HMPCC 02

Chapter 02

Inside the room, Yun Chu had just finished washing up and lay down. The phone on her nightstand vibrated.

She tapped it open to find a new message: [The school matters have been sorted out for you. Report on September 1st.]

It was currently mid-June, leaving two and a half months.

After the court had handed down her sentence, the school had swiftly expelled her as a problematic student. Consequently, she had never obtained her university diploma. In Country A, the powerful and wealthy didn’t need to care about a diploma, but for those without power or influence, lacking one meant every step was fraught with difficulty. Such was the way of the world.

Yun Chu typed on the screen: [Great, thank you.]

The next day.

By the time Yun Chu woke up, the sky was already dimming into evening.

She supported her forehead with one hand, her brows tightly knit in exhaustion as she massaged her temples in circular motions. Her eyelids felt too heavy to even pry open.

“Why is my head so dizzy?” she couldn’t help but complain aloud. It felt as though she had fallen into an unnaturally deep slumber…

“Awake?”

A male voice, unfamiliar yet carrying a hint of familiarity, drifted into her ears.

She instinctively murmured a response, “Mmh…” her tone laced with the lingering laziness of sleep.

Wait. Who was asking?

In an instant, Yun Chu bolted upright, her pupils shrinking. There was actually a man sitting in her room!

More importantly, she had seen this man before.

“Mister?! Why are you in my house?”

Mu Ze sat in a wheelchair, a mocking smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “Is your house really this big?”

Hearing this, Yun Chu looked around in disbelief. The room was indeed massive—more than twice the size of the bedroom she occupied at the Yun family home. The decor was strictly black, white, and gray, appearing completely devoid of life.

Where on earth was she?

She had been fine this morning, having breakfast at home. How did she end up in a different place the moment she woke up?

Finally, Yun Chu fixed her gaze on Mu Ze, who was positioned near the foot of the bed. He was dressed in dark loungewear, quite different from his attire the previous day. Yesterday he had been covered up tightly, but now she noticed his skin possessed an unnatural, sickly pallor, clearly indicating a lack of sun exposure.

Looking further down, he was still sitting in a wheelchair. Did he have a physical ailment?

Yet yesterday in the car, his legs had been agile and powerful, moving like a grasshopper. Otherwise, there was no way he could have flipped her beneath him in an instant.

Yesterday, Xu Peizhi had mentioned that Mu Ze was a blind, wheelchair-bound cripple.

So…

“Are you Mu Ze?” she asked tentatively.

Mu Ze maintained his aloof and arrogant posture, his lips curling with disdain. “Didn’t your family trade you to me for a five-million-dollar project? Who are you putting on an act for now?”

“…”

Five million?

They had actually sold her out for a mere five million dollars. She had just served three years in prison, and now they had pushed her right into another fiery pit. Could the Yun family even be considered her home? Did Yun Huashan even deserve to be called her father?

Yun Chu glanced sideways at the haughty Mu Ze. “If I was married off to you for five million, it just proves you’re only worth five million. Neither of us is any better than the other.”

“You! Sharp-tongued woman…” Mu Ze was so infuriated that the veins on his temples throbbed, his hands involuntarily tightening their grip on the armrests of his wheelchair. This woman challenged his limits of endurance time and time again.

Yun Chu stepped off the bed and calmly stood before him, leaning down to inspect him at close range.

Surprised by her inexplicable movement, Mu Ze instinctively leaned back.

Examining the man closely now that she wasn’t panicking, she realized he was undeniably handsome. His light brown pupils, in particular, resembled amber.

“But Mister, why are you pretending to be blind and lame? Some kind of weird hobby?” The rumors outside were so realistic that even Xu Peizhi believed he was disabled, so it certainly wasn’t groundless. A perfectly fine, handsome man choosing to feign disability was truly a bizarre sight.

