A gift?
Xin Yu was startled. It wasn't her fault; being given a gift in this situation?
She felt Mu Yichuan had ulterior motives!
He pushed two square boxes towards her, similar in size to a single mooncake box, but beautifully decorated.
This…
Xin Yu suddenly had two questions. First, could she refuse? Second, Mu Yichuan was letting her choose one; was the other a gift for someone else?
"Which one do you like?"
Xin Yu remained silent, still pondering the questions in her mind. After a long while, she looked at Mu Yichuan and hesitantly said, "Can I… not choose?"
She felt that if she chose, she would be one-half…
His eyes turned cold, his long fingers lightly tapping his knee. This woman was simply provoking him!
"Why not? Giving gifts on holidays is a common thing, isn't it?"
"As the saying goes, courtesy should be reciprocated. I don't think I have anything to give you." Xin Yu bit her cherry lips, lowering her head, not daring to look at him. "You are my best gift!"
...!
Was that a sweet talk? Or was it just to...get her?
Mu Yichuan leaned in, lifted Xin Yu's chin, and gave her a light peck. "Choose one, I promise it'll be a gift you'll like."
All things she'll like? What does she like?!
A sketchbook? Art supplies?
None of them would be this small!
"If you choose one, you can ask me to do something." Mu Yichuan conceded again. He refused to believe there was any gift in the world he couldn't give!
Honestly, the more he did this, the more uneasy Xin Yu felt. If it were just an ordinary gift, would he need to go to such lengths?
Could there be some unreasonable request written inside the box?
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door, followed by a voice asking for permission, "Mr. Jiu, Old Master Mu is here. He's on the 36th floor immediately."
What! Xin Yu quickly stood up, but accidentally brushed against Mu Yichuan's lips. The shameless man then wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her!
"Mu...Mu Yichuan," Xin Yu dodged left and right, "No, I have to leave quickly."
She didn't want to see his father!
What kind of situation was this! To put it dramatically, it was catching him cheating in his office!
"It's too late."
"I...I'll pretend to be your...your secretary." As long as she didn't give herself away, why would Old Master Mu care about someone as ordinary as her!
"You saw I have a female secretary?" Mu Yichuan raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with a thick layer of ambiguous warmth.
He didn't have a female secretary?!
She hadn't noticed when she came in. Even if he didn't, "a female client would be fine, right?"
"Do you look like one?"
This...it doesn't seem like it!
Then what should she do?
"What's wrong with seeing my father?"
No way, she didn't want to see him!
Not only was it illegitimate, but Old Master Mu had authorized Mu Yi'ai to arrest her! Xin Yu looked around frantically, then quickly pointed to the two gifts, saying, "Didn't you say I could ask you for a favor if I chose a gift? I'll choose, but I don't want to see your father."
"Just going to waste this perk?"
Xin Yu nodded without hesitation. Who knew if it was a perk or a trap!
Using it first was the best policy!
"Hide it under the desk, I guarantee you won't be discovered," Mu Yichuan said, a smile flashing in his dark eyes.
Hide it?
Uh… is that really okay? What if Old Master Mu…
"Old Master Mu, please come in."
Quickly, Xin Yu grabbed the two boxes and slipped under Mu Yichuan's desk. Then, steady footsteps sounded, and there seemed to be the sound of a cane hitting the ground.
"You've arrived." Mu Yichuan stood up briskly, his arms hanging at his sides, and walked to his chair.
Xin Yu saw a pair of leather shoes come into view. She shifted slightly, fiddling with two boxes under the table. One was quite heavy; she had almost dropped it. What was inside? Could it be gold nuggets?
Just then, she heard Old Master Mu's voice, "Not coming home for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
He was truly weathered and composed. Xin Yu couldn't see him, but she could imagine his wisdom and shrewdness. Otherwise, how could he manage a son like Mu Yichuan… and a daughter like Mu Yi'ai?
"Yes," he answered crisply, his gaze indifferent as he looked at his father, but his foot reached towards Xin Yu…
Damn it! This damned man!
Xin Yu braced herself against Mu Yichuan's foot, nearly dropping the two boxes.
"Because you're in a relationship?" Old Master Mu walked over and sat in the chair opposite Mu Yichuan, the two separated only by a desk.
Whether it was the question or Old Master Mu's approach, Xin Yu's heart pounded. "Hmm." Mu Yichuan didn't hide anything, which surprised Xin Yu greatly, making her forget to defend herself against his wicked foot.
"Aren't you going to bring her back for me to see?" Old Master Mu looked at his cold son, with an air of indifference that seemed unmoved even if the sky were to fall. He couldn't imagine what kind of girl would like someone like him.
Mu Yichuan's brow twitched, and he continued his "attack" on Xin Yu with his foot. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his calf. This little woman dared to bite him!
"What are you doing?"
Xin Yu was startled and quickly let go. Had Mu Yichuan lost control?
"Nothing, I've been too tired lately, my leg cramped up a bit." As he spoke, he bent down, his dark eyes fixed on Xin Yu, gently pinching her cheek, and then...
