Listening to the sounds outside, Mu Yu’s heart sank. She pushed away Jiang Wenwen and rushed over to open the door. “Dad, what…”
“Young Master Qin is here!”
“What?” Mu Yu almost bit her tongue. “Wh-What is he doing here?”
Before she finished asking, Qin Jinhuan showed up behind her father and smiled brightly. “I want to try out Mum’s cooking too.”
When Mu Yu saw him calling out ‘Mum’ so smoothly, she was extremely shocked.
It’s not like my parents don’t know the relationship between us. Was it really necessary to put up a show in front of them?
“Trying Auntie’s cooking is only an excuse. The truth must be that you’re missing Yu, am I right?” Jiang Wenwen smiled and teased her. “Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.”
“Don’t talk nonse…” Realizing that she shouldn’t casually point out to her best friend that she was talking nonsense, Mu Yu immediately changed her expression into an awkward smile while she glanced at Qin Jinhuan from the corner of her eyes. Unexpectedly, she met his affectionate gaze. Her heart instantly skipped a beat and she quickly turned her gaze away.
“Young Master Qin, you’ve come.” Hu Meiling anxiously came out of the kitchen and greeted him.
“Be careful of that spatula! That will spoil Young Master Qin’s shirt!” Mu Ziyao hurriedly stopped his wife and reminded her.
Only then did Hu Meiling realize that she was holding a spatula in her hand. She immediately took two steps back and awkwardly gave him an apologetic smile.
“It’s nothing.” Qin Jinhuan asked with a smile, “What are you cooking? It smells delicious.”
“Stir-fried minced meat… Oh, my dish!” Hu Meiling screamed and rushed back into the kitchen.
“Young Master Qin, have a seat first. Yu, accompany Young Master Qin. I have to go and help your mum.” Mu Ziyao followed suit and ran into the kitchen.
At this moment, there were only three people left in the living room. Jiang Wenwen thought that Mu Yu’s parents reserved the space for the privacy of Mu Yu and Qin Jinhuan, so she suddenly felt awkward. Patting her head, she pretended to exclaim, “Oh, Yu, I suddenly remembered that there’s some matters to tend to in my school. I can’t have lunch with you today.”
“It wouldn’t take much of your time to eat lunch and leave. You can chat with Yu for a bit. I still have work to finish.” Qin Jinhuan pointed at the laptop in his hand and then walked into the study room on the side. Before going into the study room, he secretly passed her a hinting glance as he walked past Jiang Wenwen’s side.
Jiang Wenwen understood what that look meant, but because Mu Yu was present at the scene, she couldn’t tell him that the task was completed. However, she felt more relaxed now, and went into the bedroom again with her arms around Mu Yu.
After closing the bedroom door, she began to exclaim, “I really didn’t expect that Young Master Qin would treat you so well. Oh, when I saw that glance of yours just now, I almost melted!”
Mu Yu felt her heart softened, but acted nonchalant, and poked her best friend’s head in disbelief. “You think you’re a popsicle? You melt so easily.”
“Oh, stop pretending! Don’t assume that I didn’t catch you blushing just now. Your heart must be beating a lot quicker now, can I feel it?”
“Hey! Hey! What are you doing?” Mu Yu grabbed her best friend’s hands and pushed her to the bed while trying to change the topic. “Just now, you mentioned that Bing said something. What was it again?”
“It’s nothing.” Jiang Wenwen lay on the bed and responded in delight, “It’s just that he wanted to thank you and me, and that he will treat us someday.”
“How much did he need to compensate his boss?”
“He didn’t need to compensate. He said that his boss had later checked the surveillance system in the warehouse, and found out that it wasn’t him that lost the good. It was just that he missed picking it up when he went to deliver the goods.
“Turns out it’s a misunderstanding.”
“If you didn’t intervene, it wouldn’t have been a misunderstanding.”
“Why do you say that?”
Jiang Wenwen became a little irritated. “I’m telling you, Bing’s boss is notorious for being extremely cruel and cunning. If Bing hadn’t met you, his boss would never have checked the surveillance. Even if she did check the surveillance and found the good in the warehouse, his boss would still hide that item, and Bing would still need to compensate according to the price.”
