Chapter 99, as a lover.

Jing Ge pondered Li Mushi's words even while taking a shower.

The bathroom was filled with heat. Li Mushi carried the showerhead to help her shower and wash her hair, and refused her request to soak in the bathtub for a while.

“Unsanitary,” he said seriously, “the water is splashing. It’s injured down there.”

Jingge bit her lower lip and pounded her little fists against his chest.

The man's lips twitched slightly, and he asked in a half-coaxing tone, "What's wrong?"

“Nothing much,” Jing Ge said defiantly, even though he was standing naked next to him while the other man was giving him a bath. “I’ll hit you if I want.”

Li Mushi tore off a bath towel and wrapped it around her.

Jingge touched his wet pajamas: "I can wash them myself, you have to wash them again."

“Hmm,” Li Mushi wanted to bend down and carry her out, “You should think carefully outside about how to firmly refuse if they really make you break up with me.”

Jingge's eyes widened: "We've already got our marriage certificate."

Forget about breaking up.

Li Mushi: "Getting a marriage certificate is just a legal constraint. If you are persuaded by them and go home to find out my wife has cheated on me, my tears will be as plentiful as the water in this bathroom."

He doesn't want legal constraints.

He wanted her to be willing and steadfast.

Jing Ge couldn't help but laugh out loud, continuing to punch him: "You're so annoying!"

What are you rambling on about? And you have such a serious face.

But his unusual ramblings actually eased his tension considerably, and Jingge temporarily forgot his panic, happily going to pick out pretty clothes and accessories.

After taking a shower, Li Mushi tied a towel around his waist, revealing his upper body, which resembled a sculptor's most prized work.

Jingge's face was flushed red as he glanced at the scratches on his shoulders and back.

Li Mushi doesn't care about his clothes and wears the same outfit year after year, appearing ascetic and serious.

Last time I went to the snow mountain to see her, I dressed up neatly to meet her. This time, I changed my clothes in front of her without batting an eye.

He doesn't even go into the walk-in closet.

As he buttoned his shirt, Jing Ge narrowed his eyes and said, "Turn around."

Li Mushi turned around as she asked, facing her directly: "What?"

Jingge moved closer, unbuttoned the buttons he had just put on, and bent down to examine it: "What's this?"

The man said calmly, "A bullet."

"......"

Li Mushi didn't take it seriously: "I'll have surgery to remove it in a while."

"..." Jing Ge was speechless for a long time, not knowing what she wanted to say. She clearly had so many questions.

Seeing her stunned, Li Mushi kissed her forehead hard: "It's nothing serious, there's no danger, it just hurts a little on rainy days."

Jing Ge's mouth moved, and after several attempts, he finally found the clue: "You...you mean, taking medicine, you said you were taking medicine, and Sister Lin got you medicine...that old problem?"

“Yes,” Li Mushi said, “it gets inflamed occasionally, so we need to treat the inflammation.”

Jingge wanted to ask something more, but his mind remained blank.

Li Mushi studied her expression and figured out the question she wanted to ask before she could. Without waiting for her to ask in detail, he took the initiative to say, "I did this while I was doing my doctoral studies abroad. I did two years of peacekeeping missions with Feng Xinghe at the United Nations..."

Jingge paled: "Peacekeeping mission?"

"I felt the world wasn't perfect," Li Mushi said candidly, though it sounded a bit childish. "I was a bit cynical during that period..."

He had it all too easy. At 16, he went abroad alone to pursue a combined master's and doctoral degree. At 17, he secretly went with Feng Xinghe to participate in the United Nations' humanitarian aid and peacekeeping missions without telling his family in China. At such an age, he was ambitious and thought he could save the world.

He experienced war and massacres, witnessed firsthand how heinous criminals deserved to die, and saw innocent children lose their lives in the flames of war.

In reality, he can't change anything.

It seems that everyone goes through a process of personality breakdown and reconstruction on their own, and Li Mushi’s two years of peacekeeping life was that reconstruction.

“After adjusting his mindset,” Li Mushi’s eyes were light, “he went back to finish his studies and then returned to China to take over the group.”

At this point, Li Mushi looked at the girl and said, "When I was 18, I went home and you gave me a good luck charm."

"..." Jing Ge's memory wasn't very clear. "Did I?"

“Yes,” Li Mushi said, “you gave one to everyone.”

Jingge remembered.

When Li Mushi was 18, she was only 10. On the eve of the Jing family's bankruptcy, she was still a rich young lady. She went to the temple with her grandmother and mother to pray to Buddha and then brought back a bunch of amulets.

“I received orders to go to another front line,” Li Mushi said. “I was thinking of going home when I ran into you distributing amulets.”

The amulet contained copper coins, meant to ward off evil spirits. The little girl was afraid of him, so she gave it to him cautiously, saying, "Uncle, you're back. Here, have one."

If it weren't for his chance, he wouldn't have had a chance at all.

Li Mushi doesn't like accepting things: "No."

The little girl's eyes turned red.

Li Mushi disliked making children cry, so he casually put the amulet into his pocket.

When he went on his mission, the Jing family went bankrupt.

The copper coins in the amulet cushioned the impact of the bullet, causing it to lodge between his ribs and not damage his internal organs.

Not long after, he received news that the Jing family had gone bankrupt, and that Prince Jing had been kidnapped by creditors, and that Jing Ge had almost been taken away as well.

These events made him realize that life is unpredictable, and changing the world is too grand a task. Since he couldn't do it, he should protect his family and the people around him.

No one knew about his chaotic years except Feng Xinghe.

No one could have imagined that the man who commanded respect and acted aloof and arrogant in Shanghai had once gone through such a chaotic and messy period.

He should be rational, powerful, and infallible.

But he once wanted to save the world.

If I told people this, they would laugh at my immaturity, which doesn't fit his public persona.

“Don’t idolize anyone,” Li Mushi said, looking at her. “And don’t be afraid of anyone or anything. It’s just a projection of your thoughts, and it doesn’t mean that the other party is really powerful or terrifying.”

Jing Ge's voice trembled: "You..."

Li Mushi stroked her lips with his thumb: "Baby, you're trembling."

"......"

He discovered it.

The thought of facing the elders of the Li family, Li Kaiji and Sheng Man, Li Zhan, and then Jing's father and Zhuo Yueyue... triggered a physical reaction in her.

Even if she hides it well, she can still joke around and pretend nothing is wrong.

“Don’t be afraid,” Li Mushi hugged her and rubbed his chin against the top of her head. “You’ve not yet processed your emotions, but you don’t need to face them on your own. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes or choices. You don’t need to be a good child or meet other people’s expectations.”

"And what about you?" Jingge asked, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "Do you have any expectations of me?"

Li Mushi kissed her hair: "It doesn't apply to you, but it does to myself."

Jingge looked up: "What?"

Li Mushi cupped her chin in his hand and murmured, "I hope I can stand openly by your side as your lover."