When Mu Yiran heard that Ai Ni was coming, she was a little excited. She waited in the front yard for a while but didn't see any car on the mountain road.
From the time she went to the studio this morning until now, Mu Yiran hadn't eaten anything. Her stomach was so hungry that it hurt, so she slowly made her way into the dining room. She had intended to cook some noodles to fill her stomach, but she found that three dishes and a soup had already been warmed up on the table.
It's all Minnan cuisine.
"Who did this..." Mu Yiran murmured unconsciously.
But after she finished speaking, she realized that her actions were a bit foolish. Unlike before, there was no one else in the villa except her and Shi Youxi. Who would answer her?
"It was made by the young master."
An old voice suddenly rang out behind her, startling Mu Yiran, who turned around to look.
Upon seeing who it was, Mu Yiran was still a little taken aback: "...Uncle Lin?"
In fact, in her memory, she had only not seen anyone related to Shi Youxi for a few months. Even though Uncle Lin was much older than she remembered, Mu Yiran still recognized him at a glance.
Uncle Lin was dressed in his usual elegant Zhongshan suit. His hair was completely white, neatly combed at his temples. The old man wore the same warm smile he always had, just like when they first met. He asked Mu Yiran:
"You must be Miss Mu."
The same address feels like a lifetime ago.
"I..."
Seeing the woman standing there in a daze, Uncle Lin assumed she was unhappy with his address, so he bent down slightly and explained, "Young Master said that Miss Mu is not very old. I think young girls nowadays don't like being called old-fashioned, so I didn't call you Madam."
“It’s not like we haven’t called it that before…” Mu Yiran whispered.
But back then she was using Cheng Ran's body, and with that barrier, it didn't feel strange to hear Uncle Lin call her "Madam"... But now, if Uncle Lin, who is about the same age as her grandfather, were to call her "Madam," it would really feel a bit awkward.
Looking at the girl's vivid little expressions, Uncle Lin subconsciously felt soft-hearted, as if there was a sense of familiarity. He thought for a moment but couldn't remember, so he didn't investigate further. It's normal for someone her age to have a bad memory.
"So, Miss Mu wants me to call—"
"Uncle Lin, just call me Ranran." Mu Yiran's lips curled up, her full apple cheeks puffed out, a cute and charming smile that was extremely pleasing to the elderly.
“You’re like my grandfather. There’s no need to be so formal among family. Ranran is my nickname. You can just call me that. I feel a little embarrassed if you call me anything else.”
Uncle Lin was not spared either. It was clearly the first time he had met Miss Mu, but for some reason he felt an instant connection with her. No wonder she was the young master's favorite.
Uncle Lin didn't dwell on the matter. In private, he would do whatever the young lady liked, but in front of outsiders, he wouldn't forget the proper etiquette for her and give others the opportunity to slight her.
He smiled kindly: "Then Ranran—"
"Don't shout!"
Mu Yiran and Uncle Lin were both startled and turned their heads at the same time. Shi Youxi stood at the restaurant entrance with her phone in one hand, her gaze sweeping over Mu Yiran, then over Uncle Lin, and then back again. Finally, she lowered her eyes, casually turning her phone as she walked over.
"I was wondering how to answer the phone, but it turns out my sister was chatting with someone else!"
Mu Yiran raised an eyebrow: "You called me? I didn't hear it."
As they got closer, they both heard a soft groan emanating from the man's chest.
Mu Yiran: ...That familiar dog-like temper is back!
Uncle Lin chuckled: "He's throwing a tantrum like a child!"
It took Shi Youxi a long time to walk just a few steps, and he still didn't see Mu Yiran lean towards him. Shi Youxi was furious. He pulled Mu Yiran to his side and deliberately walked around to the opposite side of Uncle Lin, pressing her to sit next to him.
Uncle Lin quickly set out the tableware for the two of them. Shi Youxi was still angry. Seeing that Mu Yiran was already focused on picking up food, he childishly held the fork down on the chopsticks and asked, "Sister? Ranran?"
