Chapter 41

Realizing what it was, Mu He was instantly frightened, her face drained of color, her heart pounding wildly, even afraid to breathe too hard. Using the last shred of rational thought left after the fiery panic, she decided to quietly put the hot potato back.

Her movements had to be small, gentle, and careful. If she woke him, it would be a disaster.

Mu He nervously loosened each finger one by one, until everything was safely returned to its original place without anyone noticing. She exhaled quietly, touching her flushed cheeks, thinking: Does he do this every day?

A man in the prime of his youth, this reaction was completely normal—nothing to overreact about.

If he didn’t… then she would have to worry, and perhaps reflect on whether her feminine charm was insufficient.

After her mental preparation, Mu He intended to lie back for a bit, but sleep was impossible now. She hadn’t even closed her eyes when a slightly husky yet clear male voice came from above: “Mu Yangyang.”

Mu He felt as if struck by lightning. A current surged through her body, leaving her numb. She froze, trying to play dead and bluff her way out.

Was she discovered?

It had to be. His breathing had already changed noticeably, making self-deception impossible.

Mu He had no experience in dealing with this, the only thing she knew was to play the act of sleeping to the end.

He seemed intentionally unwilling to let her off, moving closer. The heat from his body was overwhelming. Mu He, afraid of touching anything she shouldn’t, summoned her best acting skills worthy of a Golden Leaf Award-winning actress, slowly waking and murmuring: “Mm, so sleepy.”

She had just woken up; she knew nothing.

“Yangyang,” Huo Siheng said with a low laugh, “avoiding it won’t solve the problem.”

Mu He continued resisting: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hm?”

His tone rose slightly at the end, sending shivers across her scalp.

“Are you sure you want me to explain clearly?”

Mu He could no longer keep up the act. Although she couldn’t escape suspicion as an accomplice throwing kindling into the fire, the root of the problem was him—there was no way he could expect her to help solve it. She stammered a reminder: “I’m not your girlfriend.”

Huo Siheng’s voice dropped: “Then the matter is even more serious.”

Mu He: Huh?

He seriously explained: “Since we’re not in that kind of relationship, yet you did something with me that only that kind of relationship allows, wouldn’t you say this counts as being a flirt or a scoundrel?”

Mu He found herself thinking he had a point.

“Half of my innocence has already been ruined by you,” Huo Siheng said with double meaning, slowly enticing her, “don’t you think you should be responsible?”

Half of her innocence? That serious?

Embarrassed, Mu He quickly glanced up at him: “How should I be responsible?”

He didn’t answer, instead asked: “What do you think?”

Old fox, Mu He thought. Don’t think I don’t know you’re angling for a title. She shook her head: “I don’t know.”

“Then there’s no choice.”

Huo Siheng traced her arm downward, lightly pinching her wrist: “I take everything, but I never take a loss. If someone takes one from me, I’ll make them pay tenfold.”

“Heng! Stop it!” Mu He instinctively sensed danger and pressed his hand back with force: “I’ll think about it, okay?”

How long she would think was not up to her either.

Huo Siheng was merely teasing her. Seeing her flustered, he let go of her hand, lifted the covers, and got out of bed.

Mu He peeked secretly—his robe was loose, nothing visible, a bit of a disappointment.

The bathroom door closed.

The scene reminded Mu He of the New Year’s morning when he had come out of the bathroom, and she had curiously asked why he was taking a bath—was he doing the same then?

Now, she knew exactly what he was doing inside, something she could neither imagine nor dare imagine. However, having felt it firsthand, she thought… the size seemed… okay?

What is okay or not? She had no other reference for comparison.

She was mortified.

Mu He groaned in frustration, then couldn’t stop laughing, curling up like a boiled shrimp and burying herself in the covers.

Daylight came, the sunrise bright and fresh, red clouds washed by night hanging on the horizon, clear and transparent.

Ding Wu, who hadn’t slept all night, stood by the window, gazing at the mountain view. The cool air wrapped around him, yet he felt nothing, like a stone statue.

After months of neglecting his health, resting and recovering, his routine had become regular. This kind of morning was the first since then.

At last night’s party, the scenes involving You Fenfang replayed vividly in his mind, especially her words, tormenting him repeatedly: “Ding Wu, I gave you a daughter.”

He had to admit, learning he was a father, that there was someone in the world sharing his blood, ignited an uncontrollable thrill from deep within.

His daughter—he had a daughter!

“Where is she now?!”

“You didn’t want her, right? So, I abandoned her as soon as she was born.”

Her tone was calm, as if talking about the weather, yet each word pierced his heart. In an instant, he fell from the clouds into an ice cellar, losing composure, clutching her shoulder: “You crazy woman! How could you do this…”

“Hehe, Ding Wu, do you even have the right to say this to me? Who told me to abort her back then?”

He was left speechless, unable to deny that he had indeed said that, though he thought it was merely a trick.

Among his women, You Fenfang was not the first nor the last to try to use a child as leverage to become Mrs. Ding.

Back then, young and free as the wind, he indulged in pleasures without being bound by any woman. Every precaution was taken carefully to avoid trouble.

Hearing of You Fenfang’s supposed pregnancy, his first reaction was impossibility and regret. How could she become as mundane as other women?

He gradually distanced himself, and later, they completely lost contact.

From his understanding of You Fenfang, if she had truly had a child, she wouldn’t have disappeared silently. The so-called pregnancy was clearly a lie, now self-exposed.

