Wei Linyě was genuinely very serious when he studied. He was the type who could completely shut himself off from the outside world. In her previous life, even after he became an official, he was the same way when handling official business in his study.
When Liu Muli went to his room to call him for lunch, she saw him frowning as he read, as though he had encountered some difficult problem.
She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should disturb him.
Who would have thought that the next moment, his deep, cold voice rang out.
“Come here.”
Liu Muli was startled and snapped irritably, “Come here, my foot! Mother sent me to call you for lunch.”
There was actually no need for her to specifically go into his room to call him. She could have simply shouted from outside. Huang Shi probably wanted to bring the two of them closer together and was deliberately giving them opportunities to interact.
She had to admit, Huang Shi’s way of thinking was rather unusual. She didn’t object to her daughter-in-law getting involved with her younger brother-in-law.
Ugh. That sounded awful. It made her sound as though she were shamelessly seducing her younger brother-in-law.
The truth was that bastard Wei Linyě had been the one to seduce her first.
In the next instant, a strong arm reached out and abruptly pulled her into his embrace, wrapping tightly around her waist.
Liu Muli’s body stiffened for a moment as she struggled to break free.
Wei Linyě’s expression darkened, and his voice was frighteningly deep. “Liu Muli, what exactly is wrong with you? Why have you been treating me so badly ever since I came back this time? Why do you keep refusing to get close to me?”
“……”
Liu Muli sneered inwardly but deliberately put on an unreasonable expression. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to see you.”
Being unreasonable could always serve as a perfectly good excuse for being angry with him.
In her previous life, he had gotten angry out of embarrassment and called her unreasonable before.
Wei Linyě: “……”
He pinched her chin, kissed her on the lips, and said coldly, “Even if you don’t want to look at me, you still have to.”
Liu Muli rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, “Mother is waiting for us to eat. Are you coming or not?”
Wei Linyě caught her lips and kissed her again before finally letting her go. He followed her into the main room for lunch.
After lunch, Huang Shi took the strips of chicken out to the courtyard to dry in the sun. Then she picked up a vegetable basket and went out to find the butcher. Liu Muli followed her, completely ignoring Wei Linyě’s resentful gaze.
Standing beneath the eaves, Wei Linyě watched Liu Muli leave without the slightest hesitation. She didn’t even say goodbye to him, and a faint restlessness gradually rose in his heart.
He had a feeling that something was beginning to slip beyond his control.
Yet he couldn’t figure out what it was. As far as he knew, he hadn’t done anything to wrong her. It shouldn’t have been enough to make her so angry that she didn’t even want to acknowledge him.
What exactly was it?
The sun was scorching hot on the way.
Both Liu Muli and Huang Shi wore straw hats.
Several times, Huang Shi turned to look at the young woman beside her. Thinking of how distant Liu Muli had been toward Linyě earlier, she knew that her little temper had not yet passed.
But Linyě would soon be leaving for the capital, and he wouldn’t be back for at least a year or even longer.
If the two of them were merely bickering under normal circumstances, she certainly wouldn’t interfere too much. But things were different now. She was afraid that this quarrel might affect Linyě’s studies and examinations, and that would be troublesome.
After hesitating for a long time, Huang Shi finally asked gently, “Muli, are you angry with Linyě?”
The relaxed smile on Liu Muli’s pretty, fair face instantly froze. She pressed her lips together and said, “No.”
Huang Shi naturally didn’t believe her, but her tone remained gentle, without the slightest hint of reproach.
“Muli, Mother isn’t trying to blame you. I just wanted to say…”
Huang Shi let out a long sigh before slowly telling her what she had been thinking.
Liu Muli was stunned.
Huang Shi’s words had essentially torn through that layer of paper and openly laid the relationship between her and Wei Linyě on the table.
Although she had already guessed that Huang Shi knew about the relationship between them, she was still caught completely off guard when it was actually brought into the open.
