Quite awkward

Chapter 110 "Of course I loved you."

More than 20 days later, the costume film "Lotus Seed Heart" was completed.

Qi Yu returned to Linjiang and had just taken a day off when Zhang Pei got her a job shooting for a magazine.

Not the magazine cover, just the inside pages.

The magazine interviewed her about her personal life and acting experience, which also helped her promote two works that have not yet been broadcast.

The magazine shoot lasted for two days. After Qi Yu finished work, Zhang Pei drove to pick her up, saying that he had made an appointment with her second brother to have dinner together.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Qi Yu greeted Mu Chenan at the beginning, and the two of them had very little communication.

Zhang Pei always had a lot to say, bringing up topics from all over the place. Mu Chenan always listened carefully and occasionally agreed.

In the middle of the meeting, Zhang Pei went out to answer a phone call, leaving only a quiet couple in the box.

Qi Yu was sipping a fruit juice drink while browsing her phone. She looked up inadvertently and met Mu Chenan's oppressive gaze.

At that moment, she was slightly stunned, moving her facial features with a puzzled expression.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Two eyes staring at her.

And he looked so carefully.

Mu Chenan was playing with a cigarette that Zhang Pei handed to him, with a nonchalant smile on his face.

"Qi Yu, are we strangers?"

At this dinner table, he should be the person who has known Qi Yu the longest.

But since she appeared tonight, her eyes have been wandering, deliberately avoiding his gaze and his questions.

After shouting for a long time, he would only respond blankly.

Are you trying to pretend you don't know him well?

Qi Yu lowered his eyes and said embarrassedly, "Second brother, our relationship is not innocent, so it's best not to make it too public."

Mu Chenan smiled and did not continue to dwell on this topic. Instead, he asked her to go home with him later.

She hesitated and did not agree immediately.

"Don't want to?" Mu Chenan raised his eyebrows slightly.

"No, I was just thinking about whether I have any work arrangements for tomorrow. But it seems that I haven't had any work recently." Qi Yu glanced at the person opposite and answered softly.

After he finished speaking, Zhang Pei pushed the door open and walked in, sitting down irritably with a worried look on his face, as if he had encountered some difficult problem in his career.

"What's wrong?" Mu Chenan asked.

At this time, Qi Yu ignored their conversation and got up to go to the bathroom.

In the box, after Zhang Pei explained his situation, Muchan smiled and thought it was just a minor inconvenience and he could help his friend solve it by just making a phone call.

Zhang Pei immediately breathed a sigh of relief and raised the juice to toast him.

"Mr. Mu, thank you."

Mu Chenan threw away the cigarette he was playing with and suddenly said seriously, "When Qi Yu is not filming, find her some work so she can earn some money."

Zhang Pei was slightly stunned, then raised his head and folded his arms and said with a smile: "A few months ago, you didn't think much of her. Why did you suddenly change now?"

Mu Chenan remained silent.

Recently he discovered that Qi Yu would become very happy every time she made money. She didn't like being idle, and long periods of rest would make her anxious.

Zhang Pei added, "Qi Yu isn't famous yet, so it's not easy for her to get new work. If you want her to make money, you're actually just throwing resources at her."

"I'll cover the funding, and you can take care of the rest."

Mu Chenan's casual attitude seemed like he was discussing an unimportant cooperation.

Qi Yu loves money but has a strong personality. Since she refuses to accept the money he gives her, he might as well give it to her in another way.

Why not spend some money to make a woman happy?

-

Back at Greentown Peony Garden, Qi Yu went into the bathroom to remove her makeup, and then she saw Mu Chenan standing behind her in the mirror.

"You can take a bath in the tub later."

Qi Yu took off her earrings, hesitated for a moment, and shook her head: "There are no bath balls here."

He bent down and opened a drawer under the sink.

"I've prepared everything, please feel free to use it."

Qi Yu looked down, surprised that he would be so thoughtful.

Essential oil bath balls, bath additives, rose petals, bath salts, all kinds of bath products are available.

Mu Chenan walked over and ruffled her hair with a nonchalant tone.

"Because our relationship is not innocent, you can treat this place as your home, Qi Yu. Be more relaxed and don't be so reserved. Do whatever you want here. I won't say anything."

She hummed a few times, said thank you, and continued to busy herself with her own things.

But secretly I felt strange.

Why was he suddenly so nice to her and took careful note of her feelings?

