Film and Television World Life Record

Perhaps only Li Mu has this ability.

This was something Fan Shengmei was trying her best to avoid. She didn't want Li Mu to know that she had such a family, and thus avoid causing him any resentment. She wanted to try her best to change this situation so that Li Mu wouldn't feel disgusted when he learned about the situation in the future.

If she confesses now, what will Li Mu think of her? This is what Fan Shengmei cares about most right now.

But it's too late to say anything now; her parents have already arrived and come to live with her.

She didn't have that much time or energy to work, accompany her parents, and return home normally after get off work without arousing suspicion from her friends and Li Mu.

This is almost impossible. Fan Shengmei doesn't have the time, energy, or money to find another place to settle her parents and Lei Lei.

Sooner or later, Li Mu and her female roommates on the same floor will discover something amiss, and if Li Mu misunderstands that she's having an affair, it will be even more troublesome.

Fan Shengmei knew that from the moment her parents decided to come to live with her, it would be difficult to keep this a secret from Li Mu any longer. No matter how hard she tried to cover it up, it would eventually be exposed.

Moreover, the weather was so cold, and the train station was huge. She didn't have her phone with her, so she couldn't find her way around by herself. Only through Li Mu could she quickly find him and prevent her parents, Lei Lei, from freezing and going hungry.

With Li Mu's influence, if he were willing to help her cover it up, the girls on the 22nd floor wouldn't know about this, wouldn't understand her terrible family situation, and wouldn't be able to maintain a glamorous image for her.

This was a very important matter for Fan Shengmei, who was somewhat vain and had an excessively strong sense of self-esteem; she didn't want to be pitied or sympathized with by her girlfriends.

Having figured all this out, Fan Shengmei quickly tidied her makeup, took a deep breath, calmed her anxious mood, and her expression finally softened a bit.

He then grabbed a handbag and hurried downstairs.

……

Li Mu was reading at home when he heard a knock on the door. He wondered if it was Fan Shengmei or Qu Xiaoxiao. When he opened the door, Fan Shengmei was standing there prettily.

However, his expression was a little off, and he still looked somewhat anxious.

Upon seeing Li Mu, she opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to say. Feeling anxious, she hugged Li Mu tightly and sobbed in his arms.

Li Mu was taken aback for a moment. Thinking about how Fan Shengmei's mood had indeed been a bit off these past few days, he had a guess in his mind. He gently patted her back and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Fan Shengmei sobbed for a while, then opened her mouth and said, "I...I..."

She was at a loss for words. Her family was a complete mess, and she had previously tried her best to keep it from Li Mu. Now she had to tell him herself, which was a very difficult choice.

But considering that her parents were starving and freezing at the train station without a penny to their name, and didn't have much time for her to be sentimental, Li Mu knew that she would find out about this sooner or later.

However, while she told him herself, Li Mu gradually discovered it on his own. It was better to be honest than to keep it from Li Mu and have him investigate.

After much deliberation, Fan Shengmei gritted her teeth and finally made up her mind. She raised her head, her eyes filled with panic, anxiety, and unease. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out for a long time.

Li Mu could only hold her and walk to the sofa to sit down. He said gently, "You seem upset. Did something happen? Feel free to tell me what's wrong, and we'll discuss how to solve it together."

Seeing Li Mu's gentleness, Fan Shengmei's tense and anxious heart finally calmed down a bit. She gritted her teeth, knowing that she couldn't hesitate any longer, and finally confessed to Li Mu.

She's still undecided about how much to be honest about, whether to reveal all her family problems, so she'll just have to take it one step at a time.

Chapter 156 Inducing Confession

Before Fan Shengmei could speak, her eyes reddened, and after a long while she finally said, "Li Mu, my brother got into a fight and injured someone."

When Li Mu saw her talking about family problems, he wasn't in a hurry. He began to guide her slowly, encouraging her to tell all the problems without hiding anything.

"You got into a fight, but it's not a big deal. Is that all?"

Fan Shengmei glanced at Li Mu cautiously, and seeing that his expression was normal, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She continued, "The family of the person who was beaten came to cause trouble and demanded exorbitant compensation. My brother didn't want to take responsibility, so he ran away with my sister-in-law."

Li Mu frowned and said, "Your brother did something really wrong! He ran off with your sister-in-law, what about your parents? Won't they come to your house and cause trouble?"

Fan Shengmei hesitated for a moment before nodding: "My brother and sister-in-law wanted my parents to come to Shanghai to hide for a while and avoid the storm, so they bought a train ticket for them and my nephew Lei Lei and sent them to come and stay with me."

Li Mu pretended not to know anything.

“This arrangement is fine. You are their only daughter. It’s normal for them to come to your place for a couple of days to avoid trouble at home.”

"What time is your train? I'll arrange it for you when it arrives. Take a few days off these days. It's not easy for you to come all this way, so take them out to eat, shop, and have some fun."

A hint of warmth flashed across Fan Shengmei's face, but the next moment, her expression turned somber and anxious, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in them.

"They took the 9:30 train this morning..."

Li Mu feigned surprise.

“Your hometown, Nantong, is quite close to Shanghai, right? The train leaves at 9:30 in the morning, and you'll arrive in the afternoon. Why didn't you let me know in advance so I could make the arrangements for you?”

"I'll visit your parents tomorrow to see which hotel they're staying at and thank them for raising such an outstanding daughter."

Li Mu's words warmed Fan Shengmei's heart, but the thought of her parents' current situation made her even more heartbroken.

Tears streaming down her face, she shook her head and said, "I...I didn't pick up my parents. They're still at the train station!"

Li Mu feigned surprise.

"Why didn't you pick me up? Was the train delayed, or was something else going on the way?"

