Huo Shiqing narrowed his eyes.
That strange feeling came over him again… It seemed Mu Beiyin cared a lot about his relationship with the Song family.
His gaze shifted, then suddenly he spoke lightly, giving an ambiguous answer.
"Not everyone has the privilege to meet me."
Mu Beiyin thought for a moment and immediately understood.
Oh… Those who are unimportant don't need to meet him. Although Fang Xuan is Madam Song, she's not really part of the Song family's main line. She had heard that Old Master Song was very displeased with Fang Xuan, so it made sense that Fang Xuan had never met Huo Shiqing.
Huo Shiqing really is the heir of the Song family — he speaks with authority.
She relaxed instantly, popped the unfinished abalone into her mouth, and clicked her tongue.
"I thought Fuluyuan was famous and that the food would be special, but the taste is just so-so."
Huo Shiqing gave a hum of acknowledgment. "It's just an ordinary restaurant; I don't know how it came to represent status."
Mu Beiyin looked puzzled. "Then why did you bring me here?"
Huo Shiqing probably didn't need such a place to prove his identity.
Unexpectedly, he answered casually, "I just heard Miss Mu has never been here before, while that illegitimate daughter of the Mu family is a regular. Whatever others have, my wife should have too. Can't lose."
Mu Beiyin was stunned!
So Huo Shiqing brought her here on purpose because he knew she had never come before?!
The Mu family and Song Lingqian were all focused on Mu Qianrou, while she was abandoned in the countryside.
This was the first time someone cared about her.
Mu Beiyin's face was almost overflowing with emotion. Song Lingqian's younger uncle and that scumbag Song Lingqian really were different; there were good people in the Song family too!
After the meal, Mu Beiyin was still thinking about how to thank Huo Shiqing. After all, this was the first time someone had treated her well. She was about to…
"Miss Mu."
At that moment, Huo Shiqing's calm voice interrupted her thoughts.
"I'll give you six months to clean up the mess in the Mu family. After six months, I will announce our marriage publicly."
Mu Beiyin was stunned, her heart skipping a beat. "Announce it… publicly? Isn't that unnecessary?"
If they went public, wouldn't Huo Shiqing be afraid of angering his nephew to death?
Huo Shiqing lowered the corner of his lips, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes. "Miss Mu, given your complicated past, since we are married, I have no intention of divorcing. It's better to make it public."
Mu Beiyin: "…"
The flicker of warmth she felt just now was instantly extinguished. She clenched her chopsticks. What did he mean by her past being complicated?
Could it be that Huo Shiqing feared she might cheat on him? Because of what Mrs. Song said?
A wave of grievance welled up inside her, but she absolutely couldn't divorce him!
The angrier Mu Beiyin got, the more she gritted her teeth and couldn't help but raise her middle finger at him.
She had just been moved inside, and now that feeling was wasted — better to feed it to the dogs!
"I'll have Bai Ji move your things to Yujing Garden…"
Huo Shiqing stopped mid-sentence, eyes narrowing with a faint, amused smile. "What are you doing?"
Mu Beiyin had just made the rude gesture toward someone else and was caught red-handed. Her face flushed through several shades.
Then, right in front of Huo Shiqing, she calmly changed her gesture, unfazed. "I think you're right — I was just sending you some love!"
Huo Shiqing was silent for a moment. "Miss Mu, your ability to adapt on the spot truly amazes me."
Mu Beiyin accepted the "compliment" with confidence. "I think so too, thank you for the praise."
Bai Ji twitched at the corner of his mouth. Madam, you'd better be more careful — sir isn't really complimenting you!
Back at Yujing Garden, Huo Shiqing suddenly spoke up, "If you're free tomorrow night, would you accompany me to an auction?"
Mu Beiyin suppressed the urge to raise her middle finger again. First, she suspected she might cheat on him; now he wanted her to go to an auction with him. How could this man be so infuriating?
But on the surface, she still pretended to be very delighted. "Sure, no problem."
Huo Shiqing gave a meaningful sideways glance without exposing her mediocre acting skills.
…
That night, in the study.
Huo Shiqing only narrowed his eyes after finishing the call with Chu Xiao, then looked at the information Chu Xiao had sent over.
Five years ago, a hacker infiltrated the main system of the Huo Shen Consortium. However, despite investigating for five years, he never found any trace of the hacker.
Until today, that person appeared again.
Also today, his wife was one step ahead and found the person bought off by Mu Qianrou. Mu Qianrou had erased all information about the person who edited the photos, making it very difficult to track them down. Yet Mu Beiyin had locked onto the target so quickly — was it just a coincidence?
A smirk tugged at the corner of Huo Shiqing's lips. Marrying her was truly interesting.
…
Meanwhile, Mu Beiyin lay on the bed, frowning.
She had been too impatient when searching for Mu Qianrou's witness and had left some clues behind, which someone was now using to investigate her.
Strangely, this force had been tracking her for a long time but never showed themselves — she didn't even know if they were friend or foe.
What exactly were they after?
Forget it, it wasn't important.
She had already left the Mu family; her top priority now was to retrieve her mother's belongings as soon as possible. She happened to be free tomorrow, so she might as well go to her grandfather's place.
The next afternoon, Mu Beiyin ignored Huo Shiqing and stepped out with a light, brisk pace.
The man sipped his tea, expressionless, tapping lightly on the table.
Bai Ji stepped forward respectfully and bowed, "Sir, the auction has been prepared."
Huo Shiqing finally revealed a meaningful smile.
.
Mu Beiyin drove to Grandfather Mu's villa.
Before she was sent to the countryside, her mother's belongings had all been placed there. Grandfather was the only person in the family who cared about her. He had promised not to let the items fall into the hands of the mistress and her daughter.
Following her memory, Mu Beiyin walked to a room door on the second floor of the villa.
This room was the second largest master bedroom in Grandfather Mu's villa, specially reserved for her.
Mu Beiyin took a deep breath, but the moment she opened the door, she froze.
The originally clean and tidy room was now piled high with furniture. The glaring pink bed in the middle shouted at Mu Beiyin — the room's owner had changed!
What about her mother's belongings?!
At that moment, a voice came from behind her.
Lin Ru walked up arrogantly, "Oh, isn't this Beiyin? You've been away from home too long. You probably don't know that your mother's room has already been given to Qianrou by Grandfather. From now on, this will be Qianrou's bedroom."
Mu Qianrou lowered her head shyly and gently, "Mom, stop it. If you say any more, sister will be upset."
A look of pride involuntarily appeared in Lin Ru's eyes.
When she and Qianrou first entered the Mu family, Grandfather Mu was the only one who opposed it. Unfortunately, Mu Beiyin was sent to the countryside afterward, and Qianrou managed to win over Grandfather Mu.
Now Grandfather Mu regarded Qianrou as his most beloved granddaughter. If Qianrou wanted a bedroom, of course she got it.
Everything in the Mu family would eventually belong to Qianrou. What was Mu Beiyin in comparison?
The room was given to Mu Qianrou?! Mu Beiyin's expression turned cold. "What about my mother's belongings?"
Lin Ru hated Mu Beiyin's calm demeanor and shouted to provoke her.
"The belongings of a dead person are bad luck, so of course they were thrown away. Now I'm the lady of the Mu family; nothing belonging to your short-lived mother should exist—Ah! What are you trying to do?!"