Chapter 446: 446. Ruby Ring

Translator: 549690339

Ying Ying recounted her experiences since leaving home last time. She arrived at Yue Mei’s former hideout in Yin Country, but neither Yue Mei nor Ying Ye were there—only the trap left for her. Despite Old White’s efforts, they were eventually trapped.

Later, they were taken to Xingluo Island by Yue Mei. Min Rou said that she witnessed Yue Mei bringing Ying Ying and Ying Ye to the island. Old White wasn’t seen that time because he was constantly cursing and yelling at Yue Mei while awake and extremely unstable, so Yue Mei knocked him unconscious, put him in a box, and carried him to the island.

Ying Ying was arranged by Mo Yan to be a “white mouse” (test subject), while Ying Ye, who had already been injured and extremely afraid of water, escaped by a hair’s breadth as he couldn’t possibly participate. The main reason he wasn’t killed was that Yue Mei and Mo Yan wanted to use him to control Ying Ying—Mo Yan’s “experiment” had to be done without resistance from the subjects while underwater, otherwise, they would be drowned. This wouldn’t achieve Mo Yan’s goal.

As for Old White, considering his grudges with Yue Mei, he was treated as her personal property and merely “stored” on the island. Therefore, during his imprisonment, nobody touched him or paid any attention to him after Yue Mei left the island. He never met Mo Yan and had no idea about Shen Qingxue’s marriage to Mo Yan. Of course, he asked Yue Mei about Shen Qingxue’s subsequent fate, but as Yue Mei hated Shen Qingxue the most, she wouldn’t tell Old White the truth. Instead, she made up stories laced with foul language to provoke him and cause him immense pain.

It wasn’t until Old White took the antidote and regained consciousness in Jiaye City that he learned from Old Mu that Shen Qingxue had married Mo Yan and had a daughter with him, and that Su Liang was the granddaughter of Mo Yan and Shen Qingxue.

For Old White, this wasn’t something comforting since he knew that his innocent, kind-hearted little junior sister wouldn’t willingly marry Mo Yan. She must have been forced. From the fact that Mo Yan was the master of Xingluo Island, but Su Liang’s mother had to give birth to her in exile before dying, it was hard to say that Mo Yan cared for Shen Qingxue or their child.

But Old White’s hatred for Mo Yan didn’t contradict his regard for Su Liang as his most important family member. Now he had an additional member, Gu Xiaonuan.

After listening to Ying Ying and Old White’s stories, it was already late. Su Liang told them to rest first and discuss the rest the next day.

Lian Shun, who had been sitting beside Ying Ying and holding her hand all along, immediately stood up, “Ying Xiaoying, let’s go home!”

Ying Ying let go of Lian Shun’s hand, “I want to sleep with Liang tonight.”

Su Liang’s lips curved slightly, “I’m fine with that. Great God, you won’t object, right?”

Lian Shun made a face at Gu Ling: Say no if you’re a brother!

However, Gu Ling just nodded slightly, “Sure.”

Lian Shun once again clutched Ying Ying’s hand, their fingers tightly interlocked, “I don’t care; you have to go home with me tonight! Tomorrow you can sleep with Su Xiaoliang, and I’ll sleep with Gu Xiaoling! Hmph!”

“Alright then.” Ying Ying agreed.

Lian Shun:…So they were just teasing him on purpose earlier? They even teamed up to tease him? Su Liang and Gu Ling were so mean! Ying Xiaoying was so cute!

Ying Ying went to find Ying Ye, who was happily playing with toys shared by Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu. Seeing Ying Ying, he said he wanted to sleep with Zhengzheng and Xiaoshu tonight.

Ying Ying originally intended to leave Ying Ye here, so she was relieved. She even smilingly asked Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu to look after Ying Ye.

Gu Xiaonuan was already asleep, lulled by Cen Man. Ying Ying went to see her, her eyes filled with tenderness.

When Lian Shun finally led Ying Ying out of Yuanming Pavilion, he breathed a sigh of relief, “I really thought you were going to choose Su Xiaoliang over me.”

“Why choose? I want both.” Ying Ying laughed lightly.

Lian Shun grinned, “I agree, I support this! You said it yourself, I’m all yours now, and you have to take responsibility for me!”

