heartfelt emotion

Gu Huaizhi was still dressed in black. A few days ago, he still had some green beard on his chin, but today he seemed to have cleaned it up before coming here, and his complexion was much better.

The moment she saw the young man, Mu An Ning pursed her lips, and previous memories suddenly flooded into her mind.

At that time, she was almost swallowed by the increasingly fierce fire. Before she passed out, someone called her "Aning".

Could it be that Gu Huaizhi saved her?

Seeing her staring at him without blinking, Gu Huaizhi coughed uncomfortably, but his eyes never left her: "Aning..."

"Prince..."

The two spoke almost at the same time and were both stunned.

Gu Huaizhi saw that she was safe and sound, so he turned away and said softly, "Aning, you speak first."

Mu An Ning glanced at the young man and asked directly without hesitation, "Prince, do you know where Wan'er is?"

Rather than asking whether it was Gu Huaizhi who saved her, she wanted to get something out of Mu Wan'er.

She didn't know why she had become so ridiculous and believed in a dream so much.

However, that dream was too real, and the hatred in Mu Wan'er's eyes when she was dying in the dream was also too real.

When Gu Huaizhi heard the girl's urgent tone, he choked for a moment, and his bloodshot eyes fell back on the girl, and he spoke word by word: "Aning, you actually care about her so much."

When she woke up and saw him, her first reaction was to ask about Mu Wan'er's whereabouts.

Is it really true that she and he have nothing to say to each other?

Mu An Ning heard that the boy's tone was inexplicably dull, and nodded without knowing why.

As Mu Wan'er's sister, it was normal for her to care about her. However, Gu Huaizhi seemed a little strange at the moment.

Seeing her calm face, the young man lost his temper and looked at the girl steadily: "Mu Wan'er and my cousin have already set off to return to Beijing."

Mu An Ning was puzzled, but he still stood there without moving an inch. He frowned and asked, "When did it happen?"

Why did Mu Wan'er leave so suddenly without telling her?

Could it be that she had been in a coma for several days?

Gu Huaizhi looked thoughtful and quickly answered in a muffled voice, "Two hours ago."

While Mu An Ning was thinking, the emotions in Gu Huaizhi's eyes seemed to become even more intense.

He originally thought of asking Gu Yihan to take Mu An Ning away as well, but unfortunately, there was no carriage that could take her at the moment.

If she had woken up two hours earlier, she would have been able to escape from this dangerous place.

Mu An Ning nodded and was about to ask something else, but the words were stuck in his throat.

It was that voice that could confuse people's minds again——

"Mu Anning, Mu Wan'er just left you alone like this."

"She brought you here, and now she's leaving you alone at the border. Does she really treat you as a sister?"

Hearing this, Mu An Ning's eyes turned red.

Yes, clearly she came to the border because her adoptive father was worried that Mu Wan'er would be alone and have no one to take care of her along the way.

Why did Mu Wan'er leave her alone now?

The red light in Mu An Ning's eyes became even brighter, and she couldn't help but clench the corner of the table, but after a while, she suddenly shook her head.

She was almost deceived.

This is not Mu Wan'er's fault.

That day, the adoptive father had already relented in response to Mu Wan'er's persuasion, but she agreed to the adoptive father's request because she was controlled by the system.

Now this system dares to confuse right and wrong.

Seeing the girl rubbing her aching head with her hand, Gu Huaizhi observed her for a while and couldn't help but walk a few steps into the tent, saying in a concerned tone: "Aning, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Mu An Ning didn't answer, but just supported the corner of the table with her hands. Seeing her like this, the young man hesitated for a moment and then walked to the table.

But when he was two steps away from the girl, he stopped and just frowned and asked, "Do you have a headache?"

Mu An Ning slowly raised his eyes and met the concerned gaze of the young man. He suddenly realized his mistake and shook his head: "It's okay."

Gu Huaizhi obviously didn't believe it. His eyebrows moved slightly, and he stretched out his finger slightly, but retracted it in an instant.

The atmosphere was silent for a moment. The two of them just sat there, one holding onto the corner of the table while the other watched from the side.

