Si Chengchen: “…Wasn’t it supposed to be ‘no need for thanks’?”
“I was just being polite. You weren’t actually planning not to thank me, were you?” Mu Qinqin looked genuinely surprised. “This is a huge deal! Think about it—if I hadn’t climbed over that wall just now, wouldn’t the two of us have been dragged off and accused of having an improper relationship?”
“Yes…”
“And then we’d have been paraded around for criticism and forced to get those yin-yang haircuts. You know what those are, right? They’re hideous! As the saying goes, heads may roll and blood may flow, but the hairstyle must never be ruined. Doesn’t that basically mean I saved your life?”
“Yes…”
“So it’s not unreasonable for a lifesaving favor to be repaid with marriage, right?”
“…”
Very unreasonable…
Yet, through the haze, as he watched the girl casually twirling a small hammer she had somehow produced from her waist, Si Chengchen found himself inexplicably humming in agreement.
The moment the sound left his mouth, he froze.
It wasn’t because of her “threat.”
Rather, in that instant, he seemed to sense the anticipation shining brightly in the eyes fixed on him.
Even the way she tapped the hammer looked…
Pretty. Cute.
So much so that he couldn’t resist the impulse to agree.
But he…
His thoughts instantly cooled, and his body felt as though it had plunged into icy water.
“Comrade Mu, I suffer from an eye condition. There are many things I can’t do myself. I’ve already split from the Si family. I live alone now and can barely take care of myself. As for what I said just now…”
“You’re trying to go back on your word?”
Mu Qinqin immediately caught the key point, narrowing her eyes.
“That’s not it, it’s just…”
“A gentleman’s word is his bond.”
One sentence from her silenced him again.
Though she didn’t say it aloud, Si Chengchen somehow felt she was asking:
Do you want to be a gentleman or a petty man?
The atmosphere fell into a strange silence.
“Come on, come on.”
In the end, Mu Qinqin broke the stalemate. Looking around, she bounced onto her toes and pressed down on his shoulder, trying to make him sit.
But the stubborn man refused to budge no matter how hard she pushed.
Just as she was about to ask—
He spoke first.
“The stool is broken.”
Mu Qinqin: “…”
Awkward.
She quickly took out her little hammer and knocked at it a few times before pressing him back down onto the stool.
The creaking of the stool brought Si Chengchen back to his senses.
By the time he realized what was happening, the girl who had thrown his thoughts into chaos had already dropped a shocking sentence into his ears.
“Take off your clothes.”
“Take off… what?” Si Chengchen finally managed to ask hoarsely after a long pause. He felt dazed, almost suspecting that not only his eyes but also his hearing had been injured.
“Your clothes, of course.”
Her tone was completely matter-of-fact.
“Who… is taking them off?” Si Chengchen unconsciously placed a hand on his belt.
His fingers tightened.
Though he was a tall, broad-shouldered man, facing Mu Qinqin somehow made him look like a pitiful victim cornered by a bully.
Originally, Mu Qinqin had only wanted to tease him a little so he would stop zoning out.
She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.
“You are,” she replied.
Since the door was closed, she walked around the table and leaned forward, propping her chin on her hand as she smiled at him. His ears had already turned red enough to bleed.
“Or did you want me to take mine off?”
She feigned surprise.
“If you want to see, then it’s not imposs—”
“I don’t want to see!”
The man seemed pushed to his limit.
The moment she moved closer, the words burst out of him.
Where was the icy aloofness in that cold voice now?
All that remained was embarrassment and fluster.
“Oh, so you don’t want to see…”
Hearing disappointment in her voice, Si Chengchen parted his lips as though he wanted to explain, but didn’t know how.
Mu Qinqin took in all of his inner struggle before smiling brightly.
“It’s okay. I want to see. Come on, take off your clothes.”
Si Chengchen froze completely.
She…
She wanted to see?
See what?
Only when a pair of small hands reached for his collar did he finally react and grab their owner’s wrist.
But the soft touch burned his palm like fire.
He instantly let go.
“Comrade Mu, you can’t!”
“Can?” Mu Qinqin deliberately misheard him.
Her eyes lit up even more, and her hands moved faster.
Si Chengchen: “…”
Watching the thoroughly distressed man, Mu Qinqin’s lips curled upward.
Before, he had been lifeless and gloomy. Anyone would end up sick if they stayed that way.
Look at him now.
His expressions were so vivid. He was even shouting.
A little emotional release was good for him.
Still smiling, she said something that left him speechless.
“Go ahead and scream. Scream as loud as you want. The louder you scream, the more excited I get. Hahaha!”
Si Chengchen: “…”
Perhaps he was too shocked, because by the time Mu Qinqin had slipped off his outer jacket, he still hadn’t recovered.
When he finally came back to himself, she was gone.
Even the faint fruity fragrance she carried had faded.
A strange sense of loss rose in his chest.
As if…
Scanning the room, he spotted the blurry figure he had been looking for.
The petite girl was heading toward the earthen kang bed.
Lost in thought, he saw her preparing to jump onto it.
“Wait, Comrade Mu—”
“Ah!”
His anxious warning and her cry rang out almost simultaneously.
Using the edge of the kang for support, Mu Qinqin had jumped up and landed squarely on her backside.
The bed had only a thin, worn floral sheet on top.
There wasn’t even a mattress!
Father Si, Mother Si, Third Brother Si, and Aunt Zhang!
They were all doomed!
“What did you hit?”
The tall man had already appeared beside her.
He seemed to want to help her up but hesitated, his hand hanging awkwardly in midair.
“There are some medicinal herbs here. I can help you appl—”
The words apply medicine died in his throat when he heard her answer.
“I hit my butt.”
Naturally, Mu Qinqin wasn’t about to waste such a good opportunity.
As expected, silence followed.
Then she watched the handsome man’s face turn bright red.
The blush only made him even more attractive.
So handsome!
“I… the herbs… would you… use them?”
Though Si Chengchen tried his best to sound composed, his uneven footsteps and trembling voice gave away his turmoil.
At first, Mu Qinqin hadn’t planned to accept.
But then…
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
Give and take.
That would make it easier to visit him again next time.
So she nodded.
“Sure.”
Though her voice sounded somewhat guilty.
Because—
While Si Chengchen turned away to retrieve some herbs drying by the window, Mu Qinqin secretly shuffled to the side and ran her hand over the solidly packed earthen kang.
The spot she had hit had crumbled slightly.
It hadn’t actually hurt that much.
That cry of alarm had come from nearly collapsing the kang with her landing.
Having lived in the modern world and read countless novels, she had always feared causing trouble in the cultivation world, getting her spiritual powers sealed, and being cast down to the mortal realm to suffer.
After all, she was just a delicate, innocent, kind, adorable, petite young woman who needed protection.~