HMPCC 08

Chapter 08

Xu Peizhi stood in front of Yun Chu, acting entirely overbearing and high-handed.

Yun Chu stood up calmly, her gaze passing right over Xu Peizhi to look at Yun Xiaoxiao and Yun Hangshan, who had just finished their medical checkups not far away. Yun Xiaoxiao was linking arms with Yun Hangshan—what a harmonious picture of a loving father and daughter.

Yun Chu glanced back at Xu Peizhi. A cold sneer played at the corner of her lips, her eyes filled with open disdain. “Madam Yun, from the moment you all sent me to the Mu family, I have had absolutely nothing to do with the Yun family!”

“Besides, my departure from the Yun family is exactly what you wanted, isn’t it? Are you satisfied now?”

Yun Chu’s words were sharp and piercing, her eyes flashing with a ruthless intensity as she locked her gaze onto Xu Peizhi, looking as if she were a judge reading out a criminal’s verdict.

Xu Peizhi was suddenly intimidated by her terrifying aura.

“Shut your mouth!”

Yun Hangshan let out a furious roar, marching over with a cold face, while Yun Xiaoxiao followed behind with an expression of enjoying a good drama.

“Stop throwing tantrums like a child. Since you’re doing perfectly fine at the Mu family, try to put in some good words for us. See if you can find a way to address Mu Ze’s divestment from our last project. Don’t forget who raised you since you were little!”

Bringing up her upbringing again. Where was he as a father when she was being bullied by Xu Peizhi and her daughter? Did she not deserve to speak up for herself? Was she just supposed to suffer in silence? How utterly laughable!

Yun Chu scrutinized their expressions; every single one of them exuded greed and filth. They viewed her as nothing more than a tool for profit.

“Don’t push me anymore. The only reason I haven’t exposed certain things is out of respect for the last shred of our biological connection. If we truly tear off all facades, will the Yun family even be able to maintain a foothold in the capital?”

“You…”

Yun Hangshan pointed a finger at her, his fingertips trembling with rage. He felt as if a massive chasm had suddenly formed between himself and Yun Chu, one that could never be crossed again. When exactly did his obedient, sensible daughter change so completely?

Yun Xiaoxiao stepped forward, gently patting Yun Hangshan’s back. “Sister, how can you speak to Daddy like that! You know very well that Daddy has a weak heart. Besides, helping the Yun family is helping yourself. If you ever face grievances at the Mu Residence in the future, you can always come back.”

Yun Chu countered, “Oh? Come back to that tiny attic where no one can see me?”

Hearing this, Yun Xiaoxiao’s hand froze instantly, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.

Yun Chu let out a cold scoff. “Yun Xiaoxiao, don’t use your underhanded, shameful tricks on me. If you actually have any competence, use it to secure an advantageous… marriage alliance for the Yun family yourself.”

With that, she turned around and walked out of the waiting area, her silhouette decisive and unfettered.

Yun Chu’s throat choked up, and her nose tingled with a sharp sting, but she fiercely held back her tears, refusing to let them fall. For relatives like these, crying was a waste of tears.

Downstairs, the hospital featured a modest courtyard that served as an activity area for inpatients. Yun Chu picked a long bench, sat down, tilted her head back, and closed her weary eyelids.

The sound of rustling footsteps approached, finally coming to a stop right beside her.

“I even had tissues prepared for you, but it’s a shame they didn’t get to be used.”

This man’s voice…

Yun Chu snapped her eyes open and looked up. It really was him. Enemies truly cross paths on narrow roads; she had run into everyone today!

“Are you listening in on us? Does Yun Xiaoxiao know about this?”

Dressed in a suit and tie, Liu Mingwei looked more mature than he did three years ago, but that obnoxious, arrogant look on his face remained completely unchanged. She really didn’t know how she could have been so blind to fall for him back then.

Liu Mingwei shoved his hands into his pockets, adopting a haughty, superior posture. “Why should she know? If I hadn’t heard that my future aunt shared the exact same first and last name as my ex-girlfriend who went to prison, I wouldn’t have flown back to the country ahead of schedule.”

