His Beloved Treasure

The old man snorted and said, "Do I need your gratitude? My own grandson and granddaughter-in-law!"

Qin Mu found it amusing to see the old man banter with her mother-in-law. She thought to herself, she wouldn’t dare to bicker with her mother-in-law like that in her entire life!

There was indeed a rebellious fire in her heart, but over the years, she had grown accustomed to such a repressive life.

Mu Yichen only returned for dinner. Feng Fanghua brought it up again at the dinner table. As the last to know about this in the family, Mu Yichen had nothing to say. He only handed Feng Fanghua a card the next morning as she was getting into the car: "For Mu Qingxin!"

"Do I need to pass on any words for you?"

Feng Fanghua immediately knew her son was worried about his sister, afraid she might not be financially comfortable.

"Nothing to say!"

Mu Yichen thought about it; they understood each other as siblings.

"Then I’ll tell her for you to save a bit! Don’t always spend your brother’s money!"

Feng Fanghua said to him, then looked at Qin Mu: "Don’t bully my son when I’m gone!"

"I know!"

Qin Mu replied guiltily, her expression a bit unnatural.

Feng Fanghua always managed to catch her off guard.

"We’re leaving!"

Mu Zihao and the kids were already in the car; the two little ones couldn’t wait to see Zifeng, they were practically dying to meet him.

"We’ll be off then!"

Feng Fanghua also got into the car. Mu Yichen closed the door, and the large luxury car slowly drove out of the Mu family estate.

After they left, Mu Yichen and Qin Mu exchanged a glance. Mu Yichen asked her, "Are you staying home today?"

"I’m going to Qin Mingzhu’s place for a bit!"

She replied, thinking that girl was too lonely and intended to keep her company so she wouldn’t wander around aimlessly.

"I’m just going to take care of something nearby, I’ll give you a ride!"

Mu Yichen nodded and, without looking at her further, headed back inside.

Qin Mu followed his slow footsteps with her eyes, then trailed after him.

At nine-thirty, Qin Mu arrived at her father’s place, which she now called Qin Mingzhu’s home.

In the future, when Qin Mingzhu stays in Rongcheng, she’ll live here, so it seemed appropriate to call it that.

Mu Yichen’s car stopped, and he watched her lower her head as she opened the door to step out, without even saying a word of caution, like "drive safely," which left him feeling a bit cold inside.

After Qin Mu got out of the car, she turned around, "I’m going in, take care!"

Mu Yichen drove away as if nothing was unusual, the chill he felt earlier seemingly dispelled by her simple words.

Watching him leave, Qin Mu thought he harbored a deep grudge lately, so he hurried off without even a goodbye, and she turned to enter the Qin family home.

Upon hearing Qin Mu was coming, Qin Mingzhu, like the good sister she was, had an aunt get some fresh fruits and Qin Mu’s favorite snacks. The sisters chatted leisurely at home. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

When Qin Mu reached the living room, she saw the food on the coffee table and said, "People who don’t know might think we’re celebrating the New Year!"

"Heheheh! Since you’re coming home, of course, your only family should treat you well!"

Qin Mingzhu gently held her arm and sat down with her. Qin Mu chuckled softly and then looked at her big belly: "You’re a mother of two now, but your temper hasn’t changed a bit!"

"Heheheh! Why should I change? They say a woman’s happiness after marriage is shown by how unchanged her personality is from before. I’m a shining example of happiness because I haven’t changed. Women who become very reserved and lose their temper after marriage probably have no status at their in-laws!"

Qin Mingzhu spoke happily.

Qin Mu said nothing, casually looking at the window. The parrot had left two days before Qin Haiming passed away. Seeing the birdcage there, she suddenly felt a pang in her heart, like something had been torn away, leaving a dry ache. But this feeling didn’t last long, because her grandfather’s words made sense; even though Qin Haiming was gone, he would surely want his daughters to live well, and they couldn’t just cry all day.

"But sis, do you know who I thought of when I saw Zhang Hongyun?"

Qin Mingzhu suddenly asked Qin Mu seriously.

Qin Mu turned to look at her, thought for a moment, and asked, "Jing Qing?"

"No! I saw myself!"

Qin Mingzhu replied very seriously to Qin Mu.

Qin Mu looked at Qin Mingzhu, thinking her memory should be fine. Qin Mingzhu’s romantic path was rather straightforward. Was it about looks? But how could Zhang Hongyun’s looks compare to her half-sister’s? She was the kind who seemed pure but became cloying over time, while her half-sister was the type that grew more pleasing to the eye.

"She’s not like you at all!"

Qin Mu instinctively replied.

"That’s what you think. Do you think I never had improper thoughts about my brother-in-law? Before you returned to the country, my mom was already trying to match me with my brother-in-law, but I was a bit afraid of him, so I didn’t dare to approach him. Later, when Jing Qing declared he was her man, I backed off. But honestly, my mom always talked about my brother-in-law’s merits and praised me for being no less than you to Jing Qing. I knew I didn’t love him, but once, there was a brief moment of vanity when I thought about becoming the young mistress of the Mu family!"

This was confession and heart-to-heart!

Qin Mu looked at Qin Mingzhu in disbelief; her eyes widened with surprise, though her expression remained calm.

Then Qin Mu leaned forward to pick up a peach, chuckling before she took a bite, "Really, all bygones are like smoke!"

Qin Mingzhu wasn’t sure if she heard that correctly, but Qin Mu quietly ate the peach.

Now, mentioning the past, there was no emotional ripple.

As for her and Mu Yichen’s current situation, she didn’t know when the knot in her heart would untangle.

But as she recalled it over and over again, Mu Yichen would hold her, comfort her, telling her he had sent people to protect Qin Haiming, reassuring her.

That refrain, like a spell, was stuck on her forehead, imprinted on her heart.

She wanted to tear it away, but it always left a mark.

Like a label peeled from an object, it’s hard to remove it cleanly from where it adhered.

She needed a method, some boiling water would suffice, but when would that water come? And she didn’t dare entertain such thoughts, fearing she couldn’t bear it.

Slowly, it went on, slowly...

"Sis, are you mad at me?"

Qin Mingzhu saw Qin Mu suddenly silent for a long while and couldn’t help but ask.

"What’s there to be mad about now? We each have found the best for ourselves! Wang Huanyu is so good to you; could you even consider another man?"

Qin Mu gently asked her.

"Of course not, ever since marrying him—no, honestly, I never thought about anyone else. I don’t even know why; my mind doesn’t dwell on men much, but it does on you, heheh!"

She suddenly laughed as she spoke.

Qin Mu always felt her laugh was so silly, yet it brightened her heart.

"But why is this Zhang Hongyun looking for that Boss Cong? I heard from Xiaohao that Boss Cong has business dealings with brother-in-law!"

Qin Mingzhu began to mutter.

Qin Mu realized her mind seemed filled with as many "whys" as Huanhuan’s.

Someone had previously warned Qin Mu that Zhang Hongyun might find other ways to get close to Mu Yichen, and it was clear Boss Cong was Zhang Hongyun’s stepping stone, wasn’t it?

"If brother-in-law ever truly shifted his focus, seriously, wouldn’t you be afraid? You know, if suddenly a girl like you, but a bit simpler, showed up around him, and they developed feelings over time, wouldn’t you be a little worried?"

Qin Mingzhu was anxious seeing Qin Mu unmoved, so she racked her brain and posed another problem to her.