Curious as to see what's going on, Ning Qianyu snuck into the kitchen to see Mu Shengchen frying a few eggs. He looked to be doing well, if not for the burnt eggs still steaming from the trash can. Another step closer, and she could see his narrowed eyes and gritted teeth.
She burst into laughter.
When he heard a giggle coming from behind him, he turned around to see a smiling face.
"Didn't I tell you to wait?" he asked, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. His promise was still fresh from his mind, and he could feel his cheeks starting to color. "Why did you come out?"
"I want to see you make breakfast," she responded simply as her gaze fell onto his plate. There were two successful fried eggs, unlike the other three that he had thrown into the bin. "Those look good."
At her praise, he puffed out his chest. "Of course."
He looked just like a kid than a terrorizing CEO.
Just then, she noticed black smoke floating around the eggs he was frying right now. The corners of her lips curled up into a smile as she tried her best to stifle it. "The eggs in your pan," she stuttered. "They're already burnt."
"Hm? Shit!" Mu Shengchen immediately turned around, and his face turned comically pale. He tried to save the eggs on his pan by flipping them around, but the burnt sides had already spread.
The fried egg had already turned black.
Pouting, he threw the egg into the trash can. "There goes the entire tray," he murmured to himself, disappointed.
This was the first time she had ever seen him this way. Not being able to help herself, she laughed, clutching her stomach as she leaned forward. "I–I'm sorry," she spouted out in-between her laughs.
Mu Shengchen didn't really say a word as he stared at her smiling figure. He crossed his arms and stared at the charred eggs in his trashcan. He could do millions of things, but he couldn't fry an egg.
Seeing this, she slowly inched towards him.
"But these look good," she said, trying to make him feel better. "Can I taste them?"
"IT's my first time making them, so it might not taste good," he murmured almost sheepishly. "Let me taste them first."
However, before he could try them, Ning Qianyu had already beaten him to it. Picking up the egg with her hand, she immediately stuffed it into her mouth. Her eyes brightened. "They're delicious!" she exclaimed as if she had discovered a new continent.
Mu Shengchen rolled his eyes. Did she really have to be this excited when it came to eating her breakfast? She even used her hands to grab them.
Just as she was about to reach over, he slapped her hand away.
"Use the chopsticks." Without another word, he carried the plate and used the chopsticks to feed her.
The corners of her lips curled as she ate the eggs bit by bit.
As soon as they finished eating breakfast, Ye Xi finally arrived to pick them up and drive them to their new residence.
"It's obviously not safe for us here anymore," he slowly said, thinking back to the time she had been abducted. That was why he wanted to bring her somewhere safe, somewhere more guarded.
They simply packed their clothes and hurriedly got into Assistant Ye's car.
Even if she had slept the night before, she was still too exhausted, not having the energy to do anything. She leaned against the windowsill for a long time, preparing to be lulled into sleep, but just as she was about to, Mu Shengchen immediately pulled her into his arms. "Sleep here," he said softly. "I'll wake you up when we arrive."
"Okay." Too tired to argue, she fell asleep in his arms.
The car drove out of Haoyuan Distrct as they headed towards the city center.
Ye Xi turned in another corner, and they finally arrived in a quaint residential area up ahead. It was only a few hundred meters away from the research institute, so it was still a reasonable place to stay.
It stopped at the gates where Ye Xi had to register the car's plate number. Once everything had gone through, one of the guards swiped on the gates, allowing them to enter.
At that time, Ning Qianyu opened her eyes to find herself still leaning in his arms. Blinking wearily, she sat up and looked around. "Are we here?" She wasn't familiar with her surroundings.
"This is Fengxi Residence, the most secured residential area in City A. Anyone who goes in and out would have to be approved by the security guards around the area. You'll be safe here."
She blinked in surprise as she looked out of the car window. For a place to be so secured, it sure had plenty of open areas. There were parks surrounding them and even the houses had a certain European style to them.
"Do you like the place?" he asked lowly.
"Of course I do, It's just..." she hesitated. "The place is amazing, but won't it be expensive?"
"Yan Rui has a flat here that's empty. Why don't we help him by living there? Let the place be livelier," he said as he touched the sides of her face. "We're giving him a bit of face, aren't we?"
Ye Xi, who had been in the driver's seat this entire time, couldn't help but smile funnily.
