Mu Yanxi tossed and turned in the side bedroom, unable to sleep. The moment she closed her eyes, Yi Wulan’s lecture on economic policies and models from the study replayed endlessly in her mind and ears.
It wasn’t exactly rocket science to her, nor was it hard to understand, but it sounded like a tightening band around her head, leaving her agitated and annoyed.
Just as she was finally drifting off into a hazy sleep, the orange thunderstorm that Yuncheng had issued a warning for earlier in the day arrived as scheduled.
A cold front swept in, and dark clouds engulfed the city’s night sky. The fierce wind and rain had finally arrived.
A bright silver flash of lightning illuminated Mu Yanxi’s restless sleeping face. Before she could even process it, a clap of thunder exploded in the sky.
“Boom—rumble—”
One clap of thunder followed another, jolting Mu Yanxi awake. The moment she opened her eyes, she was met with another flash of lightning. A dense curtain of rain poured down, and wind and rain seeped through a window that hadn’t been fully closed, carrying the bone-chilling cold of early winter.
Mu Yanxi went over to close the window properly. Her heart pounded in time with the roaring thunder, and her thoughts gradually cleared.
In the two months since Yi Wulan’s surgery, with the help of her ability, Mu Yanxi had paid less and less attention to Yi Wulan’s legs. A little wind and rain on a normal day was one thing, but this kind of weather would likely affect them.
Besides… she hadn’t transferred any of her ability to Yi Wulan tonight.
The core in her abdomen also seemed to be urging her on, faintly cheering and bubbling at its center, as if about to overflow.
Mu Yanxi’s hand, hanging at her side, clenched silently.
“Serves her right.” Mu Yanxi was silent for a long moment before suddenly kicking the sofa under the window. “Who asked her to be so serious? We go to the study, and she actually lectures me about documents. What does the holographic technology making or losing money have to do with me? Does she have to be so earnest? It serves her right if her legs hurt on a rainy day.”
Having found a reason for herself, Mu Yanxi’s guilt lessened considerably. She puffed out her cheeks, looking as if she wanted to beat gongs and drums to celebrate Yi Wulan finally dying from the pain.
But when she turned back, her gaze unexpectedly fell on the combination box on the coffee table. The combination was not at all creative; it was still the initial four zeros.
At her parents’ house, she hadn’t looked closely because Yi Wulan was there, and at the Rongjia office, she was afraid of getting caught secretly looking at the photos by Yi Wulan.
She had assumed that beneath the acceptance letter were just her university documents, but unexpectedly, after lifting the partition, she found a collection of youthful photos, preserving memories from a bygone era.
The few photos of Yi Wulan above the partition could be explained away as Yi Wulan having forced them on her. But the ones hidden beneath the partition, which were clearly candid shots, entered her sight without any warning.
Mu Yanxi’s mind went blank for a long time, as if she had been struck by something.
In the photos, Yi Wulan was still in her early twenties. Time seemed to have left no trace on her.
People are always curious about things they don’t know, and Mu Yanxi held these photos, looking at them for a long time.
One profile after another, one back view after another—even if they were blurry, they still sent ripples through the bottom of her heart.
She had pretended not to care, yet she had secretly watched her countless times back then.
A gentle smile unknowingly touched Mu Yanxi’s features. When another clap of thunder sounded, she could no longer hold back. She put down the photos and walked out.
Just consider it… for the sake of her past self.
The heavy rain pattered against the hallway windows, creating a continuous, pleasant, crisp sound.
The rain was so heavy that it splashed inside. She ran into the housekeeper who had come upstairs to close the windows. The housekeeper was startled to see her. “Miss Mu, what are you doing?”
It was no secret that Mu Yanxi had been sleeping in the side bedroom these past few days. The housekeepers, minding their own business, had vaguely guessed that the two masters of the house were having some sort of conflict.
Seeing Mu Yanxi heading toward the master bedroom now, the housekeeper’s voice held a hint of a smile.
Mu Yanxi wanted to come up with an excuse, but wandering toward the master bedroom late at night always made her feel as guilty as a thief. So, she didn’t hide it. “It’s raining, and I’m worried Yi Wulan’s leg injury might act up. I’m going to check on her.”
