Mu Yanxi was deliberately teasing and provoking Yi Wulan. Even if Mu Yanqing hadn’t appeared at that moment, she had planned to stop there.
But some people, no matter how bold their flirtatious words are, become incredibly guilty the moment they’re caught by someone else.
She even forgot to pull back the arm draped over Yi Wulan, staring blankly at Mu Yanqing and stammering for a long time.
“I… I, I…” Under Mu Yanqing’s pressure, Mu Yanxi said without a shred of confidence, “She… she made the first move.”
Mu Yanqing looked at Mu Yanxi, pointing at her arms wrapped around Yi Wulan’s neck and her upper body, which was clearly leaning in proactively, her tone filled with grief and indignation:
“She made the first move?
Are you stupid, or do you think I’m stupid?
Mu Yanxi, look at yourself. Do you look even the slightest bit forced?”
Mu Yanxi: …
Mu Yanxi also seemed to realize that the scene was a bit ridiculous.
She fell silent for two seconds. Under Mu Yanqing’s death glare, she finally realized her current posture had no persuasive power and slowly retracted her arms.
Mu Yanqing leaned one hand on the doorframe, the other pointing a trembling finger at Mu Yanxi, and said in disbelief, “I was worried you’d be here alone with nothing to eat, so I even got up early.”
“Mu Yanxi, is this what you meant by letting go and getting a divorce?”
Hearing the word ‘divorce’, Mu Yanxi was afraid Yi Wulan would misunderstand. Plus, she was always someone who responded to soft approaches, not hard ones. Faced with Mu Yanqing’s immediate accusations, she retorted with a confidence that belied her weak position.
Of course, all that confidence stemmed from her guilt.
The more guilty she felt, the more she had to put on a fearless, confrontational air.
She was trying to shut Mu Yanqing down before she could mention lawsuits or dividing assets.
“Would you please look at the time? Is this your idea of making me a meal? If I waited for you to eat, I’d starve to death, wouldn’t I? I’m being self-reliant now, is that a problem?”
“Yi Wulan came looking for me and even brought food from Chensi Private Kitchen. You know how hard it is to get a reservation there, right? What’s wrong with me reluctantly eating some of it?”
Mu Yanqing said coolly, “Reluctantly eating some, and then you couldn’t help but throw yourself into her arms?”
A few sentences failed to stop Mu Yanqing’s tirade, and Mu Yanxi had already lost her initial fighting spirit.
When she spoke again, her tone had dropped significantly. “She came over right after work. She brought me food I wanted to eat and the project reform plan for Shuilin Fang. It’s not a big deal for me to have a meal with her, right?”
How is it not a big deal?
Weren’t you already disheartened and planning to get a divorce?
You, the Second Miss Mu, are so picky. Since when could you be swayed by a single meal?
Since you can fit the Shuilin Fang project into your happy entertainment circle life, why not come home and check on Xinyu Bank?
In the end, Mu Yanqing didn’t voice all the questions in her heart.
Because she felt that her sister, who had been spoiled and pampered for years and never yielded an inch when it came to her own interests, couldn’t possibly have failed to consider these things.
So…
The act of being wronged in front of her was fake; the truth was that after a tiff with Yi Wulan, she was easily coaxed and went right back to her.
Mu Yanqing’s heart gradually sank.
She slowly, with a resentful expression, glared at Yi Wulan, who was sitting at the dining table.
The more she looked, the more she gnashed her teeth.
This dog Yi Wulan stole so many of her potential romances back in school, and that wasn’t enough? Now she won’t even let her sister go?
What’s so good about her anyway?
Isn’t she just deceptively well-dressed and handsome?
Mu Yanqing sneered, “Oh, so it was all my wishful thinking, my own sentimentality?”
The words were for Mu Yanxi, but her eyes were on Yi Wulan.
Yi Wulan, who didn’t know the full story: …
Seeing Yi Wulan’s usual calm and composed expression, Mu Yanqing shot a cold look at Mu Yanxi. “Xiao Xi, go to your room for a bit. I have something to say to Yi Wulan.”
