“Father, you clearly agreed to invite Brother Ning to stay at the academy before!” Lin Xueqing said.

Lin Shuzhi sighed softly, “I did invite him, but whether he comes or not is not within our control.”

Lin Xueqing leaned against the window, without saying another word.

…

Su Liang was dressed as a man and walked beside Ning Jing.

Due to the difference in height, it looked like a young master accompanied by a young follower.

On the way up the mountain, they met many scholars who were walking down the mountain in groups.

Results would be announced five days later, and Qianshan Academy was on holiday during these days.

Again, they met the two scholars who had come from Bei’an County and had previously led Ning Jing.

Seeing Ning Jing, they came over to greet him, and one of them glanced at Su Liang several times, seemingly puzzled.

They asked Ning Jing if he would go to the academy after the results were announced, and Ning Jing said he had not decided yet.

“If we pass, we’ll stay here, and then go to the capital for the next exam after the new year.

If we don’t pass, we’ll go back home.” one scholar said.

Ning Jing nodded slightly, “I hope there will be good results.”

The two had long discovered that although Ning Jing was cold, he was not arrogant.

They had even defended him in Qianshan Academy, but no one listened.

After a few brief exchanges, they parted ways.

One of them looked back frequently, “The young man next to Brother Ning, I seem to have seen him somewhere.”

“I haven’t seen him.

Must be his follower.” the other one said.

The one who spoke first suddenly slapped his forehead, “I remember now!

Isn’t that Ning Jing’s sworn sister?

It’s Miss Su!”

As the two of them looked back again, Ning Jing and Su Liang had already turned the corner and were out of sight.

Su Liang was also talking about them.

“How come that guy who was ranked first with you isn’t with them?” Su Liang asked.

There were only three scholars who came from the same place to study at Qianshan Academy, and they should have supported each other.

Ning Jing shook his head, “I don’t know.”

It was just a casual question from Su Liang, and she immediately put it out of her mind.

The two arrived at the entrance of Qianshan Academy.

As soon as the gatekeeper heard it was Ning Jing, he immediately let them in.

As Su Liang walked along, she looked at the ancient and elegant academy and could hear people reciting loudly.

There were three tall cypress trees outside Lin Shuzhi’s courtyard.

Su Liang heard the cry of the crows but couldn’t find them in the trees.

She followed Ning Jing into the courtyard.

“Brother Ning!”

Su Liang looked towards the sound and saw a bright and cheerful girl in a light blue dress running out the door.

Her long skirt fluttered in the wind.

This must be Lin Xueqing, who had called Ning Jing “Jing Gege” and then changed to “Brother Ning”.

Lin Xueqing wanted to grab Ning Jing’s hand but hesitated and withdrew her hand.

She smiled and said, “I knew that once my father spoke, Brother Ning would surely come.”

As she finished speaking, Lin Xueqing’s gaze fell on Su Liang.

Perhaps because of Su Liang’s attire and the fact that she didn’t stand behind Ning Jing, Lin Xueqing didn’t regard her as Ning Jing’s servant and curiously asked, “Is this gentleman Brother Ning’s friend?”

Su Liang nodded slightly, “Miss Lin.”

Lin Xueqing, hearing Su Liang’s female voice, was surprised, “You dress up as a man so gracefully, I couldn’t even tell.

When I dressed as a man, my brothers could tell I was a woman at a glance.”

Su Liang maintained a serious expression and bowed, “Greetings to you.”

Lin Xueqing returned the courtesy, her eyes shimmering, “You look so handsome, sir.”

As she finished speaking, she grabbed Su Liang’s hand and whispered in her ear, “I bet you must be Ning Jing’s confidante!”

Ning Jing by the side: …

Su Liang: …Fine, as soon as I entered, it was confirmed that Miss Lin had no romantic feelings for the real Ning Jing.

What’s going on with her “my brother surprisingly brought my sister-in-law home, what a pleasant surprise” attitude?

Before coming here, Su Liang had thought that Ning Jing invited her because he was worried that Lin Xueqing might like the real Ning Jing.

To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, he wanted to pretend to be a couple with Su Liang.

But it turned out, there was no need at all.

Lin Xueqing looked at Su Liang expectantly, her eyes seemingly saying, “Hurry up and admit it, I’m just waiting to call you sister-in-law.”

Su Liang coughed lightly, “Don’t misunderstand, we’re simply sworn siblings.”

Lin Xueqing was stunned, “Sworn siblings?

Are you Su Liang?”

Su Liang nodded.

Lin Xueqing looked serious, “I asked the scholars from Bei’an County about Brother Ning.

I know that he once pretended to marry a miss surnamed Su to save her, and then later clarified their relationship.

