Chapter 37

Mu Qinhan chuckled lightly, a hint of appreciation in his voice: "You see things quite clearly."

Mu Yulu nodded, then said seriously, "If Your Highness wants to hear the truth, I have told you everything. I used to like you, but I don't anymore. I have fallen for someone else, so please don't bother me anymore."

Her righteous and stern words made Mu Qinhan laugh.

She had never seen Mu Qinhan smile so broadly before, and for a moment she felt a little horrified, and the way she looked at Mu Qinhan changed.

In her past life, she did many ridiculous things in order to see the smile of her beloved, but Mu Qinhan was unwilling to show her even the slightest smile.

He reserved all his tenderness for Liu Wenshuang, not even sparing Mu Yulu a glance.

Why is it that in this life, when she wants to sever ties with him, he's laughing like this instead?

If Mu Yulu had seen Mu Qinhan laughing so heartily in front of her in her previous life, she probably would have fainted from joy. But in this life, Mu Yulu only gets angrier the more she hears Mu Qinhan's laughter.

What's so funny?

She was seriously trying to distance herself from him, so what did it mean that he was laughing like that?

Mu Yulu suppressed her anger and asked Mu Qinhan through gritted teeth, "What is Your Highness laughing at?"

Mu Qinhan finally finished laughing. He stopped laughing and said to Mu Yulu in a serious tone, "Let's not talk about whether he likes you or not. Just look at you. I can tell you don't love him. Even if he really comes back to marry you, you won't marry him."

He then added something that made Mu Yulu want to vomit blood: "I saw the way you looked at me when I was taking care of you at the Mu residence those few days, so I'm sure you have no feelings for Sanzhou Jinse."

He leaned down and whispered in Mu Yulu's ear, his breath long and drawn out: "The way you look at me is the way you should look when you truly love someone."

Mu Yulu finally couldn't hold back anymore. She raised her hand to slap him, but missed.

Mu Qinhan took a few steps back in the next second, retreating to the boundary between the moonlight and the shadow.

Dressed in black, he disappeared into the night. Mu Yulu couldn't see him, but she knew he hadn't left yet, so she quickly said, "No matter what you say, the person who catches the embroidered ball is Sanzhou Jinse, he is my husband, and I will never marry you."

Mu Qinhan, however, was completely unreasonable and ignored her words, saying to himself, "I understand. You absolutely do not want to be a concubine. I will show you my sincerity."

To show sincerity?

What does this mean?

Mu Yulu couldn't sit still any longer and suddenly stood up, only to find that Mu Qinhan had already disappeared silently into the courtyard like a ghost.

What sincerity did he want to show her?

Mu Yulu dared not think too deeply about it; just thinking about his words made her break out in a cold sweat.

She really couldn't understand how, in her past life, she had been the one who couldn't have Mu Qinhan, but in this life, Mu Qinhan was the one relentlessly pursuing her.

Sitting back down on the stone bench, she rubbed her still sore and numb shoulders. She was utterly exhausted from Mu Qinhan's antics. Dragging her heavy steps back to her room, she sprawled out on the bed.

Forget it, I should rest first. If I don't sleep now, I'll really have to go to pay my respects to Mu Zhaoshi tomorrow with dark circles under my eyes.

She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, but before long, Xinyun woke her up.

"Miss, please wake up. We need to pay our respects to Madam today, and it won't be good if we're late." Xinyun said as she lifted Mu Yulu out of bed. "I'll help you with your hair and makeup. Mohe has already boiled the water. We'll go after we've finished washing up."

Mu Yulu squinted and let Xin Yun do as she pleased, and she was still not awake even after she had changed her clothes and combed her hair.

Xinyun looked at her in confusion: "Miss, what did you do last night? Why are you so sleepy?"

As she spoke, she picked up a fan and fanned Mu Yulu, trying to wake her up as quickly as possible: "Miss, you can't go to pay your respects to Madam in such a daze. I heard that Madam's younger sister came to visit her from the countryside yesterday and will be staying at the mansion for quite some time. You might run into her when you go to pay your respects today, so you must be alert."

The wind from Xinyun didn't wake Mu Yulu, but the news of Pu Zhaoshi's arrival at the Mu residence startled her awake.

She stood up and muttered as she walked out, "Why did she have to come at such a crucial time? I hate her mouth the most; she always loves to spread rumors."

Xinyun chimed in, "Who says otherwise? Aunt Pu loves to stir up trouble. She probably heard that Miss found a good husband by throwing the embroidered ball, so she came to watch the fun."

Mu Yulu snorted coldly: "It would be better if she just came to watch the show."

As they spoke, the two arrived at Mu Zhaoshi's courtyard. Mu Yulu stood outside the courtyard for a moment, took a few deep breaths, and then stepped into the house.

