Chapter 38: Don’t Want to Hide It from Her Anymore? Part 3

What was she to her?

The more she thought, the more out of control she felt, unable to voice it. Hot tears dripped onto Mu Shanyi’s arm. Mu Shanyi wanted to defend herself but couldn’t ignore Miao Zhu like this.

She couldn’t bear seeing her cry or making things hard for her.

“Done biting?” Mu Shanyi leaned in, brushing her cheek against Miao Zhu’s ear. “Xingran’s still around—she could come anytime. Don’t want to hide it from her anymore?”

Sheng Xingran arrived at the dining area with light steps. Miao Zhu had already left; only Mu Shanyi remained watching the outdoor movie.

“Sis.” Sheng Xingran sat in an empty chair nearby. “Where’d Longlong go?”

Mu Shanyi glanced at her. “She cried her eyes out and said she was heading back to her tent.”

Sheng Xingran had seen the movie playing—it was pretty tearjerking.

“Longlong’s always like that, so emotional. When I got scolded as a kid, she’d cry harder than me…” For once, Sheng Xingran opened up to Mu Shanyi. “Sis, I’m really happy that you’re willing to accept her into the family.”

“Did my attitude before make you think I didn’t welcome her?” Mu Shanyi’s expression was a bit odd as she said this, but Sheng Xingran was too eager to deny it and didn’t notice. “Of course not! It was me—I had prejudices against you. I always thought you’d look down on Longlong.”

“But now I get it. Sis, you not only care about me but also care about Longlong by extension. You even helped her friend Emma. Wen-jie told me privately that you’re investing in Chuanming Film’s project, regardless of profit—that’s a huge sum.”

“Don’t worry about it. The project’s decent, and I’m interested, so I’m investing.”

If that project was truly promising, Chuanming Film would never have given others a share of the pie—it must have been a high-risk venture. Sheng Xingran touched her nose bridge embarrassedly. “How ridiculous I was before. I was so stubborn, competing with you out of nowhere. I was afraid that being with Longlong would make you look down on me even more, so I preferred to leave Longlong hanging, disappointing her time and again… all for my laughable pride. You have no idea how many stupid things I did because of it. I even deliberately flirted ambiguously with other girls to provoke Longlong, leaving her with no sense of security in me now. It’s what I deserve. In any case, I’ll make it up to her. From now on, every single day, I’ll work hard at it!”

Sheng Xingran poured it all out in one breath, the relief in her heart indescribable. Because of Ni Xiaoying’s humble performance at the Mu Family, the awkwardness Sheng Xingran had harbored for over twenty years finally unraveled through the matter with Miao Zhu. She realized Mu Shanyi had never been biased against her. With her relationship with Mu Shanyi straightened out, the knot in her heart came undone.

But as she spoke of Miao Zhu, guilt surged alongside intense affection. Mu Shanyi felt the bite mark on her arm throb even more painfully—she didn’t want to hear a single word.

Mu Shanyi averted her gaze, avoiding eye contact with Sheng Xingran. Unexpectedly, Sheng Xingran shook her arm. “Sis, about my engagement ceremony with Longlong—hey, did I grab you too hard?”

Sheng Xingran withdrew her hand in bewilderment.

Mu Shanyi’s brows furrowed then relaxed. “No, I got bitten. What were you going to say?”

Sheng Xingran was utterly shocked. “Bitten”—on the arm, hidden under her sleeve. In just a few short days, things had already gotten this intimate with Zheng Simiao?

That made her even more determined to give them a push.

Sheng Xingran put on an “I get it” expression. “I was going to say, for my engagement ceremony with Longlong, should we invite Sister Simiao too? She’d probably be willing to come, right? Like with today’s camping trip—yesterday during golf, Mom mentioned it offhand, and she agreed right away.”

Mu Shanyi said, “No need. Aren’t we only inviting the closest friends and family?”

“…” Sheng Xingran paused in surprise. “You don’t want to spend more time with her?”

“With her?”

“Yeah! We all know you went on that blind date with her during the Mid-Autumn Festival. You never paid attention to those setups before, so Sister Simiao must be special to you, right? I thought you had feelings for her.”

Xingran had misunderstood, but Mu Shanyi didn’t explain. She simply stated her position: “No need to invite her.”

“Alright, I’ll tell Dad later.” Mu Shanyi probably had her own pace and didn’t want interference, so Sheng Xingran naturally respected that. She stretched lazily and stood up. “Then I’m off to see Longlong. Wen Jie’s waiting for you to play cards. You coming?”

Mu Shanyi rotated her wrist, not lifting her head. “Got it.”

Sheng Xingran headed to Miao Zhu’s tent. The tents here used large glass panels, and at night, with the curtains drawn, the hazy light seeped out like a moon hidden in a crystal box, glowing softly and brightly.

Sheng Xingran approached happily, about to knock, when her moon pulled open the door and appeared before her.

Their eyes met.

Sheng Xingran sighed. “Looks like you really cried hard. Your eyes are all swollen.”

Miao Zhu was stunned. “…Did A-Heng Sis tell you?”

“Yeah~” When Miao Zhu mentioned Mu Shanyi, Sheng Xingran recalled the bite from Zheng Simiao. She burst out laughing with a “pfft.” “You know what? My sis just now with Sis Si Miao, they…”

Such details were too private to spread—it would make her seem lacking in boundaries. So halfway through, Sheng Xingran cleared her throat and gave a conclusion: “Anyway, things are progressing smoothly.”

“Mm.” Miao Zhu hadn’t wanted to hear it anyway and responded with a stiff smile.

“Where are you going?” Sheng Xingran saw she looked ready to head out.

“Nowhere,” Miao Zhu handed the shawl draped over her arm to Sheng Xingran. “A-Heng Sis lent me her shawl. Xingran, could you return it to her for me?”