The fragrant scent of a woman wafted over, and Mu Wang subconsciously squeezed his eyes shut.
When he realized what the other person had done, he nearly ground his back teeth to bits. "Qu! Yue!"
Qu Yue blushed with embarrassment. She rushed to the shelf, grabbed a towel, and handed it to Mu Wang with a trembling hand. "Sorry..."
"I'm really speechless with you!"
He snatched the towel and covered his whole face with it, rubbing vigorously a few times.
The fragrant scent of the woman filled his nostrils. As the cold towel touched his skin, Mu Wang's thoughts raced out of control.
Qu Yue had also used this towel to wipe her face.
She smelled so nice.
Why was this towel especially soft?
He kept daydreaming stupidly and even forgot to take the towel off his face. He cherished it like a treasure.
But in Qu Yue's eyes, it became evidence that he disliked her.
She pursed her delicate lips to the right in grievance. After hesitating for a long time, she finally mustered up the courage to ask softly, "You... haven't finished wiping your face yet?"
Mu Wang's hand froze. He quickly yanked the towel off and threw it at Qu Yue, like a firecracker that had been set off. "Do you think I wanted to use it?"
Qu Yue let out a soft "eh" and scrambled to catch the towel.
She didn't say a word and quietly tiptoed over to hang the towel back on the shelf.
Looking at the towel hanging high up, Qu Yue felt a twinge of pain. She had carefully selected this towel at the market. It would be a pity to throw it away.
Oh well, she'd use it to clean the furniture from now on.
"You're hanging it back up?" Seeing Qu Yue's diligent actions, Mu Wang's heart skipped a beat.
Did she really have a crush on him...?
Was she even collecting things he had used!
Qu Yue let out a soft sigh. Her eyes were clear and bright. "Yes."
She'd use it to do some cleaning later.
Her innocent gaze made Mu Wang's heart flutter. Something stirred in his heart, and some inappropriate thoughts popped up.
He quickly squashed them and glared at her, growling, "Don't think this will work!"
He stumbled out of the room. The summer night's heat enveloped Mu Wang, but it only made his heart pound even harder.
This restless woman!
He'd never fall for her!
He splashed cold water on his face from the water tank to drive away those inappropriate thoughts. Then Mu Wang obediently returned to the bedroom.
Qu Yue was sitting at the table, fiddling with some herbs. She was startled by the sudden noise of him opening the door. Her delicate body, wrapped in her outer robe, trembled slightly. She looked so pitiful.
Caught red-handed touching Mu Wang's things, she felt embarrassed. She slid off the stool and stood up obediently, her hands clasped behind her back. "What are these for?"
Mu Wang walked up to her. His broad shoulders cast a shadow in the candlelight. "To poison you."
Qu Yue was engulfed by his shadow. Her heart skipped a beat.
Her legs went weak, and she took a few shaky steps back. Her soft voice was full of tenderness. "I... I know you hate me."
She leaned against the wall to support herself. "But killing people... it's not right."
Seeing her keep backing away, Mu Wang felt annoyed.
He raised his eyes coldly, as if he were teasing a poor kitten. He deliberately let out a scoff, with a hint of malice in his eyes. "Do I care about such things when I kill someone?"
Qu Yue's mind went blank. She shrank into the corner, her long eyelashes fluttering. Tears of pity welled up in her eyes. "Mu Wang, don't! Don't kill me! I'll leave!"
Her face was as white as a sheet. The closer Mu Wang got, the more she trembled.
In the end, most of her body was tucked into the corner, afraid of being caught by Mu Wang.
"Scared like this?"
Her state shocked Mu Wang. He had only wanted to scare her and persuade her to give up those inappropriate thoughts. But seeing Qu Yue's panicked expression, he felt a twinge of pity in his heart.
Qu Yue crouched on the ground, hugging herself tightly. She sobbed and pleaded with him, "I'll apologize to you, Mu Wang... Please... don't treat me like this!"
