Xie Qingxiao watched the scene with cold indifference, his slender, elegant hand holding Xie Qingtao’s.
Xie Qingtao wisely kept her mouth shut.
The atmosphere was utterly bizarre!!
Warning bells rang in Xie Qingtao’s mind.
Something was off!
The expressions on the faces of everyone in the Mu family were all wrong.
Xie Qingtao glanced sideways at Xie Qingping, whose face bore a faint trace of concealed pain.
His gaze remained fixed on Mu Mingyue, and he said nothing.
Mu Mingyue, however, showed no cracks, still wearing that flawless, gentle smile.
But when she saw Mu Bozhou’s attire, she frowned slightly. Comparing it to her elder brother’s outfit beside her, her brows furrowed even tighter.
Xie Qingtao gave Xie Qingxiao a meaningful look.
‘Brother, what’s going on?’
Xie Qingxiao remained completely unperturbed, calmly returning a glance:
‘Just watch quietly.’
Xie Qingtao’s mouth opened slightly, and she obediently nodded.
Seeing the atmosphere so strange and the Mu family showing no joy at their arrival, Xie Jianguo took the initiative to break the stalemate.
Xie Jianguo put on a cheerful smile, strode in carrying gifts, and said:
“Hello, in-laws! We’ve come today to propose marriage for our Qingping.”
As the saying goes, one doesn’t strike a smiling face. Father Mu glanced subtly at Mu Bozhou and said with a smile:
“Good, good! We’ve been waiting for you. The other two behind you must be your twins! They’re so handsome!
I wonder if your daughter is already betrothed?”
Father Mu didn’t mention today’s main subject, Xie Qingping, but instead brought up Xie Qingtao and the others out of the blue.
Xie Qingtao looked up at Xie Qingxiao, who was clearly a head taller than her, her eyes filled with confusion.
Xie Qingxiao didn’t even bother to lift his eyelids, idly playing with Xie Qingtao’s hand as he looked down.
Xie Jianguo’s smile froze, and he stood there stunned.
Liu Guiyun gently poked him with her finger.
Xie Jianguo snapped out of it, piling on a smile:
“Not yet! We’d like to keep her for a few more years before considering that.”
Liu Guiyun added from the side:
“She’s our only daughter, raised delicately. We don’t want her to marry so early. We might even take in a live-in son-in-law later on.”
Upon hearing this, Father Mu’s expression stiffened. After a moment, he forced a rigid smile and said:
“Girls should indeed be raised delicately. Taotao is so lovely, she deserves to be pampered.”
Xie Jianguo nodded along, then, remembering the purpose of their visit, brought it up again:
“In-law, today is about Qingping’s marriage. Mingyue has been dating Qingping for a year now, and Qingping has reached marriageable age. Shouldn’t we start discussing the wedding arrangements?”
Just as Father Mu began to speak:
“Well, about that…”
A young, cold voice filled with undeniable authority interrupted him from the side:
“I disagree!”
The speaker was Mu Bozhou, the current head of the Mu family.
He was now the trusted secretary to Secretary Lin.
The Xie family reacted strongly. Except for Xie Qingping and Xie Qingxiao, the others exclaimed in shock:
“What?”
Xie Qingtao covered her mouth with her free left hand, her eyes widening even more.
Xie Jianguo and Liu Guiyun were momentarily stunned. Looking at Mu Bozhou and considering the strange atmosphere in the Mu household today, they suddenly understood.
The Mu family’s reaction wasn’t as intense; their expressions twisted briefly before returning to normal.
Xie Jianguo looked up and stared directly at Mu Bozhou. His amorous peach-blossom eyes were now filled with wariness and vigilance.
“Brother Mingyue, nowadays marriage is about freedom of choice. Your disapproval won’t stop anything.”
He had a vague suspicion in his heart.
Mu Bozhou might be…
Mu Bozhou remained seated with an unperturbed demeanor, paying no heed to the other’s words.
He shifted the topic to Mu Mingyue, his tone laced with a thinly veiled threat.
