Chapter 47

Chao: I ran into Brother Qin Ye, he took me there. (Hugs him tightly.JPG) Thank you, my dear.

Chu Muchao was sitting in Qin Ye's car.

The pink sports car sped away from the villa area.

Out of the corner of his eye, Qin Ye noticed that the lights beside him had dimmed, and he turned his head to look at Chu Muchao as if by accident.

"What's wrong? If I'm not mistaken, that's Chu Wen's car up ahead. Are you avoiding him?"

"Um……"

Not knowing how to explain it to Qin Ye, Chu Mu gave him an awkward smile.

"Brother Qin Ye, please don't tell my brother. Just pretend you didn't see me, okay?"

Qin Ye laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? My little sister has grown up..."

Just as he was about to make a joke, in the dimly lit, cramped space, he suddenly saw the hickey on the back of Chu Mu's neck. Qin Ye immediately felt as if someone was choking him, making it impossible for him to breathe.

"Um?"

Before he could hear what happened next, Chu Muchao asked in confusion.

Qin Ye smiled and looked away.

"Xiao Chao has a boyfriend?"

Chu Muchao immediately realized why Qin Ye had given that awkward smile earlier, and quickly covered the mark on the back of his neck.

"What kind of person is he?"

"I've never heard you or your brother mention me. Do I know you?"

"How far has it developed?"

He asked three questions in a row, leaving Chu Muchao speechless.

How can I tell you?

I can't exactly tell you, "I'm with my brother..."

cough.

Chu Muchao whispered, "My brother knows."

"Oh..." Qin Ye drawled out the last syllable, his tone revealing a hint of doubt and disbelief, "Your brother would agree?"

Chu Muchao: "Uh..."

Qin Ye turned his head to the window, but his gaze could not focus on any part of the scenery outside.

After a while, he raised his right hand and rested it on his chin.

"Nowhere to go? Want to come to my place?"

"No, no, I'll stay at Sui Sui's house for two days."

Chu Muchao refused without even thinking.

"Thank you, Brother Qin Ye. Just drop me off anywhere where it's easy to get a taxi later."

"In that case, I'll take you to Xu Sui's house."

Qin Ye turned his head, looked at her with a smile, and said in a tone that left no room for refusal.

Chu Muchao hesitated for a moment, then smiled and thanked him, "Okay, thank you, Brother Qin Ye."

-

Qin Ye had his driver take Chu Muchao to Xu Sui's house on Chengnan Road.

This is already a well-equipped residential area with a great surrounding environment and everything you could need.

After escorting Chu Muchao upstairs, Qin Ye had the driver drive around the neighborhood.

Qin Ye: There are convenience stores and pharmacies to the left of the entrance to the community, and a large supermarket to the left at the intersection 700 meters away.

Qin Ye: There are several restaurants nearby. Their phone numbers are: ...

Qin Ye: Give me a call if you need any help.

-

When Chu Muchao saw the message from Qin Ye, it was already past nine o'clock at night.

This apartment is a 400-square-meter single-level unit located in the city center. To the right of the entrance is an open kitchen and dining room, with the dining table placed in front of an extra-long floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the city view.

On the dining table was the hot pot takeout that Xu Sui had ordered for her.

Xu Sui hadn't told her that she had also ordered takeout. When Chu Muchao saw so many insulated bags on the table, he immediately called Xu Sui.

Xu Sui said, "Didn't you say you wanted to eat hot pot last time? Although I can't eat with you, I can order some for you to take home and eat slowly~"

Chu Muchao was touched: "How did you know I was craving this!"

"What don't I know? Hmph." Xu Sui said, "While you're eating later, let's have a group video call, and you can tell me in detail why you're avoiding Chu Wen. I'm curious."

Chu Muchao retracted his sentimentality: "You want to eat my melon after just one hot pot meal!"

Xu Sui: "Then when I get back, I'll personally treat you to a meal!"

Chu Muchao: "Okay."

