After Time Traveling, I was Forced to Marry a Wealthy Family

Mu Ci had lunch in the bedroom. It was the master bedroom on the third floor, which belonged to Gu Huai. After the incident, Gu Huai no longer allowed him to return to his own room to sleep.

Post-meal, someone arrived to administer an injection. Mu Ci, resistant to medical devices with a disinfectant smell, especially syringes and infusion tubes, darkened his face when Jiang Wenjing brought them out.

Huddled under the quilt with his back turned, Mu Ci coldly demanded, “Get out!”

Despite their recent argument, Gu Huai, still upset, lifted Mu Ci’s quilt, held his wrist, and presented it for the doctor’s needle.

Mocking, Gu Huai remarked, “How old are you? Afraid of an infusion? Acting like a child?”

Mu Ci was angry but couldn’t say anything, his hands visibly trembled. Fortunately, Jiang Wenjing’s skilled hands made the needle insertion nearly painless. The doctor hung the infusion bottle, then squatted to apply medicine to scratches on Mu Ci’s wrist.

Mu Ci, having encountered Jiang Wenjing upon entering this world, felt a certain closeness to the doctor, at least more than others in the house.

Mu Ci softly asked with uncertain tone, “Am I seriously ill?”

Jiang Wenjing calmly replied, “Oh, it’s nothing, just a normal fever. Your constitution is a bit weak, and it’s possible your body hasn’t formed antibodies. Modern germs are different; you might need more vaccinations.”

Confused, Mu Ci tilted his head, as these terms were alien to him.

Gu Huai, stroking Mu Ci’s hair, inquired, “When will the injection take place?”

“Tomorrow,” Jiang Wenjing stated bluntly. “Young Master Mu’s body is still weak; it’s best not to torment him further.”

Feeling irritable for no clear reason, Gu Huai snapped, “I know, no need for extra words!”

Jiang Wenjing discreetly rolled her eyes, thinking that if he truly understood, it wouldn’t be like this.

However, as a rational top student, she restrained herself and calmly added with a vague smile, “It’s good that you know.”

Gu Huai sensed his personal doctor might be scolding him internally but dismissed the matter. He turned to Mu Ci, wanting to say something mocking, yet seeing Mu Ci’s pale face softened his heart.

After a pause, he said, “Forget it. Rest for a while.”

Tucking Mu Ci’s cold hands under the quilt, Gu Huai stood up and left. As he touched the door handle, Mu Ci suddenly spoke, “Why do you like me?”

Stunned for a moment, Gu Huai chuckled, “Who knows, they say it’s love at first sight. Maybe I’m just enamored with your face.”

Mu Ci bit his lower lip, laughing coldly with a strange intensity that echoed in the empty room. He covered his eyes, chuckled a couple more times, then looked at Gu Huai, saying, “I see, it turns out it’s that easy to get away from you.”

Without warning, Mu Ci pulled out the infusion needle and aimed it at his face.

Gu Huai, too far away to intervene in time, watched in horror as Mu Ci attempted to make a deep incision on his face. At the last moment, Jiang Wenjing, closest to the bed, grabbed Mu Ci’s wrist, preventing the self-harm.

Even Jiang Wenjing, usually composed, was visibly shaken by the fear.

Gu Huai, rushing to Mu Ci, slapped him sternly, questioning, “Why are you so crazy? What are you trying to do? Are you self-harming? Why not go for the artery?!”

Mu Ci was slapped and hurting, sneered but remained silent.

Gu Huai, feeling a chill, asked, “Why are you doing this? Aren’t you the one suffering?”

Mu Ci, face buried in the quilt, didn’t respond. Gu Huai pinched his chin, looking at his face, and softly asked, “Does it hurt?”

In a moment, Gu Huai was transported back to their initial encounters, less tense and more carefree. Back then, their interactions were softer, checking if each other was hurt after a slap, just as Gu Huai did now. Everything had changed in the blink of an eye.

Mu Ci, closing his eyes, whispered, “Get out.”

“Then don’t hurt yourself again!”

Mu Ci’s voice grew stern, “Get out!”

Gu Huai stood up slowly, not out of fear of Mu Ci’s anger, but because Mu Ci’s desperate act had shocked him. If Mu Ci would rather harm his face than leave, their future together seemed grim.

