It turns out, they were the main characters.

Mu Zhian pondered for a moment, then held Bai Ruoxi's slender hand in one hand, tilted his head slightly, leaned close to her ear, and made a gesture as if to kiss the girl's cheek, whispering something in her ear.

Bai Ruoxi's eyes flickered slightly, and soon a faint blush rose to her face. After a long silence, she said softly:

“What Young Master Mu says is true; his affairs are indeed none of my business.”

Chapter 11 Classic Two-Thread Operations

While kneading Bai Ruoxi's cool and smooth slender hands, Mu Zhian held a teacup, looking as if he was thinking about something.

Beside her, Bai Ruoxi bit her lower lip, but unlike the arrogance she had shown two days ago, she did not break free from Mu Zhian's grasp. She only secretly glanced at Mu Zhian before her body slowly relaxed.

After a long silence, Bai Ruoxi slightly raised her eyes and said in a soft voice:

"Young Master Mu, what have you thought about the Bai family's matter?"

Just as he was enjoying the beautiful woman's delicate, jade-like hands, Mu Zhian came back to his senses upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "I need to think about it some more."

Contrary to her usual behavior, Bai Ruoxi simply gave a soft "hmm" and did not make repeated requests as she had in the past.

Mu Zhian also noticed something strange and couldn't help but glance at Bai Ruoxi a few more times.

The young woman pursed her lips slightly as she sat on the chair, her chest resting gently on the table. She held a cup of tea between her fingers, and two strands of fine hair fell onto her delicate and flawless face, highlighting her beautiful and refined features.

However, a hint of worry, unlike anything she had ever felt before, seemed to have crept into her delicate brows.

Mu Zhian reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair from Bai Ruoxi's forehead, smiling as he asked, "Miss Bai, is something troubling you?"

Bai Ruoxi glanced at Mu Zhian silently, without saying a word.

"Oh... is it because of the Bai family?" Mu Zhian chuckled.

I think I asked a pointless question.

Bai Ruoxi's biggest worry right now seems to be the perilous situation of the Bai family.

Bai Ruoxi gently shook her head, put down her teacup, and said, "Although Ruoxi's troubles are related to the Bai family, they are probably different from what Young Master Mu is thinking."

She recalled the scene of her mother testing her every few days over the past two days. Every night, the beautiful woman would come to talk to her daughter, lamenting the decline of the Bai family and hinting that she should ask Mu Zhian how he had decided.

It was because her mother had been urging her repeatedly these past two days that Bai Ruoxi had no choice but to visit the Bai family again this morning.

This is why Bai Ruoxi is so worried at this moment.

Mu Zhian gave Bai Ruoxi a deep look and smiled, "It seems that Miss Bai does not want to explain the reason for her troubles for the time being, but that's alright, she can tell you when she wants to."

Bai Ruoxi slightly raised her head to look at Mu Zhian and said softly, "Young Master Mu, is there really no way to help the Bai family?"

“I’ve already told you about the bargaining chips I’m using to help the Bai family,” Mu Zhian said with a smile.

"Tongmai Pill...?" Bai Ruoxi repeated, lowering her eyes slightly, her beautiful eyes appearing somewhat dim.

She suddenly raised her head and whispered, "Am I not good enough—"

Mu Zhian gently placed his finger on Bai Ruoxi's lips, and under her slightly widened beautiful eyes, he smiled and shook his head: "Miss Ruoxi, you are a person, and you should not be used as a bargaining chip."

If it were Wei Mengrou, the maid who knew Mu Zhi'an very well, she would probably curl her lips in disdain at this moment, thinking to herself, "You just want the Meridian-Opening Pill and want to get Bai Ruoxi for free, why are you making it sound so high-sounding?"

But Bai Ruoxi was clearly taken aback.

She recalled what her mother had said to her these past few days, and then thought about Mu Zhian's words now. For a moment, she was choked up, and her beautiful eyes seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist.

One was a spoiled brat who had a terrible past, and the other was his own biological mother, yet the two said completely different things.

Yes... Thinking about it carefully, Mu Zhian had already said before that she only made his heart flutter, but not the Mu family's.

In other words, Mu Zhian had always treated her as a "person" rather than an object to be traded, and it was she who had been misunderstanding her all along.

Thinking of this, Bai Ruoxi sighed softly and lowered her head slightly.

Just half a month ago, she was quite disgusted by Mu Zhian's pursuit, especially by his fawning manner whenever he saw her. But for some reason, she no longer felt so averse to Mu Zhian.

Thinking of this, Bai Ruoxi gave Mu Zhian a complicated look.

She still doesn't know the reason... Is it because she needs something from the Mu family, or has her impression of him changed?

Mu Zhian was naturally unaware of what Bai Ruoxi was thinking. He glanced casually outside the curtain, then turned to the girl beside him and said, "Miss Bai, could you please ask the waiter to change the tea leaves? I'd like to change the tea."

Bai Ruoxi suddenly came to her senses, gave a reserved "hmm," and got up to leave the tea room.

The tea room returned to silence. Mu Zhian withdrew his gaze and began brewing tea by himself.

Then, he picked up the third cup, poured tea, placed it on the table, and said with a smile, "Won't you come out and have a cup of tea?"

"You've come to see me, so you must have something important to say, right? Why don't you say it now?"

After a moment of silence in the tea room, a man in black robes lifted the curtain outside, his gaze sweeping across the tea room before settling on Mu Zhian.

He quietly entered the tea room and, at Mu Zhian's suggestion, sat down opposite him.

"Young Master Mu has quite the refined taste. He went to the brothel to sleep with the most beautiful courtesan, and soon after, he got involved with the most beautiful woman in Tianxuan City. Such methods are truly enviable for men."

The man in the black robe spoke with a tone that was both admiring and sarcastic.

