Chapter 345: If they dare to stick out a leg, I dare to break it

Song Lujing eagerly leaned forward, "Sister, let me test the poison for you!"

Song Yan lounged on the sofa, lacking interest, "Just say if you want to eat."

"Move aside," Mu Xi shoved Song Lujing aside and handed the white porcelain plate to her sister, "Sweetie, give it a try."

"All right!" Mu Youyu had eaten plenty at the banquet, and about an hour had passed for digestion; she picked up a small silver spoon, scooped a big chunk, and shoved it into her mouth.

The next second, the little girl's smile froze on her face.

The sweet cream mixed with a strange fishy odor exploded in her mouth, not like milk, not like fruit, but rather like……

Raw egg yolk mixed with unevenly stirred fish gelatin powder gave off a fishy smell.

Very fishy.

Neither swallowing nor spitting it out was an option.

Jiang Liangjin immediately sensed something was wrong, reached out and took the plate from her hand, "If it's not tasty, just spit it out."

Mu Xi watched her sister's expression and instantly understood about seventy or eighty percent.

Surely the chef's skills are poor, even though he explained the steps in such detail!

Damn it.

Song Yusui caught her sister's subtle expression, couldn't help but let out a soft "huh" at the cake, stifling a laugh.

Qing An had already squatted down, laughing, "Could it be undercooked?"

Song Lujing immediately bounced over, "I told you I'd test the poison for you!"

Mu Youyu hastily swallowed the cake in her mouth, afraid her older brother would feel upset, quickly lifted her little face, "It's not that bad! It's just… a little special, a flavor I've never tasted before!"

Jiang Liangjin immediately went along with her words to comfort Mu Xi, "Second brother, don't let your chef dream shatter; if you want to learn, I'll get you a teacher."

Mu Xin rarely spoke up in agreement: "If you want to learn, I can too."

Mu Xi: "…I don't have a chef dream."

Mu Youyu reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve, continuing to comfort: "Second brother's cake looks super good; I'm reluctant to eat it!"

Mu Xi lowered her head, looking at her sister's soft appearance, reached out and rubbed her head, "Okay, then we won't eat it; I'll play the piano for you."

"All right!" Mu Youyu immediately stood up, eagerly pulling Jiang Liangjin toward the side hall.

At the same time, in an independent study of a certain mansion in M Country.

Mu Xianqi was typing on the keyboard, handling official business.

He had just gone to see an old friend, who was a business partner.

Since he transferred M Country's industry to Z Country, those old-timers have been furious but helpless, so they followed the boss to Z Country.

The friend he met today is precisely the key figure who, on the surface, helps him stabilize M Country's remaining influence and navigate various relations, also alleviating his rear concerns.

A knock sounded on the door.

Mu Xianqi didn't even lift his head, "Come in."

The door was gently pushed open, and Ruo Ya walked in slowly.

She casually closed the door, her gaze falling on the man working intently behind the desk, the corner of her mouth twitching into a faint smile, "You really came here?"

Mu Xianqi then lifted his eyes, seemingly pretending to look at her, "What's up? Can't you say it over the phone?"

Ruo Ya sat down in the chair opposite the desk, posture relaxed, "Come on, let's catch up, is that not okay?"

"Sure," Mu Xianqi replied blandly, sitting opposite her, "But I'd rather hear something useful."

Ruo Ya sighed and shook her head; this person is still as blunt as ever, "Are you still used to being in Z Country?"

"Nonsense, of course I'm used to it—my family's all there." Mu Xianqi raised his hand, poured her a cup of warm water, and pushed it toward her.

"Oh, then no need for pleasantries." Ruo Ya didn't beat around the bush, diving straight into the topic, "I'm still curious: you moved that huge chunk of M Country's industry back home lock, stock, and barrel—do those old-timers constantly yell in your ear every day?"

Mu Xianqi's thin lips curled slightly, he let out a faint sneer, "What's the use of noise? What I've decided, no one can change."

Ruo Ya took the cup, her fingertip touching the rim; the warm temperature was just right, "I thought you'd stay a few more years in M Country, after all, the influence you built from scratch is all here."

Moving the entire industry over will definitely require a lot of assets.

"No matter how great the influence, it's nothing compared to having family nearby." Mu Xianqi leaned back against the chair, fingertips tapping the desk, "Youbao is in Z Country, my dad's company is also there—I don't need to guard a pile of cold, hard industry while ignoring my sister."

"That's true." Ruo Ya nodded, her gaze falling on the dense documents on his computer screen, "But I never expected you'd go this far for little Mingxi."

"After all, Yan Yan is still in Y Country, living all along with the Duke's Mansion; you've essentially abandoned everything here, returning home to guard Youbao."

"Abandoning, well, maybe not." Mu Xianqi gave a low chuckle, "But you need to reassess me—no matter what, my sister comes first in my book."

Upon mentioning Mu Youyu, Ruo Ya's eyes softened a bit, "Got it, little Mingxi is most important… but you, aren't you afraid those people will secretly trip you up?"

"A trip?" Mu Xianqi's eyes turned cold, his thin lips curling into a cold arc, "If they dare to stick out a leg, I dare to break it."

Whether that lot behaves or not depends entirely on his influence in M Country.

Now that he's returned to Z Country, backed by the Mu family, who would dare to trip him?

Ruo Ya nodded in understanding.

She and Mu Xianqi have known each other for years—since their teenage years as classmates at an international academy, to each later carving out their own domain; she knows this man's methods all too well.

Outwardly cold and ruthless, inwardly protective of his own, family is his reverse scale.

The air grew a little still, and Mu Xianqi suddenly asked, "By the way, did Yan Yan cause you any trouble the past few days in M Country?"

"What trouble could she cause me?" Ruo Ya chuckled, "Besides the violin competition, she just hangs out with Qing An and the others to chat; everyone else can't be bothered with her, and only you can keep her in line."

Mu Xianqi gave a faint nod, "She knows in her heart what she should and shouldn't do."

Mu Xianyan may be somewhat exuberant, but she never really stirs up trouble, nor does she shortchange Mu Youyu.

He has never doubted that.

After waiting a few seconds and getting no reply from the woman, he asked, "Anything else?"

You're dismissing me this fast?

Ruo Ya lightly turned the cup with her fingertip, "Then I'll get to the point."

I came this time for two reasons: first, to see you; second, to…… remind you, they dare not move you, they might instead turn their attention to Yan Yan.

Mu Xianyan is Mu Xianqi's younger sister, something everyone knows.

If they can't catch him, they'll instead go after his sister, using her to threaten him; this kind of vicious tactic is exactly the sort of thing those old fogies would do.

Mu Xianqi's aura pressure suddenly dropped, "Yan Yan grew up in the Y Guo Duke's Mansion, protected by the Duke's Mansion, and with me here, who would dare move her?"

He's protected her for over ten years, not so that others could treat her like a soft persimmon to squeeze.

"I know you're protecting her," Ruo Ya sighed softly, "but Yan Yan's background…… you should know better than anyone; keeping it hidden all this time isn't a long‑term solution—she can't go her whole life not knowing her origins."