Rumor Has It I Don’t Follow A-Class Morals - Chapter 12

Getting caught by Su Yin the moment she got back from the bar was not something Ming Muyao had expected.

But she felt no guilt about it. She had only sat in the bar for less than five minutes before coming back. She’d gotten a glimpse of the kind of shady friends the original Ming Muyao used to hang out with, and in a way, that had helped her resolve a lingering issue in her heart.

She couldn’t stay holed up at home forever. She had to slowly make contact with the original Muyao’s social circle. Even if she intended to phase out those fair-weather friends, there needed to be a gradual process.

As for Su Yin…

If she misunderstood, then so be it.

Ming Muyao had explained it to her for quite a while, but it didn’t seem like Su Yin believed she had really just “sat for a bit” at the bar.

Whatever.

She didn’t need to explain anything to Su Yin anyway. It wasn’t like she planned to be with her in the future. Right now, they were just two people trying to adjust to life together.

Since they were bound to part ways eventually, there was no point in forcing herself to win Su Yin’s favor.

Some things just don’t have a solution.

Ever since that night at the bar, Su Yin’s attitude had shifted back to the cautious and distant way it was before, as if all the warmth Ming Muyao had shown her recently had been for nothing. It made Muyao feel a little powerless.

After leaving without saying goodbye that day, Xu Bu had called to ask what happened. Ming Muyao didn’t bother explaining—she just made up an excuse and brushed her off.

By now, it had been ten days since she was discharged from the hospital.

Her wounds had fully healed. Apart from a faint scar on her hand, there were no visible signs of injury. In a few more days, even that scar would probably fade, leaving no trace behind.

That morning, Ming Muyao was sitting in the dining room having breakfast as usual. Su Yin sat quietly across from her, sipping porridge.

Maybe all that nagging had finally paid off—Su Yin had gained five pounds, and her complexion looked much better than before. Her face had filled out slightly, no longer looking like it was made of just bones and eyes.

The TV was playing the morning news. Ming Muyao was eating when a very familiar name suddenly caught her attention.

“This morning, a woman’s body was found in the alley behind Glimmer Bar. The victim was dressed messily with bruising on her neck, and initial findings suggest foul play. Authorities are asking residents with information to come forward…”

Aunt Chen heard the news too. She glanced at the TV screen in shock and said, “This is a law-abiding society—how do things like this still happen?”

Ming Muyao looked up at the screen—and froze. Even though the body had been blurred out on TV, she recognized the black strapless dress.

It’s that Omega girl who looked a bit like Su Yin…

She instinctively turned to look at Su Yin and saw that she was also focused on the TV. When she noticed Ming Muyao watching her, Su Yin looked over, confused.

Her eyes were full of uncertainty, like she was trying to figure out if she had done something wrong again.

Ming Muyao couldn’t explain why, but she suddenly felt concerned for Su Yin’s safety. She turned back to the screen, but the program had already moved on to another segment—the black dress was gone.

Someone she’d only met once had suddenly died and been reported on the news. It felt surreal, like it wasn’t really happening.

She barely ate after that. The news report only aired that once during the morning segment, and when she tried to search for it online, there was less and less information available.

Just like before… someone’s covering it up. That girl’s death definitely isn’t simple.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell suddenly rang. Aunt Chen quickly put down what she was doing and walked over. After glancing at the monitor, she turned to Ming Muyao with a shocked expression.

“Muyao, your mom’s here!”

It took Ming Muyao a few seconds to process that. “My mom?”

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang again, this time more urgently, betraying the visitor’s impatience. Aunt Chen started pacing nervously.

“Your mom, Director Ming!” she added quickly. “I heard you two don’t get along very well… I’m not sure about the details, maybe you should ask Yinyin?”

Before she finished speaking, the doorbell started ringing nonstop like a death knell, one press after another. Ming Muyao started to feel anxious too.

She could pretend to have amnesia in front of other people, but this was her birth mother. If she slipped up even a little, the whole memory loss excuse might fall apart—and she had no confidence she could fool someone that close.

While she hesitated, the woman outside gave up on the doorbell and started pounding on the door instead.

Aunt Chen was clearly getting flustered. She looked at Ming Muyao pleadingly, asking with her eyes if they were going to open the door or not.

After a few seconds of thought, Ming Muyao decided to stop overthinking.

“Open the door,” she said. “No point in hiding. Let’s just take it one step at a time.”

