His Beloved Treasure

Feng Fanghua rarely opens up like this for a heartfelt talk, and Qin Mu listens quietly, holding a bowl of bird’s nest soup, scooping several times with a spoon, yet never putting it to her lips.

"You must know how your father-in-law and I treat you, right? Your grandfather, even more so—he treats you better than he does Qingxin. In front of him, I can’t say anything bad about you. I know you like this family; please be good to Yichen, and don’t make him live in fear every day, okay?"

Feng Fanghua’s words are at times strong, and at other times gentle, truly applying both pressure and care.

Qin Mu, however, is at a loss, nodding: "Mom, if I don’t eat the bird’s nest soup soon, it will get cold!"

"Then eat it quickly!"

Only then does Feng Fanghua remember the matter of having her drink the bird’s nest soup.

"I won’t force you, but you have to keep my words in mind, is that okay?"

Feng Fanghua knows it’s unrealistic to expect Qin Mu to agree immediately; seeing her open her mouth to eat, she asks again.

Qin Mu nods: "Okay!"

Feng Fanghua feels a bit relieved seeing her obedient, but upon closer inspection, she realizes Qin Mu seems to have lost weight recently, and her eyes lack depth.

Actually, Fanghua has secretly wiped tears at night, always feeling that Qin Mu is quite pitiful. Losing her mother at a young age, finally reconciling with her father, only for him to leave again shortly afterward.

After Feng Fanghua leaves, Qin Mu picks up the book on the bedside and flips through a couple of pages before hearing her phone ring, and she answers it.

"Are you okay? I heard you were sick today. I’m on my way to your house now!"

It’s Qin Mingzhu on the phone. Qin Mingzhu woke up late this morning, intending to have lunch with Qin Mu, but when she arrived at the studio, she learned that Qin Mu hadn’t gone to work. Xiaomei said she was ill.

Qin Mu guessed that Mu Yichen had probably used her phone; she had forgotten to tell the studio she couldn’t go today. It was only when Qin Mingzhu called that she remembered.

"Don’t come over, I’m fine!"

"Then I’m coming over for a meal. I’m tired of eating Auntie’s food, need a change of taste!"

Qin Mingzhu said again.

"Alright, then come over! Drive safely!"

Qin Mu had no choice but to agree.

"Okay! Hanging up!"

After setting down her phone, Qin Mu doesn’t feel like getting up, and just sits on the bed staring blankly into space.

Qin Mingzhu seems full of energy, starting her car and heading to the Mu Family.

Qin Mingzhu suddenly feels she has a lot to say to the Mu Family. Now that her parents are both gone, she suddenly wants to find another pillar of support. When she returned, although she cried the most and complained the most, she felt she still had many things to express.

Feng Fanghua is Qin Mu’s mother-in-law, so she is her family too. She decided to treat Feng Fanghua as her mother-in-law and go have a good cry with her.

Thus, all afternoon, Qin Mu sits exhausted on the couch, listening to Qin Mingzhu cry with Feng Fanghua all afternoon, indeed the entire afternoon.

Feng Fanghua has no choice but to comfort her again and again. Yet Qin Mingzhu stops crying for a bit, says a few words, and suddenly starts crying again. As if mentioning her father inevitably leads to tears.

Qin Mu thinks, even Mu Qingxin probably hasn’t pouted like this to Feng Fanghua. Even if Mu Qingxin did, Feng Fanghua would likely scold Mu Qingxin.

Mu Yichen, worried about Qin Mu, returns home immediately after finishing his work in the afternoon. He sees Qin Mu slumped on the sofa, and across from her, the woman crying in his mother’s arms...

Qin Mingzhu!

Mu Yichen instinctively frowns. He wanted to greet them but lowers his head and sees Qin Mu’s face looking pale, which instantly turns his expression cold. Without saying a word, he bends down and picks Qin Mu up from the sofa.

"What are you doing? Let me down!"

Qin Mu, startled, holds onto him while quietly commanding him.

Mu Yichen just gives her an unhappy look, but doesn’t say a word, carrying her towards the stairs.

Qin Mingzhu suddenly stops crying and looks up to follow Mu Yichen’s departing figure. Feng Fanghua notices Qin Mingzhu suddenly stopping and feels at a loss, wondering if this girl is genuinely sad or simply putting on a show for her.

"Aunt, brother-in-law seems really angry!"

"Oh, really?"

Qin Mingzhu suddenly asks Feng Fanghua, but Feng Fanghua has been watching her without the heart to observe her own son. At Qin Mingzhu’s question, she turns to look but can only catch a glimpse of his cold silhouette.

She realizes that Qin Mu is still sick and has spent the afternoon on the couch with them.

Feng Fanghua feels suddenly frustrated, wondering which deity she offended today. Now, just as this girl stopped crying, it upset her own son. Her son definitely thinks she doesn’t care about her daughter-in-law, and my goodness, at the thought of Mu Yichen scolding her, Feng Fanghua feels wronged.

"Mom and Mingzhu are still downstairs!"

Qin Mu quietly tells him as he gently places her on the bed.

"Which of the two isn’t familiar with you?"

Mu Yichen asks coldly.

Qin Mu is stunned; the question seems inexplicable.

"Both are very familiar!"

After pondering for a moment, Qin Mu replies.

"Since that’s the case, you fainted late last night and just got out of the hospital this morning, what... were Qin Mingzhu and my mom doing in the living room?"

Mu Yichen suddenly stops, asking her with sharper, more intimidating eyes.

Qin Mu instinctively starts to think quickly, wisely choosing silence.

She can’t possibly tell him that Qin Mingzhu came over during lunch and has been...

That girl should be giving birth in a month or so, yet she can sit the entire afternoon.

"Don’t tell me they were in the living room all afternoon while you just watched!"

Mu Yichen suddenly becomes infuriated; her silence is the best answer for him.

"Why are you so angry? Aren’t I just fine?"

Qin Mu asks him, puzzled by his intense reaction.

"You call this being fine? Haven’t you looked in the mirror to see what you look like now?"

Mu Yichen shouts, angered. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Standing there quietly, looking like a male god or president straight out of a romance novel, yet now he’s so fierce, scaring her into thinking of him as the king of hell.

If he’d been like this when they were younger, she’d certainly shed tears out of fright; but now! Her immunity has improved a lot, so she receives it calmly, then...

Let it enter one ear and exit the other.

"Look like a ghost?"

Qin Mu mutters to herself, in a voice only audible to herself, wondering indeed, what ghostly state she’s in now?

She plans to get out of bed and try, but upon standing, she feels dizzy before settling, suddenly standing there with her head down like a child admitting a wrongdoing, afraid to move for fear of collapsing.

Qin Mu feels like she’s experiencing low blood sugar.

Mu Yichen frowns at her sudden action: "What are you doing? Why are you bowing your head? Qin Mu!"

He calls her name, emphasizing each word clearly.

Qin Mu endures for a moment, feels it’s enough, then looks up intending to smile at him, but suddenly sees stars.

Mu Yichen immediately furrows his brows: "What are you attempting to do? Do you only feel happy if you make me furious?"