……

At the end of the night, Qi Yu lay on the bed panting. Mu Chenan got out of bed to get some water. When she came back, she snuggled in his strong arms and enjoyed his watering service.

After drinking the water, Mu Chenan saw that there was still a hint of charm in her eyes. For some reason, he felt inexplicably happy.

Maybe it was because he noticed that she seemed to be enjoying it. In the previous few times, she was obviously more proactive, but she was the one who stopped it in the end.

A few days ago, he went to Hengcheng several times, coming and leaving in a hurry, taking into account her schedule, and did not mention doing anything. He just accompanied her for a meal and held her to sleep.

The reason why he asked her to go back to the villa tonight was simply because he felt that home was more comfortable than a hotel. There were only the two of them in the whole house, and she no longer had to suppress her voice for fear of being heard by others.

He also discovered that she was not afraid of being heard by others, but that kind of delicate whimpering made her feel ashamed, so she always bit her lips tightly, and only when he leaned over and kissed her would she cooperate and let go.

Mu Chenan got back on the bed, pulled Qi Yu into his arms, and for the first time asked her seriously, "Is there anything you want?"

As long as it was reasonable, he could fulfill her wish.

Qi Yu closed his eyes tiredly, but his mind was thinking.

"I want to travel to Northern Europe with Xiang Wei."

Xiang Wei told Qi Yu a few days ago that she planned to travel abroad with her partner and shoot some couple VLOGs as material. This is also part of their work.

She asked Qi Yu if she was free to go with her.

To be honest, Qi Yu was a little tempted, but she didn't know the subsequent work arrangements, so she couldn't make up her mind.

When Muchenan asked her if she wanted anything, the idea of traveling abroad with her friends immediately came to her mind.

In the first few days of this year, she encountered a replacement for her movie role, and her birthday was particularly bleak.

Then she filmed a dating show, but just after finishing one episode, she was cut from the show. She rushed from Beicheng to Linjiang with a rage, only to make a fool of herself in front of Muchenan.

Later, he finally made some quick money, but before he could even enjoy the money, he was defrauded and suffered heavy losses.

After that, she lived under someone else's roof, had to compromise and try to please someone in every way, which eventually developed into the abnormal sexual relationship she has now.

She has been under high mental pressure all year and needs to adjust her mood. Besides, she hasn't gone out to play for many years. Now that she finally has some savings, it's a good time to go out and relax.

Mu Chenan didn't expect that she would want to travel. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "When do you plan to go?"

Qi Yu replied: "It should be around the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Mu Chenan had planned to go to the United States to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival a long time ago. He happened to be out of the country, and the two of them couldn't see each other during that time anyway, so he might as well fulfill her wish.

“Who else besides Xiang Wei?”

"Her work partner, a man, and her assistant, a woman."

"What kind of character is that man?" This is the question that Mu Chenan is most concerned about.

"He's a good person. He's worked with Xiang Wei for a year and they haven't had many conflicts."

Hearing this, Mu Chenan curled his lips slightly and rubbed her waist with his palm.

"I agree that you can go. I'll arrange a professional local tour guide for you, but remember to keep your distance from the opposite sex, and also, protect yourself."

Qi Yu suddenly looked up at him, unable to hide the happiness on her face.

Mu Chenan lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then said in a low voice, "A reward for your recent obedience."

……

In the days that followed, in addition to preparing for her overseas trip, Zhang Pei assigned Qi Yu two more jobs. The work was not tiring and the pay was high.

Zhang Pei said that there haven't been any good scripts recently, so she will first wait and see how "Years of Prosperity" is broadcasted at the end of the month before considering whether to join the crew to film.

What it means is that Qi Yu should take a short vacation first. When she comes back, she will need to cooperate with the crew in publicity and will be busy for a while.

-

United States.

Mu Chenan's plane landed and the driver went to the airport to pick him up.

After putting the luggage into the trunk, he opened the back door and saw Mu Yanqing, dressed in a suit, also sitting inside.

When Mu Chenan got in the car, he noticed the obvious dark circles under Mu Yanqing's eyes and asked with concern: "Brother, you are very tired from work. Have you not slept well recently?"

The driver starts the car and it starts moving.

Mu Yanqing lowered his eyes tiredly and denied, "It's true that I didn't sleep well, but it wasn't because of work."

“So what happened?”

"I'll talk to you later."

The driver was Chinese and could understand what the two were saying.

