Chapter 192 – A Doll That Had Been Torn Apart 1 (2/2)

Ji Man seemed as if she hadn't seen Mu Shuiqing's stunned look. She went inside, got her pillow, and went to the neighboring courtyard to sleep.

Mu Shuiqing briefly hesitated before entering the main room.

Once upon a time, she had loved Marquis Moyu. But, it was too difficult to get his heart; he had always been guarded against her. In order to fulfill the crown prince's task, she would only gradually get further and further apart from Ning Yuxuan.

So what if she had a flower-like beauty that was as beautiful as the moon? So what if he had been momentarily mesmerized by her dancing? The moment she lost her value, hadn't she been reduced to her current ghastly appearance?

Mu Shuiqing knew that she didn't have the power to do anything right now. She just wanted to see him. This man, who carried the responsibility of countless lives on his back, was he at death's door now?

Right after she stepped into the room, before her feelings had time to disperse, Mu Shuqing saw Marquis Moyu sitting at the desk. He didn't look like a sick patient infected with smallpox at all. Instead, he seemed perfectly fine.

He looked at her with a devastatingly beautiful smile. “Qing-er.”

Mu Shuiqing's pupils contracted. Her feet felt frozen in place. She could only blankly look at him.

---

By the time Ji Man had woken up from a restorative nap, it was already noon. Liu Hanyun had prepared lunch and was placing the dishes on a small table.

“Awake?”

Ji Man nodded. She did feel somewhat hungry. She glanced at Liu Hanyun, who had her usual expressionless look. Ji Man obediently got up, brushed her teeth, and sat down at the table. “Why were you the one cooking?”

“If someone else cooked, would you be willing to eat that food?” Liu Hanyun pursed her lips. Her face, which didn't have any makeup, felt as familiar as an kindly, older sister figure from a neighboring family.

Her choice of words was pretty interesting. Ji Man picked up a pair of chopsticks and looked at her. “Why should I trust the food that you cooked? It's not impossible that you would want to harm me too.”

“Don't eat it then.” Liu Hanyun's voice didn't sound angry at all. She calmly said, “Wait and have Guibai cook for you.”

Ji Man hastily stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth and swallowed it down with some rice. “Haha, let's not bother him.”

Liu Hanyun looked at her oddly, then she placed a food box on the side of the table and said, “Madam, when you visit the marquis later, you can bring this with you. Although this food isn't as rich as the food in the marquis's main estate, it'll be better for him to eat simpler foods while he's sick.”

Puzzled, Ji Man asked, “Why don't you go there yourself? It's usually rare for you to have a chance to see him. There aren't many people here, and no one is competing for favor right now. Why are you still avoiding the marquis?”

Liu Hanyun paused. She faintly smiled and said, “This servant isn't avoiding him. It's just more convenient for Madam to bring the food over. This servant still has work to do.”

This person… Ji Man shook her head. Should she say that Liu Hanyun was just too used to being a servant. Or, was she a person that was able to stay detached from earthly affairs? Liu Hanyun was quite interesting. It was truly rare for a person like her to exist in the marquis's household.