A Bad Feeling
Lin Wei was already waiting outside the production base.
Even while waiting, she had found a way to entertain herself.
When Mu Wan approached, Lin Wei was chatting enthusiastically with a male actor.
He was handsome.
He wore a military uniform that made him look strong and energetic.
Lin Wei judged men by their appearance.
Every man she had ever chosen was roughly this type.
Handsome was not enough.
He needed a good body too.
That usually meant better performance in bed.
When Mu Wan arrived, Lin Wei made a quick introduction and waved goodbye to the actor.
Mu Wan got into the car and fastened her seat belt.
“Did I ruin your romantic encounter?”
“No, no.”
Lin Wei was still staring at her phone.
She sent a sticker into the chat.
“We added each other on WeChat.”
Then she smiled.
“There’s plenty of time ahead.”
Neither of them had ever been particularly academic.
Whenever Lin Wei unexpectedly used an idiom, Mu Wan had a habit of interpreting it in the least innocent way possible.
She laughed.
“I heard some gossip in the changing room just now.”
“About Mu Qing.”
“Holy shit. Tell me.”
Lin Wei started the car.
Mu Wan told her what she had heard.
It was only three in the afternoon.
Dinner was still hours away.
It was Sunday, and Lin Wei had nothing else planned, so she had invited Mu Wan to a beauty salon for a facial.
Lin Wei came from money, and her interior design studio was doing very well.
She had no shortage of cash.
The places she frequented were always among the most exclusive clubs in Xia City.
Even so, this club’s VIP requirements were extremely strict.
Lin Wei only qualified as an ordinary member.
Before beginning the facial, Mu Wan specifically confirmed that the treatment was safe for pregnant women.
Only then did she lie down.
There were only the two of them in the private room.
After hearing the gossip, Lin Wei teased her for a while.
Then she suddenly asked,
“Speaking of which, it should be about time for you to test, shouldn’t it?”
“After dinner, let’s buy a pregnancy test.”
“Mm.”
Mu Wan smiled.
The beauty treatments at an upscale club were meticulous and complicated.
At first, Mu Wan could still chat with Lin Wei.
Eventually, she fell asleep.
When the treatment was finished, an employee gently woke her.
“Your friend went to the front desk to settle the bill.”
“She asked you to wait for her in the underground garage.”
There was an elevator here that led directly to the parking levels.
Mu Wan did not need to pass through the front desk again.
She thanked the employee.
Carrying several bags of complimentary samples, she entered the elevator.
Mu Wan was not normally someone who became sleepy easily.
Now she had actually fallen asleep in the middle of the afternoon.
Pregnant women are supposed to get sleepy more easily, aren’t they?
The thought filled her with anticipation.
Her confidence in the pregnancy test grew.
The elevator descended to Basement Level Two.
Mu Wan went looking for Lin Wei’s car.
After walking for a while, she became confused about where she was.
She wandered near the private elevator reserved for the club’s highest-level VIP members, circled around once, then prepared to turn back.
As she did, she saw several people.
Her gaze swept casually over them.
One figure was especially familiar.
Mu Wan stopped.
Her eyes fixed precisely on the woman.
Tall and slender.
Short hair.
A fitted dark green dress.
When she turned slightly, her profile was elegant and aloof, her eyelashes long and thick.
Mu Qing.
She stood beside a Phantom.
The door opened.
A middle-aged man stepped out.
He appeared to be around fifty.
He was well maintained, with a refined bearing.
Apart from a little gray at his temples, it was difficult to tell his true age.
He smiled at Mu Qing.
Then placed a hand around her waist.
Mu Qing smiled back and climbed into the car with him.
She entered first.
The man followed.
As he stood beside the open door, Mu Wan looked at his lean back.
Something about it seemed familiar.
Before she could think more carefully, the man got into the car.
The door closed.
The Phantom sped away.
Mu Wan remembered the gossip she had heard in the changing room.
Mu Qing had broken up with Shen Cheng and attached herself to someone more powerful from the Liu family.
Knowing Mu Qing, if she was going to climb higher, she would certainly choose someone more powerful than Liu Qianxiu.
But Liu Qianxiu was already the head of the Liu family.
Who in the Liu family could possibly be more powerful than him?
