In the early morning, a gentle and refreshing breeze softly lifted the white curtains on the French windows, filling the air with the unique freshness and tranquility of the mountain forest in the morning.
Tang Ning, lying on the bed, hadn't even opened her eyes yet, but her brows furrowed slightly.
After frowning for a while, she tentatively opened her eyes. Her thick, long eyelashes trembled, then trembled again. She struggled to open her eyes slowly, looking at the completely unfamiliar lights above her with a somewhat confused expression. She turned her head slightly and glanced at the floor-to-ceiling window on one side, and the white magnolias blooming outside the window, as white as a snowflake.
Tang Ning blinked, and after realizing that she wasn't in her own room, the confusion in her eyes faded away as quickly as possible.
Suddenly sitting up, Tang Ning looked at the completely unfamiliar room with clear eyes. Her first reaction was to throw off the blanket covering her. When she saw that her clothes were on properly, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
Before he could exhale completely, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the girl in the blue frame on the bedside table and abruptly turned his head.
It was a group photo of five people: three men and one woman. The three men all looked Asian, but the woman had blonde hair and blue eyes, and she was holding a little girl with equally beautiful blonde hair in her arms.
She didn't recognize the others, but she immediately recognized the man standing on the far left of the photo, wearing frameless glasses and looking refined.
Mu Sheng.
This should be a family photo of the Mu family. The people in the photo are Mu Sheng's father, his eldest brother and sister-in-law, and his niece.
After a slight pause, Tang Ning reached out and took the photo frame. Her fingers unconsciously touched Mu Sheng's face in the photo. Only after touching it did Tang Ning realize what she had done. She hurriedly put the photo frame back in its place, trying to cover it up. Realizing where she was, she threw off the covers and walked out barefoot.
You ask her why she's putting on such a show all by herself? It's because she knows Mu Sheng. That man is extremely vigilant. Even in his own home, he installs cameras everywhere. She doesn't want Mu Sheng to accidentally discover something amiss when he sees the home security footage, causing all her previous efforts to go to waste.
Thinking of this, Tang Ning finally opened the door and came out of the room. Once outside, she realized that the room was really huge, even twice the size of the Ye family's villa.
Tang Ning quietly went downstairs and was looking around when she accidentally caught a glimpse of Mu Sheng's back in the kitchen.
In an instant, the scenes from last night's drunken night began to play incessantly in her mind. A flash of embarrassment and awkwardness crossed her face, and in a panic, she hurriedly walked towards the front door.
She had only taken a couple of steps when a familiar, smiling voice suddenly rang out behind her.
"Where are you going? Breakfast is ready. Since you're awake, come and eat. I've made you some milk."
Upon hearing this voice, Tang Ning's body trembled involuntarily, and a look of annoyance flashed across her face.
She stood there, hesitating for a long time, before slowly turning around.
Her eyes were on the sofa, the dining table, the chairs, and even the murals, but she refused to look at Mu Sheng's face, who was standing directly in front of her.
"Do you usually eat breakfast first or brush your teeth first? If you usually brush your teeth first, the bathroom is over there. I've already squeezed the toothpaste for you. The towel is clean and unused. Please hurry up so your breakfast doesn't get cold and doesn't taste good."
Mu Sheng looked at Tang Ning in a gentle tone and said this.
Hearing him say that, Tang Ning finally turned her gaze to Mu Sheng's smiling face. After just one glance, her face flushed bright red. "I...I'll brush my teeth first..."
After stammering through her words, she turned away and ran towards the bathroom.
"Wait a moment."
"ah?"
Tang Ning stopped, somewhat confused.
"It's still a bit chilly, so put on your slippers first. I had someone buy them for me this morning, and no one has worn them before."
"Mmm...uh!"
Tang Ning looked at the pink slippers placed in front of her, stepped into them, and hurriedly ran to the bathroom.
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she lingered in the bathroom for a while before slowly coming out and sitting down at the dining table, looking at the fried eggs, sausages, and toast laid out in front of her.
"No one lives here usually, so there's not much to eat. If you don't like Western-style breakfasts..."
