Xin Yu was already overjoyed by the novel world outside.
Hearing Mu Yichuan so naturally utter such a sweet word, her face glowed even more.
"Mu Yichuan," after enjoying the rich and beautiful underwater world for a while, Xin Yu finally composed herself and looked at him seriously, "Do you have work in Beihai?"
"No." He reached out to smooth her slightly messy bangs.
"But," Xin Yu tilted her head, "don't tell me you're coming back from S country and just passing through Beihai."
No way!
One is in the south, the other in the north.
"Just stopping by to see my woman." Mu Yichuan raised an eyebrow, a dark glint in his eyes, as if to say, "Do you have a problem with that?"
Xin Yu's face flushed again, and she lowered her head, secretly twitching her lips. She didn't believe him! "From now on, you're not allowed to attend any banquets while I'm away, and you're not allowed to go with anyone." He was back to his chauvinistic, domineering ways.
Xin Yu looked up, pouting. Why was he so fixated on this?
Shouldn't they be talking about the murderer? They needed to bring that bad guy to justice as soon as possible!
Mu Yichuan pressed his thumb to Xin Yu's lips, gently stroking them. "Next week, go to class obediently. If you don't have classes, stay at the old house."
A hint of confusion flashed across her clear black and white eyes. Did he mean something else?
"You won't be home next week either?"
He silently curled his lips, raising an eyebrow. "Don't want me to leave?"
"Where are you going?" She was genuinely reluctant to part. They had just met; was he going on another business trip?
"S country. The business isn't finished yet." Mu Yichuan rarely offered an explanation, but Xin Yu's expression made him feel sorry for her.
He patted her fluffy little head reassuringly, like comforting a cute pet. "Are you physically capable?"
"What do you think?" Mu Yichuan leaned closer, his voice tinged with amusement. "A comrade-in-arms?"
He could handle dozens more rounds with her!
Xin Yu reached out and slapped him, but saw his dark pupils shrink slightly. She quickly changed the subject, "Is it still about the site selection?"
"Sort of."
Hearing his concise answer, she knew he didn't want to elaborate, so she didn't press further.
"By the way, did you bring me any handicrafts from S country this time?"
"No." He answered frankly, "Not enough money?"
"Huh?" Xin Yu was taken aback by the question. "Enough, enough."
But couldn't he find something to do?
"Think about Dr. Wei's hospital design when you have time." Weren't they having a great time chatting?
Xin Yu was stunned again, spreading her arms to block Mu Yichuan. "Tell me, how did you know that?!"
Her intuition told her Qiu Zhi wouldn't tell him such details!
But Mu Jian wasn't with her, was he? "Want to know?" His magnetic voice seductively whispered, "I really did plant a listening device on you."
...!
Xin Yu froze, her eyes wide with shock.
"Want to take off your clothes again and check again?" Mu Yichuan's large hand gripped Xin Yu's slender waist. "Hmm?"
"Mu Yichuan!" she yelled. How could he be like this? "You..."
She was speechless with anger, turning her head away to ignore him, but Mu Yichuan straightened her up. "Are you angry?"
"If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I won't talk to you!" Xin Yu said stubbornly, tilting her head back. "Also, you're not allowed to spy on me! And don't let your subordinates follow me!"
She was an ordinary person! She needed her own little secrets!
"I never knew before, A-Yu, that you knew so much about the Mu Group!"
"Don't change the subject!" Xin Yu retorted angrily. Now she just wanted to know why he knew so much about her. "Intern at the Mu Group?" He looked at her pouting little face, her delicate cheeks as pink as a peeled egg, making him irresistibly want to possess her.
"Ah, why are you pinching me!" Xin Yu covered her face, glaring at him with her dark eyes. "This is domestic violence!"
"Domestic violence?" Mu Yichuan repeated. "Finally admitting I'm your husband?"
"..." Xin Yu truly didn't understand his thought process and turned to leave.
But he wouldn't let her go. His long arms encircled her, pinning her against the glass wall, his dark eyes flashing with icy light, sharply locking onto her.
"I protect you at all times, and you feel wronged?"
Xin Yu shrank back at his slightly cold tone. Maintaining this position with him was far too dangerous.
And how could he be so shameless!
Calling it protecting her at all times!
"Being my wife, and you feel wronged too?"
Xin Yu lowered her head even further. She truly didn't know how to answer such a question.
"Answer me!" Mu Yichuan's anger suddenly flared; she was hesitating!
She was actually hesitating!
"N-no, I'm not wronged," Xin Yu stammered, startled, looking up abruptly, her voice full of grievance.
Indeed, she thought irritably. Who would threaten someone into submission like that?
Probably no one in the world but Mu Yichuan would do such a thing!
"Not wronged? Then do you still want your husband to explain?"
That scoundrel!
Always setting traps for people!
But Xin Yu didn't dare argue with him; after all, his temper was unpredictable. "N-no, no need."
"That's good." Mu Yichuan's tone softened, and he raised his large hand to pat Xin Yu's head. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."
Xin Yu, led by Mu Yichuan, tried her best to calm herself down, but when she saw the table full of mousse cakes, she really couldn't stay calm!
What on earth had he planted next to her?! And how much mousse did he buy? Did he bring the whole store?
