Just as Mu Jiuchen was about to speak, there was a knock on the door. He glanced at Li Qingshuo.
“Has your family found out?”
Li Qingshuo nodded slightly. “No, it’s probably Ming Run. How dare I let my mother know I’m injured? I’m hiding from her, and she nags me about getting married ten times a day, I’m tired of hearing it.”
Mu Jiuchen went to open the door, and as expected, it was He Mingrun standing outside.
“Why are you here at this hour?”
He Mingrun smiled elegantly. “I have a date tonight!”
Mu Jiuchen looked him up and down. He Mingrun wasn’t wearing a formal suit, but rather fashionable casual wear, a white top and black casual pants, looking very handsome. He had shed some of his usual seriousness and gained a touch of debonair charm.
Seeing the smile on his face, bathed in the glow of spring, Mu Jiuchen knew exactly who his date was.
“With Miss Meng?” Mu Jiuchen asked, a hint of envy in his voice. He and Nuannuan hadn’t even had a date.
He Mingrun sized him up. Wasn’t he asking the obvious?
He nodded slightly. “Yes!”
Because his mother was keeping a close eye on him, he had refrained from seeing Yuan Yuan for several days.
His date tonight was also for work-related matters. He had clearly sensed Meng Yuan’s growing distance from him, which was not a good sign. Yuan Yuan was still bothered by the last incident. Tonight, he intended to maintain a distance and refrain from any intimate gestures, fearing he might scare Yuan Yuan away.
He Mingrun glanced at Mu Jiuchen. “Even though it’s a date, I’m quite unhappy.”
Mu Jiuchen knew then that his mother had been keeping him on a tight leash these past few days.
He smiled. “Brother, after a thousand sails have passed, gentleness and moonlight lie ahead. You must believe in yourself; you are absolutely excellent.”
He Mingrun: “……”
His smile was a bit stiff. “…Likewise!”
Now Mu Jiuchen couldn’t laugh; it was indeed a case of mutual understanding.
He Mingrun walked in and looked at Li Qingshuo on the bed. “Qingshuo, are you feeling better?”
“Yes! Much better.” He had to admit, Jiang Nuan’s medicine was very effective.
After taking it, the pain had stopped.
He Mingrun generously transferred a sum of money to Li Qingshuo. “It’s just in time. I didn’t get a gift, so here’s some money. Buy yourself whatever you want to eat.”
“Hehe…” Li Qingshuo couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling like he was receiving lucky money.
“Thank you, Young Master He.” Li Qingshuo quickly accepted the money and was delighted to see the amount: 8888, wishing him prosperity.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for keeping Xiao Jiu company all these years.” He Mingrun sat on a stool beside the bed, looking at Li Qingshuo. “What happened to you? Why are you suddenly hospitalized?”
He had only found out about Li Qingshuo’s hospitalization from his social media post.
Li Qingshuo cast a resentful glance at Mu Jiuchen and said, “I suffered on behalf of Xiao Jiu. He was supposed to be the one kicked, but it turned out to be me. That’s why he came to accompany me at night. Otherwise, how could our ever-busy Ninth Master possibly show up here?”
He Mingrun looked at him with curiosity.
Mu Jiuchen’s gaze flickered, but he said nothing.
Li Qingshuo was not one to hold back, especially when he felt so wronged about this matter.
“Ming Run, let me tell you, he actually let Jiang Nuan stay in his room. Don’t you think this man is foolish? He hasn’t even married her yet and he’s already giving up his authority. What will happen in the future?”
“I was just crashing on his bed, and Jiang Nuan kicked me off it, which is how I ended up like this.”
He Mingrun: “……”
He quietly glanced at Mu Jiuchen, noting that the relationship between the two seemed to be developing quite well.
He Mingrun looked at Mu Jiuchen meaningfully.
He smiled. “Your relationship is developing quite well, isn’t it? Has Miss Jiang moved into your home so quickly?”
