Gu Qili wished she could escape immediately from this oppressive and scheming atmosphere, where she felt suffocated every minute.
"The second son must have been kicked in the head by a donkey, marrying a social butterfly and treating her like the apple of his eye. That woman really is a femme fatale," Qi Meihui nagged on after they left.
Mu Hewen impatiently dropped his cutlery: "You sure talk a lot. Even eating can't shut you up. Aren't you supposed to be a lady of good breeding? Cut out the 'kicked by a donkey' talk and behave with some class."
"Mu Hewen, why are you speaking for that little vixen? Have you slept with her, huh?" The dining room was empty by now, and Qi Meihui's voice grew sharp.
"I have nothing to do with her," Mu Hewen hastily denied, his attitude towards Qi Meihui filled with disgust.
"Oh, you Mu Hewen, are you ready to dump me, your homely wife, for that young and pretty thing? I'll remind you, without our Qi Family's help, you wouldn't stand a chance competing with Mu Shuoqian for the family head position. Not. A. Chance."
She hit a nerve, and Mu Hewen's tone immediately softened: "Don't be silly, I'm devoted to you. Our kid's all grown up; how could I possibly stray?"
"Glad you know." Qi Meihui snorted a warning, "Stay away from that Gu Qili."
Just out of the old house's gates, she thought he would let go of her hand instantly but found that he was still holding on tightly.
Thinking he had forgotten, she stole a couple of glances. Realizing she was watching, the hand holding Gu Qili's relaxed, the sudden loss of warmth causing her to instinctively tighten her grip.
Mu Shuoqian walked ahead, and she followed him closely.
He had a bit of red wine earlier, so Yuan Yi was driving.
She deliberately left a crack in the car window before getting in, to prevent motion sickness. The trip was silent, she just focused on the scenery outside the window.
After the Maybach 62 drove a distance, Gu Qili realized they were not on the way back to the school.
"The school gates close at ten, and they check our dorms," she finally couldn't help but whisper a reminder.
"We're not going back to school tonight," Mu Shuoqian looked tired, his eyes half-closed, leaning back in the seat, "You're a senior, what's with the dorm check?"
"It has nothing to do with the grade level."
"Do you think I never went to college?" His voice was full of mockery. He pinched the bridge of his nose to relax and didn't even look at her.
Gu Qili fell silent, turned away, and kept looking out the window, murmuring to herself: That was from your era, Uncle!
She didn't like going back to their 'home' because it was just a shell without any sense of home. Plus, she didn't want to be alone with Mu Shuoqian, even though they were married in name.
Despite her feelings, she still didn't go against him as the terms of their contract left all power in his hands.
"I have a five o'clock flight tomorrow; I don't want the hassle," he said faintly, seemingly explaining something, while Gu Qili pretended not to hear, her heart still heavy. It's not like he was driving; what hassle was he talking about?
Mu Shuoqian lived in Jingshan, where the property values are far higher than those of villas. A five-story duplex house, one elevator per home, and he lived on one level.
This was their new house when they got married, freshly decorated, everything brand new.
She had only come here once on the day of their wedding when Mu Shuoqian drank too much and she tended to him all night. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on NovєlFіre.net
The so-called wedding was merely a dinner. Mu Haotian didn't like her and had once strongly opposed the marriage. Mu Shuoqian somehow convinced him, and while he agreed, he never really accepted her as a true daughter-in-law, nor did he let the outside world know that she was a part of the Mu Family because they felt it was embarrassing.