Yun Shuzhen stared at the wound on her hand, feeling a hint of annoyance.
"What happened?" Mu Qi came downstairs quickly and immediately grabbed Yun Shuzhen's hand.
With so many servants at Qi Garden, Mu Qi hadn't expected Yun Shuzhen to prepare fruit herself.
Yun Shuzhen was agitated and pulled her hand out of Mu Qi's grasp. "I'm fine."
However, Mu Qi held on even tighter.
Frowning, Mu Qi extended his hand. "Ning Yi."
Upon hearing his call, Ning Yi immediately retrieved the iodine solution and cotton swabs from the medicine box, dipped a swab in iodine, and handed it over.
Mu Qi carefully began to tend to Yun Shuzhen's wound.
The cut was not large or deep, and Yun Shuzhen had paid it little mind. But as Mu Qi's cotton swab touched the wound, she flinched from the pain.
Mu Qi paused for a moment, then proceeded even more gently.
Only after Mu Qi finished treating the wound did he release Yun Shuzhen's hand.
Now free, Yun Shuzhen, still feeling restless, immediately walked upstairs, intending to retreat to her room to calm down.
However, before she had gone far, she heard Mu Qi's voice.
Although he wasn't speaking to her, it made Yun Shuzhen stop in her tracks.
"Ning Yi, with so many servants at Qi Garden, why would you let the young madam handle the fruit herself?" Mu Qi asked, snapping a cotton swab in his hand, his tone sharp.
"Young Master, I was with the other servants inspecting the upstairs hygiene at the time, so I didn't notice the young madam's actions," Ning Yi replied with a slight bow, her voice full of apology.
"Ning Yi, does inspecting the upstairs hygiene require every single servant to be present? You should know who the center of Qi Garden truly is," Mu Qi said, his expression cold and his tone even harsher.
Hearing this, Yun Shuzhen immediately stepped in front of Ning Yi. "This was all my own carelessness; it has nothing to do with Ning Yi. Why are you being so harsh with her!"
Yun Shuzhen was already annoyed, and hearing Mu Qi reprimand Ning Yi only fueled her anger as she stood protectively before Ning Yi.
"Young Madam, this is indeed my fault. The Young Master is merely reminding me," Ning Yi said, fearing they might argue, especially because of her.
"Ning Yi, stop defending Mu Qi."
"Diao Guan will be here later to attend to it," Mu Qi said, avoiding Yun Shuzhen's gaze before turning and heading upstairs.
Ning Yi sighed as she watched him go. "Young Madam, you've truly misunderstood the Young Master. He's just concerned about you."
"Well, he shouldn't be yelling at you then," Yun Shuzhen said, kicking the sofa in frustration and hurting herself.
Seeing this, Ning Yi helped Yun Shuzhen sit down and began to massage her foot.
"Young Madam, you may not realize how strict the Mu family rules are. Moreover, the Young Master's point is valid; you are the mistress of the Mu family, and the servants' focus should indeed be on you.
"It's just that, previously, when you and the Young Master were not on good terms and you often thought about leaving Qi Garden, the servants frequently stayed with me."
Ning Yi hesitated to continue, but to prevent any further misunderstandings between Yun Shuzhen and Mu Qi, she pressed on.
"Ahem, so the servants were often around me to ensure that if you decided to leave Qi Garden again without us noticing, things wouldn't fall into chaos."
"It's my fault for not ensuring they adjusted quickly enough."
"Besides, the Young Master didn't say he would punish me. If this were the old family residence! There would be physical punishment!" Ning Yi explained in a gentle tone, hoping Yun Shuzhen would understand Mu Qi.
"Is... is that so?" Yun Shuzhen felt that today was proving to be quite awkward.
After listening carefully, Yun Shuzhen pulled Ning Yi up. "It was my mistake. My assumptions were too biased."
"However, the Young Master's harshness does have its reasons," Ning Yi said, her tone softening as she recalled past events upon seeing Yun Shuzhen's docile and kind demeanor.
"When the Young Master was little, he was rather solitary. Those young masters from prominent families always bullied him, both openly and subtly. At that time, I found a sturdy male servant to protect the Young Master.
"But one day, that servant disappeared for some reason, leaving the Young Master alone in the garden."
"When I arrived, I saw a little girl near the Young Master. I assumed the Young Master was being bullied and immediately grabbed a stick to drive the little girl away."
"However, when I turned around, I saw the Young Master's resentful gaze. He walked over, snatched the stick from my hand, and threw it aside.
"Only then did I realize that the little girl might not have been bullying the Young Master."
"Perhaps because of this, the Young Master became so angry. It likely touched upon some unpleasant memories for him."
Yun Shuzhen asked in surprise, "Mu Qi wouldn't be that petty, would he?"
Ning Yi glanced at Yun Shuzhen calmly.
Yun Shuzhen, realizing she had spoken out of turn, quickly covered her mouth.
Inwardly, however, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy towards that little girl, who could hold such a special place in Mu Qi's heart.
Yet, Yun Shuzhen seemed to have forgotten how special Mu Qi was to her.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. Ning Yi assumed it was Diao Guan and immediately rose to open the door.
"Ning Yi, what's going on? It's late at night, has that little troublemaker Yun Shuzhen caused another scene?" Diao Guan asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
Yun Shuzhen glared fiercely at Diao Guan, who stood at the doorway wearing wire-rimmed glasses.
At that moment, Mu Qi also descended the stairs.
Diao Guan scanned Mu Qi from head to toe, confirming he was unharmed, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing Mu Qi, Yun Shuzhen, who had been ready to retort, instantly became well-behaved.
She didn't want to leave him with the impression of being a shrew.
She wondered if the little girl Mu Qi had met as a child had been much better behaved than her.
Yun Shuzhen pursed her lips, secretly competing with the little girl Ning Yi had described.
"Diao Guan, if you don't want that mouth of yours, I can help you sew it shut," Mu Qi said, his gaze chilling as he looked at Diao Guan.
"Come on, Mu Qi, how can your personal doctor not know how to talk?" Diao Guan retorted with a wink and a flirtatious gesture.
Mu Qi frowned, about to say something more, but Yun Shuzhen stepped in front of him.
"Diao Guan, where are you looking? Your patient is me."
Yun Shuzhen, her eyes watchful, stood protectively in front of Mu Qi, shielding him completely.
Diao Guan looked at the lively Yun Shuzhen before him with disbelief.
She looked like a patient?
"Alright, where are you injured?"
Yun Shuzhen held out her hand.
Diao Guan frowned and examined it closely, then looked up with an amused expression. "Your wound will heal in a few more minutes, won't it?"
"Prescribe something."
Before Yun Shuzhen could speak, Mu Qi stepped forward and gently pulled her hand out of Diao Guan's.
Yun Shuzhen watched the interaction between Mu Qi and Diao Guan intently.
Diao Guan: "Old Mu, what are you doing? She has such a minor injury, why prescribe anything?"
"Bing Ji Gao."