056 Truth and Illusion

In the end, Ran Siya was confined and had her allowance withheld for three months. Such a punishment, of course, was far from proportionate to the harm she had caused to Mu Qingcheng.

But surprisingly, the punishment for Ran Siya was actually the result of Mu Qingcheng's own "plea for leniency."

At that time, in the bedroom—

"Boss, how can you just let her off like that? You know perfectly well she won’t appreciate your kindness," Ye Zi gritted her teeth on the other end of the communicator, wishing she could hoist Ran Siya up in a helicopter and drop her in Africa to feed the lions.

Mu Qingcheng, however, remained unruffled, calmly applying the ointment given to her by Si Qingchen, and replied indifferently, "What else would you have me do? Kill her?"

Ye Zi fell silent. Considering Ran Siya’s actions, killing her… would indeed have been an overreaction.

Mu Qingcheng let out a soft laugh and continued, "You’re just too impulsive. Think about it—just for this little injury, you want to drive Ran Siya out of the Mu family... Heh, that's absolutely impossible. Besides, the old man feels guilty towards her; once his anger passes, he’ll forgive her anyway. Since forgiveness is inevitable, I might as well take the initiative and play the 'good person,' gaining a bit of favor for free."

"But I just—"

"You just feel it’s unfair to me?"

"Yes, it’s not fair. When have you ever had to endure such humiliation?"

Mu Qingcheng only responded with another faint, chilly laugh—her tone devoid of warmth, entirely disconnected from her usual sweet and obedient demeanor.

This time, she said nothing more to Ye Zi.

Some darkness and filth she preferred to keep to herself, rather than dragging others into it.

But... was this incident really as worthless as Ye Zi claimed?

It had made Mu Jingchi more devoted to her; it had deepened the old man’s guilt toward her. Every member of the Mu family now regarded her with newfound respect, even a measure of admiration and awe.

Just a minor injury like this—let alone anything more serious—was, perhaps, well worth the price.

For now, Mu Qingcheng chose not to dwell further on the matter. She abruptly shifted the topic, lowering her voice unconsciously to ask, "How’s the investigation going? Any news?"

"Wait a moment," Ye Zi replied.

Mu Qingcheng heard the sound of Ye Zi typing furiously on her keyboard. A few seconds later, Ye Zi spoke again. "I looked into it. Si Qingchen’s parents are high-ranking officials in the 'relevant departments,' still serving to this day. As for Si Qingchen himself, after leaving the military, he started an investment company. In just a few years, he’s built a successful business, expanding overseas. The school and the equestrian club are inherited family assets. He also has an older sister who’s been abroad—apparently, she’s a designer."

"Is that all?"

"…Yes, that’s all…"

Clearly, Mu Qingcheng was not satisfied with Ye Zi’s findings.

Ye Zi asked in a small, uncertain voice, "Boss, do you think there’s… something off about this?"

Mu Qingcheng put away the ointment Si Qingchen had given her, tucking it into her purse. She walked over to the window seat, gazing out at the garden, and spoke quietly, "Was his information easy to find?"

"Very easy. I found it right away. There was really—"

Ye Zi suddenly paused, as if a realization dawned on her. She took a deep breath and said slowly, "Boss… You don’t mean to say that all this information about Si Qingchen… is fake?"

Mu Qingcheng let out another soft laugh and answered with certainty, "No, it’s real. But… it’s certainly not the whole truth."

****

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, at the Si family residence in the south,

Si Qingchen sat behind his desk, eyes closed, feigning sleep.

Knock knock—

A sudden knock at the door made him open his eyes instantly, responding in a deep voice, "Come in."

Si Bei walked in, approaching Si Qingchen and speaking softly, "Boss, we’ve located that person."

"Is that so?" Si Qingchen narrowed his eyes, a cold gleam flashing through them.

He stood up, briskly shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the chair, striding out while issuing a sharp command, "Let’s go. We leave now!"

"Yes, sir!"