The call was answered very slowly.
Mu Jiujiu heard an overbearing voice on the other end, and a trace of bitterness swept through her throat.
She said cautiously, “Mother, today is already the seventh day since Jiujiu married into the Chu family. May I speak with Grandma on the phone?”
The environment on Yao Zhilan’s end was noisy. After Mu Jiujiu finished speaking, she paused for a long while before letting out a light laugh and saying, “Jiujiu, not today. I’m out and about today, a bit busy. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Mu Jiujiu’s slightly parted lips trembled.
Her nose suddenly stung with emotion. She bit her lip with her teeth before she could barely manage to make a sound: “Mm, then you go ahead with your business. Jiujiu will call again tomorrow.”
Mu Jiujiu clutched the phone tightly. “Oh, and could I ask about Grandma’s side…”
“Mom, does this look good on me?” It was her younger sister Mu Xianxian’s voice. “It’s just a bit expensive, though?”
“Mm, not bad. As long as our Xianxian likes it, no matter how much it costs, Mom will… beep…”
Without even saying goodbye, the call was cut off directly on the other end.
Mu Jiujiu gripped the phone tightly, aggrieved tears swirling in her eyes.
What she felt wronged about wasn’t that her mother doted on her sister but not on her—because Yao Zhilan wasn’t her biological mother at all.
What she felt wronged about was that she hadn’t spoken to her grandmother on the phone in a very long time. She missed her grandmother terribly.
And she was also very worried about her grandmother’s condition.
Half a month ago, Yao Zhilan had found her and said that the eldest young master of the Shengshi Group, Chu Yanxiu, had become a vegetable after a car accident, and the Chu family was looking for a young lady from a prestigious family to marry Chu Yanxiu for good luck.
Normally, the Mu family’s status wouldn’t even come close to qualifying for the Chu family, but what the Chu family needed was a bride whose birth date and time perfectly matched Chu Yanxiu’s—only then would the marriage for good luck be effective.
And her birth date and time happened to match perfectly.
Her grandmother was gravely ill, her father Mu Yaoshan hadn’t been in contact for years, and Yao Zhilan had used the condition of paying for her grandmother’s treatment as a trade for her marrying Chu Yanxiu. At the time, she was desperately anxious to raise money for her grandmother’s medical care, so she agreed without a second thought.
But she had fulfilled all of Yao Zhilan’s requirements, while Yao Zhilan’s promise to let her visit her grandmother had turned into only being able to contact her by phone, and then from phone calls, it had been reduced to only twice a week.
Yet now, she had already been married into the Chu family for a week, and she still hadn’t been able to get in touch with her grandmother.
Outside the dressing room door.
Chu Yanxiu had only heard the first sentence—”Mother, today is already the seventh day since Jiujiu married into the Chu family. May I speak with Grandma on the phone?”
After confirming that Mu Jiujiu was just making an ordinary family call, he returned to the bed.
A few minutes later, just as he was about to lie back down like a corpse, the dressing room door was pushed open and Mu Jiujiu walked out from inside.
Chu Yanxiu casually looked up and saw that Mu Jiujiu’s eyes were red. Her hand had just withdrawn from the dressing room door and she took a step forward, when her whole body pitched forward and she collapsed to the floor.
“Bang—”
The sound seemed to slam heavily against Chu Yanxiu’s heart. He sprang up from the bed like a leaping carp and rushed toward Mu Jiujiu.
Chu Yanxiu lifted Mu Jiujiu up from the floor and placed her on the bed.
Mu Jiujiu had grown up as a child in the countryside, accustomed to squatting on the ground to play, and sometimes even eating while squatting on the ground.
Just now, when she was on the phone, because the person on the other end was Yao Zhilan, she was a bit nervous, so she had made the call while squatting on the ground.
After hanging up, she had squatted there feeling upset for a while longer, and when she stood up, she felt a bit dizzy.
It wouldn’t have been a problem normally, but perhaps because the light in the dressing room was too dim, the moment she pushed open the door, the sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling window shot straight into her eyes like a sharp blade. She instinctively closed her eyes, and combined with her existing foot injury, that blink caused her to lose her balance entirely, sending her whole body pitching forward.
