Chapter 366: Chapter 330: Why Did You Guys Separate?_2
Mu Qinian seemed to have long been accustomed to Mu Shuoqian’s temperament, silently sliding down the tree with Mei Zi hurriedly catching him.
"Did that hurt you?" His gaze held an undisguised tenderness, which brought a wave of warmth to Gu Qili’s heart. It wasn’t until she saw Mu Qinian and Mei Zi head to another hawthorn tree that Gu Qili softly said, "I’m sorry about earlier, my tone wasn’t good." She walked after them a bit ingratiatingly, "I’ll make you bamboo
He glanced at her, turned, and walked away without a word, his expression somewhat sullen.
Gu Qili knew he was angry. He was only scolding Mu Qinian for her sake, but she felt for her son too. Growing up under his cold countenance, the thought alone was pitiable.
"Why don’t you stay for lunch?" Gu Qili suggested, hoping to make amends. "I’ll cook meat."
He strode forward, not speaking or looking back, which sank Gu Qili into deeper gloom. Just when she thought he might want to drive off, she suddenly heard the grumpy man mutter: "More bamboo, less meat."
Gu Qili let out a relieved chuckle, crisply responding, "Got it."
After lunch, Mu Qinian didn’t want to leave, but he had school tomorrow, and Mu Shuoqian didn’t agree to him staying over.
Until the moment of departure, he had a glum expression, pouting dramatically, clutching a hawthorn plucked by Mei Zi, and popped one into his mouth, "Dad, why do you have to live separately from mom?"
Mu Shuoqian’s car had not driven far when he suddenly heard this question, which caused him to scowl instead of answering: "Where did you learn the term separation?"
"From Uncle Mu Fan." Mu Qinian spat out the hawthorn pit, somehow managing not to even furrow his brow at the sourness, just like his mother.
Mu Shuoqian inwardly cursed Mu Fan a bit, then focused back on driving.
After Mu Shuoqian left, Gu Qili and Mei Zi were tidying up the dishes, while Fan Bin was washing the freshly picked hawthorns, planning to make them into preserves.
"Miss, Mr. Mu has been consistently dedicated to you over the years," commented Fan Bin.
"Years? Uncle Fan, aren’t you exaggerating? I’ve only known him for a few years," responded Gu Qili. Everyone knew that she and Mu Shuoqian once had a relationship, but what it was now, no one pried. And it was pretty clear to the discerning eye that the child named Mu Qinian was likely Gu Qili and Mu Shuoqian’s son.
"I may be old, but my memory isn’t," laughed Fan Bin. "I saw Mr. Mu taking pictures of you ten years ago, once when I went to pick you up from school."
Ten years ago? Gu Qili froze, her hands washing the dishes pausing.
She didn’t even know Mu Shuoqian ten years ago, so why would Fan Bin say he was photographing her? She thought it unlikely for Fan Bin to make such a mistake or joke.
If what Fan Bin said was true, there were two possible explanations: one being that Mu Shuoqian had set his sights on the Gu Family ten years ago, planning his revenge, so knowing her would be expected; the other possibility... she hardly dared to think it. Her heart suddenly raced in panic. Could it be that Mu Shuoqian liked her since then?
She was only sixteen at that time, and he was already twenty-five. Could he have had feelings for a sixteen-year-old girl?
"Miss, everything I told you is true. I also saw Mr. Mu visit that villa. Even though the villa was sold, I saw him stay there a long time, not leaving until dusk. He must have been reminiscing about you," said Fan Bin casually, but those words abruptly dampened Gu Qili’s interest in washing dishes.
Mei Zi teased her from the side: "Mr. Mu looks at you in a different way,"
"Sister Mei Zi, I won’t help you anymore. I just remembered something." Gu Qili wiped her hands and left with a flushed face.
Mei Zi shook her head with a smile. Perhaps this is what it means to be too close to the situation to see clearly.
Gu Qili left the estate and took a taxi to the real estate bureau. While waiting in the lobby for the results, she recalled the time when she wanted to sell the villa. It was a pricey property with no interested buyers for a long time. Suddenly someone stepped forward and bought it at full price without bargaining. At that moment she didn’t think much of it, but now that she thought about it, the coincidence seemed too perfect.
"Miss, this property is in your name, what are you looking to check?" The clerk looked at her puzzlingly.
Gu Qili hurriedly asked, "But I transferred the ownership four years ago."
"Impossible. We have no record of any procedure. The house is yours; the computer records can’t be wrong." The clerk handed her a printed document, "See for yourself."
Gu Qili carefully reviewed the document and the more she read, the more shocked she became. The villa, built in her name by Gu Dezhong, had no alterations on record to this day.
It was Mu Shuoqian. He had someone purchase the house, then tampered with the paperwork during the process. Why hadn’t she suspected this before?
"Miss, here is the information on the winery you wanted to check." The clerk handed her several more freshly printed papers.
Gu Qili looked over them and, once again, her suspicions were confirmed in black and white.
After the bankruptcy of the Gu Family, someone bought the winery at a high price and then transferred it to her name, that person being Mu Shuoqian.
She had always thought the winery was bought by Mu Shuoqian after they married, to fulfill their agreement. Yet the date mentioned was a month after the Gu Family’s bankruptcy, meaning he never intended to let the winery fall into other hands in the first place.
Back then, the winery’s price could buy ten percent of Muguang Group’s shares. He traded a winery for her three percent of shares, which was a colossal loss.
How was she to interpret all this?