Chapter 111: Mr. Mu and Ms. Tao

“Is that so? Then I’m relieved.” Mu Yuyin smiled in satisfaction.

The two continued their affectionate display as though no one else were present, looking as if they were only one passionate scene away from putting on a full performance right there in the restaurant.

Across from them, Young Master Li’s face had turned as dark as the bottom of a cooking pot that had been used for years, and ash seemed to be falling from it in flakes.

“Oh? Young Master Li, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You look terribly pale.” Mu Yuyin appeared to notice his strange expression only then, exclaiming with an air of innocent surprise.

Young Master Li forcibly suppressed his anger. With a sharp motion, he rose to his feet and used the composure he had cultivated over thirty years to say calmly, “Miss Mu, since you’re on a date with your boyfriend, I won’t intrude. I’ll be leaving now.”

“Wait!” Mu Yuyin called after him. With a troubled expression, she said, “But Mrs. Tao said you’ve only just returned from abroad and told me to entertain you properly!”

The corner of Young Master Li’s mouth twitched. In a stiff tone, he replied, “There’s no need. Although I’ve been overseas for many years, I’m quite familiar with things here. I’m not yet in need of a tour guide, so I won’t trouble you, Miss Mu.”

With that, Young Master Li turned and left.

Once again, however, Mu Yuyin called after him.

“Young Master Li, why don’t you let me show you around? Otherwise, I won’t know how to explain things to Mrs. Tao.”

Young Master Li struggled to contain his fury, which was on the verge of exploding. He did not turn around, afraid that one glance back would shatter his carefully maintained composure. With his back to Mu Yuyin, he said, “Miss Mu, please rest assured. I’ll explain everything properly to Aunt Tao. I’ll be going now.”

The moment he finished speaking, Young Master Li seemed to sprout wings beneath his feet and vanished from the sight of Yuwen Xi and Mu Yuyin.

Mu Yuyin watched the direction in which he had disappeared. Then—

“Ha ha ha!”

Laughter echoed throughout the restaurant. Mu Yuyin shook with laughter, completely lacking any trace of decorum. If Yuwen Xi had not been supporting her, she would probably have collapsed beneath the table by then.

Yuwen Xi helplessly curled her lips. After Mu Yuyin had laughed for quite some time, she finally asked, “Miss Mu, surely you can tell me what this was all about now?”

“Hee hee… hic…” Mu Yuyin had laughed so hard that she began to hiccup. She glanced at Yuwen Xi somewhat sheepishly, then stuck out her tongue.

“Oh, it was nothing. Just a blind date.”

“A blind date? Just that?” Yuwen Xi raised an eyebrow. A flicker of emotion flashed through the depths of her eyes before she put on an expression of utter despair.

“Then am I doomed?” Gazing at the clear blue sky, Yuwen Xi wailed, “Mrs. Tao is definitely going to kill me!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll absolutely stand by and watch you die.” Mu Yuyin cheerfully patted Yuwen Xi on the shoulder.

Yuwen Xi’s expression became wonderfully complex, as though she had just stepped in something foul.

“You little wretch! Tell me, what exactly have you done?”

A dignified, elegant woman—beautiful despite being nearly fifty—was now chasing a striking young girl with a helpless look on her face. The two had already circled the table more than twenty-nine times, and showed no sign of stopping.

“Mrs. Tao, calm down, please calm down! Where is that admirable poise of yours? Where is that noble bearing everyone envies?” The radiant young woman, Mu Yuyin, ran for her life while doing her best to persuade the beautiful woman behind her to give up the chase.

“You little wretch! You’re going to infuriate me to death! And you still dare lecture me about poise and dignity? I’ll beat you half to death today!”

Mu Yuyin continued running, thoroughly aggrieved. “Mrs. Tao, couldn’t you stop and rest for a moment? I can’t run anymore! Huff, huff…”

She was panting heavily from exhaustion.

“Huff, huff! If I don’t beat you until even your own mother can’t recognize you, then I’ll change my surname!” Mrs. Tao was also nearly ready to collapse, but she refused to give up. Every few steps, she had to stop for several ragged breaths.

Seeing that Mrs. Tao had no intention of surrendering, Mu Yuyin cried out desperately, “Xiao Yu, save me!”

As she shouted, she waved both arms frantically.

Yuwen Xi, however, watched her with undisguised delight, her eyes clearly conveying a message:

Serves you right for tricking me. If I’d known you were going on a blind date, I would never have come along to wade into this mess.

Everyone in the Mu household knew that, in China or anywhere else, there was one saying that had to be remembered: you could offend anyone—but never provoke Mrs. Mu.

That wicked girl Mu Yuyin had deliberately dragged her into trouble. She could hardly blame Yuwen Xi for refusing to help now.

“Husband, hurry and catch that girl! If I don’t beat her until she blossoms like a steamed dumpling, then I’ll no longer be Mrs. Tao!” Mrs. Tao shouted toward the man sitting on the sofa and reading a newspaper.

The man wore rimless glasses and possessed an air of refined civility. Although the years had left indelible marks upon his face, they had done nothing to diminish his handsomeness.

