"I'm not hungry, you eat." Mu Qi retreated, his gaze on Yun Shulian filled with deep affection.
"Mu Qi, are you disgusted with me?"
Yun Shulian said this intentionally.
The old man, ignored once again, walked away dejectedly.
He thought that Mu Qi's appearance was indeed top-notch, and he couldn't blame his "obedient" disciple.
"Alas~" The old man sighed.
"Mu Qi, eat quickly." She fainted at noon. She didn't know if Mu Qi had eaten. Mu Qi had suffered a lot following her these past two days...
Thinking of this, Yun Shulian wore a worried expression.
Mu Qi helplessly grasped the bone of the chicken drumstick, then sat down and ate slowly and deliberately.
Speaking of which, Mu Qi was truly handsome. Even holding a chicken drumstick with his bare hands, every movement carried a perfectly appropriate nobility, as if looking at him for another second could drive one mad.
Mu Qi: "Baby?"
Yun Shulian snapped out of her thoughts. Seeing Mu Qi looking at her, she immediately swallowed the soup from the spoon.
...
This continued until evening. Yun Shulian began preparing to pour some water for Mu Qi again, adding something to the water.
However, this time Mu Qi looked at the bowl of water with hesitation, as if he had something to say but didn't.
Yun Shulian's eyelids twitched violently. She forced a cheerful tone, which sounded very stiff. "Mu Qi, drink it quickly, and then we'll go to sleep together."
Yun Shulian took the bowl from Mu Qi's hand and then pushed it towards his lips.
Mu Qi still looked at Yun Shulian with a hesitant expression.
Yun Shulian was almost driven mad. Her crescent eyes grew colder.
At some unknown moment, Yun Shulian suddenly brought the bowl to her own lips.
Mu Qi's heart trembled. He reached out to grab the bowl from Yun Shulian's hand.
However, Mu Qi, who had always held Yun Shulian with extreme care, dared not use too much force. As a result, during their struggle, Yun Shulian still managed to drink a large mouthful.
Immediately after, Yun Shulian casually threw the bowl on the ground, stood on her tiptoes, and covered Mu Qi's lips.
Yun Shulian's hands cupped Mu Qi's chin, desperately trying to make him open his mouth. Her lips lingered on Mu Qi's cool, soft lips.
But she couldn't pry open Mu Qi's lips no matter how hard she tried.
Birdsong occasionally reached Mu Qi's ears, exceptionally clear in the desolate mountain wilderness.
This was the first time Mu Qi had refused Yun Shulian's "kiss" in this manner. At this moment, Mu Qi felt as if he had committed a grave sin.
The clear water, mixed with something, dripped slowly from between their lips, soaking their clothes.
Yun Shulian looked at Mu Qi persistently, her gaze extremely cold and increasingly sharp.
However, soon, tears welled up in those crescent eyes, which had been frozen by the cold. Then, drop by drop, they fell, like ice cracking, leaving only a sense of utter brokenness.
Mu Qi no longer heard any sounds around him. It was as if those crescent eyes had pierced his heart.
Mu Qi suddenly pushed Yun Shulian away, then pulled her into his arms forcefully. "Don't cry, baby, I'll drink it, I'll drink it in a bit. I just had something to say..."
As the words reached his lips, he thought of her tear-filled eyes and couldn't say anything more.
"What do you want to ask?" he asked. Is it why you brought me here? The moment has finally come.
"Baby, did someone bully you?" Mu Qi's voice softened, but his body trembled uncontrollably.
Yun Shulian's tone was somewhat weary and weak. "Yes." Since she learned of the "existence" of the mountain palace, Yun Shulian had often felt this way.
"Who is it?" Mu Qi's hoarse voice was deliberately gentled, but his body trembled uncontrollably.
Yun Shulian smiled with tears in her eyes, a smile filled with helplessness, indulgence, and grievance. "It's you."
Mu Qi was shocked. The arms that had been tightly holding Yun Shulian loosened slightly.
It was him!
How could he do such a thing? He couldn't!
"I... I'm sorry, was it the night before last?" Mu Qi hit his head hard, trying to recall what had happened the night before, but he had no memory of it.
In his arms, there was silence. Mu Qi, worried, loosened his grip on Yun Shulian and looked at her.
He found that Yun Shulian had already closed her eyes.
Mu Qi called Yun Shulian's name a few times. Finding no response, he immediately carried Yun Shulian and knocked on the old man's door.
The old man looked at Yun Shulian in Mu Qi's arms. Without time to marvel at the day's events, he reached out and felt Yun Shulian's pulse.
Soon, the old man revealed a look of confusion.
Meeting Mu Qi's anxious gaze, the old man rubbed his nose. Without thinking further, he said, "Strange, wasn't this the medicine little Nian Nian was going to give you? How did she end up taking it herself?"
The old man frowned, looking confused, then belatedly realized what he had said and immediately covered his mouth with his hands.
Hearing the old man's words, Mu Qi understood. It must be that Yun Shulian had failed to give him the medicine and had accidentally choked on it herself.
Mu Qi's urgency eased slightly, but he couldn't suppress his worry. "Does this medicine have any side effects? Is it safe?"
"Don't worry, the ingredients in this medicine are mutually reinforcing. Besides making people drowsy, it's completely harmless to the body." Su Dan Novel Network
The old man stroked his beard, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
He had seen clearly when he said that his little Nian Nian wanted to drug him. Mu Qi had shown no surprise or shock, clearly knowing it all along but not exposing his little Nian Nian.
He had even waited until his little Nian Nian was drugged herself before inquiring about the medicine's safety.
Such deep affection, surpassing life itself, made him feel that Mu Qi was quite...
No, he was a little bit worthy of his little Nian Nian.
"Eh, speaking of which, how did my little Nian Nian end up taking the medicine?" The old man came back to his senses and asked, looking confused.
Mu Qi didn't answer. Instead, he asked another question: "Do you still have this medicine?"
"Yes, the old man casually took a bottle from the table in the room and handed it to Mu Qi."
The old man didn't think much of it. After all, many people had wanted his medicine before, for research or other purposes.
He didn't care anyway, and besides, this was his little Nian Nian's man.
"Eh, speaking of which, how did little Nian Nian end up taking this medicine herself?" The old man called out to Mu Qi, who was holding Yun Shulian.
However, Mu Qi seemed not to hear him, showing no reaction.
The old man immediately felt like a crow flying overhead.
The old man pouted, then yawned, and was about to close the door to sleep.
Even the old man himself didn't realize that when Yun Shulian was unconscious, he could be so at ease being alone with Mu Qi.
...
Mu Qi gently placed Yun Shulian on the bed. He reached out to smooth the frown on Yun Shulian's brow, which appeared in her sleep, but it was useless.
Was she frowning because she was dreaming of him?
Mu Qi's fingernail slid from Yun Shulian's brow to the corner of her eye. His tightly pressed lips held infinite disappointment.
After a moment, Mu Qi glanced at the empty bowl on the floor, then took a pill from the medicine bottle and swallowed it whole.