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

Gu Hua took a step back and gripped the cloak tightly.

She said in a hoarse voice, "Before, I didn't dare to admit that I took the master's sleeping robe because my clothes... were torn, so I could only take your robe to wrap myself up before leaving. I accidentally tore the sleeve of my robe on the road by a tree branch, so I... I embroidered a flower to repair it."

Mu Junyan stared at Meiyi without saying a word.

Gu Hua hurriedly said, "If my lord is not satisfied, I can compensate you with something."

"pay?"

Mu Junyan lazily raised his eyes, his expression saying, "What are you going to use to compensate me?"

Gu Hua's voice was barely audible: "I can't afford to pay now, I have no money, I... I can..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, her face turned redder and redder, and she was so aggrieved that tears were about to fall.

Mu Junyan: "..."

What did he do?

Why does it sound like he bullied her?

Mu Junyan's anger flared up, and he stood up and walked towards the door: "The embroidery is not bad, no need to pay for it."

Gu Hua cursed herself for being a coward, wondering why she was crying.

She quickly wiped away her tears and followed, saying, "My needlework is quite good; I can make clothes for my lord. What flowers does my lord like... Ah!"

She bumped her head against a firm chest.

Why did that person suddenly turn around?

Gu Hua took a step back, rubbing her forehead with a hint of indignation, and looked up at him.

Unexpectedly, Mu Junyan opened the door, turned to look outside, and said, "It's late at night, and it's not good for a man and a woman to be alone in a room. Go back."

Gu Hua was stunned for a moment, and her nose tingled with emotion.

He is not only a man of great integrity, but also a true gentleman.

She shouldn't have schemed against him.

Mu Junyan didn't see any movement for a while, then turned his head and saw that her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, and she looked pitiful and hesitant.

Unable to bear it any longer, she said softly, "It's alright, everything will be alright."

His voice was unusually gentle, and Gu Hua's pent-up grievances turned into silent tears.

Mu Junyan couldn't bear to press her any further, so he reached out and ruffled her hair: "Just say the word if you need anything. As for the rest, just follow your heart."

The way he spoke to her made Gu Hua feel guilty and conflicted.

How to do?

...Pei Yiniang's scheming, Gu Wanru and her husband's selfishness and cruelty, after her death, the couple lived in harmony and enjoyed the wealth and glory of the Duke's mansion.

What gives them the right?!

She was only fighting to survive.

Gu Hua suddenly let go of her cloak, opened her arms and threw herself into Mu Junyan's arms, hugging his waist tightly without saying a word, her tears falling even more fiercely.

The two were separated by thin clothing, their bodies, one cool and one warm, quickly transmitting their temperature to each other.

Mu Junyan froze, his chest quickly becoming wet. He sighed softly and slowly closed the door.

He lifted Gu Hua's chin, forcing her to look up at him. Looking at her red and swollen eyes from crying, like a pitiful kitten, he felt a pang of pity.

Knowing that she was extremely heartbroken, Mu Junyan naturally wouldn't have any other thoughts.

He took her hand and led her to the soft couch.

Gu Hua's tears were startled back.

The memory of their passionate encounter on the soft couch remains vivid.

Are we getting straight to the point?

A wave of shyness washed over Gu Hua, and she abruptly turned her head to look at the bookshelf.

The portrait of my late wife is missing.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Mu Junyan released her hand and pointed to the teapot on the coffee table: "Have a cup of calming tea to calm down. I have something to tell you."

Gu Hua obediently poured a cup of tea and handed it to Mu Junyan with both hands, looking very docile: "My lord, please have some tea."

Mu Junyan: "..."

She was just pretending to please him; she had no real feelings for him.

He waved his hand and sat down on the soft couch.

With the distance between them, the oppressive and tense feeling lessened. Gu Hua glanced at him, raised her glass, and drank it all in one gulp, instantly calming down.

She had to take this step.

If he is willing to help her, she will do her best to serve him for the next ten days or so.

That's it.

When he travels north again, they will never see each other again.

Seeing that her emotions seemed to have stabilized, Mu Junyan slowly asked, "You really want to be with me?"

With her back to the candlelight, Gu Hua's eyes, washed by tears, shone with an astonishing brightness, as if a flame were leaping within them.

The girl untied the cloak, the purple cloak slipped down, she took a step forward, touched his knee, and nodded without hesitation.

Everything before my eyes was white.

Mu Junyan then noticed that Gu Hua was only wearing a light undershirt and trousers under her cloak, and in the candlelight, the thin, snow-white silk clearly revealed the lines of her flesh...

