At the dinner table, Uncle Lin took special care of Qiao Ying, asking the servants to move all the delicious food in front of Qiao Ying. He secretly took note of what Qiao Ying liked to eat. Worried that Qiao Ying might feel uncomfortable, he told Qiao Ying stories about Lin Cheng's interesting things from when he was little to liven up the atmosphere.
In Uncle Lin's eyes, Qiao Ying was already his daughter-in-law.
"Lin Cheng told me you two met in Beijing and it was love at first sight. This kind of fate is so rare and precious."
Uncle Lin was still very surprised. He had never imagined that his nephew, who only cared about cats and dogs, would one day unexpectedly find a girlfriend with such swift progress in their relationship.
Qin Hanyue was very unhappy about the story Lin Cheng made up that he and Qiao Ying met in Beijing and it was love at first sight.
Because in reality, he had chased her across half the globe.
Qiao Ying nodded.
"Beijing is a nice place. Are your parents in Beijing too?"
Qiao Ying nodded slightly.
"I've mostly been in Shanghai these past two years which isn't too far. When it's convenient someday, I'll go visit your parents in Beijing."
Seeing how much his uncle liked Qiao Ying, Lin Cheng inevitably felt a little worried. If his uncle found out the truth, he would surely be very disappointed.
Noticing that Lin Cheng was neglecting his friend Qin Hanyue a bit, Uncle Lin started taking care of his friend as well.
Chatting casually: "I remember Mr. Qin is a couple years older than Lin Cheng. Are you married yet? Or are you in a blossoming romance?"
Qin Hanyue: "Soon."
Uncle Lin laughed and said, "Congratulations then. I can see Mr. Qin and his lover are very affectionate."
The marks on Qin Hanyue's neck were too eye-catching. Uncle Lin had noticed them already when he first came downstairs.
Uncle Lin still didn't know when Qin Hanyue had arrived in Country C, so he assumed Qin Hanyue had just left his girlfriend to come here.
Qiao Ying chimed in, "Wasn't Mr. Qin just arguing with his partner on the phone, and it was quite a big fight. He didn't get dumped, did he?"
Qiao Ying's blunt words left even Uncle Lin confused.
Lin Cheng closed his eyes and sighed helplessly.
He could only pray that his uncle was tired from traveling and his mood couldn't handle such ups and downs. He hoped the two could show some kindness and restrain themselves a little.
Please don't mess with him and his uncle right now!
Hearing Qiao Ying's "didn't get dumped", Qin Hanyue felt a little panicked. He looked at Qiao Ying sitting across from Lin Cheng and although his gaze was gentle, he controlled his tone very well: "Of course not. There was no fight, I just upset her. I will apologize and admit my mistake to her..."
Before Qin Hanyue could finish, Qiao Ying interrupted and asked, "What did Mr. Qin do?"
Qin Hanyue looked at Qiao Ying, thought for a moment, and told her the mistake he made: "I only thought about myself without considering her."
He spoke euphemistically, but Qiao Ying understood.
From Lin Cheng's stiff reaction, it seemed he also understood.
Qiao Ying: "..."
Qin Hanyue: "She's not good at expressing emotions, but I know she loves me very much. I will coax her back. Thank you for your concern, Miss Qiao."
Uncle Lin was a bit surprised. He had thought Qin Hanyue was an aloof and taciturn type, but it turns out he was quite talkative.
Lin Cheng wanted to say: Can we not do this apology privately?
Qiao Ying spoke again: "Are you sure you can coax her back?"
Qin Hanyue's attitude was sincere as he told her, "I'll keep coaxing her, I'm bound to coax her back eventually. She very rarely gets angry at me, this is the first time."
Before Qin Hanyue could finish, Qiao Ying bluntly said, "I wish you good luck."
Qin Hanyue: "I'll take Miss Qiao's blessing."
At this time, Uncle Lin came out to ease the atmosphere: "It's normal for little quarrels between lovers. Moreover, Mr. Qin is so outstanding and reflective, he's sure to earn forgiveness."