The next moment, Ying Ying’s hand was released from Lian Shun’s grip. He was so frustrated; this kind of thing happened a lot, but every time, it still made him feel like he was being abandoned.

In the end, Ying Ying simply tapped Lian Shun’s forehead and then took his hand again, “Can you stop acting like I’m bullying you? Xiaoliang and Gu Ling will think I’m a tigress.”

Lian Shun puffed out his chest and held his head high, “Understood. Wife, let’s go home and see my parents!”

“It’s so late, wouldn’t they be asleep by now? How about I stay with Xiaoliang tonight, and we go tomorrow?” Ying Ying asked.

“No way, we’re going right now!” Lian Shun pulled Ying Ying along as he ran, seemingly afraid that Su Liang would suddenly appear and whisk Ying Ying away.

“You’re too slow.” Ying Ying let go of Lian Shun and ran ahead of him.

What was supposed to be a romantic moonlit jog turned into a race with Ying Ying’s sudden burst of speed. Lian Shun couldn’t admit defeat, so the two raced to the entrance of Su Mansion, leaving Qi Yan, who was about to greet them, dumbfounded.

“I won, so you’ll sleep on the floor tonight,” Ying Ying said with a smile.

Lian Shun sighed and suddenly noticed Qi Yan standing nearby. His expression stiffened, and he immediately grabbed Qi Yan. “You didn’t hear anything just now, understand?”

Qi Yan held back a laugh and nodded. “I understand, don’t worry, Master Lin.”

“If I find out you’ve told Gu Xiaoling, I won’t let you off!” Lian Shun threatened.

Qi Yan nodded. “I won’t.” Since he only mentioned Gu Ling, it should be fine to tell Su Liang, right?

Lian Shun seemed to see what Qi Yan was thinking and immediately said, “You’re not allowed to tell Su Xiaoliang either! No one can know!”

“Oh.” Qi Yan finally laughed, but since Lian Shun cared so much about this matter, he should keep it to himself. After all, it concerned a man’s dignity.

On the way from Su Mansion to Lian Mansion, Ying Ying suddenly stopped her horse. “I forgot something.”

Seeing Ying Ying turn her horse around, Lian Shun frowned and asked, “What is it? Is it about Xingluo Island?”

Ying Ying shook her head. “It’s impolite to go empty-handed like this.”

Lian Shun finally understood what was going on and hurriedly stopped Ying Ying. “We’re already engaged, so don’t worry about it. My parents won’t care about these things. It would be stranger if you go back to Su Xiaoliang’s house and get some valuable gifts to give them. It’s already late, let’s hurry back, meet my parents, and then go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“Alright then.” Ying Ying thought about it and agreed.

At the entrance of Lian Mansion, Lian Shun reminded Ying Ying again to save face for him in front of his parents… please…

When the guards at the entrance of Lian Mansion heard the knock on the door, they opened it and gaped when they saw Lian Shun. “Young Master! The Young Master is back!”

“And the young mistress.” Lian Shun threw the reins to the guard and led Ying Ying inside.

In fact, Lian Shun rarely stayed in the family home in the capital city. When the Lin Family first moved there, he stayed behind in Jiaye City. Then he had returned with Ying Ying once, only to leave again quickly.

Father Lin and Mother Lin were awakened and were very happy to hear that Lian Shun was back, so they quickly got dressed and got out of bed.

“Sunsun!” Mother Lin walked over quickly, with Father Lin following behind.

Lian Shun stood up with open arms and a big smile to greet them. Ying Ying, who had been sitting, also stood up and admired the Lin’s warm and sweet family relationship. Her only relatives in her previous life had been Yue Mei and Ying Ye, but the “grandmother” she called for so many years was just a poisonous woman, and it was highly possible that they were not related at all and that she had been abducted by her. Ying Ye needed her care and was like her own child.

Just as Lian Shun was about to hug Mother Lin, she saw Ying Ying standing behind him. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly pushed Lian Shun aside and walked towards Ying Ying. Grasping her hands, she said, “You must be Miss Ying, right? Xiaoliang always talks about you, and I’m glad to finally meet you.”

Lian Shun didn’t feel left out and happily hugged his father’s arm, grinning. This was the reaction he wanted.

Father Lin whispered to Lian Shun, “Why did you bring Miss Ying here so late? Is it…”

It was true that Ying Ying had a home in the capital city – the Su Mansion – so it was unusual for her to come to Lian Shun’s house so late at night.

