Li Yue Shu narrowed her eyes, her face expressionless as always, making it impossible to discern her emotions.
But Qin Mo Yuan inexplicably felt a chill down his spine.
"So, you were indeed betrothed, and truly in love?"
The last four words were spoken by Li Yue Shu with a certain weight, as if each syllable carried a knife.
Qin Mo Yuan instinctively swallowed.
His intuition told him something was amiss, so he quickly changed his tune, "There was no mutual love. She helped me once, and that's how we became acquainted."
Upon hearing his explanation, Li Yue Shu's lips curved slightly, but the smile vanished in an instant.
Qin Mo Yuan, oblivious to her expression, suddenly recalled what Xing He had said, and his heart wavered.
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke again, "However, the betrothal is true."
Hearing him specifically mention that, Li Yue Shu tightened her grip on her fan, the golden threads coiled around the handle seemingly on the verge of deforming.
"Then congratulations indeed!" Li Yue Shu said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You are both unmarried, and you have the marriage contract. This is a fated union."
With that, she stood up abruptly, "When you get married, you must remember to invite me for wedding wine."
Leaving those words behind, she turned and left, her retreating figure appearing quite indignant. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Qin Mo Yuan stared blankly at her receding back for a moment, a spark of something flashing in his eyes.
Ah Shu was angry?
Did that mean she cared about him and was jealous?
Thinking this, Qin Mo Yuan felt his spirits instantly lift, his lips involuntarily stretching towards his ears.
But to his surprise, Li Yue Shu completely ignored him for the next few days. She even gathered the children and announced that he had been divorced, asking if they would prefer to stay with him or her.
Shen Zhi Yu, without a moment's hesitation, reached out and hugged Li Yue Shu's neck, stating with a serious face, "A Yu will always follow Mama. Wherever Mama goes, A Yu goes!"
Shen Ting Yi hesitated for a moment, then moved her stool closer to Li Yue Shu.
Although she said nothing, her intention was clear.
Qin Mo Yuan could only turn his gaze to Shen Yi Min and Shen Ting Wen.
These two children did not give a direct answer. They exchanged glances, their expressions troubled.
However, Shen Ting Wen's gaze towards him clearly conveyed apology and guilt.
Qin Mo Yuan: "..."
When did he become so insignificant in the children's eyes?
"Ahem! Why did this suddenly come up?" Shen Yi Min interjected, breaking the silence. "Father doesn't have much to do lately, so you're not in a hurry to return to Chong Zhou, right?"
Qin Mo Yuan immediately understood his meaning and nodded repeatedly, "Right, right, no hurry, we..."
"Who says we're not in a hurry?" Li Yue Shu's voice was cold. "Since there's been progress with Ah Yi's poison, we should go quickly. We need to see if the Crimson Flame Vine can detoxify it."
She glanced at Qin Mo Yuan, her face slightly cold. "If you're reluctant to leave these people, you can stay here with her. I'll take the children to Chong Zhou myself."
Qin Mo Yuan knew who "she" referred to without even thinking.
His expression became awkward.
Now he realized he shouldn't have listened to Xing He's nonsense!
He was about to explain when Shen Ting Wen joyfully exclaimed, "Third Sister's poison can be cured?"
Li Yue Shu dared not speak too definitively, "We've found a method, but I'm not sure if it will succeed."
Upon hearing this, although a little disappointed, they were mostly filled with the joy of progress.
Shen Ting Yi looked at Li Yue Shu and proactively said, "I believe Mama."
Under Li Yue Shu's care, her complexion had regained its rosy hue, and she didn't look like someone suffering from a severe poison at all.
But Li Yue Shu knew her physical condition well and touched her head with some tenderness.
Hearing that Third Sister's poison offered hope, Shen Yi Min was also happy, but he had a question, "Does Third Sister's poison need to be resolved in Chong Zhou?"
Mentioning this, Li Yue Shu's expression changed, and her gaze swept over Shen Ting Wen and Shen Ting Yi.
Qin Mo Yuan's face also darkened. He looked up at Li Yue Shu and spoke first, "The medicinal ingredients needed for the detoxification are in the hands of Princess Yong He."
Without any warning, she directly mentioned that person, and the expressions of the twins froze.
The atmosphere became heavy for a moment. Shen Ting Yi suddenly grabbed Li Yue Shu's hand, her small face filled with seriousness, "I don't need her medicine to cure my poison! Mama is so capable, she'll surely find another way."
Li Yue Shu was stunned. She looked at Shen Ting Yi, then at Shen Ting Wen, whose face was equally stiff.
She didn't know what had happened to these two children. But from what Qin Mo Yuan had told her earlier, and from the children's reactions, it was clear that they didn't seem to feel particularly close to their birth mother, Princess Yong He.
But what could have happened to make children, at an age where they most relied on their parents, show such expressions when mentioning their birth mother?
Li Yue Shu's heart felt as if it were being tightly squeezed, a sharp pain emanating from it.
She didn't know what had happened, so she wasn't qualified to persuade the children's decision. She gently stroked Ah Yi's head, "No matter what method, Mama will use all her knowledge to cure your poison."
She didn't want Ah Yi to become the vixen in the original book.
Even with a terrifying poison skill, how much pain and torment a poison user had to endure in secret was something only the person involved truly knew.
Perhaps because the topic had suddenly turned somber, no one spoke further, and the conversation ended inconclusively.
However, that night, Shen Ting Wen sought out Li Yue Shu on his own.
His expression was conflicted, and he opened his mouth several times, yet didn't know what to say.
As smart as Li Yue Shu was, she guessed almost instantly what he wanted to talk about.
She put down what she was doing and pulled Shen Ting Wen to sit beside her, "Just say what you want to say directly."
Shen Ting Wen looked up at her, "Does Third Sister's poison... absolutely require that medicinal ingredient?"
Li Yue Shu didn't hide anything, "I don't know if it will work, but this is currently the only lead we've found."
Shen Ting Wen's small hands twisted together, "If... if she's unwilling to save Third Sister, what then?"
This question completely surprised Li Yue Shu. She looked at him in astonishment, "She is your biological mother, why would she be unwilling?"
Qin Mo Yuan had told her that if it was to save Ah Yi, Princess Yong He would definitely hand over the Crimson Flame Vine.
But upon hearing this, Shen Ting Wen became somewhat agitated, "She doesn't deserve to be our mother!"
He said it with conviction, his usually smiling face filled with anger.
Under Li Yue Shu's astonished gaze, he said sternly, "She abandoned us, she didn't want us, she is no longer our mother!"
Meeting his eyes, Li Yue Shu's heart ached, and she couldn't help but reach out and embrace him.