Qin Hanyue: "Thank you."
Uncle Lin: "It is I who should be thanking Mr. Qin. I'm very grateful that Mr. Qin could accompany Lin Cheng here today."
Qin Hanyue: "Just a small thing."
Uncle Lin: "Lin Cheng has had few friends since he was little. I'm very gratified that he could befriend such an outstanding person like Mr. Qin."
Qin Hanyue: "Duke Lin is also outstanding."
After the meal, the uncle and nephew sat together reminiscing and talking.
"If you don't want to stay here, you can return home to accompany Little Yin too. These years have been tiring for you." Uncle Lin said to Lin Cheng with an apologetic and remorseful look and tone.
It seemed the uncle and nephew had some issue between them.
Lin Cheng: "Would the royal family let me leave?"
Lin Guli resolutely said: "As long as you want to, even if we become sworn enemies, I will still take you away."
From their conversation, one could guess that it wasn't just an issue between the uncle and nephew, but also some unknown matter between them and the royal family.
Lin Cheng shook his head slightly and smiled, "I've grown up here since I was little so it's impossible not to have feelings. I've also gotten used to it here. If possible, I'd still like to stay. I don't want to adapt to a new environment. Please don't worry about me."
"My aunt's family is in power at home now. I don't want the family assets and I don't want to disrupt the peace at home."
Uncle Lin: "You'll be aggrieved if you worry so much."
Lin Cheng smiled, "I cherish everything here, and at the same time, I can also leave it all behind without hesitation. So don't worry, I won't be aggrieved. As long as I don't want to, I can withdraw at any time."
Uncle Lin: "If you plan to stay here, what about Little Yin? Will she be willing to accompany you here in the future? Her personality really isn't suited to dealing with the royal family."
Lin Cheng evasively replied, "I can protect her well."
Looking at the sensible Lin Cheng, Uncle Lin's eyes grew a little moist. After a long pause, he remorsefully said, "Uncle has wronged you."
"You don't need to feel you've wronged me. I've never felt mistreated. I've always been doing very well. It's Uncle you..." Lin Cheng looked at his uncle with some sadness, as he had aged quite a bit.
After thinking for a bit, he told him the result: "Little Yin was unable to find Nuan Nuan's DNA in any gene database."
The world was so vast. Trying to find someone in the sea of people was like trying to seize the moon from the heavens without the slightest clue or direction. One couldn't even ascertain if the person was still alive while blindly searching like this.
Yet Lin Guli had tirelessly searched for over twenty years already.
And he had never wavered in the thought of giving up even once.
The ending was already very clear and obvious. Even if Lin Guli kept searching for a few more decades until his death, he still wouldn't find her.
He didn't even know what she looked like. Even if she appeared before him and brushed past him, he wouldn't recognize her.
Yet for the sake of that nearly impossible "brush past", Lin Guli had persisted.
Even if they passed by without recognition, as long as he could get a little closer to her, saw her, knew what she looked like, Lin Guli would die without regrets.
From the moment Lin Guli uncompromisingly gave up everything for her, including Lin Cheng, Lin Cheng knew he was already prepared to die on the road searching for her.
He would keep searching until the day he could search no more, which was until the very last moment of his life.
So Lin Cheng never tried to persuade him otherwise.
Even when he encountered all kinds of dangers while searching for her.
Lin Guli smiled, "It's fine. I knew this would be the result all along." But his smile was a little forced and bitter.
Lin Guli quickly collected himself.
"When do you plan to host your engagement banquet with Little Yin? Will it be back home in Huaguo or here?"
Lin Cheng: "No rush. I'll discuss it with Little Yin."
"Discuss it properly. Don't wrong the girl. Alright, go rest. Don't keep Little Yin waiting too long." Uncle Lin patted his nephew on the shoulder.
Lin Cheng awkwardly said, "Little Yin and I haven't progressed to that point yet."