But Mu Yanxi didn’t move.
Mu Yanqing had calmed down and frowned. “Why aren’t you leaving?”
Mu Yanxi asked tentatively, “I… I haven’t finished eating?”
Mu Yanqing gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Either you stay and eat, or you can forget about eating ever again.”
Mu Yanxi stood up quickly. She glanced at Yi Wulan, then at Mu Yanqing, her steps still hesitating and slow.
She reminded her, “Elder Sister, Yi Wulan’s health isn’t good. Don’t you…”
Mu Yanqing understood the implication, and the cold smile on her lips widened. “What, you’re already protecting her after just a few days of marriage? Am I the kind of person who would get physical?”
Mu Yanxi neither nodded nor shook her head, only saying softly, “You’ve pinched me before.”
Mu Yanqing leaned against the edge of the dining table, arms crossed. “Are you blaming me?”
“No…” Mu Yanxi pouted, but her feet didn’t move another step outward.
Mu Yanqing was instantly so angry her chest hurt. The aftereffects of staying up all night surged, and she was practically fuming.
She hadn’t even said what she wanted with Yi Wulan, and she was already being protective?
Mu Yanqing turned to look at the expressionless Yi Wulan. What was so good about that deadpan face?
That it could make her sister so devoted?
“Get to your room.” Mu Yanqing pushed Mu Yanxi out of the dining room, saying angrily as she closed the door, “I promise she’ll be perfectly fine, alright?”
After finally shooing Mu Yanxi away, Mu Yanqing locked the dining room door as if guarding against a thief.
Then she sat down opposite Yi Wulan. Looking at the table full of dishes catered to her sister’s taste, her gaze grew even more resentful.
It was the indignation of having the pig you’d raised for years be lured away by a cabbage.
Mu Yanqing quietly sized up Yi Wulan, and Yi Wulan looked back at her. The air seemed to freeze.
Finally, it was Yi Wulan who put down her chopsticks and spoke first. “What did you want to see me about?”
Mu Yanqing let out a cold laugh and questioned her directly, “What is it? I should be asking you. Xiao Xi ran to my place this morning, looking exhausted and with an injury on her. What’s that all about?”
Yi Wulan frowned. “Is the injury on her foot still serious?”
Mu Yanqing sneered, “What, so you admit it, Yi Wulan? I’m telling you, I’m recording this. I can sue you for domestic abuse at any time.”
“Domestic abuse?” Yi Wulan was slightly taken aback, her tone hard to describe. “Mu Yanqing, you should try dating.”
Mu Yanqing frowned. “What do you mean?”
Yi Wulan spoke slowly, “She’s exhausted because she stayed up late last night. The injury on her foot was an accidental scrape from the wheelchair.”
“How could she get scraped by a wheelchair for no reason?”
Yi Wulan sized up Mu Yanqing for a moment, as if deliberating over something.
Mu Yanqing, as if she’d caught her in a lie, urged, “Explain.”
“There’s nothing much to explain.” Yi Wulan’s fingertips tapped lightly on the table, her expression completely unruffled. “Yanxi wanted to carry me to bed, but I refused her. She got scraped while I was avoiding her.”
Mu Yanqing: …
She actually detected a hint of… showing off in that tone?
Wait, what does Yi Wulan—who isn’t as good-looking as her and has more complicated family relationships—have to show off about?
Is it just because she has a partner now and I don’t?
And that partner happens to be my sister?
Mu Yanqing suddenly felt a sense of crisis, as if she had sent a lamb into a tiger’s den.
She sat up straight, her tone becoming serious. “Yi Wulan, you haven’t forgotten what you promised me back then, have you?”
Before going to the Yi family to discuss the marriage alliance, Mu Yanqing had spoken with Yi Wulan privately about it.
At the time, the two of them had considered calling off the marriage directly.
But on one hand, the elders of both families were getting on in years, and as the younger generation, they didn’t want to deny them their final wishes.
On the other hand, the internal strife in the Yi family had never ceased, and to this day, not a single clue had been found regarding the cause of Yi Wulan’s car accident.
