"This is my cousin, the one I’ve mentioned to you, my aunt’s only daughter, Gu Youyou. You see, my cousin is quite pretty, isn’t she?"
Gu Youyou couldn’t help but roll her eyes. So much for the demure attitude that ancient young ladies were supposed to have at a first meeting.
Being new to the place, she couldn’t overdo her act, so she had to keep her head low and play the part of a young maiden.
"Miss Gu?" The other party, this older male cousin, seemed quite surprised, then looked at Gu Youyou with curiosity.
"Hehe, elder cousin!" Gu Youyou forced a laugh and focused on the tips of her own shoes.
Seeing the young maiden’s coy demeanor, the older cousin’s expression turned somewhat strange. He straightened up and hurriedly said, "Miss Gu, since you are my cousin Qianqing’s elder cousin, it is appropriate for you to call me elder cousin as well. My name is Jin Wei, but you can also call me Young Master Jin."
Upon hearing this, Gu Youyou looked up, her expression darkening slightly. She simply couldn’t keep up the act of a young maiden anymore.
The other party had excellent composure, wearing an expression of humble amicability. Amidst his warm words, his meaning couldn’t have been clearer.
Gu Youyou curled her lips slightly and said softly, "Yes, Young Master Jin!"
As the cousin of the Lin Family, she was not really a miss of the Lin Family. In the eyes of those people, she was just a country girl.
It seemed that her cousin hadn’t noticed the undercurrent flowing beneath the fine weather. She was fretting about whether she regretted having to give up the affections of the elder cousin to her own elder cousin. Was she regretting or not?
All three were lost in thought, but their silent contemplation was interrupted by a young man emerging from the house behind them.
"Qianqing is here, and who is this young lady?"
The newcomer was a young man with sharp brows and starry eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips lightly pursed. His piercing gaze shot towards Gu Youyou like a sharp sword thrusting into her heart.
Gu Youyou’s eyes widened.
She had met him only once before, during a night of thunderous rain and lightning. She saw his face beneath the black cloak—just a single glance was enough to make his sword-like eyes unforgettable.
After she and Jin Zijin had opened up to each other, he had never mentioned him, nor had she ever brought up the mysterious man who had wanted to take her life that rainy night.
She remembered his words clearly, "She’s discovered us. She must be killed."
To anyone other than Jin Zijin, this man was an existence that couldn’t be exposed. She knew things she wasn’t supposed to know. So, what was to be done—kill her or not?
To avoid putting him in a difficult position and not wanting to touch upon certain dangers, she chose to feign ignorance.
"Young Master Xiao, this is my elder cousin," said Lin Qianqing shyly.
Xiao Jinyan eyed Gu Youyou without seemingly noticing the tempest in her eyes. He smiled gently at Lin Qianqing and said, "I recognize both the elder young ladies of Young Master Jin’s family. Which family’s elder cousin are you?"
Although his face wore an unfazed smile, the irony in his tone was unmistakable.
Gu Youyou just huffed softly. This outing had exposed her to the true nature of the so-called noble sons of Beijing.
They were hardly better than Yue Rujing, who was all glitter on the outside and rottenness within—a veritable scholarly scoundrel.
Indeed, without comparison, there would be no hurt, and this saying couldn’t be more true.
Of course, with the reputation of her uncle, Lin Xingyi, it was probably no secret among the officials of Beijing what his background was and who his relatives were.
So, if Lin Qianqing’s elder cousin wasn’t one of those from the Ducal Residence, then that left only the country relatives.
Well, it was normal for people to look down on someone from the countryside.