Leaving the servants' quarters, Mu Anxiao was about to decide where to find Feng Qishi when Ouyang Ye suddenly appeared before her. Looking at Ouyang Ye, she was reminded of Gu Yan, who liked to tattle, and her heart sank. She forced a silly smile at Ouyang Ye.
Ouyang Ye: "What are you smiling about?" he asked, his gaze fixed on Mu Anxiao's face.
Mu Anxiao: "I'm not smiling about anything, I just feel like smiling when I see you." As she spoke, her lips twitched.
Unexpectedly, at this very moment, Ouyang Ye's brow furrowed even deeper. "The more I look at you, the more familiar you seem. Have we met before?" he asked, leaning slightly forward.
At this moment, Mu Anxiao suddenly realized that Zhang Yan's blockade of her spiritual energy was only to prevent Ouyang Ye from finding her quickly, but her appearance had clearly not changed at all. Furthermore, given Ouyang Ye's cunning and suspicious nature, even if he didn't search her spiritual energy, he might be able to glean something from her face.
Therefore, a split second before Ouyang Ye met her gaze directly, she pulled her lips into an even more exaggerated smile. "We have met, boss." As she spoke, she casually raised her hand and lightly slapped Ouyang Ye's arm.
Ouyang Ye froze and straightened up.
Mu Anxiao, oblivious, continued to smile. "Boss, I didn't expect you to have muscles." As she spoke, she reached out and slapped Ouyang Ye's arm again.
This time, Ouyang Ye's face turned stern. "Cao Gen, if you hit me again, I'll kill you."
"Kill me?" Mu Anxiao repeated, taking a step back and forcing an awkward laugh. "Boss, I was just kidding, and you're going to kill me? That's a bit much."
Ouyang Ye said coldly, "I mean what I say."
"Is that so?" Mu Anxiao said, deliberately taking two more steps back to prevent herself from acting impulsively. "Then I'll stay away from you."
"Aren't you curious why I'm looking for you?" Ouyang Ye suddenly asked.
Mu Anxiao shook her head.
Ouyang Ye let out a cold snort. "You mean you're not curious?"
Mu Anxiao continued to shake her head.
Seeing this, Ouyang Ye immediately frowned. "What do you mean by that? Are you curious or not?" he asked, clenching his fists.
At the same time, Mu Anxiao inadvertently caught sight of Ouyang Ye's clenched fists. To avoid further provoking him, she said, "Boss, I am curious, but I don't dare to be curious." As she spoke, she deliberately put on a frightened expression.
Upon seeing this, Ouyang Ye sneered and said, "Cao Gen, Cao Gen, I really don't know if you're genuinely timid or just pretending." He then shook his head and sighed.
Mu Anxiao feigned ignorance. "Boss, I don't understand what you mean."
"Stop pretending," Ouyang Ye blurted out, exposing her immediately, then glared at Mu Anxiao and said, "Gu Yan went to find you, didn't she?"
"She did," Mu Anxiao replied honestly.
"What do you mean by going to find Gu Yan while I was out?" Ouyang Ye suddenly asked.
Hearing Ouyang Ye's completely serious question, Mu Anxiao glanced down at the ground and said, "Boss, I just wanted to find you. Who knew, as soon as I opened the door, I saw her, and I thought I'd say hello to her... Who knew..." She pretended to be scared. "After saying hello, we started talking."
"You really dare to talk to anyone."
"I'm your subordinate, so naturally, I have to get to know my companions. Although," Mu Anxiao acted coyly, "although I'm scared, I'm your subordinate, so even if I'm scared, I have to endure it. Because these are things I'll have to face sooner or later, so I might as well practice my courage now."
"Don't greet my subordinates anymore," Ouyang Ye said coldly.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "Boss, why?" she asked, her expression becoming cautious as she looked at Ouyang Ye.
Ouyang Ye: "Don't always ask why when you're with me."
"Why?" Mu Anxiao's mind raced, and the words slipped out.
In response, Ouyang Ye's face fell after Mu Anxiao repeated her transgression. "Cao Gen, are your limbs itchy again? Or perhaps Shen Moyun's caning wasn't enough, and you want my subordinates to give you dozens more?" He crossed his arms in front of him.
Mu Anxiao let out a dry laugh.
Ouyang Ye continued with a cold expression. "I'm talking to you, don't just smile."
"Boss, I know you're talking to me, but I don't know how to answer your questions. Also," Mu Anxiao, worried that Ouyang Ye might suspect her, deliberately portrayed herself as an idiot, "I don't want to be punished. I'm not good with words, and if I offend you, it won't do me any good."
"You're wise enough," Ouyang Ye said, pleased by Mu Anxiao's words. "Since you know my temper, be more careful in the future."
"Got it, boss," Mu Anxiao said, slowly tilting her head up to carefully gaze into Ouyang Ye's eyes. "Boss, why did you come to find me?" She didn't want to waste any more time, so she took the initiative to ask.
Ouyang Ye also stared intently at Mu Anxiao's face.
Mu Anxiao felt increasingly uncomfortable under Ouyang Ye's gaze. "Master, why are you just staring at me? Or perhaps, you again..."
"You became friends with Shen Moyun," Ouyang Ye suddenly stated.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao's expression stiffened slightly. "Mm, just now." She guessed that Gu Yan must have told Ouyang Ye everything. If she pretended to be foolish now, she would definitely be suspected by Ouyang Ye.
She had no choice but to tell the truth.
Ouyang Ye said in a sarcastic tone, "I really didn't expect your relationship with Shen Moyun to be so good."
"It's alright," Mu Anxiao feigned modesty.
Conversely, Ouyang Ye's gaze towards Mu Anxiao became unfriendly. "Cao Gen, I don't like feeling betrayed. If you have such thoughts, I will kill you." His eyes were filled with jealousy.
Mu Anxiao knew Ouyang Ye would react this way, so she had already prepared a counter-strategy. "Boss, let me ask you a question."
"Ask." Ouyang Ye's attitude was extremely cold.
Mu Anxiao smiled. "When you were a coachman, were you considered friends with Shen Moyun?"
"You want to compare yourself to me," Ouyang Ye said indifferently.
Mu Anxiao raised her hand as if embarrassed and scratched the back of her head. "You're so smart. That's exactly what I was thinking. Think about it," she lowered her hand and became serious, "I am Shen Moyun's subordinate, so naturally, I have to try to please him. If I don't, what if he fires me? Then, once I leave, what will happen to you? So, my becoming friends with him is for your sake." After she finished speaking, she observed Ouyang Ye's expression.
Ouyang Ye found Mu Anxiao's reasoning to be sound and nodded. "I understand."
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief.