Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

On this day, Qian went to the Mu Family as scheduled. Under Qian’s treatment, Mr. Mu quickly fell asleep.

Qian intended to leave directly, but a servant from the Mu Family approached Qian with respect and said.

"Mr Chen, please stay. Our Mr. Mu is waiting for you in the study and wants to discuss the matter of the old gentleman."

Qian arrived at the study, knocked a few times but received no response, so she pushed the door open and entered.

The study was connected to a large balcony where Mu Xiaofeng was standing and talking on the phone with someone. The balcony door was closed, and she intentionally lowered her voice, so nothing could be heard inside the study.

Qian sat on the sofa waiting for her. She had treated Mr. Mu for quite some time and had interacted with Mu Xiaofeng several times, but this was the first time she had been in the study.

The study was particularly clean, which wasn’t uncommon among the people Qian interacted with. If someone became her patient, their home would certainly have a maid for regular cleaning. However, the biggest difference between the Mu Family’s study and others was that it was not only clean but also excessively simple.

The décor of a person’s study usually reveals some aspect of their personality, whether in calligraphy and paintings or the material of the furniture, or even some decorations, one can often discern the owner’s taste.

But the Mu Family’s study had none of this.

Regardless of the style of the furniture or the arrangement, everything was of the most ordinary design, there wasn’t even a single painting nor were there any decorations.

A family of such status using such furnishing might seem somewhat out of place, as if... Qian thought slightly, feeling that Mu Xiaofeng seemed to deliberately hide herself.

Yes, that was the feeling.

She mentioned this to Yu Minglang before, saying she felt Mu Xiaofeng lacked emotion; though her work demonstrated her skills and political savvy, her eyes were too cold, akin to the feeling one gets in this empty study.

What kind of background would cause someone to fully arm themselves?

Even someone like Yu Minglang, who presents a flawless image outside, becomes relaxed at home in a vest and big shorts, sitting in his study with a pillow reading comics. The more one needs to maintain a special image outside, the more they should have a space to relax their spirit, yet Mu Xiaofeng obviously didn’t have that.

Mu Xiaofeng, through the glass, saw Qian had entered, gestured to indicate she wait a bit longer, and Qian nodded.

Suddenly, Qian’s gaze was drawn to a special small box on the wooden table.

The exotic little box was palm-sized, with a rough-hewn wooden texture, not particularly expensive, yet especially intriguing to look at.

Qian didn’t know why, but she felt this box was quite special, as if she had seen it somewhere before, and couldn’t help but glance at it a few more times.

"Mr. Chen, do you like my toothpick box?" Mu Xiaofeng pushed the door open and walked out.

Qian smiled and nodded, "It looks very tactile."

"Yes, a friend brought this back from a trip. If you like it, I’ll have him bring one for you next time." Mu Xiaofeng’s eyes stayed on Qian; although her smile was small, Qian sensed a hint of vigilance in her gaze.

"No need, I just have a habit of collecting antiques, I’m not very interested in these kinds of crafts."

"Yes, they’re just crafts. Over in Dianbei, when girls get married, their family makes these woodcarvings by hand, not worth much, merely a blessing."

Upon hearing this, Qian adjusted her glasses, a faint smile on her lips. "Now that you mention it, I remember when I got married, my mom packed several quilts for me, many of which I’ve yet to use."

"It’s all our parents’ love. Mr. Chen, you’re not very old, right?"

After shifting the topic from the box, Mu Xiaofeng visibly relaxed a lot.

"Not too old, but soon to be a mother. Previously I had some disagreements with my mother, but my personality has changed somewhat since becoming pregnant. Indeed, the heart of a parent is truly benevolent." Qian touched her belly and said emotionally.

"You’re absolutely right, the heart of a parent. I only have my elderly father left now. My life has been fiercely competitive, striving hard to survive, yet what’s the use of sitting on mountains of gold and silver, no amount of wealth can buy my father’s longevity..."

This was the only time Mu Xiaofeng let Qian feel warmth of humanity.

This woman consistently portrayed herself as adept at concealing emotions, only when mentioning family did genuine emotion show.

"Your father’s current condition looks relatively optimistic. I have another case like his on hand. We initially estimated no more than two months, but after over six months, he’s eating, drinking, and taking care of birds well, and cancer cell control tests are promising."

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I’ll leave it to you then, Mr. Chen."

The two began discussing Mr. Mu’s condition, with Mu Xiaofeng asking quite detailed questions, and it was nearly forty minutes before she let Qian go.

Qian courteously declined Mu Xiaofeng’s invitation to stay for dinner, drove off alone. She didn’t see Mu Xiaofeng, after she left, picking up the box that had caught Qian’s attention and stroking it repeatedly, a sinister look flashing in her eyes.

The landline rang promptly, and Mu Xiaofeng answered.

"When are you coming back?" It was a cold, mechanical male voice on the other end.

"I still have to wait a few days, my father is ill, I can’t leave."

"What’s there to linger over a dying man?"

Upon hearing ’dying’, Mu Xiaofeng’s expression changed slightly, "Green Mamba, I don’t like you speaking of my father this way."

"Getting too emotional can lead to mistakes. By the way, I haven’t asked you, why are you in contact with those people?"

Mu Xiaofeng wasn’t surprised by his grasp of her every move; there must be Green Mamba’s informants around her.

"I found a psychologist for my father, nothing strange about that."

"I don’t think those people are simple, best stay away from them, Feng, if you no longer wish to live, don’t drag everyone down!"

"Rest assured, my identity here is safe."

"You’d better change doctors!"

"Understood."

After hanging up, Mu Xiaofeng thought about the details of her interaction with Qian today. Her intuition told her Mr. Chen was not as simple as he appeared; that calm gaze wasn’t typical of a doctor in her early twenties.

Even though Mu Xiaofeng had checked all of Qian’s information, she always felt what she found wasn’t necessarily true; she also began considering Green Mamba’s suggestion of changing doctors.

At this moment, the servant hurried over.

"Mr. Mu, the old gentleman is awake and is upset not seeing Mr. Chen!"

"I understand, I’ll be down immediately—wait." Mu Xiaofeng stopped the servant and asked.

"Does the old gentleman have a good attitude towards Mr. Chen?"

"Yes, the old gentleman trusts Mr. Chen very much. Ever since Mr. Chen came, his sleep quality and food intake have improved significantly. He was quite displeased at Mr. Chen’s early departure today."

It seems this doctor can’t be easily replaced. Mu Xiaofeng stared outside, gripping the box tighter in her hand.