OFCC – Chapter 64

Yi Wulan was expressionless, looking down at her pajamas, which would slip down with the slightest movement.

After a pause, she spoke with difficulty, “So, you were planning to change my clothes too?”

Mu Yanxi: “…” “No.”

“Then you…”

Mu Yanxi’s heart panicked. She tightened her grip on Yi Wulan’s shoulders and forcibly threw herself on top of her, blocking Yi Wulan’s view downwards.

The bedding became even more disheveled from her movement. The outer robe she had just pulled off Yi Wulan was lifted up and floated slowly to the floor.

Mu Yanxi straddled Yi Wulan’s waist with practiced ease, casually sweeping her long hair back with one hand before leaning down to kiss her softly.

While trying to part Yi Wulan’s tightly closed lips with the tip of her tongue, she used her other hand to secretly pull Yi Wulan’s clothes back up.

Yi Wulan’s hand gripped the nape of Mu Yanxi’s neck, subconsciously about to pull her away.

Mu Yanxi reluctantly bit Yi Wulan and then clung to her, continuing.

Yi Wulan’s brow furrowed.

This little ancestor of hers was always attentive for a reason. After ignoring her for so long in a fit of pique, she had started kissing her at the drop of a hat yesterday—first to force her to speak, then because she herself didn’t want to speak. She always had her own reasons.

In truth, Yi Wulan didn’t even need to press her to know that Mu Yanxi must have done something mischievous while she was asleep.

This mischief was probably not insignificant; before Yi Wulan could even ask, she was already overcome with guilt.

So guilty that even the tip of her tongue was trembling.

Yi Wulan pinched Mu Yanxi’s cheeks, forcibly turning her head to avoid the kiss, and said coldly, “Did you do something bad?”

“Yi Wulan…” Mu Yanxi pushed against her pinched cheek from the inside with her tongue, shook off Yi Wulan’s hand, and wrapped her arm around Yi Wulan’s shoulders, weaving her fingers through Yi Wulan’s long hair to forcibly turn her head back.

Mu Yanxi gasped, a watery mist slowly spreading in her slightly narrowed, fox-like eyes. In a low, hoarse voice from her fever, she said, “Yi Wulan, I was wrong.”

Yi Wulan clearly hadn’t expected Mu Yanxi to admit her mistake so quickly and hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to continue her interrogation.

But the next second, the little ancestor added, “You’re just a block of wood that doesn’t understand romance!”

Yi Wulan: “…”

Before Yi Wulan could scold her or say something to spoil the mood, Mu Yanxi had already leaned down again, capturing Yi Wulan’s lips and forcing a passionate kiss.

Her dark hair cascaded down, lightly brushing over the marks that had already disappeared. A few strands fell by her cheek, creating a tingling itch, as if scratching at her heart, sending a shiver through her entire body.

Being kissed so repeatedly, the interrogative thoughts in Yi Wulan’s mind instantly dissipated.

While employing what she considered to be an outstanding seduction, Mu Yanxi was also struggling to pull up Yi Wulan’s collar, which had slipped down again, trying to erase all evidence of her crime from the previous night until both shoulder straps were successfully back in place.

She was so focused on fussing with Yi Wulan’s clothes, constantly rubbing against her, that she completely failed to notice Yi Wulan’s increasingly stiff body and her hands, which had gone from resting on her to gripping the bedsheets.

Mu Yanxi erased all the bite marks and returned Yi Wulan’s clothes to their proper place, and her sense of guilt instantly vanished. She propped herself up on Yi Wulan’s shoulders and sat up, forcing herself into an upright posture, adopting a superior air of being right even when she was wrong, and then shot her a fierce glare.

She had just transferred a large amount of her special ability to Yi Wulan, and her body hadn’t had time to recover through sleep. It wasn’t visible on her face, but her breathing was incredibly weak. On top of that, she hadn’t eaten breakfast, so after fussing over Yi Wulan for a while, she started coughing weakly.