Mu Ze was actually his uncle… Back in university, she only knew his family was highly influential, but she had never imagined it was the Mu family.

Liu Mingwei bent down, closely admiring the Yun Chu he hadn’t seen in three years. She had become even more beautiful and striking. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have chosen your sister. You still look much more to my liking. And your body,” his gaze drifted downward, his eyes filled with an aggressive scrutiny, “isn’t bad either.”

Disgusted by his look, Yun Chu reacted swiftly, delivering a sharp kick straight to his kneecap.

“Ah!” He stumbled backward in agonizing pain.

Yun Chu stood up, casually straightening her clothes as if brushing away filth. “Too bad you’re far inferior to your uncle.” At the very least, Mu Ze knew how to respect people, and more importantly, how to respect her. Looking at this man who had been thoroughly ruined by his wealthy upbringing, she found him more repulsive by the second.

Liu Mingwei pressed his tongue against his back molars, his eyes turning malicious as he stepped closer to her. “You rushed to become my aunt the moment you got out of prison just to spite me for being with your sister, didn’t you? Can my crippled uncle even satisfy you?”

His brain operated under the assumption that the entire world revolved around him; no wonder he and Yun Xiaoxiao were a perfect match.

Yun Chu raised her eyes, a cold smile hanging on her lips. “The next time you see me, remember to greet me properly, my dear nephew.”

“…”

The veins on Liu Mingwei’s forehead bulged with rage. After three years, the woman who used to be entirely at his mercy had actually developed such a sharp tongue.

“Yun Chu, come here.”

Unbeknownst to them, Mu Ze was already waiting by the walkway. His eyes were wrapped in layers of gauze, and Shen Yan stood behind him, pushing the wheelchair.

Had he heard their entire conversation just now?

Yun Chu walked over with her eyes lowered, feeling the distinct guilt of a child who had caused trouble outside and been caught by family.

Mu Ze raised his hand. “Give it to me.”

“Oh.”

Yun Chu had already grown accustomed to holding his hand. The moment she placed her palm in his, he gripped it tightly. His grip was somewhat forceful at first, but it relaxed after a few seconds.

“This is your punishment for not coming to find me when you run into trouble.” If he hadn’t overheard the nurses whispering about her getting into a fight with the Yun family, he wouldn’t have known she had suffered another grievance. Leaving a Mu family heir like him completely unutilized, why did she insist on playing tough all by herself?

Yun Chu pursed her lips and said nothing.

Liu Mingwei stared at their clasped hands, his eyes narrowing slightly before he strode over. He called out with utmost deference, “Uncle.”

Mu Ze’s face remained cold. “Mm. There’s another person here. Address her.”

Instantly, Liu Mingwei’s face turned a kaleidoscope of pale and flushed colors, as if his throat were stuck shut. He couldn’t form words for a long time, his face twitching slightly. Even Yun Chu hadn’t expected Mu Ze to make such a demand.

“Did spending a few years abroad make you lose your ability to understand human speech?” Mu Ze exerted pressure once more. Even with his eyes fully bandaged, his unyielding, authoritative aura was incredibly oppressive.

Liu Mingwei dared not act out of line in front of Mu Ze. After hesitating repeatedly, he finally forced out, “Au… Aunt.” After finishing, he lowered his head sharply.

Seeing him completely deflated, Yun Chu couldn’t help but curve her lips, a major portion of her lingering frustration instantly evaporating.

Mu Ze spoke softly, his hand never releasing hers. “Let’s go. Back to the Mu Residence.”

Shen Yan handed the wheelchair controls over to her. “The gauze on his eyes will be removed in three days. Remember to bring him back then.”

Yun Chu nodded. “Alright.”

Mu Ze’s eyes were clearly perfectly fine; even while pretending to be blind, he could use his peripheral vision to navigate. Now, wrapped tightly in gauze, he was truly incapable of seeing anything. Yun Chu didn’t bother trying to figure out what he was planning. Ask no questions and meddle in nothing—that was the best way to stay out of trouble.