Fan Shengmei shook her head and cried, "No, no, it's all my fault..."

"My brother saw them off at the train station this morning and notified me by text message, but I had blocked his number. I only saw the message when I unblocked it just now."

“My parents and Lei Lei must still be waiting at the train station. How can they stand this cold weather?”

Li Mu asked, "Did they bring their cell phones? Didn't they contact you?"

Fan Shengmei shook her head and said, "No, they didn't bring any contact information, so I can't reach them at all. What if they get cold and hungry in this cold weather?"

Li Mu comforted him, "Alright, alright, don't worry! We live in a commercial society now, there are plenty of hotels and restaurants near the train station, it's easy to spend a little money to stay a night and have a meal. Even if you're delayed today, they're adults, they'll take care of themselves."

Hearing Li Mu's words, Fan Shengmei cried even harder. She was a little ashamed to speak, but looking at the gentle gaze opposite her, she still spoke.

"But... my parents didn't bring any money, so they can't find a hotel or get food!"

Li Mu looked surprised: "How could that be! You're overthinking it. Don't scare yourself. In modern society, everyone's living conditions are decent. Who doesn't carry money when they go out? It's just a matter of a little more or less, especially when it's a long trip."

"Don't worry, even if you don't have much money, you can still afford to stay in a hotel for one night and have a good meal."

Fan Shengmei looked somewhat uneasy. If she continued talking, she would expose the mess and scars of her family. She hesitated and was very scared.

But given that things had come to this point, and considering Li Mu's gentle attitude, she had no choice but to accept it, nor could she refuse.

"My parents really didn't bring any money, not a single penny?"

Li Mu exclaimed in surprise, "How is that possible? In today's society, how could someone travel such a long distance without a single penny? Don't scare yourself."

Seeing that Li Mu didn't believe her, Fan Shengmei simply closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and said, "They really didn't bring a single penny. My brother and sister-in-law ran away, and my parents were afraid they would suffer, so they gave them all their savings. They didn't have a single penny left."

Li Mu looked incredulous: "No way! Your brother and sister-in-law are grown up, they have hands and feet, they can find a job anywhere and not be unable to make a living."

"On the contrary, your parents are not young, raising a child, unable to earn money, and have many expenses. How come they didn't bring a single penny with them, and gave it all to your brother?"

“His son still needs your parents to take care of him! How dare you take him? Don’t you think about how the old couple will live with a child?”

"Your brother is a bit selfish! And your parents too, don't they spoil your brother too much? They come to live with their daughter without keeping a single penny for themselves, but leave all their money to their brother."

When Fan Shengmei saw that Li Mu had finally touched on the core issue of her family, her heart tightened.

"Li Mu, I..."

Li Mu suddenly raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "Don't speak yet. I've been wondering about something, and it seems we might find the answer now."

Seeing Fan Shengmei's bewildered expression, Li Mu said, "You've been with me for so long, and I've tried my best to satisfy your material needs. But when it comes to money, given our relationship, I'm afraid that if I give you money, you might overthink it and hurt your self-esteem. I know you usually care a lot about this."

“You work in HR at a foreign company, so your income is good. Plus, you’ve worked for so many years, so you should have a considerable amount of savings. You won’t be short of pocket money, so I never thought of giving you any money.”

"If you really encounter a place that requires a lot of money, I will take care of it for you."

"But lately, after we've spent more time together, I suddenly feel like you're living too frugally. You eat work meals every day, and you can't afford to take a taxi to work. Many people are like that."

“Take your rented apartment, 2202, for example. There are three rooms in total. I went there the day before yesterday. Guan Guan, who is the least experienced and is still an intern, lives in the master bedroom; Qiu Yingying, who has only been working for two years and is still a newbie in the workplace, lives in the second bedroom.”

"You, the most senior, highest-paid white-collar worker in Shanghai for so many years, actually live in the worst room, which is a converted living room."

"And your clothes. After spending time together, I know you really like luxury goods and those glamorous clothes. You have a very low resistance to them."

"With your income and how much you love these clothes, you can't afford to buy them often, but buying one occasionally is fine. You should have saved up quite a bit over the years."

“But none of your previous clothes were designer brands or luxury items; most of them were high-quality replicas.”

“I found it strange at the time. With your income, it shouldn’t be like this.”

"They are reluctant to eat, drink, dress, or live frugally, yet they are still struggling financially. This is very abnormal."

"The only explanation is that there's a place that's very expensive, and you've been saving every penny and spending it all there."

"I didn't quite understand before, but after listening to you talk about your parents and brother and learning a bit about your family situation, I think I've found the answer!"

Chapter 157 Showdown

Hearing Li Mu's words, Fan Shengmei's expression tightened; the mess her family was in had finally been exposed. Of course, someone as intelligent as Li Mu—even if he didn't say anything, couldn't she have guessed it?

Fan Shengmei gave a bitter smile. It had finally come to this. Now that Li Mu knew about her family situation, how would he view her? Would he still treat her the same way as before?

Will they look down on her because of her stagnant family background and slowly give up on her?

Fan Shengmei didn't know, and she didn't dare to think about it too much. She just wanted to be an ostrich, bury her head in the sand, let the outside world rage on, and submit to the whims of fate.

Looking at Fan Shengmei, whose expression was gloomy and even somewhat panicked, Li Mu gently hugged her and kissed her, whispering in her ear, "What's wrong? Why do you look so pale?"

Feeling Li Mu's gentleness, Fan Shengmei's anxious heart finally calmed down a lot. She hugged Li Mu tightly and pressed herself against his chest, tears streaming down her face.

"Li Mu, I'm scared? I have an older brother, a family, why would I be scared?"