Mu Ci sat in the passenger seat, hearing the sound of the doors locking, and resignedly closed her eyes.
She shouldn’t have held any illusions about Qin Qiqi.
Qin Yan glanced at her with a deep, unfathomable gaze, then stepped on the accelerator and drove straight back to Yulan Court.
The journey was silent, and after about ten more minutes of silence at home, Qin Yan finally spoke his first words.
Only two words: “Let’s talk.”
Mu Ci leaned against the kitchen island, poured herself a glass of water, and looked up at him. “Talk about what?”
Qin Yan walked over expressionlessly, took the glass from her hand, replaced it with warm water, and placed it in front of her. “Why are you avoiding me?”
Mu Ci picked up the glass. The pleasant warmth of the water seeped through the glass, warming her fingertips. She took a sip and said slowly:
“Qin Yan, we both know exactly why we got married. Putting on a show and keeping it at that doesn’t mean anything goes.”
Qin Yan understood. She felt that overly intimate actions were unacceptable.
She couldn’t accept it.
“So, you mean I can’t have any inappropriate behavior from now on?”
“Yes.” Mu Ci held the glass, her gaze clear. “Maintain an appropriate distance until the child is born, and then we can reconsider this relationship.”
Her words were merciless.
Qin Yan was a man of immense pride. He would definitely not accept this.
Just as she prepared herself for the man’s anger or coldness, he instead asked a question in return: “What if I say no?”
Mu Ci was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
Qin Yan’s brown eyes, under the light, were as clear as glass. A low laugh escaped his throat.
It was filled with coldness and mockery.
“Mu Ci, what makes you think I’ll cooperate with everything you do? Since we’re married, you’re my legal wife. In my book, sorry—”
He stared straight at her, his tone dark and heavy. “There’s no divorce here, only widowhood.”
Mu Ci’s eyes widened suddenly, somewhat frightened.
How had he changed so much…
Qin Yan stepped closer, and Mu Ci instinctively took a step back, her back hitting the marble wall.
“…What do you want to do?”
Her fingers groped to the side, finding nothing but the cold wall.
At this critical moment, she didn’t even have a weapon.
Qin Yan controlled his strength, grabbed her flailing hand, and pinned it against her chest with one hand.
With his other hand, he wrapped it around her waist, separating her from the cold wall.
Mu Ci was forced to look up, her gaze crashing into his deep, consuming eyes.
She heard him laugh again. “You were the one who provoked me first. That day—”
He lowered his head, his thin lips hovering near her ear, his low, magnetic voice seductive to the bone. “Everything that should be seen, touched, and done was done.”
“Now you’re telling me to keep my distance. Do you think that’s possible? Hmm?”
The last “hmm” rose in a teasing tone, like a male demon enchanting souls.
Mu Ci suddenly remembered that indulgent night.
As if possessed, she had teased him, kissed him.
Her fingers tangled in his tie as she kicked the door shut, then pushed him down.
Unable to stop.
Come to think of it, that night, Mu Ci had been more like a female rogue who ruined someone’s innocence.
Mu Ci felt like she was about to burn up, regretting why she hadn’t drunk ice water earlier.
“…Then what do you want?” She turned her head to avoid his lips, her wavering voice betraying her ragged breathing.
Qin Yan glanced at her ears, now tinged with a faint red, his tone teasing yet serious. “I want to possess you, body and soul.”
“…”
Mu Ci instantly understood, glaring at him, “Are you even human? I’m pregnant!”
“Exactly because you’re pregnant, right now I’m still human.”
Qin Yan lowered his long lashes, his voice laced with a hint of roguish charm, “Wait until you reach the second trimester, then I’ll show you what it means to not be human.”
“You…” Mu Ci, whether from anger or being teased, couldn’t find the words to scold him for a moment.
Qin Yan gazed at the young woman’s puffed-up, frustrated expression, his throat growing unbearably dry.
He really wanted to bully her fiercely.
Bully her until she cried.
“Alright, go take a bath and sleep.”
Suppressing the restlessness in his heart, Qin Yan released his hold on her.
