041 Invisible Bonds

Mu Qingcheng hesitated as she looked at her phone screen, but in the end, she pressed the answer button.

“Hello, who is this?”

“I am Si Qingchen.”

At that moment, hearing the expected male voice, the girl did not reply immediately.

She held the phone to her ear in silence, and after a brief pause, suddenly, without warning, let out a soft laugh.

The lively sound traveled across the line, leaving Si Qingchen slightly surprised.

Then, he too curved his lips into a smile.

A moment later, her clear voice continued through the receiver, tinged with a hint of helplessness as she asked,

“Mr. Si, how did you get my number?”

“I stole it.”

“Stole it?”

Mu Qingcheng raised an eyebrow, turned to the window, and unfastened three buttons at her collar.

The spotless glass reflected her sharp collarbone and a singular, seductive vermilion mole resting there.

Where no one could see, her red lips formed a perfect arc, laced with a playful allure.

Her slender fingers traced the glass back and forth, sketching the shape of that flowered adornment.

After a while, she laughed softly again.

This tacit indulgence put the man on the other end in a fine mood; the usually austere lines of his face unconsciously softened, and his voice became as gentle as possible,

“I heard you were hurt?”

“It’s nothing, just a minor injury.”

“Did you apply any medicine?”

“Not yet.”

“Then... remember to do so.”

“All right, I understand.”

A few brief words, yet both hearts beat wildly.

Even separated by invisible signals, the ambiguous feelings flowed between them, intoxicating and addictive—yet, in an instant, sobering.

The next second,

Mu Qingcheng furrowed her brows, a surge of guilt and self-reproach rising within her.

She turned, sat on the edge of the bed, raked her hair in frustration, cleared her throat, and spoke awkwardly,

“Mr. Si, is there anything else? If not, I’ll hang up now.”

“Qingcheng...”

But just as she was about to hang up, Si Qingchen suddenly called her name.

It was like a feather falling unexpectedly onto her guarded heart, slipping through the cracks and stirring the depths—sometimes teasing, but always leaving a heavy ache.

Mu Qingcheng did not answer, but neither did she hang up.

Si Qingchen was always patient.

He spoke again, his tone unconsciously filled with gentle persuasion,

“Please consider the matter with Caesar carefully, alright?”

“...”

Beep, beep, beep...

In the end, all he was left with was the busy tone of a disconnected call.

Si Qingchen set his phone on the table, saying nothing.

The tenderness in his expression vanished instantly, replaced by the same cold restraint as always.

Looking at the man slumped on the floor opposite him, Si Qingchen spoke in a low voice,

“How clear is his mind?”

“Less than twenty percent.”

“Have you found out who was behind it?”

Si Bei lowered his gaze deeply, his Adam’s apple shifting; after a moment, he answered nervously,

“It was... Wu Hen...”

Si Qingchen, “...”

****

On the other side,

Mu Qingcheng had just changed her clothes when she heard someone knocking at the door.

“Let’s go, downstairs.”

Yet, just as she and her attendant were about to head down, a sweet voice echoed from the corridor below—

“Grandfather, I’ve come to see you.”

“Grandfather?”

Mu Qingcheng stopped in her tracks instantly.

Strictly speaking, Ran Siya was only an out-of-family granddaughter of the Mu family. How could she use the same term of address?

Seeing the Fifth Miss’s perplexed expression, the attendant stepped forward, lowered her voice, and explained considerately,

“It wasn’t specially permitted by the old master. Miss Ran insisted on calling him that, and the old master dotes on the eldest miss, so he lets her have her way.”

“I see.”

Mu Qingcheng nodded, hiding the depth in her gaze, and continued down the stairs.