OFCC – Chapter 93

After Mu Yanxi signed the contract for 《Let’s Fall in Love Together》, she decided to have dinner out with Yi Wulan, who had just gotten off work. They went to a newly opened Japanese restaurant where the average cost per person was over ten thousand yuan. The ingredients were all air-freighted that day and were very fresh.

Since there were no private rooms, Mu Yanxi kept her head down the entire time, sitting in a corner. If the restaurant hadn’t been on the third floor, Yi Wulan would have worried that a passing police patrol might mistake Mu Yanxi for a suspicious character and take her in for questioning.

After the nerve-wracking meal, Mu Yanxi noticed the car was heading in a different direction than usual and asked with confusion, “Aren’t we going home?”

Yi Wulan turned the steering wheel, her fair, slender fingertips resting on the black leather. She asked in a soft voice, “Want to go see the new house?”

When the car had started moving in the opposite direction, Mu Yanxi had a faint feeling that Yi Wulan was hiding something. Now that her guess was confirmed, she wasn’t too surprised.

Still, she played along, putting on a very surprised and delighted expression. “It’s ready to move in already?”

Yi Wulan nodded. “It was always ready to move in. We just didn’t have you go because we were changing some of the furniture during this time.”

A year had passed, and the apartment Mu Yanxi and Yi Wulan currently lived in bore almost no resemblance to how it looked when they first got married. All the assistive walking devices had been removed, and Mu Yanxi had transformed the color scheme of the house to be much warmer.

They were already in the city center, so it only took a few minutes for the car to drive into Mansion No. 3.

Mu Yanxi was no stranger to this place. She had lived here in her past life, though she had lived alone back then and had bought the smallest of the ten villas.

Even though it was the smallest, the total area including the garden was over five hundred square meters, to say nothing of the fact that Yi Wulan had bought the largest one in the very center.

Thinking of this, Mu Yanxi deliberately spoke in a melancholic tone, “President Yi is truly rich. This house of yours must be almost twice the size of the one I bought, right?”

Yi Wulan ignored the little ancestor’s words and drove into their new home.

After entering the gate, there was a wide, dual-lane driveway. Along both sides, at regular intervals, European palace-style floor lamps with relief carvings would automatically light up, completely different from the community’s streetlights.

Both sides of the road were planted with all sorts of flowers and plants, one flower bed after another. If one looked closely, they would discover that these were all the flowers Mu Yanxi had taken a liking to at the plant exhibition in Hong Kong.

Yi Wulan stopped the car and took Mu Yanxi’s hand, walking toward the back garden. “The back garden has been arranged according to your preferences. Do you want to go see it?”

Mu Yanxi had studied finance, and with her family owning a bank, even if she hadn’t grown up in an orphanage for the first ten-odd years, the following years were enough to change her tastes.

The little peacock just liked flashy things. For instance, even the streetlights at the entrance had to be in a European palace style, to say nothing of such a large back garden that offered so much room for creativity.

But Mu Yanxi had gone to Feicheng today to sign the next phase of their collaboration, and after returning, she had gone to Rongjia Entertainment to sign a variety show contract. She had no desire to admire the scenery; she just wanted to hurry to the bed in their new home and get some good rest.

But upon entering the house, she still had to act up as required. Mu Yanxi stopped Yi Wulan from stepping through the door.

She suddenly bent down and, without any warning, lifted Yi Wulan into her arms.

The moment her body was suspended in the air, Yi Wulan’s pupils constricted in surprise. “You…”

Mu Yanxi had wanted to do this for a long time. Even though she and Yi Wulan were similar in height and weight, she always felt a little itch whenever she watched Yi Wulan carry her.

She always felt it would be a very fulfilling thing to do.

And so, she did it.

However, while it seemed wonderful in her mind, the actual execution was a bit difficult. Mu Yanxi could only manage to carry Yi Wulan from the doorway just inside the house. She hadn’t even taken ten steps in total before she lost her balance and nearly dropped Yi Wulan.

Looking at her trembling hands, Mu Yanxi felt her pride had been greatly insulted.

Especially when Yi Wulan asked, ‘Should I carry you upstairs?’, her expression completely crumbled, and she glanced dejectedly back and forth between Yi Wulan and her own hands.

Yi Wulan seemed to see through Mu Yanxi’s thoughts and cooperated by saying, “I ate a little too much for dinner.”

Mu Yanxi was bewildered. “Did you?”

Yi Wulan said with a straight face, “Yes.”

