Chapter 198: Waited So Many Years, Finally
The sky was a vast expanse of fiery clouds, brilliant and colorful.
Under the twilight, the ancient temple appeared even more solemn and majestic, as if harboring unknown secrets.
Lian Li’s heart sank, and she shifted her gaze to the pinkish-purple sunset, asking softly, “Does she live at the temple?”
“Mm,” Jin Shi Yue saw through her confusion. “She’s temporarily staying in the back courtyard.”
She had not become a nun.
Lu Hansheng tossed the bamboo broom in his hand to the young monk and leisurely adjusted his collar. He was wearing a gaudy floral shirt, which clashed with the solemnity of the ancient temple.
“Sister, long time no see,” Lu Hansheng extended his hand to Lian Li like a gentleman and smiled, “Have you missed your Brother Hansheng?”
Lian Li reached out to shake Lu Hansheng’s hand in greeting, but Jin Shi Yue domineeringly pulled her hand back before she could touch Lu Hansheng.
Jin Shi Yue’s voice floated out lightly, “Maintain some male virtue and keep your distance from other people’s girlfriends.”
“Hey!” The smile on Lu Hansheng’s face vanished instantly. “How am I not maintaining male virtue? When Sister Lili and I met, you were still on the border. If anyone is close, it’s Sister Lili and me.”
Two men who made decisive judgments in battle were childish in private, making one doubt their psychological age.
Lian Li grabbed Jin Shi Yue’s two fingers and shook her head at him, and the untamed Second Young Master immediately quieted down.
“Brother Hansheng,” Lian Li greeted Lu Hansheng.
“Sister Lili,” Lu Hansheng looked at Lian Li, his handsome face instantly lighting up with a smile, a stark contrast to his demeanor when facing his rival. “Let’s go.”
The blooming season for magnolias had already ended this season; only the crabapples and cherry blossoms were still in bloom within the temple.
The ancient architecture and vegetation complemented each other, creating a tranquil and profound artistic conception, exuding a strong Zen atmosphere.
Lian Li had been here no less than three times, but this was her first time stepping into the back courtyard.
The exterior of the courtyard was no different from the Zen rooms where monks resided, but upon entering, it was a world apart. The air was filled with the scent of top-grade agarwood from old mountain sandalwood, a fragrance originating from Mysore, renowned for its rich and pure aroma.
After passing through a quiet, ancient corridor, they finally stopped before a Zen room.
A middle-aged woman dressed entirely in plain gray stood at the entrance of the Zen room. Seeing the three of them greet her with lowered heads, her gaze fell upon Lian Li, addressing her as, “Miss.”
Lian Li subconsciously held her breath; the feeling of tinnitus from getting off the plane returned.
Jin Shi Yue released her hand and, cupping her shoulders, turned her around. He produced a necklace from somewhere, adorned with carnelian beads and a small lapis lazuli bird.
Lian Li stared at him, stunned. He moved her long hair behind her back, lowered his eyes, and, just as he had helped her put on earrings before, personally fastened the necklace around her neck.
Lu Hansheng crossed his arms, squinting as he examined the prayer beads, as red as a gemstone.
Dating back to the Qing Dynasty, they were considered Buddhist sacred objects, symbolizing the protection of brave warriors returning safely. Currently, only this single string of carnelian prayer beads remains in the world.
It was said that at least eighteen abbots of ancient temples had chanted scriptures and offered prayers for it, consecrating it.
Jin Shi Yue actually obtained such a rare and precious item; could he have stolen it?
Jin Shi Yue cupped Lian Li’s face with his large hands, his warm fingertips brushing the corner of her eye. His voice was deep, “After waiting for so many years, you’re finally going to meet her. You won’t back down.”
Lian Li’s heart felt as if it had been struck heavily by something. She tilted her face up to look at him.
The man’s eyes were calm, his deep black pupils like an unfathomable cosmic black hole, capable of swallowing her whole yet also continuously bestowing strength upon her.
