3476 Just a Sister?
Although the engagement was called off, gossip was inevitable. However, it was different for the Shen family to visit the Mu family or for the Mu family to visit the Shen family.
After all, the Shen family had to maintain their reputation, so they didn’t reveal Mu Hongcheng and Shen Yulin’s relationship. Outsiders only knew that Shen Yanqing and Mu Hongcheng were rarely together and had no feelings for each other, so they wanted to call off the engagement.
Nevertheless, many people still speculated whether Mu Hongcheng did something bad to Shen Yanqing, or whether Shen Yanqing did something bad to Mu Hongcheng?
However, since it was Shen Yanqing who brought up the cancellation of the engagement, more people believed that it was Mu Hongcheng who did something wrong to her. After all, everyone knew that Shen Yanqing liked Mu Hongcheng.
On the contrary, Mu Hongcheng didn’t care that much about Shen Yanqing.
As a result, if the Mu family came to call off the engagement, more people would think that it was Shen Yanqing who did something bad to Mu Hongcheng.
Why should Shen Yanqing bear the consequences of Mu Hongcheng’s mistake?
Mu Hongcheng hesitated to say something and could only leave.
As soon as he came out, he saw Shen Yulin. She asked with concern, “Brother Hongcheng, how is it going? Did my father scold you?”
“No, your father said he would take Shen Yanqing to see my family to call off the engagement.” Mu Hongcheng replied.
“Did you mention our relationship?” Shen Yulin asked. She wanted Mu Hongcheng to confess their relationship so they could be together openly.
At the mention of that, Mu Hongcheng frowned. “I said that I only treat you as a sister. There is nothing inappropriate between us. Your father asked me to keep my distance from you.”
Shen Yulin’s face turned pale. “Why didn’t you say that we…”
“Yulin.” Mu Hongcheng interrupted her. “It’s not appropriate to talk about it now. If your father knows that it was because of our close relationship that Shen Yanqing and I called off the engagement, he may be angry and won’t let us off easily. So I want to wait until I cancel the engagement with Shen Yanqing.”
Shen Yulin felt helpless and thought that Mu Hongcheng was stupid. “Brother Hongcheng, you’re wrong. Since Shen Yanqing wants to cancel the engagement with you, she must have already given a reason. My father will believe her words. If you had admitted that we really like each other just now, my father might have scolded you, but he might not have stopped us, but since you denied it, my father will think that you are fooling him and won’t let us be together.”
Mu Hongcheng was struck dumb for a second and felt that what Shen Yulin said made sense.
However, he had already denied it. What could he do now?
At this moment, Patriarch Shen came out and saw Mu Hongcheng and Shen Yulin talking in the yard. He was instantly mad. “What are you doing over there?”
Hearing Patriarch Shen’s voice, both of them were startled. Mu Hongcheng immediately explained. “We were just chatting. I’m leaving now.”
After he finished speaking, he turned and left.
The way he hastily avoided their relationship not only made Patriarch Shen look down on him but also made Shen Yulin feel depressed.
“Father,” Shen Yulin looked at her father and called out weakly, waiting for his anger to erupt.
“Mu Hongcheng said that there is nothing inappropriate between you two. He only treats you as a sister, but if you hadn’t been too close, Yanqing wouldn’t have misunderstood. So from now on, you should keep your distance from each other to avoid misunderstandings. You’re not young. It’s time for you to get married. I’ll ask your mother to pay more attention to it.” Patriarch Shen didn’t get angry. Since they didn’t admit it, he didn’t point it out either because he didn’t want Shen Yulin and Mu Hongcheng to be together.
If Shen Yulin and Mu Hongcheng were together, whether now or in the future, everyone would think that Shen Yanqing and Mu Hongcheng called off their engagement because Mu Hongcheng liked Shen Yulin.
Shen Yulin would also be criticized by everyone. The fact that she was also a daughter of the Shen family would be shameful.
Shen Yulin was shocked. “What? Father, I don’t want…”
“Are you planning to never get married?” Patriarch Shen was mad.
“No, I-I just…” Shen Yulin wanted to admit it, but she didn’t dare because Mu Hongcheng denied it. If she admitted it, things would become even more troublesome.
Patriarch Shen never really liked Shen Yulin, and began to dislike her even more. “Starting today, you are grounded for a month.”
“Father…” Shen Yulin was shocked and anxious.
Mu Hongcheng was about to return to the Tianyun Sect soon. If she was grounded, they wouldn’t be able to see each other anymore.
She knew that her father was doing this on purpose, but she didn’t dare defy him.
Shen Yulin immediately went to find her mother and told her about the situation.
“Mother, what should I do? I only love Brother Hongcheng! I don’t want to marry someone else…” Shen Yulin cried.
“At this critical moment, why is Mu Hongcheng being so foolish!?” Concubine Liu was also annoyed.
Actually, what Mu Hongcheng said wasn’t wrong. After all, everyone had his own thoughts. Who knew what Patriarch Shen was thinking?
“But what should I do now?” Shen Yulin asked anxiously.
“Don’t worry! Mother won’t find another man for you, but for now, keep some distance from Mu Hongcheng to avoid angering your father.” Concubine Liu comforted her.
Over the years, Concubine Liu had always been cautious in her actions because her husband didn’t like her. She used sly means to be accepted by him.
Although they later treated each other with respect, there was always a barrier between them, so she didn’t want to have conflict with him.
She wanted to do better so that her son’s position in the Shen family would be more secure. That was why she never openly troubled Shen Yanqing, even if she couldn’t stand her in many ways.
And for the sake of her son and herself, what was wrong with letting her daughter suffer a little?
Shen Yanqing didn’t know about it until a servant came to inform her that Mu Hongcheng had returned and that her father wanted her to prepare to break off the engagement with the Mu family.
Shen Yanqing sighed heavily. She felt a bit sad in her heart, but this was something that had to be done, so she immediately packed up and went to visit the Mu family with her father.
The Mu family was aware that their son was at fault, so they treated Patriarch Shen and Shen Yanqing very well. Even if Patriarch Shen said something harsh, they didn’t argue against him.
Moreover, they still wanted to establish a relationship with the Shen family! So it was even more impossible for them to fall out with Patriarch Shen.
It was just that the daughter-in-law changed from Shen Yanqing to Shen Yulin.