Marrying Mu Yanxi would bring great benefits, so they planned to gauge the attitude of the other Yi family members when discussing the marriage.
If Mu Yanxi took a liking to any other suitable young men or women in the Yi family, the marriage partner could be changed.
If Mu Yanxi didn’t fancy anyone else, they would only need to make a verbal marriage agreement with Yi Wulan and postpone the wedding date on the grounds of Yi Wulan’s recovery.
But unexpectedly, on that day, Mu Yanxi suddenly took the initiative to ask to register the marriage with Yi Wulan.
Mu Yanqing and Yi Wulan had known each other for many years, and given that their two companies were bound to cooperate, she naturally preferred Yi Wulan. In front of so many Yi family members, Mu Yanqing couldn’t persuade Mu Yanxi, so she had no choice but to play along.
With Yi Wulan being the one to marry Mu Yanxi, Mu Yanqing wasn’t worried her sister would be wronged, but she had never given up on the idea of bringing Mu Yanxi home.
Mu Yanqing looked at Yi Wulan. At the time, she had respected Mu Yanxi’s wishes and didn’t interfere, but Yi Wulan, the person directly involved, had every opportunity to stop the process—from leaving the Yi residence, to going to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and even during the many procedures of registering the marriage.
But Yi Wulan didn’t.
Mu Yanqing didn’t think much of it then, but thinking back now, it felt increasingly strange.
She looked at Yi Wulan with a complicated expression. “Yi Wulan, you remember saying you had no intention of getting into a relationship, right? You weren’t lying to me, were you?”
You weren’t, right?
The Yi family now seemed to be under Yi Wulan’s control, but after her car accident, more and more people were fishing in troubled waters behind the scenes. Yi Wulan shouldn’t have the leisure to cultivate some kind of “love after marriage” relationship with her sister, right?
Yi Wulan had clearly thought of the same thing as Mu Yanqing. “I wasn’t lying to you then.”
Mu Yanqing visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt something was off and asked warily, “You weren’t lying to me then, but what about now?”
Yi Wulan hesitated for two seconds, the kiss from the night Mu Yanxi was drunk suddenly flashing through her mind.
Unlike Mu Yanxi’s teasing when she was sober, it was a real, intimate connection.
A flicker crossed Yi Wulan’s eyes. She said calmly, “I’ll do my best.”
Mu Yanqing: ???
Yes is yes, no is no. What do you mean, ‘do my best’?
Mu Yanqing suppressed her anger, trying to keep her voice calm. “Yi Wulan, as a friend of many years, I want what’s best for you. If you were the you from half a year ago, I would agree to your relationship without a second thought.”
She rubbed the bridge of her nose and asked wearily, “But my sister is only twenty-three this year. How long can you be with her?”
With her only good friend of many years on one side and the sister she had carefully raised on the other, Mu Yanqing felt as if all her strength had been drained after saying this.
She knew about Yi Wulan’s physical condition, and Mu Yanxi, who spent all day at the Yi residence, must know it even better than she did.
The trouble with her legs could be overlooked with the help of money. But the injury in Yi Wulan’s brain could take her life at any moment. How could Mu Yanxi be sure nothing would happen?
But she still did it.
She was gambling.
Clinging to that sliver of hope, gambling that Yi Wulan’s condition wouldn’t relapse.
…This little ancestor.
Mu Yanqing stood up, finding it increasingly difficult to accept this fact.
“I tried, but I did indeed fail.” As Mu Yanqing reached the door, Yi Wulan finally spoke. “I’ll go confirm with the doctor again in a few days. If there’s no hope, I won’t hold her back.”
Mu Yanqing’s gaze became a little dazed. She turned to look at Yi Wulan, her lips trembling, but she couldn’t bring herself to say what she wanted to.
She just intended to walk out.
“Go out in a little while. If Yanxi sees you like this, how will you explain it?” Yi Wulan pointed to the already cold food on the table. “Why don’t you make something new? Otherwise, your sister will start a fuss again later.”
“…Alright.”
Mu Yanqing was in low spirits. It wasn’t until she finished slicing a plate of meat that she suddenly realized—that dog Yi Wulan had actually tricked her into cooking?