She looked at Huang Shi in shock.
“Mother…”
Huang Shi smiled. “Mother already knows. I’ve known about what’s going on between you and Linyě for a long time.”
Liu Muli’s heart pounded wildly. She felt the nervousness and helplessness of a child whose elders had discovered that she had done something terribly wrong.
“Mother, Wei Linyě and I… I’m sorry.”
She wanted to explain, but in the end, she couldn’t come up with anything to defend herself.
Should she put all the blame on Wei Linyě?
That wouldn’t be entirely fair either. Later on, she had willingly accepted him as well.
Then Huang Shi continued, “Mother knows what you mean. I don’t blame either of you, and I don’t think you did anything wrong. If anyone is at fault, then Linyě was at fault first. I know what kind of person he is.
“On the surface, he looks cold and indifferent, but in reality, he’s extremely stubborn. When there’s something he wants, he’ll find every possible way to get it.
“Back when he and Linmu were younger, the two of them often argued and even fought because Linyě was far too crafty, while Linmu was honest and straightforward. Things that originally belonged to Linmu would somehow end up being swindled away by Linyě, leaving Linmu so angry that he would stomp his feet.”
He was the same way with someone he liked and wanted to have. Take you, for example. Once he had his eye on you, he wanted to make you his.
Huang Shi didn’t say that last part aloud.
If she did, it would make her son sound even more terrible, and she was afraid it would only make Muli angrier.
“……”
Liu Muli truly hadn’t known about any of this.
Huang Shi had mentioned interesting stories about the two brothers before, but she had always focused more on how close the brothers had been.
Because of that, Liu Muli sometimes felt extremely guilty, as though she had betrayed Wei Linmu.
Then she would take out her frustration on Wei Linyě. Instead of getting angry, Wei Linyě would matter-of-factly tell her, “Brother definitely hopes I’ll take care of you for him. Rather than trusting outsiders, you might as well trust me.”
Sure enough, Liu Muli would be talked around by him every time. Over time, she truly came to regard Wei Linmu purely as an older brother.
As Huang Shi spoke of those memories, nostalgia and a smile appeared on her face.
“Sigh. Both boys came from my womb, so how did their personalities end up being worlds apart?”
Liu Muli didn’t know how to respond.
After going around in such a big circle, Huang Shi brought the conversation back to the matter at hand.
“So Mother hopes you can temporarily put aside your anger and indulge him a little for now. If there are any conflicts or grievances, we can settle accounts with him properly after he comes back from the examinations. What do you think?”
Liu Muli’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and a trace of mocking amusement curled at the corners of her lips.
How could she possibly explain to Huang Shi all the entanglements and separation between her past and present lives?
Still, she could understand Huang Shi’s thoughts.
After all, Wei Linyě had studied hard for so many years, and he was finally close to achieving something. Naturally, everyone had to be extremely careful and cautious, hoping that he would reach the capital safely, complete his examinations smoothly, and secure a promising future for himself.
That was one of the greatest hopes a mother could have.
When Liu Muli had discovered that she was carrying a child, she had thought the same way. She had hoped that her child would grow up to be as capable as his father, Wei Linyě.
“Muli, I know you may feel wronged hearing Mother say this, but Mother knows you’re a sensible child… Sigh, I won’t say any more. When Linyě comes back next year, I’ll give him a proper scolding. By then, if you want to beat him up however you like, Mother won’t say a single word!”
Huang Shi continued gently persuading her. As she spoke, she became somewhat flustered and started stumbling over her words, clearly worried that Liu Muli might take things the wrong way.
She simply never asked Liu Muli why she was angry.
Liu Muli was deeply grateful for Huang Shi’s understanding and tolerance. She smiled and said, “Mother, I understand. I know what to do. For the next few days, I’ll just indulge him for now. After he comes back, Mother, you must give him a good beating on my behalf!”
It’s just that I won’t get the chance to do it myself.