Yi Wulan reached out to pat her back and handed her a glass of water from the bedside table.

Mu Yanxi took it, panting. As soon as she drank the water, her body seemed to recall a memory, and the sensation of Yi Wulan feeding her medicine while she was half-asleep last night came flooding back.

This time, Mu Yanxi coughed even more violently, with an exaggerated sense that she was about to cough up a lung.

Seeing this, Yi Wulan quickly took the glass away, sat up, and held her, patting her back. “You can’t even drink water properly anymore?”

The corners of Mu Yanxi’s eyes turned red from coughing. She looked incredibly fragile, her lips parted as she took a long time to catch her breath.

Then, she slumped against Yi Wulan’s shoulder and stopped moving completely.

Or rather, she was too embarrassed to move.

Yi Wulan was now finally certain what Mu Yanxi was feeling guilty about.

From her initial panicked denials to her current attempt at bravado that accidentally revealed her true feelings.

It proved that Mu Yanxi had most likely already hidden the evidence of her mischief.

Otherwise, the little ancestor wouldn’t dare to be so arrogant.

Yi Wulan expressionlessly pushed her away and looked down, checking her own shoulders back and forth several times.

While Yi Wulan was looking down, Mu Yanxi noticed a mark on the back of her neck and subconsciously raised her hand. But when Yi Wulan looked over, she pretended nothing was wrong and quickly pulled her hand back.

Yi Wulan expressionlessly reached out to check her chest; the bite marks Mu Yanxi had left last night had already faded.

But how would Mu Yanxi know there had been marks?

She had thought Mu Yanxi was unconscious, but now it seemed… she had been aware?

The moment this thought occurred, Yi Wulan felt like she was about to laugh out of exasperation at this little liar.

It was one thing for eight out of ten sentences to be lies when she questioned her last night; she could understand, considering Mu Yanxi’s feelings. But was even her subsequent illness deliberately exaggerated?

Yi Wulan’s gaze scrutinized Mu Yanxi’s face.

Mu Yanxi knew Yi Wulan must have noticed something, but she didn’t know exactly what Yi Wulan was thinking. After cursing inwardly, she quickly changed tactics and said with feigned composure, “Auntie came to call us for breakfast just now. Since you’re awake, hurry up and get yourself cleaned up.”

Yi Wulan watched her coldly.

Her face seemed to say: Keep making things up.

Mu Yanxi met Yi Wulan’s eyes, which seemed to see through everything… yet also seemed to be deeply misunderstanding something. Her mind, which had been so tense and flustered, not knowing how to argue, suddenly calmed down.

She gave Yi Wulan a hard shove, pounced on top of her, and declared righteously:

“You knew I’ve had designs on you for a long time, yet you dared to sleep longer than me right next to me? Who can you blame but yourself for not being careful? Consider this a lesson I’ve mercifully taught you today. You should reflect on it yourself.”

Yi Wulan: “…”

Yi Wulan looked at the feisty little fox and gently placed a hand on her waist.

The next second, Mu Yanxi’s extremely sensitive waist trembled violently. She finally understood Yi Wulan’s response:

Yi Wulan probably wanted her to ‘reflect on it’ too.

And so, after reflecting for less than a few seconds, Mu Yanxi immediately softened and said pitifully, “You, you should let me go.”

“What were you really trying to do just now?”

Mu Yanxi shook her head obediently. The moment she moved, the fabric at her waist slipped, making her gasp again. “Let me go, you need to keep your distance from me.”

Fearing Yi Wulan wouldn’t understand, she added attentively, “You’ll get dizzy, you’ll get dizzy.”

Yi Wulan: “…” “I won’t. I didn’t last night.”

Mu Yanxi frowned, calculating the amount of power left in her core. Yi Wulan’s body seemed to be getting better at accepting her ability. She had just transferred it for so long, and although she hadn’t used the most efficient method of fluid transfer, the total amount was not small.

