The night was completely dark.
Cold eyes snapped open.
Staring intently at the car roof, not even blinking.
Nan Juechen's strong body lay sprawled on the back seat, unable to stretch out.
His brow furrowed, as yesterday's memories flooded back: his madness, his possessiveness, her pleas for mercy…
Everything.
Nan Juechen lay there for a long time, until the first light of dawn appeared in the sky, until the cool sunlight touched the earth.
He got up, put on his clothes, and noticed a large, dried patch of crimson beneath him.
His body trembled, his eyes flashing like a leopard's.
"Mu Yi'ai, I'll make you suffer a terrible death!"
…
"Why can't I go?!"
A sharp question echoed in the hotel corridor.
Mu Yi'ai glared at Old Master Mu with her cat-like eyes, her gaze icy. "If you tell me now that I'm not your biological daughter, I'll leave immediately!"
Old Master Mu trembled with anger, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Xin Yu supported him, her dark eyes blinking. "Grandpa, just let her go. Uncle Mu didn't say it was forbidden, did he?"
"Even if he did, so what!" Mu Yi'ai retorted. "You're sending me away soon, can't I even have some fun?!"
So this was what she cared about.
"You can go!" Old Master Mu relented. There was probably no one in the world who loved Mu Yi'ai more than him. "Watch your mouth, watch your hands! Stay with Xin Yu obediently."
"I know your granddaughter is wonderful!" she retorted, raising an eyebrow and giving Xin Yu a disdainful look. "Isn't Mu Yichuan coming? Does he trust you to go?"
Xin Yu's breath caught in her throat. Yesterday's events were still vivid in her mind. If he hadn't had to leave urgently, perhaps he really would have confessed to Old Master Mu. "No, I'm not going!" Xin Yu's hands tightened involuntarily, drawing a glance from Old Master Mu. "Uncle has work to attend to, Grandpa. Shouldn't we be leaving?"
They had to leave quickly. What if Mu Yichuan suddenly decided to skip work and come over?
"No romance," Mu Yi'ai scoffed, turning and walking downstairs, whistling. As she turned the corner of the corridor, her voice still drifted back, "No guts."
Xin Yu pouted slightly, composed herself. She truly lacked romance.
And even more so, she lacked guts. "Xin Yu," Old Master Mu said slowly, walking alongside Xin Yu, "You studied architectural design?"
"Yes."
"Have you thought about going to the design department of the Mu Group?"
Xin Yu looked up in surprise. She hadn't expected Old Master Mu to bring this up. She wanted to go, but, "I want to get in based on my own abilities."
A glint flashed in Old Master Mu's eyes, and he nodded. "Your mentor is Donghua?"
Seeing her nod, Old Master Mu continued, "Not bad. I didn't expect him to have such good judgment, choosing you as his last disciple."
This…
Xin Yu didn't respond. She'd been too busy lately and hadn't communicated much with her mentor. She didn't know if he was satisfied with her.
"He mentioned this to me last time, but I didn't pay attention. If I had known she was my granddaughter, I would have gone to Dongdu University to see you a long time ago."
"You know my mentor?" Xin Yu turned to look at Old Master Mu. He was all smiles, the fierceness that had made him tremble with anger at Mu Yi'ai earlier gone.
"Of course I know him! He used to be an advisor to our Mu Group!" Old Master Mu patted Xin Yu's hand. "That's why I believe Xin Yu has the ability."
She had never considered this connection before and couldn't help but smile.
"Xin Yu knows Liu Shuihan?"
Her smile froze on her lips. Xin Yu looked at Old Master Mu, puzzled. Why would he bring this up?
Because of what Mu Yichuan said yesterday?
"I..." She really didn't know how to answer. Saying she didn't know him was one thing, but Old Master Mu's meaning was clearly not so obvious. "Brother Shuihan is the older brother of a classmate I had in junior high school back in Beishi."
Old Master Mu nodded, not rushing to say anything. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "His family background is a bit poor, but he's a good person."
These words struck Xin Yu's heart like a whip. Old Master Mu truly had never considered a connection between her and Mu Yichuan! Her head was buzzing, unable to make out the voices inside. Instinctively, she murmured, "I have someone I like."
"Hmm?" Old Master Mu looked at Xin Yu in surprise, then thought for a moment, "Is it... Qiu Zhi?"
He didn't wait for Xin Yu's answer, but pondered to himself. Qiu Zhi was quite nice, and Old Madam Qiu clearly liked Xin Yu very much.
But, even if everyone tacitly avoided mentioning what happened three years ago, there was definitely still a lingering resentment.
"That boy Qiu Zhi—"
"Grandpa, why do you keep thinking about this? Don't you want me to stay in the old house with you?" Xin Yu blinked her dark eyes, feigning innocence. She really didn't want to continue this topic.
Could she say it out loud—that she liked Mu Yichuan!
She couldn't...and dared not.
"Silly child!" Old Master Mu narrowed his eyes, "Do you think that just because Grandpa made you marry someone else, you have a reason not to stay with me?"
Xin Yu smiled but didn't speak.
They arrived at the Kun Hotel in S country in silence. From the entrance to the banquet hall on the second floor, it was dazzlingly luxurious.
