Chapter 18
While Mu Yulu was barely alive, Mu Qinhan continued talking to himself, assuming she was too shy to look at him: "I've been taking care of you in the manor these past few days, and no one else knows about this. I know this is against etiquette and will damage your reputation, so I've kept it a secret. You can rest assured."
Upon hearing this, Mu Yulu finally felt like she had come back to life.
Fortunately, no one else knew about this, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
She took a deep breath to calm herself down, then removed Mu Qinhan's hand from her waist, trying her best to control her emotions, and said calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I am also grateful for your care these past few days. I have no way to repay you, but I wish to be your servant in my next life to repay your great kindness."
She mustered her courage and looked up at Mu Qinhan: "However, I know that I am of lowly status and cannot be worthy of Your Highness. Your Highness need not come to propose marriage because of this matter. Since only you and I know about what happened these past few days, it will not affect my reputation."
After saying all that in one breath, she thought for a moment to make sure she hadn’t missed any key information, and finally added: “In short, I can still get married. Your Highness, please don’t take me into your household just because you pity me. If you take a concubine first, how will you marry a princess later?”
Her words were quite tactful, sounding very considerate of Mu Qinhan, but in reality, she was trying her best to distance herself from the relationship between the two.
After hearing her words, Mu Qinhan remained silent for a long time, then propped himself up and looked at Mu Yulu.
It seems that her illness has indeed been completely cured. Now, the girl's eyes no longer have the burning heat that could scorch people a few days ago; instead, they are filled with a faint indifference and disgust.
It was clear she was trying her best to hide her emotions, but her desire to keep him at arm's length was so strong that it was impossible to conceal.
When he saw the undisguised disgust in her eyes, Mu Qinhan felt a strange fear of losing what he had gained.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his displeasure, and then said calmly, "Are you telling the truth about what you're saying?"
Mu Yulu couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Did he think he was using a feigned retreat to advance, saying some high-sounding words on the surface while actually wanting to marry him?
How come I never noticed how narcissistic Mu Qinhan was before?
Mu Yulu looked directly at Mu Qinhan and said, word by word, "Everything I have said comes from the bottom of my heart."
Mu Qinhan was somewhat irritated. He looked at Mu Yulu, trying to find some other emotions in her eyes.
However, apart from disgust and avoidance, he could no longer find the admiration and infatuation he once had in her eyes.
After a long silence, a smile appeared on his lips, but there was no hint of amusement in his eyes: "Very good, your tactic of playing hard to get is quite effective."
Mu Yulu: ?
What's wrong with this guy? He's arrogant, conceited, and doesn't know what's good for him. Now, Mu Yulu not only thinks he's narcissistic, but also that he has some kind of problem.
She really didn't want to continue this charade with him, and she didn't want to say any more high-sounding words. She said directly to Mu Qinhan, "Please, Your Highness, stop joking and let this humble woman go."
Mu Qinhan finally couldn't hold back anymore.
After Mu Yulu said those words, he resumed his usual cold expression, staring intently at her.
He had already swallowed his pride and accommodated her, but how could this woman change her mind so quickly?
It was as if she had been possessed a few days ago, which is why she clung to him and refused to let go, repeatedly saying that she loved him, loved him to death, and loved him uncontrollably.
The two remained in a silent stalemate.
Suddenly, Mu Yulu thought of something and asked, "Your Highness, why don't you speak frankly? What exactly do you want from the Mu family?"
She recalled that Mu Qinhan had broken into her room at night some time ago. It must have been because there was something he wanted in the Mu residence. He must have alerted the guards while searching for that thing, which is why he hid in her room to avoid their search.
Anyway, he broke into the Mu residence and hid in her room either to gather information or to steal treasures, it couldn't possibly be to find her.
The more Mu Yulu thought about it, the more reasonable her speculation seemed.
As the regent of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, Mu Qinhan, with such a noble status, could have easily found a place to recuperate after being injured while hunting, but instead insisted on recuperating at Mu Yugang's villa.
Perhaps it was so that he could easily enter and leave the Mu residence during his recovery period to continue searching for the item he wanted?
In this way, everything makes sense.
It seems that Mu Yugang hid that item very well. Mu Qinhan went in and out of the Mu residence several times but failed to get it. So he came up with the wicked idea of taking her as a concubine.
Once he marries her, he will be the son-in-law of the Mu family, making it much more convenient for him to come and go from the Mu family.
That was the real reason he deliberately approached her.
Mu Yulu gasped again.
Although she wasn't very bright, she wasn't foolish enough to actually believe that he planned to marry her because he liked her. Now it seemed that he really did have ulterior motives.
He was using her.
Mu Qinhan is indeed a man of deep cunning.
Mu Yulu shivered and gritted her teeth, saying, "Your Highness, to tell you the truth, I am the least favored young lady in the Mu family. No matter what you want to get from the Mu family, marrying me will only bring you disadvantages."