After speaking, she helped the housekeeper close the windows.
The housekeeper had only been guessing before, but after hearing Mu Yanxi’s words, she couldn’t help but show a bit of surprise on her face.
After all, in their eyes, although Mu Yanxi seemed good-tempered, she was ultimately a few years younger than Yi Wulan and didn’t seem like the type to take care of someone.
They had never understood why Yi Wulan, a person who was always on guard even with her own family, would be so unguarded with Mu Yanxi, a marriage partner who had appeared so suddenly.
But Mu Yanxi’s actions over the past few months had gradually made them understand the reason, especially after running into her here tonight. It seemed there were some genuine feelings involved.
The housekeeper looked at the raindrops splattered on Mu Yanxi’s pajama robe and urged, “Miss Mu, leave this to me. You should go check on the young miss first.”
Mu Yanxi had just been using closing the windows to stall for time. At the housekeeper’s words, she had no choice but to slowly walk toward the master bedroom.
She gently turned the doorknob. It was pitch black inside. Mu Yanxi didn’t forget to mutter disdainfully, “Doesn’t even know to lock the door when she sleeps. Isn’t she afraid of being robbed of her virtue?”
Although, the only one who would rob Yi Wulan in the dead of night was her.
Mu Yanxi scratched her hair, frowning as she felt her way toward the large bed with practiced ease.
Just as she reached the bedside, a flash of lightning struck, illuminating Yi Wulan’s pale profile. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she wasn’t sleeping peacefully.
Mu Yanxi didn’t have time to turn on the light. She rushed to the bedside in a few steps and gently nudged Yi Wulan. “Yi Wulan?”
Yi Wulan still didn’t wake up, and a fine sheen of cold sweat had broken out on her forehead.
Mu Yanxi had no choice but to shake Yi Wulan’s shoulder. But after just two shakes, Yi Wulan struggled as if in self-defense in her sleep and woke up.
Yi Wulan sat up halfway, her breathing very unsteady, accompanied by a muffled, restrained groan.
But before she could rub her legs, a person scrambled up from the floor, clinging messily to the edge of the bed.
She looked at her with a belly full of resentment. “What were you dreaming about? Are you trying to murder your dear wife?”
—It was Mu Yanxi.
Yi Wulan: ……
A moment ago, Mu Yanxi had been caught off guard and hadn’t braced herself when Yi Wulan pushed her in her just-awakened state.
If it weren’t for the thick carpet, she would have been thrown into a heap.
Like a little fox, she used her paws to haphazardly brush the hair from her face. Another flash of lightning struck, making her expression look even more resentful.
Both comical and pitiful.
Yi Wulan opened her mouth, about to speak, but Mu Yanxi straightened her pajama robe and stood up. “Wait, don’t say anything yet.”
Yi Wulan was taken aback. She probably hadn’t expected that the first thing Mu Yanxi would say after running into her room in the middle of the night would be this. On top of that, she had just been shut out of the side bedroom by Mu Yanxi before bed. Seeing Mu Yanxi now felt a bit surreal, so she naturally didn’t dare to go against the little ancestor’s wishes.
She complied with a sound of agreement and sat on the bed, quietly observing Mu Yanxi’s movements. The faint, dim light in her eyes from before she slept gradually brightened during this process.
Mu Yanxi stood up pretentiously, also realizing that her previous actions and expression had been too embarrassing. It was as if she’d been caught sneaking over, which really undermined her glorious image as a healer.
She pressed her lips together, taking a long time to finally compose herself.
Mu Yanxi looked down at Yi Wulan, her eyes once again holding their usual flamboyance, as if her coming to Yi Wulan’s room in the middle of the night was a great gift. She raised an eyebrow affectedly and said coolly, “Yi Wulan.”
Yi Wulan had expected her to offer some profound, arrogant insight, but instead, she saw Mu Yanxi lift the covers while maintaining that inscrutable expression, saying haughtily, “Move over. I’m freezing.”
The windows in Yi Wulan’s room were tightly shut, but the night was still a bit cold without the air conditioning on. Mu Yanxi was only wearing two thin layers of pajamas, and every slight movement felt like a draft.
