Accompanied by this delicate scolding, Li Mu opened his eyes.

He turned his face and glanced at Luoshen. Seeing her sweep aside the bed curtain and climb down from the bed, bare feet stepping into a pair of embroidered shoes, standing before the bed with a displeased expression staring at him, he slowly sat up.

Luoshen’s gaze fell upon his chest, and she suddenly widened her eyes.

“Ah!”

She quickly raised both hands to cover her eyes.

“Put your clothes on properly!”

Her tone carried embarrassment and indignation. After shouting, she turned around.

Li Mu looked down at himself.

His inner garment hadn’t been fastened properly, and as he sat up, the front had fallen open.

He straightened it and said: “It’s done.”

Luoshen slowly turned her face back. Seeing that he had indeed arranged his garment front properly, covering the bare chest from before, and was now sitting cross-legged on the couch with his eyes looking at her, she steadied herself before turning around completely and glaring at him again.

This person—whether he was asleep or awake, smiling or not smiling, speaking or silent—every single part of him from head to toe was disagreeable to look at.

The more she looked, the more disagreeable he became!

“What is it?”

He asked.

“I’m asking you—the matter my elder brother mentioned today, why did you refuse?”

Her tone was stiff.

“So it’s about that.”

Li Mu gazed at her tightly tensed pretty face, revealing a smile.

“It’s my fault. I should have discussed it with you first. It’s just that when your elder brother asked so suddenly, I didn’t think much about it and spoke immediately.”

Luoshen looked at him sideways with a cold expression.

Li Mu’s tone remained unhurried: “As for the reason, I’ve already explained it to your elder brother. Right now I’m in the upper reaches, and things are going fairly smoothly. Moreover, General Yang has shown me the grace of recognition…”

“Li Mu, why exactly did you scheme so deliberately to insist on marrying me?”

Luoshen was impatient to hear him repeat these things to her and interrupted his words.

“You saved my younger brother, and originally my Gao family was very grateful to you. Apart from this matter, no matter what other request you made, my father would have gladly agreed. But you insisted on making things difficult for me, making things difficult for my entire family!”

The more Luoshen thought about it, the angrier she became. Suddenly remembering what she had inadvertently heard from A’Ju during the day, the image of Third Miss Xie appeared before her eyes, and she couldn’t help but snort: “Didn’t you already have someone you were discussing marriage with before? Abandoning her after creating chaos! What do you take me for? Your seeking to marry me—what exactly are you plotting?”

Li Mu seemed somewhat surprised, looking at her without speaking for a moment.

“What are you staring at me for? Do you think I’m afraid of you?”

Luoshen lifted her chin high: “I’m going to scold you! Li Mu, you heartless person! Li Mu, you’re utterly shameless!”

Li Mu raised an eyebrow: “Where did you hear that I had someone I was discussing marriage with before?”

Luoshen sneered coldly: “What’s this? You dare to do it but don’t dare admit it? Isn’t that person Third Miss Xie?”

The smile at the corner of Li Mu’s lips gradually disappeared, his gaze shifted slightly, and he suddenly stood up, walking toward her.

He stopped in front of her, his dim shadow cast by the candlelight behind him, completely enveloping Luoshen.

Luoshen stopped speaking but didn’t retreat. Instead, she thrust out her chest even more and lifted her head to stare at him.

“Who told you that Third Miss and I were discussing marriage?”

His tone remained gentle, but his expression was very serious.

“Never mind who it was! Do you dare say it’s not true?”

Li Mu said: “Of course it’s not true!”

“Third Miss’s father was the master of Xie Family Fortress back then, and had mutual support arrangements with my late father across their two territories. The Xie family was destroyed before my Li family. Third Miss was still young then and took refuge with my Li family along with her relatives. Several years later, my Li family also unfortunately fell, and we supported each other as we came south to Jingkou. From childhood to now, I’ve regarded Third Miss like A’Ting. Two years ago when she turned eighteen, I formally recognized her as my sworn sister, with several sworn brothers all witnessing this. Everyone in Jingkou knows about this matter, and my mother has long been clearly aware of it. Where does this talk of discussing marriage come from—”

He paused, and his gaze fixed on Luoshen became sharp.

“Where did you get this information that led to such a misunderstanding?”

Under his piercing stare, Luoshen’s earlier confidence seemed like a punctured ball, slowly deflating.

The two looked at each other for a moment. She bit her lip and finally lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, saying reluctantly: “Your words sound nice! If you have a clear conscience, then when Third Miss came today and I saw her off, why did she show her sadness in front of me?”

“Did you personally hear my mother mention in her conversation that I was heartless toward her?”

Luoshen couldn’t answer.

“Could it be that your servants heard some words and then came to tell you?”

Having A’Ju send someone to secretly follow and eavesdrop on Li Mu’s mother and Third Miss Xie, though originally intended to protect her mistress, was actually an extremely improper act when examined closely.

Speaking seriously, it meant the Gao family people didn’t know proper etiquette.

Although such mutual spying on private affairs was commonly staged in even the most noble households during inner courtyard disputes, and was nothing surprising.

But conducting such acts secretly and being caught red-handed were completely different matters.

Luoshen knew perfectly well that her side was in the wrong this time, and gradually felt guilty.

In front of him, however, she refused to show weakness, forcing herself to appear calm, only turning her face aside and biting her lip without speaking.

Li Mu looked at her, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

“Your servant women secretly spied on my mother and overheard a few sentences, then came to tell you—their loyalty to you is indeed commendable. But such presumptuous behavior cannot happen a second time in the future! Rather than secretly listening and spreading gossip, it would be better to be open and honest and ask my mother directly.”