Mu An Ning did not notice anything unusual about the young man, but felt that the atmosphere at the moment was a little strange, so he stared at the table and asked, "What did the prince want to say before?"

Since Mu Wan'er has already returned to Beijing, she can only swallow all the doubts in her heart and ask Mu Wan'er again after returning to Beijing.

Gu Huaizhi stared at the girl's motionless eyelashes and said with difficulty, "Aning, the doctor said you were too frightened and need to stay in bed for a few days. If you need anything in the next two days, just tell Gu Ji."

The boy paused, seeming to have forgotten that the girl herself also knew something about pharmacology, and added: "Also, there are some minor scratches on your arms. Remember to avoid contact with water and apply medicine twice a day."

Mu An Ning touched her arm subconsciously, and inexplicably wanted to laugh. She was silent for a while, and finally nodded, her face still calm: "Thank you, Prince."

For some reason, Gu Huaizhi's words just now reminded her of the instructions given by mothers to their children in those storybooks.

He thought it was seldom that she nagged so much. If there was any time when he talked so much at once, it was when he was a child and she gave all the pearls on her head to a little beggar.

That day, they went to the theater with Luo to watch a play. Suddenly, a little girl of the same age as her grabbed her arm and complimented her on the beautiful pin in her hair.

She looked at the skinny beggar and felt very upset. She immediately took off all her hair accessories and gave the few silver coins she had to the beggar.

I vaguely remember that when Mrs. Luo saw this, she praised her for being sensible, but Gu Huaizhi looked disgusted and said that she should not give such flashy things, or even money, but should instead give some food to fill people's stomachs.

After all, even if a little girl took the money, she probably wouldn't be able to protect it and might even cause unnecessary trouble.

At that time, the little girl was frightened and stunned, but she didn't think that she had done anything wrong. It was also the first time that she felt a little angry and ashamed, and she even felt that she didn't like Gu Huaizhi at all.

But thinking about it now, he was quite mature for his age and what he said made sense. But after they grew up, he never behaved like that again.

Hearing the alienation in the girl's tone, Gu Huaizhi forced himself to curl his lips, but his tone was extremely dry and a little pleading: "Aning, can you smile at me?"

He hadn't seen her smile for a long time.

No, he had.

But... not at him.

But she could smile so beautifully to Mu Wan'er, Tan Wenhuai, and even Lu Changqing, whom she had only known for a few days.

But towards him, she has always remained distant.

Hearing this, Mu An Ning's eyebrows twitched and the corners of his lips moved, but he still didn't laugh. He just glanced at the young man, not knowing what to say.

The flame in the lamp on the table shot straight up, making the girl's picturesque face even more white and translucent.

Gu Huaizhi's gaze fell on the small scabbed scar on the girl's lower lip, and he unconsciously reached out and touched his own lips.

His eyes seemed to ripple, and he stopped forcing the girl, but the tips of his ears suddenly turned red: "Aning, that night you...I..."

Mu An Ning's long curled eyelashes cast a shadow on her face. She paused when she heard the young man's voice and just raised her eyes again. She was about to ask what was going on, but when she saw the young man's actions, she was stunned.

"Aning, that night you..." Seeing the girl looking at him, Gu Huaizhi's voice was very light and empty, but it seemed to contain some expectations: "Kiss me?"

He had not originally connected the similar scars on their lips, but now he couldn't help thinking about it.

He later interrogated Gu Ji and found out that Aning had actually taken care of him that night when Gu Ji was unconscious.

So what happened that night was not just a dream, but something that really happened?

Mu An Ning suddenly looked away, staring at the oil lamp on the table without blinking. The expression on his face finally changed subtly, and his heart was suddenly in a mess.

"What nonsense is the prince talking about?" Mu An Ning slowed down his breathing and avoided his gaze.

If she admitted it, then things would be messed up.

"Aning, that night was not a dream of mine..." Gu Huaizhi was quick to notice the girl's strangeness and was eager to get an answer: "Right?"

Mu An Ning's eyelashes seemed to tremble even more violently, but she suddenly straightened her back and stopped dodging his gaze. Instead, she looked directly into the boy's dark eyes: "My little girl... doesn't understand what the prince is saying."