On top of that, she had gotten a little wet from the rain while closing the windows in the hallway and was now unbearably cold.
Yi Wulan: ……
Yi Wulan’s face was a picture of speechlessness.
Although Mu Yanxi’s face still managed to maintain a calm expression, her limbs moved with lightning speed. In an instant, she had rolled into Yi Wulan’s arms, pressing herself against Yi Wulan’s body with both hands and feet to get warm.
This sudden action made Yi Wulan frown slightly. With one arm, she pushed her away to maintain some distance, while with the other, she tucked the covers around Mu Yanxi.
But Mu Yanxi pressed back against her, as if she was freezing, and commanded in a small voice, “Warm me up.”
Yi Wulan said succinctly, “Then don’t move around.”
“But I’m cold.”
“I’ll help you.”
Mu Yanxi quieted down, half-believing. Sure enough, the next second, her hands were being warmed in someone’s embrace, and even her feet touched something warm and soft.
After her body temperature gradually returned to normal, Yi Wulan released her. “Alright.”
Alright, which naturally meant she should move away.
Mu Yanxi’s eyes darted around. Her newly warmed hands grabbed Yi Wulan’s nightgown, and her body went limp, huddling toward Yi Wulan again as if for warmth.
“But I’m still so cold. The wind and rain in the hallway were so strong on the way here. Don’t be fooled by my warm hands; I’m cold on the inside.”
Yi Wulan looked at Mu Yanxi, speechless, and said nothing.
She wanted to throw Mu Yanxi out, but Mu Yanxi looked up with such a pitiful expression that Yi Wulan didn’t have time to determine if it was genuine. Frowning, she wrapped an arm around Mu Yanxi’s waist and pulled her closer.
“Yi Wulan, you’re so nice.” Feeling Yi Wulan’s tense, stiff body, a smile flitted across Mu Yanxi’s lips. “It wasn’t a waste for me to come and check on your leg injury in the middle of the night.”
It just seemed that Yi Wulan’s legs didn’t really need her concern.
But Mu Yanxi didn’t care.
She was so worried about Yi Wulan that she had specially run over in the middle of the night. Even if Yi Wulan didn’t need it, she had to accept it gratefully.
Yi Wulan replied, “My legs are fine.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. Doctor Xiusina said your legs would ache on rainy days.” Not wanting her trip to be in vain, Mu Yanxi forcefully came to a conclusion. “The rain is so heavy tonight, I know you’re in pain!”
Yi Wulan: ……
Although Yi Wulan’s legs were affected, she could endure it until it passed. Her legs had been numb since the car accident, so being able to recover at all was already wonderful for her.
This little bit of aching pain was nothing.
Mu Yanxi stared at Yi Wulan’s frosty face, comparing it to the gentle, bright photos from before. She found that the current Yi Wulan was more familiar, more to her liking.
It was like the first time she saw Yi Wulan in the living room after her rebirth; her soul was instantly captivated. During this time, she never tired of looking at Yi Wulan’s face, greedily claiming it as her own possession.
Mu Yanxi licked her lips and suddenly lifted her head to move closer.
But Yi Wulan’s physical reaction was faster than hers. As if trained over the past few days, she reacted extremely quickly, reaching out to cover Mu Yanxi’s lips.
Then, as if afraid of having her palm licked, the hand covering her mouth switched to fingers gently pinching Mu Yanxi’s lips.
Mu Yanxi froze. Only when the pads of fingers pressed against her lips did she realize that Yi Wulan was rejecting her.
She was so angry she almost laughed.
She pulled one of her trapped feet out from between Yi Wulan’s legs, nudged Yi Wulan’s thigh with her knee, and immediately rolled to the edge of the bed.
She mercilessly cursed at Yi Wulan, “So unromantic!”
Yi Wulan glanced at her coolly. “Specious talk.”
Mu Yanxi was retorted to, and she stared at Yi Wulan in disbelief, taking a long while to accept this fact.
Had the Earth started revolving around the moon? The day had actually come when Yi Wulan would talk back to her?
In the middle of the night, could she have actually run into a ghost?
