Chapter 168: Quite good at making excuses

Mu Youyu arrived home.

The silhouette leaning on the living-room sofa made her action of just having changed shoes suddenly pause.

The boy's signature gold-gradient hair shimmered softly under the light.

He wore a loose white knit sweater, his long legs crossed and resting on the edge of the coffee table, adding a touch of carefree nonchalance to his already handsome face.

It was Song Huaixian.

He was now a freshman at B Shi University; freshmen start later, and Mu Youyu hadn't expected him to skip returning to B Shi and come here instead, so she instantly smiled: "Brother Huaixian, how did you come here?"

Song Huaixian lifted his gaze; his dark eyes held a smile, his brows slightly raised, showing his usual nonchalance: "School starts next week—I came specially to see my treasure."

Mu Youyu knew he was at B Da University, where freshmen start later.

She smiled and moved closer to him: "I thought you'd go straight to school."

"No rush."

Seeing this, Song Huaixian also stood up, stepped forward, his height advantage letting him lean slightly; he naturally reached out to ruffle her hair gently: "Treasure, Brother Nian and Sister Yan's engagement banquet is coming up soon, right?"

If the engagement banquet were held before school started, he could keep this treasure younger sister company longer and also tag along for the fun—killing two birds with one stone.

Mu Youyu nodded; those two have been busy preparing their engagement banquet lately.

"Is Brother not here?" She glanced around the living room, not seeing Mu Xin, and asked casually.

Hearing her call "Brother", Song Huaixian knew she meant Mu Xin, and replied: "Xinbao and Jun Chenling are at the office, right?".

Mu Youyu understood: "And Second Brother?"

Song Huaixian waved his hand: "Xixi just left."

He didn't wait for Mu Youyu to keep asking about others; a hint of mystery flashed in his eyes, the corner of his mouth curling into a sly arc as he clapped his hands and said: "Treasure, you don't always have to think about your two brothers—look, I brought you a big gift!"

Mu Youyu's curiosity was instantly sparked; she looked at him with bright eyes and asked cooperatively: "What gift?"

Seeing this, Song Huaixian proudly snapped his fingers; the crisp sound rang out especially clearly in the quiet living room.

"Dang dang dang dang!" he drew out the tone, his voice full of proud anticipation.

As his words fell, two servants came out from the side chamber, carefully pushing a large box half a person's height.

The box was covered with dark silk, its corners tied with fine rope, looking heavy; no one knew what was inside.

Mu Youyu gazed at the large box, comparable to a small suitcase, her face full of surprise: "Wow, that's huge!"

"Of course!" Song Huaixian raised his eyebrows, his voice full of proud anticipation, and tapped the box: "Quickly open it and see—I guarantee a big surprise."

Mu Youyu, her curiosity piqued by him, lightly pulled the active knot of the red cord with her fingertips, and the red cord loosened.

She lifted the hand to uncover the silk wrapping, revealing the box inside, then reached out to clasp the box's latch and gave it a gentle pull.

Just as the box opened, a dark, slightly curled head slowly popped out, its forehead bangs a bit messy, yet that did nothing to mar its handsome face.

It was Qing An.

Mu Youyu hadn't expected it to be an acquaintance: "Hey, Brother Qing An!"

Qing'an Mo Heng He, the M Kingdom Little Prince.

He had just tried to crawl out of the box when his ankle accidentally snagged on a thin cord fixed inside, making him stagger and nearly tumble out.

""

He steadied his posture, casually holding the box's edge, his face showing a mix of helplessness and amusement, while his hand still tightly gripped a small velvet gift box.

He gave Mu Youyu a gentle smile: "Youbao, long time no see—have you missed me?"

Mu Youyu was indeed a bit taken aback: "Of course I have! How did you come? Shouldn't you be in M Guo?"

She had thought Qing An was recently handling royal affairs in M Guo.

Qing An jumped out of the box, brushed off nonexistent dust from his clothes, waved his hand, and said in a relaxed tone: "Xun Li is here too—I naturally had to come join the fun."