Mu Yu instantly laughed out loud. “Looks like Bing is indeed lucky.”
“Consider it as the rainbow after the storm. Actually Bing is pitiable.” When Jiang Wenwen talked about this, she sighed heavily.
“He’s just an employee. It’s unavoidable to be bullied sometimes.”
“I don’t mean it in that way.” Jiang Wenwen’s expression turned solemn. “Bing originally had a very happy family. His wife was gentle and virtuous. He worked in a bank and was enjoying great benefits. His parents were in good health, and they’d bought a house in the city. The elders at home wanted to help them save money, so they stayed at their old house and planted crops. During the spring of five years ago, his wife was pregnant and the family was very happy about it. But because they couldn’t let go of their farmland in their hometown, after some discussions between the couple and his parents, the parents decided to return to the city to take care of her after the autumn harvest.”
“Then? What happened?” Mu Yu asked desperately.
“Up until now, I could still remember the day when Bing went to the countryside to pick up his parents. It was a Saturday on 17th of September.” Tears started to well in Jiang Wenwen’s eyes. “That morning, I was still taking a nap at home. My mother suddenly rushed into the room and pulled me out frenziedly. It turned out that there was a fire in Bing’s house that was next to ours. The neighbors all managed to exit the building. Only Bing’s wife who was eight months pregnant couldn’t escape, and was burnt to death by the fire.”
“What? Oh my God!”
“When Bing’s family rushed back, the fire was extinguished, but his wife had turned into a charred body. Bing’s father had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage on the spot and died on the way to the hospital. His mother aged so much due to grief and self-blame, and became really ill. After she was discharged from the hospital, she refused to stay in the city, so she returned to their hometown in the countryside by herself, and lived alone.”
“Why didn’t Bing return to the countryside with his mother?”
“Don’t you think he wanted that too? It’s because he couldn’t.” Jiang Wenwen then sighed again. “After burying his wife and father and paying for his mother’s treatment, he was in a lot of debt. His house is still mortgaged because someone died there so it couldn’t be sold at a good price. The neighbors had all taken pity on him. They made a donation to help him repair the burnt house and didn’t hold his family into account for the fire. The fire was caused by his wife’s improper usage of electrical appliances. Misfortunes come in threes. He was originally working in the bank, but ended up getting fired due to making several mistakes at work. Now he had to take several odd jobs to pay off his debts. After taking on so much hardship, an outgoing and capable man like him turned into a dull and sluggish one who didn’t like to socialise. Nobody treats him well no matter what kind of work he does. His life is indeed really hard. Doesn’t he look like a man in his forties? Actually, he’s not even thirty years old yet.”
Mu Yu sympathized him at this moment. “I didn’t expect him to have such a miserable side.”
“Yes. Life is unpredictable, and nothing lasts forever, so we must cherish the moment.”
Hearing her words, somehow, Qin Jinhuan’s image appeared in Mu Yu’s mind.
What does he have to do with me? She quickly put aside her foolish thoughts and continued to listen to what her best friend was saying.
“Fortunately, the neighbors are considerate to him, and have always helped him out. In this past year or two, his mental state has gotten much better, and he is more sociable now.”
Now, Mu Yu understood why her best friend was so agitated when she saw Yan Xiaobing getting bullied. She sighed. “There are still so many good people in this world. If it weren’t for the help from all of you, I’m afraid that he would be depressed for the rest of his life.”
Jiang Wenwen laughed embarrassedly. “I didn’t help Bing much. It was all the generous neighbors who helped him.”
“What goes around comes around. The neighbors are willing to help him so enthusiastically, so he must have been kind to others in the same way before.”
“Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered something. Didn’t our school hold a charity event at Cheng Xi Park a while ago? I saw Bing make a donation there as well. Although I didn’t see how much he donated, considering his current financial situation, it’s the thought that matters. Even if he only donated a buck, it’s his sincerity that’s important.”
“Just the thought of him going to the South City while he’s living in the West City is already worthy of our respect.”
“Yes, I hope he can…”
“Yu, the food’s ready.”
When they heard Qin Jinhuan’s voice, the two of them immediately stopped talking. They smiled at each other, and held hands as they exited the room.