"No...no, I like it very much..."
Before she could finish speaking, she had already grabbed a piece of toast and put it in her mouth.
"last night……"
"Pfft! Cough, cough cough cough..."
On the other end, Mu Sheng had just started speaking when Tang Ning was immediately choked and began coughing violently.
Seeing this, Mu Sheng quickly pushed the warm milk towards her, saying, "Why are you so careless? Be careful."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning reached out and took the milk, then began to drink it in large gulps. After drinking about half of it, she finally felt much more comfortable.
"I was drunk last night, I don't remember anything. I don't think I did anything strange, right?"
Tang Ning asked this question urgently.
Looking at Tang Ning like this, Mu Sheng forcibly suppressed his smile, looked seriously into her eyes, and said with a slight upturn of his lips, "Hmm, no."
Hearing him say that, Tang Ning slowly lowered her head, a clear look of frustration flashing in her eyes. Because she was thinking about random things, her hand unconsciously kept stuffing things into her mouth.
"Aren't you afraid of choking?"
Mu Sheng asked, amused.
"Um?"
Tang Ning looked up blankly, her cheeks puffed out, looking like a hamster hiding its food, adorably silly.
The smile in Mu Sheng's eyes became even more pronounced.
Only then did she realize what stupid thing she had done again.
Afraid that if she stayed any longer, Tang Ning didn't care if she choked and quickly swallowed what was in her mouth. Then she drank the rest of the milk in one gulp, lightly pounded her chest with her fist, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and said breathlessly, "I...I'm full! School doctor, I...I should go home now. My family must be worried about me if I don't go home all night. I...I'll go now!"
"This place is quite remote, and you can't get a taxi here at all. I'll call my driver to come and take you home."
Mu Sheng, putting down his toast, offered this suggestion.
"Huh? Oh, okay, sure."
Tang Ning nodded hesitantly in agreement.
Shortly after Mu Sheng finished his call, the driver had already parked the car outside Mu Sheng's villa.
Seeing this, Tang Ning was about to leave when Mu Sheng reached out and grabbed her arm, just as he began to speak, "Last night on the beach..."
"Didn't I tell you? I'm drunk and don't remember anything. I don't remember the beach, the birthday party, the fireworks, anything. I really have to go back!"
Upon hearing the word "beach," Tang Ning immediately blushed like a cat with its fur standing on end and replied in a very fast voice.
After hearing Tang Ning's words, Mu Sheng was stunned for a moment, then pursed his lips, not daring to laugh, because he was afraid that if he laughed, the little girl would become even more shy and not know what to do.
He simply bent down and took a shoebox from the shoe cabinet next to him. "Well, I know you're drunk and don't remember anything. I just wanted to tell you that I accidentally left your shoes on the beach last night. This is a pair I had someone buy for you this morning. If you don't mind, you can wear these shoes out."
After speaking, Mu Sheng opened the shoebox, revealing the green and white casual shoes inside.
Upon seeing the shoes, Tang Ning realized she had truly misunderstood, but unable to find a way to back down, she could only awkwardly stare at them.
"What's wrong? Do you need me to help you get dressed?"
Mu Sheng asked softly.
"No, no, no need!"
Tang Ning hurriedly refused, then took the shoes and quickly put them on.
After putting it on, she couldn't help but smirk.
After regaining her senses, Tang Ning immediately stood up and looked at Mu Sheng in front of her, "Thank you for the shoes, school doctor."
"I'm glad you like it."
"I love so much."
After a pause, Tang Ning turned and walked towards the door, saying, "Then... I'm leaving."
"Um."
Goodbye, school doctor.
She greeted him happily, but as soon as she pushed open the door, she stopped abruptly as if she had suddenly remembered something. She turned to Mu Sheng and said, "School doctor, my birthday is in two days. My family will be throwing me a birthday party. Are you free then? I'd like to invite you."
"A birthday party?"
Mu Sheng couldn't help but recall the banquet and gifts Tang Ning had described to him last night, and his eyes flickered unconsciously. "Of course, I will definitely attend."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning's face instantly lit up with an expression of anticipation and joy, her eyes shining even brighter than the sunlight outside.