Yet Yi Wulan had still woken up.

The little she had left now probably wasn’t enough to knock someone out.

Mu Yanxi was adaptable. She snuggled up again to kiss the corner of Yi Wulan’s mouth, obediently tracing the shape of her lips. When she extended the tip of her tongue to probe the seam of her lips, she took advantage of Yi Wulan’s momentary distraction to expertly roll to the side, haphazardly gathering her nightgown and robe as she ran for the bathroom.

A few seconds later, a loud slam of a door came from the direction of the bathroom.

Yi Wulan lowered her gaze, the corners of her lips slowly curling up.

But then, thinking of something, she gave a helpless, resigned laugh.

After showering and changing in the bathroom, Mu Yanxi peeked out the door. Then, as if she were fleeing the scene of an affair the morning after, she dashed out of the bedroom.

Hearing no footsteps behind her, Mu Yanxi breathed a small sigh of relief and, with her head held high, shut the door with a ‘click’.

But before she could fully exhale, a little girl’s shriek came from behind her. “Ahhh! Who are you! Why are you coming out of Elder Sister’s room! Guards! Catch the thief!”

The ‘adulterous’ Mu Yanxi’s expression changed, and she slowly turned around.

Oh, no, she should look down.

Only then did she see a delicate little girl dressed in a princess gown with a rabbit fur shawl, decked out from head to toe in luxury brands.

The little girl was pointing at her furiously, a corgi at her side, ordering the woman behind her, “Auntie, Auntie, where are the guards! Catch the thief!”

The woman looked troubled and bent down to explain, “This is the Eldest Miss’s wife. You should also call her Elder Sister.”

After explaining, she introduced her to Mu Yanxi, “Miss Mu, this is Old Madam’s granddaughter, Yi Ranran.”

With that explanation, Mu Yanxi immediately understood. This was the child of the Old Madam’s only daughter. The little girl hadn’t fully grown yet, her height barely reaching past Mu Yanxi’s waist.

Yi Ranran commanded the little corgi, “Go bite her, bite her! Even I can’t go into Elder Sister’s room! Go bite her to death!”

Mu Yanxi cleared her throat and said patiently, “Have you ever considered that maybe it wasn’t that I wanted to go in, but that your Elder Sister insisted I go in?”

After all, it was indeed Yi Wulan who had carried her back from the garden last night.

“You! You’re lying! Elder Sister said she would be with me forever!”

Mu Yanxi let out a mental ‘ooh’. If Yi Ranran had claimed any other elder would be with her forever, she wouldn’t have doubted it, but it just had to be Yi Wulan.

It sounded fake from the get-go.

Tsk.

However, seeing that Yi Ranran was nearing her teenage years, a mischievous thought surfaced, and she couldn’t help but say, “A friendly reminder, you and Yi Wulan are close relatives. You can’t get married in the future.”

Yi Ranran blinked blankly, and then let out a world-shaking, soul-stealing wail.

With great foresight, Mu Yanxi quickly covered her own ears and asked the woman, “Is she always like this?”

The woman nodded and bent down to patiently soothe her.

Mu Yanxi, who never interacted with children, felt a pang of guilt from the crying, as if she were bullying someone else’s child in their own home. She bent down and offered a perfunctory comfort, “Stop crying.”

Yi Ranran let out a sob, froze for a second, and then erupted into an even more tragic wail. Her little face was wrinkled, showing none of her initial noble princess demeanor. “You… you give me back my Elder Sister, boo-hoo.”

Mu Yanxi muttered under her breath, “I… I don’t want to give her back to you, boo-hoo?”

Hearing this, Yi Ranran immediately stopped crying. As the youngest child in the Yi family, she was used to being a little terror and doing whatever she wanted, only daring not to provoke the ever-stern Yi Wulan. Used to having her way, this was the first time she had met someone even more unreasonable than herself.

Yi Ranran’s face was full of grievance. “You, why are you, an adult, bullying a child?”