"Don't you like it?" He didn't hide the fact that he used unconventional methods to understand her; instead, he was frank and open.
"So much, can we finish it all?" Xin Yu muttered.
"Start eating from this piece." Saying this, Mu Yichuan picked up a piece from the middle.
"Won't you be full?" Looking at so many cakes, Xin Yu genuinely felt immense pressure.
But…
She carefully examined the cakes on the table. After Mu Yichuan took another piece, they magically transformed into two heart shapes.
"You?" She stared at him, her eyes wide.
"Not too stupid." He put his arm around Xin Yu's shoulder. "These are for looking at."
Will this improve the little girl's appetite?
"This is such a waste!" Xin Yu said impatiently, completely ungrateful.
Mu Yichuan, annoyed, tightened his grip on her shoulder.
"It's pretty..." Xin Yu quickly changed course, her eyes crinkling with flattery as she took the cake with both hands and ate it in small bites. "It's delicious."
"..." He didn't say anything, he was angry again, you stingy guy!
Despite her scolding and frustration, Xin Yu still held up a small spoon to Mu Yichuan's lips. "Try it, it tastes better when we eat together."
After he had his fill of cake, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, gently playing with her slender, white fingers. "Be good when you get back, don't mention what happened these past two days to anyone."
Xin Yu pouted slightly, a protest, but also a sign of reluctance.
She didn't like this feeling!
But Xin Yu also understood that the submarine incident probably involved some secrets, and even if Mu Yichuan hadn't told her otherwise, she wouldn't have mentioned it to anyone.
So back at the old house, no matter how much Cheng Yuan pestered her with questions, Xin Yu didn't say a word.
"Yuanzi, I've fallen in love with someone else," she said seriously, blinking her dark eyes.
"What! You've fallen in love with—" Cheng Yuan covered her mouth, her crescent-shaped eyes darting around, still uneasy. She even peeked outside the door a few times before returning to grab Xin Yu's hand. "Xin Yu, what did you say! You've fallen in love with someone other than Mu Yichuan?"
Xin Yu nodded vigorously.
"How could that be?!" Cheng Yuan looked incredulous. "Could it be that Dr. Qiu?!"
"..." Xin Yu was speechless. How could Cheng Yuan think of Qiu Zhi!
"You don't know how flustered Dr. Qiu was when he discovered you were missing. Even though he's usually so carefree, I saw panic in his eyes!" Cheng Yuan continued, "You two seem quite well-matched, but..."
But he and Mu Yichuan are good friends!
Isn't this too melodramatic?!
"I haven't fallen in love with him!"
"Huh? Then who is it?" Cheng Yuan tried to think of all the possibilities.
"The fish prince from the North Sea, ever since he saved me that night, I've fallen hopelessly in love with him—ah!" Xin Yu said, laughing, which made Cheng Yuan chase after her, tickling her.
"Ayu! You bad boy! How dare you tease me with this!"
Cheng Yuan caught up with her, and the two of them wrestled together, laughing heartily.
"You naughty Ayu, if you dare tease me with this again! I'll never let you get away with it!" Cheng Yuan warned, raising her little fist.
"Yuanzi, you're so cute!" Xin Yu's dark eyes flashed with a mischievous light. She really wanted to tell her best friend that she had really met the fish prince, Mu Yichuan.
He gave her a wonderful underwater adventure!
It's just that that jerk has a bit of a temper.
"Ayu," Cheng Yuan turned over, her tone becoming serious, "Shouldn't you go see Qiu Zhi?"
"Why!" He should know his situation, right? She had a feeling Mu Yichuan wouldn't hide it from his good friend.
"His grandma seemed to have come yesterday. Wow, that old lady was really aggressive," Cheng Yuan imitated. "She seemed very angry, and kept apologizing to Old Master Mu."
Apologizing?
Could it be…
That makes sense. Even if Qiu Zhi knew the details, he probably wouldn't tell Grandma Qiu.
"Alright then." Xin Yu finished lunch and was about to tell Old Master Mu a few words before heading to the Qiu family's house.
Just then, Grandma Qiu arrived with Qiu Zhi.
"Grandma!" Xin Yu rushed over, but Grandma Qiu didn't talk to her like usual.
Instead, her eyes were red.
"Grandma, what's wrong?" Xin Yu helped her up, glancing at Qiu Zhi. He still looked like a spoiled brat, seemingly unconcerned about anything. She could only reassure herself, "Grandma, look, I'm perfectly fine!"
Saying this, she released Grandma Qiu, raised her arms, and bent them. "Look at my muscles!"
"Pfft..." Grandma Qiu was immediately amused by Xin Yu's little expression, but after laughing, she sighed deeply. "Girl, I know exactly what's going on. Tell me, how can we punish that brat Qiu Zhi to make him feel better?"
Huh?
She wasn't angry with Qiu Zhi!
She looked up at the silent Qiu Zhi. He was really acting strangely today.
"Punish him as you wish. Grandpa will take care of it."
"..." Xin Yu blinked, her little face slightly furrowed. She guessed Qiu Zhi had been having a hard time these past few days.
Suddenly, she tilted her head and said with a grin, "I've thought of a way to punish him, and he knows it too."