Chapter 257: Then I'll just rely on you

He Jinglan gave Mu Nan Zhao a look, saying, "How can you be so clueless!"

"Do you know the saying 'phoenix seeking phoenix'? Have you ever courted Xixi? Have you ever bared your heart to her? How much of your sincerity can she believe? Proposing right away is too informal, too undignified—who would agree?"

Mu Nan Zhao stared, frowned at Gu Xixi, a hint of fluster flashing in his eyes, "I... I really have no experience in this."

"Boss Gu, I've implicated you and damaged your reputation; I ought to take responsibility for this."

He Jinglan couldn't help but turn away and sigh.

Really, an eyesore!

"What does 'take responsibility for this' even mean? Will this guy even confess? He's not exactly well-read and talented in poetry, so how can he not say a single romantic line at a time like this?!"

Gu Xixi's fluttering heart died down instantly; she spoke with a wooden face, "Oh, this matter. Letting you stay at my place was my agreement. I'm used to taking responsibility for myself, so no need to trouble you."

At this point, Aunt Zhang had regained her composure, she walked up to Mu Nan Zhao and stared at him sternly.

"Little Mu, right?"

"Tell me the truth: you say you want to marry—is it just to take responsibility and apologize, or do you truly cherish my Xixi?"

""Ah?" The man, who was sharper than a fox, showed for the first time an expression as honest as a quail."

""Taking responsibility is the result; the cause is naturally affection.""

He even felt a bit puzzled, wondering, if he didn't cherish a woman, how could he propose to her?

Wow! He Jinglan excitedly clutched her chest, her inner voice screaming nonstop.

""Cherish, cherish, cherish—he finally said it!""

Heavens, it actually let her witness a thousand-year-old fox descending into the mortal world, an old iron tree blooming its first flower!!

He Jinglan's voice trembled with excitement, "I can testify—before, the Mu family elders had mentioned several marriage prospects for him, and girls often took a liking to him on their own, yet he remained unmoved!"

""This guy never lowers himself to please anyone; if he didn't cherish Xixi, he would repay his gratitude in some other way, never impulsively proposing like this!""

Aunt Zhang looked at Mu Nan Zhao, both annoyed and amused, "When did you get this idea? If you don't tell us, how can we know?"

Mu Nan Zhao really thought about it, uncertain, "Actually, I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps it was when she was preparing medicine for me, found the medicinal guide, and I saw her smile."

""Or perhaps, when we encountered danger at the border, she went back and forth, dragging and pulling me, insisting we survive together.""

""It could even be earlier, when we fell into the hunting trap behind the mountain...""

Listening to Mu Nan Zhao's words, Gu Xixi's heart rippled with waves.

She never expected that the cold-as-ice person could utter words that made her heart burn.

Although being proposed to was her first time.

But she had experienced secret love, open love, and once a short-lived romance that ended without consequence due to long-distance work, knowing what a fluttering heart feels like.

Uh-oh, she actually felt her heart move.

Gu Xixi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself to think.

Upon reflection, it's certainly not just because of the sudden proposal before her.

Before, it was because we'd lived under the same roof for too long and had gone through hardships together multiple times.

Naturally, she had also accumulated some feelings for him in her heart.

Everything seemed quite reasonable.

But to Gu Xixi, the word 'marriage' is like a curse.

In the original story, Gu Xixi's tragic fate began from her mistaken marriage with Mu Nan Zhao.

Being resented by Mu Nan Zhao also stemmed from Gu Xixi buying him and insisting on marrying him.

Now Mu Nan Zhao hasn't fallen for Gu Qingye as expected, and Gu Qingye appears to have temporarily exited the plot.

So what comes after?

If the female side character can only be a side character, even without Gu Qingye, Mu Nan Zhao would still meet his true destined heroine...

The fluttering, lovely thoughts in Gu Xixi's mind cooled.

Aunt Zhang kept asking for details, the more she asked the more satisfied she became; He Jinglan and Shitou were also very pleased.

Everyone wore smiles, joyful and delighted, having already prepared for the upcoming wedding.

Old Doctor Lang had long observed that Mu Nan Zhao's character was decent, so he didn't object.

But Gu Xixi lifted her head at that moment and said, "You only said you cherish her, but you forgot that mutual affection is the way of husband and wife."

""Thank you for your high regard, but I have no intention of marrying.""

He Jinglan's pupils widened again in shock—she had refused!

In the short span of a meal, she witnessed Mu Nan Zhao's proposal, confession, and then being swiftly rejected.

Shitou spoke bluntly and quickly, "Sister Xixi, don't you like Mr. Chen?"

Gu Xixi's eyes flickered, she paused, then said, "I don't have the time to consider this right now."

He Jinglan and Aunt Zhang caught Gu Xixi's momentary hesitation, exchanged glances, and thus weren't so rushed anymore, only watching Mu Nan Zhao's reaction.

I had thought he, being used to nobility, would at least show displeasure after being harshly rejected in front of so many people.

Who knew Mu Nan Zhao would be unusually calm.

""Oh, no rush—I can still stay two more days; you can take your time to consider.""

Gu Xixi gasped, finally unable to stay calm, and shot Mu Nan Zhao a fierce look.

""Come with me to the rear courtyard!""

She said, fuming, as she walked off, "You all go ahead and eat; no need to wait for me."

Mu Nan Zhao bade everyone farewell, then followed her.

In the rear courtyard's pharmacy, Gu Xixi lit an oil lamp.

Mu Nan Zhao looked around and asked, "Is this the setup that the surnamed An Hu person rigged for you?"

It turned out the empty spaces were filled with wooden racks, allowing only one person to pass sideways.

Gu Xixi couldn't help but roll her eyes, "What does he mean by making me run around?"

"You don't understand anything! These are tea bricks Brother An made by hand following my method; if we succeed in making golden flower fu tea, we'll make money together. I only need to provide the technique; he will handle the venue, labor, and management."

"I've also made progress in trial planting tea trees; then I can select varieties better suited to local growth and capable of producing fu tea. After further optimization and promoting cultivation, I have already..."

Gu Xixi said, suddenly noticing Mu Nan Zhao smiling at the corners of his mouth, gazing at her earnestly.

This made her feel uneasy, "Why are you staring at me like that? Why don't you speak?"

When Mu Nan Zhao smiled, ripples glimmered in his eyes, "I'm thinking, no matter when, you never change; as soon as the topic is about farming, you become much more talkative."

"Even your whole state is most relaxed at this time."

Gu Xixi's face flushed, she snapped, "Cut the nonsense! I didn't call you here to talk about this."

"I will not marry you!"

Mu Nan Zhao nodded, "Hmm, I'm mentally prepared."

"These two days I'll accompany you; you can watch me and think again."

Gu Xixi gritted her teeth silently, "How can this person be so impervious to reason?"

"He wasn't like this before, was he?"

Her thoughts raced, she changed strategy, and gave Mu Nan Zhao a sly smile.

"Two days, is it? Fine, then it's up to you."

"However, the Northwest Army's campaign hasn't ended yet; this time you've come out, Huo Jiang probably isn't too pleased, right? He won't let you be away for too long."

Seeing Mu Nan Zhao frown, Gu Xixi knew she had hit the mark, her smile deepened.

"Just two days, I'll endure and get past them. But for you to squeeze out this time, you have to rush back at breakneck speed; if you're delayed and miss something important, even though you know you won't gain even a sesame seed from me, you'll lose your own big watermelon—both ends empty, what a waste."