Her eyes, filled with mist, were red. She looked at him so pitifully and aggrievedly.
Mu Wang instantly regretted it so much that he wanted to slap himself ten times.
He was in a complete mess. He crouched down and poked Qu Yue with a finger. "Why are you crying? I was just joking with you!"
The person being poked immediately trembled. Her sobs turned into wails.
"..."
"I really was just joking!" Mu Wang was getting anxious. He scratched his face. "If I wanted your life, why would I have guarded you outside today? Am I just looking for trouble?"
"That stick of incense earlier was the one that was going to take your life!"
Mu Wang told Qu Yue everything he had learned from the pharmacy earlier, word for word.
Gradually, her emotions calmed down.
Qu Yue sniffled. Her fair face was covered in tears. Her beautiful eyes were still filled with lingering fear.
She asked doubtfully, "Really?"
Mu Wang was at his wit's end. He thought to himself why he had been so stupid to scare her earlier. "Do I get paid for lying to you?"
Her voice was thick with a nasal tone after crying. "Don't take my life. I still need to clear my mother's name."
Mu Wang grabbed a corner of his sleeve and held it out to Qu Yue. "Humph, it's not up to me to take your life."
Qu Yue was confused. "Huh?"
"Wipe your face. You're so dirty."
Qu Yue softly retorted, "I have a towel..."
"Didn't I use it!" Mu Wang's first attempt at being nice was rejected. He couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. He raised his voice. "Do you want to use it or not!"
His ferocious expression was so scary that Qu Yue didn't dare to say that she had a few handkerchiefs in her cabinet.
She was afraid that he would really take her life.
She obediently leaned forward and rubbed her face against his sleeve. "Th-thank you."
From Mu Wang's perspective, he could only see Qu Yue's long eyelashes fluttering like a fan. They brushed against the fabric of his cuff, and then her soft, white cheek pressed against it.
He kind of regretted using his sleeve to block.
He quietly stretched out his hand a bit, but Qu Yue stopped wiping.
Annoyed, he clicked his tongue. "Such a hassle."
"Were the things you said just now really true?" Qu Yue was still a bit scared. She followed Mu Wang over to the pile of herbs. "If I drink this, I'll fake my death for a while tomorrow, right?"
"You're not too stupid." Mu Wang picked up the herb bag and walked outside. He set up a casserole in her yard and started a fire to boil the medicine.
The strong, bitter smell of traditional Chinese medicine filled the yard.
Qu Yue thought there was nothing more unbearable than this.
If there was, it would be drinking this bowl of herbal medicine.
She took the bowl and stared down at the dark liquid inside hesitantly...
She swallowed hard but didn't dare to take a sip.
"I've already said I don't want to harm you!" Seeing that she still didn't move, Mu Wang couldn't help but get a bit impatient.
He scooped up a bowl. "Fine, I'll drink it first!"
As he tilted his head back to drink, his Adam's apple bobbed quickly.
Qu Yue let out a soft "eh". "I didn't mean that..."
Before she could finish speaking, he had already finished drinking.
"Drink!"
"Okay." Qu Yue held the bowl that was bigger than her face. She closed her eyes and gulped it down in one go.
The moment the medicine entered her mouth, a strong bitter taste filled her mouth. Her delicate features scrunched up. "I've finished drinking."
"That's better." Mu Wang took the bowl from her hand, washed it, and cleaned up the casserole and other things. When he turned around, he saw Qu Yue sitting obediently at the door, watching him.
"Actually... I never wanted to kill you."
Qu Yue wasn't the type to hold a grudge. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, she smiled generously. "I know."
He sat down awkwardly next to Qu Yue and deliberately moved a bit to the side.
He cleared his throat. "Also, don't even think about leaving the Mu Mansion! You're already married to my elder brother. You're not going anywhere."
His intention was to discourage Qu Yue from always wanting to leave the Marquis Mansion, but to Qu Yue, these words took on a different meaning.
Her face turned as white as a sheet. The conversation from a few days ago suddenly rang in her ears.