"Hello!"
Qin Mu had run into Jing Qing again while washing her hands, and Jing Qing still greeted her with that same graceful smile.
"Hello!" Qin Mu replied indifferently and continued to wash her hands with her head bowed low.
"Are you... Qin Mu?"
Qin Mu instinctively looked up at the woman standing beside her. Jing Qing was also looking at her through the mirror, her eyes seemingly filled with concern.
"I am! Are you Miss Jing?"
Qin Mu didn't want to deny it falsely or pretend she didn't recognize her. Since Jing Qing seemed intent on acknowledging her, she went with the flow and admitted it.
"It really is you! I felt a familiarity and closeness the moment I first saw you. Let me see how you've changed over the years."
Jing Qing excitedly grabbed her hand and pulled her over, her eyes seemingly moist with emotion.
"Xiaomu, I've been worried all these years that you haven't been doing well. You were just taken away like that, and everyone missed you terribly."
"All banquets must come to an end, no?"
Compared to Jing Qing's warmth, Qin Mu appeared much colder, not just in her words but also lacking any sisterly affection on her face.
"But you were so young back then."
Jing Qing looked at her, hesitated, then gently pulled her into an embrace. Qin Mu went along without resisting, although she didn't like being so intimate with a stranger.
"How long will you stay this time? Oh right, have you seen Uncle yet?"
"I'm leaving in half a month, and I won't see that man again."
"A lot has happened over the years, and it's not like Uncle never missed you. Since you're back, why not stay a little longer so we can spend more time together?"
"I probably can't. I'm back for my master's fashion show and will have to go to other countries afterwards."
"Fashion show? Master? You're not Jian Yan's apprentice now, are you? I've heard a long time ago that he took on a young apprentice, and it's you?"
"You're not only beautiful but also smart."
"You little rascal, here I thought you were actually praising me. It's no small feat to have Jian Yan, that old guy, take you as his apprentice."
"It's because Master couldn't stand having me block his doorway every day."
"Don't belittle yourself. I'm a few years older than you, and I'm pretty good at judging people. You must be a very smart girl who knows how to please others, right?"
To please?
Qin Mu smiled faintly, as if inadvertently pushing her hand away.
"My friends are still waiting for me, shall we talk some other time?"
"Sure, why don't you give me your phone number? I need to find you and have a good chat in the next few days."
Qin Mu reluctantly gave her phone number and then exited with Jing Qing. Mu Yichen was standing at the top of the stairs, and he glanced up to see the two of them coming out together.
"Yichen, you don't have to tell me, I already know. She's our little Xiaomu," Jing Qing said, releasing Qin Mu and walking forward to loop her arms around his as she boasted about having found Qin Mu.
"Nothing can escape the Movie Queen."
Mu Yichen laughed helplessly and said with his eyes downcast, yet he was looking at the person behind Jing Qing. Qin Mu had already returned to her team's table and was speaking with someone.
Jing Qing wanted to call Qin Mu back to say more, but seeing Qin Mu walk away in the opposite direction without so much as a greeting felt surprisingly good. In a place where Mu Yichen couldn't see, her eyes flashed briefly with disdain, then she looked back at Mu Yichen with a smile as warm as spring.
As the night deepened, she put on her pajamas and was ready for bed when she heard her phone ring. She walked to the bedside, picked it up, and gathered her hair to one side.
"Hello?"
"Open the door!"
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly looked towards the door. After ensuring her appearance was decent, she went to open it. He stood like a statue right in the center of the entrance.
"Let's talk inside."
Mu Yichen gave her an indifferent glance and walked in.
Qin Mu didn't know what he intended to do, but it didn't really matter. After knowing him for so many years, she wasn't afraid of anything he might do.
"What have you been busy with these past few months?" He took off his coat, neatly draped it over the arm of the sofa, and then seated himself in the center as if he were a king surveying his realm.
"I went to Milan with Master, didn't do much else."
Her voice was flat, and she sat across from him, her hands in the pockets of her high-quality pajamas.
"Sit closer!"
"Why?"
"What do you think?"
Qin Mu had no desire to play his game. Why should she do whatever he wanted? Especially when he had seemed quite cozy with that pearl in his palm and some major star.
The so-called pearl was even calling him brother-in-law, hmph.
"Getting more defiant, are we?"
"What do you take me for? A pet that comes when called and leaves when dismissed? Or your mistress whom you keep in the shadows? Why should I do anything you say?"
She wasn't complaining but making an outright accusation!
"Fine, if you won't come here, I'll go there. That should be okay, right?"
He seemed unperturbed. After shedding his coat and left with only trousers and a dark shirt, he looked even more dignified. Qin Mu refused to look at him, but when he sat down beside her, she muttered, "Bully!"
"The bully wants to get in your bed."
His arm lazily reached out to hook around her shoulder, and he whispered a suggestive notice in her ear.
"Brother-in-law? You're already someone else's brother-in-law and you still want to get in my bed?"
Qin Mu turned to meet his gaze, her eyes conspicuously unimpressed and even slightly disdainful.
"If she likes calling me that, I'll respond. You're her real sister, so of course I'm her real brother-in-law."
"My mother certainly didn't give birth to such an arrogant little sister for me, so don't go assigning daughters to my mom."
"Can't wait, it hurts a bit."
Qin Mu...
The topic shifted too quickly for her to catch up.
The next moment, he scooped her up from the sofa and headed straight to the bedroom.