First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

Mu Lingye's lips still bore the red marks left by their passionate kiss on the carriage.

Being stared at so intently by Mu Lingye, who seemed oblivious to everyone else, made it impossible for Gu Junxi to remain focused.

Besides, as long as someone takes care of Zuo Chengfeng, that person doesn't necessarily have to be himself.

Moreover, proper avoidance is the only way to help Zuo Chengfeng move on from his feelings for her as quickly as possible.

If there is no future, don't give hope.

Don't give them even a little bit.

Gu Junxi nodded and silently retreated to the side.

Ning Haitang was used to her daughter's rudeness, but she still couldn't help but frown and question her.

"Mu Qingfu, what's going on? Why did you push Young Master Sang Zuo for no reason? What did he do to offend you?"

Ning Haitang also had a headache. Her daughter had a reputation for being shrewish, and she was already so old and still hadn't gotten married. If things continued like this, she was afraid she would never get married in her lifetime.

Mu Qingfu's lips moved slightly.

Yes, but I can't say.

She thought of the kiss that had unexpectedly led to their collision, and whether it was just her imagination or not, her lips suddenly felt a little numb.

She barely managed to restrain herself from touching her lips, raising an eyebrow and clapping her hands in a show of feigned nonchalance.

"Zuo Chengfeng hasn't offended me in any way, except he almost caused Xixi a terrible disaster. Let him say that himself. Xi'er, go fetch a basin of cold water and pour it on him to wake him up."

Mu Qingfu's few words aroused everyone's curiosity.

Xi'er immediately went to fetch water, but Gu Junxi stopped her.

Gu Junxi believed that Mu Qingfu would not joke about her affairs.

But she didn't believe that Zuo Chengfeng would hurt her.

There might be some misunderstanding inside.

We'll have to wait until Zuo Chengfeng regains consciousness to find out exactly what happened.

Gu Junxi took out medicine from her purse: "I have some hangover medicine here, so there's no need to fetch water."

Gu Junxi wanted to give the medicine to Zuo Chengfeng, but halfway through, Mu Lingye naturally reached out, took the medicine, and fed it into Zuo Chengfeng's mouth.

Gu Junxi had no choice but to withdraw her hand.

Mu Qingfu obediently took out a cup of tea and rudely poured it into Zuo Chengfeng's mouth.

"Cough cough cough..."

A series of coughs rang out, and Zuo Chengfeng's drowsy eyes gradually cleared.

He clutched his chest and looked up, only to meet several pairs of eyes staring at him.

Zuo Chengfeng had no recollection of what he did while drunk.

He only remembered feeling very sad and frustrated, and just wanting to vent. He vaguely remembered meeting Mu Qingfu at the restaurant. Other than that, his mind was completely blank.

Zuo Chengfeng wiped away the tea stains from his lips with his fingers, making his already red lips even more crimson.

Mu Qingfu's gaze inadvertently fell on it, and her face flushed again. She deftly drew the whip from her waist and pressed it against Zuo Chengfeng's neck: "Tell me, what's the story behind that bottle of medicine that Zhao Shuer's lover gave you?"

"How did you know that Zhao Shu'er's lover gave me the drug?" Zuo Chengfeng was startled, and the alcohol completely sobered him up.

Mu Qingfu pursed her lips, and seeing Zuo Chengfeng admit it, she sneered and recounted all the things Zuo Chengfeng had drunkenly complained about in the alley.

Su Li sat quietly in her seat, initially in a state of watching the show unfold. However, when she heard Mu Qingfu suspect that the medicine given by Qingyanzi was a Gu worm, her expression faltered slightly and her face changed.

She gently tapped her fingers, which were resting on the edge of the table, on the red beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Zuo Chengfeng only realized the seriousness of the matter when he heard Mu Qingfu suspect that it was a Gu worm.

Faced with so many pairs of eyes, some angry, some disappointed, and some trusting, waiting for an explanation, his throat felt as if it had suddenly been blocked, and he could no longer utter any words of excuse.

Zuo Chengfeng's shoulders slumped, and he dared not look Gu Junxi in the eye.

"Xixi, I'm sorry, I did intend to drug you. You... hate me, don't you!"

During this period, Zuo Chengfeng was constantly immersed in and struggled with his own feelings, almost losing his way.

But his inherent sense of justice, kindness, and responsibility has always guided him and kept him from straying from the right path.

