For some reason, when Shi Muyuan heard the words "childhood sweethearts", she suddenly felt a splitting headache. Something seemed to be on the verge of surfacing, but she quickly suppressed it.
The man, of course, didn't miss her reaction just now. When he spoke again, there was a hint of concern in his tone that he didn't even notice.
"If Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is not feeling well, I'll go and invite a doctor for you."
"No need. I must have caught a chill accidentally before, which is why I have a bit of a headache. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. As for you, since you haven't seen your childhood sweetheart for so long, you two should have a good catch - up."
After saying that, she shook her head and left. The man stared at her back, lost in thought.
Qiao Meng quietly took out a pill and swallowed it. It was self - made and wouldn't be detected by anyone, but the ingredients in it could help her recover faster and were beneficial to her health.
After doing all this, she pretended to be weak and spoke.
"Brother, I didn't expect you still remembered me. I thought you had long forgotten about me."
There was a hint of grievance in her eyes. Just one look was enough to fill the man's heart with guilt.
"What happened to the Qiao family was so sudden. At that time, I actually wanted to look for you. But by the time I finished dealing with my affairs and rushed there, your Qiao family was in ruins, and even the door was sealed."
It was the first time he showed his vulnerable side in front of someone. However, this didn't stir up any emotions in Qiao Meng's heart. Yes, she came back this time for revenge.
She wanted the man in front of her and the entire Great Liang Empire to pay the price.
"Brother, you can't be blamed for what happened back then. Although you were in a high position, the late emperor took into account the friendship between our two families and sent someone to hold you back. All of this was the doing of that fatuous emperor. It has nothing to do with you."
On the surface, she was extremely understanding, but deep down, she was seething with hatred.
As she had expected, Cui Qizhou felt even more guilty after hearing these words.
"I'm sorry, Meng'er. It's all my fault. Don't worry, from now on, I'll never let you get hurt again. No one in this world can bully you now."
Qiao Meng rushed into his arms affectionately, hugging his strong waist.
"Brother is the best to me. Just now I heard brother tell the Empress Dowager that you would take me back after I recover from my injuries. Is it true?"
Her timid look made the man firm in his decision.
"Of course it's true. I've always reserved a room for you in the backyard. All the decorations in it are your favorites before. I'm sure you'll like it when you see it."
"Brother still knows me best. I'll surely take good care of myself these days."
As she said this, she lay on her side on the bed and soon fell asleep.
The man tucked the quilt in for her and left the room with a doting look on his face.
Just as he closed the door, a voice came from behind him.
"Master Cui, with your brilliant reputation, surely you don't think your childhood sweetheart's appearance is just a coincidence?"
Yes, not long ago, because Shi An was always worried about his sister traveling far away, he came here after making arrangements there.
He stared into the man's eyes, hoping to find something wrong.
But he was disappointed.
He didn't know if this man was good at disguising, but he found nothing.
Instead, the man straightened his face. "Meng'er has been growing up under the care of her father, brother, and me since childhood. She has never been scheming. You've misjudged her, Young Master Shi. She is the one I've sworn to protect for life. I won't tolerate anyone's trampling and suspicion. I'll put this on record first. Please don't forget it, Young Master Shi."
The atmosphere between the two was extremely tense. It seemed that another word would start a fight. Fortunately, they both retained a shred of reason.
Shi An snorted and tilted his head slightly. His gaze seemed to penetrate the door and look inside.
"I hope the person you're protecting is really the one in your heart and that she remains the same as before. Otherwise, you may be working in vain."
"Thank you for your reminder, Young Master Shi."
The voices of the two gradually faded away. However, these two highly skilled martial artists never noticed that there was a figure crouching on the other side of the door all the time.
Qiao Meng never intended to really fall asleep under their supervision. She had to be on guard against being caught with a handle one day.
Fortunately, she didn't fall asleep just now. Now she knew that apart from Cui Qizhou, no one else believed her sudden appearance.
However, she didn't care about this at all.
Even if no one believed her now, one day, she would make those people believe that her appearance was natural.
...
Time passed in a flash. Half a month had gone by in the blink of an eye. During these half - months, Qiao Meng was not only recovering from her injuries but also constantly on guard against Shi An's probing.
Many times, she had wanted to kill that man, but she finally held back.
Shi An couldn't die now. She had to think of a way to make this man die a worthy death.
On the day of their departure, she panicked and shouted in her room, quickly attracting others.
Qiao Meng was naturally delicate and charming. Now her eyes were red, looking like a little white rabbit, which aroused the man's desire to protect.
"Meng'er, what's going on? Was there someone else in your room just now?"
Even though those people were already dead, Cui Qizhou was still afraid that she would be retaliated against.
The answer finally made the man breathe a sigh of relief. However, after hearing her next words, his heart tightened again.
"I was packing up my things just now and found that all my personal clothes, which were properly placed in the room, have disappeared."
This was no small matter. It might harm Qiao Meng's reputation. She was a woman after all. If her reputation was ruined and word got out, people would point fingers at her on the street.
Having received a good upbringing since childhood, she surely couldn't bear it.
So, the man took this matter seriously.
"Did you see any suspicious people entering or leaving your room? Or did you notice anything strange when you first came in?"
"No. Everything was the same as usual. Qingqing helped me organize things. She knows about it too."
The maid beside her curtsied and slowly said, "No suspicious people came into the room today, Master Cui."
"If there really were no suspicious people, then how could these things disappear?"
He kept asking, and finally, Qiao Meng remembered something.
She covered her mouth and widened her eyes.