Mu Jiujiu had just fallen and her head was still a bit dazed. She sat on the bed to recover for a moment before regaining her senses.
“Thank you, husband. Husband is so kind.”
She looked up at Chu Yanxiu standing by the bedside, a pleasing smile spreading across the corners of her mouth.
But Chu Yanxiu didn’t miss the loneliness hidden in the depths of her eyes.
Her family member’s condition probably wasn’t looking good, Chu Yanxiu thought.
The spot where Chu Yanxiu stood was against the light, conveniently blocking the harsh sunlight for Mu Jiujiu.
At this moment, he was wearing loungewear, his figure tall and imposing. Beneath the soft white fabric, the defined contours of his chest and abdominal muscles were faintly visible. His clean, neat black short hair was suffused with a beautiful silver sheen, and beneath the silver glow, his features were sculpted and sharp.
Every single detail was perfection in just the right measure.
Every time she saw Chu Yanxiu, Mu Jiujiu felt amazed, her gaze irresistibly drawn to him, her heart unable to stop beating faster for him.
And so, gazing up at Chu Yanxiu, the little fool unconsciously revealed a look of infatuation and shyness she didn’t even realize she was showing.
She really did like him!
The girl’s thoughts were written all over her face—Chu Yanxiu would have had to try hard not to notice.
His hands clenched tightly into fists!
If he were a vegetable, she would live as a widow.
But now that he had woken up, he absolutely would not acknowledge her identity—especially not a woman Qiao Yu had shoved onto him!
Even if she weren’t Qiao Yu’s spy, she would still be a sacrifice for some wealthy family’s rise to power. Since she agreed to marry him, she should have anticipated the consequences she would face.
Mu Jiujiu’s glossy, water-colored lips parted slightly as she spoke again in a sweet, coquettish tone: “Husband, you’re even more handsome than a celebrity. You’re like a heavenly god.”
Chu Yanxiu’s clenched hand suddenly relaxed, then clenched tightly again.
A cold voice rang out: “You enjoy complimenting people?”
Mu Jiujiu quickly shook her head: “No, no! Husband is truly handsome. Jiujiu would never praise Chu Xiaoyuan!”
The way her mind worked…
Chu Yanxiu knelt on the edge of the bed with his left knee, propped his right hand on the headboard, and leaned down toward Mu Jiujiu, deliberately narrowing his eyes to make himself look sinister and terrifying: “Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Mu Jiujiu tilted her head, looking puzzled: “Husband is the most handsome man in the world. Why would Jiujiu be afraid?”
Chu Yanxiu raised an eyebrow inwardly: “So, the reason you help me is because of this face?”
Mu Jiujiu carefully observed Chu Yanxiu’s expression and gently shook her head: “Grandmother said that husband and wife are the closest people in this world. Husband is Jiujiu’s husband, and Jiujiu is husband’s wife. So, Jiujiu will listen to husband.”
Hearing this, Chu Yanxiu’s voice deepened slightly: “Then you should also know that not all couples in this world treat each other with mutual respect.”
Mu Jiujiu immediately sat up straight upon hearing this, as if taking an oath, and said seriously: “But Jiujiu will definitely be good to husband.”
Chu Yanxiu couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
Why was he saying all this to a fool?
She wouldn’t understand anyway!
In any case, when they divorced, he wouldn’t treat her unfairly.
As Chu Yanxiu lowered his gaze, he noticed Mu Jiujiu’s swollen ankle. A strong and complex emotion suddenly surged in his eyes, which had always been as calm and cold as an ancient well.
“Come, give me your foot—the injured one.”
With that, Chu Yanxiu reached out and took hold of Mu Jiujiu’s injured right leg. His long leg, which had been kneeling on the edge of the bed, shifted into a cross-legged position, and he placed her foot on his knee.
The skin touched by Chu Yanxiu’s warm, large hand tingled with numbness, causing the tips of Mu Jiujiu’s ears to flush red.