

Lin Chuyi took his hand back before the child got angry, and asked him, "It's so remote and dark here, aren't you afraid to sit here alone?"

The child turned his head away, making it clear that he didn't want to talk to her.

Lin Chuyi walked around in front of him, squatted down, and raised her head with a kind smile: "Why did you come here alone?"

The child looked cold and ignored Lin Chuyi directly.

this kid...

Lin Chuyi shook her head helplessly, and sat down on the stone bench opposite him, resting her chin on her hands, her eyes blending into the slightly desolate scenery.

The news that the Miss Lin family went to the Yi family twice in three days spread quickly, and everyone speculated whether the Miss Lin family had taken a fancy to Yi Chuwen, the young master of the Yi family.The two are about the same age, and they are both talented and beautiful, so it can be said that they are not right.

But there are also people who speak sour words.

"That wild girl Lin Chuyi is not worthy of Brother Yi! As long as she keeps running to Yi's house shamelessly, she is not ashamed to be shameless!" Lin Chuyi's cousin Lin Wanru often said this in front of everyone. She said that if she met Lin Chuyi, she would deliberately trip her up and embarrass her in front of Lin Chuyi.Fortunately, Lin Chuyi didn't care too much about her, so he avoided it in advance if he could.Those who had nothing to do to sit together and gossip all said that it was because Lin Chuyi's aunt put her daughter in her mother's house that the two sisters became estranged.

"I've got the bad temper of the Qi family!" the girl who had been beaten and scolded by Lin Wanru said angrily behind her back.

"Keep your voice down! Don't talk nonsense!" The sister who was in love with her hurriedly interrupted her next words, and looked around to make sure that there was no one else, so she reprimanded: "Don't speak lightly and seriously."

"I'm not talking nonsense, it's obviously the truth..." Although the little girl was still upset, she didn't say any more.

And the old lady of the Yi family also had her thoughts: Although the Lin family is not as good as the Yi family, it is still a famous and prestigious family. Lin Chuyi has a good temper, so it is better than...

Thinking of this, the old lady's expression flashed with disgust, she peeled a lychee and ate it into her mouth, the sweet taste overwhelmed her nausea.

When Lin Chuyi came to visit again, when she was talking with the old lady in the living room, the old lady mentioned casually: "I watched Chu Wen grow up. Although he is a bit stubborn, he is very filial and kind. Also honest."

"The eldest young master is naturally a dragon and phoenix among people." Lin Chuyi smiled and echoed, but secretly thought: Stubborn?That dead temper is really hahaha.

The old lady nodded with a kind smile, "Chu Wen will be back later, if you are not in a hurry, sit in the living room."

"It's mid-September now, and the golden osmanthus in the back garden seems to be blooming just right. Before I came in, I smelled a burst of cinnamon. I don't want to always delay your old time, why don't I go to the backyard for a stroll Shall we go shopping?"

"Obviously she doesn't want to accompany me, an old lady, and still makes so many excuses." The old lady feigned anger, and at the end she still smiled and waved her hand, signaling Lin Chuyi to be free.After Lin Chuyi walked away, he walked out of the room with a smile on his face - Xifeng happened to be missing one of three.

Lin Chuyi wandered around the garden a few times at random, and after confirming that no one was following her, she turned into the path familiarly and followed the guide stone further and further away.Walking around the corner again, the familiar little figure came into view.

"I brought sweet-scented osmanthus cake today." Lin Chuyi took out a bulging paper bag from her small bag and put it on the stone table, "I asked the master to make it now, and it's still hot."

After meeting a child here for the first time, Lin Chuyi noticed that the child was so thin, so every time he came here to look for the child, he would bring some snacks and pastries with him.Maybe he was really hungry. This child never refused the food brought by Lin Chuyi, but he never talked to Lin Chuyi, and his face was expressionless.

He never understood why Lin Chuyi treated him so well.

This morning, when he passed by the kitchen, the kitchen door was not closed tightly, and the cook's bad words leaked through the crack of the door.

"Then Miss Lin comes to our Yi family every now and then, maybe she's taken a fancy to the young master?"

"Definitely didn't run away."

……

He avoided the sweet-scented osmanthus cake that Lin Chuyi handed over, and said, "I am not favored in the Yi family."

"Then I'll pamper you." Lin Chuyi lamented that it was not easy for this little kid to speak.

"..." He still had a good impression of Lin Chuyi, and he didn't want to chatter between the two, so he directly made it clear: "What kind of person my brother wants to marry has nothing to do with me. I can't help Do anything for you."

"If you didn't fall in love with the same person as your brother, of course it has nothing to do with you." Lin Chuyi took his hand and put the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in his hand, "Come on, help me eat this, it won't hurt when it's cold." It's delicious."

The expected conjecture came to nothing, the child just pursed his lips and stared at her, saying, "No one in this world would be nice to others for no reason." Then he said softly, "I can't keep your things."

Looking at the indifference and alienation on the child's face, he even stared at her face with vigilance, as if he wanted to see through her.Lin Chuyi sighed slightly, and naturally stretched out her hand to ruffle the child's soft hair, and then, before he could react, she slid down and pinched the child's face, "The child is not cute at all. .”

There was a vague and bitter smell of medicine floating around, and the smell of medicine was obviously stronger when Lin Chuyi stretched out his hand. The child seemed to understand something, and was thinking about it but didn't react.Unexpectedly, Lin Chuyi was not satisfied with touching her head, but also pinched her face.The child immediately glared at Lin Chuyi angrily.

However, Lin Chuyi didn't feel the child's anger at all, she just felt in her heart that this brat finally felt like a child, it's not easy.Lin Chuyi flatteringly handed over the sweet osmanthus cake, and the sweet smell floated in the air. The child turned his head away unnaturally, a suspicious blush gradually appeared on his face, and his tone was still cold: "If you want to get my Trust, the only way to do that is to speak up."

How could this child be so awkward and cute.Lin Chuyi was happy in his heart, but didn't show it on his face, and said solemnly: "I want to abduct you. Then will you follow me or not?"

Ye Ming was stunned by the unexpected answer, and looked at Lin Chuyi blankly, "What?"

Lin Chuyi looked around and smiled slightly, "It's such an exquisite cage, are you willing to be trapped here forever?"

The child was startled, feeling like he had been seen through and had nothing to hide.

"With your current mentality, to treat you like a child is to underestimate you." Lin Chuyi said leisurely, "Why don't we negotiate a deal."

"...What deal?"

"I want you to do one thing for me. In return, I will also do one thing for you. Whether you want to leave here or want a place in your home, I can satisfy you."

The child stared at Lin Chuyi fixedly, as if trying to see through her intentions.Lin Chuyi also looked straight into his eyes without avoiding it.I don't know what he understood, but he just nodded and said, "I understand."

"My name is Lin Chuyi, what about you?"

"Yi Linchuan."