“Mu Wan!”
Across rows of luxury cars, Lin Wei called out to her.
In the cavernous silence of the underground garage, the sudden shout made Mu Wan’s heart jump violently.
She looked toward Lin Wei.
Her blood seemed to be moving too quickly.
Her mouth had gone dry.
“Let’s go.”
Lin Wei waved.
The cords of the paper bags had pressed cold lines into Mu Wan’s fingers.
She switched hands.
Her fingers felt slightly numb.
She had let her imagination run wild.
It was probably nothing more than frightening herself.
Mu Wan gathered her things and walked toward Lin Wei.
“What happened?”
Lin Wei looked at her.
“Your face looks awful.”
“Nothing.”
Mu Wan answered simply.
Then she asked,
“Do you think it’s possible I won’t get pregnant?”
Lin Wei burst out laughing.
“So what if you don’t?”
She looked at Mu Wan.
“Your man isn’t dead.”
“As long as there are still seeds, why worry nothing will grow in the field?”
Mu Wan stared at her.
“…”
Lin Wei had never been pregnant, but she had used pregnancy tests countless times.
Compared with Mu Wan, she was practically an expert.
After dropping Mu Wan off at Nanfeng Apartments, Lin Wei reminded her,
“Test tomorrow morning.”
“It won’t be accurate if you do it now.”
Mu Wan agreed and waved goodbye.
She had slept for an hour during the facial that afternoon.
Once home, she was no longer tired.
She curled up on the bed while the kittens crawled around her and found one of Liu Qianxiu’s books to read.
She read while waiting for his call.
But even after she fell asleep, Liu Qianxiu never called.
Mu Wan woke unusually early the next morning.
She checked her phone.
Still nothing from Liu Qianxiu.
The air conditioner had been running all night.
Her throat felt dry.
She got up and drank a large glass of water.
Only afterward did she remember the pregnancy test.
She hurried into the bathroom.
Following the instructions, Mu Wan tested once.
One red line.
Not pregnant.
Mu Wan raised a brow.
Then she picked up the instructions and continued reading.
They said results were more accurate after seven days, and the longer one waited, the more accurate they became.
She had also just drunk a large glass of water.
That could affect the result.
Still, not being pregnant was no big deal.
Once Liu Qianxiu came home, they could try whenever they wanted.
Mu Wan ate breakfast.
Then she took a taxi to the production base.
She had not finished yesterday’s scenes, so she had an early start today.
The sky was overcast.
Huge dark clouds crowded together like an overturned clay jar, sealing the sky shut.
The oppressive air made it difficult to breathe.
After finishing one scene, Mu Wan took a bottle of iced water and went to the rest area.
She had barely sat down when Mei Yaozhi called.
Whenever she went to the Mei residence for dinner, Mei Yaozhi usually picked her up.
But it was nowhere near dinner time.
Why was he calling now?
Mu Wan answered.
“Hello?”
“Mu Wan, are you at the production base?”
Mei Yaozhi’s voice was unsteady.
“Wait there for me.”
“I’m coming over right now.”
Condensation had gathered around the bottle of iced water in Mu Wan’s hand.
The cold seemed to seep from her palm all the way into her heart.
Without warning, her chest contracted sharply.
Her voice, however, remained calm.
“What happened?”
“Something happened to Qianxiu.”
Mei Yaozhi answered simply.
“Wait for me. I’ll explain when I get there.”
He ended the call.
Mu Wan did not lower the phone from her ear.
The busy signal sounded again and again.
It reminded her of the heartbeat she used to hear when she lay against Liu Qianxiu’s chest.
Her thoughts were still clear.
Mu Wan lowered the phone.
Then she opened the financial news.
The instant the page loaded, the top headline appeared before her.
Black characters.
Simple.
Clear.
HEAD OF THE LIU FAMILY, LIU QIANXIU, SUDDENLY FALLS UNCONSCIOUS AND DIES AT 7:00 A.M. TODAY AT XX HOSPITAL IN AUSTRIA.
— End of Chapter 44 —
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Gosh, scare us like that
ReplyDeleteThere's no tragedy tag on this book. So, I'm mostly reassured it's just LQX's act to catch his father and brother red-handed.
ReplyDelete