"I'd like to call you that too."
Mu Yiran was starving and didn't care about anything else: "Call if you want, I didn't tell you not to."
How can these be the same?!
Why should he call you by your nickname whenever he wants, but expect others to call him by it? Why should he?!
"I don't want to, I won't call her that! And no one else is allowed to call her that either! Ranran? That's so tacky!" Shi Youxi said, looking at Uncle Lin.
"..." Mu Yiran was busy chewing her food, her lips moving a few times as she cursed very rudely.
The old man nodded and smiled knowingly, "What the young master says goes." After saying that, he quietly left the restaurant, giving the two young people some space to talk.
It seems that when interacting with the young mistress, the person one should be most careful about is not others, but the young master.
The restaurant fell silent. Shi Youxi, now completely unrestrained, waited until Mu Yiran had stuffed a few bites of braised chicken, then hooked his long leg around her—
"Hmm!"
They simply turned the chair that Mu Yiran was sitting on around.
"I haven't finished eating yet!"
Shi Youxi stared at her tongue as she licked the sauce, and asked ambiguously, "Is it good?"
Mu Yiran remembered that Uncle Lin said Shi Youxi had made all of these dishes, and she swallowed a few times. "They're alright... When did you learn to cook?"
Shi Youxi kept watching her lips glistening with the soup. He had cooked this dish many times and knew exactly what it tasted like, but for some reason, he wanted to taste it again now. He felt that something about her was always different.
Mu Yiran turned around and shoveled rice into her mouth. Before Shi Youxi could answer, she glanced at him and said, "Hmm? Why aren't you saying anything? Did you not make this? Did you order takeout? I knew it was no wonder I'd never seen you cook this before."
A damp patch appeared at the corner of her mouth, and Shi Youxi gently wiped it with a hot towel. The white towel was stained with red, whether from sauce or lipstick residue, he couldn't tell. He looked at it for a few seconds, then looked up at her from that distance: "How could the takeout delivery know that my sister only likes egg whites and not yolks?"
"Of course you haven't seen it, since you learned it before you were around."
“............”
Before Mu Yiran, it refers to the five years that only Shi Youxi experienced.
Mu Yiran felt a little depressed.
Since their reunion, she and Shi Youxi have never directly mentioned those five years. Even though those five years were only two months for Mu Yiran, for Shi Youxi they were truly five years that almost lasted indefinitely.
Five years can change a lot. Even though Shi Youxi has regained his memories, he is still somewhat different from the Shi Youxi in Mu Yiran's memory. Mu Yiran doesn't know that he learned to cook during these five years, or whether he continued his studies. Shi Jie calls him "Mr.", does this mean that Shi Youxi has completely replaced Shi Yan as the head of the Shi family during these five years? And... did Shi Youxi date anyone else during these five years? Before his memories returned, did he fall in love with anyone...?
Mu Yiran thought of Helian Xin again.
"Who else would know you can cook, Helian Xin?" The question slipped out of her mouth almost unconsciously. Mu Yiran herself was surprised, and she stared at the slightly astonished Shi Youxi.
Shi Youxi realized something, and incredulously yet unable to suppress a smile: "Sister, you..."
Mu Yiran changed the subject: "It's nothing, I was just asking."
She tried to eat as if nothing was wrong, but Shi Youxi wasn't about to let her off the hook. His face loomed large in front of Mu Yiran. "Why didn't you mention Guan Shiyan? Why did you have to mention Helian Xin?"
Mu Yiran was also wondering why she felt it was related to Helian Xin. Was it because she saw her today?
Shi Youxi stared intently at her expression, pinched her chin with his fingertips and gently tugged, then pressed his lips against hers, where she had bitten him, and asked in a low voice, "You saw her? Helian Xin?"
Mu Yiran's eyes darted around.
Now Shi Youxi was certain: "You saw her."
