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Wu Xinlin looked at Wang Jinhe with a chilling sensation running down his spine. “You don’t recognize me?”
Wang Jinhe furrowed his brow and stared at Wu Xinlin. “Should we know each other?”
Su Yu walked over to Wang Jinhe and glanced at Wu Xinlin. “Do you know him?”
Wang Jinhe shook his head. “I don’t remember knowing this person, but he seems to know me.”
Wang Jinhe thought earnestly for a moment but couldn’t recall who this person was.
“I’m Wu Xinlin,” Wu Xinlin said with a furrowed brow, feeling quite uncomfortable about the fact that she didn’t recognize him.
As soon as she heard that name, Wang Jinhe knew exactly who this person was.
Xie Wanwan had wanted her dead because of this person.
“Oh, it’s you. Do you need something from me?” Wang Jinhe asked with an indifferent expression.
Su Yu frowned, slightly displeased. “Who is he?”
“We were engaged in the past, although we never met. Later, because he achieved success and fame in the imperial examinations, he came to my family to call off the engagement,” Wang Jinhe briefly explained to Su Yu.
“You were engaged?” Su Yu asked, not very pleased. He spoke as if the vinegar jar had been overturned.
“That’s something that happened before I met you. Why are you upset?” Wang Jinhe looked at Su Yu in exasperation.
“He was engaged to you,” Su Yu said righteously.
“…” Wang Jinhe suddenly didn’t want to continue the conversation with Su Yu.
It was a case of a scholar encountering a soldier—there was no way to explain it.
Seeing Wang Jinhe not talking to him, Su Yu became even more unhappy. He held Xiao Bao with one hand and tugged on Wang Jinhe with the other. “Let’s go.”
Wang Jinhe shook his head helplessly but still followed Su Yu’s lead.
Wu Xinlin hurriedly stood in front of them, focusing his attention on Wang Jinhe. “Xiaohe, I regret it.”
Now that Wang Jingyu had returned to the academy for his studies, just like before, all the scholars admired him. What’s more, it seemed like he was enjoying himself more at the academy.
Many wealthy children were willing to play with him. If he hadn’t broken off the engagement with Wang Jinhe back then, he could have been part of the same circle as Wang Jingyu and those people.
Now, at the academy, every time he saw Wang Jingyu walking with those people, he felt both jealous and regretful. Why wasn’t he the one who had achieved all this?
When he saw Wang Jinhe on the street today, he couldn’t help but follow her, even though she was with another man and a child. He still couldn’t help but express his regrets.
Su Yu frowned, and he was about to speak, but Wang Jinhe spoke first, saying, “Your regrets stem from seeing my brother attend the academy, seeing my brother thrive there, making friends he could never have befriended otherwise. That’s why you come to tell me you regret it.”
Wu Xinlin’s face turned slightly pale. He looked at Wang Jinhe, who was frowning, and said, “I don’t.”
“You…” Didn’t they say that Wang Jinhe’s son was a bastard? How could he have a father?
“Whether or not I do, you should know for yourself. This is my son, and this is his father,” Wang Jinhe pointed to the two individuals beside her as she introduced them.
“You…” Wasn’t Wang Jinhe’s son supposed to be illegitimate? How could he have a father?
“Do you dare to say these things to my brother? How did you even manage to pass the imperial examinations with such a clueless mind?” Wang Jinhe looked at Wu Xinlin with a mocking expression.
Faced with this Wang Jinhe, Wu Xinlin’s face changed. “You weren’t like this before.”
He had seen Wang Jinhe, but Wang Jinhe hadn’t seen him.
Back then, Wang Jinhe had been a fiercely gentle and kind girl, very introverted.
But now, she seemed to be covered in thorns.
“I dote on her. Do you have a problem with that?” Su Yu put his arm around Wang Jinhe’s shoulder and asked coldly.
“You…” Didn’t they say that Wang Jinhe’s son was a bastard? How could he have a father?
“Whether or not you do, you should know for yourself. This is my son, and this is his father,” Wang Jinhe pointed to the two individuals beside her as she introduced them.
