Mu Yuze and Lu Xue didn't find anything amiss. They exchanged a look, somewhat puzzled by everyone's shocked reactions.
They had spent a week in the countryside and were already used to mingling with the villagers and wearing similar clothes.
Now that they were back, it made everyone a bit uncomfortable.
Mu Ziyue forced back the words she wanted to say. She gave a sheepish smile, pretending she hadn't had any negative thoughts just now, and pulled Lu Xue back to the room.
As soon as they entered the room, she immediately started interrogating her. "Lu Xue, has there been any progress between you and my brother during this time? You two were in that small village for over a week. There must be some feelings developing, right?"
Lu Xue felt a bit guilty under Mu Ziyue's questioning. She avoided the topic and just turned to start unpacking her luggage in the room.
Mu Ziyue was a bit impatient seeing that she was still unpacking. She snatched the things from Lu Xue's hands and asked, "Why are you still unpacking? Do you still want to move out?"
In her imagination, she had urged her brother to chase after Lu Xue, providing them with such a great opportunity to be alone. When they came back, her brother should have won Lu Xue's heart and be holding a shiny engagement ring, ready to marry her.
But Lu Xue still wanted to move out! The situation seemed no different from before!
Lu Xue avoided Mu Ziyue's gaze and continued to pack up the things in the room alone.
Mu Ziyue paced back and forth in the room and asked, "Are you really going to move out? If you do, you'll never see my brother again! Can you really bear it?"
Lu Xue just said indifferently, "This was never my place. I don't need to force myself to stay."
Mu Ziyue sighed. She was really helpless with Lu Xue, so she rushed downstairs to find her brother.
Mu Yuze was even calmer. He was trimming the flowers and plants in the yard. He looked up at Mu Ziyue and said, "Go back and do your homework. Kids shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs."
Mu Ziyue was extremely angry at Mu Yuze's words. She stamped her foot and turned away.
Lu Xue was packing up her things in the room while answering Han Xiaolv's call.
Han Xiaolv said in a hurry, "Lu Xue, Lu Xue, are you back? Have you gained anything during this time? Do you have any plans to release new works?"
Lu Xue was a bit surprised. Why was Han Xiaolv suddenly so enthusiastic about this?
Han Xiaolv said shyly, "While you were in the countryside, I've been chatting with Ji Jingcheng via text messages. Through these chats, I found that we have the same opinion about your works. We both think you're too unproductive! You've been so low - key these two years that there's hardly any news about you! Ji Jingcheng asked me to ask if you have any plans to release new works. If you do, he can help you start arranging it."
Lu Xue immediately understood. No wonder Han Xiaolv was suddenly so enthusiastic about her affairs. She was using Lu Xue's works to get closer to Ji Jingcheng. Now they had become good friends through chatting about her works.
She thought for a while and said, "I do have some new ideas. After meeting Mr. Chen, I want to systematically organize some of my previous works and publish a personal collection. Can you help me make an appointment with Ji Jingcheng? I'd like to meet him during this time and talk about publishing the collection."
Han Xiaolv immediately nodded and agreed, "No problem. I'll go and tell Ji Jingcheng right away!"
After hanging up the phone, Han Xiaolv even felt a bit excited. She was so grateful to Lu Xue for giving her another chance to talk to Ji Jingcheng.
...
On the night they returned, Mu Ziyue insisted on holding a party at home, ostensibly to celebrate Lu Xue and Mu Yuze's successful return from the "wilderness survival".
Mu Yuze raised his eyebrows, with a complex look in his eyes for a moment.
His younger sister probably had never lived alone outside, so she completely imagined his time in the countryside as a cruel wilderness survival.
Since Mu Ziyue insisted on holding this party, the housekeeper and the aunts in the family had to comply.
A simple party was held in the large living - room of the house. Mu Ziyue invited some of her good friends to come and help celebrate. She also ordered a big cake and some champagne and drinks from outside.
They didn't invite Ding Muyun, but somehow she still got the news and came uninvited.
When she saw Ding Muyun, the smile on Mu Ziyue's face faded a bit.
"How did you know I'm holding a party at home tonight?"
Ding Muyun smiled and said, "I saw it from the social updates of some other socialites, so I came. I thought we were so familiar that you didn't need to invite me. I could just come directly."
Although Mu Ziyue was reluctant in her heart, she still had to deal with Ding Muyun on the surface. So she asked the housekeeper to invite her in and arrange a seat for her.