Still fuming, Tang Moling couldn’t help but ask, “Then how are you going to explain to Mu Xue why I caught a cold? How are you going to explain to her that we were locked up together last night?”

  Mu Jingzhe was at a loss for words. They hadn’t done anything, but it would be troublesome if there was a misunderstanding.

  “But it wouldn’t be nice not to tell her about it. There’s nothing going on between the two of us. I don’t think she’ll be upset if you explain it clearly. The most important thing between two people in a relationship is trust and honesty…”

  Tang Moling couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted Mu Jingzhe. “Alright, I’m afraid I’ll pass on the flu to Xiao Xue. Is that a good enough reason?” He cooked up a random excuse, not wanting to hear Mu Jingzhe say those words again. He had already confessed his feelings to her, yet she still had this attitude. Just thinking about it made him angry.

  He hadn’t expected Mu Jingzhe to believe his casually cooked-up excuse right away. After all, this was all dog food[1].

  “Alright, then go over quietly. Don’t let anyone notice you. I’ll be right behind you.”

  This time, Tang Moling didn’t retort. Although the way they were going about it made it feel like they were hiding something scandalous, this made him feel an indescribable secret thrill.

  He and Mu Jingzhe finally had a secret and were about to take action behind the scenes.

  Looking at Mu Jingzhe’s back view as she hurried home, Tang Moling lowered his head to look at the handkerchief. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he suddenly thought that catching a cold wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

  Look, he’d gotten Mu Jingzhe’s handkerchief and created an opportunity to be alone with her out of thin air. He had even made her feel guilt.

  At the thought of Mu Jingzhe driving him to the hospital and taking care of him, Tang Moling exhaled. He took a detour to another road that the villagers rarely took and walked toward the place where his car was parked.

  When Mu Jingzhe returned home, the children were all up. When they saw her, they hurriedly asked what was wrong.

  After some thought, afraid that everyone would misunderstand and think that she had deliberately hidden Tang Moling, Mu Jingzhe simply recounted how Tang Moling had been accidentally locked up with her last night.

  “Don’t tell anyone about this. Don’t let others misunderstand. I have to take Tang Moling to the hospital, as he is sick because of me. Be good and go to school.”

  “Mommy, if you want to drive, I’ll go with you. I’ll take care of him,” Shao Dong immediately offered.

  “No, you have to go to class.”

  “I can take a leave of absence. Our teacher has gone away for training, and there’s no one to teach the class. It’ll just be a self-study session.” Shao Dong pulled Mu Jingzhe. “Mom, take me there. If anything comes up, I can run errands. Also, if we meet someone familiar, it’ll be better if I’m around.”

  \r \r \r

  In case someone gossiped…

  The last sentence made Mu Jingzhe waver, but she said, “I’m afraid that he’ll pass the cold to you.”

  “I can wear a mask.”

  In the end, Mu Jingzhe agreed to Shao Dong’s suggestion and handed the younger ones over to Shao Xi to take care of. “Today, your maternal grandma won’t be going to the market to sell buns. You can go look for grandma and ask her to cook something delicious for you guys.”

  Mu Jingzhe passed the house key to Shao Xi. Shao Xi took it and said, “Okay, don’t worry about us. You can go without worrying.”

  Mu Jingzhe packed up and went to look for Tang Moling with Shao Dong.

  When they arrived, Tang Moling was already there, resting against the car. He adjusted himself, trying to figure out how to make the most of his time alone with Mu Jingzhe.

  However, although he kept thinking about it for a long time, when Mu Jingzhe appeared, there was a little tail behind her—Shao Dong. A mask-wearing Shao Dong at that.

  “What is he doing here?” When he looked at the things in Mu Jingzhe’s hands, he realized that there was a military water bottle, a blanket, and food. His heart warmed up. “Did he come to bring these things for you?”

  “No, Uncle Tang. I heard that you are sick, so I came to take care of you since Mommy will be driving.”

