Chapter 179: Striving Forward

Mu Qingxi felt conflicted. Was she really that terrifying? Why was he wearing such an expression?

"Sigh!"

She let out a sigh, moved closer to Mu Qingyang, and said, "Little brother, thank you!"

"What?!"

Thinking he had misheard, Mu Qingyang stared hard at Mu Qingxi.

"Just what you heard," Mu Qingxi said with a wave of her hand.

Mu Qingyang stood up and gave her a bizarre look, thinking to himself: Has it started raining blood from the sky, or has my sister lost her mind today?

If Mu Qingxi had any idea what was going on in Mu Qingyang's head right at that moment, she undoubtedly would have slapped him.

"Mu Qingyang, are you bad-mouthing me again?" Mu Qingxi's voice reached his ears.

"No, not at all! How could I?" Mu Qingyang denied it flatly, determined to deny it to the death.

Back then, his sister had forced him to learn all sorts of messy things—karate, taekwondo, and even judo. It had almost driven him to the grave!

The times he tried to skip lessons, his sister would actually go snitch on him to their cousin, Zuo Kun.

The outcome can well be imagined. Zuo Kun had transferred him to a school near his place and beaten him to a pulp every single day, relentlessly forcing him to master those skills.

Although he had mastered them now and could certainly beat his sister in a fight, he wouldn't dare strike her. After all, she was his sister! And as for that demonic cousin of theirs, he stood zero chance against him no matter what.

Seeing Mu Qingyang cycle through expressions of shock, blankness, and inner conflict, Mu Qingxi glared at him.

She knew his little tricks inside out—wasn't he just sitting there cursing her in his head?

Fortunately, they had practically finished eating by the time they started discussing the issue, otherwise the dishes would have grown cold during all that talking.

"Fanhao, hurry up and eat. Auntie didn't know what your favorites were, so she just made her signature dishes. Eat up!"

Shen Yali said warmly as she served food into Bai Fanhao's bowl.

Mu Qingxi was utterly bewildered. Had her mother been possessed by a ghost?

Usually, she couldn't even bear the sight of Bai Fanhao, so why was she being so enthusiastic today?

Regardless, it was a good thing she hadn't criticized them today; otherwise, it would have been terribly awkward!

After dinner, Bai Fanhao sat with them for a while to chat.

The conversation was mostly carried by Mu Yuncheng and Bai Fanhao. Since Mu Qingyang was in his final year of high school and facing the college entrance examinations, he headed back to school right after the meal.

In the kitchen, Mu Qingxi was washing the pots and pans while Shen Yali watched from the side.

"Mom, why did your attitude change so abruptly?"

Knowing what Mu Qingxi was asking about, Shen Yali countered with a question, "Isn't it good that it changed?"

"No, I'm very glad your attitude changed," Mu Qingxi said with a smile. "Mom, can you tell me why?"

Shen Yali smiled as well, her eyes resting on Mu Qingxi. "Xiaoxi, it's because I want you to be happy and live a blessed life."

A sourness welled up in Mu Qingxi's nose, and she grinned broadly, saying, "Thank you, Mom."

"Four years ago, Bai Fanhao was willing to risk his life to block a knife for you. Four years later, he is still steadfast in his love for you, never having given up on you because of the passage of time."

"The moment he returned, he sought you out. In the smallest of details, he always puts you first."

"Besides, his parents came to see us. They said they didn't understand the world of the younger generation, but what they could see was that young people also struggle and fight for love, and they hoped we could give Fanhao a chance."

Mu Qingxi was astonished. She hadn't expected Bai Fanhao's parents to have approached them. "Mom, I've been fighting for love too. Because I love you all, I never wanted to see you sad."

This was also the first time Shen Yali had heard the words "I love you" from Mu Qingxi's lips, leaving her momentarily frozen in place.

"Mom, really, all through college I was constantly struggling and striving, just because I didn't want to let you down," Mu Qingxi said, looking at Shen Yali's disbelieving expression.