Chapter Eleven: Drinking the Medicine

With a huff, she questioned the system, “Will Mu Zichen treat Lin Yuexin like this in the future too?”
The system replied, “I don’t know what will happen in the future, but you can change things. Keep it up!”
The girl suddenly realized the system was finally saying something useful.
Not easy—it must be thanks to her good guidance.
...
A glass filled to the brim with water appeared before her. She reached out to take it. “Brother Zichen, you’re so kind~”
Gulp, gulp—
The toothpaste foamed up, the cool and tingling sensation waking her up a little. She spat out the bubbles, and with water in her mouth, she began to rinse.
This seemed to be the first time she’d brushed her teeth with Brother Zichen.
She had to win over the big boss early!
She wanted Mu Zichen to give her all his firsts. Hmph, perhaps not the wedding night, but the small daily things would do.
Silently, she made her plans, letting the mouthwash swirl in her cheeks.
Mu Zichen stood guard by her side, watching her hold the mouthwash in her mouth but not spit it out. He spoke up sternly,
“You can’t swallow mouthwash. Spit it out, quickly!”
Huh? What’s going on?
Such a basic fact—I know that!
She looked up at him in confusion, not understanding why Brother Zichen said such a thing.
Seeing her dazed and innocent expression, her fair little face still smudged with a bit of toothpaste, Mu Zichen couldn’t help but curl his lips in a smile.
Amused, he reached out to wipe away the foam for her. “Come on, spit it out.”
Obediently, she spat out the water and hurried to defend herself. “Brother Zichen, I know!” Her lips pouted slightly, sounding pitiful and soft, even more kittenish than a kitten.
He took her small towel from the wall, dampened it, wrung it dry, and gently wiped her face, his voice as tender as water. “Mm, Jiujio knows. Brother Zichen was just reminding you, that’s all.”
Looking at Mu Zichen being so gentle, she found it impossible to act spoiled with him—
He was simply too gentle, so much so that she couldn’t bring herself to throw a little tantrum.
All her coquettishness had nowhere to go. How vexing.
After washing up, Mu Zichen left the room. The girl had no idea where he’d gone, and, bored, she rolled around on his bed.
When Mu Zichen returned and saw her in this state, he could only smile helplessly.

He’s back?
She turned to see Brother Zichen holding medicine and a cup of hot milk.
She had forgotten she still had to take two more doses of medicine. Her brother had such a good memory! She inwardly gnashed her teeth.
Of course, Mu Zichen could see she didn’t want to take her medicine. After making sure the bowl wasn’t too hot, he said directly, “Jiujio, time for your medicine.”
...
So straightforward?
She shifted, pouting as she grabbed his free hand and shook it gently, gazing up at him with a pitiful, pleading look. “Brother Zichen, I feel much better already. I don’t need any more medicine.”
“No.” Mu Zichen didn’t even hesitate, his handsome face expressionless, his tone suddenly a touch sterner than usual.
How could a little girl skip her medicine when she was ill?
She looked up at him, her big eyes full of innocence. “But it’s so bitter!”
He still wouldn’t budge, but his tone softened naturally. “Be good. After the medicine, you can have some milk and it won’t taste bitter anymore.”
She held out for a bit, but when her brother kept looking at her like that, her resolve crumbled.
A little pleading was fine, but too much would be pushing it.
“Brother Zichen, feed me~” Since she had to take it, she might as well get the best treatment.
At last, he smiled, pulling her into his arms as he carefully fed her from the bowl. Watching her pink tongue draw the medicine from the rim, his heart skipped uncontrollably.
“Brother Zichen, Jiujio’s finished.” She nestled obediently in his arms, gazing at him with hopeful eyes.
He let go, set the empty bowl on the table, and praised her. “Good girl, now drink your milk.”
She took the small cup of milk and sipped at it, sneaking glances at him.
It was too much—she couldn’t finish it!
Her thick lashes fluttered as she solemnly offered him the cup. “Brother Zichen, I can’t drink any more...”
He looked at the half-empty cup, the rim still marked with her milky print.
As someone who’d always been carefully tended to since childhood, no one had ever offered him their leftovers before.
But the little girl seemed not to realize this, her face pure and innocent—she simply couldn’t finish and wanted her brother’s help.
Mu Zichen’s expression didn’t change as he quietly took the cup from her and drank the rest.
Sweet, so sweet!
He’d disliked milk since he was a child, but now he’d finished what she left behind, and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all—he even found it delicious.
Of course, the girl knew he hated milk. She just wanted to tease him a bit, since he’d made her take her medicine.

She hadn’t expected him to drink it—and even lick his lips, as if relishing the taste...
Had she remembered wrong, or...
Her mind spun with questions, a guess forming that needed to be tested.
“Brother Zichen, I’m sleepy,” she yawned.
She was exhausted—sleep came first.
He snapped back to himself, adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature, tucked her in with the light summer quilt, turned off the main light and left just a lamp on, then got into bed and naturally wrapped his arm around her.
Inhaling the sweet scent of milk on her, he slept soundly all night.
The next morning, when the girl came downstairs, Mu Junze had already returned from the hospital and was just about to sit down for breakfast in the dining room.
Hearing footsteps, Mu Junze turned and saw his precious Jiujio shuffling down the stairs in her slippers. His eyes lit up instantly. “Jiujio!”
Beaming with joy,
She was just as surprised—she’d planned to visit the hospital to fetch her uncle after breakfast, but he was already home.
“Uncle!” She ran excitedly into his arms.
He caught her in a full embrace, his heart overflowing with happiness.
Mu Mama and Mu Zichen watched them nearby, their expressions gentle.
After a harmonious family breakfast, Mu Junze went to his study to deal with the backlog of work, while Mu Qin, worried he’d tire himself, went to help. Only Mu Zichen was left to watch over Jiujio as she took her medicine.
She stared silently at the bowl in front of her.
“Good girl, this is the last time. After this, you won’t have to drink it again.”
Mu Zichen tried to coax her, charmed by her cute little face.
She could only quietly take up the small spoon and drink it in front of him, one mouthful at a time.
When she finally finished, she asked if she could play on the swing in the garden.
“Brother Zichen, you go ahead and get busy. I’ll go play on the swing,” she said, pointing to the swing set outside the small garden.
He knew she especially loved that swing, so he nodded and agreed. “Alright,” he said, and told a little maid to accompany her.
Watching them walk away, Mu Zichen finally headed upstairs.
To reach the swing, one had to pass through the little garden. The Mu family’s garden was large, filled with all kinds of flowers—peonies, crabapples, magnolias, michelia...
As the breeze swept through, the blossoms swayed and danced, releasing their fresh, tempting fragrance. Even the shimmering white gauze draped over the swing was lifted by the wind, drifting and fluttering like something out of a fairy tale.