Jiang Xinrui saved his life, and although it was a doctor's duty, he was very grateful to her.

Seeing that Jiang Xinrui had feelings for Shen Muzhi, he always hoped that Jiang Xinrui's wish could be fulfilled. Coupled with Yan Xiao's unseemly behavior, this prejudice was even deeper.

Therefore, when he learned of the rumors circulating on the ship, he chose to turn a deaf ear and did not tell Shen Muzhi.

Upon hearing that Jiang Xinrui might be targeted by Yan Xiao, he immediately notified Shen Muzhi, who was discussing matters with Wei Wuxiu, without hesitation.

As a result, things have turned out the way they are now.

Liu Ce was one of the people who had been with Shen Muzhi the longest, so Shen Muzhi gave him a chance to explain.

But after waiting a while, seeing that he couldn't give a coherent explanation, I lost patience.

"Alright, since you don't recognize your place and don't know what you should do, then you don't need to follow me anymore. From now on, you'll be in charge of feeding the beasts at the animal farm!"

"General, General, please give me another chance. I promise I will never do it again."

Shen Muzhi did not soften his heart. He squatted down and looked directly at Liu Ce, his eyes filled with only disappointment.

"I gave you a chance, don't you remember? It seems you didn't take my words to heart at all."

My wife and I are one, husband and wife. If you don't respect her, where does that leave me?

Liu Ce was initially confused, but after a while he remembered what he had said to Shen Muzhi on the city wall and Shen Muzhi's warning to him.

Only then did Liu Ce truly realize that he was really finished this time.

Seeing that Shen Muzhi hadn't been looking for Yanxiao much lately, and didn't seem to want to share a room with her, he presumptuously assumed that Shen Muzhi actually disliked Yanxiao, but just didn't want to say it outright. He kept feeling sorry for Shen Muzhi.

Looking back now, it's just as Shen Muzhi said: he failed to recognize his place, interfered in his master's private affairs, and overstepped his bounds, committing a grave taboo.

How could Shen Muzhi possibly keep someone like him, who acts solely based on personal interests, by his side?

He regretted it, but unfortunately, it was too late. Soon after, Shen Muzhi had two people take him away.

After dealing with Liu Ce, Shen Muzhi slowly turned his attention to Jiang Xinrui.

Jiang Xinrui felt icy cold all over. She wanted to leave, but found that her legs were no longer under her control. She could only stand stiffly in place, watching Shen Muzhi laugh and make decisions for her.

Shen Muzhi pursed his lips and stared at Jiang Xinrui for a long time, which could be considered as fulfilling Yan Xiao's wish for Shen Muzhi to admire the beauty under the lamp. However, the atmosphere between the two of them was anything but romantic.

Just as Jiang Xinrui thought Shen Muzhi was about to say something to her, Shen Muzhi turned to his subordinate and ordered:

"Give the order that anyone who spreads rumors on the ship that disrespect the lady should have their tongue pulled out and be sold off. Anyone who reveals the source of the rumors will be spared the punishment of having their tongue pulled out."

After pausing for a moment, he added:

"Don't let Madam and Miss know."

As soon as Shen Muzhi finished giving his instructions, someone went to carry them out.

Upon hearing Shen Muzhi's instructions, Jiang Xinrui's already stiff body trembled involuntarily, and her fair face appeared even paler.

Although she didn't do anything herself, her subordinates were involved in these rumors quite a bit, and she turned a blind eye to them.

As she was thinking, Shen Muzhi seemed to finally remember that she was there and said to her:

"Dr. Jiang, this matter is due to my lax management of my subordinates, who spread rumors that damage your reputation. I will deal with it seriously."

"It's not just to avenge my wife, but also to protect your reputation, and more importantly, to make those with ulterior motives abandon their improper thoughts as soon as possible. Doctor Jiang, you should understand what I mean, right?"

How could Jiang Xinrui not understand that Shen Muzhi's words, on the surface, seemed to be explaining to her and telling her the outcome of his decision, but in reality, they were a warning to her, only leaving her with some dignity.

A chill ran through her heart, but her face burned with embarrassment. Her eyes, filled with sorrow, looked at Shen Muzhi, and her eyes even reddened slightly.

At this moment, she realized clearly that she had been deceiving herself all along, and that Shen Muzhi had no romantic feelings for her whatsoever.

She waited for him for two years, always believing that as long as she got a little closer, Shen Muzhi would eventually be hers.

For this, she did not hesitate to put aside her pride, but now it seems that her infatuation was ultimately misplaced.

She steadied herself and stopped looking at Chen Muzhi.

"With General Shen handling things, I have nothing to worry about. It's getting late, so I'll head back now."

She tried her best to maintain her composure, and after speaking, she didn't want to stay a moment longer. She gave a slight bow and turned to leave.

Shen Muzhi let her leave, and after she left, he turned to leave, only to meet Wei Wuxiu's ambiguous smile.

Shen Muzhi raised an eyebrow slightly. "What's with that expression?"

"nothing."

Wei Wuxiu tapped his folding fan with a faint smile and joked:

"I just didn't expect that Brother Shen would protect a woman like this one day. I find it quite surprising."

Shen Muzhi neither agreed nor disagreed, but replied matter-of-factly:

"What's wrong with that? She's my own wife, so of course I have to take care of her. I can't let others bully her."

Wei Wuxiu curled his lips into a mischievous smile, leaned closer to Shen Muzhi, and whispered:

"Just because Doctor Yan is your wife?"

Shen Muzhi asked, puzzled, "Otherwise what?"

"Uh~"

Wei Wuxiu was somewhat helpless at Shen Muzhi's matter-of-fact answer and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Finally, he simply patted Shen Muzhi's chest lightly with his folding fan and chuckled:

"As expected of Brother Shen, I admire you!"

After saying that, seeing that Shen Muzhi was looking at him with a puzzled expression, as if he wanted to say something more, he immediately changed the subject:

"Brother Shen, do you think today's incident has much to do with Miss Jiang? Have you thought about how to handle Miss Jiang in the future?"

Shen Muzhi answered without hesitation, as if he had already thought it through:

"Whether the relationship is close or not is not important. Since such rumors have been circulating, it means that some behavior of mine and her has caused a misunderstanding."

I'm a married man, so it's best to avoid this kind of misunderstanding. In the future, I'll just keep my distance unless absolutely necessary.

Wei Wuxiu nodded in agreement. The two walked back while talking, continuing to discuss the important matters they hadn't finished discussing earlier.

Back in her room, Yanxiao washed up a bit, looked at her face carefully in the mirror, and after confirming that she was even whiter, she fell asleep contentedly and had a sweet dream.

In the dream, the male and female protagonists fall in love with each other but suppress their feelings because of her presence.

She was heartbroken when she found out, but she still chose to grant their wish without hesitation, which moved them to tears. They then piled gold and silver jewelry all over the house as if it were free.

Not only that, after Shen Muzhi conquered the world, he also gave her a city, making her a local tyrant with all sorts of handsome young men to choose from in her harem.

This dream was so sweet that Yanxiao woke up drooling and grinning like an idiot.

Upon waking, Yanxiao felt even more motivated because of the scene in her dream, and she felt that her future was bright.

Little did she know that the story she believed in had already collapsed last night, a collapse so catastrophic it was like the sky falling apart.