"Mu Qi, I spent an entire night saving you. You can't die now!" Diao Guan's voice was sharp as he looked at Mu Qi, who was disregarding his own health.
However, Diao Guan forgot that the person before him was not just a weak patient, but also a foolish monarch.
Mu Qi grabbed Diao Guan's tie, his voice urgent, "Where is Yun Shuniàn? How is she?"
Diao Guan, unable to break free from Mu Qi's grip, irritably pushed his silver-rimmed glasses up. "Mu Qi, you're the one injured, not her. What could happen to her?"
Seeing the blood still dripping from Mu Qi's hand, Diao Guan quickly added, "Yun Shuniàn is still at Qiyuan. You can rest assured. Aunt Ning is there to take good care of her."
Mu Qi murmured softly, "Still there..."
"Could she be scared? Has she eaten?"
Diao Guan's eyes widened. Although he was well aware of how doting Mu Qi was towards Yun Shuniàn, every time he encountered Mu Qi, he felt his perception of reality being challenged anew.
Seeing Diao Guan stunned, Mu Qi grew more impatient. "Speak!"
"How... how would I know? Let go of me first, and I'll call Aunt Ning to ask." Diao Guan tried again to pull Mu Qi's hand away.
This time, Mu Qi finally released him. But then, he immediately yanked off the wires attached to his body for monitoring his vital signs.
"Mu Qi!" Diao Guan rushed forward to grab his arm as Mu Qi, without a second thought, moved towards the exit. However, he was instantly flung aside.
Seeing this, Diao Guan anxiously shouted behind Mu Qi, "You're going to find Yun Shuniàn? Do you think she even wants to see you?"
"Mu Qi, you've always been the one pursuing. Isn't it better for both of you to let go?"
The thought of their cat-and-mouse chase always gave Diao Guan a headache, and it made his own life miserable.
"The one pursuing..." Mu Qi's movements halted. Then, he stumbled and collapsed.
Seeing this, Diao Guan immediately caught him, letting Mu Qi fall into his arms.
"Damn it... do you know where you were injured? It's your heart! A vital organ!" Diao Guan said, quickly guiding Mu Qi back to the hospital bed.
Mu Qi was severely injured, and weakness was to be expected. However, because of Yun Shuniàn, he had pushed himself to his limits with sheer willpower.
This was a bit unfair to Diao Guan, who had worked so hard to save him.
***
Night passed, and sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, falling upon Yun Shuniàn. The interplay of light and shadow cast an aura of melancholy around the already frail Yun Shuniàn.
Only when the bedroom door slowly opened did Aunt Ning and several servants enter the master bedroom with breakfast.
Yun Shuniàn, who had been curled up in a corner, quickly got up and walked towards Aunt Ning. "Aunt Ning, what happened to Mu Qi?"
"Dr. Diao hasn't called Qiyuan, so we don't know." Mu Qi was injured, and before the truth was known, Yun Shuniàn was under suspicion. Aunt Ning could no longer bring herself to call her 'young madam'.
Aunt Ning instructed the servants to place the meal on the table that Mu Qi had prepared earlier. Yun Shuniàn, however, didn't even glance at the breakfast, her hand clutching Aunt Ning's sleeve.
"Eat first." Aunt Ning's heart softened seeing Yun Shuniàn's state. After all, they had been living together and sharing their thoughts for some time, and Aunt Ning couldn't remain as cold as before.
"Aunt Ning, can you help me unlock this? Let's go find Mu Qi, okay... please?" Yun Shuniàn tightly gripped Aunt Ning's sleeve, as if clinging to her last hope.
Seeing Yun Shuniàn's tears fall like pearls, Aunt Ning couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Aunt Ning sighed and wiped Yun Shuniàn's tears.
"Please don't be like this. We don't know the young master's condition. Going there would only cause trouble. Please eat well. No matter how he is, the young master always wants you to be well." Aunt Ning was absolutely certain of this.
However, Yun Shuniàn's tears flowed even more rapidly after hearing this.
"Sigh," Aunt Ning sighed deeply, then gently pried Yun Shuniàn's hand off her sleeve. She then left with the servants.
Yun Shuniàn was left alone, tears streaming down her face.
Mu Qi, in this lifetime, I can't lose you again. I won't lose you, will I? Yun Shuniàn murmured to herself, but there was no one to answer.
"Yes, eat well. Mu Qi would worry." After a long while, Yun Shuniàn wiped her tears and walked towards the dining table. However, her vision blurred for a moment, and she bumped into the corner of the table.
With a bang, something fell to the floor. Yun Shuniàn rubbed her forehead to regain her senses. When she opened her eyes, an exquisitely crafted dark sandalwood box lay before her. Sudian Novel Network.
Yun Shuniàn reached out and picked it up. Looking at the series of numbers on it, she wondered if this contained the key to unlocking her restraints.
Yun Shuniàn's fingers traced the password input panel.
At that moment, the bedroom door was suddenly knocked upon. Yun Shuniàn quickly hid the wooden box.
"Sorry, the milk." Aunt Ning glanced at Yun Shuniàn subtly before placing the milk on the table.
Aunt Ning hadn't come just to deliver milk. After going downstairs, she had remembered that the porcelain plates used for serving breakfast were dangerous items. Aunt Ning worried that Yun Shuniàn might do something foolish, so she had specifically returned to keep an eye on her.
"Come and eat," Aunt Ning said, standing by the dining table and looking at Yun Shuniàn.
With her hands behind her back, Yun Shuniàn pushed the dark sandalwood box under the bed. Only then did she calmly sit down at the dining table.
However, Aunt Ning saw all of this. Aunt Ning, having come from the old manor and worked in the Mu family for so many years, was not only agile but also possessed keen observation skills.
As Yun Shuniàn ate bread, she subtly watched Aunt Ning. Seeing that Aunt Ning showed no unusual reaction, she focused on eating.
...
"What is this?"
Just as Yun Shuniàn was halfway through her meal, Aunt Ning's voice suddenly came from behind her.
Yun Shuniàn turned around in shock and saw the dark sandalwood box in Aunt Ning's hand.
"What is this?" Aunt Ning asked sternly again.
Yun Shuniàn stepped forward to snatch it back, but Aunt Ning dodged.
Looking at the wooden box in Aunt Ning's hand, Yun Shuniàn pondered how to retrieve it. Aunt Ning was old, so she couldn't forcefully grab it.
"Please answer me, what is this?" Aunt Ning's gaze intensified upon seeing Yun Shuniàn's anxious reaction to the box, further convincing her that it was no ordinary item.