"Be careful, or one day my scheming might land right on your head,"
Qin Mu warned him, winking.
Mu Yichen, with an arm wrapped around her shoulders, slightly tightened his grip, his eyes devilishly fixated on her, "Mrs. Mu, actually, I am your master, you know?"
"You mean my master in bed?"
After saying this, Qin Mu struggled to hold back her laughter, her face feeling a bit hot.
"Admitting to that is no easy feat!"
Mu Yichen wasn’t angry. Instead, he hugged her and teasingly praised her with a jest.
Qin Haiming was sitting on the living room couch watching a live news broadcast on Channel 13, a hint of annoyance between his brows.
Zhang Rujia sat by his side, glued to her mobile phone. Her clothing counters hadn’t been doing well during the New Year period, and a new fashion store called JY had opened opposite her stand in the mall. It seemed like all the sales from the past couple of days since New Year had been diverted there. Zhang Rujia frowned unconsciously as she looked at the WeChat messages and pictures sent by her manager, letting out a troubled sigh.
When they heard the door, the cleaning lady hurriedly put down her tools to answer it, while the two sitting in the living room shifted their gaze from what they had been focusing on.
"Miss, Young Master,"
The maid felt flustered upon seeing the two of them standing at the door with their belongings, and after a pause, she squeezed out those words.
"Is the Mayor of Qin City home?"
Qin Mu simply asked, for it’s not the servant’s fault, and she had no intention of implicating them.
"Yes, he’s watching the news with the madam!"
The maid nodded and stepped aside to make way, meanwhile calling into the house: "The young lady and the young master have arrived."
For Qin Hai, such an introduction was certainly pleasing, but hearing this made Zhang Rujia uncomfortable. In truth, it immediately ignited a fire inside her, though she couldn’t make a scene. However, her gaze toward the maid was filled with daggers.
Qin Mu and Mu Yichen walked in, Qin Hai and Zhang Rujia also got up from the sofa. Qin Hai, visibly thrilled at the sight of them but holding it back, managed a shallow smile and greeted them with a trace of relief: "Good, you’re here."
Qin Mu could see his excitement but kept her eyes downcast without saying much.
"Has the Mayor of Qin City had a good New Year? We heard you visited our house yesterday afternoon. We both happened not to be there, so grandfather specifically asked us to come over today,"
Mu Yichen spoke with his cool voice, his eyes smiling, but the chilliness was unmistakable.
"Please thank the old master for his concerns, and don’t be strangers, you too. Sit down!"
The maid came over to take the gifts in Qin Mu’s hand, and the two sat down together on the nearby sofa.
Qin Hai’s expression was visibly warmer than when he was at home alone with Zhang Rujia earlier. He was actually just waiting.
This was the first time in many years that Qin Mu spent New Year’s in Rongcheng, and at her in-law’s house, no less. Qin Hai had been looking forward to Qin Mu returning on the second day of the New Year.
"Go get our best tea leaves,"
Qin Hai instructed the woman who had just taken a seat.
Zhang Rujia glanced at him reflexively. Though her heart wasn’t happy, she smiled obligingly and said, "Sure, sure! I’ll go get them!"
Zhang Rujia adopted a complaisant demeanor, rose, and went to fetch the tea leaves for him.
Qin Mu instinctively glanced at Zhang Rujia, perfectly meeting her venomous look, then piled on a perfect smile in return.
Zhang Rujia felt so angry inside it was as if she was about to hemorrhage.
Once in the kitchen, she immediately reprimanded the maid who was fetching the tea leaves: "Are you ill? Or has your brain gone soggy? If she’s the miss, then what is Mingzhu?"
The maid expected to be scolded for her earlier remark but hadn’t thought she would be reprimanded while the guests were still there, and if she couldn’t call her the miss, then what should she call her?
"Madam, then what should I call her? If I call her Miss Qin, then the Mayor..."
"Do you care if he’s happy or not? Don’t you know who has the final say in this house?"
Zhang Rujia glared at her fiercely as she asked.
The maid didn’t dare to speak anymore, merely bowing her head deeply.
Thankfully, the kitchen was well insulated because if this spread outside...
Although Zhang Rujia was reluctant, she still had to fetch the best tea leaves. After all, Qin Hai was a tea connoisseur, and he’d notice if it was even slightly inferior.
And now, the last person she dared to upset was Qin Hai.
Even though her insides churned with agitation, she had to act perfectly composed on the surface.