Chapter 314: Chapter 314: Hide and Seek
Lin Yue wanted to approach An Mi again.
Seeing this, Mrs. Wan stepped in front of An Mi before she could.
“Who are you anyway?”
Lin Yue frowned instantly upon seeing Mrs. Wan blocking her way.
In her memory, there was no such figure among the An Family’s relatives.
She found Mrs. Wan very unfamiliar.
Mrs. Wan’s expression was also not good.
She detested cunning people the most in her life.
“It’s none of your business who I am!” Mrs. Wan said sternly, “Mimi has said that she has nothing to say to you and hopes that you have some self-awareness to not cause a scene in public. Over the years, you have taken care of her, but you have received what you deserve, she doesn’t owe you anything!”
“What right do you have to interfere with matters between me and An Mi? Are you trying to be her mother?” Lin Yue said with a hostile tone.
Lin Yue’s temperament and temper were not good, An Mi knew this.
She was worried Lin Yue might start a fight and harm Mrs. Wan.
Therefore, she tugged on Mrs. Wan’s hand, attempting to pull her behind herself.
But Mrs. Wan seemed like a mother hen protecting her chick.
Her presence was no weaker than Lin Yue’s.
On the contrary, Lin Yue seemed obviously less imposing in front of Mrs. Wan.
Mrs. Wan sneered, “And what rights do you have? You are just someone who has stolen another’s identity for decades, playing the role of her mother. Now, you just want to use morality to blackmail her, to make Mimi work for you. Let me tell you, don’t even think about it!”
Lin Yue’s face turned even uglier as her guilt was exposed.
Then, she turned to An Mi and began to lecture, “An Mi, who are you associating with?”
“You’re not trying to find a third wife for your father, and a stepmother for yourself in the process, are you?”
Lin Yue thought Mrs. Wan was An Chengyuan’s new fling.
An Mi slightly knitted her brows.
She felt that Lin Yue’s words were truly unpleasant at times.
It was the same in the past, and it was the same now.
That was one of the reasons why she sometimes didn’t want to deal with her.
“Shut up!”
An Mi could no longer tolerate and blurted out.
Lin Yue: “…”
Having taken care of An Mi for so long, it was the first time she had heard An Mi talk to her in this tone.
An Mi looked at her coldly, “Ms. Lin, your own thoughts are filthy, don’t project them onto others!”
Lin Yue couldn’t believe it, “You’re actually calling me filthy?”
An Mi: “Whether it’s true or not, you should reflect on yourself and see if what I said is correct!”
She was too lazy to recount the things Lin Yue had done and said.
“Besides, watch your words; it’ll be good for your own karma. Otherwise, one day you might get struck by lightning, and you won’t have time to cry.”
An Mi spoke the harshest words with the gentlest tone.
Don’t be fooled by her seemingly sweet and innocent demeanor; she could be quite sharp-tongued.
“…”
“Aunt Ling, let’s go.”
“Oh, okay.”
Mrs. Wan realized that An Mi might not need her protection after all.
Today, she found out that this child would definitely not let herself be at a disadvantage.
Very good!
She liked her even more!
Indeed, she was the daughter-in-law she had set her sights on.
After leaving, An Mi looked at Mrs. Wan with an apologetic face and said, “Aunt Ling, I’m sorry about what just happened.”
Mrs. Wan still had a loving smile on her face, “Silly girl, what’s there to apologize for? Aunt Ling didn’t lose out on anything. Besides, I’m not a petty person. And indeed, she was right about one thing; I do want to be your mother – but as your mother-in-law.”
An Mi: “…”
Mrs. Wan would take any chance to instill the idea that she wanted An Mi to be the Wan Family’s daughter-in-law.
Every time this topic arose, An Mi didn’t know how to respond.
However, Mrs. Wan didn’t press her for an answer but suggested, “I’m hungry, shall we go eat first and then continue shopping?”
An Mi noticed that Mrs. Wan still seemed in the mood to stroll around and seemed to truly not care about the incident just now.
“Okay,” she obediently nodded and responded.
…
The two chose a barbecue restaurant.
Mrs. Wan actually quite liked eating these things, but because she was usually controlled by Mr. Wan.
Although Mr. Wan listened to her, he was in charge of her diet.
“Mimi, since it’s just the two of us today, let’s eat freely and don’t worry about anything,” Mrs. Wan said very happily.
In fact, An Mi also really liked eating barbecue.
But she was prone to getting internal heat, so she didn’t eat it very often.
There were waiters helping them with the barbecue the whole time, so they didn’t need to lift a finger themselves.
All they needed to do was eat.
Just as the two were joyfully eating.
Mrs. Wan’s phone rang.
She casually glanced at it and saw that it was a call from her husband.
Without hesitation, she pressed the silent button and turned the phone face down on the table.
Out of sight, out of mind!
