CHAPTER 571: CHAPTER 571: KNEEL DOWN

"I need to ask Zilin’s opinion first," Mrs. Jiang said.

"Of course," Lin Zhenghao quickly replied.

As long as Mrs. Jiang was willing to loosen up, it was a good sign.

Mrs. Jiang then told the maid, "You go ask Zilin."

The maid understood instantly.

Wasn’t this just what Mrs. Jiang had said to Jiang Zilin and Lu Youxi before coming out, asking if they would call them back to watch the spectacle of the Lin Family men?

The maid nodded and went in to explain the situation to Jiang Zilin and Lu Youxi.

"We’re going out!" Jiang Zilin and Lu Youxi got up and left the house.

When the front door opened, Lin Jingshen was ready.

However, he was surprised to see Lu Youxi coming out with Jiang Zilin.

All the words he had prepared suddenly got stuck in his throat.

"Lu Youxi, why are you here too!" Lin Jingshen asked, and to himself he thought, as expected, Lu Youxi had teamed up with the Jiang Family.

"I’m good friends with Zilin, just came to visit her," Lu Youxi said with a smile.

Lin Zhenghao: "..."

Lin Jingshen: "..."

When did Lu Youxi become good friends with Jiang Zilin!

He had thought that Lu Youxi’s business dealings with Jiang Wangchao surely wouldn’t extend to privately contacting other members of the Jiang Family.

But now, Lu Youxi had become friends with Jiang Zilin?

Lu Youxi must be doing this to get revenge and intentionally getting close to Jiang Zilin!

That venomous woman!

Both Lin Zhenghao and Lin Jingshen felt so angry they itched with rage.

Jiang Zilin raised an eyebrow and asked Lin Jingshen, "How do you intend to apologize?"

Lin Jingshen had made up his mind before, but now with Lu Youxi there as well, he suddenly found himself unable to speak.

Lin Zhenghao quickly pushed Lin Jingshen.

They had agreed on everything before coming; Lin Jingshen couldn’t fail at this moment!

Biting his teeth and steeling himself, Lin Jingshen said to Jiang Zilin, "Zilin, look, it was my fault, I’m sorry."

"What can I do to stop you from being angry?" Lin Jingshen looked up at Jiang Zilin standing on the steps, "I don’t ask for your forgiveness, only that you are not angry."

"If I kneel down, will that appease you?" said Lin Jingshen.

"Sure, kneel down then," Jiang Zilin said, not caring one bit about the Lin Family.

Her parents had said the Lin Family would soon decline and that she needn’t care about them.

Lin Jingshen froze; he had only said it figuratively, thinking that Jiang Zilin would not actually make him kneel.

Yet, Jiang Zilin had really agreed.

"As long as you’re willing to forgive him, what does kneeling matter," Lin Zhenghao said immediately, "Shall we go inside to talk?"

Even if kneeling, it should be done inside the house.

They couldn’t possibly kneel outside.

"Right here is fine for kneeling," Jiang Zilin said from a position of superiority, with an arrogant face, completely disregarding the Lin father and son.

Seeing both Lin Jingshen and Lin Zhenghao stunned, a fleeting look of discontent flashed across Lin Zhenghao’s face.

Isn’t this an insult?

Why kneel here!

Even if there are conflicts between the two families, they should resolve them privately.

They are both respected figures, how can they not leave each other some dignity?

"What? Didn’t you say you were willing to do anything?" Jiang Zilin raised an eyebrow, "You even said you’d kneel for me. I’m right here, why aren’t you kneeling?"

Jiang Zilin paused, then said, "Feel humiliated, don’t want to kneel? Then forget it."

"No!" Lin Zhenghao quickly said.

Then he scolded Lin Jingshen, "Why aren’t you kneeling yet!"

"You have done such a great wrong to Zilin, just kneeling here is already letting you off easy!" Lin Zhenghao said harshly to Lin Jingshen.

Lin Jingshen glanced around with the corner of his eye.

At least, there was no one in sight where he could see.

Lin Jingshen gritted his teeth and, steeling himself, knelt down on the steps below, "Zilin, what I did was wrong, and I know nothing can justify it or earn your forgiveness. I’m a bastard for betraying you like this."

"What I’ve done is utterly despicable, there’s no excuse, and I know the harm I caused you is irreparable and doesn’t deserve your forgiveness," Lin Jingshen said sincerely, "I just hope you won’t be so angry, and stop caring about me."

Not caring, that way, she wouldn’t hold a grudge against the Lin Family, right?

Lin Zhenghao silently nodded in satisfaction, that’s the art of language.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Zilin scoffed, "Who do you think you are, telling me not to care about you?"

"I don’t care about you at all," Jiang Zilin said coldly, "What’s there to care about with someone deceitful and irresponsible like you?"

Lin Jingshen: "...Yes."

Lin Jingshen quickly added, "I just ask you not to be angry, not to be upset because of me."

"I’m not angry anymore, and I’m not distressed," Jiang Zilin chuckled, "Honestly, one only gets angry when they care. But since I don’t care about you, what’s there to be angry about?"

"The two of us were merely joined by our families for mutual benefits," Jiang Zilin said, "It just happened that both families were satisfied with each other and the terms weren’t bad, so the engagement was quickly agreed upon."

"Of course, that was the past thought. After knowing what kind of person you are, you no longer fit the description of ’not bad’," Jiang Zilin said coldly.

"So, I’m not angry. But as you said, I won’t forgive you," Jiang Zilin added, "Not for anything else, because you brought shame upon my family."

Jiang Zilin made her points clearly, word by word.

She didn’t care about Lin Jingshen.

What bothered her now was only that Lin Jingshen’s actions had brought shame to the Jiang Family.

How would the Jiang Family regain their respect?

Naturally by destroying the Lin Family.

Otherwise, what other way could there be for the Lin Family to restore honor to the Jiang Family?

After all, the only acceptable solution for the Jiang Family was to ruin the Lin Family.

Lin Jingshen awkwardly knelt on the ground, not wanting to continue kneeling as it seemed pointless, yet not daring to rise recklessly.

But the stone floor at the doorway was hard and cold, and kneeling was truly painful.

Jiang Zilin pursed her lips, shedding the past filters, now looking anew at Lin Jingshen.

She only saw him as despicable and irresponsible.

How could she have ever thought of him as a sunny, noble young man?

"You can decide to get up or continue kneeling, it’s up to you," Jiang Zilin finished, then walked back with Lu Youxi.

Mrs. Jiang lightly smiled, "What our Zilin means is also our stance."

"Mr. Lin, there’s no need for further exchanges between our families, and you don’t need to bother saying anything about wanting our forgiveness," Mrs. Jiang said.

After speaking, Mrs. Jiang too went inside.

"Mrs. Jiang!" Lin Zhenghao quickly said, "Though our families may not need to interact anymore, I think we should continue doing business together. Let’s not let personal matters affect our professional cooperation."