Mu Qing’s words were like a stone tossed into still water, stirring up a thousand ripples.
Her mother, Madam Bai, was the first to falter. Her legs went weak and she nearly collapsed to the ground—thankfully, Bingtang and Xueli had received Mu Qing’s earlier instructions and were already standing beside their mistress. They reacted instantly, catching her from both sides and preventing an incident.
Her father, Master Mu, was also caught completely off guard. Though he was a man who had seen a lot in his life, even he staggered back two steps before steadying himself. His face remained composed on the surface, but his beard was trembling, and he was panting hard.
It took him a long moment to catch his breath, after which he immediately scolded Mu Qing sternly: “This is outrageous! Marriage is a serious matter, how can it be treated as a game? Do you even know what kind of man he is, and you dare pledge yourself to him on your own? Do you even still have a father in your eyes?!”
Ah, here it comes!
The legendary roaring dad mode… has arrived!
Who would’ve thought her father—usually the gentle, amiable type—could also be so full of fire? Such a double standard. When she found a man she liked, it was “making rash decisions,” but when he saw Dragon-AoTian and took a liking to him on the spot, matchmaking on the fly, it was “parental decree,” was it?
Sure, technically, that is how it works. But… sorry, dear father, she really didn’t want it this way. With that plot pit looming, there was no way she could sit still and obediently follow your “arranged marriage” and end up with Dragon-AoTian.
She had always known that, as a side character in this book, the moment she came into contact with the protagonist’s halo, things were bound to go south. She just didn’t expect that when this moment finally came, it would be this inevitable.
Luckily, she had prepared well, ready to burn her bridges if necessary. Otherwise, things might’ve gotten a lot harder to manage.
Of course, she couldn’t exactly say all that out loud.
Even though her parents doted on her, pulling a “decide first, report later” maneuver when it came to marriage was still a bit much. So first things first—calm them down.
Seeing how furious her father was, on the verge of fainting, Mu Qing immediately put on her most obedient expression, stepped forward to help him sit down, served him tea with a smile, and apologized repeatedly.
Meanwhile, she secretly shot her husband a look—the signal that it was his cue to take the stage.
They say you raise an army for a thousand days for a single battle. This moment was precisely what their contract had accounted for. Her husband had better not mess it up now.
Mu Qing was a little nervous and a little hopeful as she looked at her husband, praying he wouldn’t fumble anything.
This was no rehearsal—it was live combat. Please, husband, do not disappoint.
Her husband, however, truly didn’t let her down. He stepped forward and bowed respectfully: “Father-in-law, mother-in-law, Feng Qing and Qing are sincerely in love. Though I come from humble origins, I vow to never fail her in this lifetime. I humbly ask for your blessing.”
He hadn’t spoken until now, but the moment he did, he immediately captured everyone’s attention.
After all, with a face that stunning, paired with a voice so cool and graceful and mannerisms so refined—it was like he walked straight out of a dream.
Master Mu and Madam Bai exchanged a glance. The son-in-law did look decent and acted properly—not like some swindler. Their expressions began to ease considerably.
Mu Qing also jumped in at the right moment, sweet-talking and explaining their whole story of “how they met,” “how they got to know each other,” and “how they fell in love.”
She was a born persuader. With help from her personal maids Bingtang and Xueli, and support from her elder brother Mu Hai, it didn’t take long for her to thoroughly convince her parents.
Given that he’d also saved her life, and they’d spent three whole days and nights alone together in the wild, it would be hard to explain not getting married after all that.
Alright then. The son-in-law didn’t seem like a bad person. His background might be lacking, but the Mu family had money—that was enough.
And with how headstrong their eldest daughter was, bringing a husband into the household seemed like the best outcome.
They had money, so they could afford to do as they pleased.
Their precious daughter, pampered for eighteen years, could not be allowed to suffer—not in the slightest.
Besides, Young Master Liu was also a fine man, and they had originally intended to recruit him as a live-in son-in-law. But now that their daughter had made her own choice, and this Feng Qing fellow didn’t seem any worse, they might as well go with it.
Once they accepted this setup, Master Mu and Madam Bai began to look at the new son-in-law with increasingly kind eyes. Honestly, the more they looked, the more they liked him—and to be frank, just judging by appearances, this new son-in-law looked even better than Young Master Liu. No wonder their daughter liked him.