Gu Huaizhi's dark eyes were as deep as the sea of ​​stars. After a long while, he spoke awkwardly: "Why?"

They clearly kissed each other, so why did she refuse to admit it?

Mu An Ning suddenly felt the gaze on his face was inexplicably hot, and his breathing was disordered for a moment. Finally, he whispered: "It was just an accident."

Although it was Gu Huaizhi who grabbed her while she was asleep that day, causing their lips to collide, it was ultimately an accident.

It was just an accident, there was no need to make a big deal about it, it was just impoliteness, but as long as the two of them didn't say anything, no one else would know.

However, she inexplicably felt guilty towards Tan Wenhuai.

Originally, June 15th, the day she and Tan Wenhuai were to fulfill their engagement, was approaching soon. But now she was at the border and unable to return to Beijing, and she and Gu Huaizhi did things that only husband and wife could do.

She really didn't know whether she could still be at ease with Tan Wenhuai and go through with her marriage.

Gu Huaizhi felt disappointed for a moment when he heard the girl's soft reply, but soon, he couldn't help but feel happy again. He asked slowly, "Aning, do you still have any feelings for me?"

Mu An Ning's eyes moved slightly, but he neither nodded nor shook his head, he just stood there.

"Aning," Gu Huaizhi's heart sank, and his voice became weaker: "Even a little bit... nothing?"

Mu An Ning didn't say anything, she didn't know.

She suddenly felt that she should not marry Tan Wenhuai.

She saw Tan Wenhuai's feelings for her, but she was aware of the turmoil in her heart. She knew very well that she didn't like Tan Wenhuai.

But she also...didn't want to like Gu Huaizhi anymore.

Even so, the past events, especially the warmth on her lips that day, still lingered in her mind and could not be dispelled.

Mu An Ning's eyes fell on the handsome face of the young man, and he finally said softly: "As the ancients said, a broken mirror cannot be mended."

It is hard to mend a broken mirror and it is hard to make peace.

Besides, the relationship between the two of them wasn't that good even at the beginning.

Gu Huaizhi's face turned pale in an instant, and his voice trembled a little: "Aning, do you really think so?"

Mu An Ning didn't say anything, he just heard the young man suddenly laugh at himself, lowered his eyes and said: "An Ning, I have let you down. The day you broke off the engagement with me, I thought I was very happy..."

"...But I regretted it that day. I have always wanted to marry you." The veins on the back of Gu Huaizhi's pale hands were bulging. If he could see himself back then, he would definitely beat up that stubborn self.

Mu An Ning stared at the boy's almost pale face and was slightly stunned.

I vaguely remember that on the day of breaking off the engagement, his response was that he had no intention of marrying her.

And she had always thought that he must be very happy that he could finally get rid of her as his fiancée.

But he now says that he regretted it that day.

Gu Huaizhi's throat rolled with difficulty, and he couldn't help but repeat what he had said to the girl before: "I used to be happy with you."

Mu An Ning pursed her lips, then suddenly raised the corners of her lips, met the boy's dim peach blossom eyes, and said in a neutral tone: "But the prince said at the time that he only treated me as a sister, and that he would choose his own wife."

Hearing the girl speak, Gu Huaizhi suddenly panicked. He subconsciously took two steps forward and stood in front of the girl, wanting to grab her sleeve, but in the end he did not reach out his hand.

Seeing the girl looking at him indifferently, Gu Huaizhi was at a loss to explain himself: "At that time, I thought...you were no different from Zhiyan. But later I found that I often felt uneasy when facing you, and I was even more confused when I saw you talking to other men. It was like this when I was a child, and it is still like this now."

"I was too stupid at that time. I didn't know that was...love." The fragility between the boy's eyebrows did not seem fake. He looked at her steadily and said seriously: "Aning, I said that I would not marry anyone else in this life except you."

"Aning, I love you." Then, Gu Huaizhi took a deep breath, his eyes sparkling with a hint of barely perceptible pain: "But if you must marry Tan Wenhuai in the future, I can wait... until you no longer like him. Even if you fall in love with other men in the future, I can still wait."

