Before An Bao could finish speaking, Mu Yunyi had already erupted in fury, cutting him off mid-sentence. The aura emanating from his body grew icier and more terrifying than ever, like the breathless stillness before a violent storm.
By this point, Yang Li had managed to break free from the parrot's assault and stumbled over to Mu Yunyi's side in a sorry state, arriving just in time to catch An Bao's words.
Instantly, Yang Li felt his scalp prickle with dread!
This little one really has no fear of death, does she?
Bringing up Miss Mu Yunyao's name is one thing, but how dare you actually curse Miss Mu Yunyao to her death?
Gazing at An Bao's rosy, jade-carved features and plump, adorable little form, Yang Li couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for An Bao in his heart.
Just as Yang Li thought Mu Yunyi was going to strangle the little tot, Mu Yunyi had already reached up to tug irritably at his tie, then snapped coldly at An Bao: "I don't care who sent you — I don't want to see you again. Get lost!"
With that, Mu Yunyi spared An Bao not another glance, raised his long legs, and strode away.
Yang Li glanced at Mu Yunyi, then turned back to look at An Bao.
There stood the little dumpling beneath a dim streetlamp, the hazy yellow glow stretching that tiny silhouette long across the ground, suffused with an air of quiet solitude.
Most of all, the little dumpling's face at this moment was written all over with disappointment and grievance; those eyes that had been sparkling so brightly just moments ago were now veiled in a fine mist of unshed tears—a picture of pure, heartbreaking pathos.
Yang Li opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say what he meant, and sighed instead: "Kid, you'd better head back quickly. Tell whoever sent you that they've badly miscalculated. Of all the things you should never have done—this takes the prize. You should never, ever have made a joke of Miss Mu Yunyao."
"But, but, An Bao didn't lie. An Bao's — An Bao's mother really is called Mu Yunyao."
An Bao's voice was slightly choked with grievance as she gazed at Yang Li, her expression silently pleading for him to believe her.
Yang Li saw that An Bao still refused to budge, and his own annoyance stirred: "You… forget it. I've said my piece. Go on back."
After Yang Li finished speaking, he hurriedly chased after Mu Yunyi's retreating figure.
Watching Mu Yunyi and the others walk away, An Bao burst into aggrieved tears: "Wuwuwu, Xiao Fengfeng, does Uncle—does Uncle not like An Bao?"
The parrot watched An Bao shedding tears, its heart aching as it hovered anxiously at her side, urgently trying to comfort her: "An Bao, don't cry! Your uncle just misunderstood you — we'll explain everything clearly to him and it'll be fine."
"But, but Uncle wouldn't listen, and he was so fierce, so very fierce — even fiercer than the big Old Axe that Master keeps."
An Bao choked back sobs, gesturing plaintively to convey their grievance.
"Hmm, then let's beat him up! Beat him a few more times and see if he still dares not to believe in An Bao!"
The parrot thought for a moment about the methods Master An Bao usually employed when dealing with that white tiger, then offered a very earnest suggestion.
An Bao's tears faltered. She tilted her head as if pondering something, her wide eyes brimming with curiosity as she asked: "Oh, Master always says spare the rod, spoil the child — An Bao gets it now! Uncle is an unfilial son, isn't he?"
"Mm…"
Something seems off?
But, never mind! As long as the little one isn't crying, that's all that matters!
So the parrot nodded with great solemnity, offering its encouragement: "That's right! An Bao is so smart! He is exactly an unfilial son!"
After Mu Yunyi returned to the villa, not a single servant in the entire estate dared to make a sound upon seeing the dark expression on his face.
After watching Mu Yunyi step inside and lock the door behind him, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Yunyi lay soaking in the bathtub, silently scrolling through his phone.
On the screen was the image of a young girl, her smile radiant and enchanting.
Around the young girl stood six strikingly handsome young men of varying looks, all gazing at her with fond indulgence.
Mu Yunyi let out a sigh and turned off his phone screen, murmuring, "Yunyao, you… where on earth did you go?"
