"Brother Xun..." Before the old man could speak, Xia Bingqing spoke first. Seeing the old man return made Xia Bingqing the happiest. She was overjoyed, thinking that the old man doted on her the most and might even persuade Mu Nanxun to retract his decision to break off the engagement. So, seeing Mu Nanxun holding Yi Yi's hand, Xia Bingqing immediately adopted the air of the lady of the house. "Brother Xun, why are you so late? Where did you go? The assassin incident happened a few days ago; people were very worried about your safety. Promise me, Brother Xun, don't go out so easily, and especially don't... don't get entangled with those people of unknown origin, okay?"
It would have been better if Xia Bingqing hadn't spoken; the moment she did, the old man's face darkened, becoming even more grim than before.
“Miss Xia, you are our guest and shouldn’t concern yourself with our family affairs. Also, I’m talking to my son, so please don’t interrupt. It’s getting late, please go and rest in your guest room.”
Xia Bingqing hadn't expected the old man's attitude towards her to be so stiff and polite; rather than polite, it was more like displeasure. She couldn't understand it. Before, the old man had clearly doted on her and accepted her as his daughter-in-law; why was he acting this way now that he'd returned…?
"Uncle Mu, did Bingqing do something wrong that made you angry? Please tell me and I will change it right away. Please don't be so cold to me."
"You're joking. My Mu family and your Xia family have been friends for generations, and your father and I have been good friends for many years. How could I be cold to you? It's just that now that the two families have dissolved the engagement, you don't need to worry about our family's affairs." The old man still appeared amiable on the surface, but those who knew him well knew that the more amiable he appeared, the more resentful and dissatisfied he actually was.
Everyone assumed that Old Master Mu was completely unaware of what was happening in Philadelphia during his years of travel, but in reality, he was fully aware. He had even investigated the assassination attempt on Mu Nanxun at Maple Riverside, and concluded that the Xia family was involved. Therefore, he rushed back from abroad, and his attitude towards Xia Bingqing underwent a complete 180-degree turn.
"Uncle Mu, I still want to talk to Brother Xun..."
"You lot, why aren't you taking the guests to their rooms to rest?" Before Xia Bingqing could finish her sentence, the old man ruthlessly interrupted her and ordered the servants in the villa.
The servants quickly nodded respectfully and forcibly pulled Xia Bingqing upstairs, saying, "Let's go, Miss Xia."
Afterwards, Uncle Zhang and Aunt Li wisely withdrew and took all the servants with them. Only the old man, Mu Nanxun, Mu Wenya, and Yi Yi remained in the hall.
"Sit down, everyone sit down and talk." The old man looked Yi Yi up and down, then pointed to the sofa next to him. His expression and tone left Yi Yi unable to fathom his attitude.
As if sensing Yi Yi's unease, Mu Nanxun tightened his grip on her hand, a warm current flowing from her palm to her entire body, making Yi Yi feel much more at ease. Looking up, she met his deep eyes, and then he gave her a warm smile, as if to tell her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here for you."
Yi Yi suddenly felt relieved. Of course, with Mu Mu around, what was there to be afraid of? The old man looked kind and gentle; he wouldn't eat people, would he?
Mu Nanxun and Yi Yi sat down on the sofa next to the old man, with Mao Mao curled up obediently at Yi Yi's feet. Opposite them was Mu Wenya in a wheelchair.
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