Chapter 452: You definitely shouldn't act like I didn't say anything

After the meal, the three of them no longer wanted to go out; Mu Youyu and Jiang Liangjin went out together.

Mu Xianyan said she was going to her father's house here.

Uncle Mu and Mu Xianqi both preferred quiet; usually there were no servants in the house.

When Mu Xianyan got home, she unexpectedly found Mu Xianqi there; she bent down to change her shoes and said, "Dad isn't here?"

"Yeah, went out for a meal with an old friend." Mu Xianqi closed his book, "Why didn't you just come back here yesterday?"

"I just wanted to see my sister first." Mu Xianyan replied, slowly sitting down beside him.

Mu Xianqi nodded, his gaze falling on her face, "You haven't been looking well lately; haven't seen Ah Xin?"

Mu Xianyan spoke vexedly: "Just ran into those people again. Didn't see Mu Xin, and I don't know why he's so busy."

Mu Xianqi didn't follow up on Mu Xin's topic, only lowering his voice to ask: "What's their attitude like?"

"Their attitude isn't great." Mu Xianyan sat down beside him, "They abandoned me seventeen years ago, and now they're putting in all this effort to find me. They found me but won't show themselves, sending some shady people to block my sister—what kind of ability is that?"

Mu Xianqi leaned back, frowning, "Did they harass Youbao?"

The two understood each other without speaking, neither mentioning the word "family".

Mu Xianyan hummed, burying her face in the pillow, her voice muffled: "I let the slip in front of my sister today; she must have noticed."

Mu Xianqi raised his eyebrows, surprised, "How? Did you tell her?"

Mu Xianyan lifted her head from the pillow, her Expression a mix of annoyance, "No, I just asked a question."

She tossed the pillow aside and repeated the question she had asked her sister that afternoon.

Mu Xianqi: "How did Youbao respond?"

Mu Xianyan relayed her sister's answer; after listening, Mu Xianqi's mouth twitched slightly, as if smiling, "She's several years younger than you."

Mu Xianyan knew what he was going to say and cut in: "I know, but what she said actually makes sense."

Mu Xianqi said nothing more, just reached for the upside-down book, flipped to the page he had been reading, but didn't continue.

Mu Xianyan asked languidly, "I don't even know how my whereabouts were exposed."

Mu Xianqi felt a bit guilty; if he had known earlier, he wouldn't have looked, and lately several people haven't been sleeping well.

Seeing Mu Xianqi not respond, Mu Xianyan assumed he didn't know either, and the conversation ended.

It's not that she never thought about her birth parents, but she's never lacked love and has always known what she wants.

What's puzzling is that her identity has been public since childhood, with photos and all; according to those people, they found her through her photos.

If they only relied on photos to recognize her… why did they wait until now to come?

Mu Xianyan raised her eyelids and asked, "Yesterday I asked Sister Ruo Ya; she said you had her look for me—are you rejecting me?"

Mu Xianqi hadn't expected Ruo Ya to betray him… he explained, "Of course not! I just wanted to know who abandoned you, without intending for them to acknowledge you; no matter what, you're still a member of the Mu Family."

"If you don't want to see them, I'll find them something to do; if you do want to see them, I'll go with you."

Mu Xianyan hugged the pillow, lowered her brows, and softly replied, "Got it; we'll see later—I'm still a bit confused."

"Alright, do your own thing; I won't let anyone disturb you."

"By the way, did you tell Dad?"

Mu Xianqi replied, "I haven't told him yet; if you don't want to see them, let's not make a fuss—just pretend they never came."

"Forget it; don't bother him with this."

"Whatever."

Mu Xianyan stood up from the sofa, "I'm going upstairs to sleep; today those people gave me a headache."

Mu Xianqi watched her slightly fatigued back, and as she was about to reach the stairs, he called out, "Yan Yan."

Mu Xianyan held the stair rail and turned her head.

"No matter what you decide," Mu Xianqi's words were sincere, "this place will always be your home, and we will never abandon you."

Mu Xianyan narrowed her eyes and smiled, just as usual, "Why are you being so sappy today?"

"Then you definitely shouldn't act like I didn't say anything."

"Got it, good afternoon." Mu Xianyan relaxed considerably and turned to go upstairs.

After a while, Mu Xianqi picked up his phone and sent Ruo Ya a message: 【Those people, don't let them come over for now】.

Ruo Ya's reply came quickly: 【What's up?】

Mu Xianqi: 【Yan Yan doesn't want to meet】.

Ruo Ya replied with a "good", followed by: 【Is she okay?】

Mu Xianqi glanced upstairs and replied: 【Doing fine, asleep】.

Ruo Ya sent a "received" Expression pack.

Back at school, the atmosphere in the senior high teaching building had already changed; the midterm exam is tomorrow.

Mu Youyu felt no pressure; her recommendation for direct admission was already secured, so taking the exam was just a formality.

Jiang Liangjin was even more so; the scores on the exam paper had long lost meaning for him.

As the two entered the classroom, Mu Xi wasn't in her seat, and Song Lujing, unusually not playing games, was lying on the desk catching up on sleep.

He heard the movement, slightly lifted his head, squinted at them, mumbled "morning", then buried his face again.

Mu Youyu saw how exhausted he looked and didn't disturb him.

The back door of the classroom was pushed open.

Lin Ning poked half her head in, scanned the classroom, saw there was no teacher, locked onto her target, and sat down in the seat in front of Mu Youyu.

"How did you get here?" Mu Youyu turned her head to look at her, lowering her voice, "Aren't you sophomores supposed to be taking exams?"

The exam schedules for seniors and sophomores differ; the monthly exam lasts three days, and Lin Ning had slept comfortably, "I turned in my paper early."

Mu Youyu: "You turned in your paper half an hour after the exam started?"

Lin Ning put a bag of stuff on the desk, pushed it toward her, full of energy, "I brought you what you said you wanted to eat last time."

Mu Youyu opened the bag and glanced inside; it was the small cake from that dessert shop she had casually mentioned a few days ago, and the packaging box still had moisture on it.

She took one out, put the rest on Jiang Liangjin's desk, then turned to Lin Ning and asked, "Did you go out of your way to buy this?"

"Passing by Future Path." Lin Ning waved her hand, "My driver was on the way anyway, so I had him take a turn."

Jiang Liangjin glanced at her, and Lin Ning raised her eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Jiang Liangjin withdrew her gaze, opened the cake box, and placed it on the table so Mu Youyu could take it.

Mu Youyu picked up a fork and began to eat the cake.

Lin Ning glanced around the classroom, didn't see Ye Zeli, and then leaned back in her chair.

Mu Youyu sensed that she was off today, put the cake down, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Ning hesitated a moment, as if choosing her words, then said, "Youbao, I plan to go abroad after finishing my sophomore year."

Mu Youyu's finger paused, she looked up at her, and asked, "You're not waiting until you finish senior year?"

Lin Ning met her gaze, "No, I'm leaving early. My sister has already taken care of the paperwork; she wants me to go over there early to enroll as a transfer student in senior year, to get familiar with the language and environment."