Uncle Lin laughed encouragingly, "Then keep at it."
Lin Cheng: "Mm..."
Suddenly recalling something, Uncle Lin asked, "Does Little Yin not like Mr. Qin? You two don't seem to get along. Is there some conflict between you?"
Lin Cheng sneered to himself: Doesn't like him? She likes him to death~
Lin Cheng: "Maybe it's because Little Yin feels indignant on behalf of Mr. Qin's girlfriend as a fellow woman, so her words had some thorns."
Uncle Lin: "Then you have to mediate between them. Your fiancée is great and your friend is great too."
Lin Cheng verbally agreed: "Mm."
Mediate? Does he need to?
Qiao Ying accompanied Fourth Master on a stroll to aid digestion. After circling around the first floor, they returned to the great hall and saw Uncle Lin sitting on the sofa in the distance.
The pot of orchid she had forgotten to put away was on the table.
At the moment, Uncle Lin was wholly focused on watering the orchid, with nutrition solution diluted in the water. His attention was completely on the orchid as he checked its condition, not noticing Qiao Ying's presence at all.
One loved cats and dogs like his own life.
The other loved flowers and plants.
This uncle and nephew were really alike.
The real-life Uncle Lin still seemed a little different from the video. He was surrounded by a lingering aura of incurable grief, especially now spacing out while gazing at the orchid. That feeling of inner anguish was even more evident.
No matter if it was in the video or in real life, there was always a warm smile on his face. But now, with the smile gone, his entire being radiated a kind of lonely and desolate solitude.
When a person devotes too much energy to things, most of it, beyond the small part that is true fondness, is an emotional, spiritual, and sentimental reliance, from a psychological perspective.
It's not hard to see that the reason Lin Cheng raised so many cats and dogs in his castle was because he was too lonely and bored. Lin Gu Li was currently the only relatively close person besides the butler and servants that had appeared by Lin Cheng's side.
What about Lin Gu Li?
Young Master Lin called out, and Lin Gu Li noticed them.
At the dinner table, Uncle Lin took special care of Qiao Ying, asking the servants to move all the delicious food in front of Qiao Ying. He secretly took note of what Qiao Ying liked to eat. Worried that Qiao Ying might feel uncomfortable, he told Qiao Ying stories about Lin Cheng's interesting things from when he was little to liven up the atmosphere.
In Uncle Lin's eyes, Qiao Ying was already his daughter-in-law.
"Lin Cheng told me you two met in Beijing and it was love at first sight. This kind of fate is so rare and precious."
Uncle Lin was still very surprised. He had never imagined that his nephew, who only cared about cats and dogs, would one day unexpectedly find a girlfriend with such swift progress in their relationship.
Qin Hanyue was very unhappy about the story Lin Cheng made up that he and Qiao Ying met in Beijing and it was love at first sight.
Because in reality, he had chased her across half the globe.
Qiao Ying nodded.
"Beijing is a nice place. Are your parents in Beijing too?"
Qiao Ying nodded slightly.
"I've mostly been in Shanghai these past two years which isn't too far. When it's convenient someday, I'll go visit your parents in Beijing."
Seeing how much his uncle liked Qiao Ying, Lin Cheng inevitably felt a little worried. If his uncle found out the truth, he would surely be very disappointed.
Noticing that Lin Cheng was neglecting his friend Qin Hanyue a bit, Uncle Lin started taking care of his friend as well.
Chatting casually: "I remember Mr. Qin is a couple years older than Lin Cheng. Are you married yet? Or are you in a blossoming romance?"
Qin Hanyue: "Soon."
Uncle Lin laughed and said, "Congratulations then. I can see Mr. Qin and his lover are very affectionate."
The marks on Qin Hanyue's neck were too eye-catching. Uncle Lin had noticed them already when he first came downstairs.
Uncle Lin still didn't know when Qin Hanyue had arrived in Country C, so he assumed Qin Hanyue had just left his girlfriend to come here.
