Forced love, an inescapable fate

Seeing his expression, Mu Qingli couldn't help but burst out laughing. This laugh made the wound on her body hurt even more. Her hand unconsciously pressed on the wound, and her face suddenly turned pale.

Jiang Ci was startled and blamed himself, "I'm sorry, sister, I didn't mean it, I..."

Mu Qingli waved her hand. "It's okay, it's okay. Just take it easy. It's just that your current image doesn't match your expression just now."

Seeing Jiang Ci looking at her with a worried look on his face, the scene before her seemed to overlap with the scene in Dongli Town when she was guarding Jiang Ci who was suffering from the poison attack. The only difference was that their positions had changed.

Mu Qingli's eyes gradually softened. Although the person in front of her was much more mature than before, he was still the person she was familiar with.

Just like before in Dongli Town, she raised her hand to touch Jiang Ci's head, but found that she could no longer reach it. When Jiang Ci saw her hand reaching out, he lowered his head tacitly.

Touching Jiang Ci's hair, Mu Qingli couldn't help but sigh: "Brother, you've really grown up. I almost didn't recognize you when I saw you for the first time. Three years isn't a long time, but it feels like a long time. I thought I wouldn't have the chance to see you again, but luckily, I was able to save my life. It's great to see you again."

As she said these words, tears welled up in her eyes unconsciously. Five years ago, she was carefree and life and death were not that important to her. But now it was different. She had ties in this world, so the moment she was stabbed and fell to the ground, she was actually still very scared, afraid that she would never see those she cared about again.

Jiang Ci held her hand, then pressed her hand tightly against his face, his voice softer than ever before.

"Sister, it's okay. You can trust me. I promise that this won't happen again. I will protect you, just like you protected me before. I won't let you get into danger again. No matter who it is, no one can hurt you."

During the time when Mu Qingli was in a coma, he did this action countless times and said these words countless times, so he was naturally very skilled at it.

If it were before, Mu Qingli would not think there was anything wrong with his action, but the person in front of her now was no longer the little prince who needed her care in Dongli Town.

Jiang Ci was already eighteen years old, a grown man, and now he exuded the oppressive aura of a superior. Even though his eyes were still the same as they had been in Dongli Town, Mu Qingli could still sense it. Although they had always called each other brother and sister, they were not actually siblings. Moreover, now that they were in Shangjing, they were watched everywhere, so she had to avoid suspicion with him.

Mu Qingli pulled back her hand a little embarrassedly. With her action, Jiang Ci realized that his previous action was indeed a bit too intimate, but his eyes couldn't help but darken because of Mu Qingli's action of pulling her hand away.

Mu Qingli didn't notice his gaze and said a little awkwardly, "Brother, now that we're in Shangjing, we're being watched everywhere. We can't be as casual as we were in Dongli Town. Besides, we're all grown up now, and we're not siblings anymore. For your own good, we should avoid suspicion in the future."

Jiang Ci's expression was calm. He was stunned for a moment, then with a faint smile on his face, he said softly, "I know, sister. I will pay attention. I was abrupt just now."

Seeing that he looked calm, Mu Qingli felt that she might have thought too much. Just as she was about to explain, she heard the voices of Feng Zong and An Ran coming from outside the door.

After hearing the voice, Jiang Ci stood up and stood aside.

When Feng Zong and An Ran arrived, they saw Jiang Ci in the room and were not surprised, because Jiang Ci's mansion was very close to here, and they also saw how much he cared about Mu Qingli during this period.

Just as the two were about to salute, they were stopped by him.

"There's no need to be so formal with you two. We're all family."

But the two of them still bowed in a standard manner before going to look at Mu Qingli lying on the bed.

The arrival of the two also made Mu Qingli's heart warmer, especially Feng Zong. Seeing the man who had been unconscious for more than a month looking at him with a smile, he couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.

Because of the incident when Mu Qingli was sent to Qi State as a hostage, he already felt that the Feng family owed her a lot. However, he did not expect that at the critical moment of life and death, the person he felt so indebted to would block the knife for him. If something really happened to that person, he would probably live in guilt for the rest of his life.

As for An Ran, she and Mu Qingli had a deep relationship during the three years in Sifang City. Now that she saw that the man had finally woken up, her eyes couldn't help but turn red, but she still held back her tears.

But when he spoke, his voice couldn't help but choke, "Ali, you finally woke up."

Mu Qingli looked at the two of them, and tears flowed out again.

"Brother, Sister Anran."

Her lips were trembling and her voice was trembling uncontrollably.

An Ran leaned over and sat beside the bed, gently wiping her tears, smiling with tears in her eyes, "I'm glad you woke up. Do you know how worried we were during the time you were in a coma, and how much your brother blamed himself. Fortunately, you are safe, otherwise your brother would have lived with self-blame and guilt for the rest of his life."

Mu Qingli's shoulders were still trembling slightly. With Anran's comfort, she slowly calmed down.

Feng Zong knelt in front of the bed, his eyes slightly red. Even without saying a word, Mu Qingli could feel his mood at the moment.

She held back her tears and smiled to comfort him, "Brother, I'm fine, don't worry. We are each other's relatives. The situation was urgent at the time. If it were you, I think you would save me without hesitation. So brother, don't blame yourself or feel guilty. I have never blamed you before or now. Besides, I have a strong life. I was able to escape from the royal family of Qi alive. I can naturally survive this minor knife wound. I am also looking forward to attending your wedding with Sister Anran. I have shed too many tears today. You can't make me cry anymore, otherwise my eyes will really swell up like walnuts."

Jiang Ci felt a tightness in his chest as these words of comfort fell into his ears. He then glanced in Mu Qingli's direction, smiled self-deprecatingly, and turned away.

So they are family members, and they can block the knife for others without hesitation, but when they see themselves, they have to avoid suspicion.

None of them noticed Jiang Ci had left, still immersed in the joy of Mu Qingli's survival. They talked for a while, and when they saw Mu Qingli's face turn slightly pale, An Ran and Feng Zong reluctantly told her to have a good rest. It was then that they noticed Jiang Ci had left, but they didn't think much of it.

He called the maid who was guarding outside and carefully instructed her to take good care of the child. Only then did he reluctantly prepare to leave.