After rebirth, I rejected the rich yandere lady

It tasted countless times better than any grape bought from the market.

But Xu Musen thought to himself.

That's it?

Shouldn't it have been a kiss?

"Doesn't it taste good?"

An Nuannuan could sense a hint of disappointment in him and asked with a blink of her eyes.

"It's quite tasty, where did you buy it?"

Xu Musen cleared his throat, trying to change the subject.

"I grew them at home, and we also have pomegranates, persimmons, and other stuff."

"I see, no wonder they're so sweet."

Xu Musen nodded, thinking that An Nuannuan's family might live in a suburban area with a garden of their own.

"If you like them, I'll bring you some tomorrow."

An Nuannuan said a bit happily.

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

"Not at all, my grandma has always said that you can't be stingy with friends."

An Nuannuan looked so earnest that it was hard for anyone to refuse.

"Then thank you in advance."

Xu Musen said with a smile, thinking it was quite nice to have such a naive and guileless friend.

"Since you consider me a friend, I won't keep secrets from you. Actually, I want your drawings as game animation images, and they might make big money in the future.

But I don't have much money right now, so I can only pay you this much. How about after I start making money, I'll give you a share of the profits?"

Xu Musen may have been money-loving, but he knew well that a wolf-like culture meant that you needed to feed your staff meat.

Expecting them to work their hardest on just grass, or even demanding "training compensation" when an employee leaves—that would be nothing but pure and simple capitalist exploitation, fit only for the lamppost.

If someone else had heard their boss say this, they'd be popping champagne on the spot.

However, An Nuannuan's grape-chewing paused momentarily, and her eyes instantly became a tad wary.

"Are you… just feeding me pie in the sky? I've seen on TV, those unscrupulous bosses use that kind of excuse when they don't want to pay salaries."

An Nuannuan hummed, and it seemed as soon as she got excited, a bit of Sichuan accent slipped out: "Don't you trick me, I'm savvy! I won't miss a single cent of my wages!"

Xu Musen watched her, nearly spraying the grape seeds in his mouth everywhere. He smiled and pulled out three more red banknotes to give to her.

"Okay, this is your final payment, plus a deposit for tomorrow. Are you reassured now?"

An Nuannuan stretched out her hand to take them, then singled out one and spoke up, "You've given me too much."

"If it's too much, consider it a deposit, especially since you're also going to bring me grapes to eat, right?"

"The grapes are because we're friends, they can't be sold for money…"

An Nuannuan was very clear about money—what was hers was hers, and she wanted no part of what wasn't.

Although naive, she was a girl with clear principles.

Xu Musen found himself increasingly intrigued by her.

...

After school.

Xu Musen stepped out of the school gate to wait for the bus, with Yao Mingyue faithfully trailing behind him like a shadow.

Xu Musen constantly had the uneasy feeling that his butt wasn't safe.

Turning to look at her, he asked in a low voice, "You're still coming?"

Yao Mingyue's lips curled slightly as she retorted, "It's not like your family owns the bus, can't I take it too?"

The glances of those around them were all turned their way.

Xu Musen didn't bother with her anymore. Those tsundere types, the more you engage with them, the more energetic they become.

But this time, Yao Mingyue was unusually well-behaved and made it to the neighborhood without incident.

Still, Yao Mingyue followed him.

"From today on, I'll be eating at your house."

Yao Mingyue carried a playful tone, with an expression that said she had everything under control.

Xu Musen also remembered Liu Rushuang's arrangements, knowing full well it was a trap she had set, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Do as you please."

When Xu Musen returned home, he found his mother alone at home with several dishes already prepared on the table, including one or two seafood dishes.

"Auntie Jie!"

Xu Musen hadn't managed to call out "Mom" yet when Yao Ming Yue warmly greeted her with "Auntie."

Mom peeked out from the kitchen, her face breaking into a smile when she saw the two of them.

"Xiaoyue is here, come in and sit down, Auntie will have dinner ready in just a moment."

"Mhm, Auntie, let me help you."

Yao Ming Yue presented herself as both well-behaved and enthusiastic, showing no trace of the entitled young lady.

But it was all an act, Xu Musen knew that in a past life, in order to win him over, she performed the full script of a play in front of his family.

"Xiaoyue is a guest, how can you help with the cooking? Auntie can manage on her own."

"I've always loved the food Auntie makes since I was little, it feels just like family."

"Yes, yes, we're all family here, Xiaoyue has grown up to be more and more beautiful, and more sensible too, much better than my silly son..."

Mother Xu laughed heartily, the kitchen bustling with activity.

Dinner started.

"Where's Dad?" Xu Musen noticed that his father had not yet returned home.

"Your dad, he has some potential investor at the company today, went out to entertain them. We'll start eating without him."

Mother Xu was also very pleased to mention this.

Xu Musen simply nodded, the investment was most likely Liu Rushuang sending money over through someone.

This former mother-in-law was certainly generous to his family.

"Come Xiaoyue, you like shrimp, I made this specially for you."

Mother Xu called over to Yao Ming Yue.

Yao Ming Yue, however, peeled the shrimp and then placed it into Mother Xu's bowl first: "Auntie, you've worked hard, you eat first."

Then, she peeled the second serving of shrimp for Xu Musen, not saying a word, just her face slightly flushed.

Xu Musen silently watched her performance, continue pretending!

You can actually blush?

But clearly, Mother Xu thoroughly enjoyed this act, her face gleaming with joy. Seeing her son indifferent, she felt a mix of frustration and disappointment.

"Xiaosen, look at how polite Xiaoyue is; you can't even say thanks."

A twitch formed at the corner of Xu Musen's mouth.

Yao Ming Yue chuckled lightly, her gaze carrying a timid quality: "It's okay, Auntie. I'm grateful that you allow me to eat with you. Usually, I'm all alone at home…"

This pitiful act instantly made Mother Xu reach out her hand and gently stroke her head, "You poor child, Auntie has watched you grow up, if there's no one at home you can always come here to eat, Auntie will always have a bowl of rice for you."

Xu Musen's hand shaking rice trembled momentarily.

Mom, aren't you setting your son up?

Yet in Yao Ming Yue's eyes, the look of triumph grew more intense, as if she had once again found her rhythm.

Xu Musen finished his meal, took a shower, and slipped into his room to check the backend data.

"This kid, how come he's getting shyer as he grows older..."

Mother Xu felt that her son's attitude toward Yao Ming Yue was a bit different today; if it were the past, he would have stuck by her side throughout, but today, why did it seem like he was avoiding her?

Yao Ming Yue helped clear the table and went to the restroom to wash her hands.

Compared to the shower room in the villa, this one felt a bit cramped—the family's toothbrushes and towels all hung together.

Yao Ming Yue's gaze stayed on the towels briefly before settling on a blue towel that had just been used to wipe water off.

Xu Musen had just taken a shower…

And it's said that guys use just one towel for drying their head, face, and body…

Her hand slowly reached out, ultimately unable to resist holding it in her grasp, her phoenix-like eyes shimmering, a pale flush creeping onto her fair cheeks.

Her breath wavered slightly as she held the towel, ensuring there was no one outside the door.

Burying her face deep into the towel, she took a deep breath.

"Hehe... Musen's scent, hehe, mine, you'll be mine eventually... "

Separated by just a wall, Xu Musen suddenly felt goosebumps.

Damn it, there's always a sly girl out to get me!