Shao Mingyuan steeled himself and spoke: “Miss Li—”

“Hmm?” The young lady looked up.

“I, I feel a bit dizzy. Could you help me take another look?” Having spoken these words, Shao Mingyuan wanted to bite off his tongue.

What nonsense had he just spouted?

Qiao Zhao, however, regained her composure: “Alright.”

She no longer looked at Qiao Mo, extending her hand to take Shao Mingyuan’s pulse, seriously examining his complexion.

Her earnestness made Qiao Mo feel inexplicably guilty.

Had he overthought things?

But how could there be someone in this world who resembled his eldest sister so much? Even if there were, their handwriting couldn’t possibly be the same, unless it had been deliberately imitated!

Thinking of this, Qiao Mo’s gaze, which had just softened, returned to its cold detachment.

No matter what, it would be best for him to keep his distance from Miss Li in the future.

“General Shao has lost too much blood. Taking some qi and blood tonics will be fine.” Qiao Zhao asked Shao Mingyuan, “General Shao should know what things nourish qi and blood, right?”

“I know.”

“You don’t need me to write a prescription?”

He had taken out the prescription to show Big Brother as evidence!

Shao Mingyuan smiled awkwardly.

“Since General Shao is fine, I’ll head back now.”

Shao Mingyuan glanced at Qiao Mo, seeing his calm expression, and sighed inwardly: “I’ll see Miss Li out.”

He had tricked her into coming, only for things to turn out this way. He felt truly sorry.

Qiao Zhao said nothing and lifted her feet to walk outside.

It was already afternoon, the summer heat had not completely receded, and the sky was still bright, the light dazzling enough to hurt one’s eyes.

“Miss Li, please wait a moment.” Shao Mingyuan turned and went back inside. Soon he strode out, carrying a light and delicate bamboo umbrella in his hand. Opening it, he handed it to Qiao Zhao: “The sun is still strong. Thank you for your hard work today, Miss Li.”

Qiao Zhao suddenly remembered that day in the rain, when this same person had woven a grass hat from leaves to shield her from the rain.

He had shielded her from rain, and now he shielded her from the sun. It was just a pity that she was no longer Qiao Zhao; her brother was guarded against her at every turn, and their recognition seemed impossibly distant.

Qiao Zhao gripped the bamboo umbrella tightly, tears falling like rain.

Shao Mingyuan was at a loss: “Miss Li—”

He had just handed her an umbrella. Why was she crying again?

“Don’t speak.” The young lady’s voice was soft and delicate, heavy with nasal congestion.

“Uh.” Shao Mingyuan obediently shut his mouth.

The two stood beside the silk tree, its pink and white flowers blown by the wind, fluttering down to brush against their clothing.

Many personal guards secretly poked their heads out to look, each one as excited as if they’d been injected with chicken blood.

Heavens! Their General had finally bloomed like an iron tree!

Did this mean they would soon have a General’s wife? With a General’s wife to arrange things for them, these old bachelors could quickly find wives, too?

“Miss Li seems to be crying. Did the General make her cry?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Miss Li must be moved. The General even knew to bring an umbrella to shade Miss Li from the sun. How considerate.”

Although these guards hidden in various places spoke quietly, Shao Mingyuan’s hearing was too keen. While he was helpless against the crying young lady, he still had plenty of intimidating power over his subordinates.

His gaze swept coldly, and the personal guards immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

“Are you this good to all girls?” Miss Qiao had cried enough and looked tearfully at the tall man before her.

Shao Mingyuan was stunned.

He wasn’t.

Growing up, he had only known Miss Li as a girl. Even his betrothed wife from childhood, he had only seen for the first time beneath the city walls of Yan City.

Was this behavior considered good for girls? The young general thought uncertainly.

But when he wasn’t on the battlefield or training, he treated his subordinates the same way.

Of course, he never brought umbrellas for his subordinates. Those fellows were all thick-skinned and didn’t need them.

Seeing his silence, Qiao Zhao’s heart suddenly ached.

So it was true. Big Brother was full of suspicion about her approach, while Shao Mingyuan, taking advantage of her body not yet cold, had already begun flirting with young ladies!

“General Shao, please stay here.” Qiao Zhao turned and walked away with a stern face. After taking several steps, she turned back, stuffed the bamboo umbrella into Shao Mingyuan’s hands, and left without looking back.

Chen Guang grimaced in disappointment and hurried to follow.

Shao Mingyuan looked at the bamboo umbrella in his hands, completely puzzled. Shaking his head, he turned and went back inside.

“Miss Li left?” Qiao Mo asked.

“Mm.”

“Did she say anything to the Marquis?”

Hearing Qiao Mo ask this, Shao Mingyuan thought carefully.

She seemed to have only asked him whether he was this good to all girls.

But telling his uncle this didn’t seem quite appropriate.

Shao Mingyuan shook his head: “She didn’t say much. Miss Li cried again.”

“Heh heh.” Qiao Mo chuckled lightly. Seeing Shao Mingyuan’s puzzled expression, he said with a sigh: “Being prone to tears is quite different from my eldest sister.”

In his memory, his eldest sister rarely cried.

Shao Mingyuan pondered for a moment and asked: “Is Miss Li very similar to… Qiao Zhao?”

Qiao Mo looked at him deeply and nodded: “Very similar. Sometimes I even have the illusion that she is my eldest sister. At that time, I just marveled at human resemblance, but seeing Miss Li’s handwriting today made me realize things aren’t so simple. Even if people can be similar, their handwriting can’t be identical either. This can only mean that Miss Li is deliberately imitating!”

“Deliberately imitating?” For some reason, Shao Mingyuan’s mind flashed with the image of the young lady’s tear-filled eyes.

Perhaps washed by tears, those eyes appeared even more clear and brighter.

Could someone with such eyes be a person of deep scheming?

Having encountered numerous enemy spies in the Northern Territories, Shao Mingyuan understood that people couldn’t be judged by their appearance, but his intuition was usually quite accurate.

Miss Li didn’t seem like the kind of person his uncle imagined.

“Miss Li is still young. How could she deliberately imitate someone she’s never encountered?”

Qiao Mo smiled bitterly: “That’s exactly why things are more complicated.”

If it weren’t for seeing handwriting identical to his eldest sister’s today, which had sounded his alarm bells, Miss Li would have gradually entered his life through her resemblance to his eldest sister. In that case, who knew whether those things he guarded so closely might be obtained by someone with ulterior motives?

“Uncle may be overthinking this.” Shao Mingyuan advised.

Qiao Mo looked at Shao Mingyuan meaningfully: “Perhaps it’s the Marquis who is underthinking.”

Had the Marquis Guanjun fallen for Miss Li? Less than a year after his eldest sister’s death.

Thinking of this, Qiao Mo’s mood grew even worse.

Detecting that the girl had ulterior motives, why did his heart ache when he thought of her crying?

So he must have been bewitched!

Qiao Mo secretly convinced himself that he absolutely couldn’t soften his heart.

Right, he absolutely couldn’t soften.

The dead were dead. No matter how similar a living person might be, she wasn’t his sister.

Shao Mingyuan was perceptive. With Qiao Mo saying this much, he quickly understood the implications and said solemnly, “Uncle is indeed overthinking. What Mingyuan once said will not change.”

Qiao Mo looked at Shao Mingyuan and sighed inwardly.

Saying his words wouldn’t change didn’t mean his heart wouldn’t be moved, this foolish boy!