At a gas station two kilometers away from the Mu family manor, the driver parked the car and got out alone, leaving a private space for conversation with his employer.

Mu Yanqing lowered the car window and looked at the flat road outside. His voice was low and a little hoarse.

"Nianhan and I are getting a divorce."

Mu Chenan was reading a work email on his phone. When he heard this, he was stunned and turned around in disbelief.

Mu Yanqing pounded his aching neck and sighed, "We had a fight over a misunderstanding. She thought I was lying and got so angry she asked for a divorce, and I agreed."

"Can't you just talk it over calmly? Besides, you just celebrated your anniversary and are clearly very much in love. Wanting a divorce just because of a fight is way too hasty."

Mu Chenan's original intention was to hope for family harmony. He had already regarded Xu Nianhan as a family member, but now his elder brother and sister-in-law wanted to divorce. He could not accept it for the time being and wanted to persuade them to give up the idea of divorce.

"We talked about it later, and Nianhan apologized to me, saying she was impulsive and regretted not wanting a divorce. But I remained firm and unwavering, leaving her no room for redemption. I planned to end this marriage completely. We just signed the divorce agreement a few days ago, and yesterday I bought her an apartment in the city. She will move in later, and I will give her every penny she deserves. When she and I both have some vacation time, we will return to China to complete the divorce procedures."

Mu Chenan fell into a long silence.

“Why do you want a divorce?”

Mu Yanqing rubbed his eyes with his palms, his tone heavy.

"Marriage is so exhausting. Nianhan has been feeling very insecure since her miscarriage. She's always suspicious, thinking I don't love her and that I love someone else. She thinks I'm deliberately preventing her from getting pregnant again. I've always wanted to be a good husband, but..."

The words stopped abruptly.

He sniffed and choked.

Mu Chenan clearly saw the tears about to overflow from the corners of his elder brother's eyes, which made him feel depressed.

It seems that divorce did not make the eldest brother happy, but made him more painful. An unhealthy relationship can become a weapon of torture, leaving two people covered in bruises and even their hearts riddled with holes.

"Brother, did you really love Xu Nianhan?"

"Of course I have." Mu Yanqing answered firmly.

The two were together last spring. Xu Nianhan proposed to him in early summer and they got married in late summer. In the fall, in order to help her fulfill her dream of pursuing a doctorate, he gave up everything in Linjiang and came to the United States with her.

Doesn't this prove that he loves her?

It’s just that “love” is consumed bit by bit in the oppressive marriage, making both of them unhappy.

So, for them, separation is the best outcome.

"Is it because of Qi Yu?" Mu Chenan suddenly asked.

He made a rough guess, but was not sure, so he decided to ask the person involved directly for confirmation.

"Don't blame Ayu, it's none of her business." Mu Yanqing didn't want to say more, and even more didn't want to involve innocent people.

Mu Chenan got the answer from his hesitant look, which made him feel uncomfortable.

Mu Yanqing calmed down and said calmly, "I'm just letting you know in advance that Nianhan is still living at home. You can just get along with her normally. There's no need to treat her specially."

"I understand. What do my parents say?" Mu Chenan asked.

“They respected my decision.”

The two elders of the Mu family are very open-minded. They will not try to manipulate the feelings of the young people. Instead, they hope that the two can divorce peacefully so that it won’t become too ugly in the end.

-

Arrived at the Mu family manor.

Mu Chenan got out of the car, hugged his parents, and chatted with them for a while.

The family had dinner in the restaurant, and he did not see Xu Nianhan. After dinner, Shen Shuang urged him to go back to his room to adjust to the jet lag.

On his way back to his room, he passed a door and stopped.

Mu Yanqing had just finished taking a shower and changed into pajamas. He turned around and saw Mu Chenan.

"You all sleep in separate rooms?"

Mu Yanqing used to live in a suite on the second floor, but now he lives on the first floor. The room is smaller, with only a single bedroom and bathroom.

"We started sleeping in separate beds after we decided to divorce. It's not unusual."

Mu Chenan leaned against the door frame with his arms folded.

He thought that if a couple who decided to divorce did not sleep in separate rooms, there might be a chance for reconciliation.

It seems that the eldest brother has made up his mind to divorce, and it is impossible for him and Xu Nianhan to reconcile.

He chuckled softly, as a way of comforting her: "Brother, since you've decided to let go of a relationship, then let's be more open-minded. You should also have a good sleep. If you can get up early, we can go hiking together tomorrow."