Chapter 33: Wanting to be a Heroine

An Zhixian picked up his teacup and took a sip

"Miss Lin, do not listen to your cousin's jokes. I merely possess some rudimentary martial skills for self-defense; how could I possibly compare to Lieutenant Gu?"

Lin Jinyan's eyes flickered as she asked, "Does Boss An know any women with good martial arts skills?"

Gu Yichen asked in confusion, "Yan'er, why are you asking this?"

Lin Jinyan put on an expression of innocent longing

"I was just thinking that if I knew martial arts, I wouldn't get hurt."

An Zhixian placed a chess piece and smiled

"Miss Lin, you may not know that martial arts cannot be mastered overnight. One must practice diligently from childhood, and getting injured or enduring hardship is a common occurrence. It is a bit late for you to start practicing now."

Lin Jinyan let out a resentful sigh

"Sigh, my dream of becoming a heroine is shattered. How wonderful it would be to have a highly skilled maidservant. If Boss An knows such a woman, could you perhaps introduce her to me?"

An Zhixian's mind raced, though his expression remained unchanged

"I once had a friend from the martial arts world who was quite skilled, but we haven't been in contact for the past two years. If I encounter them in the future, I will certainly introduce them to you, Miss Lin."

Lin Jinyan's innocent face lit up with a beaming smile

"Then it's a deal. Thank you in advance, Boss An."

Gu Yichen laughed, "You want to learn martial arts and keep a female fighter? For what? To go out and fight people? Is the Lin family, a clan of pure civil officials, preparing to produce a tiger general?"

Lin Jinyan replied with a look of self-satisfaction, "Why not? I have the blood of the Gu family in me; it is only natural that I yearn for martial arts."

Gu Yichen frowned and smiled, "You have been very strange since you woke up after falling into the water. You used to be quiet and enjoyed tranquility, but now..."

Lin Jinyan spoke in a childish tone

"My brother is young now and goes out with several attendants, while you and my eldest cousin only take one servant. Look at me—whenever I go out, a crowd follows me. It's inconvenient to go anywhere or do anything. If I had someone skilled by my side, I could sneak out of the manor to play."

Gu Yichen said with a serious expression, "Nonsense! If you want to go somewhere, I will take you. How can you sneak out? What if you encounter danger?"

Lin Jinyan rested her elbows on the stone table and sighed with her chin in her hands

"Sigh, that's exactly why I need someone skilled to protect me. You'll be heading to the military camp in two years, so you won't be able to take me out to play. You can clearly go to teahouses to make friends by yourself, yet you won't let me go out."

Gu Yichen lightly tapped Lin Jinyan's forehead and said

"I am already fourteen and a boy; of course I can go out unhindered. How can a little girl like you be running around recklessly?"

Lin Jinyan rubbed her forehead and frowned, "You only know how to lecture people. How boring."

Gu Yichen looked at the chessboard, placed a piece, and said with a smile

"Then tell me, where do you want to go?"

Lin Jinyan looked thoughtful. After a long pause, she spoke

"Whenever I go out alone, I only come here. Everywhere else, I am taken by my elders, so I don't know where to go. Where is Boss An's teahouse? Can I go see it?"

An Zhixian placed a piece without changing his expression and smiled

"The teahouse is in the south of the city, opposite the Hongfu Money Exchange. A teahouse is a business meant for the public; if Miss Lin is willing to grace us with her presence, it would be the honor of the Nightless Marquis Teahouse. Why wouldn't you be able to come?"

Lin Jinyan said with a beaming smile, "Cousin, will you take me?"

Gu Yichen laughed, "What kind of little girl goes to a teahouse like that?"

Lin Jinyan: "You won't take me? Then I'll sneak out another day to play somewhere else without telling you."

Gu Yichen said helplessly, "I'm afraid of you. I'll take you in a couple of days. You are not allowed to sneak out of the manor, do you understand?"

Lin Jinyan nodded with a bright smile, agreeing to his terms. An Zhixian glanced at Lin Jinyan's youthful face and continued playing the game in silence.

(End of Chapter)