Mu Yanxi leaned lazily against the wall. “Why are you, a child, arguing with me, an adult?”

In the world of the second Miss Mu, there were no age distinctions, only an instinct for self-supremacy.

Yi Ranran seemed genuinely crushed. “How could Elder Sister like someone like you?”

Yi Ranran had round, almond-shaped eyes that looked pitiful when she cried, and her face was still chubby and hadn’t fully matured. Looking at Yi Ranran’s appearance and personality, Mu Yanxi felt a strange sense of familiarity.

She just couldn’t recall who she resembled at the moment.

She tutted twice and regretfully informed Yi Ranran, “That’s right. Your Elder Sister has admired me for many years and wishes she could stick to my side every moment, but I found her too clingy, so I ran out.”

Click—

The bedroom door behind them suddenly opened.

Yi Wulan, who supposedly wished she could stick to the second Miss Mu’s side every moment, walked out with a frown, having clearly heard the last sentence.

Yi Wulan’s gaze fell upon the two of them.

The bright and flamboyant one’s face instantly fell as she tried to flee.

The one who had been pitiful and aggrieved grabbed her and tattled, “Elder Sister, hurry and have someone throw her out! She-she-she was badmouthing you!”

Mu Yanxi said with a straight face, “I did not.”

Seeing her deny it, Yi Ranran immediately repeated, “She said you wish you could follow her every moment, but she—mmph?”

Mu Yanxi clamped a hand over Yi Ranran’s mouth and gave Yi Wulan an ingratiating smile.

Yi Ranran was not about to let her get away with it and made a move to hit her.

But as soon as her small arm was raised, it was caught by Yi Wulan. This was the first time her Elder Sister had touched her this year, and she was moved to the point of tears.

But the next second, her Elder Sister asked, “I heard you had your midterms? Are the results out?”

Yi Ranran: “…”

Without another word, Yi Ranran turned and fled, scurrying up to the third floor in a flash.

The hallway was once again left with just Mu Yanxi and Yi Wulan.

Mu Yanxi sized up Yi Wulan and saw that she had already changed her clothes, clearly having washed off the medicine stains.

Before Yi Wulan could question her, Mu Yanxi shamelessly stepped forward, took Yi Wulan’s wrist, and repeated her earlier words with deep affection, “I have admired you for many years and wish I could stick to your side every moment, but I was afraid you’d find me clingy, so I ran out to wait for you at the door.”

Yi Wulan didn’t know whether to believe her or not, simply reaching out to fasten a few buttons on her knitted cardigan.

Mu Yanxi continued her act. “Elder Sister, ah, Elder Sister, you’re finally out. It’s time to eat. Let’s go, let’s go eat.”

With that, she was about to make a run for it like Yi Ranran, with oil on the soles of her feet.

But unfortunately for her, her little tricks were long seen through by the familiar Yi Wulan. The moment she took a step, her arm was grabbed.

Mu Yanxi: “Oof—”

Mu Yanxi was dragged downstairs by Yi Wulan like a dejected little fox, her big tail dragging limply on the ground, unable to swish at all.

Yi Wulan only let go of her at the turn of the stairs, reminding her, “Your sister is here.”

Mu Yanxi’s fleeing footsteps halted. She instantly looked as if her rescuer had arrived, exclaiming in surprise, “My good sister is here?”

Yi Wulan’s brow furrowed, as if considering whether she should let Mu Yanxi see her ‘good sister’.

The maids in the villa were preparing lunch. It didn’t take long for Mu Yanxi to find Mu Yanqing standing by the window, bathed in warm white light. From a distance, she really did look like a good sister who had come to the rescue.

Mu Yanxi exclaimed in admiration, “As expected of my own sister, that figure, that silhouette from behind is just too stunning. It’s barely one-tenth as good as mine, I suppose.”

Yi Wulan glanced at Mu Yanxi but didn’t agree.

