A Shocking Dream

Seeing this, Qin Ruoyu hurried forward to smooth things over: "Uncle, Miss Lin has already said that she only heard the rumor. If you continue to ask like this, it will probably embarrass Miss Lin." As he spoke, he winked at Qin Rongchen, signaling him to stop.

Qin Rongchen sighed softly, realizing he might have been a bit too hasty. "Miss Lin, I'm sorry for being so abrupt. It's just that Saint Yunshuang holds a special meaning to me, which is why I lost my composure." His tone was a little apologetic, but his inquiring gaze remained fixed on Lin Wunian.

"Your Highness, there is no need to blame yourself. If I can help Your Highness, I will tell you the truth. But I really know very little about Saint Yunshuang." Lin Wunian poured the tea in his hand to the ground, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and determination.

"As for going to the capital, disobeying the imperial order is a serious crime. I hope Miss Lin will think carefully." Qin Rongchen's words before leaving seemed to still echo in her ears, and every word hit her heart like a heavy hammer.

Lin Wunian looked at Qin Rongchen's receding back, feeling mixed emotions.

Qin Ruoyu looked at the direction Qin Rongchen left, and turned to the woman beside him with confusion, "You are obviously Lin Bingshuang, why didn't the emperor's uncle recognize you?" His brows were tightly furrowed into a "川" shape, and his eyes were full of confusion and curiosity.

Lin Wunian lowered his head slightly and said softly, "It's normal. Time has changed a lot, or maybe he never really cared about me." Lin Wunian didn't care. She looked completely different from Lin Bingshuang and Yunshuang now. It was understandable that he couldn't recognize her.

Qin Ruoyu watched her quietly from the side, his eyes as sharp as a torch, as if he wanted to penetrate her disguise and find a flaw in her face. "You really don't care?" He couldn't help but ask, a hint of inquiry in his voice.

Lin Wunian's lips curled up into a faint smile, that smile was calm and indifferent. "The past is the past. I am just Lin Wunian now, a person who has nothing to do with him." Who cares? Isn't it better for me to be beautiful alone? She secretly complained in her heart. Now that she has gone through so much and finally broke free from the shackles of the past, how could she be easily trapped by love again?

Qin Ruoyu didn't believe it. He knew very well that women wouldn't be so carefree when it came to love. "Don't be so stubborn. I can sense that there's still some emotion in you." He pressed on.

Lin Wunian rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be so self-righteous here. I have my own new life and don't want to be involved in those old things anymore." She stood up, her skirt fluttering in the wind, as if to show her determination. She wanted to put the broken past behind her and forge her own path in this world. Even if no one was by her side, she would live a brilliant life.

Qin Ruoyu shook her head gently. "Impossible! The Emperor's uncle is not a heartless man. There must be something else going on." He paced back and forth, his mind racing with possibilities. Was it amnesia? Or some other ulterior motive? But the look in the Emperor's uncle's eyes, though doubtful, also flashed with deep affection. How could this be explained?

Lin Wunian raised his head, looking past Qin Ruoyu into the distance. "No matter what, this may be a blessing for me. I'm no longer the Lin Bingshuang of the past, and I don't want to be involved in those past entanglements again."

"We are leaving tomorrow. Do you intend to keep it a secret from the Emperor's uncle?" Qin Ruoyu stared at Lin Wunian closely, his eyes scrutinizing, as if he was weighing some important decision in his mind.

Lin Wunian shrugged nonchalantly, "What else? We'll meet again, and we'll meet again." She silently complained in her heart: "Only a fool would want to see you." She had finally struggled to move on from the past, and she really didn't want to let Lin Bingshuang's affairs cause any more trouble.

Qin Ruoyu frowned. "Do you think you can completely get away with this? The emperor's uncle is not someone who can be easily fooled. He will know the truth sooner or later."

Lin Wunian crossed his arms and said, "That's a matter for the future. At least for now, I just want to live my own life and don't want to be involved in those palace disputes and complicated emotions."

Qin Ruoyu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "You are avoiding it. Some things must be faced eventually."

"I'm not running away, I'm just choosing a better path for myself," Lin Wunian retorted, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes. She knew the road ahead might be thorny, but she would rather face it alone than return to the suffocating emotional entanglements of the past.

"The emperor's uncle asked about Yunshuang just now. Aren't you angry?" Qin Ruoyu stared at Lin Wunian with a hint of temptation in his eyes.

Lin Wunian was startled, then reacted. Why was she angry? Oh, right, Qin Ruoyu still didn't know that Lin Bingshuang and Yunshuang were the same person. And while Qin Rongchen knew they were one and the same, he didn't recognize the Lin Wunian before him as the woman who had once lingered in his heart. This complex relationship was like a tangled web.

A bitter smile crept into Lin Wunian's heart. The past of Lin Bingshuang and Yunshuang had carried so much love, hate, and vengeance. He wanted to draw a clear line between himself and the past, but fate always inadvertently brought those past events to light.

She looked at Qin Ruoyu and shook her head gently. "Why should I be angry? That's all in the past." Lin Wunian's voice was calm, as if she was telling someone else's story. However, deep in her heart, a ripple quietly emerged.

Qin Ruoyu seemed unconvinced and continued to ask, "Can you really be so carefree? You don't care at all about what Yunshuang and the emperor's uncle had done?"

Lin Wunian raised her head slightly and looked into the distance, "Everything has changed. I am no longer the person I used to be, and the feelings of the past should not become a shackle now." After she finished speaking, she took light steps and walked out. Her figure gradually moved away from Qin Ruoyu's sight until it merged into the hazy light and shadow.

Qin Ruoyu looked at Lin Wunian's resoluteness, pursed his lips, and finally swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He didn't know what to say. At this moment, he was extremely conflicted, hesitating whether to tell his uncle Lin Wunian's true identity.

Qin Ruoyu's eyes followed the direction she left, his mind full of thoughts and mixed feelings. He knew very well that Lin Wunian had built a high wall in his heart, blocking all the love, hatred and vengeance of the past. He knew that the emperor's uncle missed Lin Bingshuang. If he knew that Lin Wunian was Lin Bingshuang, this reunion might be able to resolve the emperor's uncle's years of knots. But Lin Wunian's attitude now is so cold. She obviously doesn't want to have anything to do with the emperor's uncle anymore. If he tells her rashly, will he drag her into the abyss of pain again? But the emperor's uncle's lonely expression appeared in front of him again. For many years, the emperor's uncle has always been obsessed with Lin Bingshuang.

Qin Ruoyu frowned, struggling in a dilemma.