FBC – Chapter 19 If You Like Someone, Say It Loud and Clear

Just as they were talking, Dong Hua came panting in through the door, carrying a big food box. She raised her voice and called out, “Miss, lunch is here!”

“You must be starving.”

Zhou Zhilan pulled her over to the Eight Immortals table in the outer room and pressed her down onto a chair.

Dong Hua opened the food box and set out six dishes and one soup, along with two kinds of pastries.

The dishes were light and delicate, and the soup was a rich herbal chicken broth.

Gu Hua pulled Zhou Zhilan to sit with her.

Zhou Zhilan didn’t stand on ceremony. “I came just to eat with you.”

Gu Hua had originally wanted to pay her respects to the Old Madam. They lived right next door, after all, and not showing her face would seem rude.

Besides, Mu Junyan was a filial son. Winning the Old Madam’s favor would be helpful in winning him over.

But then she reconsidered—she was still sick. What if she passed something on to the Old Madam? That wouldn’t be good.

Maybe she could think of a way to show her respect without having to appear in person?

Zhou Zhilan tapped her chopsticks on the table. “I’m telling you, stop brooding while eating. Whatever’s on your mind, it’ll be easier to deal with once you’ve eaten.”

Gu Hua smiled, her brows relaxing, and obediently focused on eating.

After lunch, Zhou Zhilan, like performing a magic trick, pulled out two small novelettes and shook them with a grin. “Fresh off the press, super exciting!”

Gu Hua’s mood lifted.

The sun outside was warm, and the post-rain air especially fresh. Gu Hua sat with Zhou Zhilan under the tree in the little courtyard, sipping lily and lotus seed milk porridge while reading the storybooks.

The sunlight cast a golden outline around the graceful silhouette of the young girl.

Her head bowed, revealing a beautifully arched swan neck and skin whiter than snow.

Her black hair was tied up with just a single chopstick, like a watercolor painting of a delicate beauty.

A gentle breeze blew, scattering yellow-green ginkgo leaves like snowflakes. They landed on her white dress, her head, her shoulders, and slowly slid to the ground.

Mu Junyan happened to walk in and saw this scene.

Gu Hua immediately sensed a strong, oppressive aura approaching. Her fingers holding the booklet tensed slightly.

Her spine straightened instantly as she feigned calm and continued reading.

Zhou Zhilan looked up and jumped in fright, inwardly thinking: Crap!

She instinctively tossed her booklet into Gu Hua’s arms and went up with a grin, “Lord Mu, you’re here!”

Mu Junyan gave her a sidelong glance. “Where did that book come from?”

“Uh… well… it’s… it’s Miss Gu. She was feeling bored…”

Zhou Zhilan stammered.

If the lord knew these storybooks were filled with melodramatic romance, he’d definitely scold her.

Gu Hua stood there dumbly, holding the two booklets. Her beautiful eyes were pitiful and innocent. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

In her mind, she couldn’t stop replaying how he had transferred his breath to her the night before.

Mu Junyan slowly approached, looking at the girl whose face was still pale. “You still can’t speak?”

Gu Hua nodded, then seemed to realize she was being rude and quickly bowed.

Who knew he was standing so close—when she bent down, her head pressed right into his chest.

She instantly backed away, her face flushing bright red, the booklets clutched tightly in her arms, head lowered in panic.

Mu Junyan’s gaze swept to the title of the top booklet in her arms.

“…”

His face darkened.

The Delicate Little Maiden Falls for the Rough General?

What kind of nonsense was this?

Were these poisonous, trashy romance books something young girls ought to be reading?

Zhou Zhilan quickly laughed and snatched the booklets from Gu Hua, then shoved Gu Hua toward Mu Junyan.

“Miss Gu was just looking for you to thank you, my lord.”

Gu Hua let out a soft gasp. Caught off guard by the push, she lost her balance and instinctively pressed her hands to the firm chest in front of her. Her face went deathly pale as she quickly withdrew her hands.

The tall, broad-shouldered man was like a towering mountain—her head barely reached his chest.

She stole a panicked glance at him, only to meet his cold, indifferent eyes looking down at her.

Frightened, her eyes darted around, unsure where to look, too afraid to move.

Mu Junyan saw how nervous she was and softened his tone. “You don’t have to worry about anything. Just stay here. No one will dare harm you.”