Xin Yu bit her lip hard, her clear, watery eyes filled with anger. He was absolutely a bastard, and shameless at that! "Ahem," Old Mu leaned on his cane, thinking that his son really didn't mince words. "Take care of yourself. Bring her back tonight so I can see her?"
Mu Yichuan satisfied the feeling in his hand, stood up, but his face remained expressionless and icy. "The time isn't right."
A thud followed. This time, Old Mu was a little angry!
"What time? My absence is the time!"
"The time is when Mu Yi'ai's matter is settled." Mu Yichuan's voice was low. "Commander Nan contacted me."
A silence followed. Old Mu frowned. His daughter… sigh…
"The Zhang family in Nanshi, are you going there?" Old Mu changed the subject. Xin Yu, under the table, pursed her lips. It seemed Mu Yi'ai was a major problem for this old man!
"Yes."
"Be careful." Old Mu instructed, his sharp eyes turning to his son. "I heard that your eldest brother asked you to help find someone recently?"
Mu Yichuan, unusually, didn't give a formulaic answer. He simply lowered his eyes slightly, looking under the desk.
Xin Yu curled up, the cramped space making her feel suffocated. She couldn't help but glance at the gifts again to distract herself. Should she choose the lighter one later?
"You this year—"
"Why bring up the old when the new one is here!"
These two sentences made Xin Yu pause. Was the new one referring to her? The old one to the one buried at Bai Mu River?
But this answer didn't cheer her up at all. She wondered if if another new one came, would she become the old one?
"I don't care about new or old, you have to get past me!"
…!
Another sentence that filled Xin Yu with despair. Did she have the ability to get past Old Master Mu?
Leaving aside his own beliefs, and what expectations he held for Mu Yichuan, just considering his doting on Mu Yi'ai, if she just whispered in her ear, would Xin Yu have any chance of survival?
Leaning gently against the desk, Xin Yu closed her eyes, clenching her fists to suppress her thoughts. Had she valued Mu Yichuan too much? It's only been a little over a month!
She can't… um…
"Still planning to spend the night here?"
Xin Yu opened her eyes and looked at Mu Yichuan, who was squatting down. "Your… father is gone?"
She asked in a low voice, preparing to crawl out, but was stopped by the man. Xin Yu looked at him in confusion, her eyes widening. He hadn't left, had he?
"Kiss me."
"…" Xin Yu blinked, raising her hand to touch Mu Yichuan's face, wanting to check if there was any skin left, but he squeezed her into the small space and kissed her.
Xin Yu's heart trembled uncontrollably, her whole body dizzy from the passionate kiss. She felt herself being pulled out and placed on his lap…
"No, um… I don't want to…" The fresh air brought Xin Yu back to her senses. She pushed Mu Yichuan away, leaning on his shoulder, panting heavily.
He looked down at Xin Yu, whose eyelashes trembled slightly. "Have you thought it through? If you let me hold back now, I'll accumulate a lot tonight."
Xin Yu angrily raised her small fist to punch Mu Yichuan, but he caught it, placed it to his lips, and gently bit her ring finger.
"What...what did you just say about new and old?"
"You believe what you're saying to fool the old man?"
Why wouldn't you believe it!
Xin Yu couldn't help but feel wronged, but she stubbornly held back her tears, lowering her head. This time, if she went to Nanshi, she would definitely get to the bottom of things!
Mu Yichuan lifted Xin Yu's head, his dark eyes shining as he stared at her. "You're not going to tell me you're jealous of something baseless!"
"What do you mean by baseless jealousy!" Xin Yu glared at him, not understanding what he meant.
Mu Yichuan's eyes flashed, and he picked up two boxes. "Alright, see which one you choose?"
Xin Yu ignored him, still thinking about what he had just said. Baseless? Did he mean Qiu Feng was baseless?
She didn't believe it! "Ayu."
"Don't call me that!" Xin Yu retorted. "This name represents intimacy and warmth!"
Coming from his mouth, it sounded dangerous!
"Aren't we intimate enough? Or warm enough?" Mu Yichuan asked coldly.
Xin Yu sighed. She didn't want to discuss such issues with Mu Yichuan, so she reached for the light box. "I choose this. Can I leave first? I'm tired and want to go back to rest."
"Trying to avoid me?" He bluntly exposed her.
"Do I need to open it?" Xin Yu shook the box. "But let me make it clear first, if there's any unreasonable request inside, I won't agree."
"Do you think you have anything that would require me to make an unreasonable request?"
That's true. He has so many subordinates and employees; it wouldn't be her turn to do anything wrong, would it?
Thinking this, Xin Yu reached out to untie the ribbon, but felt a burning breath on her ear. "Besides you, Ayu, I have no other requests of you."
…! Xin Yu's hand trembled in shock as she stared at him. Wasn't this an outrageous request?
She didn't want him to take it by force!
"Why did you stop? This gift was carefully chosen by me." With that, Mu Yichuan took Xin Yu's hand and slowly opened the box.
Three layers of red boxes were removed before the smallest black square box was revealed.
Xin Yu suddenly bit her lip. Could it be a ring?