After she finished eating, Jiang Wenwen left first because she had some errands to run at school. Qin Jinhuan wanted to urge Mu Yu to leave, but seeing Mu Ziyao and his wife hold My Yu’s hands reluctantly, he couldn’t let those words escape his mouth. He thought about it, and decided instead to ask Huang Bo to pick her up later.
Now that Qin Jinhuan had left in Huang Bo’s car, Mu Ziyao and Hu Meiling heaved a long sigh of relief. They pulled Mu Yu, who was about to clean up the dishes, into the living room and sat on each by her sides.
When she saw her parents eyeing her with a smile, Mu Yu couldn’t help but wonder. “What’s the matter with you guys?”
Mu Ziyao looked at his wife meaningfully and smiled. “Wifey, you tell her.”
“Sure.” Hu Meiling solemnly cleared her throat like she was going to announce something important, and looked at her daughter. “Yu, after being in contact with Young Master Qin for awhile…”
“Especially today,” Mu Ziyao interrupted her and added.
“Yes, especially today.” Hu Meiling continued, “Your dad and I think that Young Master Qin is indeed a very decent man. Not only does he have a good family background, good capabilities, educated and talented, but also has a deep affection for you…”
“What deep affection? Don’t you know that this is acting?” Mu Yu hurriedly cut her mother off. “Can an act be considered serious?”
“Why can’t it turn serious? What started as an act can always turn into the real deal! Would you dare to say that you don’t like Young Master Qin?”
“I…”
“Silly girl, don’t run away from it. You must face the relationship between you and Young Master Qin head on,” Mu Ziyao laughed as he interjected.
“No, no. There is nothing going on between us…”
“The onlooker sees more of the game!” Hu Meiling’s gaze went over to Mu Yu as she flashed a satisfied smile to her husband. “When I saw Young Master Qin today, it’s just like a mother-in-law seeing her son-in-law. The more I look at him, the more satisfied I am with him. This is all thanks to your ancestor’s blessings. They’ve allowed Mu Yu to meet such a good man like Young Master Qin.”
“Yes, and we can pick an auspicious day to hang paper money for them.”
“Right, hang extra. Ah, I will go and get the Lunar Calendar to see which date would be an auspicious day.”
“Hey! Hey! Mum!” Mu Yu immediately grabbed her mother—who was about to get up—not knowing if she should laugh or cry. “Have you forgotten the reason why Qin Jinhuan and I are a contract-based couple? Don’t deceive yourself this way, alright? It’s really embarrassing.”
“This is called destiny. Silly daughter, you have to believe in your mum’s and my keen insight.” Mu Ziyao’s face was filled with confidence.
“That’s right. You have to seize this opportunity! Don’t be ungrateful and push Young Master Qin’s affection away,” Hu Meiling warned in all solemnness. “You don’t even know how many women in An City have been constantly coveting the position of the Qin family’s mistress.”
“That’s right.”
“Dad! Mum! You guys are really…”
Before Mu Yu could refute, the two of them had started to rain more praises on Qin Jinhuan, to the point where she couldn’t even interrupt them, but could only smile bitterly. Even after she had let Huang Bo pick her up after dinner and returned to the Qin manor, the voice of her parents’ praises for Qin Jinhuan still echoed in her ears. This made her suspect that her own parents brainwashed her.
By the time she came home, Qin Jinhuan, who had to work overtime, had not returned yet. She went back to her bedroom and saw two suitcases at the corner. She knew that it was the maids who had helped them to pack up the necessities for tomorrow, so she didn’t need to worry about that anymore. After she switched on the TV, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
“…The sewer manhole lid was stolen and an innocent passerby was injured…”
The news was being broadcasted on the TV, but Mu Yu wasn’t in the mood to watch it. She changed into her pajamas and lay on the bed. She couldn’t help but think about her parents’ words, which was making her irritable.
In order to divert her attention, she switched off the TV and took out a small notebook to check on her notes. She sighed sympathetically when she thought of the tragic experiences of Yan Xiaobing that Jiang Wenwen had told her about.
Yan Xiaobing… 17th of September… West City… Sun Meilan…
A thought formed in her mind and made her freeze. She abruptly jumped from the bed.