Chapter 2: Misty Mountains and Sea of Clouds Part 1

Ring City Bridge was the unavoidable route from the west side of the city to the Sheng Residence, so encountering Mu Shanyi there was perfectly reasonable.

Mu Shanyi was the sole heir of the Mu Family’s main branch. Miao Zhu had been taught from a young age to show her respect and courtesy. Although Mu Shanyi was only eight years older than Miao Zhu and Sheng Xingran’s older sister, in Miao Zhu’s mind, it felt like there was a whole generation between them. She had always held her in awe.

In that instant when their gazes met, Miao Zhu instinctively tensed up. Fortunately, the eye contact was brief. Mu Shanyi’s bodyguard and driver, Lu Zheng, got out of the car to assess the situation.

Miao Zhu was no stranger to Lu Zheng. While regretting the cigarette she hadn’t had time to light, she gave Lu Zheng a simple rundown of the rear-end collision and mentioned that she was waiting for the traffic police.

Lu Zheng returned to report to Mu Shanyi. After Mu Shanyi said something, the car door was pushed open, and Mu Shanyi emerged from the back seat.

Lu Zheng came back and informed Miao Zhu, “Miss Miao, President Mu invites you to ride in her car. I’ll handle things on your end, and we’ll get your car sent for repairs.”

Miao Zhu’s gaze followed Mu Shanyi.

Mu Shanyi walked around to the trunk, opened it, and took out a pair of flat shoes.

The watch on her wrist caught the light, causing Miao Zhu to squint instinctively.

Thick, dark chestnut long hair slid from her shoulders as Mu Shanyi bent down to change her shoes. The well-tailored, straight sheath dress hit just at the knee, tracing a smooth curve from her calf to her ankle.

Mu Shanyi’s aura emanated from her very bones—noble, elegant, and unapproachable.

Miao Zhu tucked the broken cigarette into her bag. She got into the car almost at the same time as Mu Shanyi. Once the door closed, the outside world sounded distant and muffled.

“Sister A-Heng, it’s been a while.” Miao Zhu knew how to make her smile flawless. “Lucky I ran into you.”

“Are you alright?” Mu Shanyi turned to look at her. Her tone matched her expression—cool and detached, neither rude nor overly warm.

Mu Shanyi’s maternal grandfather was a blond, blue-eyed European. Miao Zhu had once thought that aside from her taller, more statuesque figure and sharper facial contours, Mu Shanyi hadn’t inherited any other obvious mixed-race traits. But now, the evening sunlight pierced through the windshield, illuminating Mu Shanyi’s face. Miao Zhu noticed a subtle gray-green ring around the outer edge of her irises, hidden within the depth of her eyes and thick lashes. Her gaze held misty mountains and a sea of clouds, indescribably captivating.

After a two-second pause,

“…I’m fine. The car shouldn’t be too damaged either.”

Mu Shanyi nodded, put on her sunglasses, and merged into traffic. She said nothing more about the accident or the cigarette.

They weren’t close, and they only saw each other a few times a year. Miao Zhu wasn’t sure if she should make small talk—maybe Mu Shanyi didn’t want to chat with her.

Recalling Miao Ling’s words from the night before, “Don’t mess things up by trying to be clever.”

Speak of the devil—the phone started vibrating again. Miao Zhu fished it out of her handbag and saw it was indeed Miao Ling.

“Sister A-Heng, it’s my mom. She might be getting anxious.” Since they were in Mu Shanyi’s car, Miao Zhu indicated she needed to take the call.

Mu Shanyi said, “Go ahead.”

As soon as Miao Zhu connected, Miao Ling’s voice came through, laced with suppressed anger. “Do you know what time it is? What excuse do you have for being late? I called so many times and you ignored every one!?”

Miao Zhu: “Mom, I got rear-ended. I’m waiting for the traffic police—”

“Don’t you know priorities? You think it’s okay to keep the Sheng Family’s banquet waiting for an outsider like you? Where do you get off acting so high and mighty!” Miao Ling interrupted her impatiently.

…She didn’t even ask how serious the accident was or if anyone was hurt. She only cared about Miao Zhu’s performance at the Sheng Family that evening—no room for mistakes.

Miao Zhu kept her expression neutral, as if she hadn’t heard the scolding. “I’m fine. Luckily, I ran into Sister A-Heng. I’m in her car heading over now. We’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

Miao Ling: “…………”

Mu Shanyi glanced lightly toward Miao Zhu while holding the steering wheel.

Miao Zhu’s attention was on the other end of the line. She heard a click, followed by more background noise—Miao Ling had gone from indoors to outdoors. Her volume returned to normal as she chided affectionately, “You child, always causing trouble. How did you end up bothering A-Heng?”

Her voice grew distant again as Miao Ling laughed and explained to others, “Longlong says she’s coming with A-Heng. Her car got rear-ended, but luckily she ran into A-Heng.”

Finally, she added warmly, “Longlong, traffic’s heavy at this hour. Take it slow, no rush—safety first.”

As the sole audience to this masterful face-switch, Miao Zhu played along for the close. “Mm, okay. See you soon.”

The car fell quiet again, the street scenes outside the window retreating nonstop.

Suddenly, Miao Zhu remembered a weekend afternoon from years ago.

“Sister A-Heng, I just recalled that time when I was little and got lost—I ran into you then too. Do you remember?”

That year, Miao Zhu was eight. After four years of piano, due to Miao Ling reuniting with Ni Xiaoying, she switched to cello.

It was her second or third lesson. When it ended, she came out of the teacher’s house and didn’t see Miao Ling there to pick her up. Unadjusted to the new teacher’s style and with her left fingertips raw from the strings, Miao Zhu slung the cello on her back and walked home crying.

“I have some recollection,” Mu Shanyi said.

She actually remembered it all: the tiny girl, cello case nearly as tall as she was, standing lost under the street tree’s shade, her pale pink cheeks streaked with tears.

That was the first time she had seen Miao Zhu cry.

Miao Zhu: “You took me home.”