The Double
Chapter 762 - 226 Painful Event_4

Chapter 762: Chapter 226 Painful Event_4

After a long time had passed, Yin Zhan walked out of the courtyard. When he emerged, his gaze was indifferent and his face somber, the servants dared not approach. Yin Zhiqing and Madam Yin dared not say anything either. He left the courtyard and went straight out the Duke Residence’s main gate, not knowing what he was up to at such a late hour.

Yin Zhiqing said to Madam Yin, "Mother, I’m going to check on Yin Zhili."

Madam Yin nodded, and Yin Zhiqing quickly ran to Yin Zhan’s courtyard, which was devoid of people. As she pushed open the door to the study, she initially didn’t see Yin Zhili anywhere. While she was still puzzled by his sudden disappearance and was about to go out and search the courtyard, she turned around and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

Yin Zhili was hiding behind the door.

He was truly "hiding" behind the door, as if he had received a great fright, curling up into a ball, holding his head. Yin Zhiqing was startled and hurried over, asking, "Yin Zhili?"

When Yin Zhili lifted his head, the words Yin Zhiqing wanted to speak suddenly stuck in her throat.

She remembered that she had never seen Yin Zhili cry; he had always seemed nonchalant and at ease since childhood, his face always wearing a composed and warm smile. Even if he fell from a horse while sparring, he would smile and comfort his family. Although Yin Zhiqing thought Yin Zhili was sometimes too easy to bully and too soft-hearted, deep down, she still felt proud of him. Now, confronted with this fragile version of Yin Zhili, Yin Zhiqing couldn’t quite believe her eyes for a moment.

She wanted to touch him but didn’t know how to proceed, so she softened her voice and asked, "What happened to you? What did Father say to you?"

The numbness in Yin Zhili’s eyes startled her.

"Hey, Yin Zhili!" Yin Zhiqing pushed him hard, "Don’t scare me!"

Only then did Yin Zhili slowly turn his gaze toward Yin Zhiqing. At this moment, he also began to understand some things. No wonder Yin Zhan remarried and, after exhibiting so much love, started neglecting Madam Yin once Yin Zhiqing was born, acting like a completely different person. Previously, Yin Zhili had thought it was because Yin Zhan was afraid he would become jealous, thinking the stepmother and stepsister would take away Yin Zhan’s affection, so he deliberately acted this way. Yin Zhili even felt sorry for Madam Yin and her daughter, but naively thought it was because his father loved him enough to always prioritize him.

Looking back, it all became jokes of wishful thinking. The reason Yin Zhan behaved that way was merely to avoid attention, marrying again and having children to ease the emperor’s mind, to prevent connections between him and Lin Roujia. The Yin mother and daughter were nothing but sacrifices. Yin Zhili didn’t know whether to feel sorrow for the Yin mother and daughter or disgust for the selfish love between Yin Zhan and Lin Roujia.

Yin Zhiqing furrowed her brows, really disliking the way Yin Zhili looked at her as if pitying something. She asked, "What exactly happened to you? Did you commit some grave error for Father to have scolded you like this?"

She was also puzzled. Even if Yin Zhan had reprimanded Yin Zhili harshly, it wouldn’t have resulted in him acting like this. Yin Zhili withdrew his gaze and stood up, not knowing if it was because he had been curled up for too long or for some other reason, but he seemed unable to muster any strength and almost stumbled, if not for Yin Zhiqing’s support.

After he steadied himself, he slowly turned his head to look at Yin Zhiqing and said, "Zhiqing, you and Mother should return to Yunzhong."

"What?" Yin Zhiqing was stunned, staring at him in disbelief and asking, "Why? What about you and Father? Are you coming back to Yunzhong too?"

"We might not be able to return," Yin Zhili said with a smile to her, but Yin Zhiqing found his smile uglier than tears.

"You and Mother go back to Yunzhong as fast as you can. I’ll arrange the rest," he said, and then he staggered out, ignoring Yin Zhiqing’s questions from behind.

...

The night at the Duke Residence, even in winter, was still vibrant with red brocades, but the abundance of blossoming flowers did not bring any warmth, instead, there was a mysterious chill.

By the flowerbed, someone stood with hands behind their back, standing next to a tree which was still a sapling that hadn’t grown big, facing its winter. It stood there, with a stubbornly straight back, reminiscent of another person in Jih Heng’s mind.

He smirked.