He raised his head toward the two women racing around the room and was just about to stand when Mu Yuyin suddenly shouted, “Mr. Mu, you can’t be so heartless! Have you forgotten who pleaded your case the last time Mrs. Tao ignored you? Have you forgotten who helped conceal the matter and settle everything when a beautiful young woman tried to seduce you—and kept the secret for you? And what about the time before that—”

“Shut up!” Mr. Mu’s old face flushed red. He glared fiercely at his precious daughter, his eyes warning her: Say one more word and—

“Mr. Mu, what exactly happened? Why have I never heard about any of this?” Mrs. Tao finally stopped her exhausting pursuit and planted herself before her husband with her hands on her hips.

Mr. Mu lowered the newspaper and sighed so softly that it could scarcely be heard. Whenever his wife grew angry, she called him “Mr. Mu.”

Alas.

Resigned to his fate, Mr. Mu rose to his feet and opened his arms toward his beloved wife. With a pitiful expression, he said, “Darling, listen to me. It wasn’t like that…”

Although his face wore an innocent expression, his arms boldly pulled his beloved wife into a tight embrace. In a gentle voice, he continued, “Darling, this is what happened…”

Relying on the irresistible charm he had perfected over more than thirty years, Mr. Mu successfully lured his wife upstairs. Before leaving, he repeatedly gestured toward his daughter, clearly reminding her that she owed him a favor this time and had better remember to repay it.

Mu Yuyin wore an expression of boundless admiration. She nodded vigorously with a beaming smile.

Don’t worry, Mr. Mu. This young woman will remember your great kindness forever!

Her parents’ figures disappeared up the staircase. Not long afterward, her mother let out a startled cry, followed by complete silence.

Mu Yuyin relaxed on the sofa, breathing heavily, and immediately began to complain about Yuwen Xi.

“Hey, that was really heartless of you. How could you just stand by and watch me die?”

Yuwen Xi spread her hands and shrugged helplessly, entirely unconcerned. “What else could I do? You were sent by Mrs. Tao to go on a blind date. I could barely protect you well enough—how could I possibly rush in and sabotage it? I’m not tired of living.”

“Hmph. Coward.” Mu Yuyin cast her a disdainful glance.

“Yes, I’m a coward. Happy now?” Yuwen Xi replied. “I simply know when to adapt to circumstances. I understand how to atone for my mistakes and earn lenient treatment.”

“Hmph!” Mu Yuyin snorted contemptuously.

In the master bedroom upstairs at the Mu residence, Mr. Mu held Mrs. Tao in his arms. His sensual lips pressed another kiss onto her smooth, bare shoulder before he sighed contentedly.

“Darling, I love you.”

At his words, Mrs. Tao’s face flushed like that of a young girl experiencing love for the first time. She pouted coquettishly.

“Oh, stop it. We’re both getting on in years, and you’re still imitating some young man with all those sugary words.”

As she spoke, she slipped one delicate hand beneath the covers and pinched him somewhere. Mr. Mu drew in a sharp breath before asking hoarsely, “Darling, was our exercise just now not enough?”

His arms tightened around his beloved wife.

Mrs. Tao’s face instantly grew so red it seemed blood might drip from it. Breathing unevenly, she said, “All right, all right. Let’s talk about serious matters.”

Mr. Mu sighed almost inaudibly at the pleasure that had abruptly vanished from his grasp.

Mrs. Tao felt the embrace behind her tighten once more and could not help breaking into a radiant smile.

Before long, however, that smile disappeared, replaced by worry.

“Husband, what do you think about what happened today?”

“As for what happened today…” Mr. Mu knit his brows, uncertain how to put it.

“What do you think? Xi’er and Yuyin, the two of them—”

“You know that Xi’er and Yuyin have always been close since childhood. We’ve always hoped they might end up together, but…”

Mr. Mu suddenly stopped speaking, yet Mrs. Tao understood the words he had left unsaid.

Yes. They had once seemed the most promising pair of all. But several years ago, one night—and one mysterious woman—had shattered the path that had seemed destined for them.

“But that child and Xi’er aren’t together either, are they?” What Mrs. Tao really wanted to say was that the girl had failed to cherish Xi’er and had abandoned him.

She had only just turned around, intending to have a serious discussion with her husband, when his lips silenced everything else she was about to say. He did not release her until her cheeks were flushed and her breathing had become soft and uneven.

“My dear, you know that matters of the heart can never be forced.” Mr. Mu looked at his lovely wife and spoke with solemn sincerity.

A flicker passed through Mrs. Tao’s eyes, but she bit her lip and said nothing more.

Yes, how could she not know? Feelings were the one thing that could never be forced.

But she simply wanted her precious daughter to be with Xi’er, whom she had watched grow up from childhood. What was wrong with that?

Mr. Mu seemed to know exactly what his wife was thinking. All he could do was hold her tightly and murmur, “My dear, don’t worry. Children and grandchildren have blessings of their own. Don’t trouble yourself over things that haven’t happened. What is meant to come will come. Worrying now won’t help. Why not let nature take its course? Perhaps there will even be an unexpected blessing.”

Mrs. Tao buried herself in her husband’s embrace and remained silent for a while, as though considering his words. Mr. Mu did not urge her, patiently giving her time to think.

After a long while, Mrs. Tao lifted her head and gazed directly into her husband’s eyes. Then she said softly,

“All right.”