Lin Qiaoxia's sudden confession after getting drunk surprised everyone who was already bustling, though somewhat absent-minded, and left them all stunned.
Afterward, many parents looked awkwardly at Gu Xiyan, Wen Rou, and Su Zijin, thinking that Lin Qiaoxia's direct proclamation was inappropriate. Although everybody knew she liked Mu Jinyu, saying it outright pierced through the papery façade.
No one knew how Gu Xiyan, Mei Yinxue, and Wen Rou would react.
If they got upset and came over to hit Lin Qiaoxia, calling her a Fox Spirit for seducing their men, it would be hard for them to intervene.
After all, what Lin Qiaoxia did could indeed be considered seducing someone else's husband right in front of his wife.
Although everyone understood that given Lin Qiaoxia's shy nature, she would not normally make such a confession—it was clearly the alcohol speaking.
But a jealous and angry woman generally doesn't care whether you are drunkenly babbling or not; she might even think you are speaking sober truths when drunk, which could make her even more upset!
Therefore, except for Lin Qiaoxia's parents, they could only wish her luck in protecting herself.
Gu Xiyan, Mei Yinxue, and Wen Rou, upon hearing Lin Qiaoxia's confession to Mu Jinyu, were momentarily stunned; they hadn't expected Lin Qiaoxia to suddenly confess to Mu Jinyu. Was it because she knew that after today, they might not see Mu Jinyu again for a long time?
Although they didn't blame Lin Qiaoxia, they still found her actions put them in an awkward position.
Especially since the eyes of everyone present, whether it was the parents of Yu Linglong, Xu Qingya, or Gu Xiyan, were all directed toward them, making them even more embarrassed.
To get angry would make them seem petty, but not to be angry made it seem as through they didn't matter at all and anyone could seduce Mu Jinyu. What would they do in the future?
Even Su Zijin, who had hoped these girls would become her daughters-in-law, felt that the situation was getting out of hand and could turn ugly if not controlled.
Mu Jinyu looked at Lin Qiaoxia, whose face was as red as the evening sky and with her drunken, hazy eyes; he couldn't help but feel a tingling in his scalp.
He dared not look at Gu Xiyan and others, and stiffening his resolve, he told Lin Qiaoxia, "Sister Qiaoxia, you are drunk; you should go back and rest early."
He dare not tackle the topic head-on.
Men, with very few exceptions, are generally lascivious, and he was no exception; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken three wives.
Therefore, he actually had feelings for Lin Qiaoxia and Yu Linglong as well.
However, at that time, getting Xiyan, Wen Rou, and Xu Qingya to accept each other had exhausted much of his tactical skill and strategy. Even so, initially Gu Xiyan and Mei Yinxue still had disputes.
This discord, which only began to fade as they united against a common enemy during the subsequent dark upheavals.
After getting along with them later, he felt that being too greedy could end in disaster. He also felt quite guilty toward Gu Xiyan and the others, so he gradually tried to distance himself from Lin Qiaoxia and the rest.
Now, Lin Qiaoxia's sudden confession had indeed caught Mu Jinyu off guard.
Initially, his idea of inviting everyone over for a meal was because he knew that with the dark chaos over, they could all return to River City. As head of Dragon King Hall, he would rarely return to River City, and it might be years before they saw each other again, so he wanted to take this opportunity for everyone to gather together and have a good time.
Mu Jinyu regretted it; if he had known that Lin Qiaoxia would lose her composure, he would not have organized a group meal, preferring to wait for their departure to River City and arrange a private farewell party.
In that case, even if Lin Qiaoxia lost her composure without Gu Xiyan and the others present, he could handle it better.
Lin Qiaoxia, with her eyes drunkenly unfocused, looked at Mu Jinyu and giggled a few times before saying softly,
"I'm not drunk; I really like you so much, Young Master Mu, but I know I'm not worthy of you. I am both silly and not pretty, not at all a match for General Gu, Director Wen, President Xu, and can't even help you with anything. I know after this is over, I probably have to go back to River City to continue working, and you, Young Master, will stay in the Capital City. From then on, it will be hard to see each other again…"
"I don't know if you know that I've been secretly in love with you, Young Master Mu, but I don't want to leave any regrets. I want to make it clear to you, I really, really like you!"
"If evil spirits cause chaos in the world again soon, even if I die, I will feel no regrets...."
Mu Jinyu listened to Lin Qiaoxia's words, his expression somewhat moved, but he didn't know what to say.
Even though he liked Lin Qiaoxia, how could he disregard the feelings of Gu Xiyan and the others and just embrace Lin Qiaoxia right then and there, declaring, "I like you too?"
Where would that leave Gu Xiyan and Wen Rou then?
So, he could only remain silent.
He didn't even dare to look back at Gu Xiyan and the others.
Seeing Mu Jinyu not respond, Lin Qiaoxia smiled, wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, then walked towards Gu Xiyan and the others, bowed deeply to them, and apologetically said, "I'm sorry, General Gu, Director Wen, President Mei, I was a bit out of control today, and I troubled you all, I'm very sorry!"
With that, Lin Qiaoxia was about to leave the place.
However, Mei Yinxue reached out to stop her, smiling, "Actually, I don't have any right to say much either, since at the beginning, I was also a mistress who climbed up, intending to follow Jinyu without claiming any status. Somehow later, they accepted me as well. What can I say, huh... Keep it up... "
Mei Yinxue couldn't bear to see Lin Qiaoxia this way, but with her status, even though she was willing to accept Lin Qiaoxia, she really couldn't accept her as the wife of the head of the Mu family.
Mei Yinxue didn't know what to say, so she turned to look at Gu Xiyan and Wen Rou, wanting to know what they thought.
She actually didn't mind having a few more sisters, since she had realized that Mu Jinyu treated them all equally and there was no need for them to vie for his favor.
She didn't mind, but she didn't know if Wen Rou and Gu Xiyan minded.
If they didn't mind either, then perhaps today they could straightforwardly gain a few more sisters.
When Gu Xiyan saw Mei Yinxue looking her way, her lips moved slightly, and she really wanted to say, "Why are you looking at me?"
This was clearly tossing the dilemma onto her.
If she refused, wouldn't that result in Mu Jinyu being secretly displeased? But to agree, who actually wanted to share their husband with more women?
Gu Xiyan sighed quietly in her heart, then looked up to see the complex expressions of Yu Linglong and Xu Qingya, filled with impulse, hope, and conflict...
Obviously, they were also somewhat willing to act recklessly like Lin Qiaoxia while under the influence of alcohol.
But because they were relatively more familiar with her compared to Lin Qiaoxia, they were more considerate of her feelings, thus they had been restraining themselves.
Thinking about her interactions with Xu Qingya and Yu Linglong, Gu Xiyan felt that she could actually accept them. She had already accepted Mei Yinxue; there was no reason to shut out those who were easier to get along with.
With a quiet sigh, Gu Xiyan said in a mixed emotional tone, "I don't really have any objections. I don't know, Wen Rou, what do you think?"
When Lin Qiaoxia heard Gu Xiyan's words, her originally dim eyes suddenly burst with light.
"Ah?" Wen Rou, hearing Gu Xiyan's words, couldn't help but pause.
Then, seeing everyone looking towards her, her face reddened slightly, and she shyly said, "I... I don't really have any objections, as long as Little Mu has a place for me in his heart... "