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墨書 Inktalez
Stepping outside, Bai Youlian felt a moment of disorientation.
She was well aware that the missing people mentioned in yesterday's newspaper would never return.
She could not allow the situation to continue developing like this.
Inside Li Hua Palace, Bai Youlian took a sip of wine, her expression calm as she slowly said, “Colonel knows I have only recently taken charge. I cannot compare to the prestige that the master had while he was alive in Shancheng. How could those villagers trust me with their children?”
Yamada shook his head repeatedly, a smile plastered across his face. “Aunt Bai is too modest. Master Leng took great care of those neighbors when he was alive. Not only did he distribute grain, but he also helped them find jobs. Now that there’s money to be made, why wouldn’t they be willing?”
Bai Youlian frowned, seeming a bit hesitant. “But the newspaper said that the miners are missing. Those neighbors came to ask me about it just a few days ago, and I…”
“Mining accidents are unpredictable; otherwise, the Imperial Army wouldn’t need to hire them at such high prices. The Imperial Army pays them, and they provide the labor—it's a fair exchange, isn’t it?”
“True enough. Even in business, there are gains and losses.” Bai Youlian nodded, a glint of calculation flashing in her eyes. “In that case, I wonder about the business dealings of the Leng Family in the provincial capital…”
“As long as Aunt Bai can recruit manpower, leave the provincial capital matters to me.”
“It’s a deal.”
As she stepped out of Li Hua Palace, Bai Youlian let out a long sigh of relief. Things seemed to be progressing quite smoothly; Yamada was finally willing to involve her.
However, her brow furrowed involuntarily as she pondered silently—if that were the case, why was Yamada still arranging for someone like Hu Qianqian?
After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly realized that Yamada, that old fox, despite using her, remained deeply suspicious. The Leng Family likely had more than one spy planted by Yamada, and now with Hu Qianqian added to the mix...
Bai Youlian furrowed her brows tightly. She knew she could not stop Leng Shaoqing from marrying Hu Qianqian.
There were some things she could not voice, and the complex thoughts swirling in her heart were even more impossible for Leng Shaoqing to know.
In this way, she could only lament her helplessness.
Lost in thought, she walked on, and without paying attention, she bumped straight into someone's embrace.
Instinctively, she looked up and saw the figure she had been thinking about constantly. She remembered having told him not to come here again, so with a hint of reproach, she asked, "Why did you come back?"
Leng Shaoqing did not answer immediately; he himself could not articulate why. He had told himself not to get involved again, yet deep down he could not help it.
He gazed at her quietly and slowly said, "Next month, I will marry Qian Qian."
Upon hearing this, Bai Youlian's heart ached sharply, but she forced herself to remain calm. She looked up in a daze and pretended to be indifferent as she replied, "Then... what does that have to do with me?"
"Does it have nothing to do with you?" Leng Shaoqing stared at her, his gaze filled with doubt. He truly did not want to believe that she was completely unconcerned about this matter. "If that’s the case, why are you trying so hard to stop me?"
Bai Youlian opened her mouth to explain but found herself unable to utter a single word; it felt as if something was choking her throat.
"As long as you say it—just say it—you don’t want me to marry Hu Qianqian, and I won’t."
Leng Shaoqing's gaze was intense, filled with a hint of urgency and expectation.
"You can't marry Hu Qianqian." His sudden appearance disrupted her thoughts. She didn't want him to get involved because she knew that Hu Qianqian would bring him danger.
"What I want is not 'you can't,' but 'I don't want to.'" Leng Shaoqing stubbornly insisted. To him, admitting that she still cared for him shouldn't be that difficult.
"I..." Bai Youlian was about to speak when suddenly, Leng Shaoqing's fingers gently brushed against her lips, cool to the touch, yet his movements were as gentle as water, slowly caressing her. He then lowered his head, his voice deep and tender: "A Lian, you still care about me, don't you..."
"A Lian, I give in. It’s a lie to say I didn’t care about what happened before, but all I want now is for the future. In the future, don’t see those Japanese anymore, don’t act like that. Once I finish the business here, we’ll leave Shancheng and start anew..."
Leng Shaoqing's gentle vows and familiar scent made Bai Youlian tremble slightly. For a moment, she forgot to resist, as if grasping a fleeting hope as fragile as foam, unwittingly sinking into it.
The moonlight spilled into the dim alley like rippling water, and her heart felt just as soft and slightly cool under its glow.
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