Day n of not wanting to be a kept man's canary

These few words left Mu Yanxin frozen in place, her phone falling from her hand.

The name Song Nuan is like a tattered shell, concealing too many nightmares within her. For three years, she has lived as Mu Yiyan, and this name is somewhat unfamiliar to her.

The only people who know her name is Song Nuan are the Mu family, unless he is...

Mu Yanxin sat on the sofa, her body trembling, the sound of her teeth chattering clearly audible. Her pale hands clasped together as she tried to calm herself down, but the trembling only intensified, and the suffocating air made her chest feel like it was about to explode.

Mu Yanxin got up and went to the balcony. The cool breeze forced its way into her thin back, and her shadow on the ground became crooked and blurry.

Just then, the phone rang again.

Mu Yanxin covered her ears and curled up in the corner, as if that would prevent anyone from finding her.

The call ended, and two seconds later, the phone rang again. Mu Yanxin felt like a turtle hiding in its shell, thinking that as long as she hid, no one would find her.

What she didn't know was that the shell itself was hers.

The telephone call was like the tolling of death bells, shattering her outer shell second by second, forcing her to reveal her true form and face death.

Rather than suffer, it's better to die a painful death. With a look of resignation, Mu Yanxin walked in and picked up the phone.

It wasn't the unknown number that sent the message, but Mrs. Mu; there were two missed calls on her phone.

Mu Yanxin composed herself and called back. There was no response on the other end of the line for a long time, clearly indicating that Madam Mu was angry that she hadn't answered the phone in time.

[Sorry, I was just taking a shower! Please let me know!]

[You've broken the rules!]

His voice was filled with dissatisfaction and rebuke.

Among the many rules Mrs. Mu gave her, one of them was that she had to be available to answer the phone at any time, 24 hours a day, without being a second late. Obviously, she didn't do that today.

Mu Yanxin didn't apologize immediately as usual, because if her identity were exposed later...

Madam Mu, unusually, did not mention punishing her; she only said one thing.

Your brother, Song Siwen, is sick in prison!

What illness does my brother have? How serious is it? Have you taken him to see a doctor?

Mu Yanxin was extremely anxious. She rattled off a whole bunch of words of concern, only to realize how childish she had been afterward.

My brother is in prison; his life is in Madam Mu's hands.

Madam Mu wouldn't have such good intentions; her phone call was for ulterior motives. Unsurprisingly, Madam Mu's next sentence was:

[Your brother's life is in your hands. Whether or not you get him medical treatment depends on whether you can successfully marry into the Leng family!]

But Leng Changqing doesn't love me at all!

That's your problem, I want results!

Madam Mu's words sounded ordinary, yet every sentence struck at Mu Yanxin's weak point, each one fatal.

This was a warning to Mu Yanxin that she was not satisfied with her recent performance.

Seeing her brother like this, all of Mu Yanxin's previous fear was replaced by concern for Song Siwen's safety. She assured Madam Mu:

[I will be obedient and will do as you say as soon as possible. Please, please get a doctor for my brother!]

Madam Mu went on and on, repeating the same old arguments, basically saying that she wanted to do everything she could to marry into the Leng family as soon as possible.

After hanging up the phone, Mu Yanxin saw the unread message. The photo showed Song Siwen looking haggard, in pain, and unconscious.

This was the second time she had seen him in three years, again in a photograph, and tears blurred her vision.

It seems she has no choice but to accept this invitation, which has ulterior motives.

It's already 9:30, and there's still half an hour until the agreed time.

She had just been crying and looked extremely pale. Not wanting anyone to see her like this, she washed her face again and drove off.

Guided by the navigation, the car drove around for a long time before finally arriving at a building that was half new and half old, with the words "Yiqing Winery" crookedly hanging in front of it.

Mu Yanxin took a deep breath, put on a black mask and hat. She didn't want any trouble, and even if she ran into someone she knew, they probably wouldn't recognize her.

She clenched her fists to encourage herself and mustered her courage to walk into the Yiqing Hotel.

In just a few steps, she came up with a million ways to deal with it.

The phone pinged, startling Mu Yanxin so much that she almost dropped it. Two words popped up on the screen.

Number four.

It was that unfamiliar number, and Mu Yanxin's heart began to pound wildly.

The winery was dimly lit, and the atmosphere was unconventional.

Upon seeing this, the waiter greeted them warmly, "Who asked if you had a reservation?"

Mu Yanxin's retreat felt as if there was an abyss ahead, and one wrong step would shatter her to pieces.

"Excuse me, I..." Mu Yanxin turned and walked outside.

Madam Mu's voice rang in my ears again, "Your brother's life and death are in your hands."

Mu Yanxin ultimately succumbed to her soft heart; her brother was her only family in the world, and kinship was an emotion she could never sever.

Mu Yanxin walked back to the service counter. "Hello, table number four!"

"Okay, miss, please follow me!"

Mu Yan made up her mind. What was meant to happen would happen sooner or later. Once she thought about it, her steps became much lighter.

At the corner, the man looked down, his hand constantly swiping across the screen, and from the speed of his swiping, it was clear that he was becoming increasingly impatient.

Although Mu Yanxin had convinced herself to face it bravely, the moment she saw him, her heart felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar.

Driven by instinctive fear, her steps felt as if she were wearing heavy shackles, her legs completely frozen in place, beyond the control of her brain.

The man had his head down, so she couldn't see his face clearly, but she recognized him; he was Song Renshou.

Her uncle, who was ten years older than her, was the daughter of a scoundrel doctor who was hated by everyone when she was seventeen. Her enemies came to her door demanding her life.

Her uncle stepped forward and adopted her and her brother. She thought she had found protection from her family, but what awaited her was endless darkness and a nightmare that lasted for seven years.

She was only freed from Song Renshou's control when Madam Mu found her.

In retrospect, she merely jumped from one sea of ​​fire into another sea of ​​life.

The surrounding noise and the people raising their glasses to drink all seemed to freeze at this moment. Her body trembled violently, and her stomach churned uncontrollably.

A nearby waiter noticed the customer's unusual behavior and asked with concern, "Miss, are you alright?"

Mu Yanxin forced a smile, shook her head, and waved for the waiter to go about his business. She forced herself to compose herself.

"Excuse me, did you invite me?"

Mu Yanxin pretended to be calm and walked to table number 4, sitting down opposite the man. On the surface, she appeared calm and composed, but her hands under the table were clenched so tightly they were almost breaking.

The man's gaze quickly shifted from his phone to the woman, a lewd and vicious glint in his eyes. "What, pretending not to know me?"

Mu Yanxin was incredibly nervous inside, but her face remained calm and composed. She smiled faintly and said, "Sir, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else? We've never met before, so how can you say we're pretending?"

At this moment, she was actually somewhat relieved. Madam Mu had arranged for her to have plastic surgery on the very first day she found her. She looked somewhat similar to Mu Yanxin, and Madam Mu had turned her into a second Mu Yanxin.

Song Renshou stood up, staring at her cunningly, and walked behind her.

Feeling uneasy, Mu Yanxin seized the initiative, "Sir, if you've mistaken me for someone else, then I'll be leaving now!"

"Wait, Song Nuan!"