“Silver needle?” Liu Ye was momentarily confused and frowned, “What silver needle are you talking about?”
Mu Anxiao patiently explained, “The one stuck in Xiaoyue’s shoulder.”
“Xiaoyue…” Liu Ye murmured, then suddenly realized, “Oh, you mean that needle.” She then lowered her head.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao deliberately asked again, “Can you get it?”
“I’ll find it for you right away. Don’t bother with these things. Wait for me, I’m the best at finding things.”
“Thank you.” Mu Anxiao had searched everywhere and found nothing. Hearing Liu Ye’s words, her heart was filled with hope.
After a while, Liu Ye returned, holding the silver needle and walking towards Mu Anxiao. Mu Anxiao quickly stood up as Liu Ye approached, “You really found it.” She stared at the silver needle in Liu Ye’s hand.
Liu Ye offered, “Here you go.” She handed the silver needle to Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao nodded and said, “Thank you,” then reached out and took the silver needle.
Liu Ye then curiously asked, “Why are you looking for this silver needle?”
Mu Anxiao hadn’t expected Liu Ye to ask this question. Seizing the opportunity, she thought for a moment and vaguely replied, “Oh, I have a use for it.”
“A use for it,” Liu Ye didn’t know what else to say.
Mu Anxiao emphasized, “Remember, don’t tell anyone.”
“Why?” Liu Ye asked, perplexed.
Mu Anxiao glanced around and deliberately began to fabricate a story, “Actually, I study traditional Chinese medicine.”
“Traditional Chinese medicine?” Liu Ye repeated, then smiled, “No wonder you could wake Xiaoyue up.”
“My family is a lineage of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. But for some reason, I came here. However, I cannot abandon my skills. I plan to open a shop in the future. But,” Mu Anxiao feigned a distressed expression, “when I left home, I forgot to bring my silver needles. Without needles, I can’t practice. Just when I didn’t know what to do, I suddenly thought of this silver needle. But my eyesight isn’t as good as yours, and I searched for a long time without finding it.” “I see,” Liu Ye said understandingly, pointing to the silver needle in Mu Anxiao’s hand, “If you can’t find anything in the future, just ask me. I love finding things the most.”
“Then thank you,” Mu Anxiao smiled.
Then, Liu Ye shook her head, walked forward, bent down, and picked up the tray. “I’ll go wash these bowls and chopsticks. Do you want to come with me?” She returned to face Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao deliberately yawned in front of Liu Ye and said, “I’m sorry, I’m a bit sleepy.”
“Sleepy after eating,” Liu Ye said, smiling.
Mu Anxiao gave a sheepish smile, “Yes, that’s my problem. As soon as I finish eating lunch, I get drowsy.” She yawned again.
Seeing that Mu Anxiao was genuinely sleepy, Liu Ye smiled faintly and said, “Alright then, you go rest.”
“Okay.” Mu Anxiao nodded. As she turned to leave, Liu Ye called out, “Wait a moment.”
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao paused, turned her side, and said with feigned exhaustion, “What is it?” She continued to yawn.
Liu Ye asked expectantly, “When can we meet again?”
Hearing Liu Ye’s words, Mu Anxiao suddenly worried that Liu Ye might develop feelings that she shouldn’t. So, Mu Anxiao thought for a moment and said, “Although we are in the same courtyard, I have my own affairs, and you have yours. Whether we can meet again will depend on fate.” As she spoke, she secretly decided to avoid Liu Ye whenever she saw her, hoping that Liu Ye would then forget about her.
Liu Ye looked disappointed and said, “We can arrange to meet.”
“There’s no need. When an unmarried man and woman arrange meetings, it only leads to trouble. So, it’s best not to.” Mu Anxiao said with a playful smile, still unwilling to make Liu Ye sad.
Conversely, upon hearing Mu Anxiao’s words, Liu Ye’s expression turned cold. “Alright, I understand,” she said, her voice filled with disappointment.
Mu Anxiao gave a dry chuckle.
Liu Ye said nothing more. She glanced at Mu Anxiao, turned, and walked away.
Mu Anxiao stood rooted to the spot, watching Liu Ye’s receding figure with a sigh of relief.
At the same time, Ouyang Ye’s voice came from behind her, “We meet again.”
Before coming out, Mu Anxiao hadn’t thought much of it. However, on the way to this place, she suddenly remembered Ouyang Ye. To avoid meeting him alone, she had been observing her surroundings, planning to flee immediately if she encountered him.
Who would have thought that a terrible meal had made her completely forget about this?
Now, hearing Ouyang Ye’s voice behind her, her entire body tensed. She cleared her throat, lowered her head, and slowly turned towards Ouyang Ye.
There were only two paths back. One led to the back mountain, which was a long way. The other was this small path behind Ouyang Ye, which was much shorter.
However, both paths led in the same direction, so she knew clearly that she had no retreat.
With no other choice, she had to face him head-on.
“We meet again.” She buried her head deeply.
Ouyang Ye said, “You’re afraid of me.” He wanted to see Mu Anxiao’s face clearly.
Mu Anxiao replied, “No.”
“No? Then why are you lowering your head when you see me?” Ouyang Ye asked, leaning forward.
Sensing Ouyang Ye’s gaze, Mu Anxiao deliberately took a step back and said, “I’m not.” She still refused to look up.
Hearing Mu Anxiao’s reply, Ouyang Ye frowned. “You still say you’re not, it’s so obvious.” As he spoke, he reached out to touch Mu Anxiao’s shoulder.
The wind blew.
Mu Anxiao intentionally took another step back.
Seeing this, Ouyang Ye withdrew his hand. “What’s your problem, kid?” He sounded impatient.
Mu Anxiao said in a low voice, “I don’t like being touched, especially by men.” She said this to prevent Ouyang Ye from becoming suspicious.
Ouyang Ye looked confused. “You’re both men. If you act like this, it might not be good.”
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Mu Anxiao kept her head lowered. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
“I have something to tell you.” Ouyang Ye blocked her way.
Mu Anxiao looked down at Ouyang Ye’s shifting feet, her heart sinking. “I’m just a newcomer. What do you want to tell me?”
“It’s precisely because you’re a newcomer that I need to talk to you and brief you on your work.” Ouyang Ye felt that Mu Anxiao was acting strangely, which piqued his curiosity.
Mu Anxiao hadn’t expected Ouyang Ye to be so persistent and felt a surge of anxiety. She said, “I am a subordinate of the General. I have nothing to say to you.” As she finished speaking, she suddenly looked up.
At that instant, Mu Anxiao and Ouyang Ye’s eyes met.
In that same instant, Mu Anxiao thought, This is it.
Conversely, Ouyang Ye stared at Mu Anxiao, falling into silence.
Mu Anxiao knew she couldn’t lower her head anymore. Gathering her courage, she stared directly at Ouyang Ye and asked, “Why aren’t you speaking?” After asking, she deliberately put her hands behind her back.