Only then did Mu Yanxi feel slightly better. Holding her breath, she retorted with a show of bravado, “I heard that when you go to a new home, the bride should be carried inside.”

She heavily emphasized the gong and shou positions.

Then, without waiting for Yi Wulan to say anything, she scampered upstairs like a freed colt.

Mu Yanxi went through the rooms one by one, and by the second one, Yi Wulan had caught up to her.

The second room was very large, a home theater. After a casual glance from the doorway, Mu Yanxi was about to leave when Yi Wulan blocked her path.

“The tech department recently developed a new technology. Want to see?” Yi Wulan wrapped an arm around her and led her inside.

The door shut abruptly, leaving only a few dim lights on in the room. Mu Yanxi raised an eyebrow, thinking Yi Wulan was going to show her a movie. Her mind was already racing, trying to decide which novel little film to watch today.

Yi Wulan used her phone to adjust the holographic equipment. The moment the image in the room turned on, Mu Yanxi froze.

“Xiao Xi, you’re here.”

“Xiao Xi, come over quickly.”

Mu Yanxi had never expected that the holographic projection that appeared would not be the messy films in her head, but her long-deceased parents.

The holographic technology used photo recognition to bring the deceased back to life in three dimensions. Combined with a new holographic reconstruction technology for various body parts that Rongjia had just approved, the people appearing before her could move freely and perform simple actions, their facial expressions so rich they looked exactly as they did when they were alive.

The originally dim and monotonous room was instantly enveloped in a sea of flowers. In the center of the flowers stood Mu Yanxi’s father in a white shirt and her mother in a long dress. Both of their faces were frozen as they were seven or eight years ago, frozen in Mu Yanxi’s memory.

They hadn’t been in that plane crash. It was as if they had just taken a vacation while on a business trip and had now returned to Mu Yanxi’s side, able to protect this insecure child, accompany her as she grew up, watch her succeed in her career, and watch her get married happily.

Mu Yanxi gripped Yi Wulan’s hand tightly, a complex and indescribable emotion surging in her heart. Her eyes grew hot and moist without her realizing it.

If… if this were a normal world, if there were no System, no so-called protagonist, no world consciousness, they should have been living happily like this, year after year.

Yi Wulan turned slightly to the side and wiped away the tear from the corner of Mu Yanxi’s eye, speaking softly, “Yanxi, welcome home.”

The image of Mu Yanxi’s parents was still moving. They walked through the flower field, and her father would occasionally crouch down to take pictures of his wife.

“This technology isn’t fully mature yet. Currently, it can only construct images based on existing photos. If it develops better in the future, perhaps their facial age can also change bit by bit along with you. Just wait a little longer, I will…”

Before Yi Wulan could finish, Mu Yanxi suddenly hugged her.

Mu Yanxi wrapped her arms tightly around Yi Wulan’s neck, burying her face in the crook of Yi Wulan’s neck and letting her warm tears fall onto Yi Wulan’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

Yi Wulan gently stroked Mu Yanxi’s head. “What for? There are other images constructed from other photos. Want to see them?”

Mu Yanxi rubbed her face messily on Yi Wulan’s shoulder, and in a few seconds, she took the phone from Yi Wulan’s hand as if nothing had happened.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Mu Yanxi pressed a button, she turned off all the images.

Yi Wulan was slightly taken aback. “Should I teach you how to use it?”

Mu Yanxi casually tossed the phone onto a large tatami mat nearby. She took the initiative to hook her arms around Yi Wulan’s neck, her lips precisely meeting Yi Wulan’s. “Yi Wulan, my parents said they like you very much.”

“I…”

Before Yi Wulan could finish, Mu Yanxi cut her off.

“So they told me to thank you.”

“Want to try it out in the new house?”

Yi Wulan’s fingertips on Mu Yanxi’s back curled slightly, but she forced herself to endure. “No, you went to Feicheng today and sat in the car for so long. You need to rest well.”

Mu Yanxi couldn’t care less. Her hand slid down slightly, grabbing Yi Wulan’s collar as she confessed, “While you were paying the bill just now, I found the new gift you bought in the car.”

Yi Wulan was slightly startled.

Mu Yanxi winked at her, then glanced at her bag. “So I’ve already brought them back. Don’t you… want to make me happy?”

Yi Wulan’s hands holding Mu Yanxi tightened imperceptibly. Her other hand cupped the back of Mu Yanxi’s neck and she kissed her. The kiss was very light, just a brief touch on her lips before pulling away. Her voice carried a hint of almost imperceptible hesitation. “Why did you suddenly bring them up?”

