Something has happened...

On this side, Caesar was indeed unusually affectionate upon seeing Mu Qingcheng. No wonder Si Qingchen was jealous—normally, this purebred bloodhorse, who was even colder than him, paid no mind to ordinary people. Its temper was notoriously stubborn; even if it was pampered with the best food and care, only Si Qingchen himself could handle it during training. Otherwise, even if you beat it to death, it would never obey you in the slightest.

But now, how different it was. Not only did it let someone else ride it docilely, it was even trotting eagerly, carrying Mu Qingcheng around the Si family’s woods. There was no need for any commands; its steps were elegant and light, and it looked particularly pleased with itself.

“Hmph—you're really not afraid of upsetting the boss,”

At that moment, Si Bei stood in the corridor outside the woods, looking at Caesar, whose arrogance had turned into excitement, a cold sneer forming in his heart.

Just then, steady footsteps sounded from the corridor leading to the main house behind him. Si Bei turned at the sound, bowing respectfully.

“Boss.”

“Where’s Qingcheng?”

“...Caesar took... her for a walk.”

Si Qingchen said nothing, his gaze drifting leisurely outside until he quickly spotted the athletic figure in the woods not far away.

That untamable bloodhorse, at this moment, was happily prancing, carrying his “precious one,” zigzagging through the trees.

“It seems quite happy,” Si Qingchen murmured softly.

Who is he referring to? Her? It? She? The ambiguity in his words made it impossible to discern his intent, so Si Bei simply pretended not to hear and dared not reply.

A moment later, Si Qingchen strode out, stood on the broad open ground, and, curling his fingers, let out a whistle—

Soon, the sound of hooves approached from afar, bringing with it the young girl sitting upright on the horse’s back.

A doting smile played at the corners of the man's lips as he looked at Mu Qingcheng’s flushed cheeks. Even in the woods, it seemed the sun had scorched her enough to break a sweat.

He frowned slightly and stepped forward. But before Caesar had fully stopped, Mu Qingcheng suddenly swung a leg over the saddle and leapt down directly.

“Qingcheng, be careful! You’ll fall!”

Si Qingchen moved quickly, catching her slender waist and holding her steady.

Mu Qingcheng casually swept the hair sticking to her forehead aside, smiling without the slightest sign of panic. “It’s nothing, I—”

But her words trailed off in surprise.

At that moment, two broad, warm hands gripped her waist firmly on either side. His breath, deep and steady, enveloped her completely.

She wanted to move, but didn’t dare.

The two of them stood face to face, and due to their posture, he was half-holding her in his arms. Her nose barely brushed his shoulder, grazing the stiff fabric, tickling slightly.

A moment later—

“Achoo—”

Mu Qingcheng couldn’t help sneezing.

The man immediately bent down, bringing the back of his hand to her forehead. “What’s wrong? Are you cold?”

“It’s nothing, I just—”

“Come on, let’s get inside. I shouldn’t have let you come out alone.”

“Si Qingchen, I’m fine.”

But before Mu Qingcheng could finish, the man, domineering and persistent, pulled her fully into his arms and turned to carry her toward the main house.

They had only taken two or three steps when Mu Qingcheng’s phone suddenly vibrated.

“Wait, hold on a second.”

She slipped from Si Qingchen’s embrace and hurried to the side to answer.

Her phone was specially designed; only when a call came from “No Trace” did the vibration feel different. But now, as the call came through, a sense of foreboding rose in her chest. Still, on Si family ground, she had to be cautious.

She pressed to answer and quickly held the phone to her ear. As expected, an anxious voice came from the other end.

“Boss, something’s happened!”