Qiao Ying chimed in, "Wasn't Mr. Qin just arguing with his partner on the phone, and it was quite a big fight. He didn't get dumped, did he?"
Qiao Ying's blunt words left even Uncle Lin confused.
Lin Cheng closed his eyes and sighed helplessly.
He could only pray that his uncle was tired from traveling and his mood couldn't handle such ups and downs. He hoped the two could show some kindness and restrain themselves a little.
Please don't mess with him and his uncle right now!
Hearing Qiao Ying's "didn't get dumped", Qin Hanyue felt a little panicked. He looked at Qiao Ying sitting across from Lin Cheng and although his gaze was gentle, he controlled his tone very well: "Of course not. There was no fight, I just upset her. I will apologize and admit my mistake to her..."
Before Qin Hanyue could finish, Qiao Ying interrupted and asked, "What did Mr. Qin do?"
Qin Hanyue looked at Qiao Ying, thought for a moment, and told her the mistake he made: "I only thought about myself without considering her."
He spoke euphemistically, but Qiao Ying understood.
From Lin Cheng's stiff reaction, it seemed he also understood.
Qiao Ying: "..."
Qin Hanyue: "She's not good at expressing emotions, but I know she loves me very much. I will coax her back. Thank you for your concern, Miss Qiao."
Uncle Lin was a bit surprised. He had thought Qin Hanyue was an aloof and taciturn type, but it turns out he was quite talkative.
Lin Cheng wanted to say: Can we not do this apology privately?
Qiao Ying spoke again: "Are you sure you can coax her back?"
Qin Hanyue's attitude was sincere as he told her, "I'll keep coaxing her, I'm bound to coax her back eventually. She very rarely gets angry at me, this is the first time."
Before Qin Hanyue could finish, Qiao Ying bluntly said, "I wish you good luck."
Qin Hanyue: "I'll take Miss Qiao's blessing."
At this time, Uncle Lin came out to ease the atmosphere: "It's normal for little quarrels between lovers. Moreover, Mr. Qin is so outstanding and reflective, he's sure to earn forgiveness."
Qin Hanyue: "Thank you."
Uncle Lin: "It is I who should be thanking Mr. Qin. I'm very grateful that Mr. Qin could accompany Lin Cheng here today."
Qin Hanyue: "Just a small thing."
Uncle Lin: "Lin Cheng has had few friends since he was little. I'm very gratified that he could befriend such an outstanding person like Mr. Qin."
Qin Hanyue: "Duke Lin is also outstanding."
After the meal, the uncle and nephew sat together reminiscing and talking.
"If you don't want to stay here, you can return home to accompany Little Yin too. These years have been tiring for you." Uncle Lin said to Lin Cheng with an apologetic and remorseful look and tone.
It seemed the uncle and nephew had some issue between them.
Lin Cheng: "Would the royal family let me leave?"
Lin Guli resolutely said: "As long as you want to, even if we become sworn enemies, I will still take you away."
From their conversation, one could guess that it wasn't just an issue between the uncle and nephew, but also some unknown matter between them and the royal family.
Lin Cheng shook his head slightly and smiled, "I've grown up here since I was little so it's impossible not to have feelings. I've also gotten used to it here. If possible, I'd still like to stay. I don't want to adapt to a new environment. Please don't worry about me."
"My aunt's family is in power at home now. I don't want the family assets and I don't want to disrupt the peace at home."
Uncle Lin: "You'll be aggrieved if you worry so much."
Lin Cheng smiled, "I cherish everything here, and at the same time, I can also leave it all behind without hesitation. So don't worry, I won't be aggrieved. As long as I don't want to, I can withdraw at any time."
Uncle Lin: "If you plan to stay here, what about Little Yin? Will she be willing to accompany you here in the future? Her personality really isn't suited to dealing with the royal family."
Lin Cheng evasively replied, "I can protect her well."
Looking at the sensible Lin Cheng, Uncle Lin's eyes grew a little moist. After a long pause, he remorsefully said, "Uncle has wronged you."