His tone remained peaceful, without a trace of anger, but the meaning of reproach in his words was extremely obvious.

Luoshen’s chin remained lifted, and she didn’t look at Li Mu, but her pretty face slowly flushed completely red.

Li Mu glanced at her: “If there’s nothing else, go to sleep!”

After he finished speaking, he waited for a moment. Seeing her still standing stubbornly in that same posture, motionless, he seemed somewhat helpless. After thinking for a moment, he turned to the candlestick and extinguished the flame.

“I’ve put out the light. Get in bed and sleep.”

As soon as the light was extinguished, the tears that had been gathering in Luoshen’s eyes for so long suddenly rolled down.

Being deflated like this in front of Li Mu and being lectured by him in such a manner, she felt incomparable shame and vexation, yet couldn’t lash out anymore.

Earlier she had only been trying to maintain her pride under his watchful eyes, but now with the light extinguished and him unable to see, the tears of shame and long-accumulated grievance could no longer be held back.

She still stood there, crying alone.

After a while, the person who had already lain back down on the couch seemed to sense something and got up again, lighting the lamp.

Li Mu looked at her condition and shook his head: “Still not going to sleep?”

Luoshen remained motionless, her tears falling even more fiercely, as if she were a person kneaded from water.

Li Mu watched her stubbornly lifting her chin while continuously shedding tears, frowned, and suddenly strode toward her.

Before Luoshen could react, her body felt light and her feet left the ground—she was lifted up entirely.

Luoshen was greatly startled, her heart beating rapidly. She shouted “Let me go!” and then instinctively struggled with all her might, frantically hitting him with her hands and kicking with both feet. The embroidered shoes on her feet flew off.

Li Mu seemed completely unaware, placed her lying flat on the pillow, took one of her handkerchiefs, then sat on the edge of the bed, slightly leaning forward and reaching out as if to wipe her tears for her.

Luoshen’s face flushed even more crimson. She snatched the handkerchief from his hand and wiped herself roughly a few times, then turned her face away and closed her eyes, refusing to look at him.

Li Mu covered her with the quilt.

“Having you marry down to me, my mother already feels very uneasy in her heart. In the future, regarding any matters of my Li family, if you have questions, just ask directly. She will certainly not deceive you.”

“Don’t overthink things. Go to sleep.”

His tone was very gentle. He tucked the quilt corners around her, stood up, and lowered the bed curtain.

Luoshen quietly opened her eyes and saw him bend down to pick up her two embroidered shoes that had been kicked off earlier, placing them back in front of the bed. Then he went to extinguish the light again.

The sound of him getting onto the couch reached her ears, and the room became quiet.

That night, Luoshen felt shame, guilt, and vexation. Her tender feelings churned within her like a hundred rivers, making it difficult to fall asleep. When she got up the next morning, she wanted to see Li Mu even less.

Fortunately, he seemed quite perceptive and didn’t hover around her, getting up early and leaving the room.

He had to see Gao Yin off from Jingkou early in the morning.

Luoshen suppressed the turmoil in her heart and also got up. A’Ju, Qiongshu, Yingtao and others came in to serve her with washing and grooming.

A’Ju could arrange hair beautifully. After dismissing the maids, while combing Luoshen’s hair, she asked in a low voice: “Young mistress, when Li Langjun returned last night, I heard some commotion from your side. Was there some matter?”

It would have been better not to mention it, but bringing this up made Luoshen’s mood even worse. She turned toward A’Ju.

“A’Ju, I know you mean well toward me, but in the future, don’t have people do what they did yesterday.”

A’Ju hesitated: “Li Langjun found out? Did he get angry and treat you rudely?”

Last night he was more than rude—he was extremely rude!

Luoshen recalled the scene of him forcibly carrying her to bed, feeling even more ashamed and indignant. She bit her lip: “Just remember what I said—don’t do such things in the future!”

“His mother is a very good person. I don’t want her to look down on our Gao family’s propriety!”

She added.

A’Ju was startled and looked at Luoshen. Seeing her eyes bright with an expression that seemed somewhat strange, unable to guess her thoughts for the moment, she suppressed her doubts and nodded: “What young mistress says is right. It’s my fault for not thinking it through properly. I won’t do such things again in the future.”

“Young mistress, Li Langjun sent me to ask if you’re ready. Elder brother is leaving early, and if we don’t set out soon, we might delay the appointed time.”

A maid called from outside the door.

A’Ju quickly pinned a pearl hairpin in Luoshen’s hair. Luoshen stood up and left the room.

Li Mu was waiting outside the door. Luoshen got into the carriage, and they traveled without speaking. Following Li Mu to the wharf, she forced a smile and reluctantly bid farewell to her elder brother. After returning, she closed her door and shed tears alone in her room for a while before her mood gradually recovered somewhat.

In the following days, Li Mu never mentioned the previous incident, and Li Mu’s mother knew nothing about it at all.

But in Luoshen’s heart, she always felt somewhat embarrassed and inevitably listless, not wanting to see that person even more.

Fortunately, Li Mu seemed quite busy and was rarely seen during the day. As for when he returned at night, Luoshen was always already in bed, so they managed to coexist peacefully.

On this morning, she and Li Mu accompanied Lu Shi for breakfast together. Lu Shi smiled and said: “A’Mi, these past few days A’Ting has been mentioning to me constantly that she wants to see your sister-in-law’s garden. Could you take her to visit?”

Luoshen quickly agreed.

Lu Shi turned to her son: “What are you busy with every day? We never see you around. Today you should escort A’Mi and A’Ting over there!”

Li Mu glanced at Luoshen and said: “Your son understands.”