Bitterness settled in Gu Huai’s throat, spreading to his heart. He gave one last look to Mu Ci and told Jiang Wenjing, “Keep an eye on him. I’ll come back in the evening.”

Slowly, he left, the door closing softly behind him.

Jiang Wenjing shifted her attention from the door to Mu Ci, reaching out to him. “Give me your hand.”

Mu Ci, realizing his hand was still bleeding, was momentarily surprised. Jiang Wenjing cleaned the wound, applied a band-aid, and said, “I dare not give you an infusion now. I’ll give you some medicine later.”

Mu Ci, silent for a moment, whispered, “Sorry to trouble you.”

Jiang Wenjing raised her eyes, the sharpness hidden behind her lenses, “Actually, do you feel that your reaction was a bit excessive?”

“He deliberately got me drunk just because…” Mu Ci’s words came out vaguely, “He also took photos like that and threatened me to get married. If I didn’t agree, he would lock me in the study.” Mu Ci glanced at the scratches on his wrist, expressing great disgust. “Excessive? At that time, I wanted to kill him.”

“Do you still want to kill him now?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Mu Ci shook his head.

Jiang Wenjing found it intriguing, “Why? Don’t you hate him very much?”

“…Not to the point of killing someone.” Mu Ci looked at his palm, saying, “I don’t like killing people.”

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“Yeah.”

“Who?”

Mu Ci remained silent. Just when Jiang Wenjing considered changing the topic, he slowly admitted, “Myself.”

Jiang Wenjing was silent for a moment, recalling, “You mentioned committing suicide by jumping into a well.”

Jiang Wenjing, with a peculiar interest in suicide complexes, thought silently.

Having studied psychology as an elective in college and later obtaining a degree, Jiang Wenjing habitually delved into the minds of others. She couldn’t help but find Mu Ci’s strong reaction intriguing.

While Gu Huai’s actions were undoubtedly unpleasant, they didn’t seem severe enough to justify Mu Ci’s extreme response.

Jiang Wenjing suspected that Mu Ci might have a traumatic past related to such incidents, causing his intense reactions.

“Do you hate people like Gu Huai?” she circled back to the original question, skillfully using the term “this kind of person” to extract more information from Mu Ci.

His expression shifted slightly, indicating hesitance. Jiang Wenjing knew she needed to press on, or Mu Ci might become defensive and withhold information.

“Have you ever had someone like this around you before?”

Caught off guard, Mu Ci replied, “…my father.”

“Your father?”

“Yes.” Mu Ci, having spoken the words, seemed to feel a weight lifted, encouraged by Jiang Wenjing’s understanding gaze.

Once the floodgate of memories opened, Mu Ci couldn’t help but continue: “My mother was a renowned dancer in the capital. She had a sweetheart, an honest carpenter. In the year my father ascended the throne, he summoned the capital’s dance troupe for a palace performance. My mother was selected to enter the palace, and she made a promise to marry the carpenter upon her return.”

Jiang Wenjing could already anticipate the predictable plot, but she listened without interruption.

Mu Ci recounted, “During that banquet, my father was enamored with my mother’s beauty and sought to take her as his concubine. Despite her insistence on having a lover, my father forced her into being his concubine. The carpenter was caught and executed in front of her.”

Jiang Wenjing clicked her tongue, noting the uncanny resemblance between this emperor and the detestable Gu Huai.

“My father’s influence was overwhelming, and my mother, powerless, was compelled to become a concubine, eventually giving birth to me.” Mu Ci paused, transporting himself back to those dark years.

“Until I was eight, I lived in my mother’s palace. She resisted for a time. I often witnessed my father’s violence towards her, his cruel outlets on her… so, naturally, I came to hate that man.”

Jiang Wenjing could empathize with the fear and helplessness of the child Mu Ci once was.

Pausing, Mu Ci continued, “To break free entirely, my mother disfigured herself with scissors when I was fourteen. By altering her once-beautiful face, she believed my father’s interest would wane. In this way, she hoped to lead a peaceful life for a few years.”

“That’s why you…” Jiang Wenjing was momentarily speechless.

Mu Ci smiled bitterly, “From the first time I saw Gu Huai, I sensed that his eyes resembled my father’s.”

Gazing out the window at clouds and darkness, he added, “Dr. Jiang, I actually don’t want to follow in my mother’s footsteps.”