His Beloved Treasure

”Don’t overthink it!”

Mu Yichen gave a curt instruction, his dark eyes piercing straight into hers, making her ears buzz with a ringing noise out of sheer fright.

”Oh!”

Seeing her blank stare, Mu Yichen could tell that she hadn’t really taken his words to heart.

This afternoon was particularly grueling for Qin Mu. The air outside was damp, and upon getting home, she immediately went upstairs to change into thicker clothes before coming back down.

Mu Yichen had already left for work. Mu Zihao was also off to the pharmaceutical factory. Feng Fanghua stayed home with Chengcheng, who was crawling around on the carpet like an oversized caterpillar, while Feng Fanghua watched on, grinning ear to ear.

”Why does this little guy love crawling so much?”

Qin Mu muttered to herself, utterly puzzled.

”He’s just a baby. If he’s not crawling, do you expect him to get up and walk for you already?”

Feng Fanghua glanced at her, then directed her gaze back to her precious grandson, looking infinitely proud of his every move.

”Why does your skin look so bad today?”

Feng Fanghua stole another glance at Qin Mu and couldn’t help but voice her disapproval.

”Really?”

Alarmed, Qin Mu immediately cupped her face in her hands.

”Go wash your face and put on a face mask. You’re young; how can you let your skin get this rough?”

Feng Fanghua nagged her with concern.

Qin Mu had just come downstairs and really didn’t feel like going back up again!

”Anyway, I’m not planning on going out today. Rough skin it is!”

Qin Mu slumped onto the couch and let out a helpless sigh.

Seeing her so deflated, Feng Fanghua asked, ”What’s wrong? You two stayed out late last night and came back sick?”

”No, it’s not that. Mu made me write a self-reflection!”

Qin Mu grumbled, idly twirling her phone in her hand, not wanting to open it.

”A self-reflection?”

Feng Fanghua thought she’d misheard.

”Yeah! Last night, I was out with friends, and out of curiosity I took a couple of puffs of a cigarette. He caught me, then told me to write a reflection. Mom, don’t you think there’s something wrong with him?”

”Who’s got something wrong with them?”

No sooner had Qin Mu finished speaking than Feng Fanghua bristled and retorted unhappily, her gaze sharp—it clearly said, ”That’s my son you’re talking about! Do you still want to stay part of this family?”

Qin Mu instantly backed down!

”But writing a self-reflection, such an old-fashioned practice...”

Feng Fanghua trailed off, as the memory of being forced to write one herself in her youth came flooding back. Were father and son really that alike?

Mu Zihao also never kept umbrellas in his car; he thought they took up space. But what space would an umbrella even take?

Mu Yichen was the same. On rainy days, he’d instinctively drape his jacket over the child’s head instead.

Even habits like this could be inherited; Feng Fanghua found it fascinating.

But how could she admit to her daughter-in-law that her son’s self-reflection demand was a trait inherited from her husband? If she did, wouldn’t her daughter-in-law find out about Feng Fanghua’s own humiliating history?

She’d painstakingly built up her image as the stern, authoritative matriarch. There was no way she’d let it crumble now.

Later, Chengcheng got sleepy, and with Feng Fanghua’s back acting up on rainy days, Qin Mu carried Chengcheng upstairs to rest. After coaxing her son to sleep, she lay beside him, pondering the self-reflection issue.

Qin Mu hoped Mu wouldn’t come home too early tonight since she still hadn’t come up with anything.

Not long after, the maid gently pushed open the door. Qin Mu sat up the moment she heard the sound. ”What’s wrong?”

”It’s your father’s call,”

the maid whispered, not wanting to wake Chengcheng, as she held Qin Mu’s phone in her hand.

”Madam already answered it!”

Seeing the call already connected, the maid softly reminded her.

”Got it!”

Qin Mu chuckled at the maid’s caution, then held the phone to her ear. ”Hello?”

The maid walked ahead of her. Qin Mu didn’t rush downstairs but instead stayed outside, closing the door behind her to quietly listen to the call.

”No way!”

Qin Mu blurted out, thinking that instead of staying home tonight to write that blasted self-reflection, she might as well eat peacefully at the Qin Family’s home. Then, when she returned, she could sweet-talk Mu into letting her off the hook. Should work, right?

Yeah!

As long as it wasn’t too serious, Mu was actually pretty easygoing.

With the plan in mind, she agreed to her father’s invitation and then sent a message to Mu Yichen: ”Tomorrow, Qin Mingzhu is bringing her husband and child back to Beijing. Tonight, we’re having a family dinner, and I’ve been invited!”

Mu Yichen didn’t respond.

”I agreed to go!”

So Madam Mu sent another message!

Then she anxiously waited for a reply.

Eventually, she remembered he had a meeting that afternoon and might not have time to check his phone. That wasn’t such a bad thing, though!

Anyway, later that evening, Qin Mu drove herself to the Qin Family’s home.