"What do you mean by that?" Yun Shunan took a half-step back, her eyes lowering in bewilderment as she looked at Mu Qi.
Yun Shunan's mind was filled with scenes from dramas where the male lead pleaded with the second female lead to let them go.
"Mu Qi, don't be like this! Can you please not be like this?" Yun Shunan also knelt on the ground, placing her hands on Mu Qi's shoulders and gripping them tightly.
"Do you like him that much? I just want you to only like me, to only love me. Is that too much to ask?"
Yun Shunan shook Mu Qi's body, her ears seemingly deaf to everything else.
Her emotions in disarray blurred Yun Shunan's senses, only feeling the sharp pain of the gravel grinding against her calves.
Soon, Yun Shunan's vision began to darken. She couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead.
Then, Yun Shunan felt herself being embraced by Mu Qi, after which she completely lost consciousness.
...
"It's nothing, just an emotional outburst."
The old man's attitude towards Mu Qi had clearly improved, though Mu Qi didn't pay much mind to it.
"When will she wake up?"
Mu Qi longed to see Yun Shunan eat, to see her plump and healthy.
Mu Qi watched Yun Shunan by the bedside, placing his hand on her stomach.
"Ahem, she'll wake up when she's had enough rest," the old man said, his gaze hastily rising to the dark ceiling as he saw Mu Qi's hand connected to Yun Shunan's stomach.
"Ai yah." Seeing that he was no longer needed, the old man turned and walked out.
He sighed inwardly, thinking how extraordinarily... intense his little Shunan's romantic entanglements were.
"Baby, what exactly is going on? I'm absolutely sure I wouldn't like anyone else."
Mu Qi's collar and cuffs were now creased from Yun Shunan's actions, and tear tracks marked his face.
Yet, Mu Qi, who usually maintained meticulous standards for his surroundings, paid no attention to these details. It had been an hour since Yun Shunan had fainted, but Mu Qi hadn't stopped replaying her every word.
"Why would she say I like someone else? That's impossible." Mu Qi took a deep breath by Yun Shunan's ear, his phoenix-like eyes shifting slightly as his thoughts drifted.
Just then, Yun Shunan suddenly opened her eyes and turned to meet Mu Qi's weary gaze.
The next second, Yun Shunan tightly wrapped her arms around Mu Qi's neck.
Following this, Yun Shunan's eyes welled up with tears again.
"Mu Qi, what have you remembered?"
"I haven't remembered anything," Mu Qi replied, echoing Yun Shunan, hoping to quickly understand what was happening.
"Haven't remembered anything?" Yun Shunan repeated blankly. Overwhelmed by sadness, she struggled to comprehend Mu Qi's meaning, her tears still falling in large drops.
Mu Qi lowered his head to kiss away her tears.
With a bang, the room's door was pushed open. Mu Qi attempted to rise, but Yun Shunan's arms around his neck instinctively stopped him.
Yun Shunan's strength had indeed increased significantly since she was kidnapped by Yun Rong. However, having fainted repeatedly in the past few days and eating very little the previous night due to lack of appetite, Yun Shunan was currently weak. Therefore, if Mu Qi wished to break free, it would be effortless.
"Little Shunan, you're awake?" the old man's tone was gruff, but his eyes were full of concern.
He had been deeply worried watching Yun Shunan and Mu Qi go through these ups and downs in recent days.
"Whatever it is, get up and eat something first. You'll need strength to cry more. Besides, your master is here! Anything little Shunan wants, this master can help you obtain." The old man stroked his beard again.
The old man's displeased expression lasted only half a second.
"There's no need for that. Whatever she wants, I'll provide. You're not needed," Mu Qi said. Without forcefully prying Yun Shunan's hands from his neck, he slipped one hand under her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her steadily.
The old man's eyes widened. He was about to retort, but seeing his disciple's gaze entirely focused on Mu Qi, he swallowed the words that were about to escape his lips.
She's lighter again.
Mu Qi's movements paused as he glanced at Yun Shunan's slender frame.
Then, he carried her to the dining table.
When the old man had entered, he had already set the tables in the room, intending to personally supervise his little Shunan as she ate.
But seeing the two of them acting as if no one else was present, he decided he probably shouldn't be there.
The old man turned and strode towards the exit, but just as his right foot was about to cross the threshold, he slowly turned back.
"You'll provide for her? Then do you know what she wants?" the old man asked, his eyes sharp and penetrating.
The soup bowl, already a third of the way past the edge of the small table, stopped abruptly.
"I will know, and I will provide everything," Mu Qi declared, his voice resounding.
Liar, Mu Qi had just stopped her from erasing her memories of the mountain palace.
Yun Shunan's mind was a jumbled mess, and she was somewhat resistant to piecing things together from the beginning.
Hearing this, the old man's lips curved into a smile, and he left. After all, whatever his disciple wanted was bound to be related to this young man. If that was the case, what was there to worry about?
The old man departed with ease, while the two left at the table each had their own thoughts. One was preoccupied with making Mu Qi forget about the mountain palace again, while the other worried that Yun Shunan might become overly emotional and refuse to eat, thus refraining from saying too much.
Yun Shunan was distracted, her gaze somewhat vacant, until a warm steam rose from her lips towards her nose. Only then did Yun Shunan snap back to attention.
Mu Qi was bringing the soup to her lips.
Yun Shunan wouldn't make things difficult for herself, especially since she needed to keep a close eye on Mu Qi.
Yun Shunan opened her mouth, took the spoon, and swallowed the soup.
"Slowly," Mu Qi's voice had become gentler with each passing day these past few days.
...
Thus, Mu Qi fed Yun Shunan bite by bite for an hour, showing no signs of stopping.
It wasn't until Mu Qi brought another spoonful of fish to Yun Shunan's lips that she turned her head away in refusal, clearly unable to eat any more.
"Be good, eat a little more."