Chapter 68: You’ve Been Lying To Me All Along?
Madam Zhou was anxiously waiting, but she did not know that Lin Ningkun had already gone from the back courtyard to Jiang Xuerou’s room.
Back then, in order to be with Jiang Xuerou, he had come in here many times without fail, so it did not take much time, and he arrived at Jiang Xuerou’s room with ease.
“Xiao Ge’er, this character is not written like this.”
Inside the room, Jiang Xuerou was gently speaking with Lin Xiao, while Lin Ningkun stood at the door, hesitating whether to go in.
“Mother, I do not want to study, nor do I want to write characters.” Having finally been brought back to Jiang Manor from the woodshed by Jiang Xuerou, Lin Xiao’s cheeks had become much thinner.
Xiao Ge’er’s childish tone rang out, “I want to see my father. I have not seen him for a long time.”
Lin Ningkun’s anger from earlier had diminished considerably because of Lin Xiao’s words.
For Lin Xiao’s sake, a bit more mercy arose in his heart, and he did not want to tear into Jiang Xuerou in front of Lin Xiao.
“Xiao Ge’er, what nonsense are you saying? Your father has already died and is no longer in this world, so from now on, do not mention your father.”
Gentle words, but like a knife stabbing directly into Lin Ningkun’s heart.
He retreated several steps, his eyes full of disappointment and pain, simply unable to believe Jiang Xuerou’s words.
What did it mean that Lin Xiao’s father was no longer in this world?
He very much wanted to rush in and question her, but after taking two steps, Lin Xiao’s childish voice stopped his feet.
“Mother, what do you mean? Is not my father the Marquis of Dingning? He is still alive and well now, so how is he no longer in the world?”
“Nonsense, your father is the Heir Apparent of Zhenguo Marquis Manor, not the Marquis of Dingning. Xiao Ge’er, remember this: you are surnamed Li, not Lin.”
“But before, I always called the Marquis of Dingning father…”
Lin Xiao was young and did not understand these words.
Jiang Xuerou laboriously lifted her hand and gently touched his head.
“That was all Mother deceiving him. Nothing happened between Mother and him; it was all his own wishful thinking.”
With a boom, Lin Ningkun felt his entire world collapse.
That one sentence from Jiang Xuerou about wishful thinking directly severed the last thread of reason in his heart.
Early autumn, and the weather was getting colder and colder.
Even as the cold wind blew against his face, he was utterly unaware of the pain, and even if the wind blew off the hat on his head, he paid it no mind.
“Ah… ghost…”
Qing’er had just come in carrying pastries when she saw Lin Ningkun standing at the door, scaring her so much that she dropped the pastries and scrambled out of the courtyard.
The words startled Jiang Xuerou. She abruptly turned her head and met Lin Ningkun’s furious eyes, which almost hated her enough to devour her.
She fearfully swallowed, stammering, “Lin, Lin Ningkun.”
“Jiang Xuerou, you bitch, how many more things are you concealing from me?”
He had originally only wanted to come for the antidote, but now he no longer cared about that damn antidote; he only wanted Jiang Xuerou to pay with her life.
In a few steps, he reached Jiang Xuerou, his eyes bloodshot as he seized her neck, “What exactly did I do wrong? Why did you treat me like this?”
Her old wound had not yet healed, and with Lin Ningkun’s strength, the pain made Jiang Xuerou’s forehead break out in large beads of sweat. Her hands desperately tried to pry open Lin Ningkun’s hand, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not budge him at all.
She could only shout in a hoarse voice, “Lin Ningkun, you, you calm down a bit.”
“Let go of my mother, let go…”
Lin Ningkun’s hideous appearance was not recognized by Lin Xiao. Seeing an ugly monster bullying Jiang Xuerou, he stepped forward and kept pounding on Lin Ningkun’s legs.
But a stern glance from Lin Ningkun scared him into not daring to speak again.
Thinking that this child he had raised for so many years was actually not his biological son.
Lin Ningkun could no longer hold back and kicked Lin Xiao flying with one foot.
“Bang.”
Lin Xiao was kicked three meters away, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and he instantly fainted.
“No…” Jiang Xuerou cried out in terror.
Seeing her son faint, Jiang Xuerou also lost reason and questioned, “Lin Ningkun, how dare you?”
“You poisonous woman, he is not my son, what do I have to fear?”
Lin Ningkun’s large hand tightened even more, “Tell me, all these years, why did you deceive me?”
He was unwilling to accept it.
All these years, for Jiang Xuerou, he had broken through worldly conventions, disregarded propriety, justice, and shame, even deceiving his own family without hesitation, just to be with her. But in the end, what did he get?
Deception, betrayal, even humiliation.
The more he thought, the harder his grip tightened, and his face grew even more ferocious.
“Stop it.”
Just as Jiang Xuerou felt she was about to die, Jiang Changjun arrived and forcefully pulled Lin Ningkun away.
Jiang Xuerou bent over slightly, gasping for breath.
Lin Ningkun was so furious that he had lost reason. After being pulled away, he lunged forward again, but Jiang Changjun gripped his hand tightly and warned, “Lin Ningkun, if you dare take another step, do not blame me for being impolite to you.”
Lin Ningkun had no reason left at this point; his heart only wanted to kill Jiang Xuerou to wash away the humiliation of so many years.
He struggled to move forward.
Jiang Changjun signaled the arriving guards to seize his hands and pin them behind his back, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
At this moment, his pitiful self-esteem was utterly shattered.
He still could not accept it and could not understand no matter what. His face full of ferocity, he glared at Jiang Xuerou and questioned, “Why?”
If Jiang Changjun had not arrived just in time, she would really have died moments ago.
Jiang Xuerou no longer had her former gentleness; now she felt only hatred toward him, “Why? Should not Lin Ningkun be the one asking that question?”
Lin Ningkun was baffled. She rubbed her neck, taking a good while to recover.
“There was clearly an engagement between you and me, so why did you go back on it and marry my sister instead?”
“When did I go back on it? Was it not because you married the Heir Apparent of Zhenguo Marquis Manor that I could not marry Jiang Ruanxi?” Lin Ningkun smiled bitterly, “But even so, you should not have joked about Xiao Ge’er’s matter, saying he was my child.”
Lin Ningkun suddenly thought of something and abruptly sobered up, “Could it be that on that night, nothing happened between us?”
Thinking that if she did not make it clear, Lin Ningkun might continue to pester her.
In any case, things had already come to this, so Jiang Xuerou felt there was no need to conceal it any longer.
“It is just as you think. That night, you were indeed just drunk and slept for a while in my room.” Jiang Xuerou admitted directly.
Lin Ningkun felt as if ten thousand arrows pierced his heart, glaring at her with bloodshot eyes.
“So all these years, you have actually been deceiving me the whole time?”
Jiang Xuerou averted her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze, “Yes, I just wanted someone who could truly care for Xiao Ge’er.”
“Xiao Ge’er had no father, and your appearance just filled that gap perfectly. Plus, I originally did not want to stay in Zhenguo Marquis Manor, so everything fell into place naturally.”