Lian Shun winked, “Dad, you guess.”

Father Lin frowned and pulled Lian Shun a little further away, “Did you bully the girl?”

Lian Shun shook his head, “I’m not that kind of person.”

On the other side, Lin’s mother had already warmly pulled Ying Ying to sit down and was asking about her well-being. Actually, she and Lin’s father had the same thoughts; Ying Ying came to their house so late, there must be something between her and Lian Shun, perhaps Lian Shun had bullied the girl.

Although Ying Ying was very close to Su Liang, it was her first time to be treated so kindly by an elder. Even she, who was always domineering and unrestrained, felt a bit constrained.

Lian Shun was delighted in his heart. He cleared his throat and announced solemnly, “Father, Mother, Ying Xiaoying and I have already gotten married in Jiaye City!”

Who would have thought that as soon as his words fell, Lin’s father picked up a duster in the small hall, and Lin’s mother also changed her expression, standing up and pinching Lian Shun’s ear.

Ying Ying frowned. Could it be that Father Lin and Mother Lin were unhappy about their private wedding? Indeed, both of them were impulsive at that time. Since ancient times, marriages have been arranged by parents…

“It’s your good fortune that Miss Ying is willing to marry you. You actually made such a mess with the marriage, treating it like child’s play!” Lin’s father said as he hit Lian Shun with the duster.

Lin’s mother, while pinching Lian Shun’s ear, changed positions with him, standing right between him and Lin’s father, “Sunsun, you were too reckless!”

Lian Shun hurriedly begged for mercy, “Father, Mother, I know I was wrong. It was all my impulse.”

Lin’s mother didn’t let go of Lian Shun, her apologetic eyes looked at Ying Ying, “Xiaoying, it’s Sunsun’s fault. You both got married in Jiaye City without telling the family, causing you such distress. I will teach him a lesson properly. As for the marriage, we will choose another auspicious day to bring you in with a grand celebration. What do you think?”

Ying Ying shook her head, “Aunt, don’t blame him. It was me who proposed to get married at that time. Because the situation was special, I would forget our time together after taking the antidote and recovering my memory.”

Father Lin and Mother Lin suddenly understood. They were well aware of Lin Shan’s memory loss and recovery, as well as Yuan Pei’s frustration, so they immediately understood the situation.

Lin’s father, across Lin’s mother, hit Lian Shun again, “Look at Miss Ying, she explained everything with just one sentence. Why were you mute just now?”

Lian Shun: … didn’t dare to speak.

“So that’s how it is.” Lin’s mother let go of Lian Shun, and went over to hold Ying Ying’s hand, “You are so good to Sunsun. Otherwise, if you forgot about him, he wouldn’t know how sad he would be. But as for the marriage, we still need to do it according to our way, with a proper ceremony. Otherwise, it would be against etiquette, and it’s inevitable for people to gossip. I can’t let my good daughter-in-law be gossiped about.”

Seeing Lin’s mother’s earnest gaze, how could Ying Ying refuse?

Lian Shun saw this and quickly said, “I have no objections! I want to have another wedding night!” After saying this, he was hit again.

“I heard Xiaoliang say that you are very free-spirited, so don’t worry about the trouble. You don’t have to do anything, just attend the wedding ceremony with Sunsun at the right time. We’ll make all the preparations. You don’t know how idle his father and I have been since we came to the capital. We’ve been waiting for the day when Sunsun would bring you home so we could arrange the marriage!” Lin’s mother said earnestly.

Ying Ying smiled, “Then I will have to trouble uncle and aunt.”

Lin’s mother was delighted, “As long as you agree, we will choose an auspicious day tomorrow and hold the wedding this year.”

Lian Shun reminded, “Ying Xiaoying, you should change the way you address me.”

“Since the previous ceremony doesn’t count, let’s wait until we officially get married.” Ying Ying said as she stood up, “I will stay with Xiaoliang tonight.”

“That’s fine too,” Lin’s father nodded, “Sunsun, send Miss Ying back and then come back.”

Lian Shun was dumbfounded. This wasn’t what he had planned. He had thought that he could share a bed with Ying Ying tonight. How did it suddenly change from being married to being engaged?

