Cold Heart

Ming Wah Court.

There was a constant stream of guests in the teahouse, and the elegant aroma of tea filled the air.

A few people stepped into the private room on the second floor. The wooden grille blocked the rain outside the window, leaving only the faint sound of raindrops hitting the window frame.

Mu Anning and Mu Guiling sat opposite each other, while Baoqin and Mu Wan'er sat face to face.

Several people looked at each other in silence for a moment.

If it were in the past, Mu Wan'er would usually break the ice, but today she seemed to just want to quietly act as a servant. After dutifully pouring tea for a few people, she sat there with her head lowered and did not move.

Mu An Ning took a sip of warm tea and was about to ask them why they came to Wutong City, but suddenly he heard a voice ringing in his ears: "Mu An Ning, did you see it?"

She put down the teacup hesitantly, and was unable to react for a moment. She only heard the ethereal voice continue -

"Your former brother even took her with him when he investigated a case. Blood is thicker than water!

"And you, have you ever had such a deep brotherly and sisterly relationship with him before?"

Mu An Ning's heart was filled with ripples, and she couldn't help but lower her head slightly, not wanting others to notice that something was wrong with her.

It was this voice again. It must be the system that Mu Wan'er mentioned, and it would only appear when she came into contact with the Mu family.

But why does it keep trying to sow discord between her and the Mu family? What benefits does it gain from this?

She shook her head gently, trying to suppress the strangeness in her heart, and kept emphasizing in her heart: It is natural for them to be nice to Mu Wan'er, after all, she is the real daughter of the Mu family.

However, the voice continued: "Say you did something wrong, you regret it, and you want to go back to the Marquis' Mansion!"

She clenched her fingers until her fingertips turned slightly white and tiny beads of sweat appeared on her palms.

She is absolutely right, why should she admit it!

In this quiet environment, Baoqin, who was sitting next to her, immediately noticed that something was wrong with her young lady and asked softly, "Young lady, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

She has been prone to illness since she was a child. She was caught in the rain just now and was afraid that she would get sick again if she went back.

Seeing Baoqin's concerned eyes, she lowered her long eyelashes and shook her head gently to indicate that she was fine.

Upon hearing this, Mu Guiling raised his eyes and glanced at Mu Anning, who looked even thinner than before. He frowned silently but said nothing.

After all, they had been siblings for fifteen years, and he knew that she had a strong personality.

When she was a child, even when she was sick, she could always pretend to be fine, go to school as usual, and never miss any lessons.

Mu An Ning bit her lower lip lightly, trying her best to ignore the voice that disturbed her mind.

The more it tried to make her jealous, the more she would do the opposite.

She endured the splitting headache, tightly grasped the teacup in her hand, and felt the slightly cool porcelain surface before she gradually calmed down.

She concentrated and steadied her voice, turning her attention to the main topic: "Brother Mu..." She saw the man raise his eyes to look at her, and remembering what he said before, she resumed her previous address: "Are you here to investigate the Zuiyuelou case?"

When Mu Guiling heard the words Zuiyue Tower, his expression immediately became a little serious.

He looked at her deeply, as if he had not expected that a lady of her level would be interested in this.

Seeing him nod slightly but not speak, Mu An Ning recalled the purple-clothed woman he had seen in the government office before, and couldn't help but ask, "So what did you find out?"

Was it really that woman who killed dozens of men in one fell swoop?

Mu Guiling's expression became even more solemn, and he spoke sparingly, "No."

The case was quite complicated, but that day, Qiu Yueying did not provide any other information except insisting that she was not the murderer... nor did she mention anything about her past with him.

Many pieces of evidence pointed to her, but she would rather be suspected than say a word to him.

Just like the past years that have separated us from the endless world of red dust, it is hard to look back.

The county magistrate suggested arresting her directly, but he was still hesitant.

He originally wanted to go to Zuiyuelou again today to look for other clues, but Mu Wan'er insisted on coming to this teahouse to rest for a while.

