After Xiangzi died, I inherited her harem.

Xiao Mu: [I'm fine.]

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In the villa of the Wakaba family, Wakaba Mutsu was not lying in bed, but leaning against the bedroom window.

The room was dark, and the curtains were not drawn. The bright moonlight shone down, adding a touch of silver to the girl's light green hair.

Holding a phone in each hand, Ruo Yemu stared at the two tablets in her hands, her golden eyes somewhat lost in thought.

After hesitating for a moment, Wakaba Mutsu carefully put the new phone that Toyokawa Yuu had bought for her today into her bosom and put it away.

Feeling the cool touch of the screen against her body, a sense of relief flashed in the girl's golden eyes.

To be honest, she no longer wants to use her old phone.

Being monitored is certainly part of the reason, but for the well-behaved and introverted Wakaba Mutsu, whether or not she is being monitored by her mother is not a big deal.

After all, she hadn't intended to fight against anything, and there was nothing about her usual words and actions that warranted any caution.

The main reason for wanting to throw away my old phone is... because it wasn't really mine.

In the past, Ye Mu probably wouldn't have even had such thoughts.

A girl who has never owned anything of her own will naturally not feel any resistance to things that do not belong to her.

But now, some things are different.

She already had something of her own, and naturally didn't want her mother's phone to replace it.

However, although such a thought arose in her mind, Ruo Ye Mu did not choose to put it into practice. Instead, she carefully kept the phone and planned to use it only when contacting Toyokawa Yuu.

Yuu Toyokawa had told her that she must cherish the few things that belonged to her, because if she easily exposed them, they might be stolen.

but......

Recalling the wary and guarded look in Yu Mu's eyes when she accidentally touched the phone in the office earlier today, Ruo Ye Mu's heart skipped a beat, and she pressed the phone in her arms even tighter.

That's so strange...

Ruoye Mu looked down at the guitar she had placed on the bed, a strange feeling lingering in her heart.

Even though the phone that Yuu Toyokawa gave her was right in front of her, not even inches away, she still felt a pang of anxiety.

Even when Yu Mu was fighting over his guitar, he had never felt this way.

What belongs to me is right here, but it seems like I don't have it in my hands.

Not understanding why she had this feeling, Wakaba Mutsu shook her head and turned on her old cell phone.

The phone screen had barely lit up when a series of vibrations began, and messages popping up in the notification box gnawed at the screen like piranhas.

People who had been in bands with me had all sent me messages, more or less.

This applies to both Ave Mujica and CRYCHIC.

Among them, the messages from Nagasaki Sase were overwhelmingly numerous, numbering in the dozens.

I'll reply anyway...

With this thought in mind, Ruoye Mu's fair fingertips danced across the screen as she replied with a short message.

Wakaba Mutsumi: [I'm fine.]

Unexpectedly, this brief message, like pouring a glass of ice water into a hot oil pan, sparked a series of related news items.

Nagasaki Sase: [Muto, you finally replied to me.]

Nagasaki Sase: [You disappeared without a word; I was really worried about you.]

Nagasaki Sase: [Did you go somewhere with Mr. Yuu this afternoon? Xiaoxiang came looking for you after hearing the news. Did you see her?]

Nagasaki Sasuke: [If there's anything bothering you, please tell me. I'll definitely help you...]

Just using this phone makes me unhappy...

Such a thought flashed through her mind, but Ruo Yemu did not reveal it, and simply replied coldly again.

Wakaba Mutsumi: [I'm fine.]

However, this nonchalant tone did not seem to completely dispel the other party's concerns, and new information continued to arrive.

Feeling the phone still vibrating in her hand, Ruo Yemu's brows, which had never changed before, furrowed slightly.

After hesitating for a moment, the girl with long light green hair chose to put down her phone and wait for Nagasaki Sose on the other end of the line to calm down.

I always felt that Nagasaki Sase was being a little too enthusiastic about me.

They haven't been in a band together for a long time.

As I was pondering this, the bedroom light suddenly came on, extinguishing the moonlight streaming through the window.