Mu Yanqing slammed the kitchen knife down with a “thwack” and turned to curse, “Yi Wulan, why aren’t you cooking?”
Yi Wulan spread her hands. “She’s your sister.”
Mu Yanqing was furious. “She’s also your wife!”
Yi Wulan glanced at her legs, sighed, and said with a hint of regret, “Then I’ll do it. If Yanxi asks later, I’ll tell her the truth.”
Mu Yanqing: …
Tell her what?
Is that what you call telling?
That’s clearly tattling.
As expected, that old dog Yi Wulan only knew how to wear a human skin to deceive her sister. Behind her back, she was still the same old dog.
In the end, it was Mu Yanqing who, grumbling and cursing, cooked a new table full of food.
Who knows what materials were used when Mu Yanqing’s place was renovated, but the soundproofing was surprisingly good. Mu Yanxi, waiting outside, didn’t hear a single sound.
After half an hour, she finally couldn’t resist knocking on the dining room door.
She thought it would be useless, but to her surprise, the door was opened quickly.
The person who opened the door was Yi Wulan, while her sister was taking off her apron not far away, bringing over a few dishes. “Xiao Xi, come and eat.”
The atmosphere was a far cry from the tense, sword-drawn feeling before she left, which was truly a bit strange.
Mu Yanxi blinked, her gaze shifting between the two for a long time before she finally believed that nothing had happened between them.
She slowly shuffled over to sit beside Yi Wulan and asked tentatively, “You two, are you okay?”
Seeing this, Mu Yanqing grabbed Mu Yanxi and pushed her toward Yi Wulan. “This person has been rebelling at my place all morning. Take her away as soon as you’re done eating.”
Mu Yanxi was immediately indignant. “Weren’t you the one who forced me to stay just now?”
Mu Yanqing gave a cold laugh. “Now I think you’re too expensive. Can’t I decide I don’t want to support you anymore?”
“How am I expensive?” Mu Yanxi thought for a moment, and her eyes suddenly lit up. “Elder Sister, are you planning to give Rongjia… um, cooperate with them again?”
Mu Yanxi had wanted to say “give Rongjia money,” but she was afraid her moody sister would go back on her word, so she conservatively changed her phrasing.
“Mhm, to earn some interest to give you pocket money.” Mu Yanqing joked, then pointed to her head. “But I didn’t sleep at all last night, and now I’ve been tormented by you two. Remember to transfer me three million for emotional damages later.”
Mu Yanxi stopped eating altogether and glared at her sister. “Are you robbing me?”
“I am.” Mu Yanqing made no attempt to hide her intentions, looking directly at Yi Wulan. “My cooking is gold-plated. Just say whether you’ll pay or not.”
Mu Yanxi was about to make a sarcastic comment, but to her surprise, in the next second, Yi Wulan actually nodded. “Okay.”
Mu Yanxi looked at Yi Wulan in surprise. Recalling how decisively Mu Yanqing had just agreed to cooperate with Rongjia, she found the situation increasingly bizarre.
The lunch proceeded in an incredibly strange atmosphere. It wasn’t until Yi Wulan went out to the living room to take a call that Mu Yanxi finally couldn’t help but ask, “Elder Sister, how did your relationship with Yi Wulan suddenly get so good?”
Weren’t you openly and secretly disapproving of Yi Wulan, wanting me to divorce her?
Mu Yanqing glanced at her. “And what about you? Didn’t you say before that you were marrying her to save her face? How did you end up sleeping in her bed?”
Mu Yanxi: …
Mu Yanxi silently turned her head away and said no more.
This reaction from Mu Yanxi made Mu Yanqing’s heart ache even more.
Originally, when she heard Yi Wulan talk about being carried to bed, she was just testing the waters.
She hadn’t expected Mu Yanxi to directly admit to the fact that they were sleeping together.
Mu Yanqing wanted to say something but didn’t. She just pinched Mu Yanxi’s cheek, sighed with complicated emotions, and then went back to her room to catch up on sleep.