Following Xu Sui's verbal instructions, Chu Muchao fiddled with the small hot pot for quite a while before finally setting it up.

With everything ready and the hot pot broth boiling, Chu Muchao set up his phone and initiated a group video call.

While eating hotpot, she told Xu Sui and Gu Xinyi about what she had seen in the room on the third floor that day.

After listening, Xu Sui and Gu Xinyi remained silent for a long time.

Chu Muchao said, "When I first found out, I didn't know what to do. I should say, I still don't know what to do now."

Gu Xinyi shook her head and sighed, "It really is a melodramatic soap opera script from a wealthy family."

Xu Sui asked, "How did Chu Wen take over the company in the first place? Did he resent your family and want to seize your family's assets? I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sow discord between you. I've always thought Chu Wen was very good to you, but I've been watching some melodramatic dramas lately, and this thought just suddenly popped into my head."

Chu Muchao shook his head: "I don't know."

She didn't want to think badly of Chu Wen.

However, she would resist any information related to the company, initially because she discovered that Chu Wen was interested in the company.

Before today, or before she learned that Chu Wen was not her blood-related brother, she thought that Chu Wen simply liked to control and manage, liked to strategize, and wanted to make the company thrive through his own talents.

Worried that her parents' favoritism towards her, the youngest daughter, would make Chu Wen feel uneasy, she took the initiative to suggest studying abroad.

Chu Wen then naturally took over the company.

Later, because her parents intended to cultivate her, in order to eliminate any competitive feelings that Chu Wen might have, she tried her best to become a lazy bum who didn't care about anything.

All she needs is more pocket money from her parents and brother.

And Chu Wen did indeed give her a lot of pocket money that she couldn't spend.

After Chu Wen took over the company completely, her food, clothing and daily necessities were no longer taken care of by her parents or housekeeper, but were all arranged by Chu Wen.

On the worst, Chu Wen might have been gradually infiltrating their lives and slowly gaining control.

But Chu Wen has never been bad.

She couldn't bring herself to think badly of him.

Gu Xinyi clapped her hands, drawing the attention of the two of them.

“I think since nothing has happened, there’s no need for you to worry unnecessarily. Even if he might have had those thoughts, he didn’t do anything about it. You’ve lived together for over ten years; you should know better than outsiders how you get along.”

“That’s what I say…” Chu Muchao stammered, “I don’t know how to face him. If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t have been kidnapped, and his father wouldn’t have died.”

"Chaochao, you need to understand one thing: it's not just you and Chu Wen who have been kidnapped."

Xu Sui interrupted forcefully.

"At that time, most of the children of the prominent figures in Nancheng were kidnapped. It was premeditated and planned, and you couldn't have prevented it by yourself alone. You don't need to take all the responsibility on yourself."

After finishing their conversation, Chu Muchao tidied up the table briefly. When he had some free time to rest, he saw Qin Ye's message.

She replied with "Thank you, Brother Qin Ye".

Chu Muchao's heart clenched when his gaze fell on Chu Wen's profile picture.

Three hours had passed since they met Chu Wen's car.

Chu Wen must have known for a long time that she wasn't home, yet he didn't contact her.

Isn't Chu Wen curious about where she went?

The person who had always shown her a strong desire to control her suddenly stopped doing so today?

[Does Miss Mu Mu want him to come looking for her?]

The system would always appear unexpectedly, and Chu Muchao found himself getting somewhat used to it.

Chu Muchao: Not really. If he came looking for me, I still wouldn't know how to face him, I'd definitely still avoid him. But he doesn't come looking for me at all…

Do you feel that he's not sincere or caring enough towards you?

Chu Muchao: ...

right.

It seems that the controlling, possessive, and irrational madness he displayed before were all fake.

Since that's the case, then don't think about it anymore, just get some rest.

Chu Muchao: Hmm.

[If Miss Mu Mu doesn't want to go to the company, this system can also act as a part-time substitute teacher to continue teaching you the courses you haven't finished.]

Chu Muchao: Mm-hmm.

