The matter of Lin Hao jumping into the lake to save Sun Xiuhua quickly spread within a small circle.

Some people felt that Second Miss Lin’s action was greatly benevolent, while others felt that a young lady jumping into water in public was somewhat improper.

Spreading along with this was another piece of news: Prince Jing’s heir had fallen ill from jumping into the lake.

Madam Lin had an inquisitive nature. Upon hearing the rumors, she hurried to share them with Lin Hao.

“Prince Jing’s heir is ill?”

“That’s right. Ahao truly has good judgment—at the time, you weren’t deceived by Prince Jing Manor’s beautiful façade. Prince Jing’s heir’s constitution is really too poor. Not only does he have a heart condition, but getting soaked in water during this season made him fall ill.”

Hearing the two words “heart condition,” Lin Hao felt somewhat guilty. Seeing her mother’s disdain for Prince Jing’s heir, she couldn’t help but speak up for him: “Falling ill is difficult to predict. Even the most robust person can catch a chill.”

Madam Lin shook her head: “Both you and that Miss Sun are perfectly fine. It’s still because Prince Jing’s heir has a heart condition—his foundation is weak.”

Lin Hao: “…” She wanted to reduce her guilt a little, but Mother wasn’t giving her any opportunity at all.

“Mother, since Prince Jing’s heir is ill, shouldn’t our manor make some gesture?”

“You’re right. With our two manors so close, there’s no reason to pay no attention.”

Having been reminded, Madam Lin went to arrange gifts for visiting the patient.

Lin Hao walked out of Luoying Residence and unconsciously made her way to the perimeter wall.

The wall stood high, dividing two separate worlds.

Lin Hao reached out and placed her hand on the slightly cool wall bricks.

The last time she came here, she had overheard the conversation between Prince Jing’s heir and his servant. But now the person on the other side of the wall was ill.

In her previous life, she’d never heard of Prince Jing’s heir falling into water, so naturally there hadn’t been this illness either.

Lin Hao lowered her eyes to look at her hands.

The young lady’s hands were soft and fair, her nails a healthy pink.

Since her rebirth, she had changed many things, but it seemed only Prince Jing’s heir was becoming increasingly miserable…

As if possessed by some impulse, Lin Hao leaped up, grasped the top of the wall with both hands, then released her grip and fell sitting to the ground.

What bad luck—Prince Jing’s heir wasn’t on the other side of the wall, but his servant was!

It wasn’t the one called Changshun, but the new one who had started accompanying Prince Jing’s heir when going out.

On the other side of the wall, Changning saw the person appearing at the top of the wall. He was first startled, then greatly delighted.

Changshun hadn’t deceived him—coming here really could lead to running into Second Miss Lin.

Knock knock knock.

Lin Hao heard the sound of knocking on the wall.

She had just stood up when hearing this sound nearly made her sit down again.

“Second Miss Lin—”

A voice came from across the wall, calling her.

Lin Hao stared at the perimeter wall and pinched her cheek.

It hurt.

It really was that servant calling her.

“Second Miss Lin, are you still there?”

Lin Hao didn’t make a sound.

A long sigh came from across the wall: “Have you heard? Our heir has fallen ill.”

Lin Hao pressed her lips together but still didn’t speak.

Chatting idly with Prince Jing’s heir’s servant across a wall would be far too strange.

After quite a while, a soft exclamation of surprise came.

“Was I seeing things just now?”

Hearing the sound of someone climbing the wall, Lin Hao rolled and crouched down low behind some flowering plants.

Soon a head poked out from the top of the wall, looking east and west, then dropped back down.

Lin Hao became suspicious.

This servant wasn’t quite normal.

Why did he have to climb the wall to see if she was there? Could he be planning to cry thief?

She tiptoed back, pressed her ear against the wall to listen carefully, and actually heard sobbing sounds.

Lin Hao’s expression changed slightly.

Why was he crying?

“Boo hoo, the heir is so pitiful. He jumped into the lake to save Second Miss Lin and caught a chill, but Second Miss Lin doesn’t know, and he’ll be laughed at by the world for causing trouble instead of successfully saving someone…”

Lin Hao maintained her eavesdropping position, frozen like a clay sculpture.