An Mi curiously asked, “Aunt Ling, why aren’t you answering Uncle Wan’s call?”
Mrs. Wan continued to serve her meat while smiling and said,
“We eat ours and don’t mind whose call it is.”
“Mimi, come, have this beef, it’s delicious.”
“Aunt Ling, you don’t need to mind me, I can serve myself.”
They ate for an hour.
During this time, Mr. Wan almost blew up Mrs. Wan’s phone with calls.
Until An Mi received a call from Wan Muqi.
“Aunt Ling, should I answer this call?”
An Mi held up the phone towards Mrs. Wan, asking politely.
Mrs. Wan found her behavior particularly cute.
“It’s your phone; if you want to answer, go ahead, no need to ask me,” Mrs. Wan said with a smile.
She hoped she would communicate more with her reserved son.
So, she definitely wouldn’t let slip any opportunity to do so.
An Mi hesitated for a brief moment before answering Wan Muqi’s call.
“Hello, Mr. Wan, is there something you need?”
When Mrs. Wan heard An Mi using formal language with her own son, she immediately shook her head and sighed.
She thought to herself: Her son’s journey to woo his wife might be as long as the Long March.
Wan Muqi didn’t think as much as his mother.
He said on the other end of the phone, “My dad couldn’t find my mom, so he called me.”
He had a court case to attend beforehand, so he didn’t answer Mr. Wan’s calls in court.
By the time he finished, it was already over an hour later.
He wasn’t worried about Mrs. Wan running into trouble; typically, if Mr. Wan couldn’t find Mrs. Wan and she didn’t answer the phone, there was only one possibility…
That his mother was behind his father’s back, doing something his father usually wouldn’t allow her to do.
An Mi looked up at Mrs. Wan sitting across from her and softly said, “Aunt Ling is with me right now; maybe Aunt Ling’s phone is dead, so she didn’t receive Uncle Wan’s calls.”
Upon hearing An Mi’s words, Mrs. Wan gave her a thumbs up.
Wan Muqi on the other end of the phone just smiled and didn’t expose them.
He understood his mother’s personality better than anyone.
Wan Muqi didn’t press further and asked, “Have you eaten?”
An Mi: “I have, and you?”
Wan Muqi: “Not yet, I just got out of court.”
Hearing this, An Mi raised her wrist to check the time; it was nearly 2 PM, and he still hadn’t eaten.
No wonder he previously said he never eats at home; his meal times were always so irregular.
Before she could speak, the man’s magnetic and husky voice came through again, “I’ll just eat something casually later. Since you’re with my mom, I’m relieved.”
An Mi: “Then remember to eat, and try to have meals on time in the future, otherwise it’s easy to hurt your stomach.”
Wan Muqi: “Alright, I know. Then I won’t disturb you and my mom shopping.”
After hanging up the phone.
Mrs. Wan took the opportunity to add, “That brat, ever since he became a lawyer, he hasn’t eaten properly on time. Maybe only on the few days of the New Year when he stays at home he will keep to a somewhat regular schedule.”
“He’s grown up, and we can’t control him anymore. From now on, you’ll have to take care of him. He’s nearly thirty, if he doesn’t start looking after his health, he’ll suffer when he gets older.”
An Mi: “…”
Aunt Ling thinks too highly of her.
On the other side.
Having just finished the call, Wan Muqi’s assistant asked with some curiosity, “Mr. Wan, what made you so happy?”
He had never seen their Mr. Wan so happy over winning a case.
After all, he had never lost a case he handled.
So, there was no reason for him to smile about winning just one case.
“What, you really want to gossip about my business?” Wan Muqi glanced at him sideways.
The assistant said, “I wouldn’t dare.”
Then, the assistant added, “By the way, the gift you asked me to prepare last time is ready and has been delivered.”
“Is it for Miss An Mi?”
The assistant boldly made a guess.
Actually, it wasn’t so much a guess as he saw two English letters engraved in the gift — AM.
He thought it over and over, and only the name An Mi fit the initials AM.
Wan Muqi didn’t answer him but bent down and got into the car.
Having been with the man for seven or eight years, he could read between the lines without words being spoken explicitly.
It seems that he guessed right.
Their Mr. Wan had been single for so many years, not even a female mosquito by his side. Now that he’s nearly thirty, he’s finally willing to show some interest.
However, Miss An Mi’s age… seems a bit young.
Is their Mr. Wan about to put on a ‘sugar daddy meets little girl’ drama?
He may think so, but he wouldn’t dare to ask so directly.
“…”
The day before the Lantern Festival.
Jiang You organized another dinner party, this time at Moon Gift Villa.
Moreover, she announced that everyone must bring a family member or a friend of the opposite sex, referring specifically to a boyfriend or girlfriend.
She added this requirement mainly because she wanted to see who Wan Muqi’s beloved girl really was.
Lately, she almost interrogated all her female friends on her circle, none of them having any contact with Wan Muqi.