Late that night, when Yi Wulan came out of the shower, Mu Yanxi was already lying on the bed waiting for her.
The moment she saw her, she smiled and asked, “What on earth did my sister talk to you about at noon today? Is she not blocking Rongjia’s funds anymore? Don’t tell me you sold yourself to me at her place?”
Yi Wulan frowned and called her name, “Mu Yanxi.”
Her tone wasn’t gentle; it even carried a hint of warning.
It was as if all the warmth from the daytime had dissipated.
Ever since Mu Yanqing and Yi Wulan had spent time alone together, Mu Yanxi felt that Yi Wulan had reverted to her previous distant attitude toward her.
Much like those heartless men who abandon their wives after getting what they want.
It was strange, somewhat subtle.
Mu Yanxi, in a fit of pique, rolled over to her usual side of the bed, pulled the covers over, and bundled herself up.
She turned her back, ignoring Yi Wulan.
But not even a few minutes later, her shoulder was nudged from behind.
Mu Yanxi moved her shoulder, shaking off the hand, and ignored it.
Then, the hand gently pushed her arm again.
Mu Yanxi sat up abruptly. “I’ll go sleep next door.”
Her movement to get out of bed was too rushed, pulling at the bruise on the top of her foot. Mu Yanxi’s leg gave way, and she nearly fell off the bed.
A hand reached out from the side and wrapped around her waist, saving her from the embarrassing act of falling off the bed.
Mu Yanxi, still shaken, turned her head and met a pair of worried peach-blossom eyes.
“Did you not put any medicine on it at all today? I just saw that it looks a little swollen.”
Mu Yanxi brushed Yi Wulan’s hand away, saying stubbornly, “Swollen? That’s just how thick the top of my foot is. It’s clearly already healed.”
But unexpectedly, Yi Wulan looked up at her, directly lifted the covers, and said in a tone like an elder, “Don’t move. Let me take a look for you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Yanxi suddenly felt a source of heat press against her back.
Yi Wulan held the ointment in one hand and tried to turn her body with the other.
As Yi Wulan repeatedly tried to turn her, Mu Yanxi couldn’t be bothered to dodge anymore and simply turned around. “Didn’t you want to ignore me? Wouldn’t it be better to just let me fend for myself?”
Now, they were face to face, so close that with the slightest movement, Mu Yanxi could accurately kiss Yi Wulan’s lips.
Yi Wulan’s body tensed. “Don’t be so close to me.”
Only then did Mu Yanxi belatedly realize their position.
Noticing Yi Wulan’s evasive gaze, her usual composure returned. She smiled, “Weren’t you the one who hugged me first?”
Yi Wulan stiffly squeezed out a bit of ointment, focusing all her attention on Mu Yanxi’s foot.
Bit by bit, she used several types of medicine, but Yi Wulan’s movements remained very gentle.
At first, Mu Yanxi was a little fidgety. When Yi Wulan’s overly gentle movements tickled her, she even felt the urge to escape again.
But thinking about Yi Wulan’s moodiness today, she suddenly didn’t want to escape anymore.
Her temper flared, and she started blaming Yi Wulan. “It’s all your fault for not putting medicine on it this morning. Now it’s all swollen.”
Yi Wulan responded with a soft sound of agreement.
Encouraged by the response, Mu Yanxi became even more audacious. “My manager got me a role in a drama today, but because of you, I couldn’t take it. You have to compensate me for the salary and the emotional damage of missing the chance to become a Best Actress.”
Yi Wulan capped the last bottle of medicine and asked casually, “How much?”
Hearing this, Mu Yanxi perked up and, pleased with herself, made an exorbitant demand, “Fifty million.”
“Fifty million?”
Mu Yanxi lifted her chin and said with a noble and aloof air, “Plus the emotional damages for losing the Best Actress title, I’ll give you a discount. Let’s make it eighty million altogether.”
Yi Wulan didn’t speak. After a two-second pause, a soft chuckle was heard.
The sound was very light, but it inexplicably made Mu Yanxi’s ears turn red.
Mu Yanxi stiffened her neck. “What are you laughing at?”