Ever since Mu Yunyao's disappearance six years ago, the entire Mu family had been as though the sky had caved in.
Everyone was desperately searching for Mu Yunyao, yet there was no news of her whatsoever.
She seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Neither seen alive, nor found dead.
Thinking of An Bao, Mu Yunyi couldn't help but tighten his grip on his phone.
Bad enough that Mu Yunyao had gone missing and couldn't be found — but for those people to stoop to such vile means to smear her reputation was utterly unconscionable!
A soft *click* broke Mu Yunyi's train of thought.
Mu Yunyi glanced toward the window, brow furrowing slightly. He stood up, wrapped a bath towel around himself, and went straight to open it.
Little did he expect that the moment the window was opened, a streak of multicolored something came bursting in, startling Mu Yunyi into hastily leaping aside.
But the very next instant, a small figure came bounding in through the window, brandishing a rolling pin from who-knows-where, and in that adorably ferocious way only little kids can manage, hollered at him: "Spare the rod, spoil the child! Uncle, here comes the rod!"
"You…"
Mu Yunyi's eyes went wide — he had no time to dodge at all before the rolling pin came crashing straight down onto his forehead.
"Bang!"
Thud…
Mu Yunyi's vision went black, and he collapsed stiff as a board onto the ground.
An Bao blinked her big eyes, gazing at the unconscious Mu Yunyi. She stuck out her chubby index finger, squatted down in front of him, and gave his cheek a little poke.
"Xiao Fengfeng, besides filial sons, what else can the rod produce?"
"Ugh… dead uncle?"
"……"
The next morning.
Butler Li found it rather strange. The eldest young master had never been one to sleep in — every single day, he was up at seven sharp for breakfast and the morning news without fail. How was it already past eight, and still no sign of him coming downstairs?
"Old Li, where's Big Brother? Where did he run off to? He promised to help me land that HIT endorsement deal — how is it still not sorted?"
A handsome man in black punk attire, his long hair dyed aqua blue, strode in with wide steps. He tossed the car keys directly to Butler Li and was about to head upstairs.
Butler Li caught the keys and hurried to keep pace, explaining, "Third Young Master, you've come back at just the right time. The First Young Master returned last night in a terrible mood and hasn't gotten up yet — I was just about to go check on him."
"Oh? My big brother, that workaholic, actually slept in? Let me go take a look."
Mu Yunshang raised an eyebrow in surprise, then headed upstairs with considerable interest and twisted open the door to Mu Yunyi's room.
Upon seeing the scene inside the room, Mu Yunshang's eyes went wide. Unable to stop himself, he took two steps back and pulled the door shut behind him.
But the very next moment, Mu Yunshang shoved the door back open with a bang, his voice loud and unsteady: "Brother! Since when do you have a child?!?"
A moment later, Mu Yunyi was pressing a piece of ice to his forehead, his expression particularly grim.
An Bao stood to one side with the look of someone who had done something wrong, chubby little index finger twisting this way and that. Every now and then, she would steal a furtive glance up at Mu Yunyi, only to quickly duck her head back down again, looking utterly pitiful.
Mu Yunshang wore the expression of someone thoroughly enjoying a spectacle. After looking back and forth between Mu Yunyi and An Bao, he asked, "Elder Brother, I never would have guessed — you're always going on about how busy you are, yet you've been secretly raising such a big daughter all this time. Come here, little one. I'm your Third Uncle. Give me a 'Third Uncle' and I'll give you a lollipop."
An Bao heard Mu Yunshang's words, blinked, and muttered softly, "You're not my third paternal uncle — you're my third maternal uncle."
"What? Third maternal uncle? Child, your father's brothers are your uncles, and your mother's brothers are your maternal uncles. Big brother, how on earth are you raising this child?"
Mu Yunshang laughed and pointed an accusing finger at An Bao, but An Bao stubbornly shook her head and said with certainty: "You are Mama's brother, so you are Third Uncle. An Bao is not wrong."
"Enough!"
The moment Mu Yunyi heard An Bao's words, he hurled the ice from his hand to the ground in fury, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at An Bao.