With barely twenty to thirty centimeters between them, Mu Ze felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny and awkwardly averted his face. Her breath brushed against his surroundings—a fresh fragrance identical to the one during their kiss in the car yesterday. For a moment, the usually distant young master actually forgot to push her away. Not only did he not find it repulsive, but he actually quite liked the scent.

“I advise you to shut your mouth. Don’t pry into things you shouldn’t.” Curiosity killed the cat.

Yun Chu rolled her eyes at him and stood up straight. “Let me inform you of a serious matter: our engagement is off. The person who is actually supposed to marry you is Yun Xiaoxiao, my half-sister, not me.” Every debt had its debtor; he could look for whoever he wanted, just leave her out of it.

Mu Ze was taken aback. No wonder Yun Chu had been completely unconscious when she was carried into the Mu residence. He had guessed she might not have married him willingly, but he hadn’t expected this underlying reason. The younger sister was unwilling to marry… likely disdaining his supposed disabilities, so they swapped her out for someone else to fill the gap. The petty Yun family actually dared to plot against the Mu family; they certainly had courage.

Mu Ze raised his eyes to meet Yun Chu’s gaze, his expression indifferent. “What if I don’t agree?”

Compared to changing to another person and continuing to play along, it was better to choose someone whose background he knew clearly. It would also serve perfectly to handle his father’s obsession with his marriage. “Your relationship with your family must be terrible, otherwise they wouldn’t have drugged you to marry you off. Act out a scene with me for a while, and you can break free from the Yun family. How about a mutual cooperation?”

Yun Chu sat at the foot of the bed, her eyes darting as if she were seriously considering it. “True, that makes sense. However… I refuse!”

The Yun family wanted to cooperate on a project with the Mu family; she would ensure they didn’t get their way. Why should she use her lifelong marriage as a stepping stone for others? Was she just born to be stepped on? In prison, she had learned the most important rule of survival: the ones who deal you a fatal blow are usually the ones you trust with your back. If this man wanted to cooperate, she couldn’t do it, nor did she need to.

From outside the door, the faint sound of slow footsteps approached.

Having spent a long time in his room pretending to be blind, Mu Ze’s hearing was remarkably sharp. “Quick, come here and sit on my lap.”

Yun Chu glared at him. “What kind of daydream are you suddenly having?”

In the next instant, regardless of her willingness, Mu Ze directly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his embrace. Yun Chu fell uncontrollably onto his thighs, her waist locked tightly by his hands, rendering her unable to move. She used both her hands and feet to struggle to get up, but against the sheer disparity of male strength, it was completely futile.

On the contrary, Mu Ze suddenly tightened his grip, letting out a low groan. “Keep moving, and I won’t mind taking you to the bed to play properly.”

In the blink of an eye, Yun Chu’s ears flushed crimson.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. “Knock, knock! Young Master Mu, I’m coming in.”

The next second, the bedroom door opened.

Yun Chu turned her head toward the door in annoyance. Judging by her attire, the newcomer was likely a housekeeper, estimated to be around fifty years old, holding a dinner tray.

Mu Ze’s gaze turned vacant as he stared toward the wardrobe. This scene left Yun Chu dumbfounded—turning blind in a split second, impressive!

Mu Ze spoke up, “Aunt Chen, is there something wrong?”

The moment the housekeeper pushed the door open, she saw the two of them clinging together like glue. She immediately lowered her face, blushing. “My apologies for disturbing your rest, Young Master and Madam. I will leave the dinner and go.”

The housekeeper quickly placed the food tray onto the coffee table and turned around to leave, not daring to delay for a single second. This swift action left Yun Chu curling her toes in absolute embarrassment.

Just as the door was about to close, the housekeeper’s movements halted. Still keeping her head lowered, her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to speak but hesitated. After agonizing over it, she finally said, “Well, Madam… Young Master Mu needs a bath every night, so I will have to trouble you with that from now on. Please be careful with your nocturnal exercises; the Young Master has injuries on his body.”

“I have to serve him in the bath…” Had she heard correctly? A man and a woman bathing in the bathroom together—wouldn’t that turn into an absolute battlefield? But thinking about it, it made sense; this man was playing the role of someone with physical ailments and blindness to outsiders.