Even better, despite everything that had happened, this young man hadn’t taken advantage of their daughter. Clearly, he had good character. For a family like theirs, that was more than enough. The rest didn’t matter.
Master Mu and Madam Bai settled into their seats and smiled warmly at the new son-in-law. It looked like this dramatic “secret marriage” storm was about to pass peacefully.
But just then, the long-silent Young Master Liu suddenly opened his mouth:
“Miss Mu faced chaos without fear—truly a heroine among women. Young Master Feng, acting with bravery and restraint, honoring virtue and decorum, has my deepest respect.”
It was just a few words—but oh, what words.
On the surface, it sounded like praise for both Mu Qing and her husband. But the implication was clear: the two were merely “husband and wife in name,” with no substance behind it.
What a cunning move. It was just enough to remind Master Mu and Madam Bai not to make any hasty decisions and to keep their options open. After all, there were still other premium stocks available on the market.
Whether it was the power of his protagonist halo or simply a sharp read on their parental instincts, Young Master Liu’s single line completely reversed the situation.
The marriage between Mu Qing and her husband, which had seemed all but sealed, was now floating in limbo.
You had to admit, the maneuver was masterful—if only she weren’t the female lead in this particular mess.
As Young Master Liu gave her the classic “You’ve caught my attention, woman” smile unique to protagonists, Mu Qing felt as though ten thousand beasts stampeded through her soul.
Seriously… what’s so great about her?
Was it really just because her family was loaded?
Okay, fine. Her face wasn’t bad, exactly… but still.
Honestly, Mu Qing really wanted to say: Big Bro Dragon-AoTian, you don’t have to do this. This is really just the beginning, there’s no need to get hung up on me. I already have a husband. Let’s not make this awkward, okay?
You’ll meet plenty of beautiful women later—tons of them. Every type you can imagine. Compared to them, this proud and willful young lady really isn’t much.
In fact, she’s not even that proud, and definitely not tsundere. Don’t just judge the surface—you’ll only be disappointed.
Unfortunately, while Dragon-AoTian was powerful, he didn’t have the ability to read minds. So as he received Mu Qing’s death-glare of frustration, he simply returned it with a confident smile that said: Victory is mine.
Ugh.
Mu Qing silently withdrew her gaze and turned to look at her husband. Ah, such elegance, such refinement—now that was a real feast for the eyes.
Alright then.
Even if Dragon-AoTian refused to give up, she was already taken. And in the matter of marriage, as long as the first attempt failed, it was unlikely to succeed later.
After all, her parents may have wavered just now, but as long as they didn’t blurt out an arranged marriage on the spot, she was confident she could win them back over time.
First impressions were important, but winning hearts later was still possible.
And as far as she was concerned, her husband had already taken root in her heart. They’d faced life and death together, spent long days and nights at sea—this wasn’t some illusion. Her brother Mu Hai, her maids, and the entire trade caravan could all vouch for it.
There was no doubt about who the real son-in-law was.
As for her parents—just give it some time. They’d come around. They’d see how good he was.
After all, even if it had started as a contract, she hadn’t picked him randomly.
As the daughter of the prestigious Mu family, she might not claim impeccable taste, but she certainly wasn’t far off. And compared to Young Master Liu, this husband of hers had far better overall qualities. As long as her parents didn’t get too dazzled by Liu Feng’s protagonist glow, she was sure to succeed.
And if she remembered the story correctly, Young Master Liu didn’t have much time to linger here anyway.
This September, he was set to enter Baihe Academy and begin his journey toward the imperial exams. Not only would he pass with flying colors, he would also take the academy director’s daughter, Miss Qin Qin, as his secondary wife.
The timing fit—he’d be leaving soon.
As the protagonist, of course he would focus on his grand ambitions. He wouldn’t waste too much time chasing after one woman.
And with all the women he was destined to meet, Mu Qing had every reason to believe he’d soon let go of this ungrateful girl and walk his destined path of glory.
To help nudge him along, Mu Qing figured it was time to give him a subtle reminder.
She happened to have the perfect opportunity—technically it was her responsibility anyway, but hey, why not put it to good use?
With that thought, Mu Qing smiled and turned to call her ever-quiet little genius brother, who had been standing silently nearby:
“Ah Jiang, how are your studies going lately? Your big sister passed by Baihe Academy on her way to the capital and brought back a little gift just for you.”
