Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yuan Tangzhong saw Yuan Zhe shooting daggers at him. He lowered his voice, saying, “This woman will still be useful in the future!”
Yuan Tangzhong knew that Yuan Zhe had been secretly contacting the father and son of the Mu Family all along. He was usually disappointed with his son in many ways, but he chose to stand with him at this moment.
“Mother, if that’s the case, you should just allow Qinger to take Ruoxin’s identity and announce this to the public. If we find her a suitable partner in the future, we’ll regard her as if she were Yuan Ran or Yuan Tian. Would that be alright?”
The Old Mistress nodded after Yuan Tangzhong had finished speaking. “You’re right. We certainly must marry her off well to avoid troubling my Qinger!”
When the subject of marriage was mentioned, Qinger’s gaze fell on Yuan Xuan…
The Old Mistress’ fierce glare when she yelled at Mu Chenyan and called her a vixen flashed through Chenyan’s mind. On the contrary, she referred to Qinger as “my Qinger”….
However, this did not matter because Mu Chenyan was unconcerned!
Yuan Tian stuck her tongue out when she heard this. “Wow! You’re so kind, Second Uncle. I’d always thought that Yuan Ran and I were different!”
Yuan Tangzhong, “…”
“Ouch! Mom, why did you pinch me again?” Tears glistened in Yuan Tian’s eyes while her heart was filled with anger.
Lu Shan quietly scolded, “We should get that maternity test done tomorrow! How did I give birth to a daughter like you? Do you think that I could return you if you were really someone else’s child?”
Lu Shan was forced to resort to dark humor. Yuan Tian made a face before she happily turned to the Old Mistress and asked, “Grandmother, can we start eating?”
The Old Mistress stared at her before she flatly said, “Go ahead, eat! We’ll leave this to Little Xuan.”
Yuan Xuan firmly held Mu Chenyan’s hand underneath the table. He tightened his grip as though he was making sure of something.
Mu Chenyan was shocked. She glanced sideways and saw that Yuan Xuan’s nose was pointed straight while his gaze was indifferent and relaxed. This man who radiated an elegant and refined aura throughout his entire body was not the slightest bit embarrassed at his actions below the table.
Her hands were always covered in a layer of cold sweat during the summer while Yuan Xuan’s hands were as warm and dry as before. An additional layer of sweat formed on Mu Chenyan’s palm when he gripped her hand tighter.
She neither hid, nor reject the force that his hand exerted.
She gently responded in kind instead.
Suddenly, Mu Chenyan felt as though danger was lurking behind every corner at this moment. Yuan Xuan had led a difficult life among the members of the Yuan Family whose minds were unreadable.
After Jiao Shuzhen’s passing and Yuan Tangbai’s mysterious death, Yuan Xuan lived here alone. His grandmother was the only person whom he could rely on.
Yuan Xuan never freely revealed his emotions to outsiders. Perhaps this was due to the experiences of his youth. This was different from Mu Chenyan’s situation.
Mu Chenyan had lived in Xi Fan since she was little. The vast open space there allowed Mu Chenyan to live in an unrestrained manner without any worries before she was 10 years old.
This also allowed her to openly reveal her thoughts when she fell for Yuan Xuan when she was much younger.
Yuan Xuan, however, was the exact opposite of her. He never revealed his true feelings. Despite the gloomy feelings in his heart, he continued to appear at ease on the surface.
He treated Qinger, the Old Mistress, and even his mortal enemies that way. On the other hand, there were many instances when he failed to express his love for Mu Chenyan!
Mu Chenyan’s heart throbbed painfully when she initially heard the conversation between Mu Chenwu and Feng Rao. Now that she had calmed down, she was not as conflicted and emotional as the first time when she returned from the cemetery.
After so many bitter experiences, it seemed as though Mu Chenyan had finally found a sense of balance in her mind. She thought to herself and realized that when the truth finally came to light, it would not be surprising if her and Yuan Xuan argued and broke up!
After dinner
Mu Chenyan pulled Yuan Tian over at the doorway of Upper Mansion. She quietly asked, “Where did you go yesterday?”
There was a gloomy expression on Yuan Tian’s face while she shook her head. “Nothing happened. I was just harassed by a pervert but it’s over!”
Mu Chenyan was still somewhat worried. Lu Shan had not realized anything but Mu Chenyan knew Yuan Tian better. She had never worn shirts with high collars before. Despite today’s hot weather, she was tightly wrapped up like a dumpling…
“My brother knows where I went!”
Yuan Tian recalled how that mysterious man had mentioned Yuan Xuan when he finally sent her home. “Tell Third Young Master Yuan that I’ve returned his belongings in perfect condition. However, I’ll take what’s mine sooner or later!”
Mu Chenyan knew that it was useless for her to question the matters that involved Yuan Xuan.
There was an artificial lake to the north of Hibiscus Garden. As it was already summer, the white lotuses in the man-made lake were in full bloom and thriving beautifully.
She decided to take a stroll there because she was rather full from dinner.
The artificial lake was not large but the water levels ranged in depth. Mu Chenyan had frequently played here with Yuan Tian when they were younger. They had even caught mudskippers in the swallow muddy water during the summer.
She was already ten years old at that time. She tied her hair in little pigtails and rolled up her pants as she taught Yuan Tian how to catch the mudskippers…
Mu Chenyan circled the artificial pond while enjoying the quietness now. She recalled the carefree days of her youth.
The summer breeze blew gently. The shallow part of the lake was cooler and more serene than the other areas.
Mu Chenyan’s heart was filled with fond memories of her happy past. She even wondered whether she would remain at the Yuan Family Mansion if she could live her life again and choose a different path.
“Mu Chenyan?”
The other woman’s voice sounded rather frosty despite the warm summer breeze.
Mu Chenyan turned around and saw that Shu Qinger was following her. Her eyes were piercingly cold.
“Yes?”
The fog in her heart had recently vanished, but it had returned to suffocate her again.
She had no choice but to give her the cold shoulder because she refused to meet Shu Qinger’s gaze.
“Were you proud of my performance tonight?”
Shu Qinger’s bewitching face broke out into a faint smile.
“My position in the Yuan Family will be secured as long as the Old Mistress agrees. Brother Xuan may go back on his word and attempt to send me away, but he can’t do anything without the Old Mistress’ permission!
“As long as I remain in the Yuan Family, I can take back everything that belongs to me. Don’t you agree?”
She was threatening her again!
Mu Chenyan’s heart felt terribly constricted. Why was she always here? She should have been an actress since she loved stealing the limelight so much!
“Qinger, weren’t you highly educated?”
Mu Chenyan ignored Shu Qinger’s smug expression and said something that was irrelevant to the current topic.
Shu Qinger was stunned and confused.
“If that’s the case, I don’t understand how you ruined such a good hand of cards. Why did you waste your whole life chasing someone else’s man?”
Mu Chenyan immediately retaliated without holding back.
Only then did Shu Qinger react. Her expression instantly changed as the rage in her eyes burned brighter. “Mu Chenyan, do you think that you played no part in my current situation?”
Mu Chenyan coldly said, “At least I’d never harmed you directly! You can ask Yuan Xuan if you still don’t believe me.”
Mu Chenyan was raised well. Although her personality had been unruly since she was young before she suddenly became indifferent as she grew older, she had never been unkind. She was quite shocked that she could treat Shu Qinger like this.
Shu Qinger was speechless. Ashamed, she flew into a rage while wishing that she could rip Mu Chenyan apart. “You never hurt me directly, but if it wasn’t for you, wouldn’t I be sitting next to Yuan Xuan today?”