He really wanted to use Yan Rui again? It was obvious that the Young Master had several properties and villas around City A. The only reason they moved into this small lot area was that it was closer to the Young Mistress's research institute. Plus, the security was better.
Of course, he didn't have the guts to expose him.
The flat was similar to the one they had in Haoyuan but larger.
Ning Qianyu immediately adapted to it after a couple of hours.
The two of them started to work on their own spaces again. Even when she was headed to school, it seemed that everything had reverted back to normal.
Of course, that was only in Ning Qianyu's eyes. Mu Shengchen was still a little bit uneasy. After all, she had just been kidnapped, and they still didn't know who was behind it.
What was the kidnapper's goal?
How could they leave no traces behind?
Mu Shengchen leaned back against his office chair as he pondered on that question long and hard.
No matter how many times he thought about it, he just couldn't land on a proper answer. So many theories flooded across his mind, but even then, he still couldn't be too sure of anything.
"I'm going to find you," he promised lowly to himself.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, breaking him out of his reverie.
"Come in," he called out, not even bothering to raise his head.
"Young Master Chen," Ye Xi said as he walked into the room. "Miss Su said that she wanted to talk to you about something?"
Su Lianmeng? There was a time when he would've jumped at the thought of seeing her, but now, all that woman had left was a sore feeling of disgust. What did she come here for? He slowly shook her head. "Send her away."
"But...Su Lianmeng said that she had a gift for you," he insisted. "Don't you want to see her?"
A gift? His eyebrows rose. "Bring her in."
Ye Xi didn't even question him as he brought the woman into the office.
Su Lianmeng wore a silky red dress. A light blush coated her features, and her dark eyeliner highlighted her bright eyes. She looked no different from before–beautiful and classic, if not for the haggard look in her eyes.
"Shengchen," she called out coyly.
"What's the matter, Miss Su?"
"You've always called me Lianmeng before," she said softly with a pout. Su Lianmeng moved towards the office table, only to be stopped by him. "When have we become so distant?"
"Don't come near me."
No matter what, the man was the only chance she had at getting a normal life. How could she let go of him so easily. "I–I miss you so much, Shengchen," she whined. "Do you know how much I've missed you for the last three years?"
Three years? Ha! Shrugging expressionlessly, he replied, "You may leave."
"P–Please," she stuttered. This time, tears were already falling down her cheeks as if she had just turned on the faucet. "Don't be like this."
"Ye Xi," he called. "Please send Miss Su out."
Assistant Ye came from the door. "Miss Su, if you'll please–"
"Look, I have inside information of the competition between Mu's and Su's three years ago," she quickly said, biting her lower lip. "If you come to Room 999 of Mingjun Hotel the night after tomorrow, I'll tell you all about it."
She had initially thought that she'd be able to get a reaction from him. However, when all she got was an eyebrow raise and pursed lips, she groaned in frustration as she stomped out of the room.
Not long after, Ye Xi returned to the office. "Miss Su has left, Young Master."
"What do you think about what she had said?" Mu Shengchen asked as an afterthought as his fingers drummed against the desk.
His eyes glinted. "I guess you'll know if you go to the place just like she asked."
"Really? Yan Rui had just called me and said that he'd love to switch places with you," Mu Shengchen slowly said. "How about you go to the main company, and he'll come with me? After all, you're already good at handling the crowd."
Ye Xi immediately backpedaled as he lowered his head. The last thing he needed was to switch places with the man. "Young Master, I was wrong."
"Take care of Mingjun Hotel," he simply said in reply.
"Yes, Sir." Ye Xi breathed a sigh of relief as he turned around. Maybe he had finally escaped from his grasp after all.
What he didn't expect was for Mu Shengchen to call him out, yet again.
"Qianyu will go to the hospital after class today. Go to Yupinxiang Restaurant and order the dishes that she likes. After that, head back to the apartment and prepare a flower arrangement. As for the flowers..." He paused for a while before saying, "Why don't you choose? I trust your judgment...and your decision."
'If Madame likes the flowers you choose, you get to stay. If she doesn't, then you go to City B.' The message was loud and clear.
He really wouldn't let him go so easily.
With a bitter sigh, Ye Xi left Mu Shengchen's office with a hunched back and a sullen face. "Yes, Sir."