Before long, Mu Yanqing heard the sound of their heels, turned with a slight smile, her hair gently brushing her face with the breeze. She tucked it back, revealing a face that was just as beautiful but much softer than Mu Yanxi’s.

Mu Yanxi said happily, “Elder Sister!”

Seeing Mu Yanxi looking much more like her usual self compared to last night, Mu Yanqing relaxed slightly and said expressionlessly to Yi Wulan, “Yi Wulan.”

Yi Wulan met her gaze coldly.

Mu Yanqing walked over, mimicking the other’s profound and indifferent demeanor, and said, “Give me the money back.”

Yi Wulan: “…”

Mu Yanxi, dressed in a fluffy knit cardigan, leaned lazily against the sofa watching the show, almost unable to keep a straight face. Her fox-like eyes darted back and forth between the two.

Yi Wulan glanced at Mu Yanxi out of the corner of her eye.

Mu Yanxi immediately sat up straight, putting on an expression of someone who had been pondering a difficult problem for a long time.

Yi Wulan: “…”

Mu Yanqing looked like she was about to go mad with anger. Seeing her own little debt collector being so well-behaved in front of Yi Wulan, she immediately sneered and strode forward in her five-centimeter leather boots.

Yi Wulan kept her eyes down, as if oblivious to Mu Yanqing’s anger, and turned her head slightly to look at Mu Yanxi.

For Mu Yanqing to drive all the way here in the morning, it was most likely Mu Yanxi who had caused trouble again.

Mu Yanxi had already quietly sat down on the sofa, propping her head with one hand and sipping the juice the maid had just poured with the other. Despite the grave expression on her face, it couldn’t hide the mischievous glint in her eyes that loved watching drama unfold.

Seeing her still daring to exchange glances with Yi Wulan, Mu Yanqing’s face darkened as she sat down opposite Mu Yanxi, pointing at the poised and upright Yi Wulan. “The money in your account, did she swindle it out of you?”

It took Mu Yanxi a moment to process it—her sister had checked her account.

The downside of having a family that owned a bank was that they could check your account at any time, leaving no room for privacy.

But Mu Yanqing wasn’t so idle as to check every one of Mu Yanxi’s transactions. This sudden check was purely coincidental.

With Mu Yanche about to return to the country and Mu Yanxi’s ambiguous attitude last night, she, as the elder sister, didn’t know how to comfort her. After much thought, wiring money was the simplest and most direct method. With more money in her account, it would be much easier if she wanted to stir up some trouble in the entertainment industry.

Then, she unexpectedly discovered that Mu Yanxi’s account, which was usually like a small treasury, had been emptied.

Even if Mu Yanxi spent over a hundred million at an auction, she wouldn’t have emptied it.

A flash of insight struck Mu Yanqing, and her mind instinctively went to Yi Wulan, who had married Mu Yanxi. The more she thought about it overnight, the more certain she became that it must have been this big-tailed wolf Yi Wulan who had tricked her innocent and lovely sister out of her money.

Perhaps Mu Yanqing’s gaze was too accusatory, as Yi Wulan also sensed something was wrong and looked at Mu Yanxi. “How did it disappear?”

“You’re asking her how it disappeared? Shouldn’t I be asking you?” Mu Yanqing became agitated, wishing she could rush over and make Yi Wulan spit the money back out. “Who else could have scammed over two billion from her?”

Mu Yanxi didn’t care that this was all her fault. She sat on the side, holding her juice and happily watching the show, wishing she could see her two good sisters argue and start a fight on the spot.

However, Mu Yanxi’s joy was short-lived.

The gazes of her two good sisters landed on her simultaneously, sharp and questioning.

After their parents passed away, Mu Yanxi was practically raised by Mu Yanqing. She was taught to be lawless, but she had also received plenty of scoldings from Mu Yanqing.

She usually joked her way out of things, but seeing Mu Yanqing’s cold expression now, she instinctively pulled Yi Wulan in front of her, using the same line from when she came downstairs to curry favor, “Yi Wulan, I have admired you for many years, and I am sick with longing.”

