099 Dean Xu... Such Impeccable Form (First Update)

By the time Xu Maoyan followed Butler Ji into the house, his heart was pounding so hard it seemed to be trying to break free of his chest.

Thud after thud, it beat until his whole body trembled.

At first, he had thought that since the scandal exposed online had made him, in some sense, a victim as well, all he needed to do was keep silent, endure the humiliation, say nothing at all, and the matter would blow over.

He had never imagined that Old Master Mu would actually call him personally.

Still less had he expected the Mu family to go this far for that Fifth Miss who had suddenly returned from nowhere.

And now, as Xu Maoyan stepped into the living room, he saw Old Master Mu directing the servants to bring Mu Qingcheng a blanket and cushions.

He kept adjusting her position, as though trying to make her sit more comfortably.

Mu Qingcheng did not look well. She seemed ill, her face faintly pale with weakness.

"Qingcheng, are you cold?"

"No, Grandfather. I'm fine."

Mu Qingcheng was curled up in a single armchair.

The servants had tucked cushions of all sizes behind her back and around her, holding her securely in place.

A white cashmere blanket covered her lap, so of course she was not cold.

But for all that ease and comfort, she looked nothing like the proper young lady she ought to have been.

At the very least, she did not belong in the middle of such a grand living room.

Mu Qingcheng felt a little uncomfortable and was about to say she wanted to go back to her room and rest.

But the old master beat her to it, deliberately speaking just as Xu Maoyan happened to reach them.

"It's nothing. The rules of the Mu family don't amount to much. My granddaughter is the only thing that matters.

If you say a single word of displeasure today, Grandfather will have this whole house torn down tomorrow.

What is an ancestral home compared to this? Our Qingcheng is the true treasure."

"You're making too much of this."

"Grandfather simply can't bear to see you wronged."

Old Master Mu gently patted the back of Mu Qingcheng's hand.

Mu Qingcheng sighed, helpless, and obediently remained where she was.

From a distance, she looked like a kitten just awakened from sleep, languid and unruly, with an indescribable charm that was faint and yet impossible to ignore.

Xu Maoyan found himself staring at Mu Qingcheng in a daze.

Then, all at once, he heard Old Master Mu ask in a cool voice,

"Director Xu, you came rather quickly."

"Ah? Ah... yes, yes."

Only then did Xu Maoyan react belatedly. His back tightened, and he hurriedly lowered his head.

Thinking back, Old Master Mu had always treated him with great respect.

Even though he had in fact done nothing to help or improve Mu Qing's condition, that old man had still remained courteous and polite, never once uttering a complaint.

He had even come to believe that the Mu family did not place much importance on Mu Qing, that the entire household seemed to have rather poor relations.

Yet now, for the sake of a little girl... their attitude had changed entirely.

At once, Xu Maoyan lowered himself a little further, putting on that familiar look of obedience.

That only drew a cold smile from Mu Qingcheng.

She said mockingly,

"Director Xu, that bow of yours... is very standard."

"Miss Mu, this is..." Xu Maoyan looked up in feigned shock, only to bow his head again in the next instant, wearing the picture of a man who had suffered grievance yet still forced himself to act magnanimous and yield.

He sighed and went on,

"Ah, as for what happened online, I am also half a victim. I do hope Miss Mu will not be angry."

But this time, that show of complete compliance brought no response from anyone.

The room was utterly silent, not even the faintest whisper of a breeze.

Xu Maoyan, still keeping his head bowed, could only maintain that posture. It was not until his back grew stiff and sore that he finally heard Old Master Mu's voice, devoid of warmth, ring out before him, still cold as ever.

"Director Xu, I'll be direct.

I would like to ask you something: how exactly did the surveillance footage from your hospital leak?"

Bang—

As Old Master Mu finished speaking, he lifted a hand and slammed it heavily onto the marble coffee table.

Clatter—

The teacup, brimming with tea, was knocked over at once.

And Xu Maoyan, who had been so full of confidence, flinched all over.