Mu Yanxi had never believed in ghosts and gods before, but since she herself was a reborn, lonely spirit, she had no choice but to believe.
She looked at Yi Wulan suspiciously, wanting to confirm whether Yi Wulan had been possessed by a ghost.
Perhaps her gaze was too strange. Yi Wulan noticed and suddenly reached out to rub her head. “If you’re done making a fuss, go to sleep.”
Mu Yanxi: ……
Oh, Yi Wulan definitely wasn’t possessed by a ghost.
After all, besides Yi Wulan, any other lonely spirit would lose control upon seeing her in such a vivid, fragrant, and half-undressed state.
Only Yi Wulan could lecture her on economics while she was throwing herself into her arms.
Mu Yanxi gave her a dark look.
She didn’t know how Yi Wulan, a person in her twenties, had developed this habit of always speaking like an elder.
Listen to you? Listen to my foot.
On a rainy day, you might as well just die from the pain in your legs.
“Are your legs really okay?” After confirming that the person before her was the real Yi Wulan, Mu Yanxi let down her guard and sidled up with a grin. “Hey, don’t close your eyes. I’m serious, are your legs really okay? Do you want me to massage them for you to clear the meridians? Or is it that after seeing me, nothing hurts anymore?”
Yi Wulan suddenly opened her eyes again and shot her a glare, as if in warning.
Mu Yanxi burst out laughing and moved back to hook her fingers on Yi Wulan’s nightgown. “Alright, alright, I won’t say it. Don’t be angry.”
Yi Wulan silently closed her eyes again.
Mu Yanxi stayed still for a few seconds before sidling up again, completely unaffected by Yi Wulan’s attitude. She then picked up a lock of Yi Wulan’s hair and gently traced it along the hollow of her neck. “Really okay?”
Yi Wulan seemed to have been worn down by Mu Yanxi. This time, her tone carried a hint of compromise. “A little, but it’s bearable.”
“So, do you want me to massage them for you?”
Although Mu Yanxi’s ‘massage’ was a genuine offer to use her ability to help Yi Wulan.
But Yi Wulan had been tricked so many times that she instinctively felt Mu Yanxi’s ‘massage’ would come with other, less mentionable intentions.
Although Mu Yanxi’s words were flippant, she hadn’t forgotten her purpose for coming over tonight. When she didn’t get an answer from Yi Wulan, she assumed Yi Wulan was too embarrassed to speak up and immediately rubbed against her with a pained expression. “Hurry up and let me massage you! If you don’t let me, I’m going to fall asleep!”
Yi Wulan: ……
Is it so hard to just sleep peacefully without doing anything before bed?
Yi Wulan hesitated for a long moment before finally reaching out to pull Mu Yanxi’s shoulder, holding her in her arms. “It’s really fine. Sleep.”
Previously, when Mu Yanxi slept in the side bedroom, she would sneak over to find her in the middle of the night. Yi Wulan thought for a moment. Although Mu Yanxi had tried her best to hide it, she still felt that perhaps because she had woken up tonight, the clingy little ancestor was throwing a tantrum because she hadn’t achieved her goal.
Another clap of thunder suddenly sounded outside the window. Caught off guard, Mu Yanxi’s shoulders couldn’t help but tremble.
Mu Yanxi’s lips moved slightly, and she said in an almost murmuring tone, “But it’s still thundering. I’m scared.”
Yi Wulan’s pupils contracted slightly.
Mu Yanxi was an expert at playing pitiful. Every time Yi Wulan completely trusted her, she would deliberately reveal her true colors, catching her off guard. Mu Yanxi, on the other hand, would be perfectly happy and then use the opportunity to pounce.
It was as if every helpless look was a calculated move.
But at this moment, with the thunder roaring outside, as Mu Yanxi said ‘I’m scared’ with her eyes downcast, looking so fragile that a single touch might break her, Yi Wulan, who had been deceived countless times, still softened.
Yi Wulan leaned over slightly and placed a kiss on the crown of Mu Yanxi’s head. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Mu Yanxi looked down at their intertwined long hair on her chest and repeated dejectedly, “Still scared.”