She knew that directly pointing out Mu Qinhan's purpose at this moment was very risky; given his personality, he might kill her on the spot to silence her.
But if she obeyed Mu Qinhan and married him, she would repeat the fate of her previous life. Whether she faced danger or not, she would be killed anyway. Rather than marrying him and then dying a pathetic death, she would rather let him give her a quick death now.
In fact, Mu Qinhan's face darkened when Mu Yulu asked him what he wanted from the Mu family, and his expression became increasingly grim as time went on.
This was the expression Mu Yulu most often saw on Mu Qinhan's face in her previous life. Even after being reborn, she still couldn't help but feel fear when she saw Mu Qinhan with such a chilling expression.
After a long while, Mu Qinhan suddenly let out a cold laugh, with a hint of helplessness in it.
“The Mu family does indeed have what I want.” He raised his hand and lifted Mu Yulu’s chin, then stroked her cheek. “You are one of them.”
Mu Yulu opened her mouth and then closed it again.
In this situation, she really didn't know what to say.
She began to replay in her mind when exactly she had offended this devil.
I've thought about it a lot, but I can't find it.
She clearly saw him at the No. 1 Restaurant and ran away. When she met him a second time, she also firmly stated her attitude.
She didn't want to marry him, not even to have the slightest connection with him. Wasn't that enough?
Or is it that Mu Qinhan simply prefers a coy, refusing style, and that her attitude isn't firm enough?
Thinking of this, Mu Yulu mustered her courage once again and said, "I will not marry you. Even if all the men in the world die, I will not marry you."
Her words were incredibly audacious. If she were to truly anger Mu Qinhan, not only would she suffer a terrible death, but the entire Mu family would likely be implicated.
But watching helplessly as she slid into the abyss just like in her previous life, she couldn't care less about anything else.
If she were to marry Mu Qinhan, she would only have four years left to live, and for three of those years she would be imprisoned in a dark room, suffering torture and living a life worse than death.
If that's the case, she might as well die right now.
For the umpteenth time, Mu Qinhan suppressed his anger and scrutinized Mu Yulu's expression: "But you didn't say that a few days ago, you..."
Before Mu Qinhan could finish speaking, Mu Yulu guessed what good things she had done in the past few days.
She must have been talking nonsense while she was sick, mistaking Mu Qinhan of this life for him of the previous life.
She didn't even dare to think about what crazy things she had said while she was sick, so she quickly interrupted Mu Qinhan, not allowing him to continue: "I was delirious with fever a few days ago, and I may have said some nonsensical things. Please don't take it seriously, Your Highness."
Mu Qinhan gave a meaningful "oh," seemingly understanding her, but his words left her no room for maneuver: "What if I insist on taking it seriously and marry you?"
His words carried a strong sense of threat.
Mu Yulu realized that, just like in her previous life, he was using his status to pressure her again.
However, in his past life, he always emphasized his status as a prince to remind her that she was not good enough for him and that there was a world of difference between them. Although she had used all sorts of despicable means to successfully marry him, she should not have any other ideas.
But in this life, he seems to have lost his mind. He uses his status as a prince to pressure her, actually in order to force her to marry him.
Mu Yulu had no desire to talk to him anymore. She suddenly sat up, forcing Mu Qinhan to take a step back.
Taking advantage of Mu Qinhan's momentary daze, she jumped off the bed and ran quickly towards the door.
Mu Qinhan didn't stop her, but leisurely walked to the door, raising an eyebrow to see what she wanted to do.
But then Mu Yulu ran resolutely toward the artificial lake outside the courtyard.
If he uses his status as a prince to force her to marry him, then she will have no choice but to accept her fate and marry into the prince's mansion.
She had made up her mind. Rather than repeating the tragic fate of her previous life after entering the Prince's mansion, she would rather die now.
If she dies now, at least she can die a quick death. If she really marries into the royal family, she will be completely in Mu Qinhan's hands, and then she will be in a situation where she can neither live nor die.
Mu Yulu's resolve to die was unwavering; she wasn't just putting on an act. Her pace quickened, and as she reached the lakeside, she gritted her teeth and leaped—
Unexpectedly, instead of falling into the icy lake, I bumped into a warm embrace.
Mu Qinhan caught up with her at some point, and just as she was about to jump into the lake, he pulled her into his arms and then picked her up in his arms.
His face was terribly somber, and the air around him was frighteningly cold, as if it were about to freeze into frost.
Interrupted halfway through her attempt to drown herself in the lake, Mu Yulu's courage seemed to have waned after a brief surge of energy. Just moments before, she had been consumed by a desire to die, but now she hesitated.
Furthermore, Mu Qinhan's expression at this moment was terrifyingly gloomy. Mu Yulu had lived under his tyranny for a long time in her previous life, so it was impossible for her not to be afraid.
So she quieted down, obediently curling up in Mu Qinhan's arms, letting him carry her back to the room.
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