Yi Wulan: “…”

Yi Wulan’s brow furrowed tightly as she allowed Mu Yanxi’s pull to seat her in front of her.

“Oh, what’s changed in just a few days? Now it’s you who has admired her for many years?” Mu Yanqing was still sneering, mocking, “So you really did give her that money as a dowry?”

“I did not.”

“You still dare to argue!”

“It really wasn’t!”

Yi Wulan blocked Mu Yanqing’s view, turning her head to ask again, “Did you really spend it?”

Mu Yanxi nodded.

Hearing this, Mu Yanqing pointed at Mu Yanxi and said to Yi Wulan, “Listen, you heard her, right? The money was still there in the fall. This isn’t a small sum, is it? I’m allowed to ask, right?”

Mu Yanqing wasn’t really trying to control Mu Yanxi’s spending. It was just that such a large sum had vanished into thin air, and seeing that Yi Wulan was also unaware, she was worried her sister had been bullied or extorted. Perhaps with Mu Yanche’s impending return, Mu Yanqing was reminded of past events and had become a bit paranoid, instinctively forgetting what a spoiled and willful terror she had raised Mu Yanxi to be over the years.

Yi Wulan looked down at Mu Yanxi. Mu Yanxi clearly didn’t want to talk, so she just played with her hand, muttering “admired for many years, sick with longing” over and over.

—Because I have admired you for many years, you have to shield me from my sister.

She looked pitiful, but in reality, she was being brazenly unreasonable.

Yi Wulan had a headache.

Sensing Yi Wulan’s gaze, Mu Yanxi looked up slightly and stole a kiss on Yi Wulan’s fingertips, as if paying her.

Yi Wulan pulled her hand back and turned to Mu Yanqing. “Don’t ask. Put it on my tab.”

Mu Yanqing was stunned, finding it somewhat hard to accept that her childhood friend had truly become a love-struck fool who couldn’t separate public and private matters. She shot Mu Yanxi an annoyed glare and simply grabbed the remote to turn on the TV.

The variety show “Secret Room Rush Rush Rush” had sold its broadcast rights to a TV station halfway through its current season. When Mu Yanqing turned on the TV, it happened to be playing.

Usually, Mu Yanxi’s works were mostly streamed online. Mu Yanqing found it novel, so she didn’t change the channel.

Mu Yanxi, having watched a good show, was so emboldened that she couldn’t even maintain her pitiful expression.

Yi Wulan glanced at her faintly. “You really didn’t do anything bad?”

Mu Yanxi choked. “Umm…”

She blinked lightly, trying to squeeze out a tear or two, but the TV was showing the part where the actors playing ghosts appeared, scaring the guests into scattering. It didn’t feel like much during the recording, but now, after the post-production editing, Mu Yanxi’s attempt to squeeze out tears failed.

She forced her lips into a straight line, decided to abandon all pretense of shame, and looked at Yi Wulan with feigned deep affection. “I have admired you for many years and am sick with longing. How could I do anything bad?”

Yi Wulan: “…”

Yi Wulan had no idea what Mu Yanxi was trying to explain.

The little ancestor had a thousand strange ways to evade answering, so Yi Wulan wasn’t too surprised. In short, she just wanted to fob her off with some nonsense.

Yi Wulan didn’t press the matter further.

The three of them sat on the sofa, quietly watching Mu Yanxi’s variety show on TV, watching her move through the crowd of ghosts as if nothing was wrong.

Seeing this, Mu Yanqing was a little surprised. “Weren’t you very afraid of ghosts before? How come you dare to record this kind of show now?”

Reminded by Mu Yanqing, Yi Wulan also recalled the time she took Mu Yanxi to an amusement park many years ago. The little Mu Yanxi back then was incredibly timid, even afraid of motionless mannequins, completely different from the person on TV who treated ghosts like air.