When Ruo Yemu looked up, she found a slender figure standing in front of the door. The other person had golden eyes just like her, but the green on the ends of her hair was slightly darker than hers.

Mori Minami stood at the door of her daughter's bedroom, squinting slightly as she looked at her daughter sitting on the edge of the bed, her smile seemingly carrying a deeper meaning.

But in Wakaba Mutsu's eyes, the smile was somewhat clumsy.

"Oh dear, I just heard the door open, but I didn't see any lights on in your room, and no one was in the music room either. I thought you were already asleep... or maybe a thief broke into the house."

It was as if she didn't care at all whether turning on the light would disturb her daughter's rest if Ruoye Mu was already asleep.

Minami Mori casually walked to the bedside and sat down on the floor with Mutsu Wakaba.

The mother and daughter are almost identical, except one is mature and poised, while the other is naive and innocent. Now, sitting side by side by the window, anyone who sees them would feel that they have a deep bond.

In fact, to outsiders who are unaware of the truth, Ruoye Mu's family situation does indeed appear to be like that.

When Wakaba Mutsu was still very young, Mori Minami took her to participate in various programs as a child star, and every move she made showed her pride and doting on her daughter.

Even at home, she never took off this mask that was meant to be shown only to outsiders.

"Aren't you going to answer it? Xiao Mu's phone keeps ringing."

Pointing to the phone that Wakaba Mutsu had left aside, which was still vibrating, Mori Minami narrowed her eyes slightly.

Holding her bent knees with both hands, Ruoye Mu gently shook her head, remaining silent.

"I understand, I understand. It must be because her friends were too enthusiastic and Xiao Mu didn't know how to respond, right?"

Without even asking for Wakaba Mutsu's permission, Mori Minami simply picked up the phone from the ground and easily unlocked the screen with her fingerprint.

“Nagasaki Sase…I think he’s a friend you used to be in a band with. You even mentioned Yuu-kun. It seems his interpersonal relationships have developed quite well since he was released by Grandpa Sadaharu.”

Her fingers, as fair as those of Wakaba Mutsu, but appearing much longer due to her age, lightly tapped the screen.

Without consulting her daughter's opinion at all, Mori Minami replied in her daughter's name without her consent.

However, it must be said that as an actress who has been working in the entertainment industry for many years and has long been at the peak of her career, Senmin Nami's social skills are indeed much stronger than those of the quiet and reserved Wakaba Mutsu.

Furthermore, if we only consider social skills and not acting skills, Ruoye Mu believes that even Metis might not be as good as her birth mother.

The phone, which had been vibrating incessantly, quickly fell silent.

As she handed the now-silent phone to her daughter, Senmina Nami looked every bit the kind and gentle mother.

"Look, even if they're friends, you can't just ignore them all the time; you still have to respond properly."

Looking at her daughter beside her, who was keeping her head down and hesitating to reach out, Mori Minami's golden eyes flickered for a moment before she grabbed Wakaba Mutsu's fingers and shoved the phone inside.

"However, we can't just make such unreasonable demands on Xiao Mu. After all, you've changed quite a bit since you were a cheerful and adorable little girl when you were a child."

Whether she was sighing, feeling sorry, or complaining, Mori Minami reached out and touched Wakaba Mutsumi's light green hair, letting the smooth strands run through her fingertips.

"Minami, why...?"

Raising her head, Ruoye Mu looked at her mother sitting beside her, a hint of confusion flashing in her golden eyes.

Although she didn't really want to say it, the truth was that Ruoye Mu felt that her relationship with her mother was less bad and more... unfamiliar.

Since refusing to continue appearing on various programs as a child star, Sammi Nami has not persisted in pursuing her own career, and has even intentionally or unintentionally kept her distance from him.

Sometimes, it's not impossible for someone not to see themselves for an entire month.

Over time, even the way he addressed her stopped being a nickname like "Mother" or "Mom," and started calling her... Minami.

Therefore, Wakaba Mutsu didn't understand why Mori Minami would suddenly visit his room tonight.

