Miss Mu and the Canary

This street was originally just a row of low-rise bungalows, but a few years ago a shopping mall was built, and it has become increasingly prosperous and bustling. Various Western-style buildings are scattered about, with foreign goods shops and Western-style restaurants side by side, making it dazzling to behold.

In addition, with the promotion of a free and easy lifestyle in China in recent years, many young women have started to go out shopping in groups, dressed in the latest fashions, laughing and joking, and behaving with grace.

All these things have changed over time, and everything is vastly different from what I remember.

She originally went to the United States to accompany her aunt who was recovering from an illness. After her aunt passed away, she and her second brother, Mu Yun, stayed in the United States to study, and six years passed in the blink of an eye. Having not set foot on this land for several years, even the air seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

Just as Mu Xing was about to feign a sigh of homesickness, he suddenly heard a woman's voice behind him.

"No way! This guy is perfectly fine, no need to spend money. Do you think I'm after your money?"

Her voice was clear, bright, and charming, but her Wu dialect was really awkward, which surprised Mu Xing.

She'd seen people in America pretending to be Japanese, pretending to be overseas Chinese, and today she even saw someone pretending to be a girl from the South! It was truly an eye-opener.

Mu Xing was about to turn around to see who this strange person was when he heard the girl say, "I told you I don't want it, it's not particularly pretty... Look, isn't dark blue better than pale yellow? Then let's go with pale yellow. I'm sorry to make you spend money... Ah, these gold and silver headdresses are so trendy and lively these days, let me go take a look."

Good! What a clever tactic of feigning retreat to advance! She said no, but she certainly didn't hold back with her actions. Mu Xing almost wanted to applaud her.

I just read an article in that magazine called "Linglong" about "how to deal with male friends" and "how to fight for women's rights in social situations," but it seems none of those are as effective as this young lady's practical application...

Thinking this, Mu Xing suddenly became interested and wanted to see what kind of girl she was.

She turned around and her eyes met those of the woman at the opposite counter. One look from her made her hold her breath in surprise.

What a face this is!

First of all, it is an extremely charming face that will not arouse jealousy from other women.

Mu Xing thought blankly.

The stained glass windows on the roof of the foreign firm cast colorful light spots onto the woman, and the gemstone earring she was trying on swayed by her temple, reflecting a shimmering light.

She looked at Mu Xing with a surprised expression. Her large, bright eyes were smeared with silver-red rouge, her full lips were slightly parted with only a light touch of pink, and she had a smile on her face. Her cheeks were plump, and she looked innocent and naive.

Yet, within this childlike innocence, an alluring charm unexpectedly bursts forth, captivating all who behold it.

—At least Mu Xing couldn't take his eyes off it.

After watching for an unknown amount of time, the woman opposite Mu Xing suddenly smiled brightly at him, her eyes sparkling with flirtatious charm.

Mu Xing felt a pang in her heart and immediately looked away.

"This is an extremely beautiful face," she concluded.

But she probably wouldn't be a "beautiful" person.

As Mu Xing was pondering this, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

"This gentleman is a new face in Wenjiang. May I ask your surname?" It was the man who had just been with the beautiful woman. He said to Mu Xing, "My name is Cui Yuanbai, and I am the deputy manager of this Huarong Foreign Firm."

After sizing up Mu Xing a few times, he smiled and said, "Don't laugh at me, brother. I run a foreign firm and have gotten to know most of the prominent gentlemen in Wenjiang. But you look unfamiliar. Are you perhaps a tourist?"

The major families in Wenjiang were either business associates or relatives, so they were all acquaintances. Mu Xing had naturally met Cui Yuanbai a few times when they were young, but she had been abroad for several years and was now dressed as a man, so it was no wonder he didn't recognize her.

Mu Xing found it amusing, but said in a serious tone, "So it's Young Master Cui. I am Mu Xing. I just returned to the country last week, so it's no wonder you don't recognize me."

As Mu Xing spoke, he caught a glimpse of the beautiful woman staring intently at him, as if she had seen a top-quality diamond.

Upon hearing the name of the Mu family, Young Master Cui quickly shook hands with Mu Xing and exchanged a few compliments. Young Master Cui said, "Speaking of which, I know a young lady from the Mu family. Her nickname is Xuanji. She was my childhood playmate. I heard that she went to America with Second Young Master Mu back then. I wonder if she has returned to China this time?"

Mu Xing casually made up a story: "Oh, Xuanji is still in the United States. She enrolled a year later than my second brother and me, and hasn't finished her studies yet. She probably won't be able to return to China until next year." Well, it wasn't entirely a lie. I did enroll a year later, but I was able to graduate early.

Young Master Cui nodded, pondered for a moment, then looked puzzled and said, "Mr. Mu, I seem to remember that there are only three sons in the Mu family. The eldest son works in Nanjing, and the second son went to America with Xuanji. I wonder if you...?"

"ah."

Mu Xing froze, then quickly made a choice between "admitting she was making things up and becoming a laughingstock" and continuing to make things up.

She said, "Young Master Cui, you may not know this, but I was originally Doctor Mu's second son. Later, I was adopted by Mu Gong's sister, Lady Fuxue, as his adopted son. My mother was often ill, and this was a marriage to bring her good fortune. Back then, my second brother, Sister Xuanji, and I went to America to seek treatment for my mother, but we never expected..."

The funeral of Madam Fuxue of the Mu family four years ago was grand and solemn, which Cui Ershao naturally knew. Now that Mu Xing looked pained, he could not continue to ask questions and could only quickly blame himself for speaking out of turn and touching on people's wounds.

Mu Xing smiled and changed the subject. She gestured to the beauty over there and said with a smile, "Is that your lady? Second Young Master is quite fortunate." In such a newly acquainted occasion, talking about the other person's female companion is not a good topic. However, if the female companion is not a wife or fiancée, any man with a flirtatious and teasing attitude will likely use it as a topic of conversation and discuss it at length.

Mu Xing wanted to test whether the beauty in front of him was a decent woman, not out of pity or malicious gossip, but simply out of pure interest—interest in something he had never encountered before.

As expected, Young Master Cui looked somewhat awkward and said, "She's not my wife, it's just, cough..."

Mu Xing quickly put on an expression that showed he knew what was going on and said, "Ah, I was being presumptuous. I'm sorry."

Having spent four years in the brothel, Bai Yan knew her mother's methods very well. If she were to abandon Young Master Cui now, her mother would be furious. Even if she didn't get a beating like Xiao Abao, she probably wouldn't have an easy time either.

With that in mind, she carefully selected two large paper bags full of imported goods, from silk stockings and white jade cream to pearl necklaces and agate earrings—everything her mother usually liked. She hoped that, for the sake of the gifts, her mother would suffer less.

She was enjoying her selections when she looked up and suddenly met a glance from that young master Mu.

She was taken aback.

It was neither the usual intimate, obscene, or disgusting behavior

……