Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

Mu Junyan took Gu Hua to a villa outside the city.

Akabane and his few guards stayed behind, while the Black Armor Army all withdrew to their camp.

Gu Hua was held in Mu Junyan's arms the whole time, and she leaned against his warm chest in a daze, letting him carry her into the room.

It wasn't until I was put on the bed that I realized I was in an unfamiliar place.

"This is?"

“This is one of my villas.” Mu Junyan opened her hand and found that her palm had been cut by a dagger.

"Applying the medicine will hurt, so please bear with it."

Gu Hua nodded.

Mu Junyan sprinkled the hemostatic powder into her palm. She gasped in pain, and her fingertips involuntarily curled up.

Mu Junyan paused slightly, glanced at her, and then took out gauze to gently wrap her up.

"It must not get wet."

"Mmm." Gu Hua didn't dare to look up, her eyes filled with tears, and she tried her best to respond in a calm tone.

She wanted to hold back her tears, but then she thought of her tragic death in her past life, the near-death experience she had just gone through, and how her arrogance had almost implicated Mu Junyan.

Gu Hua began to regret using Mu Junyan and felt sorry for him.

She had endured so much grievance and complicated emotions, and at this moment, like a river bursting its banks, she couldn't stop her tears from falling in a steady stream.

She didn't want Mu Junyan to see her weakness, so she covered her face with her hands.

Mu Junyan sighed softly, pulled her hands apart, placed his large hand on the back of her head, and pressed her head against his chest.

The girl's tears quickly soaked his clothes.

After letting her cry for a while and calm down, Mu Junyan said softly, "Rest here tonight, and go back to the manor after you wake up tomorrow. I have already sent someone to fetch your two maids and Shen Li."

His thoughtfulness brought tears to Gu Hua's eyes, and they streamed down her face.

It's so nice to have someone who cares about you.

Mu Junyan held her cold little hand: "Are you cold?"

Gu Hua nodded honestly: "A little."

Mu Junyan suddenly picked her up and strode outside, startling her. She gasped softly and quickly reached out to hug his neck to steady herself.

"My lord..."

Mu Junyan paused, glanced at her, and said, "Calling me Duke is too formal."

Gu Hua froze, her face flushed, and she lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye. She obediently called out, "Master."

"Ah."

Mu Junyan still seemed dissatisfied, but he didn't say anything more and carried the person away.

"Your clothes are not here; they will be brought when your maid arrives."

Gu Hua didn't know what to say, so she remained silent, her eyes secretly glancing around.

This is a very exquisite courtyard, complete with pavilions and towers, and there is a strange smell about it.

Turning left and right, passing through the covered walkways, gardens, rockeries, and pavilions, Gu Hua finally understood what she was smelling when she arrived at the backyard.

It turns out that the huge room deep in the backyard was actually a hot spring pool.

The hot spring is a rectangular pool with white marble edges. It is surrounded by wooden frames with white gauze curtains hanging around it. Flying goose lanterns stand around the pool, casting a soft light that reflects the rising white mist, creating a dreamlike scene.

"Soaking in a hot spring can relieve your fatigue and warm you up."

Mu Junyan learned from Shen Li that Gu Hua appeared to be an ordinary person, but her long-term consumption of contraceptive soup and nourishing herbs had caused her internal organs to become very weak.

She suffered from uterine coldness due to the contraceptive soup, her hands and feet were always cold, and she was prone to night sweats.

He originally intended to have Shen Li accompany him to recuperate for a period of time after he left.

She seemed too frightened today, so I thought I'd bring her here for a soak to calm her down.

Mu Junyan put her on the ground and reached out to undo her belt.

She was still wearing her stage costume.

Gu Hua frowned slightly.

A voice inside her warned her that she should stop tempting and taking advantage of him.

Mu Junyan keenly noticed her change, immediately let go of her hand, and looked down at her: "If you can manage on your own, I'll go out."

Gu Hua took a step back and respectfully curtsied to him: "Your Excellency, you've worked too hard today. I can manage."

