Ning Qianyu held up her phone to see that it was Old Madame Mu's Caller ID. She glanced up at him. "It's Grandma," she said, before picking up the call. "Hi, Grandma!"
Mu Shengchen simply crossed his arms in reply. However, in his heart, he was already grumbling, 'Couldn't you have picked a better time to call? You always find a way to interrupt us.'
Unaware of his thoughts, she simply nodded and responded to the old matriarch, "We're going to the Courtyard for dinner tonight? All right. I'll be coming with Shengchen later." She smiled. "Thank you, Grandma."
With his elbow propped on the pillows, he couldn't help but stare at Ning Qianyu who was too busy smiling and chatting with his grandmother. The sides of her lips are inched up into a wide smile, and her eyes glittered with every word she spoke. He couldn't help but feel at peace at the sight.
As soon as they ended the phone call, he rolled over and pressed himself against her body. "Now, where did we left off?"
"We still need to go to the Courtyard for the family dinner," she reminded, pushing him off of her.
"We're not going."
"But Grandma said we all have to go," she insisted, trying to sit up, only for him to pin her down once again. "Let's go just this once, okay?"
"They can all go. It's none of our business anyway." A dark look flashed on his face. Truth be told, he didn't really have a good impression of the other people in the Mu Family. If they were there, it wouldn't make any sense for him to go. "Wouldn't it be better if we stay here for the night?"
"But we haven't seen Grandma in ages. We'll do this just once, okay?" Despite his refusals, she continued to coax the man lying on top of her. Suddenly, something flashed across his features, and he smiled.
"If you'll change into the underwear we've bought as soon as you get home, I might reconsider." The cunning look in his eyes was enough for her to pause.
"What?" She blinked.
"You can only say 'yes' or 'no'." He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and gazed at her glassy eyes. A small smile played across his lips as he drew her closer against him.
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. What she didn't know was that the underwear he was talking about was the lingerie that had been privately packed up by one of the store assistants.
If she had known what it was, she would've already rejected it without even thinking twice. The family dinner could wait.
And it seemed she had finally fallen into his trap yet again.
As soon as she agreed, Mu Shengchen sat up in satisfaction. "Let's go then," he said simply.
Ning Qianyu immediately got up from the bed and placed all the remaining clothes in her cabinet.
While she was hanging her clothes in her closet, she turned to him. "We're going to Han Garden for dinner. Grandma mentioned about not being too formal," she stated. "Should we wear casual clothes then?"
"I'll just listen to you," he said simply, sinking into the cushions. Ah, if only they could just stay here the entire day, but alas, they have other obligations to think about.
She shrugged as she pulled out two sets of clothes from his side of the closet. "Will you be going in white or black?"
He tilted his head upwards. "What color will you be wearing?"
"Hm, there's a white wool coat in the bag, so I'm thinking of wearing it for the night." She peered into her paper bags to see if she was right. Pulling out the wool coat, she laid it out on the mattress.
"Then I'll wear white too." Their colors would match that way.
Unaware of what he was thinking, she simply grabbed the white set and place it on the bed. "It's a bit colder for the day," she stated. "Don't forget to put on the cardigan, okay?"
"Okay." Even till today, Mu Shengchen still wasn't used to the woman busying herself to his every need. He couldn't help but squint his eyes at the sight. For so long he had lived alone, yet now, he couldn't really think of living without her. Shaking his head, he sat up from his bed and got to work.
At seven o'clock, the driver drove them to the Courtyard of the Mu Family, right inside the Han Garden.
Inside, they could see Old Madame Mu lounging on the sofa as she was chatting up with Mu Lingshan and Weng Bisa. They didn't seem to be aware of their presence until they moved closer.
Seeing them up close, the three of them peered at their white clothes. At the sight, a mischievous smile appeared on the old woman's features.
"Grandma, Aunt Mu, Aunt Weng," she greeted, pushing Mu Shengchen to the sofa.
"Qianyu, Shengchen, where did you get those clothes? Why do they match so well?" Old Madame Mu narrowed her eyes at their clothes, pointing it out bluntly. While Ning Qianyu was taken aback, Mu Lingshan quickly took over.
"It's a couple's outfit," she hurriedly explained.
"Ah, a couple's outfit, huh? No wonder the two of you match!" The matriarch burst into laughter as she clapped her hands together. "How sweet. If only our generation had one of those back then."
A couple's outfit, huh? Ning Qianyu blinked in surprise as she glanced in Mu Shengchen's direction, before bursting into laughter. He also had a small smile playing on his lips.
Was that why he had been so invested in finding out what clothes she was wearing? So that they could match?
As soon as they greeted Old Madame Mu in the living room, Ning Qianyu noticed that the temperature was a little low. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she slowly stood up.
However, before she could head to the other corridor, Mu Shengchen grabbed her hand. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to grab a thin blanket for you." She patted his hand.
"All right."
Flashing an apologetic smile to the other women, she hurried up the stairs.
Even the matriarch couldn't help but be a little curious about the exchange. "Shengchen," she called out. "Where did Qianyu go?"
"She went to grab something," he replied.
"Oh? Why didn't she tell that to me instead? Is she really that in love with you that she didn't notice the people around her?" the old woman teased incessantly, but before she could say more, Mu Lingshan placed an arm on her shoulder.
"Mom, that's just how much they love each other." She rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder if her mother had been born in the wrong generation. "Don't you like it?"
"Of course I do! How can I not?" Old Madame Mu burst into laughter.
"Then that's their little secret, okay?" Mu Lingshan said softly.
The old matriarch pouted. "You're just saying that to go against me."
"Please, if any, I'm jealous of the relationship that they have. Don't you think so, sister-in-law?" Mu Lingshan glanced at Weng Bisa who hadn't spoken a word throughout the entire exchange.
Glancing at them, the woman forced a smile into her lips. "Truly, they seem to be so in love."
"See?"
"What's the use of being jealous?" Old Madame Mu rolled her eyes. "If you'd just enter a marriage, then you wouldn't even have to be in this situation in the first place. Let other people be jealous of you for once."
"You know that's not fair, Mom!"
"You're the one who brought it up." Old Madame Mu and Weng Bisa burst into laughter while Mu Lingshan crossed her arms with a pout. Even Mu Shengchen couldn't help but smile at their bitter exchange.
Ning Qianyu had just come from upstairs when she noticed that everyone was smiling. She furrowed her eyebrows as she held the thin blanket tightly against her chest.
Placing the blanket over his thigh, she whispered, "What were you laughing about?"
He simply smiled in response.
As he didn't answer her question, she brought her questioning gaze on the old matriarch. "Grandma, what were you talking about while I was away?" she asked innocently.
It was Mu Lingshan who answered, "Qianyu, we were laughing at how much you love each other."
"You weren't supposed to say anything!" Old Madame Mu teased, but that only made the entire room laugh even louder.
Hearing the woman's words, Ning Qianyu's face instantly turned red. She shot Mu Shengchen a light glare. He didn't appear the least bit intimidated as he smiled back, finding her puffed face adorable.
"See? Look at how they're looking at each other!" Mu Lingshan swooned, clasping her hands together.
"I..." Not knowing what else to say, Ning Qianyu could simply bow her head and stay silent.
At this time, Mu Jinbo and Qi Yuwei had already arrived.