Inside the car, Gao Sheng drove at the front while Liu Mingwei’s sports car followed tightly behind them, its exhaust roaring loudly and conspicuously. Mu Ze sat in the back row next to Yun Chu with a stern face, the confined space turning suffocatingly tense.

Yun Chu rolled down the window and couldn’t help but speak up, “Just say whatever you have to say.” Why keep a sour face? Who was he trying to give the silent treatment to?

Mu Ze’s hands tightened against his knees, looking as if he were suppressing an internal irritation. “Do you like his type?” he finally asked after a long pause.

The question completely bewildered Yun Chu. “What? Who? Which type?” He was asking such a bizarre question out of nowhere; she recognized the individual words, but put together, they made absolutely no sense.

Mu Ze gritted his teeth. “Your dear nephew, Liu Mingwei. He’s close to your age, you don’t have to call him ‘uncle’, and his behavior is exaggerated and frivolous while his actions lack any decency. So, do you prefer that kind?”

The underlying tone of his words sounded exactly like he was insulting her taste.

Pfft!

Gao Sheng, holding the steering wheel, couldn’t hold back a chuckle. This was his very first time seeing his CEO acting like a jealous, slighted spouse.

Mu Ze snapped, “Your year-end bonus is deducted.”

“…” What should he do? Now he felt like crying.

Yun Chu didn’t reply to Mu Ze’s question. She turned her head to look at the flow of people outside the window, her mind flooding with memories. Back then, if Yun Xiaoxiao hadn’t publicly humiliated her at school, and if Liu Mingwei hadn’t stepped up to defuse the situation for her, how could she have ever taken a liking to him? She was simply someone who had spent too long in the darkness; when she finally caught a glimpse of light, she desperately wanted to hold onto it. It was just that the light only lasted for a fleeting moment, followed by an even deeper abyss.

Upon returning to the Mu Residence, Aunt Chen brought the meal upstairs as usual, then closed the door and departed. Too many exhausting things had happened today, so Yun Chu immediately threw herself onto the sofa.

Mu Ze let out two light coughs. “Ahem! Um, I need your help.”

“Speak…” Her tone was thoroughly exhausted, the end of her sentence dragging out into a long yawn.

Mu Ze attempted to stand up, but with his eyes completely covered, movement was inconvenient, so he ultimately remained seated obediently. “Feed me.”

“I’m taking a nap. Take off the gauze yourself.” She was truly tired, a deep, bone-weary exhaustion. The gauze wasn’t just wrapped around the outside; there was another layer underneath, and once removed, it couldn’t be easily put back.

Seeing no movement from her, Mu Ze could only let the matter drop. He groped around as he stood up, feeling as though something was blocking his path. He bent down to feel it—it was the sofa. He continued to step forward.

“Mmh…” “Ah!”

Mu Ze’s muffled grunt and Yun Chu’s sharp scream tangled together. Chest to chest, lips to lips, open eyes to bandaged eyes, the two crashed into each other with solid force.

Yun Chu shoved him away instantly, wiping the corner of her mouth; her lips had been bumped hard enough to bleed. Mu Ze immediately sat up straight with perfect composure, using his upper body to block a certain part of his lower half that had reacted to the collision, his ears burning bright red.

She glared fiercely at him. “Why do you absolutely have to wear this gauze anyway?” It was completely redundant and nothing but a hassle.

Mu Ze remained silent for a moment before offering a methodical explanation. “I was worried that if you needed help around the Mu Residence, my lack of vision would make things inconvenient. It will return to normal in three days, and it’s easier to mislead the others this way.”

So he had done it for her.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Her heartbeat suddenly amplified, echoing clearly through her chest. It felt as if her heart had been lightly brushed by something, yielding a tingly, soft sensation.

In a place where he couldn’t see, Yun Chu’s face flushed a deep crimson. “I’m hungry, let’s eat.” She stood up and proactively took his hand, leading him toward the coffee table.