"Sister." Mu Qi looked at the person in the photo, his voice softening unconsciously, just as it did when he spoke to Yun Shunián.
Ling Xue had been seizing every moment she spent with Mu Qi, never expecting that Yun Shunián's image could still appear in the private space they shared.
"Mu Qi, this won't do. You have to look at me when you speak, that's how I can observe your expression and gaze."
Ling Xue forcefully suppressed the urge to tear the photograph of Yun Shunián to shreds, desperately trying to divert Mu Qi's attention away from her.
Upon hearing this, Mu Qi frowned. He gently stroked the photograph of Yun Shunián with his index finger, then finally turned his head to look at Ling Xue.
"Alright, now say… 'Sister'." Ling Xue lowered her gaze to look at Mu Qi, pausing deliberately, intentionally displaying her alluring side.
Mu Qi pursed his lips, his frown deepening.
"Mu Qi, aren't you trying to become Yu Sheng, the one Yun Shunián likes? Don't you want to cooperate?"
Ling Xue was not in a hurry. She hooked her lips, her every smile exuding charm.
*Niannian's favorite Yu Sheng?*
Hearing Ling Xue's words, Mu Qi's eyes flickered, then became more resolute.
Mu Qi met Ling Xue's gaze: "Sister."
The two words didn't sound like they were addressing Ling Xue as "Sister," but rather like a pronouncement of "I'll kill you."
Ling Xue's expression shifted, but she did not rush.
It was unrealistic to expect Mu Qi to face her with the same tenderness he showed Yun Shunián, nor was that Ling Xue's goal.
"Mu Qi, this isn't right. Little Yu Sheng, that kind of puppy dog has a soft tone, you need to inflect your voice.
And your gaze is wrong too, your eyes should hold a hint of longing and appeasement."
Ling Xue leaned against Mu Qi's desk, extending her left index finger to lift Mu Qi's chin, but he dodged her touch.
"Miss Ling, remember your own identity." Mu Qi stood up, meeting Ling Xue's gaze, his phoenix-like eyes filled with disgust.
"Identity? What identity do I have? I can be considered the savior of your Mu family's patriarch, can't I?
If you don't acknowledge me as your savior, then surely you must acknowledge me as an old friend from many years ago?"
Listening to Ling Xue's self-righteous tone, Mu Qi's expression turned cold and indifferent: "I do not."
*I do not?*
Ling Xue hadn't expected Mu Qi to erase all their connections with just two dry words.
"Ah, fine if you don't acknowledge it."
Ling Xue wasn't trying to get Mu Qi to admit to any specific identity; she merely wanted Yun Shunián to believe there was some kind of relationship between them.
"Mu Qi, if you're not comfortable facing me, why not try your best to imagine me as Yun Shunián?"
Imagining her as Yun Shunián, Ling Xue naturally found it difficult to accept, but she had to endure. Only through endurance could she have a chance to win Mu Qi over.
Mu Qi pushed his chair back, moving further away from Ling Xue. He then took a deep breath and covered his face with his hands.
Where Mu Qi couldn't see, Ling Xue's gaze roamed over him, growing increasingly bold.
-------------------------------------
"Miss Yun is truly punctual."
Yu Sheng, already seated in the yoga studio, looked with some surprise at Yun Shunián, who appeared at the doorway out of breath.
He had messaged Yun Shunián last night and this morning, but she hadn't replied. Yu Sheng had assumed she hadn't seen his messages.
Originally, Yu Sheng hadn't intended to come. However, Ling Xue had told him the plan was still on, so the hastily poured glass of red wine was put aside as Yu Sheng rushed to the yoga studio.
"I thought you hadn't seen my messages." Yu Sheng went to the ice chest outside and retrieved a bottle of mineral water, handing it to Yun Shunián.
Yun Shunián took a few rapid breaths before accepting the water from Yu Sheng, tilting her head back and drinking several large gulps.
"What messages?" Yun Shunián asked, lying on the yoga mat and breathing steadily.
"Just that I was fine and could continue with class today, and things like that."
As he finished speaking, Yu Sheng found something strange.
"You didn't see my messages, so why did you come today?" Yu Sheng sat on the yoga mat, leaning forward and looking curiously at Yun Shunián, who had her eyes closed in concentration.
Yun Shunián's eyes remained closed as she replied in a lazy, indifferent tone: "I wanted to take this chance to switch yoga instructors."
In reality, Yun Shunián had felt Yu Sheng's pulse yesterday and knew he had no internal injuries.
Furthermore, Yu Sheng had said his shoulder hurt, not his legs, so there was no reason he couldn't come to the yoga studio.
"You… you really think like that?"
Yu Sheng was stunned. He truly hadn't expected Yun Shunián to kick him when he was down.
"Heh heh…" Yun Shunián couldn't help but laugh.
"Yu Sheng, I'm a bit tired from rushing here. How about we rest for a while first?" Yun Shunián stretched her arms, drawing arcs on the floor.
"Okay." Yu Sheng rubbed his nose, thinking to himself that he wasn't a professional anyway, and the more he said, the more mistakes he'd make.
He was more than happy for Yun Shunián to want to rest.
Soon, Yun Shunián coughed lightly, as if to foreshadow something: "Yu Sheng, what are the usual reasons for men to be in a bad mood?"
*Men?*
Yun Shunián's question caught Yu Sheng off guard. Men often talked to him about women, but he had never had a woman ask him about men.
"That depends on what kind of bad mood it is."
Yu Sheng hadn't yet realized Yun Shunián's intention and first uttered a sentence to gauge the situation.
"What kind?"
Yun Shunián thought for a moment and then continued: "Very sad, so sad that my hands are trembling."
Yu Sheng understood. Yun Shunián was likely referring to Mu Qi: "Was he drinking?"
Yun Shunián looked confused: "No."
"Then how did he treat you?" Yu Sheng, having formed an idea, continued to ask.
Recalling the events of yesterday, Yun Shunián's face flushed with a rosy hue, and her arm movements became visibly unnatural.
"He treated me very well."
"Then that's it. He must have someone else on the side. If his career isn't going well, he'd likely be cold to you.
But since he's treating you so well now, it's definitely because he's being unfaithful elsewhere, and he feels guilty towards you."
As he finished speaking, Yun Shunián suddenly sat up on the yoga mat, her body rigid with tension.
Yu Sheng was startled by Yun Shunián's sudden movement and also became nervous, involuntarily observing Yun Shunián's subtle expressions.