“Hotel room? Mu Yunfan, don’t even dream of it!”
“You are not willing? Forget it if you are not willing; I recall that I did not use any contraceptives. I don’t know if Xuemei will get pregnant.” Mu Yunfan turned to leave. His tone was relaxed just like he was talking about the weather.
Lunatic!
Ning Qing cursed her in her heart.
“Wait for a moment,” Ning Qing said to stop him in his tracks. “If I attend the appointment, will you break up with Xue Mei?”
Mu Yunfan slowly curled his lips into a smile. “Of course… I will…”
At this moment, the door to the small room opened, and Lin Xuemei walked out.
“Xuemei, let’s go.” Mu Yunfan placed his hands onto Lin Xuemei’s shoulder and brought her towards the door. Before leaving, he did not forget to give Ning Qing a look, with the meaning – I will wait for you.
Ning Qing felt an evil chill come over her.
“Ning Qing, thank you. We’re out of here.” Lin Xuemei waved at Ning Qing, and the duo left the classroom together.
“Hold on.” At this moment, Ning Qing opened her mouth to speak.
Mu Yunfan froze in his tracks, Lin Xuemei turned around and asked, “Ning Qing, what’s wrong?”
Ning Qing took out the phone hidden in her pocket, her pale hand pressed the button, and the voice recording started playing…
Upon hearing the words “Of course I will.” Lin Xuemei was shocked visibly, she looked hurt at Mu Yunfan who was beside her, and she pouted her lips, asking, “Yunfan, what is going on? You…”
Ning Qing looked at her good friend tear up, tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t bear to do so, but it was better to just get the pain over and done with in a quick instant, rather than prolong the agony over a long time.
She walked the door, looking at the pair. She did not say anything after all, and she walked out the classroom.
After a few steps, “Ning Qing!” Mu Yunfan chased her from behind, and he looked extremely furious.
Ning Qing did not want to deal with him; she sped up and ran.
She was disappointed in him, and she decided to keep her guard up. When Lin Xuemei sent her the text asking her to bring her a new set clothes, she had a rough feeling of what had occurred. She had started the voice recorder before she entered the classroom, thus she recorded everything that had occurred afterwards.
He thought that she didn’t have a defensive position?
Grandma had already been exploited as her weakness, and she would not allow herself to get targeted again.
Ning Qing ran, and Mu Yunfan gave chase. Who was Mu Yunfan? He was the champion in long distance running. She could hear his footsteps coming closer and closer. Ning Qing quickly made a turn and took another path.
With this turn, she bumped into someone.
Before she could identify who the person was, she heard, “Ning Qing”. Mu Yunfan, who was behind her, used his hand to grab her.
Ning Qing thought she was caught. She already thought how to defend herself, but a long shadow cast over her and blocked her, placing her behind him.
Ning Qing lifted her eyes to see; it was Xu Junxi.
The person whom she bumped into, the person who protected her, was Xu Junxi.
What was he doing here?
With Xu Junxi blocking her, Mu Yunfan also stopped in his tracks. They grew up together, and this was the first time they met in 3 years.
“Yunfan, it has been a long time.” Xu Junxi smiled and waved.
Mu Yunfan saw Ning Qing behind Xu Junxi’s shoulder. That girl already acted upon her chance and ran. He could not even see her shadow in sight.
“Junxi, it has been a while. Why are you here?”
“Ah, Yunfan, the reason why you are here is also the reason I’m here. In the time we have known one another, I did not have an inkling that you also liked Ning Qing.”
Seeing Xu Junxi getting right to the point, Mu Yunfan also withdrew his smile. He straightened his body and his eyes had a touch of cynical chill.
“That’s right, I also didn’t know you had got Ning Qing, then you unexpectedly chose that snake, Ning Yao. Only you would like that superficial girl.”
Pain flashed in Xu Junxi’s eyes, but he quickly put on a smile. “Yunfan, Ning Qing is married now, she is Madam Lu. Let us wish her well, and protect her quietly from the side lines. Don’t try to force her to be with you. At least with my presence, I would not allow you to make a move on her.”
Xu Junxi turned to leave.
Ning Qing ran all the way to a safe place, touching her chest to regain her breath. “Ning Qing.” Xu Junxi came chasing after her.
Ning Qing felt as though her head could explode in the next second.
“President Xu, why have you come here?” Ning Qing asked politely, maintaining a distance from him while smiling.
“Oh, Xulin is my cousin after all. After I gave her a stern punishment, I could not leave her alone. I came here to settle some administrative procedures. I will prepare to send her to study overseas.”
Ning Qing nodded her head, signalling that she understood.
“Oh yes, Ning Qing, there is news of Ning Yao.”
Ning Qing’s nerves tightened up; it was too fast. “How was it? Who did Ning Yao contact? Who was the mastermind behind it all?”
“Ning Yao did not contact anyone. She only went to look for my mum.”
Ning Qing felt grim after she heard the news. She quickly understood; Ning Yao did not seek the true mastermind. She merely took Aunt Xu as her last resort, holding on tight to her for help.