"You don't need to feel you've wronged me. I've never felt mistreated. I've always been doing very well. It's Uncle you..." Lin Cheng looked at his uncle with some sadness, as he had aged quite a bit.
After thinking for a bit, he told him the result: "Little Yin was unable to find Nuan Nuan's DNA in any gene database."
The world was so vast. Trying to find someone in the sea of people was like trying to seize the moon from the heavens without the slightest clue or direction. One couldn't even ascertain if the person was still alive while blindly searching like this.
Yet Lin Guli had tirelessly searched for over twenty years already.
And he had never wavered in the thought of giving up even once.
The ending was already very clear and obvious. Even if Lin Guli kept searching for a few more decades until his death, he still wouldn't find her.
He didn't even know what she looked like. Even if she appeared before him and brushed past him, he wouldn't recognize her.
Yet for the sake of that nearly impossible "brush past", Lin Guli had persisted.
Even if they passed by without recognition, as long as he could get a little closer to her, saw her, knew what she looked like, Lin Guli would die without regrets.
From the moment Lin Guli uncompromisingly gave up everything for her, including Lin Cheng, Lin Cheng knew he was already prepared to die on the road searching for her.
He would keep searching until the day he could search no more, which was until the very last moment of his life.
So Lin Cheng never tried to persuade him otherwise.
Even when he encountered all kinds of dangers while searching for her.
Lin Guli smiled, "It's fine. I knew this would be the result all along." But his smile was a little forced and bitter.
Lin Guli quickly collected himself.
"When do you plan to host your engagement banquet with Little Yin? Will it be back home in Huaguo or here?"
Lin Cheng: "No rush. I'll discuss it with Little Yin."
"Discuss it properly. Don't wrong the girl. Alright, go rest. Don't keep Little Yin waiting too long." Uncle Lin patted his nephew on the shoulder.
Lin Cheng awkwardly said, "Little Yin and I haven't progressed to that point yet."
Uncle Lin laughed encouragingly, "Then keep at it."
Lin Cheng: "Mm..."
Suddenly recalling something, Uncle Lin asked, "Does Little Yin not like Mr. Qin? You two don't seem to get along. Is there some conflict between you?"
Lin Cheng sneered to himself: Doesn't like him? She likes him to death~
Lin Cheng: "Maybe it's because Little Yin feels indignant on behalf of Mr. Qin's girlfriend as a fellow woman, so her words had some thorns."
Uncle Lin: "Then you have to mediate between them. Your fiancée is great and your friend is great too."
Lin Cheng verbally agreed: "Mm."
Mediate? Does he need to?
Qiao Ying accompanied Fourth Master on a stroll to aid digestion. After circling around the first floor, they returned to the great hall and saw Uncle Lin sitting on the sofa in the distance.
The pot of orchid she had forgotten to put away was on the table.
At the moment, Uncle Lin was wholly focused on watering the orchid, with nutrition solution diluted in the water. His attention was completely on the orchid as he checked its condition, not noticing Qiao Ying's presence at all.
One loved cats and dogs like his own life.
The other loved flowers and plants.
This uncle and nephew were really alike.
The real-life Uncle Lin still seemed a little different from the video. He was surrounded by a lingering aura of incurable grief, especially now spacing out while gazing at the orchid. That feeling of inner anguish was even more evident.
No matter if it was in the video or in real life, there was always a warm smile on his face. But now, with the smile gone, his entire being radiated a kind of lonely and desolate solitude.
When a person devotes too much energy to things, most of it, beyond the small part that is true fondness, is an emotional, spiritual, and sentimental reliance, from a psychological perspective.
It's not hard to see that the reason Lin Cheng raised so many cats and dogs in his castle was because he was too lonely and bored. Lin Gu Li was currently the only relatively close person besides the butler and servants that had appeared by Lin Cheng's side.
What about Lin Gu Li?
Young Master Lin called out, and Lin Gu Li noticed them.