Gu Hua looked up at his words, her frightened-rabbit expression replaced by eyes filled with admiration and affection. She nodded with emotion and a soft smile.

Mu Junyan suddenly felt an odd sense of being revered like a god.

Her gaze wasn’t like the commoners’ awe of him.

She saw him as a savior, her only pillar of support—but still tread lightly, terrified of angering him.

She looked like an abused kitten—too pitiful.

A crack appeared in Mu Junyan’s guarded heart.

“Rest well.”

Mu Junyan couldn’t stay any longer. He felt like some scumbag trying to dodge responsibility.

Gu Hua stared blankly at his retreating figure, tears pooling in her eyes. Her sorrow and disappointment were obvious.

Zhou Zhilan moved closer to study her face, then looked at Mu Junyan’s back and suddenly understood.

She whispered, “You like Lord Mu?”

Gu Hua quickly waved both hands and shook her head like a rattle drum.

Zhou Zhilan raised her brows. “If you like him, you like him! If you like someone, you have to say it loud and clear!”

Gu Hua was nearly in tears, grabbing her arm and shaking her head desperately.

Zhou Zhilan gasped. “Oh, right. You still can’t talk. You can’t say it loud and clear.”

Gu Hua looked like she wanted to cry but didn’t dare, bottling up her grievance. Zhou Zhilan’s heart ached at the sight.

She pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear, “You’re already his woman. Lord Mu won’t ignore his responsibilities.”

Zhou Zhilan knows about that night too?

That made things much easier.

No wonder she’d been acting out the “I like you but don’t dare to” drama so hard.

Gu Hua’s eyes widened in horror, darting around nervously. Dong Qing and Dong Hua had been sent away, no one else was around.

She quickly pulled Zhou Zhilan inside, unrolled xuan paper, and wrote:

I was drunk. It wasn’t Lord Mu’s fault. It has nothing to do with him. Please, please don’t mention it to him. Don’t make things hard for him.

Zhou Zhilan was speechless.

“I’ve shown you so many storybooks—did you read them all in vain? You’re always thinking about others—worried about him, afraid of troubling him—when are you going to think about yourself? If you like him, go win him over! What are you afraid of?”

Zhou Zhilan raised a fist in encouragement. Gu Hua almost lost her composure from her antics.

Such a simple, naive girl.

Are men so easy to conquer?

Especially someone like Mu Junyan, so deep and guarded?

Gu Hua hesitated, then picked up the brush again and wrote:

I am of low status, unworthy of Lord Mu. So let’s pretend that night never happened. We were both drunk. It wasn’t from the heart. Why bind anyone to it? Why implicate anyone?

Zhou Zhilan’s jaw dropped. She stared for a long time before sighing helplessly. “You really can let go that easily? You don’t care about…”

She didn’t finish saying your virtue.

Gu Hua smiled and quickly wrote: I want to cook a few dishes for Lord Mu to thank him for saving me. May I use the kitchen?

Zhou Zhilan nodded. “Of course. I’ll take you there.”

After the two left, Chiyu quietly slipped in, folded the paper on the desk, and tucked it into his pocket.

Mu Junyan sat at the desk, looking at the elegant little characters, beautiful like floral hairpins, but the contents irked him.

If he didn’t accept her, would he be a heartless scoundrel?

He irritably crumpled the paper and threw it at the guard who wore an expression that screamed my lord is a heartbreaker.

Chiyu hastily caught it.

“Burn it!”

That little girl sure lets things go easily. Shouldn’t she come crying and begging him to take responsibility?

Maybe… she didn’t want him at all?

He was quite a bit older. It wasn’t appropriate.

Didn’t she already have a fiancé?

Then he should prepare her a generous dowry.

Mu Junyan gave Chiyu a sideways glance. “You’ve been inefficient lately. Want to go back to the northwest and retrain as a scout?”

Chiyu’s heart thumped. He racked his brain—hadn’t he done every mission to perfection?

Hearing the rhythmic tapping of Mu Junyan’s fingers, Chiyu blurted out, “There’ll be news from Chiyan tonight!”

Mu Junyan stopped tapping. “Get out.”

Chiyu exited the study, back drenched in cold sweat.

So this was how much their lord cared about every trivial thing concerning that young girl.