Chapter 31#
Mysterious Boyfriend#
A corner of his hanging clothes was gently gripped by someone; with very little strength, it was given a light tug.
Qin Mu’s eyelids flickered as he slowly opened his eyes.
The newcomer had a flushed little face, staring at him unblinkingly with round, wide eyes. The corners of her mouth curved up in a very subtle, reserved arc, but her eyes held a joy that could not be hidden.
“Brother.”
A soft voice called out gently at a very slow pace.
Qin Zhao was deaf and had difficulty speaking; she could only speak without stuttering when the sentences were very short or when she spoke extremely slowly. For this reason, she almost always spoke in bursts of two words at a time.
Qin Mu frowned slightly, looking down and giving a soft “Mhm.”
The young girl’s eyes lit up. She sat carefully beside Qin Mu, her tightly clenched small hand refusing to let go.
The “Qin Mu” of the past had once visited her school specifically to mock her embarrassing grades. The teacher had kept his phone number and, treating everyone equally, sent the grades to the brother’s phone.
However, after mocking her twice, he found it boring and blocked the teacher. It wasn’t until the current Qin Mu arrived that the teacher saw the light of day again. Fortunately, this teacher was dedicated; even though she never received a reply, she continued to send them diligently. Not a single subject’s grade was missing from all these years.
Qin Mu recalled the girl’s current grades; they had improved significantly compared to previous years. The Qin family were competitive by nature. Even if Qin Zhao didn’t say it when she was mocked, she likely cared deeply in secret. She hadn’t expected her brother to stop focusing on that aspect anymore.
In the past, if a reward was to be given, Qin Mu would usually fulfill a small or medium-sized wish for Qin Zhao.
This habit was difficult to change in an instant. Looking at Qin Zhao’s face, he subconsciously asked, “Your grades were good. Is there anything you want?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qin Mu realized it and closed his mouth.
It would be somewhat inappropriate to take it back now.
The young girl’s face flushed red instantly, her bright eyes staring straight at Qin Mu. She spoke slowly, “Want… go… aquarium.”
Qin Zhao pursed her lips shyly and called out clingily once more, “Brother.”
“…Alright.”
In the evening, at the Qin family dining room.
The grandfather’s discharge from the hospital was a major event. The dining table was full of people. According to seniority, Qin Mu sat in the first seat to the right of Qin Linze, while Qin Yanchen sat directly opposite him.
It was worth mentioning.
Qin Zheng had also come.
He sat three seats down from Qin Yanchen.
Yu Shu’s fingertips, clutching her knife and fork, tightened and turned pale repeatedly. She had hardly eaten a few bites.
Although Qin Linze had been discharged, his complexion was still not very good. There was a private doctor at home, and since he found staying in the hospital stifling, he decided to return home.
Additionally, it was to give Qin Yanchen a warning.
Qin Yanchen acted as if he hadn’t seen the old man’s murderous expression and ate in silence.
The silence at the table was eerily strange.
The peace was broken by an accident. When a servant was serving a dish, Qin Zhao didn’t notice, and her elbow knocked over the soup. The boiling soup spilled onto her thigh, and the young girl’s eyes instantly turned red.
The person serving the food, fearing a reprimand, explained repeatedly, “It was the Young Miss who…”
“Take her down to check on her first,” Qin Mu interrupted the other’s defense coldly.
He saw it clearly; the servant obviously hadn’t placed it steadily.
“Yes…” The other person didn’t dare say more and hurriedly led Qin Zhao away from the table.
Qin Mu’s second uncle spoke up: “Zhao Zhao’s condition hasn’t improved at all over the years. I don’t know how you are acting as a mother, not caring for your daughter at all.”
Yu Shu’s movements paused. She gently set down her knife and fork, picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, and spoke in a gentle tone that carried thorns: “Is that so? If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten that Zhao Zhao’s surname is Qin.”
“Speaking of which,” Yu Shu smiled softly, “how is Xiao Mu performing at the company? Xiao Mu never tells me about these things.”
Qin Yanshen grinned. The events in the meeting room a week ago were widely circulated. Seeing Qin Mu and Qin Zheng competing against each other, everyone was worried the fire wasn’t big enough and wished they could add a few more logs: “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Xiao Mu has been very well-behaved lately, incredibly obedient. He never leaves early, and several projects have passed through his hands. With him at the company, you don’t need to worry.”
Qin Yanchen snorted coldly: “He’s only had a tiny bit of achievement, and his tail is already wagging in the sky. He hasn’t learned a thing about guarding against arrogance and impetuosity.”
“Why can’t he be praised when he has achievements?” Yu Shu interrupted, her smile remaining gentle. She turned her gaze toward Qin Mu: “Xiao Mu, Mother still has a few plots of land in my hands; I’ll give them to you as a reward. But since you are already together with Xiao Han, you should ask for his opinion in whatever you do. Take some time to bring him over, go look at them together, and whichever plot you like, Mother will give to you.”
Qin Mu didn’t respond, quietly watching them perform.
Qin Mu’s silence left Yu Shu hanging; she felt a bit embarrassed. Her expression changed slightly, and her smile gradually became stiff.
“Bring Xiao Han to the house to sit for a while when you have time,” Qin Linze spoke up, taking over the conversation.
Once these words were spoken, Yu Shu’s expression improved significantly.
However, Qin Zheng, sitting at the corner of the table, suddenly let out a soft laugh.
For a moment, everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
He laughed to himself for a while, as if just realizing where he was. He looked up at them and apologized softly, “I’m truly sorry. I just thought of something interesting and couldn’t help but laugh.”
Qin Linze slammed his chopsticks down, his voice harsh: “Did your early-dead mother never teach you what table manners are?”
“Dad!” Qin Yanchen interrupted him immediately.
Qin Zheng’s hand gripping the knife and fork tightened. He curled his lips. “Grandpa, Father taught me.”
“Hmph,” Qin Linze snorted heavily.
“I laughed just now because I recently learned something very interesting.”
“I think Auntie’s land won’t be given away for the time being.”
Yu Shu’s expression had long since turned impatient. Hearing this, the sharp, cold light in her eyes shot straight at him. Her fingertips gripped tightly, her voice icy: “Oh? Is that so? Then I must listen carefully. Why exactly can my land not be given away?”
Qin Zheng ate a piece of lobster meat and laughed lowly. “Does Auntie not know? Xiao Han isn’t with Qin Mu at all.”
“The person in the photos is someone else.”
The man sitting at the head of the table immediately frowned. “Who?”
“Jian Yunchen.”
Qin Zheng looked up and gave Qin Mu a provocative smile. “Don’t you know? Jian Yunchen said that he is your mysterious boyfriend.”
“The video has quite a high view count online. Didn’t your boyfriend tell you?”
Qin Mu: “……”
Since when did he have a boyfriend?
He pulled out his phone and quickly opened Weibo to start searching. It didn’t take much effort to find; Qin Zheng hadn’t lied, and the video already had a certain level of heat online.
Seeing Jian Yunchen again after a few days in such a situation—the person in the video had red eyes and a panicked expression. The mask he wore year-round had been removed, revealing a fragile and delicate little face.
The video wasn’t long. Qin Mu watched the video in front of everyone.
When he saw Jian Yunchen pull out the so-called “evidence,” the emotions flickering in his eyes became increasingly dangerous, yet the curve of his mouth slowly widened.
Slowly and very lightly, a trace of a laugh escaped from his throat.