Seeing this, Mu Yanxi gave a casual reply, saying matter-of-factly, “Don’t be so superstitious all the time. Aren’t they all fake? You two are almost thirty, and you still believe in this supernatural stuff?”

Mu Yanqing scoffed, too lazy to bother with her, and turned back to the TV, as if trying to find evidence of Mu Yanxi being afraid of ghosts.

Mu Yanxi let her search, continuing to watch the TV smugly.

Yi Wulan’s gaze discreetly swept over Mu Yanxi’s expression. She wanted to say something, but her lips opened and then immediately tightened again.

Mu Yanxi glanced at Yi Wulan and continued to act as if nothing was amiss.

The episode being broadcast was practically a collection of all the NPCs, having nearly exhausted the show’s staff. Mu Yanqing, who was initially jumpy, got used to it after watching Mu Yanxi’s performance for a while.

But Yi Wulan remained silent the whole time, which made Mu Yanxi feel a bit bored. She took Yi Wulan’s hand to play with and asked, “Why aren’t you curious?”

Yi Wulan said faintly, “So many years have passed. You should have made some progress.”

Mu Yanxi: “…”

Mu Yanxi was extremely resistant to Yi Wulan’s condescending, child-like lecture, and her teeth instantly itched with anger. But with Mu Yanqing present, she couldn’t really do anything. The matter she had just tried so hard to conceal, she now couldn’t help but want to share with Yi Wulan.

She wanted to see Yi Wulan’s face, full of gratitude, after hearing it.

Mu Yanxi poked Yi Wulan’s palm. “Do you want to know where I spent the money?”

“No need.”

Mu Yanxi: “You really don’t want to know?”

“No.” Yi Wulan wasn’t particularly curious and didn’t usually like to interfere in Mu Yanxi’s affairs. Besides, for the little liar to be so eager to offer up the answer, there was probably a catch.

Mu Yanxi: “…”

Mu Yanxi swallowed her words, suppressing her anger, and shot Yi Wulan a glare to vent her frustration.

It was Mu Yanqing on the side who spoke up in time, giving Mu Yanxi a way out. “So where did you spend that money?”

Mu Yanxi instantly puffed up like a proud little peacock and said with a solemn expression, “I bought that Youth Palace in the south of the city.”

Mu Yanxi’s purchase of the Youth Palace was a fluke.

The recording for “Secret Room Rush Rush Rush” usually took two days. The first day’s live broadcast ran late, and the second day was usually during the daytime. One afternoon last month, after the recording ended, she was waiting for her car when she saw a middle-aged couple leading a little girl furtively towards a minivan.

Before her recording started, that little girl had been playing games with a group of children outside the secret room, so Mu Yanxi recognized her at a glance. The middle-aged couple kept looking around as they walked, as if wary of someone or surveillance cameras.

Mu Yanxi instinctively felt something was wrong. Relying on the tall and sturdy Chen Xu by her side, she decided to go over and ask. Who knew that before she and Chen Xu could even say a word, the couple picked up the child and ran.

Chen Xu immediately rushed forward and stopped them, easily taking down the middle-aged man. Seeing this, the middle-aged woman started screaming, accusing them of robbery.

Mu Yanxi couldn’t be bothered to argue and directly called the police.

When the police arrived, they took everyone to the station, and Mu Yanxi went along. After confirming their information, it turned out that this couple were suspects in several child disappearance cases in recent years, a pair of habitual human traffickers.

Yuncheng’s economy had developed rapidly in recent years, making it the most prosperous city in the country besides the capital, attracting a large number of migrant workers.

Because these people had to work in factories during the day, their preschool-aged children were left at home unattended. Since they lived in shared housing with many other children, they would often go out to play and could easily get separated, giving traffickers an opportunity.

After Mu Yanxi finished giving her statement, she casually asked about the situation, and the police officer sighed and explained it to her.

