At the moment she uttered her feeble "okay," he abruptly and crudely silenced her with his lips.
He was venting, not because of Huanhuan, not because she didn’t let him announce their marriage, but because she said that all banquets must come to an end.
Their entanglement ended after midnight, and the two of them lay on the bed, each on one side.
In the morning, he left as soon as he got out of bed, while she was preparing breakfast with Xiaomei in the kitchen.
"What are we making today?" Xiaomei asked her, noticing she looked a bit tired.
"Looking for a house."
Xiaomei nodded and continued to help with breakfast. After eating, the two women put Huanhuan into the stroller and took her out with them.
They didn’t need the most luxurious location; they preferred somewhere quieter, more comfortable. Based on a few good spots they found online, they took down the addresses and set off to find them.
The landlord came out to greet them. He couldn’t help but be surprised by the clean-cut little girl they brought with them, but he soon invited them in without losing politeness.
"My house is empty anyway, so I certainly won’t be asking for the moon. You mentioned on the phone that it’s for a studio, which I consider most suitable."
The house had two floors, but it was spacious. Both levels had transparent partitions, and there was a place on the first floor covered with pebbles and clear water.
Qin Mu was very satisfied with the environment. Before leaving, the landlord mentioned drafting the contract soon and then contacting them for signing.
Unexpectedly liking the first house they saw, Qin Mu felt somewhat elated and couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Isn’t it too smooth, haha!" Xiaomei also said.
"Smooth is good. Do you want it to be bumpy all the way?" Qin Mu glanced at her, picked up Huanhuan, put her back into the stroller, and then pushed it towards the car.
Zhao Huai saw them coming out and curiously asked, "That was quick, you’re done?"
"Mmm, just waiting for the landlord to finish the contract for signing," Xiaomei said contentedly, quite pleased with the interior.
"A smooth start, a good omen!" Zhao Huai said while helping them fold the stroller.
However, for two consecutive days, the relationship with Mu Yichen didn’t improve, and that landlord didn’t call her back, either.
Xiaomei nervously asked her, "Could there be a hitch? Maybe the landlord thinks we’re too easy-going and wants to hike the price by deliberately stalling?"
Qin Mu also felt it was odd; the landlord had been eager, saying that the contract would be ready within a day, but two days had passed and they hadn’t heard anything.
"Mr. Wang? This is Qin Mu. I made an appointment with you to rent a house a couple of days ago."
"Oh, Miss Qin, well, the thing is, a friend bought my house yesterday, I am really sorry."
Although the other party’s words were polite, no amount of courtesy mattered now. After listening, Qin Mu slowly put down her phone, suddenly having an ominous premonition.
"What’s wrong?" Xiaomei asked, curious about Qin Mu’s serious expression.
"It was bought!" Qin Mu replied, repressing her voice.
"What? But he promised to rent it to us. How can he do this?"
Xiaomei immediately smacked the table in anger.
Qin Mu instinctively looked elsewhere, then reached for her phone again: Time to keep looking.
Over the next week, they found two more suitable places, both agreed upon to sign the next day, and Qin Mu even paid a deposit to prevent them from backing out. But still, the next day, the deposits were returned.
She couldn’t help but calmly consider, had she offended someone?
But after careful thought, had she not only offended Mr. Mu these past few days?
But why would Mu Yichen give her such a hard time?
Qin Mu’s mind went into a chaotic whirlwind, as Xiaomei found a nice apartment. Since a few colleagues would be coming over later, the apartment was two stories. While helping her move, Qin Mu called Mu Yichen.
He hadn’t been home at all these past few days. Could it really be him?
Mu Yichen was in his office discussing a collaboration with Qiao Yi and Yangfan Group when he saw the blinking number on his phone and his gaze involuntarily lingered on the screen.
Qiao Yi also stopped speaking, subconsciously looking towards Mu Yichen.
"Hello?" Mu Yichen answered, his voice somewhat indifferent.
"Are you coming home tonight?"
"Are you sure that’s still my home?"
Qin Mu knew he didn’t like Xiaomei and Huanhuan being around, but if he was suggesting that the place was no longer his home...
"I have something I need to discuss with you. If you’re not coming home, I’ll go to your company right now," Qin Mu said frankly, not in the mood for jokes.
He hung up the phone.
Qiao Yi instinctively frowned: What’s the matter? Did you have a fight with Xiaomu?
Mu Yichen didn’t answer, just looked up at him.
"Ah, they say even the best relationship can’t stand a third person meddling, do you particularly dislike that tag-along?"
Speaking of Huanhuan, Mu Yichen sighed helplessly: It’s not that!
He didn’t dislike Huanhuan; in fact, he even missed her. The little girl loved to smile at him, shining like sunshine upon him, and even made him occasionally feel an illusion.
But he hadn’t been home to stay these past few days and didn’t know if Huanhuan was doing well.
He was in a cold war with Qin Mu, and she was well aware of it, so how could he be unaware?
Finally, he had awaited her call, but the tone of her voice...
"You really don’t dislike that little girl? Impossible, right? She’s not your biological daughter, although you two do look a bit similar," Qiao Yi couldn’t help but laugh as he spoke of their resemblance.
He genuinely saw a resemblance, and that day after him and a few brothers had left his place and were smoking downstairs, they all nodded in agreement that Mu Yichen and Huanhuan had a high degree of similarity.
Mu Yichen’s gaze turned even colder and more penetrating, making Qiao Yi quickly shut his mouth, not daring to speak carelessly.
Qin Mu really did go to his company that afternoon, but he wasn’t there. The secretary treated her carefully, as though she were the boss’s wife, and couldn’t help but curiously observe her because she was a stranger.
Qin Mu smiled helplessly: I’m the person who spoke with you on the phone that day. Since he’s not here, I’ll leave first.
The secretary watched Qin Mu nod as she said goodbye and then nodded back, sending her on her way. Afterwards, she touched her own small heart: Oh my goodness, this is our future madam president!
Qin Mu changed her phone number that afternoon, since she’d be living in the country for a while, naturally, she couldn’t keep using her Paris number.
Huanhuan was taken out shopping by Xiaomei, while she herself curled up on the sofa, only thinking about two things.
One was that Jing Qing’s dress had been designed, and she needed to confirm it with her before they could start making it.
The other was that she couldn’t understand why he would avoid her even if he didn’t want to see her.
Could it really be him who had bought those houses?
But it didn’t make sense. He wouldn’t be so unreasonable; he always supported her work.
By 7:30 in the evening, the sky outside had darkened. While she stood by the sofa, holding a glass of water, at a loss for answers, the door was opened from the outside.
She turned her head, and his tall figure carried a chill as he closed the door and turned to look at her.