"Mom, there’s only one thing I lied to you about. It’s not that I can wake up whenever I want; the Mu family has scheduled mealtimes, and I have to be up by seven in the morning." Shen Xingling felt a little embarrassed, her small hand unconsciously smoothing back a stray lock of hair.
Mother Shen had thought she was hiding some major secret. She had nearly scared her "to death." After hearing the explanation, she found it rather amusing.
"You really do need someone to keep you in line. Back home, you could do whatever you wanted, sleep whenever you pleased, and wake up at any hour. Did your father or I ever lecture you about that?"
"Yes, you did!" Shen Xingling replied with a straight face. "The day I brought Xinyue home last month, you scolded me. You even said I was terrible at video games."
Xia Lan felt an urge to throttle this exasperating girl. "Is the 'lecturing' I was talking about the same as the 'lecturing' you’re referring to?!"
"Yes!" the girl continued to play dumb.
"You little brat, you only came back today to get on my nerves. I’m done talking to you."
Seeing that her mother was genuinely getting annoyed, Shen Xingling decided to stop testing her patience. "Oh, Mom, I know what you mean."
"As long as you understand. Come on, let's go downstairs to eat."
After the mother and daughter reached the living room, they didn't see the two men. Shen Xingling called out, "Dad, Mu Tingshen, dinner’s ready!"
After the family had finished their meal, Mu Tingshen waited while Shen Xingling chatted with her parents. In the evening, he took her home. As they were leaving, Shen Xingling rolled down the passenger window, turning her head to watch her parents as they stood there seeing them off.
They gradually faded into the distance. Shen Xingling’s eyes grew red, and as they welled up with tears, she reached up to wipe them away. Sensing his wife’s distress, Mu Tingshen picked up speed, only slowing down once the villa was no longer in sight.
When they returned to the Mu household, Elder Jiang and Jiang Sheng had already arrived home. However, there was someone new in the living room—a stranger to Shen Xingling. Duan Yiyun was sitting on the sofa, chatting happily with Madam Mu.
Shen Xingling glanced sideways at Mu Tingshen, wondering who this person was. Before he could speak, she heard Duan Yiyun’s voice.
"Brother Tingshen! You’re back."
She shifted her gaze from Mu Tingshen to Shen Xingling. "This must be the sister-in-law, right?"
"Yes, this is Shen Xingling, my wife. Xingling, this is Duan Yiyun," Mu Tingshen introduced.
Shen Xingling greeted her gracefully. "Hello, I’m Shen Xingling, Tingshen’s wife."
"I know. It’s a pity I couldn’t attend your wedding," Duan Yiyun said, feigning deep regret.
Seeing his grandson and granddaughter-in-law return, Elder Mu spoke up: "Xingling, you're back."
"Yes, Grandpa. We had dinner at my parents' house and stayed for a while before coming back."
Elder Mu feigned exhaustion and gave a big yawn. "You’ve come back at the right time. We have a guest. Since you are the lady of this house, go and join your mother in hosting her."
Upon hearing the words "lady of the house," Duan Yiyun’s expression faltered, though she quickly replaced it with an awkward smile. *Could Elder Mu have sensed my feelings for Tingshen? This visit feels different from the ones in the past.* She realized Elder Mu was warning her not to covet what wasn't hers.
Shen Xingling noticed that Duan Yiyun was quite pretty, though her makeup was a bit heavy. "Grandpa, let me help you upstairs."
"No need," Elder Mu said firmly. "The butler can assist me. You’re the lady of the house; go entertain our guest."
"Alright, Grandpa."
With the butler’s help, Elder Mu headed upstairs to find Grandma Mu. Once he had disappeared from view, Shen Xingling turned and walked into the center of the living room.
"Mom."
Madam Mu replied without much emotion: "You're back. Get some rest early with Tingshen."
Mu Tingshen took Shen Xingling by the hand and started toward the stairs. Behind them, Duan Yiyun tried to probe Madam Mu’s feelings toward Shen Xingling.
"Auntie, so that’s Brother Tingshen’s wife. She seems decent; her looks are a match for him."
"She’s alright. She’s only been married for two days; we’ll see in time if she and Tingshen are a good fit. As for you, since you grew up with Tingshen, I had always expected you to be my daughter-in-law. I never imagined my father would have arranged a marriage for him so long ago. Since he’s already married, Yiyun, you should go find your own happiness. A girl like you—beautiful and talented—I’m sure you’ll find your own bliss here in Yuncheng."
Madam Mu’s message was clear: she was telling Duan Yiyun that while there might have been a chance in the past, that door was now closed. Although Madam Mu didn't exactly love Shen Xingling, she didn't dislike her either. If her son didn't object to her, who was she, as his mother, to complain? Besides, she wasn't the one who had to live with her.
Upstairs, Shen Xingling asked curiously, "Mu Tingshen, who is that woman downstairs, and how is she related to your family?"
Mu Tingshen raised an eyebrow, teasing, "What’s this? Are you jealous? And it’s not my family—it’s *our* family."
Caught off guard, Shen Xingling retorted defensively, "Wh-who’s jealous?" She added, "So what if I am? I’m your wife. Don’t I have the right to be jealous if someone is coveting you?"
Seeing her look like a frantic little rabbit, Mu Tingshen found her both adorable and spirited. He covered his mouth to hide a laugh. "Yes, you’re my wife, of course you have the right to be jealous! Fine, I’ll tell you. When I was a child, we lived next door to her family for a few years. Later, when my sister was playing by the lake in our residential complex with some other children, she accidentally fell in. Duan Yiyun happened to be walking home from school and saved her. My sister has been the treasure of our family since she was small, so my whole family became very grateful to the Duan family."
As Mu Tingshen recalled how his sister had nearly lost her life, he still felt a twinge of self-reproach.
Shen Xingling asked again, "Were there really no other parents around the lake at that time?"
"There shouldn't have been, otherwise there would have been an adult there to save her," Mu Tingshen answered.
Shen Xingling pondered for a moment. "And what about you? How could there be no adults? And even if there weren't, were there no security guards on patrol? No surveillance? Even if cameras weren't common back then, your family was wealthy—the complex couldn't have been that run-down."
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. What Shen Xingling could figure out, Mu Tingshen, who was usually sharp and decisive in the business world, was certainly aware of.
Seeing his young wife’s mouth moving nonstop, he answered her point by point: "I had gone to play basketball with some classmates after school. I only found out about the incident after I got home. At the time, my parents were busy with their careers, and my grandparents happened to be out of town visiting friends when it happened. Usually, it was my job to look after my sister after school. If I hadn't gone to play basketball that day, Zhizhi never would have been in danger."