"Yes, I met her this afternoon. She's a special guest invited by the program team. We were originally supposed to work together, but I didn't really want to, so I already told Mu Mu that we'd be changing partners." Mu Yiran readily admitted, her tone casual, as if she didn't care about the matter.
Shi Youxi immediately sensed the dejection and displeasure hidden in her words, and his eagerness to explain suddenly slowed down. He asked, "Why didn't you come to me first?"
Mu Yiran asked in confusion, "...What do you want?"
Shi Youxi pressed his hands on the back of her chair, his voice low and deep: "When you see the person who framed you suddenly appear in front of you, shouldn't the first person you think of be me?"
Mu Yiran had no idea what Shi Youxi was trying to get her to say, and she herself didn't know either. Her mind was in turmoil, and she was only regretting why she had mentioned Helian Xin earlier!
"She framed me, not you, so why would I miss you?"
What's the point of thinking about you?
This hidden subtext made Mu Yiran feel like a hedgehog; the closer Shi Youxi got to her to ask questions, the more he would be pricked.
His eyes dimmed, then he grabbed Mu Yiran's chin and forced her to look at him. "Think about why I didn't tell you about Helian Xin, think about why I dealt with Scya but didn't touch Helian Xin, think about why I said I would make those who hurt you pay the price, but didn't destroy Helian Xin!"
"When you saw her appear before you again, looking radiant and beautiful, didn't your sister harbor any resentment at all? Resentment that she got away with harming you unscathed... and therefore held a grudge against me?"
Shi Youxi spoke each word clearly and frankly, expressing the resentment and anger that Mu Yiran was unwilling to face. However, he felt no less embarrassed and sad than Mu Yiran.
Even if it wasn't because he wanted to depend on him, even if it was out of anger or resentment, Shi Youxi wanted Mu Yiran to think of him first at any time!
Mu Yiran was shocked. She opened her mouth but couldn't speak, and didn't know what to say. She seemed to understand Shi Youxi's unusual way of "pleading".
Seeing her struggling and pursing her lips, Shi Youxi felt a little deflated and slumped down, slamming his head heavily into her neck.
"Aren't you angry with me?"
"..."
"It's my sister's fault."
"You should blame me, be angry with me, question me, and punish me!"
…I need to have a chance to get closer to your heart.
Before Mu Yiran could even organize her thoughts, Shi Youxi bit her several times in a frantic and vicious manner!
"Holy crap! Ouch—Shi Youxi!" Mu Yiran slapped Shi Youxi's cheek and pushed him away!
Shi Youxi pouted unwillingly, and then tried to nibble on her hand again.
Mu Yiran could no longer tolerate it. "If you keep throwing tantrums like this, I'm not talking to you anymore! I'm not even angry yet! What are you angry about!"
Upon hearing her words, Shi Youxi immediately quieted down, crossed her arms around her waist, and pulled her close. "...Then why are you angry?"
"..."
Mu Yiran was so frustrated by this person that she almost lost her temper. She couldn't say anything, and she couldn't stay silent either. She took a deep breath and said, "I'm angry. Which victim wouldn't be angry if they saw their abuser not being punished and instead living such a glamorous life? They would want to kill her."
Mu Yiran quietly admitted, "I did... blame you, but this is ultimately between her and me. Nobody forced me to go to the hotel that night, and you didn't know this would happen..."
Although Shi Youxi arrived in time to save her, the two still ended up in bed together.
Mu Yiran didn't know if Shi Youxi's actions were right or wrong for her back then, and she couldn't judge it now, because she had indeed begun to waver in her feelings for this man.
She said to Shi Youxi, whose face was stiff, "In short, I will handle my own affairs with Helian Xin. Even if it gets ugly later, it's still something she owes me. I'm telling you now, if you have any concerns, then we..."
Should we get a divorce?
But they've only been married for less than a week and they're already going to have to go through a month-long cooling-off period for divorce?
Mu Yiran was trying to figure out how to phrase things to get the man to accept it—
“I did lay a hand on him,” Shi Youxi suddenly said.
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