Chapter 172 The First Rebellion

"Si Nan?"

Mu Qingcheng widened her eyes slightly, a flicker of genuine surprise evident in her gaze.

The young maid nodded and continued, "Yes, would you like to see him? If you don't want to, I can—"

"No need, I'll go take a look."

Before the maid could finish, Mu Qingcheng closed her bedroom door and headed downstairs.

Meanwhile, downstairs.

When Si Nan arrived, Elder Mu was sitting in the living room leisurely sipping tea.

Because Si Qingchen had stopped visiting, the old man's mood had improved significantly.

Even that scoundrel Mu Jingchi had refrained from coming over to provoke him, allowing the elder to enjoy a rare few days of peace.

Who would have expected Si Nan to show up out of nowhere today, setting off alarm bells in his mind?

The elder had immediately summoned the man inside, remaining silent and fixing a piercing, unblinking gaze upon him, as if intending to dissect him alive right then and there.

Si Nan was screaming in agony inwardly, yet externally he maintained his usual composure.

After he offered a greeting, the elder merely gave a vague, perfunctory nod, his attitude chillingly indifferent.

Left with little choice, Si Nan stood there awkwardly as the members of the Mu family took turns scrutinizing him.

Fortunately, Mu Qingcheng came down quickly.

"Grandfather."

Mu Qingcheng looked at Elder Mu and gave a slight nod.

Her demeanor was as obedient as ever, yet anyone could perceive a subtle undercurrent of coldness woven into it.

No one in the Mu family knew that the young woman was simply revealing her true self; they all assumed her attitude stemmed from lingering dissatisfaction over the elder's handling of Ran Siya.

In truth, not just her—virtually everyone disapproved of the elder's lenient handling of the matter.

Therefore, no one found the Fifth Young Miss's attitude particularly inappropriate.

Without further ado, Mu Qingcheng walked straight up to Si Nan and asked, "What is it?"

"Well... Miss Mu... Caesar has been in rather poor spirits lately, and we would like to ask you to come take a look."

"Caesar?"

Mu Qingcheng frowned, seemingly skeptical of such an excuse.

"Yes... are you available?"

Si Nan's heart was drumming anxiously against his ribs, but his exterior remained an impenetrable fortress of calm.

In front of outsiders, his operational style was practically indistinguishable from Si Bei's.

Mu Qingcheng pondered for a brief moment, but before she could utter a reply, she heard Elder Mu's stern and uncompromising voice ring out from behind her, "No, Qingcheng will not go with you."

"No, you cannot make decisions on my behalf."

Before the elder's words had even faded, Mu Qingcheng abruptly turned around.

Her expression was exceptionally resolute, radiating a side of herself she had never displayed before—tenacious, decisive, and unwavering.

The sharp and formidable aura she exuded startled everyone in the Mu family.

Only Si Nan secretly raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself with inward amusement:

*So Miss Mu is finally showing her "true colors"? The Mu family is truly blessed beyond measure; their luck hasn't run out yet, and they have no idea what a supreme Buddha they've invited into their home. Hmph!*

On the other side, Elder Mu looked utterly astonished, never expecting that his traditionally obedient and submissive granddaughter would suddenly openly defy him.

He froze for a beat, only to hear Mu Qingcheng continue, "I already agreed in advance to take care of the work at the racecourse. I cannot break my word."

With that, she turned back to Si Nan, nodded, and said, "Let's go. I'll come with you and take a look."

"Yes, please right this way."

Disregarding everyone else's reactions, Si Nan simply followed protocol, gave a slight nod of his head to Elder Mu, and then led Mu Qingcheng out the door.

The elder sat frozen in his seat for a long time before muttering in sheer disbelief, "Qingcheng... she's actually disobeying me..."

The Mu family members: "......"

****

Meanwhile, at the Trace-Free temporary base.

Ye Zi had been abruptly hung up on by Mu Qingcheng, leaving him with a head full of unanswered questions he hadn't even had the chance to voice.

A lingering sense of unease told him that she was hiding something from him, yet he had no opportunity to ask.

This wave of irritation completely scrambled Ye Zi's normally straightforward train of thought. In the end, he simply stormed out to the street and found a random bar to drink away his frustration.

Who could have guessed that halfway through his drinks, a sudden wave of dizziness would wash over him, making him realize too late that he had been set up.

He was subsequently dragged away and dumped into a back booth, only for the private room's door to be kicked open right at the critical moment.

A group of unknown men had swarmed in.

And walking at the very back was a sharply dressed, impeccably groomed man whose gaze immediately locked onto him.

Ye Zi felt himself being pulled into an embrace...

And amidst his fading consciousness, he caught a glimpse of that refined and elegant pair of eyes—concealing a ruthlessness akin to a starving wolf...