His Beloved Treasure

When two people who ended without resolution meet again, it feels as if a frigid gust of air materializes out of nowhere, perfectly dividing them, thick and impenetrable.

Xi Meng, the secretary, was awakened by the person on the other end of the phone call. Holding her phone, she left her seat while continuing the conversation.

Qiao Yi stood there for a while, then lightly knocked on Mu Yichen’s door. ”Got a moment to talk?”

Mu Yichen lifted his eyes from the pile of documents. ”Come in!”

Perhaps because they’d known each other too long, the two brothers could almost instantly guess what the other was thinking.

Qiao Yi walked in, gently closed the door behind him, and collapsed into the chair opposite Mu Yichen, looking utterly spent.

Seeing his listless state, Mu Yichen reflexively asked, ”So, it’s really over?”

”Yeah.”

Qiao Yi responded with a grunt, his expression looking quite grim.

Mu Yichen nodded without pressing further and returned to his work.

Qiao Yi turned his head. ”Why are you so desperate to get married?”

Mu Yichen paused mid-signature, then raised his deep eyes to look at the man across from him. Qiao Yi stared back, just as puzzled.

”If not for Qin Mu, I wouldn’t have the desire to marry.”

With just a few seconds of reflection, Mu Yichen provided a precise answer.

”Pity? Because she didn’t have a stable family growing up, so your masculine instinct wants to give her a complete one?”

Qiao Yi asked. He’d been wanting to ask this for a while: Could it be out of pity, even if there was love involved?

”It’s not pity! It’s compassion! It’s care!”

Mu Yichen stopped for a moment, reflecting inwardly and remaining true to his feelings.

Qiao Yi stayed quiet for a long time, looking at him with such confusion, as if he couldn’t understand a word Mu Yichen was saying.

”What’s between Qin Mu and me is completely different from what’s between the two of you. Don’t compare, but since you don’t want to get married, and Secretary Xi yearns for marriage, then let her go.”

Mu Yichen closed the signed documents and placed them aside before pulling out another file to review, line by line, meticulously.

Qiao Yi, however, couldn’t take his eyes off him. Only when his dry eyes began to ache did he abruptly leap up from his chair. With his hands stuffed into his pockets, he walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window and looked out irritably at the sprawling city. ”So many people get married for a lifetime, yet how many still enjoy being tied down by marriage these days? Not to mention, two people who haven’t even been together that long.”

”So, let Xi Meng go,” Mu Yichen’s voice came from behind him.

Qiao Yi took a deep breath, as if struggling to suppress the urge to explode at the man behind him.

”But it’s not like I don’t like her. I want to be with her.”

Qiao Yi abruptly turned around, unable to hold back any longer, glaring angrily.

Mu Yichen put down his pen, clasped his hands together, and smiled subtly, his sharp gaze landing on the agitated man. ”Qiao Yi, Qin Mu once told me something: Any relationship that isn’t aimed at marriage is just fooling around. That saying suits you perfectly right now.”

Qiao Yi...

”If you don’t want to get married, it suddenly occurred to me that there’s someone from your past you might want to go back to.”

Mu Yichen lowered his head again, speaking while reading his documents.

”Who?”

Qiao Yi asked suspiciously.

”That bisexual Miss Lin.”

Qiao Yi...

Mu Yichen didn’t look up again, leaving Qiao Yi unable to punch him, yet close to losing his mind.

Qiao Yi still left the office. Just as Xi Meng returned from the restroom, she unexpectedly ran into him again. Her chest tightened, and her eyes betrayed discomfort.

Qiao Yi looked at her as well. ”Do you really want to get married?”

His eyes seemed to be asking her, but the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

Xi Meng simply lowered her head and walked past him to her desk and sat down.

Qiao Yi glanced at her assistant beside her. That girl was also looking at him as if he were some kind of monster. Qiao Yi snorted, like a bitter laugh, and walked away.

Xi Meng placed her hand on the keyboard. Only after he’d entered the elevator did she finally relax, her dazed eyes shifting sideways. ”Did I do anything inappropriate just now?”

Her assistant shook her head.

Xi Meng let out a sigh of relief, though tears uncontrollably fell down her face. After sniffing and mocking herself, she threw herself back into her work.

The atmosphere around the office entrance felt strange, eerily quiet except for the sound of keyboards being tapped, as if even breathing was absent.

At 7:30 pm, Qin Mu arrived on time, bringing Xiaomei along to meet two major celebrities for dinner.

As they entered the hotel’s main lobby, they heard staff members greeting Li Yu from behind them. Both of them turned their heads.

Li Yu was casually dressed in light-colored sportswear, looking like a big boy.

Xiaomei suddenly felt short of breath, clasping her hands under her chin in an exaggerated display of infatuation.

Qin Mu glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Xiaomei practically drooling. Without hesitation, she reached out and pinched her on the back and waist.

”Ah!”

Xiaomei snapped back to reality, glaring at Qin Mu angrily before darting her eager eyes back at Li Yu, still fawning shamelessly as she approached him. ”Wow, our Li Yu looks absolutely stunning today.”

”Thanks!”

Li Yu grinned cheekily and thanked her.

Xiaomei was once again on the verge of hyperventilating.

Standing to the side, Qin Mu sighed helplessly.

”Has Sister Runuan arrived yet?”

Li Yu walked over to Qin Mu and asked.

Today, Qin Mu’s pants and blouse didn’t match Li Yu’s outfit at all, but Qin Mu felt that was perfectly fine.

”Let’s go!”

Li Yu said as he strode forward.

Li Yu strolled into AM without even wearing a mask, exuding a carefree attitude.

In the elevator, Xiaomei squeezed close to him. ”Li Yu, Li Yu, why don’t you wear a mask? Or sunglasses? At least wear a cap! What if one of your fangirls spots you and demands a hug or something?”

”They wouldn’t recognize me. Besides, in such a high-end hotel, that’s not something to worry about.”

Li Yu patiently explained to her.

Standing behind them, Qin Mu thought to herself, Isn’t the fangirl he’s talking about you? She’s practically glued to one side of his body, ready to pounce at any moment.

Sigh! Life with Xiaomei is exhausting.

”You should still be cautious. But don’t worry, tonight you can count on me. I’ll protect you with my life.”

That annoyance she felt toward Li Yu the other day? Gone. Now she was swooning again. Is this the essence of a fangirl’s heart?

Qin Mu didn’t get it and figured it didn’t matter anyway—after all, she was a married woman now.

But Li Yu’s outfit today really made him look so young. Qin Mu wondered if her own recent wardrobe had been too ”career woman.” Should she try dressing more like the girl next door?

When the elevator doors opened, staff members were waiting outside.

”Young Madam, Mr. Li, Miss Xiaomei, Miss Wen is already waiting inside.”

Li Yu stepped out first, though the staff still greeted Qin Mu before anyone else. No one minded this; they simply followed the staff into the private room.

”Young Madam, Mr. Yichen is in the private room next door. He said to meet him after this dinner.”

Qin Mu paused before entering the room, hearing the staff’s reminder.

She reflexively rolled her eyes, then politely nodded at the staffer.

Those in the private room were already seated and enjoying tea, paying no attention to this detail.

Because they were used to this kind of behavior from Yichen!

When Qin Mu entered the room, the three of them were sipping tea.

Wen Runuan remarked, ”It’ll be nice if Yichen could ever feel comfortable letting you go off on your own.”

Xiaomei: ”That’s impossible.”

Li Yu remained silent, his beautiful eyes focused on Qin Mu.