Ding Wu never expected that twenty-three years later, she would reappear, bringing news both joyous and heartbreaking.

At seven o’clock, sunlight gently and affectionately illuminated the roses and monthly roses swaying in the garden. Servants busied themselves in the kitchen, living room, and yards. Ding Wu had no appetite for breakfast. He instructed the butler not to disturb him. His legs ached from standing long, trembling as he sat, eyes dimmed, blinking to wetness.

Unconsciously, it was nearly noon when his phone finally rang. Ding Wu immediately answered, his voice hoarse as if from a night of smoking: “How is it?”

“Mr. Ding, as per your instructions, I focused on You Fenfang’s records from when she was nineteen. Nothing unusual. According to current information, she has never given birth. Qin Zhi is the daughter of her current husband and his former wife…”

Ding Wu remained silent for a long time.

“Mr. Ding?”

“Check again.”

The assistant acknowledged with a “Yes.” Waiting for him to hang up, all they received was a long sigh. The assistant waited a few more seconds before ending the call.

Ding Wu pondered. Never given birth? Could this be another lie of You Fenfang’s?

This woman was not very clever, but she wouldn’t be foolish enough to try such an easily debunked lie to deceive him.

Angering or offending him brought her no benefit.

Ding Wu called his assistant to check Madam Qin’s whereabouts. Minutes later, he was informed she had already left Southern City overnight, returning to A City.

Had he known, he should have detained her last night.

Ding Wu couldn’t read her intentions. Was You Fenfang guilty, or playing hard to get?

If the former, it implied she was lying; the latter was plausible. But if the daughter didn’t exist, what “bait” did she plan to use on him?

Suspicion hung thick in the air.

“Book me a flight to A City immediately.”

Mu He had just finished a brand event and was resting in the lounge. Tan Mian handed her a cup of American ginseng water and asked curiously, “Yangyang, why do you keep staring at your left hand?”

Mu He, afraid Tan Mian would see through her secret, reflexively hid her hand, took the cup with her right hand, sipped a little to moisten her lips, and coughed lightly in an unnatural way: “I think the nails look pretty this time.”

“Yeah.”

Tan Mian agreed enthusiastically: “Matcha green, the color is perfect, goes so well with your dress—vivid and full of personality. Once the official promo photos are out, the fans, who just asked for your lipstick shade, will probably demand the same manicure too, hahaha!”

No matter what, from breaking sales records in Rose Magazine to brand endorsements, to being invited to Fashion Week events, Teacher Mu had secured a place in the fashion world.

Mu He smiled, her left hand at her side quietly clenched, then slowly relaxed.

With no work scheduled that afternoon, Mu He returned to her hotel to rest. Tan Mian went to the long-awaited Sun Moon Tower and, after a shopping spree, returned fully loaded. According to plan, they could stay another night in Southern City, but tomorrow was Lantern Festival, the small reunion with tangyuan, and both were eager to return home, so they simply booked a flight that same evening.

Tan Mian was pleasantly surprised to discover that the handsome wealthy man from Golden Moon Bay was on the same return flight. Such a coincidence felt as if it had been arranged beforehand!

Since it was a night flight, there were only four passengers in business class. Another middle-aged man sat in a corner, some distance away from them.

Tan Mian tilted her head to talk to Mu He while openly admiring the handsome man’s perfect profile. Occasionally, her eyes wandered to the wedding ring on his hand, silently repeating: He’s a married man… a married man… Her attention scattered, her words incoherent even to herself.

Mu He smiled but said nothing.

Seeing his calm, composed demeanor, a playful thought struck her: “Sir, you look a lot like a friend of mine. May I get to know you?”

Tan Mian opened her mouth in disbelief, terrified. Yangyang, what are you doing?

She’s a public figure! If news got out that she was openly flirting with a married man, the consequences would be serious!

No, she had to stop this immediately!

Before Tan Mian could speak, the man flashed his wedding ring and coldly refused: “No, I have a wife.”

Well done!

Tan Mian felt a mix of emotions: admiration for the man’s loyalty to his wife despite facing a stunning beauty, relief that her worry was unnecessary, and a touch of pity for Teacher Mu.

At twenty-three, in the prime of youth and beauty, feelings of springtime love were normal, yet the company had carefully nurtured her career—they surely wouldn’t allow dating.

Then Tan Mian reconsidered. No, Yangyang was so composed—how could she act so recklessly?

Had she misunderstood?

Perhaps her words were just surface-level. After all, they both lived in Golden Moon Bay, were neighbors—what harm was there in a simple introduction?

None at all.

Failing to successfully strike up a conversation and instead being teased, Mu He noticed the mischievous glint at the corner of his eyes, shrugged carelessly, and seeing Tan Mian frozen like a block of wood, put on her eye mask, a smile blooming in her heart.

Wife.

At 11:30 PM, Mu He returned to her place, washed up simply, and lay down, soon succumbing to sleep. Faintly, she heard a knock on the door, but she was too lazy to open her eyes, instead listening attentively to the sounds outside.

“Knock knock knock…”

Mu He jogged to open the door: “What is it, Huo Siheng?”

The tall man, wearing sapphire blue pajamas, leaned against the door, arms crossed, his handsome face relaxed, smiling more enticingly than the moonlight outside: “Yangyang, aren’t you sleeping with me tonight?”