Chapter 298: Chapter 299: Attraction

That night, Lin Youning didn’t know when she fell asleep. Her mind was chaotic, yet she somehow managed to drift off.

Upon waking the next day, she stared blankly in bed for a moment. Her older brother’s figure was no longer there, yet the scene from last night rushed into her mind the instant she opened her eyes.

It wasn’t a dream.

Her older brother had kissed her.

Her older brother always regarded her as a sister. How could he do such a thing to her?

Or perhaps, he never really saw her as a sister?

Thinking of this, Lin Youning pulled the quilt over her head. She was really going insane, how could she think like that?

Her older brother always thought of her as a sister. Last night’s event must have been due to the atmosphere, prompting him to act out of character. He must feel awkward about it too; otherwise, he wouldn’t have silently left so early in the morning.

No.

He said he had to go to the camp.

He wasn’t avoiding her.

Lin Youning disliked the idea that her older brother was avoiding her, so she quickly dismissed it herself.

Outside, Shanmoi and Hailan looked at the hour. Normally, at this time, the young lady would have already risen, but today there was no movement inside, which they found strange.

However, soon they heard the young lady calling for someone, so they went in. To their surprise, she had already dressed herself. They paused briefly but asked nothing, instead calling a maid to bring water.

Having finished breakfast, they noticed the young lady was very silent, and recalling the Marquis leaving in haste that morning, they felt concerned. Did the young lady quarrel with the Marquis again?

Lin Youning lowered her head, “Where is Nanny Guo?”

“Madam has summoned Nanny Guo. I’ll call her now,” Hailan said.

Lin Youning nodded and instructed Shanmoi, “Please tell Aunt Wu that, since we are from two households, she needn’t come here to greet me daily.”

Shanmoi acknowledged and stepped back.

Hailan brought Nanny Guo, who arrived shortly, while Hailan withdrew from the room.

Nanny Guo paid her respects and asked, “Does the young lady have something on her mind?”

Lin Youning retracted her gaze from outside, “Nanny, what do you think of my older brother’s feelings towards me?”

Yet she dared not meet Nanny Guo’s eyes, fearing that Nanny Guo, who came from the palace, would instantly discern her feelings for him.

Nanny Guo’s eyes darkened, “The Marquis genuinely cares for the young lady. I can see that he has you in his heart, but since the young lady always regards him as an elder brother, he likely hesitated to express it for fear of scaring you.”

Lin Youning abruptly lifted her head, eyes wide open, “Nanny, are you saying my older brother’s feelings aren’t sibling-like?”

Nanny Guo smiled, “The young lady doesn’t understand romantic love, hence she might have misunderstood the Marquis’s feelings. What brother would share a bed with his sister or gaze at her so gently? Aren’t these signs of romantic love?”

Lin Youning tightly clenched the handkerchief in her hand, while Nanny Guo continued, “Don’t worry about being angry with me. When I left the palace, the Marquis found me immediately but instructed me not to mention it, focusing his attention on you. Who could rival his dedication?”

“Nanny was brought here by my older brother?” Lin Youning was shocked again.

Her mind became even more tangled.

Did he also send Nanny Guo to her side in her previous life, accompanying her through countless lonely days?

“At that time, the Marquis knew you didn’t want to marry the Second Young Master and discovered the matter with the First Young Master. So after clarifying with him, he actively helped you leave the residence. The Marquis is aloof, but he always kept your affairs close to heart.”

“After the Second Young Master was drugged, he still wished to marry you and even thought about having the Marquis help him consummate the marriage, yet he wanted to take you. The Marquis was furious and struck him…”

Nanny Guo kept telling Lin Youning stories she didn’t know, but her mind was already a mess.

She knew Gu Er didn’t have good intentions, but she never thought he would go that far. This means the child she carried last life wasn’t Gu Er’s but someone else’s.

But Aunt wouldn’t have allowed such a thing, meaning Brother Zong could very likely be her older brother’s child?

Even though he brought Nanny Guo to her, how could he treat her like that?

This life, where her older brother doted on her, was he the one who took Gu Er’s place in the bridal chamber in a past life? What did they see her as?

Lin Youning felt excruciating pain in her head. Nanny Guo looked up and noticed the young lady was unwell, so she stopped talking, “Young lady?”

Lin Youning slowly stood up, “Nanny, how could this be? Why is it like this?”

How did she realize she had fallen in love with her older brother, who reciprocated romantically, only to discover such truths?

Why was fate so cruel to her?

“Young lady, please don’t frighten me,” Nanny Guo called Shanmoi and Hailan from outside while holding her gently, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you.”

Shanmoi and Hailan, hearing Nanny Guo’s voice, rushed in. They saw their young lady without a trace of blood on her face, looking soulless and seemingly struck by something.

Shanmoi was frightened to tears, “Young lady.”

Hailan bit her lip and turned to run outside, bumping into Li Si, who panicked, “What’s wrong?”

“Go get a doctor quickly.” Hailan, usually reserved, was now trembling, startling Li Si.

Without asking more, he sprinted outside, and the maids in the courtyard were also terrified, not knowing what happened.

But they understood something was wrong on Madam’s side.

Inside the room, Lin Youning’s mind spiraled, her hands clutching her head tightly, “Why does this happen to me? Why must I know everything?”

She kept repeating those words, and Nanny Guo realized something must have upset the young lady, regretting sharing those things with her.

She understood it wasn’t the Marquis’s affection that troubled her, but something else.

But she couldn’t comprehend what could have shocked her so severely.

Li Si, however, had business to attend to. He had someone fetch the doctor and send a message to the Marquis at the camp.

He then returned to the courtyard, yet being a man, he felt awkward going inside, so he paced anxiously outside the door.

When he saw Nanny Guo and Shanmoi come out, Li Si hurried over, “What happened to Madam?”

He was puzzled about why they were all outside.

But no one answered him, their expressions deeply solemn as they stood there.

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