She waited for him so long before he realized her feelings, and now he can wait too.

Although it had only been a few months since the break-up, he already felt very upset, but he knew that this was his karma.

He could wait until one day she changed her mind.

He didn't believe it. He didn't believe that she would love Tan Wenhuai all her life.

After all...she didn't always like him.

But he will always adore her.

He thought, in the end, he would always be able to wait until the day she came back.

Even if it's just the moment before death, it's worth it.

Mu An Ning's heart began to beat wildly, and although his fair face showed no expression, it was slightly flushed red.

It was not because the boy said that he was happy with himself, but because of his words that went against the three principles and five constant virtues.

He actually said that he could wait until the day when she no longer liked Tan Wenhuai.

He knew that if she really married Tan Wenhuai, he would be in love with a married woman.

After a while, Mu An Ning faced the burning gaze and said suddenly, "I don't like Tan Wenhuai."

She previously thought that she might have fallen in love with Tan Wenhuai, but after going through all kinds of things, she realized that she really didn't like Tan Wenhuai.

At that time, she was engaged to him only because of the wishes of her adoptive father and grandmother, and also because it was a woman's destiny and she would marry whomever she wanted.

But now, she didn't want to disappoint Tan Wenhuai's feelings, nor did she want to ruin his life.

She had secretly made up her mind to break off the engagement, and now she had nothing to be afraid of admitting.

However, what she was thinking in her heart was that she would live alone for the rest of her life and no longer like anyone, but Gu Huaizhi was saying at this moment that he would wait for her all his life.

Gu Huaizhi's heart was pounding as he stared at the girl with a red face: "Aning, what did you say?"

Mu An Ning pursed her lips, not wanting to speak any more, and even took a step back unconsciously. However, the young man plucked up his courage, suddenly stretched out his left hand and grabbed the girl's sleeve, preventing her from retreating any further.

Gu Huaizhi's eyes were moist, with disbelief and ecstasy: "Aning, you just said that you don't like Tan Wenhuai."

Mu An Ning wanted to pull back his sleeve, but the young man still held it tightly, so he could only say "hmm" in a low voice.

Gu Huaizhi couldn't stop smiling any longer, he slowed down his breathing and asked tentatively: "So do you like... me?"

Mu An Ning looked away, her eyelashes trembling slightly, but she didn't answer.

If she didn't know her own feelings just a moment ago, now that Gu Huaizhi asked her in person, her heart couldn't stop beating.

The Gu Huaizhi in front of me is not the same as before.

Her love for him was no longer the same as before.

"It's okay, Aning, you don't have to answer." Gu Huaizhi couldn't help but hold the girl's sleeve tighter. His tone was dry, and he swallowed back the pain in his heart: "I am too greedy. I can wait."

Since she no longer likes Tan Wenhuai, he should be satisfied and not ask for too much.

Mu An Ning listened to the boy's forbearing tone and couldn't help but open his mouth, but before he could say anything, a hint of bright red suddenly appeared on the lips of the boy in front of him.

Mu An Ning was stunned for a moment, hesitating to speak: "Prince..."

Gu Huaizhi did not notice anything unusual on his lips, but he felt relieved and bitter in his heart.

An Xin knows that she doesn't like Tan Wenhuai.

Bitterly she didn't like him.

Hearing Mu An Ning speak, Gu Huaizhi looked at the girl steadily, but before she finished speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Mu An Ning's eyebrows were finally filled with worry. He slowly approached the young man who took a step back and wiped the blood from his lips with his hand: "Prince, what's wrong with you?"

Gu Huaizhi suddenly shook his head, his eyes fell on her empty waist, his voice a little hoarse: "Aning, you are not wearing the amulet I gave you... Don't underestimate that thing."

Mu An Ning also looked down, her eyes moving slightly. She had been wearing the amulet, and it seemed to really make her feel a little more at ease.

But when she got up just now, she didn't notice it. Maybe the rope loosened and fell on the couch.

"It must have fallen somewhere." Mu An Ning came back to his senses, not understanding why the young man suddenly mentioned this, and just explained it casually.

