Xie Yi was startled, and the hard candy rolling on his tongue was suddenly swallowed whole, choking him into constant coughing.

“Are you alright?” Su Mu gently patted his back, her tone full of unstoppable gentle laughter: “It’s just eating candy, how can you choke on it?”

Xie Yi was choked to tears, and it took a while to recover.

He pointed outside, then pointed at Su Mu: “He, Su Mu, not good to you.”

Su Mu smiled: “You mean that man is not good to me?”

Xie Yi nodded.

“Thank you.” Su Mu smiled softly. Even though he couldn’t understand anything, he was still willing to speak up for her.

Xie Yi saw Su Mu smile at him and felt relieved.

To gain the master’s trust, the first element is to take sides, and to take sides blindly. Only in this way will the master fully trust you, and this way he would be one step closer to returning to the great desert.

“For you.” Su Mu took out a small bottle for him: “Hong hua oil.”

Xie Yi looked strange.

Su Mu pointed at his knees: “Medicine, Hong hua oil.”

By the time Xie Yi came to his senses, Su Mu had already left.

He opened the bottle, and a pungent medicinal smell rushed in. He poured a little on his hand and applied the liquid to a bruised patch on his knee.

Kneeling on the cold and damp ground all morning, the chill was like needles with legs, drilling into the flesh and bone of his knees bit by bit, causing a cold, sharp, and astringent pain.

As the medicine slowly spread, it was as if a comfortable flame was burning on it, driving out all the hidden cold from the bone crevices. The originally cold and sharp pain was instantly relieved, and his body also warmed up.

Xie Yi tightly clutched the small medicine bottle and quietly pushed open a crack in the door.

His dark green eyes looked out through the small door crack. Su Mu had her back to him, dressed simply and plainly, standing tall and straight, her long ink-black hair falling down her back, the ends tied with a hair ribbon.

The next moment, she changed her posture, picked up a book from the table and sat on the edge of the bed. Her side profile was soft and beautiful, her pale and delicate fingertips turning the pages of the book.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew in, lifting Xie Yi’s long hair hanging on his chest. For a moment, he seemed to smell the ink fragrance from her books.

Xie Yi’s heart pounded, and with a bang, he shut the door tightly.

“Lord, the young mistress absolutely refuses to remarry, and is unwilling to cooperate with you to continue concealing. What should we do?” As soon as they left, Ling Hua became anxious.

If Su Mu doesn’t cooperate, it means that Yan Zhujun’s current property is in danger and could be seized by the collateral branches at any time. Those are all a bunch of wolves and tigers, they might not even give the lord a place to live.

If it really comes to that… Ling Hua dared not think further.

Yan Zhujun’s mind was buzzing in chaos. At this point, he didn’t know what to do.

He had lived a privileged life for a lifetime, and he absolutely could not let himself fall into a miserable end.

Yan Zhujun gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the cane: “Let’s go back.”

“Yes.” Ling Hua agreed verbally, but his heart had already sunk halfway. What could they do by going back? The master before him was about to become even worse off than a servant like himself.

He’d better find a way out for himself early.

“There’s still one way.” Yan Zhujun sat in the carriage, his expression more serious than ever before.

“What way?”

“When Su Mu and Jiyue signed the divorce papers, they didn’t invite the clan elders to witness. It was just the two of them discussing privately in the room.”

“…You mean, let the young master change his mind?” Ling Hua felt this matter was a bit strange: “The young master was so determined to divorce, how could he change his mind?”

“He has no choice.” Yan Zhujun roared angrily: “If he doesn’t agree, beat him until he agrees. If he doesn’t open his mouth, pry it open. Make him testify that Su Mu changed her mind and forced him to sign the divorce papers. The divorce can’t be valid no matter what.”

His eyes were red and fierce, as if he had already seen the future days of poverty and bullying by everyone beckoning to him.

Ling Hua was startled by his appearance, and timidly added a sentence: “What if even then, the young master still doesn’t agree?”

“Doesn’t agree? Then make him marry again,” Yan Zhujun trembled with anger: “I absolutely cannot let those beasts snatch away Ting’er’s family property.”

Ling Hua swallowed in fear, not daring to ask further. He thought to himself that even tigers don’t eat their cubs, but the lord has really been blinded by wealth and power, twice sacrificing the young master’s happiness.

This young master’s life is not as free as a servant’s.

But thinking about it, ever since Young Lady Yan Ting accidentally passed away, Yan Zhujun’s mind has not been quite right.

Although Yan Zhujun doted on the young master, it was more like neglect than doting. Because the lord put all his energy and care on Young Lady Yan Ting, that was what you’d call treating someone like his life. After the young lady passed away, the lord aged a dozen years all at once.

The carriage sped towards the Yan mansion. Before the horse woman could even put down the stool, Yan Zhujun rushed straight towards the Handan Courtyard.

Yan Zhujun pushed open the door fiercely, but before he could speak, he heard Xiao Ping crying out: “Lord, it’s terrible, the young master has a high fever and is unconscious.”

“Where’s the doctor? Has a doctor seen him?” Ling Hua hurriedly asked.

Xiao Ping nodded: “The doctor has already seen him. Hua Lu is currently brewing medicine for the young master, but the young master is still unconscious and talking nonsense, and can’t be woken up no matter how we call him.”

“What nonsense is he talking?”

Xiao Ping choked for a moment, then said: “The young master keeps calling the young mistress’s name.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a hoarse “Su Mu” reached Yan Zhujun’s ears.