Yi Wulan lowered her head to meet Mu Yanxi’s gaze. “Then what should we do?”
Just then, a blinding flash of lightning lit up the room, landing right on the upturned corner of Mu Yanxi’s eye. She broke into her usual smile, as if her goal had finally been achieved. “So that I won’t be scared, I’m going to kiss you.”
Yi Wulan: ……
She had never seen someone so brazenly and unabashedly declare their intention to kiss someone.
Yi Wulan leaned her head back. “We… should probably not be too intimate.”
Mu Yanxi hesitated for a moment, then wrapped both her arms around Yi Wulan’s neck, her fingertips gently weaving through her hair, and reluctantly compromised, “Then… then this is fine too.”
Yi Wulan looked at their position, wanting to push Mu Yanxi away but unable to bear it.
In the final second before her consciousness faded, she thought: Tonight is just because of the thunder. I’ll just indulge Mu Yanxi.
Seeing that Yi Wulan had fallen asleep, Mu Yanxi slowly withdrew her hands, but she didn’t move away completely.
She merely rested them on Yi Wulan’s shoulders, then openly pressed her lips against hers, placing a kiss on those slightly cool lips.
As their breaths intertwined, the smile on Mu Yanxi’s lips grew more pronounced. “The you in the photos is much more obedient.”
A gentle ability flowed through Yi Wulan’s rain-affected legs, carefully coursing through her meridians.
It gently dispersed the aching pain, as if she were enveloped in a warm spring.
The ability then slowly moved upward, familiarly making its way to her brain.
The ability surged in, and the space between their pressed lips grew scorching hot.
The night was still long.
When Yi Wulan woke up the next morning, the sky had just brightened. It was just past six o’clock.
The aching in her legs from last night’s storm had completely disappeared.
But the space beside her in bed was already empty. Mu Yanxi… was already gone…
The little ancestor had always loved to sleep in. Plus, she had run over to her room in the middle of the night. It didn’t seem like she would have woken up so early.
Yi Wulan threw off the covers, got out of bed, and hurried to the door of the side bedroom, turning the handle.
As expected, it was locked.
It seemed that last night, she had indeed angered the little ancestor again.
The housekeeper preparing breakfast was already up and was slightly surprised to see Yi Wulan. “Miss, are you leaving early today? Shall I prepare your breakfast now?”
Yi Wulan waved her hand. “No need. Just prepare it at the usual time.”
After speaking, she walked to the dining table and sat down. A laptop was placed in front of her, but she couldn’t take in any of its contents.
After a long while, she finally snapped out of her daze and pressed her temples.
Mu Yanqing was indeed right. Wasn’t she now pining for something she couldn’t have?
And to make matters worse, this was a situation of her own making, all because of the unavoidable injury in her brain.
Yi Wulan could understand that Mu Yanxi was young, full of energy, and rather clingy, but her body, which was prone to fainting, seemed unable to handle Mu Yanxi’s needs.
Yi Wulan fell into deep thought.
For a long time, she could find no solution.
This was the sight that greeted Mu Yanxi when she came downstairs.
Last night, after painstakingly transferring her ability, she had floated back to her room, weak and completely devoid of sleepiness.
And then she thought of Yi Wulan, who was sleeping so soundly because of her ability… Fine, she was angry.
After all, Mu Yanxi’s anger never followed any logic.
Yi Wulan was clearly the one who was deeply in love with her, pining for what she couldn’t have. So why was it always her who took the initiative to offer herself up, only to be rejected, and then have to use her ability to make Yi Wulan compromise?
This! Was! Not! Scientific!
Mu Yanxi desperately tried to convince herself that she wasn’t doing it willingly, but for the sake of her student-era self, whose soul had been so easily captivated by that big-tailed wolf, Yi Wulan.
She wasn’t as easy to fool as the old Mu Yanxi.
As if she had suddenly been enlightened, Mu Yanxi felt that her good feelings for Yi Wulan were perhaps just her body’s instincts at work.
It must be that the big-tailed wolf Yi Wulan had taken a fancy to her fresh and delicious self back then, leaving some special feelings in her young and ignorant heart, so much so that after all these years, when she recalled fragmented memories of the past, she was led astray.
