Chapter 22: The True and False Heiress 22

"Are you still blaming me, blaming the entire Mu family, aren't you?"

Elder Mu seemed to age significantly in an instant. Finally, he relented, saying, "The Bai family may be inferior to the Mu family, but it is acceptable. Plus, Bai Huaiying has gained the favor of Elder Tan."

"With that connection, the Mu family will be able to smoothly obtain Elder Tan's scientific research results later. It is a good thing; I will not stop you."

"As for your younger brother, he brought this upon himself. For my sake, let this matter end here."

"How can that be?" Madam Mu shrieked in dissatisfaction. "My son was beaten like that and suffered such great humiliation; how can it be dismissed with a mere sentence?"

"This is absolutely unacceptable. I want him driven out of the Mu family. I want him to suffer a miserable death."

"Shut up!" Elder Mu bellowed, his voice filled with warning as he added, "If anyone is to blame, it is you for raising Mu Yuanzhou to be like this."

Madam Mu’s face was full of unwillingness. Even after Mu Jinnian had gone to such lengths, Elder Mu was still letting him off lightly. Could it be true, as the rumors suggested, that he intended to make Mu Jinnian the heir? That was absolutely impossible!

Mu Jinnian sneered. "Huaiying’s relationship with Elder Tan is her own business; it will provide no assistance to the Mu family, and she will not be involved with the Mu family in any way."

"Elder Mu, don't even think about scheming against Huaiying. If you do, there is nothing I won't do."

"You should be clear about that."

After dropping these words, Mu Jinnian strode away, leaving Madam Mu trembling with rage. "Father, look at him!"

The only response she received was a bitter smile from Elder Mu. He was old; how much longer could he remain strong? The entire Mu family had only Mu Jinnian as a capable successor; he had no other choice. Thinking of this, he shot a look of impatience at Madam Mu. "If you were all more capable, would it have come to this?"

Not to mention... Elder Mu thought of something and closed his eyes in shame. He hoped he was just overthinking it.

Elsewhere, in a villa in Kyoto, a figure was scrolling rapidly through their phone, looking at the trending topics, and letting out a cold laugh. The Bai family had truly disappointed him. He had expected to see a grand spectacle. It seemed he would have to take action himself.

...

When she saw the trending topics, Bai Jinwei was drinking milk. She was so shocked that she spat it all out. Ignoring the stunned gazes of the Bai family, she curled her lips and let out a laugh. Mu Jinnian was truly ruthless. At most, she would have hired someone to bag Mu Yuanzhou and give him a beating.

Mu Jinnian, however, had gone straight to bringing reporters to catch him in the act and photograph his scandalous behavior. He had shown absolutely no regard for fraternal ties. However, she was quite satisfied. He had done well.

Bai Jinwei immediately handed her phone to Huaiying. "Look at this, isn't it satisfying? Let’s see how he thinks about harming you in the future."

She whispered to herself with regret, "If I had known, I should have drugged him yesterday and made the whole thing official."

So that was what Bai Jinwei had wanted to do. Huaiying felt a little disappointed; she had been waiting to be schemed against. The Bai couple also learned of the matter, and their expressions turned grim. "This Mu Yuanzhou is truly a troublemaker."

"Mom, Dad, don't worry too much. We can handle it; we will definitely not let him hurt Huaiying." Bai Jinwei hurriedly spoke to soothe the couple. Mu Yuanzhou was not capable of achieving anything great.

After the engagement, Mu Jinnian was practically glued to Huaiying. He arrived at the Bai residence early in the morning to pick her up, handing her breakfast. "Breakfast—your favorite steamed buns and soy milk."

Huaiying accepted it naturally, popping a bun into her mouth and stuffing her cheeks until they were full. Her face looked round and very cute. Xiao Hong couldn't resist reaching out to poke her cheek. Wow, so soft!

She was met with a warning glare from Huaiying: *Do you want to die?*

This gaze fell right into Mu Jinnian’s eyes. A flash of regret crossed his gaze as he withdrew his restless hand, his expression softening into a smile. "Do you like it?"

Huaiying nodded, her gloomy mood dissipating significantly. She knew that today she was destined to be the subject of many people's gazes. After all, her engagement to Mu Jinnian had been far too sudden.

Her classmates were restless, wanting to ask but not daring to. Since enrolling, Huaiying had never paid them any mind. They had tried to initiate conversations, but all had ended in failure. No matter what they said, Huaiying would only look at them indifferently, saying nothing at all, which made them feel as if they had done something wrong. Eventually, everyone gave up. In this class, Huaiying was no different from a ghost.

But today, everyone found it hard to suppress their inner gossip. As soon as Huaiying sat down, someone gathered the courage to approach her. "Bai Huaiying, I heard you’re engaged. Congratulations."

Huaiying did not react.

The other party felt awkward. "The other person is Mu Jinnian. You two were often together recently; I really didn't expect you to end up together."

Huaiying still did not react. The other girl’s face turned red, and she felt increasingly embarrassed. She wanted to run away, but as she looked up, she met the expectant gazes of the others. She continued to look at Huaiying. "You were also chosen by Elder Tan as his closing disciple; it’s truly enviable."

The girl bit the bullet, trying to keep the conversation going, but only silence answered her. She could practically hear the sound of a crow flying overhead. Even Xiao Hong covered her face, feeling the awkwardness for her.

Xiao Hong couldn't help but whisper, "Little Ancestor, you should really respond to her. Look at the poor girl, her face is bright red."

"We don't have to alienate everyone, do we?" Xiao Hong pleaded earnestly. Then, she watched in surprise as Huaiying looked up at the girl and suddenly reached out to poke the girl's cheek.

This action stunned everyone present.

*It’s nothing special,* Huaiying thought, pouting. Why did Xiao Hong and Mu Jinnian both want to poke her cheeks this morning? She poked the girl’s cheek again, perhaps a little too hard. The girl’s face turned even redder, but she didn't dodge, her eyes shimmering with moisture.

"What is fun about poking cheeks? Why does anyone like it?" Huaiying asked, voicing her inner confusion.

"Of course, it’s because you’re cute!" Xiao Hong couldn't wait to chime in. "Host, you are incredibly cute, just like a fragrant, sweet little cupcake that makes people want to cuddle and kiss."

"Host, I voluntarily join the Huaiying Cult! I will protect Baby Huaiying for the rest of my life!" Xiao Hong exaggeratedly opened her mouth to heap praise upon her, her eyes sparkling.

The relentless praise made Huaiying avoid her gaze, a strange feeling growing within her. Feeling uneasy, Huaiying coughed lightly and pulled her hand back. She took a cake out of her bag and handed it to the girl.

The classmate froze, pointing at the cake and then at herself in disbelief. "Is this for me?" For some reason, she felt a sense of being flattered. Seeing Huaiying nod, she quickly took the cake and thanked her happily, "Thank you very much."

She felt as though she had gained a great bargain. Xiao Hong watched this and couldn't help but give a thumbs up. She discovered that Huaiying seemed to possess a certain magic that made people instinctively like her.

That was a good thing.