“I thought you wouldn’t come today.” The young lady in the green robe covered her mouth and laughed lightly.

Another young lady smiled. “After the princess’s birthday banquet, I was planning to visit you with A’Yu.”

Under her two friends’ teasing, Chen Yi’s plump cheeks flushed with color as she said in a low voice, “Even after marrying, it’s not like one isn’t allowed to go out. You two stop teasing me.”

“We’re not teasing you.” The green-robed young lady took Chen Yi’s arm. “We’re genuinely happy for you. Your life’s major event is finally settled.”

The other young lady asked quietly, “Chen Yi, have you seen the Heir of Marquis Pingjia?”

Chen Yi nodded slightly. “I secretly caught a glimpse of him.”

“How was it?” The two friends asked in unison.

“Keep your voices down.” Chen Yi’s face grew even redder as she hurriedly looked around.

The surrounding noble ladies were chatting and laughing in small groups—no one was paying attention to this side.

Wait—the shyness on Chen Yi’s face faded, replaced by embarrassment.

Sitting right behind her was—Second Miss Lin?

The green-robed young lady also noticed Lin Hao and immediately widened her almond-shaped eyes. “Second Miss Lin, what are you doing here?”

She was practically sitting among them—this was clearly eavesdropping on gossip, wasn’t it?

What kind of person was this!

Lin Hao smiled calmly. “I came to find Miss Chen. Seeing the three older sisters talking, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Their voices had gotten lower and lower until she couldn’t hear, so she had no choice but to sit closer.

Was that so?

The two young ladies looked at Chen Yi with doubt in their eyes: When did Chen Yi become acquainted with Second Miss Lin?

Chen Yi was equally confused. “What does Second Miss Lin want with me?”

“Could we speak privately for a moment?” Lin Hao pointed toward the rose bushes outside the corridor.

Chen Yi hesitated, then said to her two friends, “I’ll speak with Second Miss Lin for a moment and come right back.”

The two young ladies suppressed their curiosity and nodded.

Since noble ladies continued to arrive, the two of them standing by the roses didn’t attract attention. Only Lin Chan glanced toward her younger sister a few times.

“Whatever Second Miss Lin has to say, please speak.”

Lin Hao pressed her lips together and decided to be direct. “I heard that Miss Chen has become engaged to the Heir of Marquis Pingjia.”

She had no relationship with Chen Yi. If she tried to become familiar first before speaking, it would be too late.

Being direct might not make the other person believe her, but it would definitely plant seeds of doubt in their heart.

Chen Yi was startled—clearly this topic was the last thing she had expected.

After a moment of silence, Chen Yi asked, “What does Second Miss Lin want to say?”

Could it be that Second Miss Lin had feelings for the Heir of Marquis Pingjia and felt her beloved had been stolen by her, so she came to cause trouble?

It wasn’t that Chen Yi was thinking the worst of people, but when a young lady who was essentially a stranger suddenly approached to say such things, anyone would have such suspicions.

Lin Hao stepped closer and lowered her voice. “I want to say that the Heir of Marquis Pingjia is not a good man.”

Chen Yi’s eyes suddenly widened as she instinctively gripped a rose branch.

The branch had thorns, causing her to release it in pain. Blood beads seeped from her fair, tender fingertip.

Lin Hao took out her handkerchief and pressed it against Chen Yi’s fingertip. “Are you all right, Miss Chen?”

Chen Yi withdrew her hand, looking at Lin Hao with eyes full of wariness, doubt, and confusion—extremely complicated.

She crumpled the snow-white handkerchief in her agitation, forgetting in her disturbed state that the handkerchief wasn’t hers.

“Second Miss Lin, could you speak more clearly?”

Lin Hao bit her lip with a troubled expression. “What I’m about to say, please don’t tell anyone else, Miss Chen.”

Chen Yi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Some days ago, the Marquis Pingjia’s mansion came to my home to propose a marriage, wanting to arrange a match between the Heir of Marquis Pingjia and my elder sister.”