His blood boiled instantly, but his expression remained unchanged. His indifferent gaze swept over her inch by inch, from her jade-like neck and bare shoulders to her exquisite breasts and slender waist.

Have you gotten bolder?

Gu Hua felt embarrassed when he scrutinized her like that. She tried to cover herself with her hands, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.

His voice suddenly became low and hoarse: "You want to be with me, do you want me to protect you?"

Gu Hua didn't dare look him in the eye and nodded obediently.

In front of such a shrewd and capable man, trying to cover up or lie is pointless.

The flame that Mu Junyan had just started went out a little.

Sure enough, she was just trying to get protection from him.

Mu Junyan released her hand, his tone turning indifferent: "I don't take concubines or marry. I also won't protect a woman without reason. Besides, you are my son's sister-in-law."

The words "sister-in-law" stung Gu Hua.

So ashamed.

Gu Hua remained silent for a moment.

She slowly knelt down at his feet, placing a pair of soft, boneless hands on his knees, her eyes shining with fervent reverence.

"I only ask to stay by your side, my lord, and I'll be willing to be your servant or maid."

The names have changed.

The girl had black hair and red lips, and her eyes were as pure as water, yet she possessed a captivating quality that made it impossible for men to control their desires and resist her allure.

A woman like that would be hard for any man in the world to resist, wouldn't it?

Mu Junyan's voice grew increasingly low and hoarse: "To be a concubine?"

Gu Hua nodded slowly: "Okay."

"Even concubines are not allowed?" Mu Junyan's eyes were deep and unfathomable.

Following him without any official status or recognition is just being a nobody.

Gu Hua stiffened, tears welling up in her eyes again. She sniffed hard, trying to stop the tears from falling.

That pitiful act of pretending to be strong is truly pathetic.

Mu Junyan, as if possessed, reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, softening his voice: "Because of your relationship with Gu Wanru, you can only stay by my side as the second young lady of the Gu family. Do you understand?"

If we take her as a concubine, how will she face Gu Wanru in the future?

A girl who engages in a illicit relationship without a matchmaker will never be able to hold her head high for the rest of her life.

Even if he protects her, can she bear the gaze of the world and the vicious spittle?

Mu Junyan couldn't bear it.

Gu Hua understood, of course.

If Mu Junyan were to publicly accept his daughter-in-law's half-sister, public opinion would overwhelm them, and it would also damage Mu Junyan's reputation.

As the first Duke of the Great Liang Kingdom, Mu Junyan naturally cherished his reputation.

For her, titles and ranks meant nothing.

All she wanted was to survive.

Being Mu An's concubine meant no hope of advancement; she was only to be trampled upon every day.

Being Mu Junyan's woman meant that at least Wen Hanxuan's people, Zhou Zhilan, and Steward Zhou were genuinely good to her.

At least, Mu An and her elder sister would have some reservations.

She had no bargaining chips to offer but her body.

Gu Hua nodded, her voice soft: "I understand. I don't want any title, I only ask for your pity."

The girl's obedient demeanor made her all the more endearing.

Mu Junyan frowned slightly.

Does she really understand that it's for her own good?

"Go back now, think it through before you go..."

"I did not drink any wine today."

Gu Hua boldly covered his large hand with hers, her low, husky voice filled with seduction.

Mu Junyan's eyes darkened.

The man's primal desires surged up again, damn it.

He had seen all sorts of women, but he had never lost his composure like this before. Why was it that he could never control himself when he saw her?

Could it be because she unlocked the valve of her man's burgeoning senses?

Was he suppressing his emotions for too long, and now he's finally unleashing his full potential?

She didn't seem like a scheming woman. From that night of ecstasy to later becoming like an innocent little rabbit, she could only abandon the purity and shame that women value most when she had nowhere else to turn.

Her identity was switched at the age of seventeen. She, who should have been a princess, suffered hunger and cold and was secretly tortured, all without her even knowing it.

The thought of a mother and daughter seeing each other every day but not recognizing each other is painful for him, a grown man.

How did a frail girl grow up in such an environment?

But she was diligent and eager to learn, had beautiful handwriting, and was extremely skilled at needlework.

On weekdays, she also collaborated with a small bookstore in Bianjing, copying books that scholars loved to read but couldn't afford, while doing needlework to earn some money.

She would also secretly get medicine to treat her injuries.

This girl, who has endured so much suffering yet still strives to live, uses her virginity to seduce Mu An, only asking not to become his concubine.

This matter still doesn't work.

She probably wants more than just this; if her ambitions are too great, he's unlikely to agree.

Mu Junyan: "You just want me to protect you, is that all you're asking for?"

Gu Hua nodded.

He didn't believe the little girl wasn't telling the truth.