Yun Chu stared at his profile with disdain.

Although Mu Ze didn’t look back, he could guess exactly how much revulsion was written on her face. He spoke slowly, “You may go, Aunt Chen.”

The housekeeper closed the door and departed.

Yun Chu immediately pried his hands away, stood up, and distanced herself from him, crossing her arms in a defensive posture. “I’m telling you, stay away from me. Go to the bathroom yourself, don’t pretend in front of me.”

Mu Ze returned to his normal state, amused by her actions. The corners of his mouth tilted upward as his eyes swept over her up and down, carrying a trace of predatory intent. “What are you hiding for? With a elementary schooler physique like yours, even if I ate you, there’d be no flavor.”

He called her body—which possessed distinct curves and had everything where it should be—an elementary schooler’s physique?

Yun Chu glared at him, her gaze traveling all the way down to a certain spot. “I think you’re just impotent! If we did it halfway, I’m afraid you’d stall out on the road.”

Having delivered her harsh words, she yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind her with a dull thud, giving the other party no chance to reply.

Turning her head, she looked back at the closed bedroom door. Telling him off felt incredibly satisfying!

Inside, Mu Ze slowly shifted his gaze toward the door, his eyes narrowing slightly as they darkened with a bone-chilling coldness. “Impotent? Stall out on the road…” He ground his molars, practically squeezing those words out through his teeth. This woman… was truly something else.

Yun Chu looked around the villa. Standing three stories high, the entire place was decorated in a classic English style, elegant and exquisite. Looking down from the corridor, the living room was fully visible. It was truly worthy of being one of the top families in Country A; the sheer financial power was evident just from their residence. No wonder Yun Xinshan insisted on forging a connection with them.

The living room was empty; at this hour, they should have finished dinner and left the dining room. Taking advantage of the absence of people, she could return to the Yun family to settle the score.

Yun Chu walked down the spiral staircase. Just as she stepped onto the very last stair, she was stunned by the sight before her. Her entire body froze in place as if struck by lightning, unable to move a muscle.

In the middle of the massive dining area stood an oval dining table, with a circle of people seated around it—at least eight or nine of them.

“You’re awake. Come and sit.”

The elderly man sitting at the head of the table gestured for her to join. He had a head of white hair, a face lined by the ravages of time, and a serious expression that showed no hint of a smile. Combined with his position at the head of the table, he was likely Mu Ze’s father, Mu Yantao.

Yun Chu walked forward, and a nearby housekeeper pulled out the chair next to the elderly man, indicating for her to sit there. This should have been Mu Ze’s spot; in wealthy families, status and etiquette were always strictly observed. She nodded her thanks and sat down.

Mu Yantao picked up a napkin beside him to wipe his hands, and the people around the table no longer dared to pick up their chopsticks. He inspected this daughter-in-law closely; she was indeed beautiful and her posture was dignified, making her a decent match for Mu Ze.

“I have always heard that the daughter of the Yun family is well-educated, sensible, and understands etiquette and humility. I hope you and Mu Ze can continue to maintain this in the future.”

Being “well-educated and sensible” was nothing more than asking Yun Chu to learn to tolerate and understand her husband—and didn’t a woman’s tolerance usually mean swallowing her own grievances? As for “etiquette and humility,” it was merely to make her see her own status clearly—a status bought through a five-million-dollar transaction. Was he teaching her to be a wife to Mu Ze who worked tirelessly without complaint, never striking back when hit or talking back when scolded?

Unfortunately, Yun Chu was not the “daughter of the Yun family” he spoke of.

“Uncle Mu, you are an elder, so I respect you. However, I cannot fulfill what you just described. The well-educated daughter of the Yun family you heard about is my younger sister, Yun Xiaoxiao, not me, Yun Chu!”

Her words rang out clearly and powerfully, causing the hearts of the people nearby to leap into their throats.