Upon entering the room, she saw her mother warmly inviting Pu Zhaoshi, who was sitting to the side, to drink tea. Mu Wanyi affectionately rested on Pu Zhaoshi's lap, seemingly showing off the bracelet on her wrist.

Upon seeing Mu Yulu enter, Mu Zhaoshi glanced at her indifferently, while Mu Wanyi stood up abruptly, looking at Mu Yulu with considerable arrogance.

The person who was most enthusiastic towards Mu Yulu in the whole house was Pu Zhaoshi, who had come from afar to visit the Mu family.

She stood up and waved warmly at Mu Yulu: "It's been a long time. Xiao Lu has grown up to be more and more beautiful. No wonder she got such a good marriage."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and handed Mu Yulu a bracelet: "This bracelet was made by someone in the capital. I'm a country bumpkin and haven't seen much of the world, so you probably won't like it. But it's just a small token of my appreciation, so please accept it."

Mu Yulu glanced at the bracelet on Mu Wanyi's wrist and found that it was very similar to the one Pu Zhaoshi had given her. She knew that Mu Wanyi must have bought the bracelet from the same shop, except that Mu Wanyi's bracelet looked thicker and had more intricate patterns.

Pu Zhao noticed Mu Yulu's gaze and immediately pulled her towards Mu Wanyi's direction: "Little Lu, you lived at your maternal grandfather's house when you were little, and your aunt even held you. Wanyi is different from you. She was born in the capital and has always lived there. Your aunt has never held her, so the bracelet I prepared for her is a little bigger. Little Lu won't be angry with me, will she?"

She held Mu Yulu's hand with one hand and Mu Wanyi's hand with the other: "Auntie doesn't have much money, so she only has enough to make one large bracelet. If I had more money, I would definitely make two large bracelets."

Mu Yulu smiled awkwardly and was about to speak when she heard Mu Zhaoshi say, "Don't spoil her. This child is so ill-mannered. Your aunt came to visit and specially prepared a gift for her. How could she possibly be picky?"

Mu Zhaoshi's tone already carried a hint of anger as she called out Mu Yulu's name: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and apologize to your aunt!"

Mu Yulu: ? ? ?

What did she do that made her apologize to Pu Zhaoshi?

From the moment she stepped into the house until now, she hasn't had a chance to say a single word before they've started labeling her with a huge accusation.

Before Mu Yulu could speak, Madam Pu Zhao quickly played the peacemaker again: "Little Lu didn't say anything, why apologize? You're just too strict with the child."

After saying that, she couldn't help but praise Mu Zhaoshi: "But it's all thanks to your strict requirements for them that you've raised both children so well. If my two children were half as sensible as Xiaolu and Wanyi, I wouldn't have to worry about their marriages."

Her words struck a chord with Madam Mu Zhao, who sighed and said with considerable worry, "Xiao Lu's marriage is settled, now I'm only worried about Wan Yi."

She sighed again, perhaps recalling the words she had heard when she consulted a fortune teller, and a deep sorrow settled between her brows.

Seeing Mu Zhaoshi so troubled, Pu Zhaoshi also sighed, then tightened her grip on Mu Yulu's hand: "Little Lu, you've come of age, you're not a child anymore, you need to be more sensible and share your mother's burdens."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yulu felt a sense of foreboding. Sure enough, the next second she heard Pu Zhaoshi say, "Now that you have a good marriage, you should also help your mother and worry more about your sister."

"I heard that you and your future son-in-law didn't meet through your parents, nor were you arranged by a matchmaker, but rather you fell in love in private?" She looked at her sister with concern: "How did you meet your future son-in-law? Do you know any other men? Could you play matchmaker for your sister and let her meet more people?"

Mu Wanyi was displeased upon hearing this: "I don't want to meet with other men in private like her. What would people say if word got out?"

Mu Yulu chuckled: "Auntie, you see, it's not that I didn't want to play matchmaker for her, it's that she herself didn't want to."

Pu Zhaoshi patted Mu Yulu's hand: "Little Lu, you are the older sister, you can't hold a grudge against your younger sister. I heard that you and your sister had a fight in public a while ago?"

Mu Yulu frowned.

Without even thinking, she knew that Mu Wanyi must have complained to Pu Zhaoshi, and who knows what she was saying behind her back. Thinking of this, she felt extremely irritated and shut her mouth, unwilling to say anything more.

Pu Zhaoshi, however, had endless reasons to give: "Shouldn't an older sister give in to her younger sister? You must never quarrel with your sister. When we were little, your mother was so good to me, and I loved to cling to her. In my heart, she was the best older sister."

"You weren't by your sister's side when you were little, and you didn't have the chance to take care of her. Now that the two sisters are together, you should be very affectionate with each other."

"Xiao Lu, think about it, isn't that right? You'll be getting married soon, and it won't be as easy for the two sisters to see each other again as it is now. You must cherish this time."