Once she gave the go-ahead, Aunt Chen quickly opened the door and forced a smile at the woman outside. “Madam, you’re here.”

“What took you so long?” the woman said coldly. “I rang the bell so many times. If you’re that slow next time, don’t bother coming back.”

Aunt Chen didn’t dare make a sound. She quickly pulled out a pair of guest slippers and placed them in front of the woman, then took her coat and bag to hang up.

Ming Muyao stared at the woman in front of her—dressed in a red and black suit, somewhere in her forties—feeling a wave of unfamiliarity.

The woman had deep nasolabial lines and a stern, commanding presence. She was tall and thin, an alpha just like Ming Muyao.

Her black eyes, which bore some resemblance to Muyao’s, scanned the room briefly before landing on her. “You feeling better now?” she asked. “I heard the car accident wasn’t that serious. Why’ve you been resting for so long?”

Ming Muyao didn’t move, just stared at her.

She could see the family resemblance, but the face was still a stranger’s. In old family photos, her mother had a gentle smile—not like this woman, who looked downright fierce.

Actually… she kind of resembles the version of me I saw in the mirror that first day.

The woman frowned when she saw Ming Muyao just standing there. “You’re not going to call me ‘Mom’? Just going to stare like an idiot?”

Only then did Ming Muyao say, “Mom, have a seat. I’ll ask Aunt Chen to bring you some tea.”

“No need. Just water,” the woman replied. “I don’t have time to wait for tea to steep.”

She walked over to the sofa like she owned the place and sat down, then pointed to the seat across from her. “Sit. I’ve got a few things to ask you.”

Ming Muyao signaled Aunt Chen to bring two glasses of water, then sat down across from the woman.

“What did you want to ask?”

“You seem recovered enough,” the woman said. “It’s time to go back to the company. We can’t keep leaving things to outsiders. Also, the company’s running into some trouble right now. You should be aware of that. So what have you decided? If you’re ready, I’ll make arrangements for Su Yin.”

If it had been before, Ming Muyao would’ve been completely lost by this. But thankfully, Xu Bu had already hinted at her complicated situation—not only was she in a tight spot, but she’d also been planning to divorce Su Yin and marry a wealthy heiress just to use the dowry to patch financial holes.

No matter how she felt about Su Yin, Ming Muyao had no intention of turning her marriage into a bargaining chip just to wed someone she hadn’t even met.

This isn’t a marriage alliance. It’s a death trap.

The Ming family was clearly trying to scam whoever they could—getting her to divorce Su Yin was just the first step.

“I’ve already made my decision,” Ming Muyao said. “These problems are only temporary. I’ll find a way to fix them. As for Su Yin, I’m not getting a divorce. And I’m not marrying a stranger.”

The woman gave a short, sarcastic laugh. She glanced at the kitchen where Su Yin was hiding, crossed her legs, and said, “Muyao, I don’t remember you being the sentimental type. You liked Su Yin for her looks. And Su Yin agreed to be with you because of your money. You were both just using each other. So why the sudden attachment?”

Ming Muyao didn’t reply. That one statement contained too much information—she needed time to process it.

Wait—so the original Muyao and Su Yin didn’t get married because they liked each other?

Does that mean there’s something else going on that I don’t know about?

Thankfully, Aunt Chen came in with the two glasses of warm water, interrupting the conversation just enough to make her silence feel less awkward.

Ming Muyao glanced at Su Yin in the corner. This is something I need to talk to her about later—alone. Right now, the priority is getting this woman out of the house.

“I can handle this myself,” she said calmly. “If there’s nothing else, I won’t keep you.”

The woman stared at her in silence for a moment. Just as Muyao started wondering if she’d said something too harsh, the woman stood up.

“If that’s your decision, I’ll respect it,” she said. “You don’t want a divorce? Fine. But the company can’t be allowed to fail. Report to work on the first of next month. The family business doesn’t belong in the hands of outsiders.”

Before leaving, she looked at Su Yin again, then turned back and added, “If you ever change your mind, come find me. The Ming family doesn’t feed freeloaders.”

Once she left, Ming Muyao let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She turned to Aunt Chen. “Close the door. If anyone else comes by in the next couple days, just tell them I’m not seeing visitors.”

Aunt Chen nodded quickly and locked the door.

Ming Muyao leaned back on the couch, staring at the untouched glass of water in front of her, already dreading what she’d say when she showed up at the company on the first of next month.

It’s true what they say—once you tell one lie, you have to keep telling more to cover it up.