Her mother's eyes were black.

Qin Shu studied the photo again, inspecting it more closely. Here, her mother's eyes were as blue as the cloudless sky.

It was then she realised that what she was looking at was not a photo but a painting.

Judging from the empty s.p.a.ce in the upper right corner, the painter had yet to complete it. It was an unfinished piece.

She only knew of a handful of people in the world who could paint such life-like portraits.

It must have been the painter who deliberately changed the colour of her mother's eyes from a rich black to a boundless blue.

Qin Hai married this mistress of his years ago and still, he kept a portrait of her mother around. Was he trying to show his love for her mother? Who was he trying to fool?

It was disgusting.

Qin Shu opened her backpack and stuffed the painting into it. She did not want to look at it any longer than she needed to.

Scanning the room, she noticed a wardrobe. There were no clothes in it. What sat in the wardrobe, on the other hand, was a safe secured by a pa.s.sword. Lifting the safe out of the wardrobe, she tried opening it. To her surprise, it swung open without a fuss.

Nothing of value resided within. She only found a set of old clothes that looked like what might have been in style some twenty years ago. Though its colours were muted with age, she could tell that they were distinctly feminine in make. Perhaps a woman in her twenties would have worn clothes like them in the past.

Doubt flashed in Qin Shu's eyes. She was not sure what to think of her discovery. Closing the safe, she stowed it away in the closet where she had found it in.

Her mother hadn't left anything behind upon her death. Other than the clothes she wore and the things she used on a daily basis, she had left nothing.

Qin Shu surveyed the room a final time before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.

As she filed down the stairs, Qin Shu caught sight of Mu Lan and Qin Ya on the sofa. Walking over to them, she said, “Send father my regards.”

Qin Shu strode off, not waiting for a reply from either of them. She knew Mu Lan well enough to know that she definitely wouldn't do as she had asked. Still, she tried anyway.

Ye Luo inclined his head in farewell. He carried President Ba in his arms and followed his young madam out the door.

As soon as Qin Shu left, Qin Ya held her mother's hand and asked, “Mom, why does father want her to come over?”

“Your father probably wants her to move back in.” Mu Lan responded after some thought. “When you head to the office later, don't let your father know that Qin Shu came to pay him a visit. Just pretend like she never came. Are we clear?”

Qin Ya didn't want Qin Shu to move back in. Nodding quickly, she a.s.sured her mother, “I hear you, Mom.”

When Mu Lan saw Qin Shu leave, she remembered that she still had an appointment to keep. “I'm going out. You should get going too.”

Mu Lan stepped out of the house carrying her designer handbag and wearing her favourite seven-inch heels.

Watching her mother leave, Qin Ya could not help but grit her teeth in frustration as her thoughts wandered over to the finance manager but knowing that things were out of her hands, she simply readied herself for work.

Under a tree at the corner of the road…

Qin Shu sat in the car with President Ba curled up in her arms. A wine-red car, screaming of wealth, rolled out of the villa's gates a little ways away from the intersection where Qin Shu sat.

It was Mu Lan's car. She hadn't changed the model in years. Mu Lan was a spendthrift who lost more money than most were comfortable losing so it was a surprise that she hadn't changed it in a while. Her status in Qin Hai's heart probably wasn't what it once was, not to mention how tight the company's finances were.

“Follow her.” Qin Shu instructed Ye Luo.

Ye Luo complied. Stepping on the accelerator, the car whizzed into motion, tailing Mu Lan's car stealthily.

President Ba hopped out of her arms and played on the seat beside her. After a while, he seemed to grow bored so he decided to ride shotgun.

Perhaps President Ba thought it was time for a promotion but he was extraordinarily restless, jumping on and off the front pa.s.senger seat. Narrowing his feline eyes at Ye Luo, who sat in the driver's seat, he sent the man a look of disdain.

Ye Luo spared President Ba an unamused glance and continued driving. “… no one asked you to come over.”

Qin Shu recognised the look in President Ba's eyes – anyone familiar with him would recognise that look of haughty condescension. Interesting.