Lin’s mother, holding Ying Ying’s hand, accompanied her to the door, “Don’t think too much about it. We are very happy that you can be with Sunsun, but since you youngsters don’t care about these things, we elders cannot let Sunsun mess around. Even if we don’t care, outsiders will inevitably gossip about it in the future. We have to be prepared for a long life together and can’t skimp on certain things.”

Ying Ying knew that Lin’s mother truly had her best interests at heart. The living environment of Jiaye City and the capital was quite different. There were many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital. Although the Lin Family had only been in the capital for a year, they were once a famous military family in Qian Country, and now they were associated with not just ordinary people. Lian Shun had a promising future if he wanted, and Ying Ying, who followed Lian Shun without a matchmaker or dowry, couldn’t stop people from talking about it, even if Lian Shun treated her well. She didn’t mind, but what about when they had children later? Moreover, this would definitely affect the reputation of Lin Family, as Lin Shan hadn’t gotten married, and Lian Shun had uncles and brothers. The family’s reputation couldn’t be ruined.

This was different from Su Liang and Gu Ling’s situation. Both of them had no elders above them and had special identities. Even so, Gu Ling had specifically asked Old Master Qin to propose marriage to Su Liang, and the Lin Family and Xing Family took care of Su Liang’s side. With Lin’s parents present, if Ying Ying really moved into Lin’s house just like that, Father Lin and Mother Lin would never be able to raise their heads again.

Ying Ying felt somewhat apologetic, “Auntie, it’s my fault for not knowing the rules.”

Mother Lin quickly shook her head, “Don’t say that, we’re all family now. You go rest in Xiaoliang’s room first, and tomorrow we’ll have a matchmaker come to formalize the marriage. And then, I’ll take Shan over to see you.”

Father Lin frowned and scolded Lian Shun again, realizing that the hasty marriage was really inappropriate, and that the fault lay with him.

So, in the middle of the night, Lian Shun took Ying Ying back to Su Mansion. Father Lin and Mother Lin, worried that Ying Ying would overthink things, escorted her all the way to the front door.

The lanterns were still lit in Yuanming Pavilion.

Gu Ling and Su Liang had only recently learned the biggest secret of Xingluo Island from Ying Ying, and were now discussing their next plan.

Hearing Lian Shun calling them from downstairs, Su Liang was a bit surprised, “Why is he back?”

Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent, “His parents wouldn’t let Ying Ying stay here tonight.” Obviously, he had anticipated this.

Su Liang was taken aback, “That’s true, I should have thought about that.” After all, she was a transmigrator, and she had no parents since she arrived here, so she wasn’t very sensitive to these matters.

The two went downstairs to see Lian Shun looking dejected, “My parents beat me up.”

Ying Ying laughed though, “Looks like I’ll be able to sleep with my sister Liang tonight!”

“Gu Ling, can I sleep with you?” Lian Shun asked.

Gu Ling coldly replied with one word, “Scram.”

“Alright, I’ll scram. Ying Ying, see you tomorrow. I’ll come to propose marriage tomorrow.” Lian Shun reluctantly held onto Ying Ying’s hand.

Ying Ying waved her hand, “I know, go ahead.”

Su Liang asked Gu Ling to escort Lian Shun, “His martial arts skills are average. If he gets captured by Sheng Yue, Ying Ying will have to find another groom.”

Lian Shun: …

Gu Ling was actually going to escort Lian Shun, which Lian Shun wasn’t expecting, but he was also very happy about it.

Once the two men left, Su Liang took Ying Ying upstairs, “Speaking of Xingluo Island, I have one more thing to ask Ying Ying.”

“What?” Ying Ying asked, “I’ve told you everything I remember.”

“There might be some things Ying Ying saw but didn’t pay attention to,” Su Liang said, “Did Mo Yan wear any jewelry? Like bracelets or rings?”

Ying Ying went to Su Liang’s room and glanced at the sleeping Gu Xiaonuan before sitting down. After pondering for a while, she replied, “There is a ring with a red gemstone on it, which looks extraordinary.”

Su Liang had also asked Min Rou, who mentioned the same ring and said that Mo Yan never took it off.

“Is it something special?” Ying Ying asked.

Su Liang nodded, “It might be.” She and Gu Ling were just discussing what Mo Yan’s storage space might be. If they could steal it, that would be great.