Mu Junyan frowned, watching her without moving.

Helpless, Gu Hua gritted her teeth and began to undo her belt.

In her haste, fearing the loose costume would fall off, she tied two knots tightly.

The stinging pain in my palm when I untied the knot made my fingertips tremble slightly.

Mu Junyan was a little annoyed. He reached out and grabbed her belt, pulling her forward.

The petite woman pressed herself against his body, and suddenly froze.

Mu Junyan ignored her, forcefully pulled off the belt and threw it on the ground, then went to take off her outer costume.

Inside was her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). Mu Junyan used his hand to loosen the bow on the waistband of the ruqun, and the dress fell to the ground, piling up at her feet.

Wearing only a strapless top and panties, Gu Hua quickly whispered, "Sir, I can manage."

Mu Junyan gave her a scrutinizing look.

It turns out that she was unwilling from the bottom of her heart.

In the past, all the flattery was to achieve my goals.

Mu Junyan never liked to force people to do things against their will, so he took a step back and nodded: "Okay, I'll go get some clothes for you to change into temporarily."

He took two steps, then turned back: "Don't get your hands wet, otherwise we'll have to reapply the medicine."

Thinking of the pain she had just experienced, Gu Hua's fingers trembled slightly involuntarily: "Okay."

Gu Hua breathed a sigh of relief once Mu Junyan was out of sight.

The hot spring exuded warmth, and Gu Hua also wanted to soak in it to relieve her fatigue and relax.

However, feeling insecure in an unfamiliar environment, she dared not undress.

Besides, Mu Junyan just said he was going to bring clothes over.

She didn't know why, but when she deliberately approached him, she mustered up the courage and abandoned all sense of shame to let go without a care in the world. However, when the two of them were seriously together, she always felt ashamed.

After a moment's hesitation, he stepped onto the stone steps and slowly walked into the hot spring pool.

She carefully placed her arms on the edge of the pool, letting the warm spring water soak her body. Gradually, the chill in her body dissipated, and her tense mind relaxed.

Really comfortable.

Gu Hua squinted, feeling her body enveloped in warmth.

After an unknown amount of time, I suddenly heard footsteps and was startled awake. I turned my head and saw Mu Junyan with clothes hanging in one hand and a food box in the other.

Gu Hua instinctively pulled her hand away, and her whole body sank into the water.

Mu Junyan approached, glanced at her hands that had been submerged in the water, and sighed silently.

I told her not to get her hands wet, and now look what happened—she just put them in the water.

Moreover, she went into the water wearing close-fitting clothes.

Is she afraid he'll see her body?

"These are all my clothes. You've gotten your underwear wet, what will you wear when you come upstairs?"

Gu Hua was stunned.

A fair face suddenly flushed red.

Even after spending this time with her, she remained cautious and reserved in his presence.

Mu Junyan felt somewhat helpless.

The young woman's thoughts were truly unfathomable, and he was unwilling to force her, even if it was for her own good.

He placed the clothes he was carrying on the chaise lounge beside him, put down the food box, and squatted down to look at her.

"Without underwear, you must be very uncomfortable wearing my oversized robe, right?"

Gu Hua imagined the scene, her face turned even redder, and she stammered, at a loss for words.

Moreover, she felt that he was blaming her.

Seeing her expression, Mu Junyan didn't know if she was shy or genuinely didn't want to undress in front of him, so he didn't want to force her.

"Are you hungry? They cooked some millet porridge. They're all rough men who've been on the march and fighting, so they don't know how to make fancy food. They had some millet stored here, so they cooked some. Perfect, have a bowl to warm your stomach."

Gu Hua could only nod obediently.

But he remained motionless, squatting by the pool and staring at her. His wet clothes clung to his body, and how could she possibly go up to him?

Mu Junyan didn't speak, but opened the food box and stirred the still very hot millet porridge inside with a spoon.

The two of them stood there, one squatting by the pool stirring the porridge, the other standing blankly in the pool, not knowing what to do.