Chapter 54
Seeing that Mu Qing’s expression was somewhat unusual, Qin Qin quickly followed her instructions and recounted everything, down to the last detail.
Not only did she repeat everything the Little Fifth Brother had said to her, but she also clearly described every action and expression—she had always trusted Mu Qing like a blood sister, so naturally, she answered whatever Mu Qing asked.
Moreover, she was born with a sharp mind and excellent memory. No matter what she heard or saw, she could reproduce it exactly without missing a beat.
Mu Qing listened for a while and, aside from the one detail she had noticed earlier, didn’t find anything particularly out of place—at most, the Little Fifth Brother, though young, seemed to have a tender, protective heart, and was especially considerate toward Qin Qin.
Maybe… people really couldn’t be judged by appearances. These two, in some sense, might actually be a pretty good match.
Now that she had learned what she wanted, Mu Qing had a clear plan forming in her mind.
Indeed, it was time to have a good “discussion” with her husband.
Staying holed up at the academy these next few days just wouldn’t be appropriate.
With everything settled in her thoughts, she looked at Qin Qin blinking those large eyes at her and couldn’t help but sigh softly. Then, she shared the romantic tale that Qin Qin had long known—the story of her and her husband.
To her surprise, once she started recounting it, the story actually came off feeling quite heartwarming and romantic.
A bond forged through saving a life, feelings born of life-and-death companionship, love that defied status, the courage to pursue happiness—and eventually overcoming countless obstacles to be together.
No matter how you looked at it, it sounded like a dramatic and moving love story.
Even though Mu Qing told it in the most matter-of-fact, almost listless tone, Qin Qin was moved nearly to tears—of course, tears of emotion.
Mu Qing, on the other hand, felt calm—if she were truly the protagonist, she might be emotionally stirred.
But once she viewed it all as just a story, there was no longer any emotional fluctuation.
It was just like looking at a stack of bright red hundred-yuan bills in a bank counter—you wouldn’t get excited because you knew they weren’t yours. No matter how good something is, if it doesn’t belong to you, it’s just an object.
Mu Qing constantly reminded herself not to cross the line. No matter how wonderful her husband was, he was only “rented.” When the contract ended, he had to be returned. So it was best not to get too emotionally involved.
Though, admittedly, that was becoming increasingly difficult as time went on. Still, she was a savvy businesswoman and would never allow herself to get overly sentimental. Emotions cost money.
So she recounted her “love story” as calmly as possible. To others, it may have sounded like a beautiful romance, but to her, it was nothing more than a tale.
Friendships between girls often became stronger after sharing secrets.
After hearing Mu Qing’s candid retelling of her story with her husband, Qin Qin finally drifted off to sleep, completely content.
Mu Qing, however, couldn’t sleep at all.
She began thinking about who the Little Fifth Brother really was, his relationship with her husband, and that mysterious, powerful official wife of the family…
But fortunately, after tossing the thoughts around for a while, she gave up and managed to nap for a few minutes.
Then, dawn arrived.
She freshened up and prepared to go find her husband.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Liu Feng on her way out.
Because it was still early, there weren’t many people around. Liu Feng was standing alone under the covered corridor, the soft light of dawn shining through and casting a shadow on his face, making him look even more gloomy.
Who knew what he’d been up to in secret lately—his whole presence gave off a strange, unsettling aura.
The moment he saw Mu Qing, he locked his gaze on her like a starving wolf eyeing a juicy piece of meat.
He seemed even more unhinged than before.
Bring it on, then. Let’s see what else you’ve got—use every trick you have.
Mu Qing, contrary to her usual behavior, did not retreat from confrontation. Instead, she met his gaze head-on with an expression of complete fearlessness and unwavering defiance.
Unfortunately, though he looked crazier than ever, he still didn’t come forward—just stood there staring from a distance. Even more useless than before.
Back then, he at least had the nerve to say a few cliché “dominant CEO” lines to try and get her attention. Now, all he had left was some “death stare” tactic, which was honestly laughable…
Just staring at her wasn’t going to magically make her throw herself into his arms.
