Han Muzi hugged Yan when she got back safely. “Alright, I know it’s been hard on you. This is a one-time thing. Besides… you kissed my brother. Just consider it your duty as my future sister-in-law to look after me.”
Initially, Yan was blinded by rage, but she couldn’t help but blush furiously the moment Han Muzi mentioned Han Qing. “What nonsense are you spouting? Who are you calling sister-in-law?”
“What is it now?” Han Muzi clung to her arm. The two of them walked into the residential area together. “Do you not want to be my sister-in-law?”
“Of course I do, but…”
“Well, enough said then.”
“Stop talking about me. What happened to you? Why did you travel back and forth to the hospital? Did Ye Moxuan make you run errands again?”
Han Muzi shook her head and answered with a laugh, “Nothing, it’s in the past now.”
Yan stared at her. “No, you are lying to me.”
Han Muzi paused. “Yan?”
“You are joking with me on purpose, but I’ve known you for so many years, Muzi. How could I not tell whether you’re happy or not? Your smile didn’t reach your eyes. Why are you trying to cover it up by joking with me? Please don’t do this anymore. We’re best friends; you don’t have to act tough in front of me.”
Han Muzi was rendered speechless by her response.
“Spit it out. What happened?”
After hearing that, Han Muzi’s smile vanished from her face. “It isn’t something huge, but I’m not quite sure myself. That is why I’m reluctant to talk about it.”
“Forget it. I will not force you if you don’t want to talk about it. Go figure it out yourself then.”
“Mm-hmm.”
The two of them arrived home together. Han Muzi went upstairs after taking her jacket off. She entered the adjacent guest room since Little Bean was already fast asleep. She then stayed in the dark in silence after switching off the lights. It’s already so late; I should be sleeping now.
However, her mind was wide-awake, for it was a chaotic mess.
Han Muzi closed her eyes, and her mind replayed Ye Moxuan’s interrogation at the hospital. He knows the existence of my child. As long as he investigates further, he might soon find out what Little Bean looks like.
Despite my efforts at keeping Little Bean hidden—even if I don’t expose him when we are in public—there will inevitably be times when I’m negligent. I didn’t have to care about this when we were abroad. However, now that we’re back in China… What will happen once Ye Moxuan finds out? To this day, I still have a feeling that coming back home was a mistake. What should I do next? I’ve been trying my best to be better and stronger, but… why am I still so helpless when it comes to so many things?
…
At the break of dawn, Yan scratched her messy hair and tugged at her pajamas while making her way to the kitchen. However, she suddenly caught sight of a tall and burly figure sitting in the living room.
Yan almost rolled down the stairs from shock when she saw who it was. Isn’t that Han Qing sitting on the living room couch? Why is he here so early in the morning?
Yan was holding onto the stair railing the moment Han Qing glanced over. Their eyes met, and it felt as if the air was completely silent for several seconds.
Han Qing’s thick brows shot up when his dark gaze fell on her outfit. Yan followed his gaze and lowered her eyes in a daze.
She wasn’t looking her best as she had just gotten out of bed. The collar of her top was askew, exposing her fair shoulder, whereas one of her pant legs was shorter than the other. Her hair was so messy that it looked as if she had a large, black wig over her head.
After three seconds, Yan closed her eyes and started mumbling under her breath, “This is not real. It’s an illusion; it must be an illusion!” I must be dreaming! Otherwise, why would Han Qing show up at this hour? He doesn’t even have the house key!
When Yan opened her eyes again, Han Qing was still sitting there. She was stupefied for several seconds, and she turned around abruptly to run back upstairs. Her small figure vanished from Han Qing’s sight.
Han Qing frowned while looking at the small and slender figure disappearing from his view.
He frowned deeply. This woman…
After dashing back into her room, Yan rushed into her bathroom. She cried tears of regret upon seeing her reflection in the mirror. “Why am I so disgusting? I can give myself a pass for the previous incident since I was groggy with sleep, but how did I make a fool of myself once again? My, oh my! I must be a reincarnation of a pig!”
Yan scrunched up her hair further; she was freaking out. After pondering, she decided that this would not be her downfall. I am planning to pursue my crush. I’ve already kissed him, so what is there to be afraid of? Forward is the way to go!
After giving herself a pep talk, Yan tied her hair up swiftly, then washed up and brushed her teeth. She avoided heavy make-up, since it would look too obvious. Instead, she drew very thin eyeliners and wore her daily lipstick. After that, she straightened her hair with a hair straightener and got a fresh change of clothes.
Looking at her reflection of her brand new self in the mirror, Yan felt so nervous that she could almost feel her heart in her throat. It should be fine showing up in front of Han Qing looking like this, right?
Before leaving, Yan thought of something and dashed back into the washroom. She whipped out a small bottle of breath freshener and spritzed hard into her mouth. After checking she had fresh breath, Yan relaxed and left her room to walk downstairs boldly.
Since Han Muzi got back so late last night, she was not awake yet. In reality, of the three of them, Yan was always the early bird.
What can I do when I’m the designated cook? I have to wake up early to prepare breakfast for everyone.
Yan took small steps and approached Han Qing slowly. She just saw him a while ago, but he already had his laptop out, and it seemed like he was already working.
Han Qing looked up when he heard her footsteps approaching—just in time to see the ready-dressed Yan. It was an understatement to say that her current appearance was a sharp contrast to her sloppy look earlier.
“P-President Han.” Yan flashed him an easy grin. “W-Why are you here so early?” she greeted him.
Han Qing looked away slowly when he heard her question. “I came over early because I woke up early.”
Yan pondered before biting her lip. “President Han, h-how did you enter the house though?” she asked.
“By opening the door.”
Yan was rendered speechless by his response. I know he entered through the door, but… only Muzi and I have the key to the house. Muzi has been visiting the hospital frequently for the past few days. She rarely takes her keys out because she has been using the fingerprint input for entry. I feel embarrassed to ask him, but I’d be eaten up alive by curiosity if I don’t.
Finally, she blurted out, “Well… I recall that the key to this house—“
“The combination lock,” Han Qing cut her short with his answer.
Combination lock? Yan was even more confused now. How did he know about the combination?
Han Qing seemed to have guessed her thoughts because he answered with a rumbling voice, “You entered the combination when you entered the house yesterday, did you not?”
Yan nodded in response. “Yes, I did.”
Then, she realized with a start. “You memorized it just like that?”