Therefore, the one who had fallen for Yi Wulan was only the past Mu Yanxi.
She, clearly, was, not, at, all, affected by Yi Wulan!
The housekeeper was walking over with a plate. “Miss Mu, you’re up so early? I thought after getting up last night, you wouldn’t be able to get up today.”
As luck would have it, it was the same housekeeper she had closed the windows with last night.
“It’s fine. I slept very well alone last night.” Mu Yanxi deliberately emphasized the word ‘alone’ and added, “It should be like this from now on.”
The housekeeper glanced at Yi Wulan, quickly put down the plate, and fled the scene of the conflict.
Mu Yanxi frowned as she drank her porridge, almost unable to keep up the act.
Yi Wulan probably couldn’t stand her clumsy acting either. She pushed the side dishes for the porridge forward. “Isn’t the plain porridge too bland?”
Mu Yanxi: ……
Mu Yanxi continued to maintain her persona of having a heart as calm as still water, not even giving Yi Wulan a glance. As soon as she finished eating, she left to clock in for her entertainment industry career.
For the next few days, Mu Yanxi lived the diligent life of a worker, leaving at eight in the morning and returning at ten at night.
The house seemed to have returned to how it was a month ago. Yi Wulan could barely speak to Mu Yanxi, but every night, in a state between sleep and wakefulness, she would catch a little fox stealing a treat.
But Yi Wulan was afraid the little fox would run away again, so she never woke up.
As for Mu Yanxi, although she desperately tried to convince herself that all her kindness toward Yi Wulan was influenced by her past self, her phone’s photo album had mysteriously gained several more photos of Yi Wulan’s profile and sleeping face.
So much so that during breaks on set, she would stare at these photos in a daze for a long time.
Finally, she came to a righteous conclusion: it wasn’t that the current Yi Wulan was more to her liking.
It was that her photography skills had improved.
Her manager, standing to the side, rarely saw Mu Yanxi’s expression so volatile. As a single person, she struggled to scrape together some conscience and offered comfort, “Have you been fighting with the one at home these past two days? Ai, actually, people should focus on their careers. When you have money, and you’re this beautiful, everyone will worship you.”
Mu Yanxi asked with a cold little face, “Money can do anything? Can it make the President of Rongjia kneel and lick my boots?”
The manager was accustomed to buying Rongjia’s stock and often talked about Rongjia. Hearing Mu Yanxi’s words didn’t arouse her suspicion. She patted Mu Yanxi’s shoulder and painted her a grand picture, “Yes, yes, yes. As long as Teacher Mu becomes a huge star, no one can resist your charm.”
Mu Yanxi: ……
Was she trying to sell her empty promises now?
She calculated her salary after becoming a huge star and found it was less than the monthly allowance her sister gave her. She immediately lost interest.
Mu Yanxi picked up a makeup brush and sullenly plucked out its bristles. In no time, a bald patch appeared.
She was like a pouting child.
No matter how vicious the online comments were, in her manager’s impression, Mu Yanxi always seemed nonchalant, as if the insults had nothing to do with her. It was rare to see her so gloomy.
The manager seized the rare opportunity to nag like a mother hen, “Didn’t you say the one at home is old? When you’ve earned enough money, you can divorce her and leave her to a lonely old age, while you live it up with the money.”
“When that time comes, I won’t have to do anything. The paparazzi will spontaneously spread your love affairs all over the internet. It’ll definitely piss off your… hey, stop plucking, stop plucking, it’s really going to be bald if you keep going.”
“Then you can compensate them for it later,” Mu Yanxi said sullenly, plucking another patch bald.
“Alright, alright. Since the response to 《Peach Blossom Debt》 is good right now, work hard and try to become a hit with this one drama.” The manager applied a fresh layer of lipstick for Mu Yanxi.
Mu Yanxi cooperated by lifting her chin. “Sister Ling, you’re so nice.”
Manager: ……
Mu Yanxi’s words gave the manager goosebumps, and her first reaction was to call the little assistant over to take her place. But thinking of Mu Yanxi’s gloomy mood just now, her heart softened, and she forced a stiff smile. “Sister Mu, it’s what I should do.”