Yuncheng had a population of tens of millions, nearly half of whom were migrant workers. The farther from the city center, the more rental housing for these workers there was. As such cases increased, the government had tried to build a Youth Palace to centrally manage these children for the sake of Yuncheng’s development.

But unexpectedly, halfway through the development, the developer went bankrupt due to other business ventures and fled. It coincided with a change in Yuncheng’s government leadership, and the new leader in charge of this area was not optimistic about the project, so it was shelved.

It wasn’t that the new leader was truly unoptimistic, but that such charitable, government-sponsored projects were rife with corruption. While the leader genuinely considered Yuncheng’s development, the people below him didn’t necessarily share that sentiment. And since such projects were non-profit, they were even more audacious.

This area housed nearly half of Yuncheng’s migrant workers, and the number of children was also large. Parents were busy with work and held onto a false sense of security in numbers, giving those traffickers an opportunity.

After leaving the police station, Mu Yanxi had Chen Xu accompany her to that Youth Palace. It covered several thousand square meters. But when night fell, the place had become a spot for grandpas and grandmas to do their square dancing, a derelict site.

Children in the city center could enjoy superior living conditions, while those here could only be locked in their rooms, without even the most basic guarantee of personal safety.

After considering it for two days, on a whim, finding burning incense and praying to be too troublesome, the second Miss Mu, who wanted to do some charity to accumulate good karma for the patient Yi Wulan, waved her hand and quietly bought the land for that Youth Palace.

After finishing, Mu Yanxi shrugged. “So that’s what happened. I just haven’t figured out the subsequent development and construction yet.”

Mu Yanqing, who had just been about to reprimand her, fell silent. After a moment of quiet, she finally said, “Back then, Mom and Dad also sponsored many children’s welfare homes. If you want to sponsor it, then go ahead.”

Mu Yanxi nodded. “But I don’t plan on doing a good deed without leaving a name. The later construction will be jointly developed under the names of Xinyu and Rongjia. We’ll set some standards for what kind of people can send their children to the Youth Palace for free, and we need to find good teachers. We can’t have them turning out like Yi Ranran.”

Thinking of Yi Ranran, Mu Yanxi wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Mu Yanqing and Yi Wulan exchanged a look. “The parents of these children won’t be too old either. It can also serve as an advertisement for our companies.”

Xinyu and Rongjia Group were well-funded, but they still needed blue-collar workers and an annual influx of young talent.

“That’s the idea.” Mu Yanxi didn’t forget to praise her good sister. “Elder Sister, so, in light of this idea of mine, would you consider wiring some money into my nearly depleted account?”

“You did this charity for your Elder Sister Yi, so why should I be the one to refill your account?” Mu Yanqing asked in surprise. “Don’t tell me you think my hearing is bad and I didn’t hear you just now saying you did this charity to accumulate good karma for Yi Wulan?”

Mu Yanxi had only said that deliberately for Yi Wulan to hear, and had even subconsciously lowered her voice, not expecting Mu Yanqing’s hearing to be so sharp. With a whimper, she buried her head in Yi Wulan’s back.

Out of options, Mu Yanxi turned to Yi Wulan, extended both hands, and called out with a fawning expression, “Elder Sister Yi.”

Mu Yanqing couldn’t stand to see her sister begging for money like this and went back to watching TV, trying to find proof of Mu Yanxi’s fear of ghosts in the show.

Yi Wulan had been silent the whole time. If she remembered correctly, the time Mu Yanxi bought that Youth Palace was right when she had moved into the side bedroom.

The thought of the little ancestor ignoring her in public but secretly doing such a charitable act behind her back gave Yi Wulan a complicated feeling, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

Mu Yanxi’s hands, held out for money, were getting sore, and she still hadn’t received a reply from Yi Wulan. She felt utterly hopeless.

She gritted her teeth and said resentfully, word by word, “Good sister, I, I for you…”

“Have admired you for many years, and am sick with longing.”

---

Get instant access to all the chapters now.