  In the Mu Family, only Li Zhaodi’s family of three acknowledged the kids. The others weren’t their relatives, so they didn’t call Tang Moling ‘Uncle[2]’.

  As Shao Dong didn’t like to speak much to outsiders, it was rare for him to say so much. However, Tang Moling felt his heart turn cold.

  “What’s there to take care of? It’s not like I’m seriously ill. I don’t need you to take care of me. Besides, you’re just a child. What do you know about taking care of someone?”

  He wanted to spend time alone with her, so he didn’t want this little tail.

  “Since you’re going to the hospital to have a checkup, we have to be more careful. Although I’m young, I have experience. Uncle, don’t decline.”

  While the two of them were talking, Mu Jingzhe had already turned the key in the ignition. She hurriedly nodded. “Yeah, Little Dong is incredible.”

  Shao Dong curled his lips into a smile. Tang Moling knew that there was no way he could shake off this little tail. He opened the door to the passenger seat in frustration and was about to get in when Shao Dong stopped him.

  “Uncle Tang, don’t sit in the front. You can sit in the back so that you’ll lie down and I’ll be able to take care of you.”

  Tang Moling: “…”

  He wasn’t even qualified to sit in the passenger seat?

  Tang Moling was pulled to the back by Shao Dong. When they were on the road, Shao Dong mimicked the way Mu Jingzhe used to take care of him in the past and laid Tang Moling down. He then covered him with a blanket and used his small hand to touch his forehead to see if he had a fever. He did it properly and was very responsible.

  “Uncle Tang, you can drink some hot water. You’ll recover faster if you drink more hot water when you catch a cold.” He even fed him hot water.

  Mu Jingzhe, who was driving at the front, looked pleased and proud. Little Dong was really a good child.

  She was very touched and satisfied. Little Dong was also glad to see that he could help.

  Tang Moling: “…”

  This wasn’t what he had imagined. Mu Jingzhe should be the one taking care of him instead of this brat.

  No matter what Tang Moling thought, Shao Dong took care of him all the way to the county hospital. He was diagnosed with a mere cold. The doctor prescribed some medicine for him and asked him to go back and rest. He didn’t need to be hospitalized.

  Tang Moling had miscalculated once again. He’d wanted to be hospitalized and have Mu Jingzhe take care of him.

  However, even though he couldn’t stay in the hospital, he had his own tricks. He hinted that Mu Jingzhe should take care of him at home, but Mu Jingzhe didn’t agree this time.

  “Even if you have a temporary residence, there should be someone who can take care of you there. It’s not appropriate for me to come. If you’re afraid, I’ll inform Mu Xue.”

  Tang Moling could tell from Mu Jingzhe’s expression that she was serious. Although she was apologetic, that was all she could do.

  She was aware of the boundaries and would never cross them even by just one step.

  Tang Moling said that there was no need to inform Mu Xue and then watched as Mu Jingzhe heartlessly left with Shao Dong.

  Tang Moling was furious, but he had to admit that he couldn’t forget the heartless Mu Jingzhe.

  People often said that women loved bad boys. He felt that it could also be said that men loved bad women. Despite knowing how cruel Mu Jingzhe was to him, he still went crazy thinking about her.

  After recuperating for two days, Tang Moling finally recovered from his cold. He had compromised with himself and was even more certain of his feelings now. He was indeed a jerk. He’d had a change of heart and liked Mu Jingzhe more than Mu Xue.

  Recognizing this reality, Tang Moling didn’t know how to face Mu Xue. The engagement had to be annulled. He had already confirmed his feelings, so he couldn’t go on with the engagement. This was unfair to both Mu Xue and Mu Jingzhe.

  But what should he tell Mu Xue? Just as he had no clue how to deal with the current situation, Mu Xue suddenly came looking for him.

  [1] a public display of affection

  [2] Uncle as in an Aunt’s husband, not a random uncle