"Then I'll wait for you to come! You absolutely have to come!"
After leaving those words behind, Tang Ning finally walked outside, satisfied.
Mu Sheng watched as she turned around and waved to him even though she had already walked quite a distance away, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
Birthday parties are such perfect times for confessions of love or dramatic love triangles!
Mu Sheng, who sat down at the dining table again, and Tang Ning, who was sitting in the back seat of the car, thought the same thing in a surprisingly similar way.
Soon, the car arrived at the Ye family's gate. Upon entering, Tang Ning discovered that Tang Qing had left with Ye Zhen again. Well, that was great; there was no need for explanations. Tang Ning had just finished greeting the housekeepers and returned to her room a short while ago.
She pressed her hand to her chest, her expression panicked as she walked down the stairs and began searching the living room.
Upon seeing her like this, Wang Ma and the others hurriedly surrounded her.
"Miss Tang Ning, what's wrong?"
"My jade pendant, the jade Buddha that Mom gave me for my birthday last year, is gone..."
Anxious looks appeared on Tang Ning's face as she searched for her.
"What should we do? Have you searched upstairs? We've cleaned downstairs, but we can't find her! Miss, you didn't come home all night, could you have left her outside?"
Just as Wang Ma finished speaking, Tang Ning suddenly stopped searching. She straightened up and began to frown and think. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember where she had lost her jade Buddha. So she grabbed her small bag and started running outside.
"Miss Tang Ning..."
“Wang Ma, you’re right. My jade Buddha is probably lost outside. I’ll go out and look for it now. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be back before dinner.”
As they were talking, Tang Ning had already left the house.
At the same time, Mu Sheng's phone rang again.
"What's up?"
"Mr. Mu, Miss Tang Ning went home and left again in less than ten minutes."
"Stay close and report her location to me at any time."
"yes."
Half an hour later.
"Miss Tang Ning went to Galaxy 1898, which she visited last night. She seemed to be looking for something, but she didn't find it and left. She took a taxi to... an urban village. Our people asked around, and Miss Tang seems to be looking for something..."
"Jade Buddha?"
Inside the villa, Mu Sheng picked up a jade pendant from under his pillow, raised an eyebrow, and replied.
"Uh...yes."
The jade Buddha was left with him, so why did she go towards the urban village?
Of course it's for Xu Xingbo!
The urban village is where Xu Xingbai lives.
If her memory serves her right, in the story, after Xu Xingbai learned that the gambler surnamed Chen had jumped off the building, he quickly handed over the evidence of the local thugs' crimes. After the police checked the authenticity of the evidence, they quickly arrested the group. However, they were not to be trifled with; they had gotten wind of the situation long ago and were preparing to flee.
How can you run away without money?
So, they set their sights on Xu Xingbai, a top-notch gambler. After all, he owed them two million, and the money he had paid back before wasn't even enough to cover the interest. If they really got serious, it would probably be more than two million.
Paying back debts is a matter of course.
Since Xu Xingbai is so skilled, they'll definitely take him to a few big casinos to gamble. They'll try to make as much money as they can, because by the time those people realize what's happening, they'll have already made their escape. As for Xu Xingbai, they don't care if he dies.
In the story, Xu Xingbo wanted to prove to the police that he had nothing to do with these people, and he genuinely didn't want to offend another group of people. He got a good beating, otherwise how could he have gotten out of there unscathed?
He's just been beaten; he's been beaten countless times since he was a child.
He only got a beating, and now he can rest easy forever. He's actually the one who profited.
And this is Tang Ning's opportunity.
A few days later is her birthday party, which is also the time when her three-month contract with Jiang Yao expires. It's obvious that the day won't be peaceful. She will definitely break up with Jiang Yao and be with Mu Sheng, whose favorability rating is only 55.
Given Mu Sheng's personality, it would be unwise for her to try to gain favor with others after being with him. However, her later plans required the other three people to have a favorability rating of 90 or higher, so Xu Xingbai's favorability rating was left with only this last chance.
Yes, she deliberately left the jade Buddha with Mu Sheng.
