CHAPTER 274: CHAPTER 287 NO FATE

"Instructor Mu~~"

The soft and tender voice carried a long ending note, like a feather sweeping directly across Mu Xingfeng’s heart. Her pitifully blinking bright eyes made Mu Xingfeng’s body momentarily freeze.

An Ran did not miss that slight change in Mu Xingfeng. With the experience from last time, she knew that although Instructor Mu was rumored to be cold-blooded, in reality, he wasn’t cold at all. As long as she acted coquettishly, he would compromise.

"I think I’m totally acclimated to the water and land of the Imperial City now, with no side effects at all. And every day, the soup Nanny Chen makes is so nutritious that I’m starting to put on weight. Can I stop taking the medicine? Please?"

After speaking, she purposely blinked her eyes again, looking as cute as can be.

Mu Xingfeng forced himself to look away, his thin lips lightly parting: "No."

Damn, An Ran almost cursed. She had gone this far, yet it was still a no? Did her trump card have moments of failure too? Her expression faltered, and she turned her body away from Mu Xingfeng, muttering, "I’m not taking it anyway, do whatever you want."

Seeing her attitude, Mu Xingfeng’s face also turned stern. This little girl always disregarded her health. With him around, he couldn’t let her be willful anymore.

"An Ran, take the medicine. Don’t think I can’t do anything if you refuse."

An Ran acted as if she didn’t hear Mu Xingfeng’s threat, standing up and preparing to go back to her room.

However, as soon as she stood up without taking a step, her wrist was grabbed. With a strong pull, she was thrown back onto the sofa.

From the force behind her and the impact of falling, she instinctively let out a cry. Then, a slightly cool lip pressed against her, along with the strong taste of medicine. Seizing the moment when her mouth was open, the entire mouthful of Chinese herbal medicine was passed into her mouth.

Indeed, seeing that An Ran really wouldn’t drink it, the furious Mu Xingfeng directly drank the medicine himself and then forcefully poured it into her mouth.

"Mmm..."

The rich taste of the medicine and the bitter sensation on the tip of her tongue made her want to spit it out. But the man in front of her seemed to know her intentions, kissing her intensely until all the medicine flowed down her throat and the taste in her mouth faded.

An Ran was choked by the medicine, feeling uncomfortable, her eyes were red, more out of grievance. For the first time, she had the urge to push the man in front of her away.

Mu Xingfeng’s eyes darkened, pinning down her errant hands, raising them above her head...

Today, when he returned home and saw the little girl had prepared a table full of dishes for him, he had wanted to do this.

That feeling of coming home and having someone carefully prepare food for you, seeing your happily excited expression, giving you food, and feeling happier watching you eat than eating herself, made him want to tie this person to his side, never letting her go.

Mu Xingfeng tried his best to suppress it, but still couldn’t control his desire for more.

"No... please... don’t..."

Feeling the girl in his arms trembling almost spasmodically, Mu Xingfeng finally stopped. When he looked up, he saw the girl staring at him with wide eyes, an empty look in them.

"Please... don’t..."

The girl muttered helplessly with her pale face, as memories she had purposely buried resurfaced, tears silently falling...

Mu Xingfeng’s mind buzzed, the sight of her pale face and helpless tears burning his heart again. What was he doing? He had already hurt her once.

Mu Xingfeng awkwardly got up, kneeling on one knee, his hand still holding the girl’s small hand. This time, not just pinning down her wrists, but gently holding her hands in each of his palms.

"An Ran, An Ran, it’s me, don’t be afraid, An Ran, look at me..." Mu Xingfeng gently massaged her small hands, calling lowly, fearing he would frighten the already scared girl.

Finally, An Ran lowered her eyes, looking at the man in front of her, tears falling streak by streak.

Mu Xingfeng was completely flustered, stretching out to wipe her tears, his voice even carrying a slight tremble: "An Ran, I’m sorry, I won’t force you to take the medicine anymore."

He never expected that just forcing her to take medicine would...

It was all his fault. He never knew how much the last incident had hurt her until that moment when the girl trembled so violently in his arms, her fear resonating deeply within him.

And he almost hurt her again.

When An Ran clearly saw the person in front of her, the feeling of despair and suffocation also faded. She calmly raised her hand, wiped the tears from her face, and spoke indifferently: "Sorry Instructor Mu, I’m tired, I want to sleep for a while."

"I’ll take you upstairs."

Mu Xingfeng stood up, wanting to carry the little girl, but she avoided him.

"I can do it myself." After saying this, An Ran walked straight to the second floor.

Watching her slender back, Mu Xingfeng felt a pain in his chest that was ten times worse than taking a bullet. How could he make it up to his girl?

In the Lin Family of the Imperial City, after Lin Ruonan and Lin Junyang returned home, they were immediately summoned to the study by Old Mr. Lin.

"Nan, I told you to take care of that Mu boy, didn’t I? How could you just run back to the troops without a word? Do you know this is a critical time?" Old Mr. Lin knocked on the table, looking exasperated.

"Grandpa, I wanted to take care of him, but he said he didn’t need me and asked me to leave. What else could I do?" Lin Ruonan said despondently.

"He told you to leave and you just left? Isn’t there still your grandpa here? How could you listen to him so easily?" Before Lin Ruonan could answer, he turned to Lin Junyang: "And you, kid, wasn’t it your job to keep an eye on that boy? What were you doing? Where did he find a woman?"

This morning, Old Mr. Lin had heard from a comrade that the Mu boy had brought a girlfriend home. Old Mr. Lin, who had planned to arrange an engagement upon his granddaughter’s return, was shocked. The news was a huge blow. He had waited so long, only to have an unexpected rival appear now. How could he not be furious?

"Grandpa, how could I know if Brother Mu found a girlfriend?" Lin Junyang scratched his head. This had nothing to do with him, right? He was merely caught in the crossfire.

"What do you mean? Don’t you follow him around every day? If you kept a closer eye on him, would he have had the chance to find a woman?" Old Mr. Lin angrily banged the table.

Lin Junyang’s mouth twitched. He really had no chance to intervene in the matter of Tuzi.

"Alright, Grandpa, don’t get mad. Since things are like this, just let it be. Xingfeng and I have no fate." Lin Ruonan spoke up from the side.

"Just like that? You’re going to watch him marry another woman and not feel sad? How could Grandpa not know how you feel? Fate is something you fight for, feelings are cultivated over time. I refuse to believe he has true feelings for that woman he’s only known for a few months."

"Grandpa..." Lin Ruonan’s eyes reddened at Old Mr. Lin’s words. How could she not be heartbroken? When she heard this news, her heart shattered. But what could she do? If Mu Xingfeng had even a little feeling for her, would this be the outcome? No matter how unwilling she was, what difference would it make?