As he spoke, an intimidating aura faintly emanated from him.
“Mingyue, if I don’t agree to you marrying into their family, what will you do?”
Mu Mingyue’s gentle smile froze, then she forced it back onto her face:
“Uncle, I will follow the family’s arrangements. I’m sorry for making you come all this way for nothing today.”
After speaking, she lowered her head.
Xie Qingtao, standing behind Xie Jianguo, could see that Mu Mingyue’s gentle smile held no warmth—it was cold and mechanical.
But she noticed Mu Mingyue’s hand trembling slightly after saying those words.
For some reason, she could sense an aura of sorrow emanating from Mu Mingyue.
Just as Xie Qingtao was about to say something, someone tugged her hand.
It was Xie Qingxiao, reminding her not to interfere in this matter.
Xie Qingtao retracted her half-raised foot.
However, Xie Qingping beside her was far from calm.
His hands were clenched tightly, and the neatly ironed white shirt was wrinkled at the hem from his restrained emotions.
Xie Jianguo faced Mu Bozhou’s gaze directly:
“Why? I want an explanation.”
Their family was known for being sentimental.
To put it nicely, they were sentimental; to put it bluntly, their family specialized in producing love-struck fools.
Especially the men.
If this marriage fell through, it would be a heavy blow to Qingping.
Xie Jianguo wanted to try one more time.
Mu Bozhou’s striking phoenix eyes fixed intently on Xie Qingtao, filled with possessiveness and lingering affection:
“Uncle Xie, what do you think of me as your son-in-law?”
Mu Bozhou leisurely dropped a bombshell.
Xie Jianguo was thoroughly shocked. Regaining his composure, he immediately lost his calm:
“No, I don’t agree!”
Xie Jianguo’s face showed an unprecedented seriousness as he refused.
After speaking, he turned to leave.
Mu Bozhou, at such a young age, had already risen to become the right-hand man of the county officials.
His abilities and intelligence were exceptional.
Someone like him was beyond Taotao’s control.
Xie Jianguo didn’t dare to gamble; human hearts were unpredictable.
This young man had more tricks up his sleeve than a sieve—Taotao was no match for him.
Xie Qingtao’s eyes widened abruptly, her lips slightly parted, unable to close for a long time.
Her mind was filled with confusion.
What was going on? Did Brother Mu like her?
Then Mu Bozhou dropped another bombshell.
“Wait, Uncle Xie, what if I married into your family instead?”
At this, Father Mu and Mother Mu could no longer remain seated.
Father Mu’s eyes held a grave expression as he tried to stop Mu Bozhou from ruining his own future:
“No, Bozhou, you can’t gamble with your future like this.”
If their eldest son married into the Xie family, he would be criticized.
Mother Mu nodded in agreement.
Mu Bozhou was the pride of their family; they couldn’t let him be destroyed.
“Mom, Dad, I’ve already considered this situation. I like Taotao, and I don’t want her to be gossiped about. Marrying into their family is a good option for me.”
Mu Bozhou’s eyes held a stubborn, all-or-nothing obsession as he insisted:
“Besides, you could also have Qingping marry into the Mu family.”
He was willing to shoulder all the risks for Taotao.
Father Mu fell silent, quietly weighing the matter.
Mother Mu simply looked at her husband and children, swallowing the words on the tip of her tongue and sighing softly.
Xie Qingtao was once again utterly stunned.
Her mind went blank with a sudden “buzz.”
Upon hearing Mu Bozhou’s words, Xie Jianguo felt a shameful stirring in his heart. He turned his head and said:
“I’ll go back and think it over.”
With that, he hurriedly took Xie Qingtao and the others back home.
Mu Bozhou remained silent, his icy gaze sweeping over Mu Mingyue as a faint, ambiguous smile curled at the corner of his lips.
His eyes held a look of absolute determination.
Sensing her elder brother’s gaze, Mu Mingyue tensed inwardly and averted her eyes from Mu Bozhou.