Mu Jiuchen also wished Jiang Nuan would live in his home, but how could he possibly let Nuannuan suffer like that?
“No, I would never let Nuannuan suffer. Even if I let her live at my place, I would have her name added next to mine, making her Mrs. Mu, before I bring her home to live.”
“I won’t let others gossip about Nuannuan.”
Whenever this matter came up, Mu Jiuchen would recall what Jiang Nuan had said, observing how He Mingrun was pursuing Meng Yuan.
This thought made him feel particularly uneasy.
He found He Mingrun quite displeasing at the moment, though he had to admit that this scoundrel He Mingrun had a higher emotional intelligence than him.
The three single men thus spent the night revealing their scars to each other until late.
He Mingrun also learned about the Tan Xue incident. After listening, he only commented, “She got off too easily.”
The next morning, as Jiang Nuan just got up, she heard a knock on the door.
She was busy attending to her son and didn’t have time to open the door, so Meng Yuan went to answer it.
Standing outside was Mu Jiuchen.
Meng Yuan smiled. “Ninth Master, you’re here.”
Mu Jiuchen nodded with a gentle expression. “Yes! Has Nuannuan woken up?”
“She’s awake and went to pick up Xiao Fuhai. Has he woken up?” Meng Yuan felt very sorry for Xiao Fuhai; he had never suffered like this since he was a child.
Mu Jiuchen handed her the breakfast he was holding. “Miss Meng, please heat up the breakfast. I’m going up to get Xiao Fuhai. After breakfast, I’m going to take him to the hospital.”
Meng Yuan nodded. “Alright, I’ve already heard from Nuannuan that you’ve contacted the hospital on your end.”
Mu Jiuchen nodded slightly and went upstairs. As he passed through the hall, he encountered Jiang Xingyu, to whom he nodded before continuing upstairs.
Jiang Xingyu watched his retreating figure, his brow furrowed slightly.
Then he looked at the breakfast in Meng Yuan’s hand and finally said nothing.
“Brother Jiang, are you going out today?” Meng Yuan asked him.
Jiang Xingyu nodded. “Yes! Yuan Yuan, I’m going to see Tan Wenbin alone today. You stay home and accompany Yun Xia; she seems very uncomfortable. When I came back last night, I met Nuannuan. She told me that Tan Wenbin had gone to visit Jiang Shuo, but they didn’t get any news. Tan Wenbin just went to see him, a simple father-son greeting, with no other useful information.”
Meng Yuan nodded. The clues had run dry here, and they still had no progress.
The people who were arrested were all tight-lipped. The deeper they investigated, the murkier it became, which only made her more curious.
Even Tan Xue was implicated, which was interesting. What exactly happened back then?
“Brother Jiang, please eat breakfast before you go out.”
Jiang Xingyu shook his head slightly. “I’ll eat on the way. Can you give me some xiaolongbao?” He saw the xiaolongbao in her hand, which should still be warm.
Meng Yuan divided some xiaolongbao and soy milk for him to eat on the way and then went to the kitchen.
After going upstairs, Mu Jiuchen went directly to Jiang Yukuo’s room.
Jiang Nuan was giving him medicine.
“Xiao Kuo.” Mu Jiuchen quickly walked in.
Jiang Yukuo’s face was very pale, devoid of color. Thinking about what happened yesterday, he felt very upset.
He got into a taxi and felt a faint, delicate fragrance emanating from the car, rich and alluring, with a captivating scent.
He was curious about the origin of this scent and was about to ask the driver what kind of incense he was using, as it smelled so pleasant.
But then he thought that taxis wouldn’t typically have such incense. Just as he became vigilant, he started to feel drowsy. He knew he was in danger but lacked the strength to escape.
He forced his eyes open and saw the driver’s evil smile. He wanted to call for help but his vision went black. The next thing he knew, he had woken up back at home.