“You…” Wasn’t Wang Jinhe’s son supposed to be illegitimate? How could he have a father?
“Do you dare to say these things to my brother? How did you even manage to pass the imperial examinations with such a clueless mind?” Wang Jinhe looked at Wu Xinlin with a mocking expression.
Faced with this Wang Jinhe, Wu Xinlin’s face changed. “You weren’t like this before.”
He had seen Wang Jinhe, but Wang Jinhe hadn’t seen him.
Back then, Wang Jinhe had been a very gentle and kind girl, very introverted.
But now, she seemed to be covered in thorns.
“I dote on her. Do you have a problem with that?” Su Yu put his arm around Wang Jinhe’s shoulder and asked coldly.
In front of Su Yu, Wu Xinlin felt deeply ashamed.
“Wu Xinlin, you don’t need to bring up your petty thoughts in front of us. It’s really not necessary, and it’s meaningless.” When Wang Jinhe had her engagement broken off by him, she was almost on the verge of a breakdown, given how introverted she was.
After the engagement was called off, the people from his family had said some very hurtful things.
“Xiaohe…”
“Wu Xinlin, do you remember what your family did when the engagement was called off? Do you remember how your family treated me?” Wang Jinhe asked.
Wu Xinlin was dumbfounded. Back then, his mother had told him not to let others speak ill of him, so he had joined in when many people scolded Wang Jinhe. He had heard these things and believed them, almost causing Wang Jinhe to despair.
“It seems like you’ve remembered,” Wang Jinhe said as she looked at Wu Xinlin’s dumbfounded expression and silently smiled.
“What’s going on?” Su Yu asked Wang Jinhe, looking down.
Wang Jinhe smiled and shook her head. “It’s nothing. Those things are in the past, and these people mean nothing to me. Let’s go.”
“Okay,” Su Yu didn’t press further when Wang Jinhe didn’t want to talk about it.
Wu Xinlin watched them leave with wide eyes, then turned back to the academy.
“Jingyu, there’s something I want to discuss with you,” Wu Xinlin found Wang Jingyu and said earnestly.
Seeing Wu Xinlin, Wang Jingyu’s smile faded. “What is it?”
“Is Xiaohe really…” Wu Xinlin began.
“Why are you asking about this? Xiaohe has no relationship with you whatsoever,” Wang Jingyu said coldly.
“I regret it. Can you help me?” Wu Xinlin ignored the coldness in Wang Jingyu’s eyes and said earnestly.
The people around were curious, wasn’t this guy Wang Jingyu’s former prospective brother-in-law?
Why did it seem like their relationship was really bad now?
“What’s going on, Jingyu? Wasn’t this guy once engaged to your sister? Why does it feel like your relationship is strained now?” Wang Jingyu used to be quite supportive of Wu Xinlin, but this time…
Wang Jingyu smiled and said, “He passed the imperial examination and looked down on my sister. It’s one thing for him to break off the engagement with my sister, but he also insulted her and shifted all the blame to her.”
“There are people who shamelessly do such things? So, why is he coming to you now?”
Wang Jingyu gave Wu Xinlin a sarcastic look and said, “Didn’t you hear what he said? He regrets it and wants me to help him.”
“I have a brother-in-law now, and a nephew as well. It would take a lot more than that to make me help someone who nearly drove my sister to suicide,” Wang Jingyu pointed to his head.
Back then, because of Wu Xinlin and his family, his sister had almost been unable to bear the burden and considered suicide. Now this guy came to him saying he regretted it?
Who did he think he was? Did he think that merely saying “I regret it” could make up for all the harm he had caused?
The people around exchanged glances. Wu Xinlin was acting so shamelessly?
“What’s more, your regret is simply because you see me making friends at the academy now, and you know my family is relatively well-off. You want to use my family to climb up, just like before? Who do you think you are? Do you really believe my family is that foolish to just accept whatever you say?” Wang Jingyu couldn’t fathom how Wu Xinlin could utter such words.