Mu Yanxi panted slightly. “Didn’t a lot of people say they wanted to see the specifics last time? So I brought them from the car.”

Yi Wulan let out a low laugh, her tone tinged with helplessness. “You give them whatever they ask for?”

“None of your business,” Mu Yanxi pushed her lightly, annoyed. “Can’t I satisfy my fans’ curiosity?”

Yi Wulan conceded. “Fine.”

“Nineteen, twenty… mmm.” Mu Yanxi bossily ordered Yi Wulan, urging her on, “Nineteen, twenty, look at the time, it’s almost eight o’clock!”

Yi Wulan didn’t say anything more. She simply complied with Mu Yanxi’s words, her kiss landing again, gently gracing Mu Yanxi’s forehead. Her fingertips threaded through Mu Yanxi’s long hair, as if soothingly combing it for her. “Mm.”

The ‘click’ of the bag’s clasp opening, usually a negligible sound, seemed particularly loud in the home theater room now.

The lights were dim. Mu Yanxi leaned over to watch Yi Wulan rummaging through the bag, her expression stiffening slightly. She somewhat regretted having told Yi Wulan about it, but it seemed… it was already too late.

She didn’t know when it started, but Mu Yanxi had grown very accustomed to doing intimate things with Yi Wulan before bed every night. Relying on her powers to quickly repair her tired body, she became increasingly reckless, not at all worried about the consequences the next morning.

Sometimes Mu Yanxi wondered, what would happen if Yi Wulan’s powers were one day depleted?

But Mu Yanxi had always been the type to cherish the present. If the powers were depleted, at worst, she would also live a more restrained life.

Besides, it’s not like they were depleted yet, right?

As her thoughts wandered, Yi Wulan’s kiss finally landed on her lips.

A housewarming for a new home often involves inviting friends and family over to celebrate, but Mu Yanxi and Yi Wulan didn’t bother with such formalities.

Besides, Yi Wulan was so busy on a daily basis that it was already good enough that she could spare time to be with her. To think of sharing that time with others was out of the question.

Therefore, Mu Yanxi simply told Mu Yanqing about her change of address, without even the slightest thought of inviting her over for a meal.

Over the weekend, Mu Yanqing still found the time to visit Mu Yanxi’s new home.

As the car drove in, Mu Yanqing looked around in astonishment at the gaudy architecture, where every inch seemed to be inlaid with gold. She remembered the years she shared a dorm with Yi Wulan, recalling how Yi Wulan’s bed looked the same when she moved in as it did when she graduated. Looking at the scene before her now, she felt like her eyes were going to go blind.

Suddenly, a few bird calls came from not far away.

Mu Yanqing followed the sound and saw Yi Wulan dressed in a cream-colored, mid-length dress, her hair falling softly over her shoulders. The sunlight fell on her hands as she selected flower branches, making her look impossibly gentle.

Her other hand already held several flowers, clearly just picked.

Mu Yanqing had seen those hands flip through books and sign documents countless times, but this was the first time she had seen Yi Wulan in such a leisurely, domestic moment.

Her every move was like a person from a painting. She reached out, picking and choosing among the flower beds, her brow slightly furrowed. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was making a major decision worth hundreds of billions.

—President Yi was just picking flowers.

Mu Yanqing rolled her eyes. Despite knowing Yi Wulan for over twenty years, she still found her pretentious. Only Mu Yanxi would be completely fooled by Yi Wulan’s aloof, ice-queen facade.

When Mu Yanxi was young, she was deceived by this act. Perhaps because she hadn’t interacted with many people before, it was understandable that she would fall for an older sister figure who cared for her just like her own sister did.

But so many years had passed, and she had even spent so long in the flashy entertainment industry. What kind of person hadn’t Mu Yanxi seen? How was she still so captivated by this dog, Yi Wulan?

Mu Yanqing was completely baffled. She walked over with a cold expression and got straight to the point, “Where’s Xiao Xi?”

Yi Wulan plucked the chosen flower stem and glanced at her coolly. “Why are you here?”

Mu Yanqing frowned. “You moved and I’m not allowed to come? What, you want to hide my sister away?”

Yi Wulan couldn’t be bothered to argue with Mu Yanqing over such a pointless topic. She gathered the flowers and headed into the house.

