Chapter 6: Appeasement

She no longer knew how to respond, a faint bitterness stirring in her heart. What was the use of explaining now?

Jiang Mugu didn’t look up, but she could feel his gaze—burning hot and heavy like a mountain pressing down, as if in the next moment he could pierce through her little thoughts, which made her somewhat afraid.

The girl before him had, just a few days ago, brought coffee with a flattering smile to poke fun at him and Jiang Wei. Today, she wore a look that kept people at arm’s length, as if she were a different person. Yet Mu Anyan attributed this to the capriciousness of a young girl’s heart and said in a low voice, “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

“I can go back by myself,” she replied.

His tone was firm, leaving no room for refusal. “It’s too late.”

She lifted her eyelids, summoning some courage. “Dad, haven’t you forgotten? I’ve walked this street alone since I was little.”

Mu Anyan was momentarily speechless.

That sentence was soft and calm, yet it carried a hint of rebuttal. It was an accusation of his years of irresponsibility toward her.

But he had no way to argue—he truly had been neglectful.

He was silent for a long moment, his eyes unreadable. “Then I’ll call your mother and have her pick you up.”

Jiang Mugu sensed the threat in his words and after a tense silence, she silently held her ground.

In the end, she reluctantly agreed.

But as soon as she got into the car, regret washed over her. She belatedly noticed the strong smell of smoke and alcohol on him, so she instinctively pressed against the window, trying to keep as far away from him as possible.

Fortunately, Mu Anyan didn’t ask any unnecessary questions and simply drove.

At a red light, he stopped the car, lowered the window, and flicked his lighter. With a sharp ‘click,’ he lit a cigarette.

Jiang Mugu glanced at him instinctively. The faint flame illuminated half of his profile clearly—indeed handsome, with a chin sharp enough to pierce the heart and a ruthlessness on his face forged by the cutthroat world of power. But unlike his youth, there was now a trace of steadiness and calm at the corners of his eyes and brows, likely softened by the passage of time.

Sensing the girl’s gaze, Mu Anyan turned his eyes toward her, and almost simultaneously, Jiang Mugu looked away.

“Did you go to the bar tonight?” Mu Anyan’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

Jiang Mugu replied lightly, “No.”

Though she didn’t look up, she felt the intense scrutiny in Mu Anyan’s gaze. “Mugu.”

His voice was low, tinged with pressure that made her nervous, yet she feigned calm: “I’m already eighteen. Where I go is my freedom.”

Mu Anyan understood her mood. Over the years, though not close, he had watched her grow up.

He didn’t press further and changed the subject: “I heard you’re going to study in Haicheng.”

Jiang Mugu remained silent.

Mu Anyan asked, “Why did you choose Haicheng?”

She answered simply, “Because I like it.”

Her demeanor was fully captured by Mu Anyan’s eyes—a mixture of stubbornness and defiance. His tone unconsciously carried a hint of teasing: “You’re quite active in the dance troupe. Why are you so reserved in front of me?”

Jiang Mugu retorted sharply, “You’ve never come to watch me dance in the troupe. How do you know I’m active? Did Mu Qingfang tell you?”

Mu Anyan fell silent immediately.

In the sudden shift of atmosphere, Jiang Mugu suddenly realized something: Mu Anyan had been distant and cold toward her for so many years, barely acknowledging her existence. Yet today, and the last time, he had taken the initiative to see her home and even explained some things. Could it be because Mu Qingfang had tattled?

Afraid that his little white rabbit of a girlfriend would be mistreated, he hurried to ‘make amends’ to the daughter he had left to fend for herself for eighteen years.