Gu Junxi smiled and shook his head, then asked in return, "Why would I hate you? You're my sworn brother! I believe that even if my cousin hadn't found out about the medicine today, you wouldn't truly believe me, right?"

Wouldn't he? He didn't know, but facing Gu Junxi's trusting gaze, Zuo Chengfeng couldn't bear to disappoint her.

He couldn't look Gu Junxi in the eye: "I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize to me, you didn't do it." Gu Junxi emphasized, raising her eyes as if the matter was over, and analyzed the situation to everyone.

"Zhao Shu'er's man knows how to use Gu poison, so he must be someone special. The fact that he could instigate Chengfeng to drug me clearly shows he has ill intentions. We need to find a way to find him as soon as possible. After all, there's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days!"

With Gu Junxi's interruption, everyone went along with it and no one pursued Zuo Chengfeng's responsibility any further.

After all, everyone knows that Gu Junxi owes Zuo Chengfeng two lives.

One should be lenient when possible; at most, Zuo Chengfeng's actions can only be considered attempted crime.

Mu Qingfu's temper flared up, and she complained impatiently, "Is that person born in the Year of the Rat? They can hide so well, and there's still no clue after a whole year."

After Qingyanzi escaped from the Gu family mansion, Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye never gave up searching for him.

No matter how hard we searched, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Gu Junxi knew that Mu Qingfu was concerned about her, so she smiled and pressed Mu Qingfu to sit down in her seat.

"Don't worry, cousin. As long as that person still wants to do evil, he will slip up even if we don't go looking for him. It's just a matter of time. I will pay special attention to what I eat from now on!"

This is the only way to do it for now, since there's no better solution.

Mu Qingfu compromised, picked up the chopsticks on the table, and seeing Zuo Chengfeng still standing there dumbfounded, she glared at him again.

"Why aren't you sitting down? Are you going to stand here like a doorman? You're more trouble than you're worth. If it weren't for you, that bottle of medicine wouldn't be missing. Why did you have to throw it away? Otherwise, you could have brought it back and had Father or Xixi examine it. That would have shown us whether the medicine contained Gu worms or not!"

Zuo Chengfeng felt guilty and was also genuinely afraid of Mu Qingfu.

He obediently sat down silently beside Zuo Qingfu. His eyes occasionally drifted towards Gu Junxi with a mixture of guilt and confusion.

Mu Qingfu noticed Zuo Chengfeng's actions, raised an eyebrow, placed a piece of green vegetable in Zuo Chengfeng's bowl, and forcefully commanded: "Don't look around while you're eating!"

Zuo Chengfeng immediately ate the vegetables obediently, and after finishing, he didn't understand why he had to be so obedient.

Zuo Chengfeng wasn't the only one confused; Gu Junxi, Ning Haitang, and even Ning Hanshuang all felt that Mu Qingfu was treating Zuo Chengfeng very differently tonight!

Mu Qingfu has a straightforward personality, but she never likes to meddle in other people's business. Tonight, Mu Qingfu not only cared whether Zuo Chengfeng sat down, but also about what he ate.

Most importantly, when Zuo Chengfeng, drunk, threw the medicine, Mu Qingfu, despite her skill, didn't catch it immediately. She had to go back to find it.

During this time, something untold must have happened between Zuo Chengfeng and Mu Qingfu.

They see through it but don't say it; a few people understand each other without saying a word.

Su Li's thoughts were not on Zuo Chengfeng and Mu Qingfu.

She ate the food in her mouth as if chewing wax, finding it tasteless and bland.

Mu Qingfu's mention of Qingyanzi made her relaxed heart tense up.

To hide himself, Qingyanzi retreated into seclusion and hadn't contacted her even once in nearly a year.

She blended into the Ningyuan Marquis's residence and almost forgot that she didn't belong there at all.

She is someone who cannot even control her own life or death. She doesn't know when Qingyanzi will summon her again and take back the beauty before her. The best way is to stay sober and not indulge in it!

Su Li put down her chopsticks and stood up: "I'm full!"

No one dared to utter a single word as they watched Su Li leave.

The farce at the autumn banquet proved that Su Li was right, but neither Gu Junxi nor Ning Shuang dared to mention finding a husband for Su Li again, for fear of upsetting and hurting her. They just wanted to let things take their course so that Su Li could be happy!

As long as Su Li is happy, Gu Junxi and Ning Hanshuang would accept it even if Su Li never marries.