Yan Qianyi’s spine stiffened.
She hesitated a bit, "Ah Lie didn’t tell my brother that we’ve broken up; I think he must have his reasons, so..."
Before, when she told the Nangong couple about their breakup, Ah Lie was very angry.
Mu Yunlie asked again, "You’ve already broken up, and you still care about his thoughts?"
Yan Qianyi nodded, "Yes, after all, the breakup was my fault."
Mu Yunlie looked at Yan Qianyi. She was hanging her head, her eyes fixed on the ground.
She repeatedly emphasized that the breakup was her own fault.
Was she feeling ashamed of her fickle heart?
Yan Qianyi then explained, "I didn’t mean to hide it from my brother either. Right now, the two countries are negotiating a treaty of friendship. My brother loves me very much; he was wholeheartedly hoping to have the countries sign the treaty of friendship, also considering my sake, so now isn’t the right time to tell him. After the treaty is signed, I will tell him the truth."
Mu Yunlie smiled, "You really are patriotic."
Yan Qianyi frowned slightly. The Commander’s light laugh sounded ambiguous, giving off a somewhat strange feeling.
She couldn’t tell if he was complimenting her.
Or if he was mocking her for being dishonest in front of her family.
She didn’t dare to raise her head to look into his eyes.
The room quieted down for a while, Yan Qianyi stood stiffly in her spot.
Since the Commander hadn’t asked her to leave, she could only stand still.
After a moment, she noticed from the corner of her eye that the Commander had stood up and was walking towards her, stopping in front of her.
The sudden closeness, along with the familiar scent that hit her face.
Yan Qianyi sniffed, this scent was too similar to Ah Lie’s!
Could they be using the same brand of perfume?
Or the same laundry detergent?
"Since you’ve already split up with him, how about considering me?"
The Commander’s gentle voice came from above her head.
Yan Qianyi felt as though a thunderbolt had exploded right over her head!
Her heart trembled fiercely.
She looked up in shock, directly into those eyes behind the mask.
Seeing his eyes from such a close distance, she found them very beautiful, giving her a very familiar sensation.
But now was not the time to admire his eyes. She assumed that it’s quite common for good-looking people to have beautiful eyes.
She hastily stepped back, somewhat startled.
She could hardly believe what she had just heard.
"Sir, you’re... you’re joking, right?"
"Do I look like someone who jokes?"
His gaze was intense, making Yan Qianyi anxious inside, and she involuntarily took a few more steps back.
Yet he continued advancing, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him. "I can see from your eyes that you admire me a lot, don’t you want to be with me?"
Crashing into his solid embrace, Yan Qianyi’s heartbeat quickened, and she felt as if she were about to suffocate.
She frantically broke free, "I admire you, but it’s purely admiration, without any inappropriate thoughts. Today, I’ll just assume you’re joking with me."
After that, Yan Qianyi ran out as if escaping.
Mu Yunlie gently lowered his gaze towards the doorway, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
Previously, hadn’t she been keen on marrying the Commander?
Now that she has grown tired of "Mu Yunlie," facing the Commander’s advances, shouldn’t she be happy and gladly accept?
Mu Yunlie furrowed his brows tightly.
What was she really thinking?
It seemed he was understanding her less and less.
Pei Yuexuan walked in, "Sir, what happened? I saw... Yan Qianyi running out in a hurry."
Mu Yunlie dodged the question, "Prepare to depart."
At that moment, Mu Yunlie’s earpiece rang with Ah Chang’s voice, "Master, Madam was frightened by you, you were too direct just now."
"Shut up!" Mu Yunlie snapped coldly.
Pei Yuexuan had just reached the door when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He hadn’t said anything, had he?
Then he realized that the Commander must have been telling Ah Chang to shut up.
He continued walking outside, filled with bewilderment.
Yan Qianyi had just come out of the room, looking panicked.
He called her, but she didn’t respond, running away desperately as if she had seen a ghost.
After walking away, Yan Qianyi’s racing heart still hadn’t calmed down.
It wasn’t because of affection but genuine fear.
She had never expected that the usually reserved and profound Commander would suddenly say those words to her.
If she hadn’t met Ah Lie, and it had been a long time ago, she would surely have been happy and excited to faint.
But now, her heart only had room for Ah Lie, and no one else could fit in.
Now her feelings for the Commander were purely admiration, respect, and gratitude.
Even if she had let go of Ah Lie, she couldn’t agree.
After all, the Commander had such a good relationship with the Nangong Family.
Moreover, she was currently carrying Ah Lie’s child.
She was going crazy—how was she going to face her idol in the future!
After returning to the Federation Empire, Yan Qianyi had just arrived home when she received a voice call from Nangong Xiaoxue.
"Qianyi, are you home?"
"When you’ve rested, I’ll have someone pick you up."
"How is the Duke’s health?"
"There shouldn’t be any issues; he just has a cough, but I’m not sure of the specifics since I’m not skilled in medical practices."
"I’ll come over tonight to check on him. Don’t send anyone; I’ll drive myself."
"Tonight? Isn’t that too exhausting for you?"
"It’s okay, I slept on the spaceship."
"Alright, what time will you arrive?"
Yan Qianyi glanced at the time, "Six-thirty."
"Okay, I’ll wait for you." Nangong Xiaoxue sounded very happy.
After hanging up, Yan Qianyi took a shower, changed clothes, grabbed some medicine from the lab, had a quick bite, and was ready to head out.
Aunt Xue asked her, "Miss, why are you going out again just after you came back? You haven’t had a proper rest."
"It’s okay, I’m not tired. I’m going to check on Duke Nangong’s condition."
Hearing it was for visiting the Nangong Family, Aunt Xue hurriedly urged, "Then you should go, but drive slowly, and if it gets too late, don’t come back; it’s not safe."
Aunt Xue also eagerly hoped that Yan Qianyi would reconcile with Mu Yunlie.
She wished Yan Qianyi would just move into the Nangong Family’s house, giving her a chance to interact more with Mu Yunlie.
Upon arriving at the Nangong Family’s residence, Yan Qianyi got out of the car and saw the path leading to the main house covered with a red carpet, with flowers lined up on both sides.
Was there some kind of celebration?
She thought back to the day she met Mu Yunlie at the restaurant, followed by Ning Nuan’s departure.
Her mind couldn’t help but wander.
Were the two of them going to formally get engaged?
But the one-year marital period with Mu Yunlie had not yet ended.
Yan Qianyi walked along the red carpet towards the main house.
As she walked in through the front door, joyful fireworks suddenly fell from the high ceiling, accompanied by the sound of enthusiastic applause.
Yan Qianyi was stunned.
The servants of the Nangong Family clapped as they approached her, surrounding her in the middle.