With growing mockery in her eyes, Mu Qing stared back at him. Liu Feng only became more furious, yet still said nothing.
After a long standoff, it ended with Liu Feng being the first to back down.
Without a word, he turned and left, but not before casting her a look that said, “We’ll see about this.” Once or twice, that might have felt threatening, but after seeing it so many times, it had no effect.
Mu Qing couldn’t be bothered to care. Once his silhouette vanished, she also turned and left.
She had gotten up early on purpose, just to avoid running into any teachers or classmates.
So running into Liu Feng had been a complete accident. After all, who would be standing so early on the only path out of the place, as if lying in wait?
The road ahead was quiet.
Mu Qing walked along and saw only a few people. They merely nodded politely in passing and moved on. Due to her personality, even though she got along well with many, she wasn’t particularly close to most of them.
So with her usual polite smile, Mu Qing made her way out of White Crane Academy.
Everything seemed normal.
Once outside, Mu Qing boarded a carriage.
Though the carriage looked ordinary, it was actually sent by her husband and Miss Yanran to pick her up.
There was a special mark on the carriage—a phoenix-shaped jade emblem. Mu Qing recognized it immediately and got in without a second thought.
Once inside, she realized that the driver was someone familiar.
It was that black-clad subordinate who often accompanied her husband.
If she remembered correctly, he was called Ying Thirteen or something.
She had seen him a few times back at the Mu residence in Jiangnan, and also a couple of times since arriving in Tongzhou. But he’d been scarce lately—maybe off on another mission?
Mu Qing greeted him and was about to chat casually, but seeing his tight-lipped, stone-faced expression, she instantly lost interest.
So she closed her eyes and tried to rest, soon drifting into a light doze.
After all, she hadn’t really slept last night, and now she was low on energy. Even if she wanted to talk more with this trusted aide of her husband’s, she simply didn’t have the strength.
Besides, this carriage still carried that faint, elusive scent—just like the one she’d smelled when she first met her husband.
Later, she’d figured out that the scent had ended up on her husband by accident. But thanks to her exceptional “dog nose,” she had claimed that fragrance as her own intellectual property.
She had even developed several variants of the scent and added them to her family’s spice shop line.
Only the most authentic one she’d kept for herself—until her husband asked for it, of course. Now that it happened so often, she was used to it.
It was likely the familiar scent, the familiar driver, and the recognizable carriage emblem that had made her drop her guard.
Which was why she didn’t notice anything strange.
By the time she realized something was wrong, it was too late.
The carriage struck something, the horses neighed wildly, and the compartment rocked violently. Mu Qing, half-asleep, was jolted awake, completely unprepared for the sudden chaos—she nearly tumbled out with the whole carriage.
Her husband’s black-clad aide gave a shout and leapt out—and never came back.
Mu Qing tumbled with the carriage, rolling toward an empty, secluded place.
She had just started waking from her nap, her head spinning. The jostling, the rolling—it was more than enough to make her dizzy and nauseated.
Thankfully, the carriage finally came to a stop.
But Mu Qing was flung out the front by inertia.
With a soft gasp, she instinctively curled up to protect her head, hoping to minimize the damage.
Even so, she was pretty sure she’d gotten a concussion. But to her surprise, the pain never came.
Just as she was about to hit the ground, someone gently caught her and landed her softly on the ground.
Stunned, Mu Qing didn’t think much. She just instinctively turned around to see who her savior was.
What she saw made her freeze.
The man’s figure was similar to her husband’s, but his appearance was completely different.
If her husband was like a dazzling, luminous jade, then this man was like a gentle, lustrous pearl.
He set her down with care and asked in a soft voice, “Miss, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
He looked like the warm, dependable older brother next door. But he also had the calm, trustworthy aura of someone you could spill all your secrets to—a true guide.
Just from that one gentle question, Mu Qing felt her face flush. She shook her head slightly and replied, “I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt. Thank you, Young Master, for your timely rescue. May I ask your honorable name?”
