His Beloved Treasure

But I was afraid he’d ignore me if I went to see him.

And if I didn’t? I was afraid he wouldn’t be happy.

However, recalling the morning’s events, it wasn’t just him who was angry; there was also Secretary Xi’s matter that I hadn’t settled with him yet. With that thought, I just sat on the couch with my daughter watching SpongeBob.

I realized we were lacking some snacks.

”Can’t you serve the fruit yourself?”

Just as Qin Mu was getting engrossed in the show and trying hard not to laugh, Mu Yi suddenly appeared with a delicate fruit platter and gave her an accusing look.

My laughter died on my lips, and I retorted without thinking, ”I didn’t even know you were planning to serve us fruit.”

Mu Yichen...

Though my words were cool, I immediately reached out to take the plate from his hands, ”Thanks!”

”You’d better not eat it, it’s cut for our daughter.”

He said coldly, his eyes full of disdain as he looked at me.

His words would’ve been better left unsaid; the moment he said them, Qin Mu let out a cold laugh and took a slice of apple to eat.

Mu Yichen...

Huanhuan also curiously looked up at her mother and then clutched the fruit to her chest.

Qin Mu chewed on the apple in her mouth subconsciously, watching her beloved daughter turn into an ingrate and witnessing Mu Yi’s smug departure.

”Mu Yichen, don’t get too cocky!”

Qin Mu grumbled to herself.

Huanhuan held the fruit and ate for a while, and Qin Mu occasionally sneaked a piece of fruit Huanhuan didn’t like into her mouth. Huanhuan was too engrossed in the TV to notice what was missing from the plate, and Qin Mu couldn’t help but laugh at her daughter’s focus.

A three-course dinner with soup, and Huanhuan’s favorite egg custard, it was quite a rich meal.

Finally, the three of us were together again, a bit quiet, yet a little excited.

The two adults, acting childishly, were unwilling to express their feelings, but the child revealed a warm look in her eyes as she watched her parents spending time with her.

That evening, as Qin Mu bathed Huanhuan, she felt as if she were back in the past, when Huanhuan belonged only to her. Oh wait, Mu Yi was there now too.

Lost in thought as she bathed her, it wasn’t until Huanhuan splashed water on her face in the tub that Qin Mu snapped back to reality and engaged in a water fight with her.

By Huanhuan’s bedside, Mu Yichen leaned casually against the desk, legs crossed, handsomely holding a book of bedtime stories, leisurely flipping through it.

The upright posture of his back subtly leaning forward, his sharp, angular profile, and his calm demeanor all exuded an air of nobility that seemed unapproachable by others.

Gazing down at the book, his long, dark lashes fluttering slightly, he lifted his eyes involuntarily upon hearing the noise from the bathroom, turning to look in that direction.

He wandered over to take a look, and then saw the two of them, both drenched, one bent over inside the tub, and the other outside it.

Huanhuan’s big eyes flickered when she saw him standing at the bathroom door, and she quickly crouched down in the tub, a flush of shyness coloring her cheeks.

Qin Mu stopped what she was doing when she saw her daughter’s reaction, turned around, and inadvertently put on a show for Mu Yi.

”Can’t you just take a bath properly?”

Mu Yi asked softly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Neither mother nor daughter said a word, both thinking they should have closed the door beforehand.

Later, Mu Yichen lay on Huanhuan’s bed, telling her a bedtime story, while Qin Mu went back to her own room to take a shower.

I don’t know why, but standing in front of the mirror after the shower, looking at my somewhat damp reflection, I suddenly had trouble remembering.

It felt like it had been an eternity since I had truly looked at myself in the mirror, yet surely I used it every day to put on makeup—how could I not have looked?

But was the emaciated woman in the mirror really me?

I saw the trace of sorrow between the brows of the woman in the mirror, the calmness and sadness in her eyes, and suddenly I could hardly recognize her. Was this still the woman who was once so cold and deeply immersed in the fashion design industry?

Later, I went to my daughter’s room. She was already asleep. I leant against the doorway, feeling drained as I looked inside. The man occupied the entire length of the bed with his tall frame, lying sideways next to my daughter, gently holding her waiting for her to fall asleep, sinking my heart once more.

After that, I returned to my own room. Mu Yichen, in a glance, just caught the sight of my turning away.

His dark eyes flickered slightly and, upon returning to his own room, he saw me already lying down, eyes closed, looking as though I was about to sleep.