Mu Wan felt her body go soft and her head light. If it weren’t for Kuang Ye’s hand supporting her from beneath the bathtub, she would have slid down weakly. Looking at the restrained yet yearning expression in his eyes, she lifted her hand from the rippling water and grabbed the rain-soaked collar of his shirt. With a sudden pull, she yanked him into the tub.

In an instant, water splashed everywhere. Kuang Ye, now soaking wet, fully understood Mu Wan’s silent response.

The bathtub was spacious, easily accommodating the two of them. Kuang Ye’s eyes overflowed with affection as wet clothes were peeled away, one by one, and discarded by the side of the tub. Soon, waves rippled higher and higher, sending countless droplets splashing out of the tub. The sound of water almost drowned out the lovers’ soft whispers and sighs…

—

Unsurprisingly, they didn’t return to the Mu family villa that evening.

After stepping out of the bathroom, Kuang Ye dried Mu Wan’s hair for her. They returned to the bedroom intending to sleep, but their emotions got the better of them. Before they knew it, they found themselves wrapped up in each other once again.

Cough cough. Youthful energy indeed knew no bounds.

Since Kuang Ye’s vacation was coming to an end and Mu Wan’s company was in the city, staying at the apartment was more convenient. The next day, they returned to the villa to pack their belongings and move them back.

Wang Lan, worried about Mu Wan’s recent brushes with danger, considered hiring her a bodyguard. Mu Wan quickly declined, saying she wasn’t used to being constantly watched.

Not insisting, Wang Lan instead brought out a bracelet from her room and placed it on Mu Wan’s wrist.

“Then at least wear this. Otherwise, your dad and I won’t be able to rest easy.”

The silver bracelet looked simple, engraved with a four-leaf clover design, seemingly just an ordinary piece of jewelry. But only the families of high-ranking military officers knew the hidden features it contained.

Mu Wan nodded. “Alright, I’ll wear it all the time.”

—

On the last day of Kuang Ye’s vacation, he accompanied Mu Wan to sign the villa contract with the owner. Unfortunately, the owner had to leave the country unexpectedly for business, delaying the signing. However, they had already sent over copies of the necessary documents, so Zhou Lu could proceed with the paperwork without delay.

Mu Wan found the villa owner surprisingly trusting.

“They gave me copies of the property documents before the contract was even signed. Aren’t they worried I might do something illegal with them?” she joked. “If I just walk away, they’d be at a huge loss.”

Kuang Ye placed a freshly sliced piece of fruit on the coffee table, skewered it with a fork, and offered it to her.

“They’re not worried. If you run, they’ll just come after me instead,” he said with a smile.

Mu Wan accepted the fruit and nodded in realization. “Oh, right. He’s your friend. He’d definitely know where to find you.”

At that moment, she was busy contacting designers online. Although most of the villa’s renovations didn’t require changes, she wanted to add some music-related decorations.

“Ah Ye, I’ve shortlisted two designers whose styles I really like. Which one do you think I should choose?”

She turned her laptop screen toward Kuang Ye. The two designers represented vastly different styles: European and Chinese.

Mu Wan leaned toward the European design since classical music primarily involved Western instruments, making it a better fit. However, the Chinese designer’s previous works were also impressive, and she wasn’t sure if she might hire traditional Chinese musicians in the future.

After glancing at the screen, Kuang Ye suggested, “If you can’t decide, arrange meetings with both designers. Let them draft initial plans based on the villa, and then pick the one you prefer to sign with.”

Mu Wan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Can I do that?”

She hadn’t handled anything like this before. To be honest, after her violin career hit a roadblock in her previous life, she had spent most of her time at home, living off her family’s wealth. Her real-world experience was nearly nonexistent.

“Of course,” Kuang Ye reassured her. “That villa’s a big project. They’ll be more than happy to sketch something for you.”

The villa was a standalone mansion. Securing a project like this could sustain a designer’s income for the next three years and serve as a valuable addition to their portfolio.

“Alright then, I’ll message them both now.”

After sending the villa’s layout to the designers, they quickly responded, both agreeing to the proposal. Mu Wan left her contact information and scheduled a time for them to visit the property.

Just then, Kuang Ye’s phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw it was his biological mother, Zhou Yun. He moved to the side to answer.

“Kuang Ye, find some time to come back home.”

“[Lately, someone in the circle has been spreading rumors, saying that the switch back then was orchestrated by Shu Yu’s biological father. This completely tarnishes Shu Yu’s reputation.]
[Shu Yu is now a manager at the Kuang Corporation and is engaged to the daughter of the Yuan family.]
[You need to clear this up publicly so no one looks down on him.]”

Kuang Ye’s good mood for the day vanished instantly. He hung up the phone abruptly and turned to Mu Wan, who was sitting on the sofa.

“Mu Wan, there’s an issue with the team. I need to use your music room to make a call.”

Mu Wan assumed it was a team-related matter that needed to be discussed with him as captain, so she didn’t think much of it and nodded.

“Alright!”

Once in the music room, Kuang Ye closed the door and called Zhou Yun back. The moment the call connected, her slightly reproachful and dissatisfied tone came through.

“Why did you hang up just now? Are you unwilling to clarify things for Shu Yu…?”

“That’s right, I’m not willing!” Kuang Ye’s response was firm and unequivocal.

Zhou Yun was instantly furious on the other end of the line. “Why not?”

“Because the bastard you’re talking about is me. I’m the one who had those rumors spread,” Kuang Ye said bluntly.