Chapter 539 - 202: Gu Lin
The other students exchanged knowing glances, their faces etched with scorn.
They clearly didn’t believe Gu Lin’s explanation and weren’t about to let it go. They pressed him again, "Then how did the rumor about your father bribing the chief examiner start spreading? And since your second uncle met with the chief examiner, how can we be sure he only exchanged a few words with the official and didn’t do anything illegal?"
’Are you guys from the government office?’
’Interrogating me like I’m a criminal?’
He wanted to roar back, to tell these sons of bitches to get lost.
But he couldn’t!
If he didn’t clear this up now, the matter would fester and grow. With them stirring up trouble, there was no telling how twisted the story would become.
Some gossip could be left to spread, but not this.
If people got the preconceived notion that his family had broken the law and became afraid to do business with them, wouldn’t his family be ruined sooner or later?
No, that was absolutely unacceptable!
Gu Lin was about to retort when he heard someone call out from a short distance away, "Mr. Gu, over here."
Gu Lin turned toward the voice and saw a man and a woman standing not far off.
Both were so strikingly beautiful that they were unforgettable at a single glance.
’But he didn’t know either of them.’
The thought had barely crossed his mind when one of his "friends" beside him asked in disbelief, "Gu Lin, since when do you know Zhao Jing?"
’Zhao Jing?’
’Mr. Jie Yuan, Zhao Jing?!’
On reflex, Gu Lin looked over. The young man indeed possessed a noble bearing, as serene as a moonlit, cloudless night. He was elegant in both spirit and form, his brilliance restrained, like a tree of jade. Didn’t this perfectly match the rumored appearance of Zhao Jing?
’But he really didn’t know Zhao Jing!’
Though that’s what he was thinking, it didn’t stop him from responding with enthusiasm.
A joyful expression appeared on his handsome face as he called out loudly, "Mr. Zhao, what are you doing here? Did you come looking for me specifically? Just a moment, I’ll be right over after a quick word with them."
Gu Lin’s friends listened to the exchange, their expressions a mixture of shock and doubt. In an instant, their brows furrowed deeply.
’If Zhao Jing and Gu Lin already knew each other, how could the Gu family possibly have bribed an examiner to snatch the title of top scorer from him?’
’That would be an open declaration of hostilities!’
’Severing ties with such a young, promising friend destined for greatness... anyone with a brain would never do such a thing.’
’So, was the story about the Gu family bribing the examiner really just a rumor?’
Their minds raced with all sorts of thoughts, but none of them wanted to leave. They even wanted to walk over with Gu Lin to exchange a few words with Zhao Jing and try to build a connection.
But Gu Lin was also worried his fake relationship with Zhao Jing would be exposed. So, he deliberately put on an impatient expression and waved his hand at the group.
"Go on and mind your own business. I won’t be going to the academy to have the master look over my exam paper. Since Zhao Jing is here, I’ll just have him take a look for me. It’s getting late, so let’s all disperse."
With that, he didn’t wait for their reaction and bolted toward Zhao Jing.
Seeing Gu Lin reach Zhao Jing in a few quick strides and the two of them begin to chat warmly, his friends finally turned and walked away, albeit reluctantly.
"We’re just leaving like this?"
"What else are we supposed to do?"
"I really thought the Gu family had done something stupid..."
"It must have been a distorted rumor. We should drop any thought of extorting him for now. It looks like Gu Lin and Zhao Jing are on good terms. From now on, we should flatter that kid more, and get him to introduce us to Zhao Jing. Zhao Jing is exceptionally talented and incredibly learned. Now that he’s the top scorer in the provincial examination, he’s sure to take the Imperial Examination next year. If we don’t curry favor with him before he rises to prominence, trying to get on his good side later will be as hard as climbing to heaven."
"We can’t delay this. I’ll go find Gu Lin later and have him act as the middleman..."
As the group walked away talking, Gu Lin waited until they were no longer looking back before giving Zhao Jing a sincere, deep bow.
"Thank you for helping me out of that predicament, Mr. Zhao. You’ve truly done me a huge favor."
Zhao Jing made a gesture to help him up. "It was nothing. Just a couple of words."
"Your two words were more effective than a hundred of mine would have been. To be honest with you, my second uncle caused a scandal, and I got dragged into it. If you hadn’t called out to me, I don’t know how long I would have been stuck with the label of ’bribing an examiner.’ You did more than just get me out of a tight spot; you cleared my name. How can I ever repay such a great kindness?"
He then bowed to Chen Wanqing. "And this must be your wife? A pleasure to meet you, Madam. I wonder if you and Mr. Zhao have any plans? I’m free today. Why don’t you allow me to host a meal for you both? It would be a small way for me to show my sincerest gratitude."