"You still don’t know my capabilities?"
"Then we’ll have to give it a good try!"
Mu Yichen’s eyes blazed with a devouring fire.
Qin Mu’s face was already flushed red, the flirtatious and chaotic words she blurted out were something she would never normally say.
Perhaps that bottle of perfume really got to her.
After the pleasure, he hugged her and asked softly,
"If Jing Qing bothers you, I can go talk to her!"
"Forget about it, let her act if she loves to. She’s been giving me money and sending me perfume, who knows, maybe I’ll depend on her to support me in the future?"
"What can I do for you then?"
He looked down at her, asking with annoyance.
"Just don’t make me jealous, that’s all!" She raised an eyebrow, remembering how sour she felt on those two nights he wasn’t at home.
"Hehe, of course not, I just think it’d be silly not to take her money!"
Mu Yichen watched her with narrowed eyes, this woman was cunning indeed!
"Besides, you don’t have to worry about me being bullied. I, Qin Mu, definitely take favors and bribes but never any bullying."
"Then, for now, stick with what you’ve got from me!"
"Oh no, we can’t do it again, it’s both painful and exhausting!"
Qin Mu immediately refused with feigned distress and turned over, rolling off the bed.
Mu Yichen tried to pull her back but was too late. Seeing her lying on the floor under the bed, making desperate humming sounds, he couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
A night of indulgence.
The next day, she couldn’t get up. Xiaomei took Little Huanhuan to school, complaining about their disappointing trip to the amusement park the night before, where they found out children under 1.4 meters were restricted from certain rides.
Knowing that the young girl didn’t enjoy herself because she was looking after her daughter, Qin Mu immediately generously offered: "Next time you go during the day, I’ll treat you!"
"We look after your child, and you get to stay home rolling in bed with a man, you better treat us well," Xiaomei suddenly perked up again.
Qin Mu invited Xiaomei to stay for lunch, mainly because she didn’t want to cook, but she didn’t want Huanhuan to go hungry–yet she didn’t expect an uninvited guest would show up.
Xiaomei stood at the door, knife in hand, her palms involuntarily tightening at the sight of the elegant lady outside.
"Mrs., Mrs. Mu!" Xiaomei felt her guts tremble at the sight of Feng Fanghua.
Feng Fanghua glanced at her and went straight in.
The cold expression she had moments ago changed instantly to one of affection and warmth upon seeing the little girl playing with her toys next to the sofa.
"Huanhuan, grandma’s little darling!"
The woman playing possum on the couch felt a shiver run through her at that voice and sprang up from the sofa.
Qin Mu, startled, looked completely unglamorous, like a lazy high school student at home.
Feng Fanghua looked at her and immediately fell into a foul mood, but only glanced at her briefly, as her attention was on spoiling her little granddaughter.
"I went to your studio and heard you weren’t at work today, so I came to take Huanhuan out for some fun. Her grandfather is also downstairs; no problem, right?"
Feng Fanghua spoke with the tone of a strict matriarch from a wealthy family, addressing a daughter-in-law she disapproved of.
Qin Mu shook her head vigorously, very agreeably.
Feng Fanghua immediately picked up Huanhuan, thankfully the little one was light.
Qin Mu and Xiaomei watched from the door, wordlessly as Feng Fanghua took Huanhuan away, not daring to say anything more. Afterwards, they looked at each other, still speechlessly staring.
"Qinqin, let’s have beef for dinner, shall we?"
Xiaomei was being picky in the kitchen.
"I’m not eating if Little Huanhuan’s not here, you go ahead," she said.
Qin Mu went upstairs again, hmm, and slept the whole afternoon away.
Xiaomei didn’t shortchange herself. Looking at the high-end kitchenware and delicious dishes in the kitchen, she cooked three dishes and a soup for herself. After eating, she conscientiously left a portion for Qin Mu and then happily left.
Mu Yichen had planned to come home early that evening but was last-minute dragged out by Jing Feng.
Upon entering and seeing Jing Qing, he subconsciously frowned.
"It’s been a while since all of us got together, let’s not make a habit of it," he said.
Jing Feng, being slightly older, was considered the eldest among them.
Mu Yichen didn’t speak and simply sat in his usual spot.
Qiao Yi, Jiang Zhiyuan, and Zhao Huai each had their own thoughts.
"As siblings, no matter how many years pass, I hope we can remain the same as before," Jing Feng said, gently clinking his glass on the table and addressing everyone.
A dozen or so siblings didn’t hesitate to toast together.
After drinking a glass, Helian Hao said, "Qin Mu is back. Shouldn’t we include her in our sibling group to make it complete?"
Mu Yichen gave her an extra glance for that and then dropped his gaze again, continuing to be silent.
"Is she really one of us?" inquired a younger boy curiously, his gaze unintentionally shifting toward those around the table who had more say.
"She was born right under our watchful eyes, and now she’s my woman. You tell me, does she count or not?" Mu Yichen lifted his eyelids and shot back.
"Of course, of course. So, do we call her our sister or sister-in-law?" The boy immediately agreed but found himself struggling with the proper title.
"What do you think?" Mu Yichen looked at him with annoyance.
Helian Hao couldn’t help but purse his lips, watching Mu Yichen leave the whole room too intimidated to speak, finally losing control and laughing: "Are you sure you want to be our sister?"
The previously tense atmosphere instantly lightened up a lot.
Helian Hao wasn’t used to sitting with Jing Feng. He always seemed to want to avoid him, but nearly always found himself pulled right back to his side, this time being an exception.
Jing Feng looked up at the girl sitting diagonally across from him and sighed unconsciously. He truly felt helpless when it came to Helian Hao.
"Yichen’s right. Although she was sent abroad by Uncle Qin, we were all there when she was born. She is also part of our family," Jing Qing spoke up softly.
Mu Yichen’s gaze remained steady, his mind actually pondering the perfume bottle from the previous night and naturally drifting to the woman who couldn’t get out of bed that morning.
Jing Feng glanced at his sister. Although she was sitting with Mu Yichen and seemed to follow his lead, she hadn’t managed to endear herself to Mu Yichen even a little.
Despite all ties being severed between them, she was still stubbornly fixated on marrying Mu Yichen, and Jing Feng felt like a failure as a brother.
"Jing Qing is right. Next time we have dinner, we’ll invite her along," said Jing Feng.
Mu Yichen lifted his eyes to look at Qiao Yi, who had spoken: "No need. She doesn’t really like big gatherings."
To be precise, she doesn’t like you guys!
The look in ’President’ Mu’s eyes was one of disdain, and everyone else...
"I went to see her yesterday. Indeed, she’s not fond of lively scenes," Jing Qing nodded as if to say, beyond Mu Yichen, she’s the one who understands Qin Mu best, as if she’s a close older sister referring to a dear younger sibling.
"Mmm, that perfume bottle you sent wasn’t bad either," Mu Yichen suddenly said with a meaningfully smile as he started making small talk with her.