As the weather suddenly changed, he agreed.

Unexpectedly, I met Mu An Ning and his servant here.

The voice had disappeared, but Mu An Ning's complicated thoughts were still floating in his mind like raindrops.

She was about to continue asking questions when someone suddenly knocked on the door of the private room.

It turned out that the waiter was holding two plates of exquisite snacks, but apart from a few cups of tea, the few people did not order any food.

Seeing that the others were silent, Mu Wan'er thought that these ancient people were all like taciturn people, so she coughed and said in a rough voice: "Little Second Brother, are you mistaken? Everything we ordered has been served."

The waiter smiled innocently and explained, "You distinguished guests look very noble." He approached them, leaned forward and placed the snacks neatly, "This is from our store owner... I'm giving it to you guys. It's free."

As they looked at the golden sweet-scented osmanthus lotus root and the crystal clear red date cake, they became even more confused.

They just arrived in Wutong City for the first time, why would the shopkeeper send them gifts for no reason?

Mu Wan'er couldn't help but lick her lips, staring intently at the pastries that exuded an alluring aroma.

The candied lotus root is soft and crispy, with syrup evenly coating every inch of the lotus root texture. The cross section of the red date cake is slightly transparent, with red date fibers distributed throughout, dotted with crystal clear sugar beads.

The waiter seemed to remember something and added, "The shopkeeper also said that tea for a few people today is also waived."

Mu Wan'er touched her rumbling stomach, but still acted like a servant and asked competently, "Who is the manager of your shop?"

"The shopkeeper is right here..." The waiter turned around and pointed, but then he shook his head and said, "The shopkeeper was just here..."

Mu An Ning looked in the direction of his finger and vaguely saw a dark figure.

After the waiter closed the door and left, Mu Wan'er couldn't wait to start eating, and while doing so, she didn't forget to fix the beard on her philtrum with her hand.

Seeing the three people looking at her with laughter, she explained awkwardly: "I'm really a little too hungry, hehe."

[Could it be that the look in my sister's eyes indicates that she recognizes me? ]

[Oh, never mind, let me eat first, I'm starving. ]

Mu An Ning couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.

With such a poor disguise, anyone who has met her a few times would be able to see through her identity.

It's really silly and cute.

It would be great if the relationship between them was not so complicated and they were real sisters.

Mu Guiling stared at the landscape painting on the wall and said suddenly, "An Ning, when I finish investigating this case, you can come back with me."

Mu An Ning's eyes flashed, feeling a little surprised, but deep down he was resisting.

Even though she had lived in the Marquis's Mansion for more than ten years, it was not her real home, not to mention that her adoptive father and mother now hated her so much.

After thinking for a moment, she was about to refuse, but the word "no" was strangled in her throat.

The next moment, she widened her almond-shaped eyes slightly and nodded obediently uncontrollably.

Mu Guiling had already prepared to persuade her, and was a little surprised by her straightforwardness, but he breathed a sigh of relief.

Mu Wan'er's eyes rolled, as if she had sensed something was wrong. She wiped the corner of her mouth and shouted in her heart -

[This shouldn't happen... System, have you done anything wrong again? ]

[I promised you to follow the plot, so please don't do anything weird again! ]

[You promised not to interfere with my girl's fate! ]

Mu An Ning's almond-shaped eyes moved. It seemed that the so-called system was really controlling her words and actions.

*

The rain in spring comes quickly and goes away quickly.

When Mu An Ning was about to walk to the door of the west chamber with the prepared medicine, he suddenly heard a breathless and appealing male voice: "Sir, I finally found you!"

She recognized that the person who spoke was Gu Huaizhi's personal bodyguard Gu Ji, and thought that the master and servant had not seen each other for a long time, so they must have something to talk about.

She was about to turn around and leave, but she heard Gu Ji ask doubtfully, "You don't like Miss Mu, so why did you come to save her?"

When Mu An Ning heard the first half of the sentence, he was a little distracted, and he involuntarily took back his step.