Many of them wanted to reach out to him, but Mr. Wan paid no attention to any of them.
They couldn’t very well press him with their eager advances if he’s giving them the cold shoulder.
However, Jiang You’s invitations were limited.
After all, Fushan Villa wasn’t her turf, and though she gained permission to use it from Su He, she wouldn’t overstep her bounds.
She invited only those she was familiar with, which actually meant just Lu Zhiyang, Wan Muqi, Xiao Si, Xing Siyang, Jiang Nanche, Sang Luo, and Jing Xuan, a few people like them.
An Mi has been staying at Moon Gift Villa all along, so she didn’t need an invitation.
She had also invited two of her friends with whom she was relatively close, but as soon as they heard that the attendees were these “big shots,” they chickened out, not daring to come.
So, she didn’t press them.
Jiang You especially loved organizing BBQ parties, and just behind Moon Gift Villa was a vast green lawn, perfect for outdoor BBQ.
This was also one of the reasons she chose this location.
Around five in the afternoon, almost everyone had arrived, except for Wan Muqi.
“Beiyan, hurry Muqi along, why hasn’t he arrived yet?”
Gu Beiyan handed his phone to her, letting her rush him herself.
Just as Jiang You unlocked his phone, An Mi sitting beside her said, “Jiang You, Mr. Wan had a court trial today, so he probably won’t be here that soon.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang You uttered an “Oh.”
But after she said “Oh,” she realized something was off.
Similarly, after An Mi spoke, she also regretted it.
She hadn’t forgotten that the last time they ran into Mr. Wan at the jewelry store, Jiang You kept asking Mr. Wan who the person he liked was.
Jiang You spun her head around to look at An Mi, “Huh,” she exclaimed, “Wait a second, Mimi.”
An Mi feigned ignorance, “What’s wrong, Jiang You?”
Jiang You narrowed her eyes slightly, “How do you know that Mu Qi had a court session today when even Beiyan doesn’t know? You’re acting very strange.”
An Mi’s mind was racing, thinking about how best to respond.
Then, she thought of An Rui and calmly said, “Oh, I heard it from An Rui. Mr. Wan is his tutor, and he often goes to Mr. Wan for advice. So sometimes, when he doesn’t have classes, he’ll go and sit in on the trials, that’s why he’s very clear about Mr. Wan’s whereabouts.”
An Mi explained without revealing anything.
After saying that, she felt she was incredibly smart, thankfully having a brother to provide some cover.
Jiang You half-believed her words.
But it seemed she couldn’t find any flaws either.
“Is that really the case?” Jiang You asked again, unsure.
An Mi nodded very sincerely.
Actually, she was quite panicky inside.
She didn’t want to lie, but she had no choice.
Some things were beyond her control.
However, this “lie” wasn’t harming or hurting anyone, so she didn’t feel so guilty.
“…”
Gu Beiyan, who was sitting to her right, just quietly glanced at her without saying anything.
Only Jiang You would believe An Mi’s words.
An Mi might look naive, but she was certainly not foolish.
Whereas Jiang You may seem shrewd, but sometimes she can be slow to catch on.
After a while, An Mi’s phone chimed a few times.
It was the sound of a WeChat message coming in.
She glanced at it: it was from Wan Muqi.
She calmly picked up her water cup and stood up, pretending to go for a refill.
It wasn’t until she was alone that she dared to take out her phone to reply.
Wan Muqi: [My session has ended. I’ll be passing by the cake shop you like later. Do you want something?]
During their last chat, she had casually mentioned her favorite food.
An Mi hadn’t expected that he would remember it.
The cupcakes from that cake shop were indeed delicious, she really liked them.
Besides, it’s been a long time since she last had them, and she did have a bit of a craving.
However, there were too many people today; if he bought them, it would be easily noticed.
After thinking about it, she decided against it.
“No need, I’m not really in the mood for it today.”
Wan Muqi, of course, understood what she was thinking.
Actually, her secretive behavior made him even happier because it at least proved that she always remembered that he likes her.
He himself didn’t mind, always straightforward.
“Don’t worry, no one will notice,” he said. “Since everyone gets a share, they won’t suspect you.”
“…”
Half an hour later.
Wan Muqi arrived fashionably late.
“Oh my god, Mu Qi, you’re actually buying us cakes?”
Jiang You’s eyes widened upon seeing the cupcakes.
“Are you turning over a new leaf?”
Jiang You had known him for many years, but she had never seen him buy such things.
Wan Muqi: “You have cake to eat, can’t you just shut up?”
Jiang You: “It’s mainly because your recent behavior has been very odd.”
After saying this, she looked over his shoulder several times, “How come it’s just you alone?”
Wan Muqi: “I’m single, I don’t have anyone to bring.”
“What about that girl you like? You can bring her.”
“She’s shy, it’s not convenient for her to meet you.”
“…”