"Xiao Mu...you skipped class this afternoon to go on a date with You Yu Jun, right?"

Despite not clearly stating her question, Minami knew what her daughter wanted to ask, even though Mutsuka's confusion was evident.

Instead of giving a direct answer, they chose to respond to the question with another question.

It wasn't a date, it was just skipping class...

Ruo Ye Mu wanted to refute this, but in the end, she didn't say it out loud.

Ruoye Mu was gradually beginning to understand her tendency to make things worse the more she spoke.

Every time I try to explain something, something bad happens.

Furthermore, Ruoye Mu didn't feel the need to explain this matter to her mother.

After all, it's impossible for Minami not to know that she skipped class this afternoon to go out with Yuu Toyokawa.

Just as Yuu Toyokawa inserted her SIM card into her new phone, Minami Mori called her.

They even said things that could be misunderstood.

Although Yuu Toyokawa hung up the phone before Minami Mori could finish speaking, Mutsumi Wakaba, who was standing next to her, heard the whole thing clearly.

And... Yu-kun.

His mother seemed to be quite familiar with Toyokawa Yuu and paid a lot of attention to him.

His bright golden eyes remained fixed on his mother, seemingly unwilling to respond to her question until she gave an answer.

"You should know that Yu-Yu is Xiao-Xiang's fiancé. He was chosen by Grandpa Sadaharu to assist Xiao-Xiang in inheriting the Toyokawa family."

Toyokawa Sadaharu...

Upon hearing the name from Minami Mori, Mutsuwa was slightly taken aback, and the image of an old man's back appeared in his mind.

Even though he and Toyokawa Shoko grew up together, just as Shoko doesn't visit his home often, Wakaba Mutsu doesn't visit the Toyokawa family occasionally like his parents do.

In addition, Shoko Toyokawa had moved out of the Toyokawa family a year ago, so Mutsuka Wakaba rarely saw the old man who was in charge of the Toyokawa family.

If I think about it carefully, the last time I saw him was at Ms. Mizuho's funeral.

Although they didn't have much contact, there was one thing that Wakaba Mutsu was clear about.

The old man named Toyokawa Sadaharu doted on Toyokawa Shoko.

In the adults' minds, it wasn't impossible to arrange a fiancé for Xiang to help her manage the Toyokawa family.

Is that why Youyu became Ave Mujica's manager and worked with Xiang?

But what does this have to do with me?

With this question flashing through his mind, Ruoye Mu's golden gaze flickered slightly, but he still didn't speak, quietly listening to Mori Minami's next words.

"Grandpa Dingzhi found out about this, and he was quite angry. He even called me over and gave me a warning just now."

With her face cupped in her hands, Minami's smile made Mutsuka Wakaba reluctant to look directly at her, and she silently looked away.

However, Senmina's voice did not stop because of her daughter's little actions.

"After all, given Old Master Dingzhi's age, he probably doesn't have time to find a new husband for Xiaoxiang. You Yujun is his only option... So he will absolutely not give up on You Yujun, nor will he allow anything unexpected to happen between him and Xiaoxiang."

So?

Still not understanding what Minami Mori was trying to express, Mutsuka Wakaba's gaze remained blank.

"So, Xiao Mu, you can't see Xiao Xiang and You Yu Jun for a while, at least until the engagement ceremony that Grandpa Ding Zhi arranged for them is over."

A light voice drifted into Wakaba Mutsu's ears, causing the girl's pupils, which had been mixed with indifference and confusion, to widen suddenly.

Even so, Minami's voice did not stop.

Even now, this long-established actress is watching Wakaba Mutsu's somewhat flustered state with great interest, seemingly enjoying her daughter's surprised expression.

“Starting tomorrow, you won’t need to go to school anymore, and the band will have to stop activities... It’s okay, I’ve already arranged for you to take leave under the guise of psychological treatment.”

"I won't do it."

Without even the slightest hesitation, Wakaba Mutsumi resolutely refused after hearing Mori Minami's arrangement.

The crisp and decisive refusal made one wonder if this was still the same obedient girl.