These flower beds had been hastily air-freighted over and were in full bloom. Yi Wulan rinsed them briefly with water, trimmed the ends of the stems with scissors, and arranged them in a vase.

She even carefully adjusted the height of each flower, quickly creating a beautiful arrangement.

Mu Yanqing watched Yi Wulan’s actions coldly, thinking that Yi Wulan was slightly different now.

At least she had gained some human warmth after getting married; she had even learned flower arrangement.

One didn’t need to ask to know which little ancestor she had learned it for.

A wave of emotion washed over Mu Yanqing, and she found Yi Wulan much more pleasing to the eye.

Seeing Yi Wulan head back to the flower bed with scissors, Mu Yanqing turned and went upstairs.

Mu Yanqing didn’t ask for a specific room, and Yi Wulan didn’t intend to say, clearly letting Mu Yanqing wander around the villa freely.

It was less wandering and more of an inspection of the new house, an inspection of Yi Wulan’s sincerity.

Yi Wulan clearly understood Mu Yanqing’s intentions and let her carry on with her examination.

On the open-air balcony at the far end of the master bedroom, Mu Yanxi was lying on a rocking chair with a thin trench coat draped over her, her eyes closed. The chair was covered with a plush cushion, and the air was filled with the various floral scents from the garden below.

It was just past noon, and Mu Yanxi had clearly come here to relax after lunch. Her face was filled with peace and relaxation.

Mu Yanqing had rushed over because of the rampant online news about their marriage being on the rocks a few days ago. Seeing Mu Yanxi now, she felt she had been worrying too much, and the tense string in her heart silently loosened.

“Xiao Xi?”

Mu Yanxi frowned slightly and turned on her side in the rocking chair, causing the chair to sway gently. “Don’t be noisy, I’m sleepy.”

“Don’t sleep.” Mu Yanqing had rushed over right after getting off the plane; she wasn’t here to watch Mu Yanxi sleep.

She reached out and cupped Mu Yanxi’s face, mercilessly kneading the stunningly beautiful face into various shapes. “You’re sleeping right after lunch. Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?”

The only person who dared to take such liberties with Second Miss Mu’s face was Mu Yanqing.

Mu Yanxi couldn’t be bothered with her; after all, she probably wouldn’t be sleeping tonight anyway. With her powers, her body wouldn’t suffer any adverse effects even from prolonged lack of sleep.

Sleeping was just something she habitually wanted to catch up on. She was nothing like that energetic workaholic, Yi Wulan.

Mu Yanxi randomly opened her mouth to bite Mu Yanqing’s hand, finally making her pull it back. Even as her consciousness gradually cleared after waking up, she still spoke listlessly, “Elder Sister, I don’t want to move.”

“Why don’t you want to move?” Mu Yanqing wrapped an arm around Mu Yanxi’s back and helped her up. “Is this how you react to your sister’s first visit to your new home?”

Leaning on Mu Yanqing’s shoulder, Mu Yanxi let out a chuckle, her voice still lazy. “Elder Sister, what should I do then? I was hoping you’d make me some soup. Your soup is the best.”

Mu Yanqing glared at her. “You little debt collector, have you no shame?”

Mu Yanxi was still leaning on Mu Yanqing’s shoulder, laughing nonstop.

Mu Yanqing ruffled Mu Yanxi’s fluffy head a couple more times, then went downstairs to the kitchen to make soup for her.

Fortunately, the refrigerator was fully stocked with ingredients. Mu Yanqing didn’t hold back, grabbing whatever was most expensive and starting to wash it in the sink.

Mu Yanxi brought a small, soft stool and sat nearby, propping her chin on her hand as she watched Mu Yanqing bustle about. “Elder Sister.”

Mu Yanqing turned her head. “If you have something to say, say it.”

“Rongjia has a new technology now that can reconstruct deceased people from photos using holograms. Yi Wulan and I have already seen Mom and Dad. I’ll have Yi Wulan send you a set too, okay?” Mu Yanxi tilted her head. “But it’s the initial version. Yi Wulan said it will be more advanced in the future.”

Mu Yanqing’s vegetable-washing movements paused. After a long while, she finally replied, “Okay.”

Mu Yanxi continued cheerfully, “When you have time, let’s go to the cemetery to see Mom and Dad together, okay? Oh, right, don’t pay attention to the nonsense reports from the Hong Kong media. I went to Hong Kong that time too and even bought a pair of diamonds. But I sent them to a designer to be polished. I’ll show you when they’re done.”

