CHAPTER 36 — Unwanted Arrangements
The study doors had barely clicked shut behind him when Mu Xinlan reappeared outside the hallway, practically bouncing on her toes.
"Lingchen-ge! Wait!"
Mu Lingchen paused but didn't turn.
Xinlan skidded to a stop in front of him, hands on her hips.
"Don't give me that iceberg face. I know you're annoyed."
He said nothing.
She leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
"But… just hear me out. Ning Xi is really nice. Elegant. Beautiful. Extremely well-mannered. She's the perfect sister-in-law material!"
Lingchen shot her a glance cold enough to drop the temperature of the entire corridor.
Xinlan pressed her lips together.
"…Okay, okay, message received."
But a second later she perked up again.
"Still, at least meet her once. Mom will drag you by the ear if you don't."
Before Lingchen could respond, Mu Rui tugged on his sleeve.
"Daddy… are we going home?"
Lingchen's expression softened by less than a degree.
"Yes."
Mu Xinlan threw her hands up.
"Fine! But don't blame me later when Ning Xi becomes the nation's top goddess and rejects you first."
Lingchen walked away without a word.
Later That Night — The Mu Family's Private Dining Hall
Wu Weiya sat with a cup of warm tea, eyes closed but mind sharp.
Mu Xhichen stood by the window, hands behind his back.
"He's resisting," Weiya murmured.
"He always resists," Xhichen replied. "He carries too much on his shoulders, and now the child… his guard is up."
Weiya opened her eyes slowly.
"That actress girl he has been entangled with recently… what's her name?"
"Shi Yunxi," Xhichen said.
Weiya's brows knitted. "Not acceptable. She has no background, no family ties, no stability, and she's in the entertainment industry of all things."
"He won't choose her," Xhichen said. "Lingchen is rational."
Weiya hummed thoughtfully.
"Still… I'll look into her."
Meanwhile — In the Mu Residence Guest Garden
Mu Dongling was practicing martial forms under the night lanterns when Xinlan stormed in.
"Ge! Did you hear? They want Lingchen-ge to go on a blind date with Ning Xi again!"
Dongling didn't stop moving.
"He won't go."
"Exactly!" Xinlan threw her hands up. "He needs someone who can melt that frozen heart, and Ning Xi isn't the one!"
Dongling paused, eyebrow raised.
"…Then who is?"
Xinlan froze.
Images flashed in her mind:
Shi Yunxi on set, gentle but stubborn… the way Lingchen actually looked at her… and how Rui clung to Yunxi so naturally it was uncanny.
Her eyes widened.
"…No way. Could it be…"
Dongling straightened. "Xinlan?"
"N-Nothing!" She waved wildly. "I-I'm going to bed!"
She ran off, leaving Dongling staring suspiciously after her.
Elsewhere — Mu Lingchen's Car
Mu Lingchen sat in the backseat, silent, deep in thought. Rui was asleep beside him, head resting on his arm.
Shi Yunxi's face kept appearing in his mind.
Her eyes.
Her voice.
Her defiance.
Her warmth with Rui.
And then—
the strand of hair hidden inside his coat pocket.
His jaw tightened.
He had crossed a line.
And he hadn't regretted it for a single second.