But because of last night's kiss, she was still a little unsure how to face him, so she naturally came to Xu Xingbai's place to try her luck. Didn't you hear what that fat manager said? He seemed to have seen Xu Xingbai take something home.
She definitely didn't take it. It's just that the fat manager and Xu Xingbo have such a good relationship. It's rare to see such a pretty young girl come to Xu Xingbo. Regardless of whether she took it or not, let's help him fool the girl first. More interaction means more opportunities.
It's so thoughtful of her that Tang Ning doesn't even need to make up an excuse.
What a coincidence! The taxi had just stopped at the alley where she had met Xu Xingbai before. Before she could even get out of the car, Tang Ning was shocked to see Xu Xingbai, who was not far ahead, suddenly surrounded by a group of thugs who looked like they were up to no good.
After looking around, the bald leader pulled out a gun and pressed it against Xu Xingbai's waist, forcing him into a van that was already parked by the roadside.
Upon seeing this, Tang Ning immediately widened her eyes and closed the taxi door that had already been opened.
"Sir, could you please keep an eye on that van ahead for me? I'll pay extra, please don't lose it."
Seeing this, Tang Ning hurriedly gave the following instructions.
At the same moment, Mu Sheng, who was playing with the jade Buddha in his hand, received another phone call—
"Mr. Mu, the taxi stopped for a moment, but Miss Tang didn't get out. Now the car has started again, and it's going very fast... The car is veering further and further off course. The taxi stopped on the side of the road, and Miss Tang got out. She seems to be following someone..."
Upon hearing this, Mu Sheng immediately gripped the jade Buddha tightly in his hand.
"What happened?"
"It's unclear at the moment. We didn't dare get too close, so we don't know what's going on ahead... We've entered an abandoned auto repair shop, and Miss Tang and the people she was following have disappeared..."
The abandoned car repair shop was full of twists and turns. With the system at her disposal, Tang Ning could easily shake off Mu Sheng's men with just a little manipulation, just like in Galaxy 1898.
After all, this is the perfect time to build goodwill, so how can we let Mu Sheng's people cause trouble in the meantime!
Tang Ning glanced at the virtual arrow that 54088 had marked ahead for her, and quickly followed the group of people in front of her.
On the villa side, Mu Sheng had already grabbed his coat, gotten into his car, and was rushing over.
"Now, give me your location right away."
"yes."
Tang Ning, who had shaken off those people and guessed that Mu Sheng would most likely arrive soon, frowned and rushed over as soon as she heard the cursing and muffled groans that suddenly rang out from ahead.
Peeking through the crack in the dilapidated window in front of me—
"You don't want to bet, huh? You don't want to bet, huh? Beat him up! This little bastard really thinks he's something! I want to see if our fists are harder, or if this brat's bones are tougher!"
With just one glance, Tang Ning's eyes widened immediately, and at the same time, she hurriedly dialed 110.
"Straighten his arm for me. If we don't gamble, I don't think your right arm is of any use. I might as well just cripple it!"
As soon as he finished speaking the threat, the bald man picked up a steel pipe, spat on the ground, his eyes hardened, and raised the steel pipe to smash down on Xu Xingbai's right hand.
"don't want!"
Before Xu Xingbai's expression could change much, Tang Ning had already spoken up to stop him.
Upon hearing this voice, Xu Xingbai's expression immediately changed. The boy, who had been pressed firmly to the ground like a wooden statue, immediately struggled to lift his head.
"Who goes there!"
The bald man gave a sharp shout.
Realizing she had been exposed, Tang Ning picked up her small leather bag and walked out with a fierce but cowardly expression.
The moment Xu Xingbai saw Tang Ning, his face turned deathly pale.
Tang Ning...
Why is she here?
How did she end up here?
No, hurry, hurry...
Xu Xingbo struggled even more fiercely in an instant.
“Xu Xingbai…”
Tang Ning had just called his name once.
"roll!"
The boy, whose mouth and eyes were bruised and whose face and body were covered in dirt, shouted at her with a fierce look in his eyes.
Tang Ning immediately froze on the spot.
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