Nobody told him when that person arrived!

Really, they were afraid he'd snatch away A Xin!

He paused, a glint of mischief flashing in his golden eyes: "I also heard Brother Nian's engagement banquet is coming; I'm just here to join the fun—anyway, the royal family has older siblings watching over me, so slacking off a bit is fine."

Qing An said, handing over the velvet gift box he'd been clutching: "This is a meeting gift for you—I spotted it at the M Guo jewelry exhibition last time and thought it especially suited you."

The moment the gift box opened, a soft blue glow spread out, revealing a delicate necklace inside.

"How beautiful!" Mu Youyu exclaimed, pleased despite not lacking jewelry.

Song Huaixian raised an eyebrow beside them, deliberately tapping the gift box: "Hey, Little Prince, playing favorites? I, the mover, get no gift?"

Seeing this, Qing An made a gesture as if pulling something out, and just when Song Huaixian was about to look, he spread his empty hands: "Nothing."

Song Huaixian: "……" speechless.

He deliberately poked his sister's arm and laughed: "Treasure, I still have a gift I haven't taken out yet."

Saying that, he turned and gestured to the servant, who quickly brought over a delicate pink gift box.

Song Huaixian took it and tucked it into his sister's arms, chin slightly raised: "Open it and see—I guarantee it suits you better than his."

Inside the box was a pure white kitten, its eyes clear blue crystal, curled up on a soft cotton pad yawning, with a little silver bell around its neck.

Mu Youyu instantly covered her mouth and exclaimed: "How adorable!"

The kitten, as if sensing attention, slowly lifted its head, rubbed against her fingertip, and let out a soft, sweet purr from its throat.

Song Huaixian proudly said: "I specially picked it from a breeding base—it's very gentle, so it'll keep you company and save you from being bored alone at home."

Qing An leaned over and poked the kitten's little head.

After thinking, he pulled a small metal badge from his pocket, engraved with the intricate royal insignia, and said: "Hang this on it, and it becomes an M Guo Royal Family–certified princess cat! No one will bully it thereafter."

Mu Youyu couldn't help laughing at his words: "Who certifies a cat with royal status?"

"Why not?" Qing An objected solemnly, his golden eyes full of sincerity: "It's Youbao's cat, so naturally it's different from other cats and deserves special treatment."

As they were speaking, Mu Xin pushed the door open, entered, saw the two of them, blinked in surprise, then smiled helplessly: "Brother Huaixian, how did you lure him here?"

Song Huaixian raised his eyebrows: "Xinbao, you came so fast!".

Mu Youyu immediately called out: "Brother!"

Mu Xin was about to walk forward.

Qing An stepped up, hooked his arm around his shoulder, tone a little smug: "What detour? I'm openly coming to give Brother Nian blessings, and incidentally check on Youbao."

Song Huaixian waved his hand, didn't say it out loud, the order should be switched, sister first, Brother Nian just an add-on.

Mu Xin brushed his hand away, immediately noticed the necklace Mu Youyu held, his eyes full of tenderness: "It looks really nice, suits you well."

"It was given by Brother Qing An." Mu Youyu raised her hand and gently touched the pendant, responding obediently.

At that moment, footsteps sounded at the door again; Jun Chenling followed and entered, seeing Qing An, he raised his eyebrows: "How did you come here?"

Qing An casually leaned on the sofa armrest: "Seeing you came, I came too; I can't let you occupy Ah Xin all by myself here."

Jun Chenling raised his brows, snorted: "... You're good at finding excuses."

"Same to you." Qing An raised his eyebrows and retorted.

Their gazes met in the air, carrying a hint of invisible competition, yet with no real hostility; apparently they'd grown used to it.

Mu Xin ignored the two, his gaze fell beside his sister; he happened to see the cat tiptoeing, rubbing its little head against her pant leg, and he froze for a moment: "Where did this cat come from?"