052 When You’ve Cried Enough, Come and See Me (Desperately Begging for Votes~~)

"I didn't mean to do it. That half of a needle… it was Xiao Hui and the others who put it there, they said they wanted to play a prank on Qingcheng. I tried to stop them, but… but I was too late."

At this point, Ran Siya understood well that there was no room left for maneuver. Yet she was clever enough to know that instead of hemming and hawing, it was better to lay everything bare and shift the blame onto others. This way, at least she could escape the most severe punishment, and as for the rest… it would depend on how she performed.

After all, her grandfather had always harbored guilt toward her mother. As long as she hadn't committed a monstrous crime, he would never truly hold her accountable. Moreover, Mu Qingcheng, that mute girl, had always kept silent; judging by her demeanor, she probably didn't want to make a big deal out of it either.

With these thoughts, Ran Siya, feeling more confident, changed her expression. She immediately grabbed Old Master Mu’s arm, her voice choked with sobs and grievance, and cried out, "Grandfather, I was wrong. I… I was just afraid you wouldn’t want me anymore. After all, after my sister came back, she moved into the house right away. I didn’t mean it—I really didn’t! Please, you have to believe me!"

Old Master Mu said nothing. Yet as Ran Siya wept, his expression began to soften ever so slightly.

Mu Qingcheng, meanwhile, still sat quietly to the side, as if she were invisible, showing no reaction at all. Even her face remained utterly calm, betraying no trace of emotion—neither joy nor anger.

This reaction greatly intrigued Si Qingchen, who kept his gaze fixed on the little one, a mix of indulgence and curiosity in his eyes, but mostly a boundless, unconscious tenderness... That vague warmth, melting in his deep black pupils, was so overwhelming that, even without looking directly at it, Mu Qingcheng could sense its vastness as clearly as if she stood before a surging ocean. It was a feeling that made her heart pound wildly, almost too much to bear.

"Tch, this man really is…"

Even though she felt an instinctive resistance, her expression remained as unperturbed as ever. Only at the very corners of her eyes was there a faint, sharply concealed glint that the man caught in an instant, making him suppress a smile of springtime warmth.

On the other side, as Ran Siya’s nearly hoarse performance reached its peak, Mu Jingchi, who was usually quick-tempered, remained silent for a long while, without saying a single word. This response piqued everyone’s curiosity, which quickly turned into nervousness too great to meet his gaze.

Even Old Master Mu couldn’t help glancing at him, only to discover a raging inferno burning in the depths of his eyes.

Sure enough, not long after, just as Ran Siya’s sobs subsided and she struggled to catch her breath, the third young master of the Mu family let out a cold laugh. “Hmph—have you cried enough?”

His voice was steeped in chill. Like a cloth soaked through with cold water, lifted up but not wrung dry, and thrown straight into her face.

At the very instant when Ran Siya felt smothered by suffocating pressure, she was also struck by a coldness that could freeze the heavens and earth. She shuddered violently, the tissue in her hand falling onto her lap.

Then she heard Mu Jingchi continue, unhurried, “If you’re done crying, take a look—what is this?”

With a swish—he pulled out a stack of high-definition photographs from his pocket and tossed them onto the table in front of everyone.

At the sound, all eyes turned toward the table.

Even Si Qingchen, slightly surprised, picked up one of the photos and asked, “Where did these come from?”

“They were sent anonymously to my office this afternoon. I have no idea who sent them,” Mu Jingchi explained, which was rare for him.

But what startled Si Qingchen the most was not just the content of those photographs, but the bag that wrapped them—on which was clearly printed a single letter… N!