Failing to stifle her laugh, Qin Shu chided her cat teasingly, “President Ba, aren't the two of you the best of friends? Why do you treat Ye Luo with such contempt?”

In reality, President Ba despised Ye Luo and would rather walk than be carried by him.

President Ba sniffed derisively at Ye Luo with his head upturned. Turning to look at his mistress, he offered her a cute “Meow”.

Ye Luo glared at President Ba. “… I'm not carrying you ever again.”

“Meow” President Ba responded unfazed. He sat in a half-squat, glancing at Ye Luo lazily. He didn't bother taking Ye Luo's threat to heart.

Mu Lan's car parked by a cafe. Stepping out of the car, she hurried inside.

Qin Shu remained seated. She had no intention of following Mu Lan in. Instead, she looked at her watch and noted the time.

Neither she nor Ye Luo spoke in the silence of the car. Did she still hold a grudge over Mu Lan? She wasn't sure. Absently, she scooped up President Ba and laid him on her lap.

“Meow!” President Ba cried out in surprise, his fur standing on end.

Ye Luo ignored President Ba's enraged cry. He opened a compartment beside him and pulled out a bag of dried fish. He tore the bag open a little more viciously than he needed to.

Immediately, a strong fishy odour wafted out from the gap he had opened in the packaging.

President Ba's nose twitched. His dark green eyes stared unblinkingly at the bag of dried fish in Ye Luo's hand, licking his lips in antic.i.p.ation.

Ye Luo fished out a small piece of dried fish and waved it around with no intention of giving it to President Ba.

Fish was the food of the G.o.ds and, like any cat worth its salt, President Ba coveted it hungrily. Edging his way closer to the dried fish in Ye Luo's hands, he tried prying it out with his claws and even pulling it by its tail. Yet, despite his best efforts, he could not swipe the precious piece of fish out of Ye Luo's evil clutches.

Qin Shu sat in the pa.s.senger seat behind Ye Luo. She was not paying attention to the duo in front of her. Otherwise, she would have seen the aggrieved look on President Ba's face as he tried and failed to seize the piece of dried fish in Ye Luo's hands.

Ten minutes later, Mu Lan strolled out of the cafe with a man beside her. The man was young – probably in his mid-twenties – and had decent looks.

They got into Mu Lan's wine-red car and drove off.

They waited for Mu Lan to pull out of the parking lot, giving her some time to distance herself, before pursuing her.

Meanwhile, President Ba was still desperately clawing at the dried fish in Ye Luo's hands.

When Ye Luo judged that he had given Mu Lan sufficient time to leave, he stuck the piece of dried fish back into its bag and dropped it into the compartment beside him. With his other hand, he picked up President Ba by the scruff of his neck and hurled the poor cat to the pa.s.senger seat next to him. President Ba landed in a roll, breaking his fall in the process.

Expressionlessly, Ye Luo started the engine and shadowed Mu Lan's car.

“Meow” President Ba huffed in dissatisfaction. Sticking his b.u.t.t out at Ye Luo, President Ba curled up in the seat beside him and growled indignantly.

Qin Shu was oblivious to the pair's antics. Her mind was occupied with questions of the relations.h.i.+p between Mu Lan and the man she had seen leaving with her.

The car suddenly jerked to a stop. Shaken from her thoughts, Qin Shu spotted Mu Lan's car parked in a lot owned by the hotel they were visiting.

Mu Lan and the young man got out of the car and headed towards the hotel.

It became clear, then, what it was they were doing. They were getting a room.

When she had seen Mu Lan earlier that day, she wondered how she seemed… younger. Whether it was her clothes or her demeanour, it spoke to a kind of pa.s.sionate youth she had not displayed a month ago.

Now she knew what had sparked the change in her. She was having an affair.

Coldly, she addressed Ye Luo, “Find out who he is and how long they have been together.”

Ye Luo whipped out his phone and called Ye Qing. He provided Ye Qing with a simple explanation and directed him to the hotel Mu Lan had entered.

The fourth young master had instructed him to do anything Qin Shu asked, unconditionally.

Outside of getting him to leave her side, there were only two other exceptions.