Yi Wulan leisurely sized up Mu Yanxi for a moment and repeated, “Eighty million?”
Although she didn’t say anything else, Mu Yanxi understood everything from Yi Wulan’s expression.
Fortunately, when it came to asking for money, Mu Yanxi had always been shameless. She nodded without batting an eye. “Yes, is there a problem?”
“Nothing.” Yi Wulan slowly took a wet wipe and cleaned the remaining ointment from her hands. “I was just considering withdrawing some funds. The film and television industry seems to be on the verge of collapse.”
Mu Yanxi: …
The plastic wrap by the bed had been put away by some cleaning lady. It was late at night, and Mu Yanxi couldn’t be bothered to go downstairs to look for it, so she simply used her hands to channel her special ability to Yi Wulan.
At first glance, Yi Wulan’s condition was her immobility, but in reality, the injury in her brain was far more severe than the one in her legs. Mu Yanxi could clearly feel that when she used her ability to heal, the feeling of resistance from Yi Wulan’s legs was much lighter.
Tonight, she decided to transfer all her stored-up ability into Yi Wulan’s legs.
As her ability was depleted, she unknowingly fell asleep.
Perhaps because she had left that other-dimensional space, the feeling of living again was too wonderful, and Mu Yanxi, who rarely dreamed, unexpectedly had a nightmare.
In her dream, she returned to the time when she was first trapped in that white, other-dimensional space.
Everything around her was a vast expanse of white, with no other living beings. No matter how she struggled or screamed, she couldn’t escape from that cold space.
Mu Yanxi curled into a ball, her breathing rapid.
Her breaths gradually became tinged with soft whimpers, waking the soundly sleeping Yi Wulan beside her.
Yi Wulan had just received the special ability not long ago. Woken by the sound, she still felt a little dizzy and wasn’t as clear-headed as usual.
She initially thought the sound was a hallucination, but when she opened her eyes, she saw Mu Yanxi curled into a ball beside her, trembling all over, with several tear tracks already on her face.
Yi Wulan froze.
Just then, Mu Yanxi murmured something softly in her sleep.
Yi Wulan moved closer to hear clearly: “Yi Wulan…”
Yi Wulan watched her for a long time before awkwardly moving herself closer.
She gently put an arm around Mu Yanxi’s shoulders, pulling her into an embrace.
Her peach-blossom eyes were slightly lowered as she studied Mu Yanxi’s expression, clumsily offering a few words of comfort.
Perhaps feeling the familiar embrace, even though Yi Wulan hadn’t woken her, the trembling Mu Yanxi settled down in her sleep.
After a short while, her whole body slowly relaxed, and the tear tracks on her face disappeared.
Only her damp eyelashes remained as evidence of their owner’s sorrow.
Seeing this, Yi Wulan imperceptibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Such a delicate little thing.
They had only slept together a few times, and she was already this clingy.
What am I going to do in the future?
But, the future…
The curve of Yi Wulan’s lips suddenly flattened.
At this moment, she had to admit that what Mu Yanqing had said during the day was enough to make her waver again.
Just as she was about to let go of Mu Yanxi, the now-relaxed Mu Yanxi suddenly reached out drowsily and snuggled right into her waist.
Yi Wulan: …
Yi Wulan tried to push her away, but the dreaming Mu Yanxi was completely out of it. Having finally found a source of warmth, she clung to it tightly and wouldn’t let go.
She even pushed her luck, nuzzling her cheek into the crook of Yi Wulan’s neck, finding a more comfortable position, and continuing to sleep.
Yi Wulan was so stiff she didn’t know how to move.
In the past, even if they woke up in such a position, Mu Yanxi would quickly let go, so it wasn’t too awkward.
But this time, she had directly experienced the entire process of Mu Yanxi throwing herself at her.
Yi Wulan took a deep breath. Just as she was trying to calm her heart, she felt the head in her arms nuzzle again.
Then came a sleepy murmur, “Yi Wulan, it’s you…”
Yi Wulan, who had been about to forcibly push Mu Yanxi away, suddenly found she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
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