Chen Yi abruptly turned to look at Lin Chan.

Lin Chan was chatting with friends, occasionally glancing toward her younger sister. Just at that moment, she happened to look over.

Their gazes collided. Chen Yi hastily looked away and stared intently at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao gave a self-deprecating smile. “Miss Chen must remember the matter of my parents’義絕, I presume?”

Chen Yi nodded slightly.

With the Wen and Lin families making such a scene, who in the capital didn’t know about it?

“With that lesson before us, Grandmother is especially cautious about our marriages. After the Marquis Pingjia’s mansion expressed their intention to propose marriage, Grandmother arranged for people to quietly investigate the Heir of Marquis Pingjia’s character.” Lin Hao spoke in a low voice, anger appearing in her eyes. “This investigation uncovered a problem.”

“What problem?” Chen Yi immediately asked.

“The Heir of Marquis Pingjia has a lover.”

Chen Yi’s expression changed dramatically.

This was precisely the age of first awakening to love—how many could have no expectations for their future companion?

Lin Hao gave Chen Yi a moment to absorb this, then continued, “Moreover, it’s a man.”

“What?” Chen Yi cried out in shock, her voice changing pitch.

What she was hearing was truly beyond belief.

After quite a while, Chen Yi finally found her voice again, looking at Lin Hao with doubt. “Second Miss Lin, surely you’re joking?”

Lin Hao sighed. “Miss Chen and I are not acquainted. Would I specifically seek you out to make such a joke? Wouldn’t that be too idle of me?”

Chen Yi stared at Lin Hao for a long time, trying to see guilt in her expression, but all she saw was seriousness.

This time, Chen Yi was silent even longer.

Although Second Miss Lin didn’t seem to be lying, she still found it difficult to believe these words.

Her fiancé liked a man?

As reason gradually returned, Chen Yi asked, “Why is Second Miss Lin telling me this?”

Even if it were true, why would Second Miss Lin come to tell her?

Lin Hao seemed stunned, confusion appearing in her eyes. “My elder sister avoided the fire pit, but then I heard Miss Chen had jumped into it. I came to say this naturally to give Miss Chen a warning.”

“I mean… Second Miss Lin and I are not acquainted…”

Normally saying such things would be quite rude, but precisely because of Lin Hao’s directness, some boundary between strangers had been invisibly broken, and Chen Yi spoke quite naturally.

Lin Hao looked even more surprised. “Just because we’re not acquainted, should I watch an innocent young lady suffer harm with eyes wide open?”

Chen Yi froze. After a long silence, she said faintly, “Thank you for informing me, Second Miss Lin. However, regarding the Heir of Marquis Pingjia, please don’t mention this to anyone else.”

She didn’t say she believed it, nor did she say she didn’t believe it.

Lin Hao was not disappointed with this result.

When it concerned one’s entire life, if someone believed a stranger who suddenly came to say such things right away, that would be naive.

She had not pinned her hopes on Miss Chen for the Heir of Marquis Pingjia to get his comeuppance. Coming to say these words was merely to give a warning.

“Second Miss Lin, my friends must be getting impatient. I’ll go over now.”

Chen Yi appeared calm on the surface, but her departing steps were much heavier.

Lin Hao caressed the roses blooming in full splendor and walked toward the corridor with light steps.

She had said everything that needed to be said. Next she could just pass the time until the birthday banquet ended and go home.

After Chen Yi returned, her two friends pulled at her with questions.

“I’ll tell you later.” Chen Yi glanced at the young lady who had returned to sit beside Lin Chan, a shadow of gloom settling over her heart.

What should have been a banquet to gather with friends before marriage suddenly became difficult to endure.

How much credibility was there in Second Miss Lin’s words?

Chen Yi lowered her eyes and only then noticed that the handkerchief Lin Hao had given her was still in her hand, already crumpled beyond recognition.