Xin Yu wasn't paying attention to everything, but she still felt uneasy.
So the Qi family's daughter was this rich!
This kind of ostentatious display would probably make the Mu family take notice, otherwise, why would Mu Yichuan let the Qi daughter spend the night in his room!
Thinking of this, Xin Yu felt a dense, persistent irritation. She didn't even bother to answer her vibrating phone.
"Why didn't you answer the phone?" It wasn't until the phone rang three times that she reluctantly answered. Without hesitation, Mu Yichuan's voice came from the other end, "Are you at the banquet hall?"
"Weren't you spying on me? Do you even need to ask that?" Xin Yu retorted, her mood sour and her tone a bit sarcastic. "I really want to know what I look like from your perspective?"
"Breathtakingly beautiful." Mu Yichuan's deep voice tinged with amusement. "You look so bouncy, so alluring."
What a scoundrel!
Xin Yu gritted her teeth in anger. Had she lost her mind to ask him such a pointless question?
"Is there something you need? If not, I'm hanging up." She said irritably, her head slightly lowered.
"Did you see the Qi family's daughter?"
"..." Xin Yu didn't even think before hanging up. He was too brazen! After hanging up, still feeling unsatisfied, she casually sent a text message: "Saw it, nothing special, Mu Yichuan. I never knew you had such poor taste!"
"Want a drink?" Mu Yi'ai handed over a glass of red wine. "It's very good."
Xin Yu put away her phone, glanced at her, and took the glass, but didn't drink it.
"So cowardly?" she provocatively, her cat-like eyes gleaming with inquiry. "Afraid I'll drug you? Don't worry, Grandpa's watching. I wouldn't dare."
Mu Yi'ai lightly touched Xin Yu's glass, speaking flippantly with a fake smile befitting this occasion, "Cheers!"
She took a small sip, helplessly. "This is wine?"
Xin Yu was surprised, because the red wine looked ordinary, but had a very sweet taste. She couldn't help but take another sip.
"Ignorant fool." Mu Yi'ai glared at her disdainfully. "Follow me from now on, and I'll make sure you taste the finest delicacies."
"..." Xin Yu shrugged, simply sipping her red wine, without answering. "Should we go find Old Master Mu?"
"No need!" Mu Yi'ai replied decisively. "He's protected by a bunch of people."
Xin Yu looked around. To be honest, she didn't see anyone openly, and couldn't help but recall the black-clad men who had suddenly appeared at the Mu family's old mansion.
"Then...would Old Master Mu send someone to follow someone?"
Mu Yi'ai raised her long, slender eyebrows, a slight smile playing on her lips. "What? Is Mu Yichuan following you?"
Xin Yu didn't answer, but her expression betrayed her thoughts. She should have kept quiet tonight, saying nothing. Who knew if the she-devil would use this to attack Mu Yichuan?
"Perhaps he's counter-following?"
"Hmm?" Xin Yu was puzzled, her dark eyes fixed on Mu Yi'ai with suspicion. Counter-following? "What junk food!" She rummaged through the waiter's tray, her eyes full of disdain. "No wonder it's a small country."
Xin Yu was speechless, not only because her mind wasn't on the food, but also because she and Mu Yi'ai were from different worlds, on the same level.
"What exactly did you mean by 'anti-stalking'?"
"Mu Yichuan likes you so much, why are you asking me!" Mu Yi'ai clearly wasn't going to answer, her cat-like eyes darting around as if she were deep in thought.
Xin Yu's lips twitched. Mu Yichuan liked her so much?
How could she not know?
If he liked her, after all she said yesterday, why didn't he offer a single explanation?
And he watched her cry so many times! "Grandpa loves you too, you can ask him," Mu Yi'ai suggested. "You're really stupid. With Grandpa around, what are you afraid of Mu Yichuan for! He could wipe him out in a minute!"
"…" Xin Yu was shocked by Mu Yi'ai's words, not because of her arrogance, but because Grandpa Mu could wipe out Mu Yichuan in a minute?!
She couldn't imagine what Grandpa Mu would do if he knew about her relationship with Mu Yichuan!
"Is the woman in the photo who looks just like me your mother?" Xin Yu asked solemnly, afraid of touching on someone's sore spot.
"I don't know." Mu Yi'ai downed her glass of red wine, then took another glass from the waiter. "I've never seen her."
Xin Yu looked at her with a pang of heartache. No wonder she was so rebellious and unruly; she could imagine how much love a child lacked without a mother and with such a busy father.
"Perhaps my older brother has seen her." Mu Yi'ai's cheeks flushed.
The older brother? Xin Yu thought of the man who bore a striking resemblance to Mu Yichuan, the one who had once confessed his feelings to her.
If he had seen the woman in the photograph, and if that woman was his mother, why would he have confessed to her?
"Don't drink," Xin Yu advised. "Be careful not to get drunk."
"Only a coward like you would be afraid of punishment," Mu Yi'ai laughed, swirling his wine glass. "You might not find such fine wine in America."
Xin Yu paused, a wave of sorrow washing over her.
She wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
"Qi Qianjin is here."