This is called dual-threaded operation... Mu Zhian calmly put down his teacup and said, "Just say what's important. Bai Ruoxi will be back soon."

The man in black robes nodded slightly and said, "Two days from now, I would appreciate it if Young Master Mu could find a way to lure Ye Yu to the Dragon Head Forest. As for what happens after that, I can handle it myself, and Miss Bai will be completely yours."

Dragon Head Forest is located on the west side of Tianxuan City. You can see a forest dozens of miles outside the city. That is Dragon Head Forest.

It is called Dragon Head because, according to legend, a cultivator once looked down from the sky and found that the overall shape of the forest resembled the head of a giant dragon, hence the name.

Because the Dragon Head Forest is teeming with monsters and covers a vast area, bringing Ye Yu there before taking action would indeed be the least likely to be noticed.

"Young Master Mu, what's your decision?" the man in black robes asked again.

"I picked up this girl myself, why are you talking like it's your achievement..." Mu Zhian came back to his senses, smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll find a way to bring Ye Yu to Dragon Head Forest in the next two days."

The man in black robes nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Young Master Mu is a smart man, so I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer."

After saying that, he transformed into a wisp of black mist and disappeared into the tea room.

Mu Zhian leisurely picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and then pursed his lips.

That guy, did he really think he was an idiot?

They make such nice promises, saying they'll take Ye Yu to the Dragon Head Forest and then handle the rest... It sounds like they're making things easy for him, but what if they take Ye Yu away and then betray him?

On the day Ye Yu was taken away, news would likely spread throughout Tianxuan City that "Mu Zhian took Ye Yu into the Dragon Head Forest and then left alone."

When the news of Ye Yu's disappearance due to Mu Zhi'an spreads, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the Ye family.

Even if the Ye family is not as powerful as before, public opinion will still be on their side, and even the Mu family will inevitably suffer some losses.

As Mu Zhian was pondering these matters, Bai Ruoxi lifted the curtain outside the tea room, carrying a teapot, and gracefully walked in, sitting down beside Mu Zhian.

She glanced around, seemingly sensing something amiss, and whispered, "Has someone just been here?"

Bai Ruoxi was, after all, a cultivator at the Qi Refining Realm; she shouldn't be so oblivious to even the slightest clue.

One of the reasons she let Mu Zhi'an hold her hand was to cooperate with him.

Mu Zhian hummed in agreement, then quickly changed the subject, saying, "I'm a little thirsty, could you make me a cup of tea first?"

He wasn't sure if the man in black had actually left, and now was not the time to discuss anything serious.

Bai Ruoxi's beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she glanced at Mu Zhian.

When their eyes met, Bai Ruoxi seemed to understand something. She glanced casually at the door and then softly hummed in agreement.

It seems the person who was spying outside the teahouse might not have left yet...

Mu Zhian couldn't help but smile gently as he watched Bai Ruoxi's elegant movements while making tea.

That man in black robes seems a bit too eager to take credit.

What does it have to do with the girl I'm dating?

He had such an arrogant and condescending attitude, as if all of this was a gift from him... Who is he anyway?

Just as Mu Zhian was thinking of this, Bai Ruoxi had already brewed the tea and was about to put the teapot down.

At this moment, Mu Zhian suddenly placed one hand gently on Bai Ruoxi's jade-like hand.

Bai Ruoxi subconsciously looked at Mu Zhian and smiled at him, saying, "I'm a little tired, could you pour me a cup of tea?"

Bai Ruoxi paused for a moment, then finally gave a soft "Mmm," brushed a strand of hair that had slipped past her ear, and whispered:

"……OK."

Chapter 12 The wicked will be punished by the wicked.

Mu Zhian drank some hot tea in the tea room, chatted with Bai Ruoxi for a few more minutes, and then left the tea room together.

Walking along a relatively secluded street in Tianxuan City, Bai Ruoxi glanced around and then asked, "Young Master Mu, may I ask who that person was who was eavesdropping outside just now?"

"The Gongsun family... or the Morning Dawn Chamber of Commerce?" Bai Ruoxi asked.

Given the Mu family's influence in Tianxuan City, few people would dare to secretly eavesdrop on Mu Zhi'an's conversations with others. The only possibilities are the Morning Dawn Chamber of Commerce or the Gongsun family.

After all, Bai Ruoxi has been getting so close to the Mu family these past few days, and the two families are probably afraid that the Mu family will intervene and rescue the Bai family.

Just a couple of days ago, the Gongsun family also leaked the news, attempting to get Ye Yu to cause trouble.

Mu Zhian shook his head: "It's not the Gongsun family, nor the Chenxi Chamber of Commerce. He should be from a force outside Tianxuan City, but I don't know who he is right now."

Bai Ruoxi frowned slightly and said softly, "If that's the case, why did they eavesdrop on our conversation...?"

Mu Zhian smiled and said, "He probably wants to see if I have those kinds of feelings for you."

Bai Ruoxi was taken aback, and asked in confusion, "What's the difference between whether I have feelings for you or not?"

Whether Mu Zhian likes her or not shouldn't bother anyone else... How could someone deliberately eavesdrop on their conversation to find out about such a thing?

Thinking of this, Bai Ruoxi gave Mu Zhian a complicated look.

From the moment she met him in the carriage that day, she felt that the young man was shrouded in a fog, making him elusive and unpredictable.

She didn't know how Mu Zhian really viewed her... or whether he still liked her as much as he used to.

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to know, but Mu Zhi'an always kept a certain distance from her. They had a little intimate contact just now in the tea room, but that was all. She still couldn't understand Mu Zhi'an.

"There is a difference, and a big difference."

Mu Zhian strolled leisurely down this secluded street and said, "The deeper my obsession with you, the easier it is for me to take advantage of you."