Chu Muchao didn't have much doubt about the system's ability to teach her management knowledge, nor did she care much about it.

She learns things very quickly; having a teacher to explain the knowledge only helps her absorb it even faster.

Even without a teacher, the books Chu Wen gave her were enough for her to learn on her own.

It's true that I don't want to go to the company.

Unless Chu Wen goes on a business trip to another province for a while, and she suddenly comes to her senses one day.

-

Chu Muchao had actually gotten used to living alone in an unfamiliar environment.

The bedroom Xu Sui prepared for her had a unique view of the sea.

She admired it for a while, and soon fell asleep peacefully.

On the other side, the Chu family.

The lights in the room next to Chu Muchao's were on all night.

Chu Wen didn't sleep all night.

A text message is displayed on the phone screen.

The young lady is already asleep.

Below is a photo taken from below, looking up at the building.

The room was dark, and the curtains were drawn.

The phone is on the desk.

Chu Wen sat at his desk all night, staring at the constantly lit screen.

*

Chu Muchao didn't go to the company for a whole week.

Chu Wen didn't contact her once during this week.

Qin Ye, on the other hand, would send her a message from time to time to ask about her recent situation and whether she needed any help.

The system is dead:

Miss Mu Mu, he's trying to curry favor with you.

Chu Muchao: ...I thought he was provoking me.

【^-^Miss Mu Mu's perspective is quite unique.】

Chu Muchao: I'm doing so well living abroad all by myself. I'm currently staying at a friend's house, and a housekeeper comes to clean and tidy up the house every day. She can even cook for me if I need it. He actually asked me how I was doing and if I needed any help.

Chu Muchao: Isn't this a huge disrespect to me?

【^-^ Hmm... who can argue with that?】

During this week, Chu Muchao found that he was learning at twice the usual speed.

After deducting the time she spends commuting to and from work, wandering around, or chatting idly, she has a lot of time to study at home, and she can arrange her time freely.

If she has any questions or disagreements, she can ask the system.

Chu Muchao: Compared to one-on-one tutoring, this seems to be a faster way to learn!

[Proudly standing with hands on hips.JPG]

Chu Muchao: How about we study like this from now on?

【^-^ I'm glad I could help Miss Mumu.】

The learning problem is solved, but Chu Wen... is still not solved.

Thinking of Chu Wen, Chu Muchao felt deflated again.

Miss Mu Mu, running away isn't the way to solve problems.

Chu Muchao: Let's wait a bit longer, anyway, he hasn't come looking for me.

She disappeared for a day, and Chu Wen didn't come looking for her. Perhaps Chu Wen was busy or had other things to do.

They haven't come looking for us after a week, which can only mean...

He doesn't care about you.

Chu Muchao: He knows where I am.

【？】

Chu Muchao: ?

Miss Mu really trusts him.

Chu Muchao: In short, continuing to live here will greatly improve my learning efficiency, so let's leave it at that for now.

*

A few days later, Xu Sui finally returned.

They agreed to meet at this apartment on Chengnan Road.

Chu Muchao had ordered hot pot delivery in advance, and it arrived just as Xu Sui and Gu Xinyi were arriving.

Xu Sui couldn't help but laugh: "How much do you crave hot pot?"

Chu Muchao retorted, "This isn't the hot pot you ordered for me, it's from another restaurant! And... hehe, it's a new flavor, sour and spicy! You've definitely never tried it before!"

They poured the hot pot broth into the pot and put it on the electric stove to cook.

The soup was still a little hot, and after simmering it for a short while, a rich aroma of onions and lemons wafted out.

Xu Sui frowned: "Are you sure... passion fruit and lemon can be cooked in there?"

Chu Muchao said proudly, "You'll see when you eat it."

"Alright then." Xu Sui glanced at Gu Xinyi and chose to compromise. "Since we're already here, we should at least try it."

Gu Xinyi chuckled and asked, "Hey, there's a technology innovation forum at the end of the month, and they've invited a lot of industry leaders. Do you want to bring your company's people to join us?"