Mu Yanxi: ……
Chen Xu, who had been standing guard like a door god, suddenly stepped forward, squeezing into the space between their two chairs. “Miss Mu, a call.”
She didn’t need to guess to know that the only person who would contact her through Chen Xu was Yi Wulan.
Mu Yanxi’s phone was on silent while filming. After chatting with her manager just now, she hadn’t noticed the missed calls at all. She glanced at her phone, then pretended not to see it, turning her head to continue giggling with her manager.
The manager had long known that Chen Xu was sent by Mu Yanxi’s partner and had helped them fend off a lot of trouble, but at this moment, he was a bit of an eyesore. So she also pretended not to see him and continued whispering with Mu Yanxi.
Chen Xu, a big man who had been a bodyguard ever since leaving the army, was already standing between the two of them out of necessity for his salary; it was impossible for him to get any closer. He just repeated with difficulty, “Miss Mu, the phone.”
Mu Yanxi subconsciously snatched back the makeup brush her manager had taken and said to her manager while plucking it, “You tell him, I’m not answering.”
Manager: ……
“Can’t you just tell him directly?”
Mu Yanxi let out an ‘ah’ and explained, “I don’t like talking to people related to her.”
The manager said darkly, “Weren’t you the one pestering Chen Xu a few days ago, saying you wanted to introduce him to a young lady from our studio?”
Mu Yanxi: ……
Then I’ll introduce you to him another day. A woman three years older is a golden treasure.
Chen Xu interjected again. To avoid revealing Yi Wulan’s identity, he subconsciously dropped the honorific. “She’s asking if you want to have dinner together.”
Mu Yanxi glared at Chen Xu and said to her manager, “You tell him that a person like me, full of lies and specious talk, won’t trouble the great President to take time out of her day to eat with me.”
Manager: ……
The manager was in a difficult position, but the drama was too good to miss. She couldn’t bear to leave, so she just had to suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth, adjust to a comfortable position in her chair, and continue watching the show.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu relayed the message to Yi Wulan word for word.
Mu Yanxi had thought Yi Wulan would give up after seeing that message, but unexpectedly, a few seconds later, Chen Xu said, “You’re not.”
Mu Yanxi wanted to laugh when she heard “you’re not.” She let out a heavy snort and said slowly, “Then you ask her what kind of person I am.”
When the manager heard this, her mind filled with tacky phrases like ‘nation-toppling beauty, fish-sinking, goose-alighting, moon-hiding, flower-shaming,’ and she was curious to see how Mu Yanxi’s partner would reply.
Unexpectedly, half a minute later, Chen Xu’s phone lit up with a message: “Let’s have dinner together.”
The manager glanced at it. “What does that mean?”
Mu Yanxi’s eyelashes trembled, and she lowered her head, looking pitiful as if she had been greatly threatened. “It means she’s forcing me to go to dinner.”
Ha!
Trying to trick her into dinner without even making things clear?
In her dreams.
The manager sensed something was off with her tone and quickly tried to smooth things over. “Hey, your next scene should be up soon. You probably can’t make it for dinner, so why don’t we just forget it?”
The hint of sadness on Mu Yanxi’s face instantly vanished. She looked up at Chen Xu, suddenly broke into a smile, and nodded vigorously, not forgetting to pluck a tuft of bristles from the makeup brush in her hand.
Her face was full of ‘See, it’s not that I don’t want to go, I can’t help it’.
Chen Xu had no choice but to bite the bullet and send this to Yi Wulan.
Yi Wulan’s end finally fell silent. Mu Yanxi leaned back lazily in her chair, looking at her own face in the makeup mirror. Her foxy eyes, with their inner and outer corners tilted, blinked, looking just like a victorious little fox.
But not long after, just as her next scene was about to start, Chen Xu hurriedly blocked her path again.
Mu Yanxi slowly raised an eyebrow. “She sent another message?”
Chen Xu nodded and handed her the phone screen.
Mu Yanxi snorted coldly, took it with a noble and aloof air, and then froze.
She looked at it again, sensing a trap.
