Slow to mature after marriage

Mu Siwan turned her head away.

Bo Yan leaned against the doorway, her pajamas slightly open at the collar, revealing several faint red marks on her chest that ran down from her collarbone—marks she had left the previous night. Her fingers curled involuntarily.

"It's not that I'm disgusted." Mu Siwan pulled her hands back from under the tap, clasped them together, and said in a slightly muffled voice, "It's a professional habit. I habitually wash my hands when I touch anything."

Bo Yan decided to communicate with her according to her way of thinking: "Mu Siwan, what you encountered was a living thing."

Mu Siwan said in a serious tone: "Living things... also need to be washed."

Bo Yan lowered his eyes, staring intently at her, and raised an eyebrow: "I remember I held you while I washed you last night."

"I feel more at ease washing it myself." Mu Siwan lowered her head, her fingers twisting together, the tips of her ears turning red. After a few seconds, she added softly, "It's not that I'm disgusted, really."

Bo Yan walked over, chuckled, and pinched the tips of her bright red ears.

Her ear tips twitched, turning even redder.

The man's laughter escaped his throat: "Okay, let's eat after you've washed up."

-

The whole morning was spent in a flurry of activity.

Mu Siwan sat down in the cafeteria at noon and then noticed the several missed calls on her phone screen.

From Xu Ruolin.

This is the first time Xu Ruolin has contacted her since the day she slapped Mu Cheng twice with a cold face.

Several unread messages lay on her phone screen, which she tapped to open.

[Xu Ruolin]: Siwan, next Thursday is your birthday, come back and visit. Your dad may not say it, but he knows he's wrong. There's no such thing as a family grudge that lasts overnight. You and Wanwan can celebrate your birthday together.

[Xu Ruolin]: Mom knows you've suffered these past years, but no matter what, this family raised you. Your dad is getting old, and his health isn't what it used to be, so just come back and visit him.

[Xu Ruolin]: Come back, Mom will make you a bowl of longevity noodles. Wasn't that your favorite when you were little?

Of course, it wasn't just a simple birthday celebration. Mu Cheng wanted to use this day to prove to the outside world that the cooperation between the Bo and Mu families was still stable, and to prove that she, as "Mrs. Bo," still recognized the Mu family as her kinship.

Mu Cheng is truly a man of flexibility and adaptability.

Mu Siwan felt bored and suddenly didn't want to pretend with them anymore.

[Mu Siwan]: That day wasn't my birthday, it was your biological daughter Meng Wan's birthday.

[Mu Siwan]: There's something I've wanted to say for a long time. Now that your biological daughter has returned, please let me, your substitute, go.

Mu Siwan was adopted six months after Meng Wan went missing.

At that time, Xu Ruolin was searching day and night for her daughter and suffered from severe depression. Mu Cheng couldn't bear to see her like that, so he proposed to adopt a child. Xu Ruolin chose her from among the many children in the orphanage.

At first, Mu Siwan didn't understand why, but it wasn't until the day Meng Wan was found that she suddenly realized—Meng Wan had a mole on her forehead that was exactly the same as hers.

When she was little, Xu Ruolin would always hold her in her arms, touch her mole, and say with affection and a sob, "Wanwan, Mom is sorry."

She thought it was her name, her mole, her mother's love.

It wasn't until the day Meng Wan returned that she realized it wasn't "Wanwan" but "Wanwan".

Soon, Xu Ruolin called, but Mu Siwan calmly hung up and blocked the call.

-

Soon, Xu Ruolin called again, but only a cold, unresponsive tone came through the receiver—the number you dialed could not be connected. She put down her phone, looked at Mu Cheng sitting at the coffee table, and said in a strained voice, "Cheng, it seems Si Wan… blocked me too."

Mu Cheng slammed the teacup in his hand to the floor, shards of porcelain scattering and tea soaking the carpet. "You worthless beast!" his voice boomed in the living room. "All those years of raising her were for nothing!"

Xu Ruolin shrugged and didn't dare to reply.

She was actually relieved.

If she could, she wouldn't want Mu Siwan to come next Tuesday. That day is clearly her biological daughter Meng Wan's birthday.

Her daughter had suffered so much outside, and after finally being found, she was going to have to celebrate her birthday with an adopted daughter—she was extremely unwilling.

However, Mu Cheng's business had been going poorly in recent years, and his temper had become increasingly volatile. She dared not disobey him, which is why she repeatedly went to beg that adopted daughter.

Thinking this, Xu Ruolin felt uncomfortable. Just an adopted daughter who had grown up thanks to her kindness, and now, relying on marrying a good man, she dared to challenge her and even blocked her. She tightened her grip on her phone, suppressing her discomfort.

Mu Cheng sat on the sofa, his anger still simmering, but something else had changed in his eyes. He realized that the puppet he had raised from childhood was beginning to develop its own consciousness.

As for the biological daughter who was later found... Mu Cheng didn't even lift his eyelids.

A wild girl raised outside since childhood, she returned to the Mu family and refused to change her surname, showing no signs of being a proper young lady. What wealthy family would want her? In Mu Cheng's heart, Meng Wan was not even as valuable as Mu Siwan. At least Mu Siwan was Bo Yan's wife, the lady of the Bo family. This marriage was the most worthwhile deal he had ever made.

"Alright then." Mu Cheng stood up, straightened his cuffs, and said, "On A-Wan's birthday, I'll invite a few distinguished guests. Have her dress up nicely and teach her some etiquette and manners so she doesn't lose face."

Xu Ruolin was secretly delighted. She also intended to find a good marriage for Meng Wan. Why should that brat Mu Siwan be able to marry so well? Her daughter hadn't been raised by her side since she was little, so she naturally cherished her even more and didn't want her to be overshadowed by Mu Siwan.

"Okay, I'll call Wanwan right now."

-

Meanwhile, Meng Wan received a call from Xu Ruolin and learned that Mu Siwan wouldn't be coming to celebrate her birthday with her, which made her secretly relieved.

If she could, she wouldn't want to celebrate her birthday with Mu Siwan either. That day should have been hers, and she was a hundred times unwilling to share it with someone else. After hanging up the phone, Meng Wan put away her phone, looked at Meng Qing who was sitting by the window working diligently, pouted, and unconsciously added a touch of coquetry to her tone.

"Brother, are you really not coming to my birthday party that day? You've been on missions all these years, and you're finally back. Besides, you haven't met my parents yet, have you? Wouldn't it be nice for our family to meet up?"

Meng Qing frowned, without even looking up, "I won't go to the Mu family. I'll give you your birthday present in a few days."

He had absolutely no goodwill towards that so-called Mu family. He didn't think a family that could effectively imprison a little girl could be any good.

If it weren't for the fact that Meng Wan was indeed the Mu family's biological daughter, he wouldn't even want his sister to have too much contact with the Mu family.

After a few seconds of pause, Meng Qing spoke again, his tone more casual, "Will Mu Siwan go?"

"Why do you keep asking her what she's doing?"

Meng Wan looked suspicious.

She recalled the recent rumors circulating in the bureau, which she had initially dismissed as jokes. But now, staring at Meng Qing, she suddenly felt uncertain. "Brother, when did you become so fond of meddling in other people's business?"