Chapter 310: Is this the beginning of the checkup?

Lu Yiran suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and walked towards the living room pretending to be calm.

He sat down on the sofa opposite Mu Nanyan, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the armrest of the sofa, and asked casually:

"Why are you so serious? What happened?"

Mu Nanyan's eyes shot straight at him like sharp arrows. She leaned forward slightly, her voice filled with a firmness that could not be avoided:

"I have something to ask you, and I hope you can tell the truth."

"What's up?"

Lu Yiran frowned unconsciously, his Adam's apple rolled up and down, and a sense of uneasiness rose in his heart. He didn't know what Mu Nanyan wanted to ask.

Mu Nanyan took a deep breath, tightened and loosened her slender fingers on her knees, and finally spoke:

"Where were you last night?"

Hearing this, Lu Yiran's tense shoulders relaxed instantly, and a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth:

"Is this the start of the inspection?"

He deliberately dragged out the ending of his words in an attempt to lighten the mood.

However, Mu Nanyan was not moved at all. Her cold eyes stared at him without blinking, and her slender fingers left a shallow indentation on the leather sofa.

The air in the entire living room seemed to freeze.

Seeing that the joke didn't work, Lu Yiran restrained his smile in dismay. He sat up straight, clasped his hands on his knees, and said seriously:

"I went back to the old house to visit my grandparents last night and had a meal there."

His tone was relaxed and natural, because the answer was indeed impeccable. Yesterday morning when he was having dinner with Mu Nanyan, the old man called him back with one phone call, and he didn't even have time to say hello to Mu Nanyan.

"Are you satisfied with this answer?"

A hint of anticipation flashed in Lu Yiran's eyes. He secretly guessed the reason for Mu Nanyan's abnormal behavior, and even felt a little happy. The way she asked so many questions made it seem like she was jealous.

If someone else had inquired about his whereabouts like this, he would have been furious, but the woman in front of him looked so concerned that he actually found her... inexplicably cute.

At this moment, Lu Yiran felt that all of Mu Nanyan's abnormal behavior today could be explained. Was she starting to like him and care about him?

"That's it? That's all?"

Mu Nanyan's voice was a little colder than before.

"Well, I was at the old house all day yesterday. If you don't believe me, you can call grandma to confirm."

As Lu Yiran spoke, he kept looking at Mu Nanyan's expression. Since he said so, she should be relieved, right?

He carefully observed Mu Nanyan's reaction, but found that instead of being relieved, the gloom between her brows deepened.

This realization made Lu Yiran's heart tighten. Did he say something wrong? Shouldn't she be happy to hear this?

Before Lu Yiran could figure out what was going on, he heard Mu Nanyan's voice again:

"Grandpa Lu asked you to go back. Is there something important?"

"No, I just wanted to see me."

Lu Yiran answered without hesitation.

Mu Nanyan's nails dug deep into her palms.

So, even though Lu Yiran had time, he missed Yutong's birthday party.

Was he unwilling to go, or... was he completely unaware? This thought made her breath catch.

She still had some understanding of Lu Yiran. If Chu Ci was really his childhood friend, he would never refuse to give her this favor. So there was only one other possibility left...

But if Lu Yiran didn't know, why didn't Chu Ci introduce Yutong to his childhood friend?

Chu Ci's tenderness and consideration towards Yutong at the banquet yesterday, as well as the carefully prepared surprise, were all real. It was obvious that he really liked Yutong.

Mu Nanyan's thoughts were in a mess. She could barely accept that Chu Ci's acquaintance with Lu Yiran and his love for Yu Tong was a coincidence, but Chu Ci clearly knew her, yet he pretended not to know her...

This mystery was like a poisonous snake wrapped around her heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She really wanted to question Lu Yiran directly, but Mu Nanyan held back...

Her nails dug deep into her palms, and the sharp pain allowed her to maintain her last bit of sanity.

They had deliberately concealed it before, surely because they didn't want her to know. She was afraid that if she asked, not only would she not get an answer, but it would also alert the enemy...

Mu Nanyan took a deep breath and forced herself to put on a decent smile.

She raised her chin slightly, the sharpness in her eyes perfectly hidden under a polite smile:

"I see. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

She stood up swiftly, but Lu Yiran grabbed her wrist. The warmth of the man's palm made her heart tremble.

"You haven't told me what happened yet? You seem strange today. Did someone say anything to you?"

Lu Yiran frowned and looked at her with sharp eyes.

Mu Nanyan gently broke free from his hand, her fingertips inadvertently brushing across the place on her wrist where he had touched her, where a burning sensation still lingered.

"No, I've been with you all day. Who else can I listen to? I just suddenly wanted to ask."

Lu Yiran looked at her thoughtfully, and when he saw that her expression had returned to normal, he relaxed.

Maybe... he was really overthinking it? The corners of his lips curled up slightly, thinking she was jealous.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go back first, otherwise Chenchen will be waiting anxiously."

Lu Yiran wanted to say something, but finally nodded: "I'll take you there."

"No, it's just a few steps away."

She refused directly and decisively, walking towards the door without looking back.

Lu Yiran still insisted on sending her to the door, leaning against the door frame, his eyes following her back.

It wasn't until he saw her standing in front of his door, about to unlock it, that he gently closed the door.

The sound of a door closing "click" echoed in the corridor.

Mu Nanyan's hand reaching for the fingerprint lock suddenly hung in mid-air, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She slowly withdrew her hand, turned around and looked at the closed door, with complex emotions surging in her eyes.

Mu Nanyan came to the elevator entrance. The elevator indicator light was flickering, but she walked straight to the emergency passage.

Pushing open the heavy fire door, her footsteps were particularly clear in the cold stairwell.

Stopping at the corner, Mu Nanyan took out her cell phone, her fingertips paused on the address book for a few seconds, and finally dialed the familiar number.

Soon the call was connected:

"It's only been a short while since we last met, and you're already missing me?"

Tang Yutong's cheerful voice came through the receiver, like a ray of sunshine shining into the dark stairwell.

Mu Nanyan's throat tightened, and all the words she had prepared were stuck in her throat.

Tang Yutong's voice was filled with unconcealable happiness. It was obvious that it was because of Chu Ci... She suddenly realized that making this call might have been a mistake.

Tang Yutong saw that Mu Nanyan was still silent and immediately realized something was wrong. She asked tentatively:

"Yan Yan? Why aren't you talking? Is something wrong?"

Mu Nanyan leaned against the cold wall and slowly closed her eyes.

How should she start? How should she tell her best friend that the man who made her so happy might be hiding a dark secret?