It turned out that even his guards knew that he didn't like her, and she was the only one who had been deceiving herself.

She pursed her lips, wanting to hear him tell her the fact that she had long guessed but never faced head on.

"..."

After a moment of silence, the young man she liked finally spoke in a tone as soft as the spring breeze blowing through the branches of a willow tree, with no emotion in his voice: "Whether you like it or not, she is my fiancée after all." He paused, then added hesitantly: "If anything happens to her because of me, I won't be able to explain to my mother."

Mu An Ning's left hand, which was hanging by her side, could not help but clench her dress. She had always known that this marriage between them was just because the elders and she liked it, but hearing it with her own ears still made her feel a little different.

Gu Ji nodded in understanding and said jokingly, "Sir, how can I tell that you are really in love?"

A few days ago, the prince sent a message asking the young master to return home to recuperate, but he said he had found a quiet and good place that was more suitable for recuperation.

Although he did not mention Miss Mu at all, he felt that his son seemed to have changed.

Upon hearing this, Mu An Ning couldn't help but raise his eyes, secretly looking at the young man's tall back, and a glimmer of hope surged in his heart.

But the next moment, her heart sank completely into the abyss, like a heavy stone.

Gu Huaizhi seemed to be a little angry and kicked Gu Ji suddenly, saying firmly: "Absolutely impossible!"

The four words "bitterly cold wind" kept echoing in her ears, and she almost dropped the bowl of medicine in her hand.

He said there was no way he could like her.

"Look at you, you are so pitiful!"

"Let me tell you another fact. He is about to get engaged to someone else."

"If you continue to be stubborn and refuse to change your ways, you will only be outshined by Mu Wan'er in every way, and watch helplessly as she marries someone who is thousands of times better than you!"

The mocking voice pierced her heart, as if a piece of flesh was being cut out.

Does it mean that Gu Huaizhi is getting engaged to Mu Wan'er?

Some of the medicine in her hand spilled out, and it was particularly eye-catching on the back of her cool, white hand, as if it was a cold irony of the cruel reality.

She watched the drop of medicine seep into her cuffs, blinked her slightly red eyes, and poured back the mist that was about to overflow.

She suddenly remembered what Liu Qingyue, the daughter of the Duke of Huguo, had said.

She said that a forced melon could not be sweet, and that sooner or later she would be cruelly abandoned by Gu Huaizhi.

At first, she didn't pay much attention to these words. She just thought that he didn't dislike her so much sometimes, and maybe she could warm up this cold jade of his.

But she forgot that love requires mutual affection. Even if she likes him much, it cannot change the fact that he doesn't like her.

After she exhaled with difficulty, she walked straight towards Gu Huaizhi.

Gu Ji was the first to see the girl with red eyes. He looked at his master at a loss and winked calmly: "Miss Mu..."

Gu Huaizhi's eyebrows twitched, and as soon as he turned around, he felt a heaviness in his hand.

The girl coldly placed the bowl of medicine in his hands and left without hesitation.

He held the cold medicine bowl in his hand, looking at the girl's frail back, feeling inexplicably irritated for a moment.

It seems...it's not just the bowl of medicine that's cold.

Gu Ji was a little annoyed about the topic he had just brought up. He looked at Gu Huaizhi who was motionless and reminded him, "Sir, Miss Mu should have heard it."

They are going to get married at the end of the year, and what he just said might affect their future life.

Gu Huaizhi stared at the bowl of black stuff in his hand, and some scattered images appeared in his mind. After a while, he said impatiently: "Forget it, just listen to it..."

What he said was what he was thinking. What could she do if she heard it?

He was not a good match for her, and he would not like a girl with a dull temperament like her.

Gu Ji looked at his master and saw that he didn't seem to care much, so he felt relieved: Well, anyway, over the years, the young master has said so many hurtful words to Miss Mu, but in the end, she would still visit the palace every month as usual as if nothing had happened.

This time should be no different.