Mu Ci pushed him away and ran, but she had only taken two steps before he swept her up into his arms.
Suddenly lifted off the ground, she had no choice but to grab onto the clothes on the man’s chest, “…I can walk myself.”
Always carrying her, always carrying her—she wasn’t a child.
Qin Yan held her steadily, offering a perfectly reasonable excuse, “Someone with a husband doesn’t need legs.”
_
Qin Yan’s attitude was genuinely confusing.
A marriage that was supposed to be a superficial arrangement had somehow become less superficial under his influence.
Was he being gentle because of the child in her belly?
Or—
“Mu Ci, we’ve already seen everything, touched everything, done everything. Isn’t it a bit too late for you to try keeping your distance now?”
Qin Yan’s words echoed in her ears.
Oh, she understood now.
The noble God of Wealth was still holding a grudge over what happened that day.
She had coveted his body, so if she didn’t let him covet hers in return, it did seem a little unfair.
It was just his strange male pride at play.
Once Mu Ci figured it out, she stopped overthinking it. After all, she was pregnant now, with a protective shield around her—she wasn’t afraid.
She slept until the sun was high in the sky, only waking when her phone rang.
Seeing it was Qin Qiqi, her drowsiness vanished instantly. She sat up in one swift motion and answered.
“Hello.” Mu Ci slipped into character in an instant, her voice hoarse and tinged with grievance.
Qin Qiqi’s heart clenched at the sound, “Xiao Ci, did my uncle do anything to you yesterday?”
Mu Ci paused, trying to keep her voice calm, but a trace of vulnerability still slipped through, “It’s fine… Qin Yan is actually quite easy to get along with.”
Qin Qiqi couldn’t believe her ears.
Huh? Her uncle was easy to get along with?
Had the sun risen from the west today?
No, something was off about Xiao Ci’s tone.
“Xiao Ci, tell me the truth. What exactly did my uncle do to you?”
Hearing this, Mu Ci on the other end of the call curved her lips slightly.
She had taken the bait.
“Really, it’s nothing…”
“Xiao Ci, tell me the truth!”
Under Qin Qiqi’s repeated questioning, Mu Ci reluctantly and gradually revealed the “truth.”
“We had a huge fight when we got home, and then… in the heat of the moment, I pushed him, and he pushed me back.”
Qin Qiqi’s voice instantly rose an octave, “He hit you?!”
“No, it wasn’t intentional. He apologized afterward, and I forgave him.”
Mu Ci spoke as if it were the truth.
Qin Qiqi calmed down a bit, but still felt guilty. After all, she had abandoned her friend first.
She was the one who had been swayed by material gain.
Overwhelmed with guilt, she only wanted to make amends, “Xiao Ci, it’s all my fault for being blinded by that luxury car. Whatever you want, just name it. As long as I have it, I promise I won’t hold back!”
Mu Ci tilted her head, covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she silently laughed for a while before finally composing herself and softly replying:
“That oil painting you bought in Paris the year before last… you know I’ve always loved it.”
Qin Qiqi wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about art, but she had taken a liking to that painting at first sight and, as if possessed, had impulsively bid for it.
By sheer coincidence, the creator of that painting later passed away unexpectedly, causing his works to skyrocket in value, increasing severalfold.
After a brief silence on the other end, Mu Ci sensed Qin Qiqi’s reluctance and added softly:
“Forget it, pretend I never said anything. Your uncle didn’t mean to hit me yesterday…”
“It’s yours!”
Qin Qiqi closed her eyes, steeled her heart, and gritted her teeth as she uttered the two words.
So what if it was a painting worth half a Koenigsegg?
If her best friend liked it, she’d give it to her!
Having achieved her goal, the moment she hung up the phone, Mu Ci leaned back against the headboard, unable to hold back any longer, and burst into laughter.
Just then, the half-closed bathroom door suddenly swung open.
Mu Ci looked up at the sound and saw Qin Yan standing at the bathroom doorway, his brown eyes cold and piercing.
His tone was even colder: “Did I hit you yesterday?”