Seeing the young man's lips overflowing with bright red, and his left hand already stained red, Mu An Ning had no choice but to take out the silk handkerchief she carried with her and handed it to him: "Prince, what happened?"

Gu Huaizhi's fingertips trembled slightly, and after a while he took the handkerchief embroidered with peach blossom patterns and slowly wiped the corners of his lips.

Smelling the unique fragrance of the girl, Gu Huaizhi smiled and said, "Aning, don't worry about me."

Seeing the girl's brows furrowed even more tightly, Gu Huaizhi said with a bit of grievance: "It's because you said you don't like me..."

Mu An Ning frowned and said subconsciously: "I don't have it."

Not to mention that she didn't say that, even if she did, Gu Huaizhi wouldn't be so fragile that he would be so angry that he vomited blood.

She didn't believe there was no hidden secret.

Could it be related to that amulet?

While the girl was thinking, Gu Huaizhi had already wiped the blood, and the heat in his eyes seemed to overflow: "Since there is no, then... you like it?"

Mu An Ning suddenly came to his senses and realized that he seemed to have fallen into the boy's trap.

She didn't dislike him, she just liked him...

Mu An Ning took a deep breath and asked calmly, "The prince hasn't told me yet, why did you vomit blood?"

Gu Huaizhi still had a smile on his face, no longer panicking, and explained, "I suffered some internal injuries earlier, and I was probably... angry just now."

Mu An Ning choked, and suddenly stepped forward and pulled up his right hand, wanting to take his pulse. Unexpectedly, Gu Huaizhi pulled back as soon as she pulled his wrist.

Mu An Ning noticed the boy's abnormality, his eyes fell on his right arm, and asked again: "Sir, what's wrong with your right arm?"

Only now did she notice that it was already June and Gu Huaizhi was afraid of the heat, but tonight he did not roll up his sleeves, which was unusual for him.

Seeing the young man pursed his lips and said nothing, Mu An Ning thought for a moment, and without caring about the boy's expression, he reached out and carefully rolled up the boy's sleeves.

He was indeed injured, and the injury was not serious. It seemed that it happened in the past two days.

Mu An Ning took a look at the boy's injuries and the gauze that was casually wrapped around his body, and said seriously, "Prince, let me bandage it for you again."

Gu Huaizhi was stunned for a moment, but slowly withdrew his hand and said gently: "No need, Aning, you can rest."

Mu An Ning's heart suddenly jumped, and he remembered something: "Could it be that the prince was injured for me?"

Seeing Gu Huaizhi pursed his lips and said nothing, Mu An Ning immediately guessed something.

The person who saved her during the fire that day was indeed Gu Huaizhi.

He was also...injured.

Thinking of this, Mu An Ning was even more moved, and said without question: "I'll rebandage it for you."

Gu Huaizhi still shook his head and put the girl's silk handkerchief into his sleeve: "Aning, it's getting late, you should go to bed."

The young man stopped talking and turned to leave.

Seeing that Gu Huaizhi was so strange tonight, vomiting blood and injured, and still refusing to reveal the whole story, Mu Anning suddenly felt angry and called out to him, "Gu Huaizhi!"

The boy stopped walking, and heard the girl whisper, "I like you, too."

*

The next day.

As soon as Mu An Ning walked out of the tent, she ran into Gu Ji who was guarding her door.

Gu Ji was stunned when he saw her coming out, then he hurriedly stopped her and said, "Miss Mu, please go in and rest. If you need anything, just let me get it."

Mu An Ning smiled and shook her head, she knew her own body.

She was not overly frightened at all, she just suffered some minor injuries and there was no need for her to stay in the tent every day.

What's more, there is a shortage of doctors in the military camp. Since she didn't return to Beijing, she still had to help wherever she could.

But as she looked at the empty military camp under the sun, her heart skipped a beat: "Where are the soldiers?"

Normally, there are more than just these few people in the military camp, and the remaining ones seem to be seriously injured.

Gu Ji sighed, looked at the blazing sun above his head, and hesitated to speak. But seeing the girl's inquiring eyes, he knew that even if he didn't say it, she probably guessed it a little bit, so he said: "Let's attack Liang today."