Prince Jing’s heir had jumped into the lake to save her?

What nonsense was this servant spouting!

“I don’t know if the heir will recover. If something happens to him, wouldn’t Second Miss Lin never know of the heir’s good intentions…”

The footsteps gradually receded, and the crying could no longer be heard.

Lin Hao stood beneath the wall for a long time without reacting, until Baozhu came looking for her.

“Aren’t you hot standing outside this whole time, Miss?”

Lin Hao looked at the little maid whose cheeks were flushed pink: “Baozhu, would you say Prince Jing’s heir… and I are familiar with each other?”

Baozhu was stumped by the question.

Whether they were familiar or not—didn’t Miss know herself?

But she couldn’t fail to answer Miss’s question.

“This servant thinks it’s fair to say so.”

“Fair to say?”

Lin Hao felt that not only was Prince Jing’s heir’s servant strange, her own maid wasn’t much better.

The answer “fair to say” was too profound.

Baozhu’s thinking was quite simple: “Apart from Prince Jing’s heir, Miss hasn’t spoken more than a few words with any other outside men.”

Lin Hao was startled.

Baozhu’s words were absolutely right. Just over two months ago, she had still been mute—even if she’d wanted to speak, she couldn’t have!

After regaining her voice, through various coincidences, she’d interacted with Prince Jing’s heir several times.

Calculated this way, she and Prince Jing’s heir were actually indeed the most familiar.

No, no, no. Even so, when Prince Jing’s heir jumped into the lake that day, it wasn’t to save her but to save his cousin.

Lin Hao’s thinking was what everyone present at the time had thought.

Second Miss Lin had been swimming in the water like a fish. When Prince Jing’s heir jumped into the water with a splash, it couldn’t possibly have been to save Second Miss Lin, right?

Some people had even quietly formed a speculation: Prince Jing’s heir didn’t know how to swim, so perhaps that day his foot had simply slipped and he’d fallen in.

As Lin Hao walked back, her thoughts were somewhat chaotic.

It had clearly been an unquestionable matter, so why had Prince Jing’s heir’s servant said such things?

“Baozhu.”

“Yes, Miss?”

“Who would you say understands a person’s private thoughts best?”

Baozhu thought seriously, then answered confidently: “That must be the person serving them closely. When Miss has something on your mind, don’t you tell this servant?”

Lin Hao fell silent.

Could what that servant said actually be true?

Prince Jing’s heir had jumped into the lake to save her, and because he jumped into the lake, he had fallen ill.

Lin Hao raised her hand to her forehead.

If analyzed this way, was Prince Jing’s heir’s illness also because of her?

This discovery made Lin Hao’s feelings about thinking of Prince Jing’s heir extraordinarily complicated.

Even if Prince Jing’s heir had jumped into the lake to save her, he couldn’t swim!

She hadn’t needed him to save her and had even rescued his cousin, yet she still had to bear the responsibility for causing his illness?

After feeling dejected for quite a while, Lin Hao’s steps paused as she belatedly thought of a question: Why would Prince Jing’s heir jumping into the lake have been to save her?

On the other side of the wall, Changning rubbed the corners of his eyes and returned to the courtyard with light steps.

Changshun became irritated just looking at Changning’s appearance: “Changning, the heir is ill. Why do you look like you’re in quite a good mood?”

“No such thing. I’m very worried about the heir.”

Changning walked into the inner room and saw Qi Shuo leaning against the bed reading a book.

“Are you feeling better, Heir?”

Qi Shuo put down the book and said indifferently: “It’s nothing serious.”

Changshun followed in. Hearing this, he said indignantly: “I don’t know who’s been spreading nonsense. The heir clearly just caught a slight chill, yet outside they’re saying you’re seriously ill. Even the General’s Manor next door specially sent someone with gifts.”

“Changshun.”

“Your orders, Heir?”

“The room is stuffy with so many people. You may leave.”

Changshun obediently agreed and walked out. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Changning smirking and immediately became somewhat angry: “Didn’t you hear the heir tell us to leave?”

“Oh. Changning, stay behind.” The young man spoke in a detached manner.