Mu Rongxuan looked at Mu Yun.
Mu Yun nodded. "It's true, dad. That day, we saw Mu Zi sneaking around outside the living room and called out to her, but she flew into a rage out of humiliation and pushed Little Ling to the ground."
Mu Zi would be convicted with reason and justification.
Her long eyelashes trembled. Her eyes swept over the sisters, and her lips pursed in silence.
The atmosphere in the living room was still.
Mu Rongxuan took in everything.
Mu Yun was Mu Ling's elder sister and would naturally help her. Her words were not fair nor were they convincing.
When Mu Rongxuan looked at Mu Zi's silence and her helpless expression, he came to an answer in his heart.
He maintained a calm expression and remained silent, slightly vexed.
It was not the first time the sisters had bullied Mu Zi. As long as no one's life was in danger, he could not be bothered with the little spats between children, but they should not drag him down like this.
He felt that Mu Yun and Mu Li were taking him for a fool. They did not treat him with the respect they should have for their father.
Mu Rongxuan composed himself. He did not anger easily. He looked at Mu Zi, who still appeared calm. "Is that true?"
Mu Zi shook her head. Her voice was soft and timid like a little girl. "I went to offer incense to third sister-in-law and met Little Yun and Little Ling outside the living room. I… I wanted to leave, but Mu Ling wouldn't let me. She screamed and called me an ugly ghost, and I was so scared that I didn't manage to stop…"
Then, she looked up and timidly met Mu Rongxuan's eyes, and said, "That's when she fell…"
Mu Zi was often bullied by the sisters. It was normal that she would want to avoid them.
"You're lying! You obviously pushed me!" Mu Ling jumped to her feet and tried to tear into Mu Zi.
"Enough!" Mu Rongxuan reached the end of his patience and shouted to stop Mu Ling's disgraceful actions!
Their father's anger caused the sisters to cower at the same time.
Mu Ling was furious and indignant but did not dare make a sound. She cried silently by her elder sister's side.
"Just look at yourself! Have you been studying for nothing?!" Mu Rongxuan's heavy voice reprimanded Mu Ling with an unusually harsh tone.
"Daddy! She…" Mu Ling still wanted to argue, but Mu Yun grabbed her and shot her a warning look.
Mu Ling could only shut her mouth. She bit her lip and glared viciously at Mu Zi.
Mu Rongxuan's face softened slightly and spoke gently to Mu Zi, "Little Ling fell very hard, so she must have misunderstood and thought that you had pushed her. Zizi, you don't have to be afraid. Even if Mu Ling is my daughter, if she did something wrong, I won't take her side."
Although he said that it was Mu Ling's fault, he did not ask Mu Ling to apologize to her.
It seemed like even if Mu Rongxuan thought that Mu Ling fell by herself, he was still slightly angry at Mu Zi.
She said softly, "Big brother, don't blame Mu Ling. I'm also at fault. If I hadn't run away that time, maybe she wouldn't have fallen…"
She looked like she was being concerned for the Mu sisters.
Mu Rongxuan was very pleased and praised her for being clever and sensible. "Alright, you can go back. Your mother will be worried."
Mu Zi nodded and turned away to leave.
After Mu Zi had left, Mu Ling said tearfully to Mu Rongxuan, "Dad, you have to believe me. Mu Zi really did push me."
She pulled Mu Yun who was at her side. "Big sis, tell him. It's all because of Mu Zi…"
Mu Yun seemed to not hear her sister's plea for help and simply stood silently.
Mu Rongxuan looked at Mu Ling calmly, forcefully suppressing his anger. "How could Mu Zi have pushed you? She's one year younger than you!"
Mu Ling was seventeen. She was tall, but not delicate, perhaps due to her large skeletal frame. If she did not control her diet, she would grow tall and stocky. She did not have the grace and elegance a girl usually possessed.
Compared to the nimble and exquisite Mu Zi, Mu Ling was too strong. No one would believe that Mu Zi could have pushed her.
Furthermore, Mu Zi's wrist was still injured.
However, they did not know that Mu Zi was no longer Mu Zi. She was once a prosecutor and often had to deal with criminals. Grappling and martial arts were all basic means of self-defense. Nevermind an injured wrist, even if she had a broken arm, it was more than enough to deal with a girl like Mu Ling.