But people are like that. When the reward for something is only ten percent, it can sway many hearts. When it reaches fifty percent, many people will take the risk.
When the rate of return was an unknown number of billions, Mu Yanxi felt that even if it was a Hongmen Banquet, she had to go and see.
Thus, after Mu Yanxi finished filming a scene, when her manager asked what she wanted for dinner, Mu Yanxi cleared her throat and replied with the air of a seasoned veteran, “I’m going home.”
Manager: …Get lost.
Yi Wulan had originally intended to pick Mu Yanxi up from the set, but as soon as Mu Yanxi heard the tempting offer, she had Chen Xu drive her to the Rongjia parking lot without a moment’s delay after the scene wrapped. The moment she saw Yi Wulan, she waved eagerly. Where was the slightest trace of her heart being as calm as still water?
Yi Wulan was a bit taken aback by Mu Yanxi’s enthusiastic appearance. But in the next second, the little ancestor’s fox tail quickly showed itself. She held out her hand. “Where’s the contract?”
“It’s not convenient in the car. I’ll give it to you when we get to the restaurant.”
Mu Yanxi didn’t fuss over a few minutes and hummed a little tune in a good mood all the way.
Yi Wulan watched Mu Yanxi’s profile the entire way, wanting to speak but hesitating. In the end, she quietly shifted herself toward the middle of the car.
Mu Yanxi’s mind was completely engrossed in piles of money and didn’t notice this at all.
She casually scrolled through Weibo on her phone. Even when the car turned and her body leaned to the side, she didn’t bother to move, naturally letting her shoulder touch Yi Wulan’s.
Yi Wulan glanced over, a faint smile curving her lips as she looked out the car window.
After arriving home, Mu Yanxi, who had been holding it in the whole way, finally couldn’t stand it anymore and listlessly tugged on Yi Wulan’s belt. “You weren’t just stringing me along, were you?”
Yi Wulan was helpless and finally took the contract out of her bag.
Mu Yanxi snatched it without any courtesy and checked it over and over again, letting out a small gasp of amazement. “Yi Wulan, ah, how did I not know you were so generous before? Are you really willing to give me five percent of the profits from the holographic technology?”
Yi Wulan shifted uncomfortably, her gaze still fixed on Mu Yanxi’s face.
That’s right. What Yi Wulan had given her was exactly what they had talked about all Monday night: Rongjia’s upcoming holographic technology. It was set to be Rongjia’s main industry in the future. While it looked like just five percent of the profit from one project, it was actually five percent of the majority of Rongjia’s future profits.
Mu Yanxi wanted to laugh but held it in. “So you specifically asked me to dinner today just to give me this?”
Yi Wulan wanted to nod but paused.
Mu Yanxi raised an eyebrow, thinking: Could this really be a Hongmen Banquet?
Fortunately, Yi Wulan didn’t keep her guessing for long. The next second, she spoke in a serious and solemn tone, “Yi Hongwei was rescued. He’ll regain consciousness but will be almost completely paralyzed. Yi Zizhuo and Yi Jingming are still in prison. The news has reached my grandmother.”
Drawing on all the melodramatic family feud dramas she had watched over the years, Mu Yanxi blurted out, “She’s not going to ask you to back off, is she? You absolutely cannot agree!”
“No, Grandma is old, but she’s not senile.” Yi Wulan shook her head. “Her health hasn’t been good recently. I want to go back and see her.”
Mu Yanxi breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the last time she saw the old madam, her impression of her was quite good. “You should.”
This was the sentence Yi Wulan was waiting for. She seemed to think for a few seconds, then said in a particularly nonchalant tone, “If you have time then, you should come along. She has always liked you very much.”
“Alright.”
Yi Wulan glanced at her, then added, “Back then, she hoped to see me settle down and start a family before she passed away. So you, cough, when we go, I hope you can cooperate and try to…”
Mu Yanxi frowned. “Do you have a cold? Is your throat uncomfortable?”
Yi Wulan coughed again and continued in a particularly cold tone, “Try to act… appropriately… in-intimate with me.”
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
I’d always want to be update on new blog posts on this web site, saved to bookmarks! .