Ning Qing could not help but feel a little disappointment.
“Ning Yao went to look for my mum. She is already close to being 5 months pregnant. The baby in her stomach is a…boy. My mum was elated after she found out. She wanted Ning Yao to give birth to the child. Now Ning Yao has entered the Xu family, and with my mum’s protection, I am unable to touch her.”
“Okay.” Ning Qing listened to his words. She knew the perpetrator behind it all was very cunning. She had a bad premonition; this mastermind would not stop like this.
What were the motives of that person?
In the depths of Ning Qing’s mind, Mu Yunfan’s handsome face appeared. If he was the person behind it all, what were his motives?
Getting his hands on him?
Then what was she going to do?
He unwilling to let go; a war was imminent in the future.
Ning Qing stood depressed in the corridor. She did not know when it started to pour outside. A sudden warmth landed on her shoulder. She lifted her eyes; Xu Junxi had removed his coat and placed it onto her shoulders.
“Winter rains are very chilly. Don’t get a cold after you put on my coat,” he ordered gently.
Ning Qing suddenly felt like laughing. She felt like her life was so dramatic.
What did Xu Junxi mean by this? Could it be that he had the same plans in mind as Mu Yunfan?
She wasn’t the one who wanted to shower affection on an uninterested party. After being Madam Lu, she was already a married…hmm. Even as a young girl, she was aware of what she was herself. But after she experienced the episode with Mu Yunfan, she became extremely sensitive.
“No need, you wear it.” Ning Qing removed the coat on her shoulders and returned it to him. She ran into the rain. “I am dismissed. I will be leaving, bye.”
Xu Junxi had a bleak expression. Looking at her gentle and petite figure, she was probably afraid that he would go after her; she ran extremely quickly.
She treated him like some monstrous beast.
Ha.
Xu Junxi mocked himself and curled his lips.
Ning Qing stood at under the guard post to shelter herself from the rain. She could soon hear two women quarrelling from a distance away.
“Oi, what do you mean by this? I am Yang’s official girlfriend. You are only a female colleague of his. Why did you have to send Yang vague text messages. You asked him to repair the lightbulb and change the gas cylinder. Do you see me in your eyes? Do you want to be someone’s mistress?”
“Sister Feng, I really didn’t. You have misunderstood me. It was not a vague text message; it was only a greeting message. Also, he repaired the lightbulb for me during the time we had a staff gathering. He did it at his convenience! Please don’t read too much into the situation.”
“Sure, the thief cries thief now…”
Ning Qing was listening closely to the conversation between the two women. She was struck with a sudden idea, her eyes were shining bright. She quickly walked forward, giving a smack to the shoulder of the recognized girlfriend. “You are Sister Feng right? Let us complete a transaction. You help me put on a show, and I will give you twenty thousand dollars.”
…
One hour later, Ning Qing received a call from Yue Wanqing. “Qingqing, there was someone who came to look for us today. I think that something is amiss. Can you come over soon?”
“Sure, Mum.” Ning Qing smiled brightly like a blooming flower, agreeing to her request.
Inside the apartment
Ning Qing sat on the sofa to accompany g=Grandma. Yue Wanqing told her what occurred one hour ago in complete detail.
“Qingqing, I was preparing dinner in the kitchen at that time, and Grandma was in the living room listening to the Huangmei opera. I heard someone knock on the door, so I went to answer. There was a gorgeous girl outside the door. That girl claimed that she was Mu Yunfan’s girlfriend.”
Yue Wanqing looked at the girl. She was beautiful and classy. She was happy for him. She said warmly, “Girl, are you here to look for Yunfan? He hasn’t returned yet. Come in and have a seat.”
The girl shook her head and said politely, “Aunt Wanqing, I’m not here to look for Yunfan. I came here personally to look for you, Ning Qing’s mum.”
“Looking for me?”
“That’s right. Aunt Wan Qing, I beg you to ask your daughter Ning Qing to distance herself from Yunfan. Ning Qing has already spoiled the feelings between me and Yunfan.”
Yue Wanqing listened in shock and quickly explained, “Girl, you can’t speak like this. Our Qingqing and Yunfan have a sibling relationship. These 20 years, they have been innocent and have not had any inappropriate relations.”
The girl immediately squeezed out a couple teardrops, and she wiped the tears while blowing her nose. Crying, she claimed, “Aunt, you said that they have a sibling relationship, but nobody will believe that. You are unaware that in school, Yunfan is Ning Qing’s gym instructor. Yun Fan plastered himself onto Ning Qing’s body to teach her dance moves. The two of them were eating in the canteen when Yunfan fed her sweet and sour ribs. After school, Yunfan drove Ning Qing home. They acted so intimately. How about me, his official girlfriend? I trust them, but my best friends all claim that something was sketchy about the two of them. They use the defense of ‘being siblings’ to act vaguely. Aunt Wanqing, I beg you to understand my feelings. I am very uncomfortable with this.”
Yue Wanqing’s face turned pale, and she could not say a single word. “This, this … I..”
