Mu Yaohui frowned in displeasure. "What else? The room has already been arranged for you!"
"My room? You mean the basement, Dad?"
Mu Beiyin nodded, then sighed. "I don't want to make a fuss, but if you insist on me staying in the basement, so be it. I'll just inform Mr. Xie accordingly."
Mu Qianrou's expression stiffened.
Mu Yaohui instinctively furrowed his brows. "What basement?"
Lin Ru suddenly felt a pang of guilt and quickly explained with a smile, "Oh, Yaohui, there aren't any spare rooms in the house. I thought, since Beiyin came from the countryside, it wouldn't matter where she stayed, so I arranged for her to be in the basement. Who knew she'd throw a tantrum? She's so unreasonable!"
Mu Yaohui's face darkened.
These two fools!
Still trying to make things difficult for Mu Beiyin? Don't they realize that they need her help to get through to Xie Lin?!
But after all these years of doting on Lin Ru and Mu Qianrou, what annoyed Mu Yaohui even more was Mu Beiyin's lack of tact.
He said sternly, "Fine, the basement it is. It's not like you haven't stayed there before. I'll have the best furniture bought for you, alright?"
Mu Qianrou flashed a smug, venomous smile.
See? So what if Mu Beiyin complains? The room still ends up being hers. Why can't Mu Beiyin accept reality?
Mu Beiyin blinked. "Dad, I want Mu Qianrou's room for your own good. Otherwise, if Mr. Xie wants to tour the Mu family villa later, how will you explain it?"
"You can't possibly tell him, 'In our Mu family, the illegitimate daughter and the mistress are the treasures, and we enjoy mistreating the legitimate daughter.' Do you think Mr. Xie would still want to collaborate then?"
She turned to leave. "But since you've already decided, I'll just consider my good intentions wasted."
Mu Yaohui felt a surge of blood stuck in his throat!
He hurriedly stopped Mu Beiyin, gritting his teeth. "Qianrou, move out. This room is for Beiyin."
This rebellious girl! Even after giving her an out, she refuses to take it, insisting on competing with Qianrou!
If it weren't for Xie Lin arriving soon, he'd have beaten Mu Beiyin to death!
Mu Beiyin ignored the anger in Mu Yaohui's eyes and slowly looked up. "Sister, did you hear that?"
Mu Qianrou's tears instantly flowed, crying pitifully, "Sister..."
"Still standing there?" Mu Beiyin ordered nonchalantly. "Move, I'm waiting to settle in."
Mu Qianrou threw herself into Lin Ru's arms, sobbing, while Lin Ru hugged her daughter and wailed, as if the whole world owed them.
Lin Ru, unwilling to accept this, cried and scolded, "Qianrou is used to living here. Moving to another room will affect her sleep! You're the elder sister; can't you yield to your younger sister?"
"Why must you snatch Qianrou's things? Boohoo, what did my daughter do wrong!"
Mu Beiyin coldly watched the mother and daughter. Lin Ru had the audacity to ask what they did wrong?
She sneered and shrugged. "What does Qianrou's sleep have to do with me? I'm not her mother."
Lin Ru nearly spat blood, trembling with rage. "You... you're so vicious!"
"Mrs. Lin thinks I'm 'snatching' Mu Qianrou's room and being vicious?" Mu Beiyin asked.
Lin Ru screamed, "Isn't it?! Qianrou was living here just fine—"
"Did you forget—"
Mu Beiyin interrupted sharply, enunciating each word, "This was originally my room!"
The entire villa fell silent.
Lin Ru's eyes widened, and Mu Yaohui's neck stiffened.
Mu Beiyin pressed on, step by step. "Over a decade ago, you, the mistress, brought Mu Qianrou into the house, driving me to the countryside and seizing everything that belonged to me!"
"Now that I'm merely returning, I'm labeled as vicious? Then what about you and Mu Qianrou taking over my room and sending me away back then? If I'm vicious, shouldn't you mother and daughter atone with your lives?"
Lin Ru staggered back two steps. "Mu Beiyin, you..."
Mu Beiyin gave her no chance to speak, her tone icy:
"Mrs. Lin, have you been the cuckoo in the nest for so long that you've forgotten your place? Do you think the Mu family villa truly belongs to a mistress like you?!"
"Dad... oh no, Chairman Mu, I've been lenient, but since Mrs. Lin insists on calling me vicious, why don't we let Mr. Xie judge later?"
Mu Yaohui's heart skipped a beat. He immediately glared fiercely at Lin Ru. "Beiyin, family matters shouldn't be aired in public. There's no need to let Mr. Xie know! Mr. Xie is arriving soon; don't throw a tantrum. Look at you, not even calling me 'Dad' anymore?"
Mu Beiyin's face was expressionless. "You're my dad? No, you're Mu Qianrou's father."
"If you were truly my father, how could you let a mistress drive me away, take over my room, and now point at me, telling me to leave?"
"If I'm not welcome here, then I won't stay."
With that, Mu Beiyin headed for the door.
Mu Yaohui panicked. The security had reported that Xie Lin was already at the entrance of the villa community. If Mu Beiyin left now, the Mu family's project would be doomed!
He turned back with a fierce expression and suddenly slapped Lin Ru!
Ignoring Lin Ru's shock, Mu Yaohui shouted angrily, "You still don't recognize your place? Beiyin is the only legitimate daughter of the Mu family! If you can't be a proper stepmother, then get out!"
Mu Beiyin watched with interest, turning back to look.
Mu Yaohui continued his performance. "Qianrou, you're an illegitimate child and don't deserve such a good room. Move out now! You've occupied your sister's room for so long; apologize to her!"
Mu Qianrou, enduring the humiliation, nearly fainted from crying. "Sister, I'm sorry. I don't deserve it..."
Mu Yaohui took a deep breath. "Beiyin, are you satisfied now?"
Mu Beiyin blinked. "That's more like it. Seems Dad still loves me."
Just then, the butler hurried upstairs to report, "Chairman, Mr. Xie has arrived in the reception room."
Before Mu Yaohui could speak, Mu Beiyin disdainfully said, "Dad, you'd better comfort your mistress and illegitimate daughter first. Don't let them greet the guest with those tear-streaked faces. I'll go down first."
As soon as Mu Beiyin left, Lin Ru complained, "You hit me for that little slut and even scolded Qianrou?! What is she?! A little bastard! A bitch!"
"Shut up!" Mu Yaohui roared. "Are you crazy? Arranging the basement for Mu Beiyin?! The Mu family needs her help now, and you want to ruin everything?!"
Somehow, these words infuriated Lin Ru. Her face twisted, and she acted like a mad dog.
"She only deserves the basement! Look at Mu Beiyin—does she care about us? If I had known, I would have killed her back then! What else can she do besides seduce men? She's just a little whore! A cheap slut! Just like her mother—ah!"
Before she could finish, Lin Ru was slapped hard, sending her flying.