I had wondered what kind of girl she would be, and I didn’t expect her to come to Pingbei City with Brother Ning.

Miss Su, don’t you like Brother Ning?”

Su Liang raised her eyebrows, “Why would you ask that?

Maybe he doesn’t like me?”

“No way!

Brother Ning once said that if he didn’t like a girl, he wouldn’t even bother talking to her.” Lin Xueqing said seriously, then pouted, “You don’t know, but Brother Ning didn’t even want to pay attention to me when he came here a few days ago.

But he keeps you by his side, so he must like you!”

Su Liang felt a slight regret in her heart.

Perhaps Lin Xueqing believed that the real Ning Jing only regarded her as a sister, but when the real Ning Jing said those words to her, could he have been hoping to tell Lin Xueqing after she came of age that he couldn’t be bothered with other girls except her, …?

Seeing Su Liang not speaking, Lin Xueqing assumed she guessed right and said, holding Su Liang’s arm, “Brother Ning is now reticent and a bit dull, but he wasn’t like this before.

He has encountered too many things these past years, and his mood hasn’t been good.

You mustn’t mind it.”

Su Liang quickly explained, “You really misunderstood.

We are just friends.

He doesn’t like me, nor do I like him.

I don’t have any family, and he doesn’t either, so we became sworn siblings and took care of each other.”

Lin Xueqing frowned, looking at Ning Jing, “Brother Ning, is that true?”

Ning Jing nodded slightly, “Yes.”

Lin Xueqing still seemed doubtful, when Lin Shuzhi’s voice came from the room, “Xueqing, why don’t you invite the guests in?”

“Oh.” Lin Xueqing pulled Su Liang and walked forward, laughing again, “Even if you are just friends and siblings, I’m still happy.

I’ve always worried that Senior Brother Ning was too lonely by himself.

You don’t know, when there was no news from him before, my father was even worried that he would commit suicide!

How could that be possible?”

Su Liang sighed in her heart: Lin Shuzhi truly understood Zhen Ningjing.

And Zhen Ningjing could not possibly show his vulnerable side in front of Lin Xueqing.

Therefore, the “Senior Brother Ning” in this junior sister’s memory was not the same as the disciple in Lin Shuzhi’s eyes.

As soon as they entered, Lin Shuzhi’s gaze fell on Su Liang, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Su Liang bowed and called him “Dean Lin.”

“Since you are Ning Jing’s sister, follow him and call me master.” Lin Shuzhi observed Su Liang’s clear eyes and graceful manner, knowing that this girl must be extraordinary.

Su Liang called him “master” and then asked with a smile, “If I want to study at Qianshan Academy, can I make an exception?”

Lin Shuzhi nodded, “As long as you come, I will teach you personally.”

Lin Xueqing laughed and pulled Su Liang to sit down, “Dad, you’re obviously using Miss Su to make Senior Brother Ning stay, right?”

Lin Shuzhi’s mouth twitched slightly, “Xueqing, can you not always sabotage your father’s plan?”

The father-daughter conversation allowed Su Liang to see their close and harmonious relationship while also revealing their candor.

“Dad thinks Big Brother is boring, Second Brother is impulsive, and now he’s fed up with my talkativeness.” Lin Xueqing pretended to be heartbroken, “I’ll follow Senior Brother Ning and Sister Su, and we’ll be three siblings.”

She then asked Su Liang’s age and learning that she was younger, changed her address to “Sister Su.”

“Su Liang is here for the first time, Xueqing, you take her out for a tour.” Lin Shuzhi spoke.

Lin Xueqing understood that he wanted to separate them and have a private conversation with Ning Jing, so she asked Su Liang if she wanted to go.

Su Liang nodded, and the two left hand in hand.

Lin Shuzhi watched their figures disappear at the entrance and then looked at Ning Jing and asked, “The relationship between you and Miss Su Liang is really just friendship?”

Ning Jing nodded slightly, “Yes.”

“What about Xueqing?” Lin Shuzhi asked this question straightforwardly.

After a moment of silence, Ning Jing said, “I have too many troubles, and I don’t want to harm her.”

Lin Shuzhi’s eyes tightened, and he fell silent.

As a father and master, he had long known that Zhen Ningjing was in love with Lin Xueqing.

And Zhen Ningjing’s obsession with the Imperial examination was largely because Lin Xueqing had once said that she admired her father most.

Therefore, Ning Jing wanted to imitate Lin Shuzhi.

During their hasty farewell, Zhen Ningjing told Lin Shuzhi that he would return after settling his family matters.

He did not want to inherit the Ning Family business and would entrust his most trusted elder brother, Ning Yao, to manage it.

