Since Mu Wan had already told her parents she’d be riding back to her apartment with Kuang Ye, Wang Lan and Mu Jianhua had left ahead of time. This saved Mu Wan from having to explain why she had been crying.

Sitting in the passenger seat of Kuang Ye’s Maserati, Mu Wan finally pulled the jacket off her head. Her eyes were no longer as red, and her voice had returned to normal. She looked at Kuang Ye incredulously.
“You… hit Kuang Shuyu earlier?”

Kuang Ye glanced at her, noticing her makeup had smudged so badly she looked like a mess. Pulling out some tissues, he switched on the car’s interior light and tilted the vanity mirror toward her.
“I did. What, does it hurt you to see him get hit?” he asked.

Seeing her disheveled reflection in the mirror, Mu Wan nearly broke down.
“My beauty… it’s ruined!”

She felt a moment of relief, realizing she had kept the jacket over her head earlier. Otherwise, her reputation as the elegant Mu Wan would have been destroyed.

As she wiped away her smeared makeup, she answered Kuang Ye’s question.
“Of course it hurts!”

Kuang Ye’s brows furrowed, and he gave her a cold, piercing look.

Mu Wan grabbed his hand.
“Let me see. Did my fiancé hurt his hand?”

Only then did Kuang Ye’s expression soften. With complete confidence, he boasted,
“Kuang Shuyu? That weakling? I could take on ten of him at once. Back in the day, when I worked at the black Net Bar(An Internet Cafe), no one dared play without paying…”

His voice trailed off as he realized he might have said too much.

Mu Wan, however, rested her chin on her hand and gazed at him with curiosity.
“Go on. I want to know more about your past.”

Kuang Ye ruffled his styled hair into a messy nest, visibly uncomfortable. That part of his life—rough and full of struggles—wasn’t something he wanted to share. Yet, seeing Mu Wan’s eager expression, he ended up telling her a few amusing stories.

“There were always students skipping class to play games at the café. Every time the teachers came looking for them, those kids would scatter like monkeys climbing trees.”

Sometimes, the students left their instant noodles behind in the chaos. When he was starving, he’d quietly take the bowls to the alley behind the café to eat.

“I was good at games back then. People came specifically to challenge me. The café owner noticed how popular I was and started paying me—a match earned me ten bucks.”

Of course, that was just pocket change. The real money came from betting on matches. If luck was on his side, he could win enough to cover a week’s living expenses. To keep winning, he trained tirelessly, mastering every character, whether he liked them or not…

As the sleek Maserati sped along the road, Kuang Ye’s deep, lazy voice filled the car. Mu Wan listened intently, feeling a mix of heartache and fascination. She didn’t want him to stop—she wanted to know more about him.

When they arrived at her apartment, Mu Wan took a shower and came out to find Kuang Ye’s navy-blue jacket draped over the sofa. For some reason, as she was getting out of the car earlier, she suddenly didn’t want to give it back. She had even made up a flimsy excuse about being cold just so she could wear it.

“Hmm…”

Even though she knew there was no one else in the room, Mu Wan still glanced around nervously. Then, like a guilty thief, she hugged the jacket to her chest and took a deep sniff.

Just like when the jacket had covered her head earlier, it carried a fresh, grassy scent.

How could a rough guy like Kuang Ye have such a clean, refreshing smell? It was so strange.

But…

She lifted her face from the jacket, feeling a little… perverse.

Shaking her head at herself, she took the jacket to her room, hung it on a hanger, and made a mental note to take it to the dry cleaner the next day.

—

Mu Wan didn’t hide what had happened at the banquet from her parents. This time, she saw things differently. In her past life, she had been bothered by people attributing her achievements to her parents. But the truth was, her comfortable life and the violin skills she had developed under renowned tutors were all thanks to her parents.

There was no need to reject or deny their help just to prove her independence and excellence. Doing so only made her suffer. Her parents were her foundation. They would never see her troubles as a burden.

—

Meanwhile, Kuang Shuyu had barely returned home when he was summoned to the study by his father, Kuang Zhongbai. The older man gave him a scolding tirade before concluding with a cold statement:

“I also believe that this wasn’t entirely your fault.

“But you’re aware of the Mu family’s position. Hand over the collaboration project with Mu Group to someone else.”

Kuang Shuyu’s face turned ashen, and his hands balled into fists inside his sleeves.
“Dad, I’ve been working on that project for six months now.”

Kuang Zhongbai patted him on the shoulder.
“Sometimes setbacks are blessings in disguise. The Yuan family has assigned several projects specifically to you. If you do well, your performance won’t be lacking in comparison. Work hard. I have faith in you.”

Kuang Shuyu’s expression eased slightly at that reassurance.

As he left the study, a flicker of relief crossed his face at the thought that he had made the right choice earlier. But then, his steps faltered, and his pupils constricted.

The Mu family… the Yuan family…

Could Dad have figured something out?

—

After the banquet, Mu Wan quickly settled back into her regular routine of practicing the violin and gaming.

One day, there was an unexpected knock on her door.

Mu Wan immediately became wary. Kuang Ye always called ahead when visiting her apartment.

“Who is it?”

“It’s your Gege.”

Mu Wan froze, then dashed to the door. Peering through the peephole, she saw the sharp and handsome face of her brother. With a delighted cheer, she flung the door open.

“Gege! You’re back from abroad!”