Mu Yanqing turned off the faucet and looked at her with a knowing gaze.

Mu Yanxi gave her a sweet, fawning smile.

“You little heartless thing, do you take me for a fool?” Mu Yanqing scoffed.

But Mu Yanxi looked completely innocent, not understanding why her dear, good sister would say such a thing about herself.

Talking about seeing their parents was just a pretext for wanting to hold a wedding and share the happy news with them. And explaining away the media gossip by saying she went all the way to Hong Kong for a pair of diamonds… one could imagine how special those diamonds were. They were probably for wedding rings.

Mu Yanqing hadn’t forgotten how many diamonds she had given Mu Yanxi, but she had never seen her care so much about any of them.

After all that, wasn’t every word she said just about having a wedding with Yi Wulan?

Although getting the certificate was more sacred in a legal sense, having a wedding was what truly announced the marriage to everyone.

“You didn’t have this plan before, did you?” Mu Yanqing’s knife came down, instantly slicing a bamboo fungus in half. “Why the sudden desire to have one?”

Mu Yanxi knew Mu Yanqing’s thoughts inside and out. Hearing the sound of the knife, she expertly let her eyebrows droop. Even her naturally upturned fox-like eyes were pressed down, her gaze seemingly veiled in a layer of gloom.

Her entire face exuded a sadness and grief that she couldn’t hide no matter how hard she tried. “Elder Sister, my dearest sister in the whole world, it’s all my fault. I wasn’t firm in my stance and was deceived and had my soul stolen away. Scold me, punish me, I promise I won’t make a peep.”

Mu Yanqing…

Mu Yanqing had long stopped falling for this act. After Mu Yanxi finished her pitiful performance, she spoke with a gentle smile, “Then how about I stop giving you your monthly allowance from now on?”

Mu Yanxi???

“Chirp, chirp, chirp!” Mu Yanxi abandoned all shame, leaping up and circling Mu Yanqing like a joyous little bird.

“Chirp, chirp, Elder Sister, I was wrong.”

“Let’s talk things out. You can’t unfairly involve my allowance, it’s innocent.”

“Chirp!”

Mu Yanqing slapped away this incredibly noisy bird with a ‘thwack’ and grumbled, “Disappear from my sight right now, or I’ll immediately freeze all your bank accounts.”

As if granted a pardon, Mu Yanxi eagerly flew out of the kitchen.

When she reached the main entrance, Mu Yanxi saw Yi Wulan in the flower bed.

To avoid stepping on the flowers, she tiptoed along the stone path and hugged Yi Wulan from behind. “President Yi, you’re so virtuous.”

Able to earn money outside and still arrange flowers for her at home, Mu Yanxi couldn’t help but praise her own good taste.

Yi Wulan ignored her and continued to select branches in the flower bed.

Mu Yanxi clung to Yi Wulan like a piece of sticky candy. After a few steps, Yi Wulan gave in and stopped, finally looking at Mu Yanxi. “Weren’t you going to catch up on sleep?”

Mu Yanxi shook her head, grinning at her. “I’ve slept enough. I missed you.”

Yi Wulan couldn’t resist and gently caressed the back of Mu Yanxi’s neck. “Your sister is here, don’t be so provocative.”

Mu Yanxi always couldn’t handle it when she was touched there. She flinched slightly but said righteously, “She’s in the kitchen making soup for me. She won’t be over for a while.”

“So?”

Mu Yanxi leaned in and kissed Yi Wulan’s lips, speaking very directly, “So I want to kiss you.”

Yi Wulan was taken aback and lowered her head slightly, not speaking.

Mu Yanxi’s fingertips were still twirling a strand of Yi Wulan’s hair. Just as she was about to wrap her arms around Yi Wulan to hold her tighter, she inadvertently pushed aside a section of Yi Wulan’s thick hair, revealing her ear.

The outer rim of her ear was tinged with a layer of pink, which spread all the way to the very tip.

Mu Yanxi?

Now Mu Yanxi didn’t even want to kiss anymore. She pushed aside Yi Wulan’s long hair and said in surprise, “Oh my god, President Yi, why are your ears red? Are you shy?”

Yi Wulan…

“Oh my god, you can actually get shy? No, I have to share this with my sister. You got shy because of me!”

After saying that, Mu Yanxi let go of Yi Wulan and turned to run towards the villa.

But the hem of her dress had only fluttered in the wind for two seconds before she was yanked back. “Mmm… Yi Wulan, let go… Mmph!”