"What exactly did Fang Chu say to you?"
Even though Xu Mu had a pretty good guess, he still asked.
Zhao Yingying kept her head down, not daring to meet his eyes. She felt this whole mess was largely her fault.
She truly hadn't imagined someone could play it that way.
So when Fang Chu messaged her saying Xu Mu wanted to "have it both ways," she was stunned.
After watching the video of Xu Mu fighting—especially the look in his eyes—he really did seem like a bad guy.
That's when she started doubting Xu Mu's true intentions.
At first, when Fang Chu said Xu Mu got close to her just to possess her, Zhao Yingying didn't believe it.
Back when Xu Mu paid her mother's surgery fees, she'd already given him a hint—
but Xu Mu showed no interest of that sort at all.
But this time, Fang Chu said it was because he wanted both of them.
Then Zhao Yingying began to waver. Thinking it over carefully, it even sounded possible.
Why did Xu Mu reject her before?
Maybe because "one person isn't fun"—he wanted a challenge, to take on two at once.
With that in mind, Zhao Yingying forwarded the video Fang Chu sent to Li Yun, along with screenshots of what he'd said.
In short, Li Yun's suspicion of Xu Mu started because Zhao Yingying passed along the message.
"H-he… he said…"
Even Li Yun couldn't bring herself to say it. "The food's going to burn. I'm going to finish cooking."
She fled to the kitchen—she was too embarrassed to repeat it.
"Auntie, don't make too much. I just ate," Xu Mu reminded, then sat on the sofa.
"It's fine. If we can't finish, we'll put it in the fridge and heat it up tomorrow," Li Yun's voice drifted from the kitchen.
"Yingying, you tell me—what happened?" Xu Mu turned to Zhao Yingying.
Her cheeks flushed bright red. In the end, she simply unlocked her phone, opened the chat with Fang Chu, and—head lowered—handed it to Xu Mu.
As soon as he took it, Zhao Yingying bolted for the kitchen. "I'll go help!"
Xu Mu shook his head slightly and read. The thread began with Fang Chu sending the fight video, followed by a long monologue:
Boiled down to one line: Xu Mu is a bad guy pretending to be good; he approached them with ulterior motives and wanted to take on both at once.
In reply to Fang Chu's long rant, Zhao Yingying had sent back only a sweating emoji.
"Yingying, I'm backing out of the chat now," Xu Mu said, tapping back.
On the previous screen, he was surprised—there were quite a few unread messages from others.
Judging by their tone, they looked like typical simps. Which was normal—if a girl like Zhao Yingying wasn't pursued on campus, that would be unusual.
When Zhao Yingying came out with dishes, Xu Mu stood to help.
In the end, the three of them set out five dishes and a bowl of soup.
"Xiao Mu, eat more—try my cooking," Li Yun said, immediately serving him vegetables.
He took a bite and nodded to himself. Not as good as his own, but honestly very tasty.
"Brother Xu Mu, I owe you an apology too. I was the one who forwarded Fang Chu's messages to my mom," Zhao Yingying said, head down.
After swallowing, Xu Mu asked, "So… you both believed what he said?"
Li Yun and Zhao Yingying looked flustered, at a loss for words—
especially Li Yun. She owed Xu Mu so much, yet let a few of Fang Chu's lines sow doubt. She felt like slapping herself.
"And you still dared to invite me over? Weren't you afraid I'd 'turn into a beast'?" Xu Mu joked, giving them both a once-over.
"Xiao Mu, don't joke. I really deserve it. I can't even tell who's good to me," Li Yun sighed deeply.
"Don't blame yourselves—you were deceived by Fang Chu," Xu Mu waved it off with a smile. "I was never angry with you."
Strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with the video itself—
it's just that he's no longer the 'villain Xu Mu' from before.
[Favorability +10]
[Favorability +20]
Li Yun glanced at his handsome face and hastily lowered her head.
He really is a good man.
When Xu Mu ignored her earlier, a thought had even flashed through her mind:
She was willing to go along with anything Xu Mu wanted—so long as Zhao Yingying agreed.
Of course, she had her conditions: it could be in stages, but not together.
In the end, she'd measured a gentleman's heart with a petty mind.
"By the way, Xiao Mu… can I buy a car?" Li Yun asked suddenly. "It's inconvenient to use ride-hailing to go home. If I had a car, I could swing by more often—it's not far."
She asked because she felt she still owed him so much money.
Buying a car without repaying her debt—she worried he'd be upset.
"Of course. Auntie, what kind of car do you want?" Xu Mu smiled.
"Just something cheap for getting around. I used to run a breakfast shop and had a Wuling Hongguang for hauling goods, but I sold it to pay for treatment."
Given her current salary, a small monthly payment on an inexpensive car wouldn't be a problem.
"Sure—get a domestic brand. Our cars are every bit as good as the joint-venture ones now," Xu Mu said. "If you need help, call me."
"Okay. Let's eat first," Li Yun smiled.
Xu Mu didn't eat much. After a simple meal, he planned to head out.
He hadn't held anything against Li Yun anyway. They weren't like Ye Tong, who had maxed-out Favorability toward him.
A little suspicion was normal.
After dinner, Xu Mu said his goodbyes.
Li Yun stood to walk him to the car. As he got in, she couldn't help saying, "Xiao Mu, I owe you too much. If there's anything you need from me in the future, I'll agree to it."
Even she didn't know why those words came out.
"Auntie, don't overthink it. We're friends—helping you is no big deal," Xu Mu said, starting the engine. "I'm off."
Watching him drive away, black text popped above her head:
[Favorability +10]
She was an adult—she knew one thing clearly:
No one is good to someone for no reason.
If they are, there must be something they want.
She used to think Xu Mu's "goal" was her daughter, Zhao Yingying.
But talking with Yingying, she learned Xu Mu had never even taken the initiative to speak to her.
So what did Xu Mu want?
It couldn't be her "work ability," could it?
She knew her position wasn't technical—
in other words, nothing specialized; anyone could replace her.
Then what was Xu Mu after?
Their empty, threadbare home?
Ironically, the things Fang Chu said had reminded Li Yun of something:
Maybe Xu Mu really was interested in her.
At that thought, Li Yun's heart began to pound.
Xu Mu wouldn't be good to her forever. Sooner or later, the matter would come to light.
And when Xu Mu finally spoke it aloud…
Li Yun had no idea how she would answer.