Chapter 3: When She Got Home, He Tried to Make Nice, but It Was a Waste of Breath

Yun Mujin was now a freshman in college, majoring in painting. Because of her beauty, she was not only the school belle but also the belle of the art department. She had countless admirers, but Yun Mujin's personality was cold, like an ice beauty, and she turned down every boy who confessed to her. Everyone knew she was hard to win over, but her popularity had never dropped.

“Mujin, what’s wrong with you today? You even mixed up the colors.” Fang Lan, Yun Mujin's best friend, looked at her friend making mistake after mistake that day and gently reminded her.

Yun Mujin pulled her thoughts back. Seeing that this was already her third mistake that day, she set down the paintbrush in her hand and sat there quietly. Fang Lan moved over and sat beside Yun Mujin, then said softly, “Mujin, what’s wrong today? Are you feeling unwell, or is something bothering you?”

Fang Lan and Yun Mujin had been together from elementary school through middle school, high school, and college. It was the kind of bond that only came from fate, and their relationship was close beyond words. Yun Mujin trusted Fang Lan very much. “Lanlan, my mom remarried.”

Fang Lan knew a little about Yun Mujin's family. She knew Yun Mujin's father had died early, and that she had always lived with her mother. Unfortunately, Yun Mujin didn't like her mother, and their relationship was not good.

“Mujin, I know you can’t accept your mother’s remarriage right away, but your mother is getting older. She deserves a home too. You should understand her.” Fang Lan only knew that Yun Mujin and her mother did not get along well; she didn't know the details, so she tried to comfort Yun Mujin.

Yun Mujin only thought Fang Lan's words were ridiculous. What right did Zhao Li have to a home? It was because of her that Yun Mujin's family had been torn apart. Yun Mujin knew Fang Lan didn't understand the situation, so she didn't blame her. She just smiled at Fang Lan and said nothing.

That night, when Yun Mujin came home, she happened to see Lu Yao returning after parking his car at the front door. The two of them met face to face.

“You’re back!” Lu Yao thought that as an elder, he shouldn't hold things against a junior, so he took the initiative to greet her.

Yun Mujin ignored Lu Yao's attempt to be friendly and walked past him to go inside, only to hear Lu Yao speaking behind her.

“Yun Mujin, your mother and I are already married. I know you can’t accept that all at once, but on paper we’re already family. If you don’t want to call me Dad, just call me Uncle Lu. We live under the same roof, so you don’t need to target me like this. Since you’re Zhao Li’s daughter, I won’t treat you badly.” This was the first time Lu Yao had said so much to Yun Mujin. He mainly wanted to tell Yun Mujin that he would take good care of Zhao Li and her, and that she didn't need to be so prejudiced against him.

Lu Yao had seen many women, but this was the first time he had ever seen one as beautiful as Yun Mujin. There was a coldness about her, like a hedgehog: as soon as you touched her, she would draw blood. As stepfather and stepdaughter, he wanted peace in the family and didn't want to be forced to look at her face like this every day. As the boss of a company, it had been a long time since he had had to read anyone else's expression, and no one dared show him a face either. But Yun Mujin was still young; how could he really stoop to bickering with her? That would be too petty.

Hearing Lu Yao's words, Yun Mujin found them ridiculous beyond measure. She turned around and looked at Lu Yao with cold, stabbing eyes, her voice equally cold. “Lu Yao, I'm not Zhao Li. I won't do whatever you say. You and I will never live in peace, so stop wasting your breath on me.”

Without caring about the man's darkening face behind her, Yun Mujin went back into the house.