She wasn’t sorry for having used his cup, nor for finishing the tea he had just cooled.
She had no idea how intimate it looked when she inadvertently leaned on Mu Yichen’s knee while reaching for the teapot.
Jian Yan, however, understood very well; she had long become accustomed to everything about Mu Yichen.
With his eyes lowered, Mu Yichen watched her help pour the tea without giving her any hints, simply leaning back, smugly enjoying the moment.
He just gently stroked her hair, and Qin Mu instinctively turned her head to look at him, and at his slight smile, her mind went blank.
"That’s about enough; the master is still a lonely man,"
Jian Yan could only remind them verbally.
Qin Mu was even more flustered—who was she? What had she done? Why would the master refer to himself as a lonely man?
Finally, Mu Yichen laughed with satisfaction, prompting a puzzled Qin Mu to ask, "What’s wrong?"
That question was soft, so soft it hurt the master.
Jian Yan chuckled, looking at her with an indulgent gaze, "I’ll take a walk outside!"
After watching Jian Yan leave, Qin Mu looked up at Mu Yichen: "What’s the matter with the master?"
"It’s nothing—just that he feels lonely seeing us being so sweet,"
His laugh was harmless, but it made Qin Mu instinctively move away from him at his mention of being "so sweet."
But he wasn’t angry, and he just leaned his head back against the sofa, laughing more and more foolishly to himself.
"He’s gone crazy, really!"
Qin Mu, puzzled, stood up and went upstairs to continue working.
Mu Yichen’s eyes grew slightly somber after she left, and his smile quickly faded.
Only a fool would tell her that another man loves her madly but never mentions it.
Later, when everyone in the studio had left, Mu Yichen was still waiting for her on the first-floor sofa, quietly listening to the sound of running water below the stairs, quietly smelling the scent of lilies on the table, quietly observing everything on the first floor.
She had bought flowers because of Jian Yan’s visit, hadn’t she? He hadn’t seen her put them out before in his many visits.
Mu Yichen couldn’t remember when exactly he realized Jian Yan’s feelings for Qin Mu, but he was sure Jian Yan wouldn’t tell her, so he kept it to himself, until Jian Yan’s visit this time made him feel uneasy.
It seemed like Jian Yan always knew his boundaries, so Mu Yichen didn’t hint at anything to Qin Mu either.
Let her think that he’s the only one in the world who likes her. Great!
Jing Qing’s car was parked outside the studio. Seeing his car there, she just wouldn’t leave.
She wanted to know just how long he could wait for Qin Mu.
He certainly had never wasted so much time on any of his brothers or sisters.
Through the large glass screen on the first floor, she saw the man sitting on the sofa and then took out her mobile phone: "Do me a favor!"
She watched Mu Yichen answer the phone, watched him leave, and then chuckled to herself.
She almost thought he would refuse Qiao Yi, almost believed he would steadfastly wait there.
With the lights still on upstairs, Jing Qing started the car and quietly moved to the side as soon as Mu Yichen got up, waiting for Mu Yichen’s car to leave before turning back around.
Qin Mu’s car was parked there, and only upon closer inspection did she see it was just a car worth less than five hundred thousand, prompting her to scoff dismissively before leaving.
Mu Yichen arrived at the nightclub, where everything was calm.
Brought to Qiao Yi and Jiang Zhiyuan’s table, he kicked the chair beside him with reluctance, sat down with a cold expression, "What’s the situation?"
"We just wanted to see if we could lure you out at night, and to our surprise, we actually succeeded,"
Jiang Zhiyuan grinned at him with a beer in hand.
Mu Yichen’s sharp gaze shot at him: "Amused?"
"Just a joke! You’re always at home with Xiaomu; isn’t that boring? You’ll grow tired of it after a while. We’re doing this for your own good,"
At Mu Yichen’s cold response, he didn’t wait for Jiang Zhiyuan to finish pouring his drink and left.
Jiang Zhiyuan was still pouring drinks, looking helplessly at Mu Yichen’s departing back, then turned to Qiao Yi: "Indeed, what are we doing this for?"
"Jing Qing isn’t giving up yet," Qiao Yi’s voice was low, and he picked up the drink Jiang Zhiyuan had just filled to the brim and downed it in one gulp.
As he drove back, a group of unwelcome guests arrived at the studio.
Qin Mu, busy drawing upstairs, hadn’t heard a thing until the crashing and smashing noises downstairs reached the second floor.