Mu Fan glared at his little niece and said without courtesy, "Sister-in-law, you really should discipline your daughter. She's so young and has already learned to spout nonsense."
Upon hearing this, Qi Meihui was displeased, "Rou'er may be young, but the younger the child, the more credible they are. I've come across you and Gu Qili hiding in the room together several times already. For the sake of everyone's dignity, I've been too embarrassed to mention it. But look at what's happening now, even a five-year-old child can't help but speak out. You should be more cautious. The Mu Family is a prominent clan, not some poor household with no class. If rumors start to spread, I'm afraid it would be a disgrace to our father's reputation, and your second brother couldn't keep his face either. After all, he insisted on marrying this woman full of scandals against everyone's advice. No matter how many men she's slept with before, now that she's married into the Mu Family, she's supposed to behave decently and not mess around with other men—especially not with her own brother-in-law."
"Sister-in-law, what you just said is too unpleasant to hear. Gu Qili is a top student and a whiz from Aus City University. I was merely asking her for advice on some problems. Which of your eyes saw me getting fresh with her? Kids don't understand things, are you also lacking in understanding?"
"Saying I'm lacking in understanding? I am your sister-in-law. You're being so disrespectful, do you even regard me as your sister-in-law at all? It's all because of Gu Qili, you haven't learnt anything good from being with her." Tears of grievance began to stream down Qi Meihui's face—her crying was so sudden it could have made many famous actors envious, "Hewen, look at how your brother is bullying me, are you going to do anything about it?"
Just as Mu Hewen was about to chime in, a cool and clear voice drifted over, "Isn't the ginger water in the kitchen ready yet?"
The servants in the kitchen, frightened by the arguing outside, were too scared to make a sound. Suddenly asked about the ginger water, the cook Liu-Shen immediately brought out the soup that had been ready for a while.
Actually, the ginger water had been ready for quite some time, but Gu Qili's treatment was different from other members of the Mu Family. The old master didn't like her, so when he was around, she didn't dare to serve it rashly, afraid of provoking the old master's rage.
Now that the young master had given an order and the old master was not present, she hurriedly presented the ginger water in front of Gu Qili.
The smell of ginger was pungent, but it wasn't too bad to drink with some honey added.
Gu Qili pretended not to hear Qi Meihui's words just now, maintaining a calm façade.
As she was about to pick up the bowl, another hand reached out first and touched the edge of the bowl. His fingers were long, clean, well-proportioned, and very handsome.
Mu Shuoqian took the white porcelain spoon from the bowl and stirred it twice, skimming off the impurities, then brought the spoonful of soup to her lips with a rich and pleasant voice, "Let me feed you."
Qi Meihui, who had been going on and on, was stunned into silence.
Although Gu Qili was unaccustomed to his sudden attentiveness, she knew that rejecting his gesture would have worse consequences, and besides, it was the only way to shut Qi Meihui up.
He fed her spoon by spoon, with immense patience. After finishing, he even personally took a napkin and gently wiped her mouth before placing the empty bowl aside, satisfied.
"The steak is too greasy; I'll have the kitchen make you something lighter."
"No need, I'm full," Gu Qili quickly said. She was indeed full, not having eaten much, but she couldn't possibly ignore Qi Meihui's words. No matter how used she was to such verbal humiliation, she couldn't remain perfectly calm.
He didn't insist any further, directly taking her hand and standing up, "If you're full, then let's go home."