After taking the Imperial examination, he would propose to the Lin Family and asked Lin Shuzhi not to marry Lin Xueqing to someone else.

At that time, Lin Shuzhi felt that Zhen Ningjing was too naive.

The matters of the Ning Family were not so simple.

His existence made the identities of his half-brothers from different mothers very awkward and led to major conflicts of interest.

Lin Shuzhi solemnly reminded Zhen Ningjing not to be too trusting and even said directly that Ning Yao might not be trustworthy.

But at that time, Zhen Ningjing, who was anxious to go home and never doubted his elder brother who had been extremely fond of him since childhood, simply didn’t listen.

Ning Jing’s statement to Su Liang that “Lin Shuzhi doesn’t want his only daughter to marry Ning Jing” is not accurate.

Lin Shuzhi asked Lin Xueqing to call him Senior Brother that day just because he didn’t know whether his long-lost disciple had changed or what his plans for the future were.

If Ning Jing wanted to return to Xunyang City to fight for property, Lin Shuzhi would support him, but he would not agree to marry his daughter to him until everything settled.

Because he didn’t want to put his daughter in danger.

Lin Shuzhi’s concern and help for Ning Jing is based on the relationship between master and disciple.

His reluctance to marry Lin Xueqing to Ning Jing is a parental heart.

Now face-to-face, Ning Jing’s words did not deny that “he” had once liked Lin Xueqing, but also made it clear that in the future they would only be siblings.

He would not give up his hatred for Lin Xueqing’s sake.

If Ning Jing denied it, saying that he had always treated Lin Xueqing as a sister, Lin Shuzhi would immediately find out that there was something wrong with this disciple…

Ning Jing could not expose his true identity, so as not to bring major trouble to the Lin Family.

Moreover, in his last letter, Zhen Ningjing said that he hoped those who cared for him would think that he was still alive, just far away.

Lin Shuzhi sighed deeply, “It seems that you want to go back to the Ning Family.”

Ning Jing shook his head, his expression calm as he said, “That gloomy place has nothing worth returning to.

I just want it to disappear.”

Lin Shuzhi’s eyes darkened, “The day you left, two male corpses were found near the academy.

Do you know about this?”

Ning Jing nodded and admitted, “I did it.”

Lin Shuzhi’s expression finally changed, “Why?

Were those people sent by Ning Yao to kill you?”

“No.

They were from another enemy who indeed wanted to kill me.” Ning Jing explained.

Lin Shuzhi was silent for a long time before sighing with a bitter smile, “Actually, as your master, I should be happy that you now have the ability to protect yourself and are no longer so softhearted.

With so many people wanting to harm you, only in this way can you survive.

Being ruthless is not wrong.

However, I don’t know what you have experienced in these years, but it must have been very hard, right?

If you are willing to talk, I will accompany you for a drink.”

“It’s all in the past,” Ning Jing shook his head slightly, “Master, don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Really?” Lin Shuzhi sighed again and again, lowered his eyes and picked up the tea, “You look fine, but you can’t laugh anymore.”

After another silence, Lin Shuzhi got up, “You, Bo Yan, and Bo Jun planted trees in the back mountain.

Go and have a look.”

Ning Jing stood up, following Lin Shuzhi as they walked out.

As they walked out the door, Lin Shuzhi suddenly stopped and looked back, asking, “What was in the bag you were carrying last time?

I saw it move, as if it were something alive.”

Ning Jing answered truthfully, “A child.”

Lin Shuzhi’s forehead twitched, “You…

swear to me right now that you won’t do anything immoral!”

Ning Jing immediately swore and then explained to Lin Shuzhi that the child was rescued from thieves by him and Su Liang on their way to Pingbei City.

The child’s parents had been found, and they had picked up the child.

Lin Shuzhi held his forehead, “Why were you hiding him like that?

What if the child had suffocated?”

Ning Jing said calmly, “Yes, it was my mistake.”

Lin Shuzhi:…

What’s the use of such a good attitude towards admitting mistakes?

It’s like you still won’t change next time!

…

The scenery on the back mountain of the Qianshan Academy is exceptionally beautiful.

Lin Xueqing took Su Liang on a tour of the academy’s interior and this area as well.

“Sister Su, why don’t you like Senior Brother Ning?

Do you think he is not handsome?

Or is his temperament too boring?

I still think he must like you, but because you don’t like him, he doesn’t dare to confess, fearing that your rejection would make it difficult to even be friends.” Lin Xueqing analyzed carefully.

To put an end to this topic that Lin Xueqing had been dwelling on, Su Liang said, “Actually, I liked him, but he rejected me.”

Lin Xueqing’s eyes widened, “Ah?

Is that so?

What’s the matter with Senior Brother Ning?”