093 The Security He Provided

Brother Minister?!!!

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough... Sorry, boss..."

At this moment, Sinan and Sibei stood at the very front. Though neither of them moved a muscle, they heard every word of the conversation behind them, missing not a single detail. That especially soft, honey-laden "Brother Minister" from Mu Qingcheng, sweet enough to melt into the heart, was almost too much to believe.

Inhaling sharply, Sibei accidentally choked on his own saliva and began coughing uncontrollably. Sinan, standing beside him, raised an eyebrow at Sibei's unworldly behavior, his expression filled with disdain.

Ding—

At the same time, the elevator reached the ground floor.

Mu Qingcheng felt as if her face was about to burst into flames. She shoved aside the two people standing in front of her and dashed out without so much as a backward glance.

Striding swiftly behind her was Si Qingchen, his eyes fixed intently on the little one ahead, not uttering a single word.

At that moment, Mu Qingcheng couldn't care less about the curious gazes cast her way by those around her. All she wanted was to get away as quickly as possible and breathe in some fresh air.

Yet before she could even reach the hospital doors, someone suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her clean off the ground...

A wave of astonished murmurs rose from the crowd.

Amid all the amazed and startled glances, Mu Qingcheng found herself carried away like a kitten, held at Si Qingchen’s waist as he strode into a nearby emergency stairwell.

Right then—

"Put me down!" The little one, thoroughly flustered, flailed her limbs in protest, refusing to give in. Her wild, uncoordinated movements were like those of a newborn kitten—adorably clumsy.

Si Qingchen smiled and set her down, but immediately caught her hands as she tried to thump his shoulder. Her delicate fingertips were slightly cool, but her palms were slick with a cold sweat—clear signs of illness.

Drawing her close again, he pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her back as he comforted her in a low voice, "Alright now, don’t be upset. You’re still sick, so be good, okay?"

"Then let go of me, Si Qingchen! I’m not a child."

Mu Qingcheng had no intention of quietly letting him hold her. Even as she was pressed to his chest, she kept wriggling her shoulders in an attempt to break free, like a bristling little animal.

"If you’re not a child, would you have dashed out so recklessly just now?"

"That was your fault!"

"Fine, it’s all my fault—everything is my mistake, alright?"

"...Hmph!"

Perhaps it was the fever muddling her mind, but under Si Qingchen’s soothing words, Mu Qingcheng gradually calmed. Enclosed in his arms, she was held securely and safely, and though she was unwilling to admit it, Mu Qingcheng could not deny the inexplicable, unprecedented sense of security she felt.

After a moment, seeing she had stopped struggling, Si Qingchen gently ran his fingers through her long hair and asked softly, "Qingcheng, do you know what has really happened outside?"

Mu Qingcheng slowly straightened in his embrace, lifted her head, and in the dim light of the corridor, gazed into the man’s deep-set eyes. She nodded and replied truthfully, "I know. Someone intercepted images from the hospital’s security cameras and claimed that, as the ‘Fifth Miss of the Mu Family,’ I used my status to bully others and deliberately made things difficult for the hospital director."

"Mm. And have you thought about how to respond?"

Si Qingchen looked at the little one before him with indulgent fondness, as if prepared to let her do whatever she wished.

But Mu Qingcheng only curled her lips in a careless smile and replied offhandedly, "Not yet. But I want to see what gifts those behind this have prepared for me."