Yan Zhujun walked over with his cane and saw Yan Jiyue’s face was pale white, as if all the blood had been drained from his body. There was not a hint of color, his eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and his fingers were anxiously clutching the bedsheet.

“Su Mu, don’t go, I was wrong.”

“Su Mu, I’ve come to accompany you.”

“Su Mu-”

The intermittent voice was weak and haggard.

Yan Zhujun smiled coldly: “When they weren’t divorced, they were like enemies every day, no matter how much persuasion. Now that they’re divorced, he puts on this deeply affectionate appearance.”

Ling Hua’s heart was also clenched. Wasn’t that right? If he had been like this earlier, wouldn’t it have been better? What’s the use of regretting now? The young mistress has already left and won’t come back.

After watching the doctor give the medicine to Yan Jiyue, Yan Zhujun left with Ling Hua, leaving Xiao Ping alone to attend to him.

Just as he was taking the medicine bowl out and coming back, he suddenly saw Yan Jiyue, who had been unconscious, sit up.

“Young master, you’re awake?” Xiao Ping said softly.

Yan Jiyue, who had just woken up from his coma, was shocked to hear the voice and looked at him: “…Xiao Ping? Why are you here? Aren’t you already…?”

“What happened to me?” Xiao Ping asked, confused: “Young master, I’ve been here all along. You’ve been in a feverish coma all morning, you’ve finally woken up.”

“What time is it now?” Yan Jiyue grabbed Xiao Ping’s wrist and demanded.

“Today is the seventh day of the sixth month.”

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked you what year is it?” Yan Jiyue’s tone was stern.

Xiao Ping tremblingly replied: “Young master, what’s wrong with you? It’s the ninth year of Tian He.”

“The ninth year of Tian He?” Yan Jiyue slowly released Xiao Ping’s hand, his lips murmuring: “The ninth year of Tian He, the year Su Mu and I got married. Su Mu, Su Mu-”

Yan Jiyue’s expression gradually filled with joy that was difficult to describe in words. He got out of bed, his bare feet stepping on the cold floor: “Where’s Su Mu? Where is she? Right, Luofeng Courtyard, I need to go to Luofeng Courtyard to find her.”

Xiao Ping was at a loss due to his sudden change: “Young master, have you forgotten? You and the young mistress have already divorced.”

“What did you say?” The foot that was about to step out of the door suddenly retreated. Yan Jiyue turned back, the eyes full of joy instantly became gloomy.

Xiao Ping suddenly felt afraid: “You…”

“Say it again.” Yan Jiyue tightly gripped his collar, the light in his eyes intimidating.

Xiao Ping was terribly afraid and said tremblingly: “You divorced the young mistress last night.”

“Impossible.” Yan Jiyue slapped Xiao Ping, like a vengeful ghost: “You’re lying to me. Su Mu and I were husband and wife for ten years. How could we possibly divorce when we’ve been married for less than half a month?”

Until the day Su Mu died, she never divorced him. He and Su Mu, living together and buried together.

“It was you, wasn’t it.” Yan Jiyue choked him, his cold fingers like a chilly wind strangling: “You vile creature have always coveted Su Mu, trying every way to climb into Su Mu’s bed. It was you who instigated this, wasn’t it?”

He’s gone mad, gone mad.

Has the young master gone delirious from the fever? What does he mean by he and the young mistress being married for ten years? What does he mean by coveting the young mistress?

Su Mu’s appearance is extremely good-looking, but how could he disregard a man’s face and climb into Su Mu’s bed? Has he gone mad?

Xiao Ping was so scared that his hair stood on end, his whole body’s blood turning cold: “Young master, how would I dare to do such a thing that only lowly male prostitutes would do? Have you forgotten everything? Last night in Luofeng Courtyard, it was you and the young mistress who bit your fingers together and signed the divorce papers!”

“Nonsense!” Yan Jiyue frowned angrily, still unwilling to believe, thinking Xiao Ping was lying to him: “Where is Su Mu? I want to see her.”

Xiao Ping could only tell the truth: “Su Mu left the Yan mansion after divorcing you last night. She should have returned to her original residence.”

“Original residence?” Yan Jiyue couldn’t remember where Su Mu lived before marrying into the family. His prejudice against Su Mu was too great at that time.

“It’s at the end of Luoyan Lane,” Xiao Ping said.

Yan Jiyue released Xiao Ping and, despite still having a fever, rushed out like a madman.

Xiao Ping hurriedly chased after Yan Jiyue. Hua Lu, who was guarding the courtyard gate, saw this and quickly ran to report to Yan Zhujun.

Sitting in the carriage, Yan Jiyue kept recalling the scenes from his previous life. Not long after Su Mu died, he followed her.

Fortunately, heaven took pity on him. Yan Jiyue had never been as grateful to the heavens as he was today.

Because of his arrogance in his previous life, even though he and Su Mu were husband and wife, they missed out on ten years of marriage, allowing that vile Xie Yi to take advantage and come between them as a couple.

Now that he has been reborn, he absolutely won’t give that little vile man another chance.

He will hold Su Mu tightly in the palm of his hand, cherish her, and dedicate his whole heart to her. He will never again treat her badly or give her the cold shoulder like before. They will become the most loving couple under heaven and have a pair of adorable children.

Just thinking about the happiness he had always longed for being within reach, a smile appeared on Yan Jiyue’s face as he sat in the carriage.

He lifted the curtain, looking at the scenery rapidly passing by outside the window, praying in his heart, hurry, hurry faster.