At this moment, a neighbour appeared on the stairwell, it was the neighbour living upstairs, and the neighbour had good relations with Yue Wanqing. She stopped in her tracks and asked with concern, “What is going on?”
The girl cried even more when she saw the neighbour. “Aunt, be the judge here. Her daughter Ning Qing’s brother is my boyfriend. Ning Qing and my boyfriend are actually not related by blood, but my boyfriend is more concerned with every matter regarding Ning Qing. He places her in the first place in his heart. He is even staying in Ning Qing’s house now! I know their families have been friends for generations, but others that do not know say that a single woman and man staying in a room would not be a good thing. They are in such an ambiguous relationship, and they are wasting each other’s time. They are both in their twenties; they are not young anymore. They should maintain a proper distance between a woman and a man. Furthermore, when they both have families of their own, what would their partner think?”
Upon hearing her words, the neighbour had a grim expression. She pulled Yue Wanqing’s elbow and said softly, “Aiyo, the child’s mum, how are you not even cautious of this? Doesn’t Qingqing already have a husband? If this matter were known by others, how would you let Qingqing face the public? This girl has sense in her words. Girls and boys in their twenties might be siblings, but they still maintain a distance from one another. Gossip can be malicious sometimes.”
Later, at the apartment, Yue Wanqing sat on the sofa recalling the episode and sighed. “I will word it nicely and advise Mu Yunfan to leave. I will tell him that I will give her an explanation when things are settled. Qingqing, what is your take on this matter? What should we do?”
Ning Qing did not reply. She directly hooked onto Grandma’s elbow. “Grandma, what do you think of this matter?”
Grandma was in a dilemma. “I don’t know how things turned out this way. The Ning and Mu families have been clean and innocent all this while.”
“Ay.” Ning Qing pretended to sigh to interrupt Grandma. She lowered her gaze and said worriedly, “It is good that Shao Ming does not know about this. If he knew about this…”
Ning Qing said sorry in her heart. She did not have a choice. With regard to these kinds of matters, she could only use Lu Shaoming as her shield.
Upon hearing her words, Yue Wanqing said swiftly, “Mum, I think we should have Mu Yunfan move out. Shaoming is not at home. The three generations added together with the boy, Yunfan, would make others gossip about us. We should find another house for Yunfan. If you insist, you will also be delaying Yunfan’s marriage.”
Grandma hesitated for a moment before nodding her head, “Okay then. You give Yunfan a call later and propose it more subtly.”
“Okay.” Yue Wanqing agreed.
Ning Qing was jubilant. Haha, with her quick wittedness, she has finally made Grandma and Mum agree to make Yunfan leave. She was really afraid that if things were to escalate in the future, Mu Yunfan would harm grandma and mum.
This made her feel more at ease.
…
Ning Qing called Yin Shuiling to ask her out for a meal at night. Yin Shuiling agreed, and the pair decided to meet at a karaoke hall to drink.
This was what the two girls loved to do for fun in the past.
The moment Ning Qing entered the karaoke hall, she received a call from Mu Yunfan. She was not surprised; he would definitely contact her.
“Hello, Qingqing, this was all your idea right? You found someone to pretend to be my girlfriend and made a scene. No matter how much I explain, it doesn’t matter. Chasing me out of the house?”
Not knowing why, upon hearing the words “chasing me out of the house,” she felt hurt. Her and Mu Yunfan’s relationship had finally come to this.
“Brother Yunfan, if you are still willing to be my Brother Yunfan, then I beg you to step away. We don’t have any chance of ending up together. Go back to Singapore. You are the only son of the Mu family; you shoulder the hopes of the Mu family. I hope you can be well.”
“Ha, Qingqing. If you were really thinking for my sake, you wouldn’t think of chasing me back to Singapore. The 20 years that we spent together were meaningless since you treat me so coldly.”
Ning Qing shut her eyes tiredly. When the conversation turns sour, any additional words are useless.
If she did not react and allowed him to attack… He already threatened her to go to the hotel room to look for her. What would he do next?
He’s the one who betrayed their 20 years of time together.
“If there is nothing else, I will be hanging up.” Ning Qing ended the call and switched her phone off.
The waiter served a cocktail to her. Ning Qing sat at the bar, took the drink, and drank it in a shot.
When she drank the cocktail, she heard the voice of Yin Shuiling. “How come you are drinking so aggressively? Who provoked you? You seem to be in a bad mood.”
Yin Shuiling placed her pearl clutch onto the bar counter and snapped her hands to order some hard liquor.
“Shuiling, Mu Yunfan has been back for so many days. Why won’t you go to see him?”
“See him for what purpose? Both Xu Junxi and Mu Yunfan have frustrated me.” Yin Shuiling placed her red lips onto the cup and had a sip of alcohol. Her expression was cold. “How did you change how you address Mu Yunfan? I thought you called him Brother Yun Fan in the past? This person, Mu Yunfan, his handsome and bright outlook, the little prince of T city, he won the hearts of so many young girls. It’s too bad that nobody knew that he had such a cold and aloof heart. For his whole life, he’s probably only had you in his eyes.”
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