Jin Shi Yue pulled her into his embrace and gave her a gentle hug. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Okay,” Lian Li replied.
The middle-aged woman respectfully said to Lian Li, “Miss, please follow me.”
Lian Li touched the jade pendant on her wrist. The jade pendant felt as if it were about to fall, making her unable to stand steady.
She let go, raised her hand, and fiddled with the jade pendant Jin Shi Yue had just placed on her neck.
The touch was cool, yet it brought her a sense of peace.
Jin Shi Yue and Lu Hansheng watched Lian Li go inside, their brows furrowing in unison as the door closed from their view.
Jin Shi Yue didn’t even glance at Lu Hansheng, leaning lazily against the railing with his eyelids slightly lowered, casually playing with his mobile phone.
Lu Hansheng leaned against a pillar and looked up at Jin Shi Yue. “How did you convince your aunt?”
Even as rivals who didn’t get along, Lu Hansheng couldn’t help but admire Jin Shi Yue at times.
From finding the Zhong Family through the jade pendant bracelet, digging up confidential information about the Zhong Family, investigating the Lu Family, knowing that Lian Li’s mother was either Zhong Yingyi or Ji Tan, conducting a paternity test, obtaining the report, and then immediately meeting Ji Tan to have Ji Tan meet Lian Li.
Every step was extremely difficult, yet Jin Shi Yue managed to complete the entire process in the shortest possible time.
Thinking back now, when he last visited his aunt, he probably already had suspicions in his heart, but lacked evidence.
Zhong Yingyi did not stay in the Capital City upon her return to the country but went to Shanghai. A major reason was that Ji Tan was in Shanghai. The bond between these two sisters was no less than that between Ji Xuan and Ji Tan, who were biological sisters.
Jin Shi Yue lifted his eyelids, glanced at him, and said in a cool tone, “If you have a mouth, you can talk. Don’t you have one?”
Shit!
Now that Lian Li wasn’t here, this guy had returned to his true self.
Lu Hansheng almost couldn’t hold back his breath and cursed him.
While maintaining the demeanor of a composed and elegant noble young master outside, he acted as he pleased when facing family and friends inside. They had all grown up together in the compound, so a few fights or arguments were nothing.
The sound of the distant clock tower’s bell did not carry over; the surroundings were extremely quiet, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.
Lu Hansheng looked at the solid wooden door and suddenly remembered. He turned his gaze back to Jin Shi Yue, paused for two seconds, and said, “Two years ago, Yan Ying said she saw you at Sister Lili’s concert. Could it be that you already had feelings for Sister Lili back then?”
Lu Hansheng had previously thought that Lu Yan Ying had mistaken him, as his sister had liked Jin Shi Yue since she was young, and it was normal for her to hallucinate from overthinking. Besides, Jin Shi Yue was in the Military Region and couldn’t leave without a military order, so how could he have been in Shanghai?
Lu Hansheng asked Jin Shi Yue, not expecting a reply, but to his surprise, Jin Shi Yue retorted dismissively, “Is that not allowed?”
Lu Hansheng couldn’t help but let out a curse.
The wolf was by his side, waiting for an opportunity!
The room was spacious. Lian Li followed the middle-aged woman around a curtain and walked deeper inside.
Lian Li’s heart was in unprecedented turmoil.
This was the ‘longest’ path she had ever walked.
Lian Li walked with her steps, her gaze fixed straight ahead, her hair brushing against her fair cheeks. She raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear when she suddenly caught sight of a cello placed in a corner.
Lian Li’s hand trembled, and she stopped involuntarily.
The middle-aged woman leading the way also stopped and said to the figure sitting at a Huanghuali table, engrossed in copying Buddhist scriptures, “Madam.”
Upon hearing this, Lian Li abruptly turned her head to look.
A back view of a woman with her hair styled with a jade hairpin entered her vision. She was elegantly dressed and noble, appearing almost unreal.
The middle-aged woman continued, “Miss has arrived.”
The elegantly dressed woman, with her back to them, put down the brush pen in her hand and slowly turned around after a moment.
