When returning to Jiangnan from the capital, Mu Qing could be described as “eager to get home.”
After all, before setting out she had already received a piece of news explosive enough to make her want to detonate on the spot. From that moment on, her heart had no longer been in anything she did.
Because the news had come too suddenly, leaving her with an ominous feeling.
Her father, Master Mu, though a little soft-hearted, would never make such a hasty decision when it came to her lifelong happiness.
And he definitely wouldn’t spread it around so loudly before even a single word of a marriage contract had been written. This time, though, it felt as if someone had fed him a potion of persuasion—he was acting almost frantic, as if the matter was already nailed down.
What could get him so excited, so impatient that he couldn’t wait for her to come home before sending word thousands of miles away to announce this “tremendous good news”? She didn’t even have to guess.
It had to be that Dragon-AoTian. He had finally shown up.
He came bearing his protagonist’s halo.
While she had been grinding hard in the wilderness, he had gone straight to her house to backdoor the tower.
It was… a little heartbreaking.
But she wasn’t going to back down.
Mu Qing steadied herself against the table, took a moment to collect herself, and then instructed Bingtang:
“This matter—I know what I’m doing. You and Xueli keep your mouths shut. Don’t let a word of this leak. You’re not little girls anymore, don’t go around being careless like when we were kids.”
Bingtang nodded, glanced at the neighboring room, and couldn’t help but lower her voice to ask, “Then, about our Young Master…”
Still calling him “our Young Master,” huh… It seemed her husband was truly something. In such a short time, he had already won over her trusted maid, who cared for her like the apple of her eye, enough to see him as family.
That was good.
At least she had a few allies now.
Fortunately, she’d planned ahead and brought her husband into the open. Otherwise, she really would’ve been stuck playing defense.
Now both sides had cards in hand—why should she be afraid? Let’s fight head-on.
Thinking of her husband, Mu Qing’s mood quickly lifted. She calmly sent Bingtang out, called Xueli in for a few more instructions, then returned to her room to rest.
The next day, her elder brother Mu Hai arrived, clearly having rushed back early after hearing the news—a full half-day ahead of schedule.
He carefully asked about the letter from home, and Mu Qing, not one to beat around the bush, simply took her husband’s arm and posed in a display of unwavering devotion.
Seeing this, Mu Hai sighed and agreed to her request to “hold the line” and not inform Master Mu for now—at least until they returned home and saw how things stood.
Though he had always followed their adoptive father Master Mu’s lead and trusted his judgment, Mu Hai truly believed that this current son-in-law was already excellent. There was no need to go looking for another.
The only concern was… would their adoptive father even accept a son-in-law who hadn’t come through “parental arrangement” or “matchmaker’s word,” but had been chosen by their eldest daughter herself?
Mu Hai cast a worried glance at Mu Qing, but she appeared completely at ease—even cheerful.
As for Mu Qing’s new husband, the other central figure in this “son-in-law storm,” he was even more composed than she was.
Mu Hai scratched his head, thinking to himself: these bookish types really are different. Somehow, their calm demeanor was contagious… Well, in any case, it was the eldest young miss’s life. As long as she was happy, nothing else mattered.
The group, each with their own thoughts, had no desire to linger in Tongzhou. They soon set off for Jiangnan.
Thanks to her husband’s presence, the journey back was far easier on Mu Qing, and her seasickness symptoms had greatly lessened.
She gradually came to realize that beyond her physical constitution, her overly sensitive sense of smell and taste were major culprits behind her motion sickness.
Long voyages by water left the cabin full of unpleasant odors, and the smell of the river was no better. Onboard, she had nowhere to escape to and was bombarded by these sensations every day until she was nauseated and dizzy.
Fortunately, with her husband around, everything was resolved.
Not only could he relieve her discomfort by massaging specific acupoints, the faint fragrance he always carried with him was just the antidote her nose needed.
Most importantly, because her condition was so severe, he even allowed her to lean against him for support… Which, by rounding up, practically counted as a hug.
It was wonderful.
Their “loving couple” act was becoming more and more convincing.
As a contract partner, her husband was absolutely impeccable. Even putting the contract aside, he was a flawless man.
Mu Qing sincerely thanked him, then threw herself back into her strategy planning.
She had thought her early maneuver had won her the upper hand, but Dragon-AoTian had pulled out this card after all—how terrifying. Luckily, she wasn’t fighting alone anymore, and she was confident she could win.
Half a month later, Mu Qing returned safely to the Mu family estate in Jiangnan, where she reunited with her father, her mother, her younger brother—and the legendary Dragon-AoTian protagonist himself.
At first sight, Mu Qing couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: as expected of a protagonist with a charm stat maxed out at birth, he really did have that magnetic aura.
Her father, Master Mu, beamed as he stepped forward, offered some concerned greetings, and then got straight to the point:
“Miao’er, come take a look—this is Young Master Liu Feng. He’s the same age as you and is a great benefactor to your father.”
Oh?
Why is it always a great benefactor?
Didn’t she just skip going to the capital—how did they end up connecting?
So this plot came with GPS and auto-navigation? No matter how you tried to divert course, it would always steer you back onto the main road? Impressive.
But if they thought that alone would make her surrender, they were sorely mistaken.
Mu Qing smiled slightly and, with perfect composure, greeted the Dragon-AoTian protagonist:
“Greetings to Young Master Liu. Thank you for your righteous aid to my father. I am deeply grateful.”
Liu Feng looked at the delicate beauty before him and gave a signature smile—cool and graceful, with just a hint of roguish charm.
“Miss Mu is too polite. It was merely a small matter, not worth mentioning.”
Master Mu stood to the side, his expression a mix of gratitude and admiration, and looked ready to announce an engagement right there on the spot. But Mu Qing beat him to it:
“Father, with Young Master Liu’s help, you’ve escaped danger. This is truly a great blessing. While I was away in the capital, I too made some worthwhile gains—and I’ve brought back a surprise for you and Mother.”
Huh?
What surprise?
Master Mu and Madam Bai were stunned and looked at her curiously. But the man who had been the center of attention—Young Master Liu—suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Regardless, Mu Qing’s words had drawn everyone’s attention, which was exactly what she wanted.
With all eyes on her, she smiled gently, took the hand of the man beside her, and in a voice both shy and clear, declared:
“Father, Mother, this is Feng Qing—the husband fate has destined for me, the one I’ve chosen for this life.”
