chapter 7

Moo Tingxiao did not care about what Gu Zhiyan was saying. As though he had sensed that someone was listening in on them, he looked up and caught Mu Nuannuan there, about to scurry away.

“Mu Nuannuan,” he called her.

Mu Nuannuan turned around and put on a plastic smile. “I’m just passing by. Please continue.” She walked past them into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. But on her way back out, Moo Tingxiao and Gu Zhiyan did not seem to be talking anymore.

At that moment, Gu Zhiyan grinned at her like a Cheshire Cat. “Nuannuan, did Shen Xiaoliang call you?”

“Yeah.” Mu Nuannuan went up with her glass of water and sat on the couch across from them. Gu Zhiyan’s eyes lit up until her next sentence. “She told me that you’re a piece of trash.” She had a harmless smile on her face, but that did not make Gu Zhiyan feel any better.

“I’m innocent. I did nothing with the two women. That day, I was just…” Gu Zhiyan suddenly paused, glancing over at Moo Tingxiao. Moo Tingxiao was the one doing everything so secretly by registering the Golden Cauldron and Shengding under his name. Meanwhile, he had to keep his mouth shut.

“I had one too many that day and just stayed in the Golden Cauldron. I didn’t spend the night with the women.”

“Tell that to Xiaoliang.” Mu Nuannuan looked at him with a shrug.

“But she’s not answering my call.” Gu Zhiyan buried his forehead in his hands.

“You can go and see her. You should know where she lives, right? If you can’t even diffuse this little misunderstanding, you’d better leave her alone.”

After she said that, Mu Nuannuan did not want to say more. She took a sip from her glass, got to her feet and was about to leave. Moo Tingxiao had been silent the entire time. He suddenly reached to grab the glass from her hand and drank from it.

“That’s… mine.” By the time she realized it, he had drunk the water. Her face began to turn red, unlike that of the thick-skinned Moo Tingxiao. Leaving the glass with him, she scurried back upstairs.

Gu Zhiyan gazed at Moo Tingxiao with a thoughtful look. “I didn’t know Mu Nuannuan had such a sharp tongue.” Not waiting for Moo Tingxiao to respond, he continued, “She’s nearly as good as you are now.”

“Cut the crap. Go and find your starlet.” Moo Tingxiao got to his feet, ready to head upstairs.

“Aren’t you inviting me to stay for dinner?”

“Get out of my sight.” Moo Tingxiao looked back at him with no expression on his face. Thanks to Moo Jiachen, he got a bowl of the world’s saltiest noodles this morning. Since the day Mu Nuannuan found out he was Moo Tingxiao, she had been giving him the cold shoulder. There was no way she was going to cook for him. Since he did not get to eat, Gu Zhiyan would not have the chance either.

Gu Zhiyan did not know what he had done to get Moo Tingxiao so mad, but he did not have time to harp on it. He had more important things to do.

…

Returning to his bedroom, Moo Tingxiao saw Mu Nuannuan snuggling on the sofa with her laptop. She had her earphones on and was staring unblinkingly at the screen as if she was watching a movie. He walked up, leaning over to see what she was watching. It was a Si Chengyu movie. He closed the lid of her laptop, sulking.

Mu Nuannuan took off her earphones, demanding, “What are you doing?”

She seemed to be angry, but a little cautious about showing it. There was no change in her expression, but he could make out a hint of displeasure in her eyes. She looked a little cute, too.

The corner of Moo Tingxiao’s lips curled up, half-smiling at her. “You’ve heard?”

“Heard what?” She was pretending.

“News about Zhiyan, of course. It was the Mu Family that bought off the media outlet. Zhiyan is a mover and shaker in the entertainment industry. They created this smokescreen to divert public attention away from Mu Corporation’s scandal.” He was talking slowly in a calm manner, but his eyes were trained on at her, observing her reactions.

“Who did that?” Mu Nuannuan thought for a while. “Mu Wanqi?”

Apart from Mu Wanqi, she could not think of anyone else who could be so silly. Gu Zhiyan was in the entertainment industry, and Shengding was the top dog in the business. It could eat Mu Corporation for breakfast, lunch, and dinner anytime. People like Gu Zhiyan would not let the Mus off the hook so easily. She heard what Gu Zhiyan had said earlier.

Moo Tingxiao neither confirmed nor denied it, but his voice was serious when he said, “You want me to help Mu Corporation?”

“What do you mean?” Mu Nuannuan sensed that he meant for it to be tongue in cheek.

“If you want me to help, I’ll help. If you don’t, I won’t.” He broke into a faint smile. His pampering of her was plain to see.

Mu Nuannuan had always thought that Moo Tingxiao was the most handsome guy in the entertainment industry. No one ever came close, and she lost herself in his pampering eyes. However, was this just another one of his teases? Did he mean what he said?

Their eyes met, but no one spoke until someone knocked on the door.

“Young Master, Mrs. Moo, dinner is ready.”

Mu Nuannuan severed the thought and bit her lip. “Please help Mu Corporation.”

“You got it.”

There was no hesitation in his voice, but Mu Nuannuan did not really want to help Mu Corporation; she just did not believe that Moo Tingxiao would do it. It did not benefit him in the slightest to help Mu Corporation; it was just a waste of time and effort. People in their right mind would not want to do that.

…

Yet, Moo Tingxiao quickly put his words into action.

He first made all the negative news about Mu Corporation disappear online. Those customers and vendors who initially wanted to end their agreements with Mu Corporation had changed their minds. Very quickly, Mu Corporation was back in business. There were even banks coming forward to offer them financing.

Mu Nuannuan took it all in, feeling bittersweet. She thought Moo Tingxiao was bluffing. However, he not only delivered on his promise, but he had also gone the extra mile. Online discussions on Mu Corporation’s factory exposure that cropped up occasionally were quickly taken down. The media, as well as popular Weibo accounts, seemed to be infected with collective amnesia, and no one ever mentioned the issue anymore.

Shen Liang had returned to Huyang from her movie promo tour. Meanwhile, Mu Nuannuan had just received her pay today, so she was treating Shen Liang for dinner.

In the evening, the chauffeur came to pick her up. It was not Shiye, but somebody else, however. She then told the driver the name of the restaurant. “Just drop me there, and you don’t have to pick me up later. I can go back by myself.”

“Business” had been good for Moo Jiachen this year. He counted the primary-school workbooks, then turned to her. “Where are you going?”

“Dinner with a friend.”

“I’m going with you.”

Mu Nuannuan did not really want him to tag along, but she could not stand his badgering, and finally gave in.

The minute Shen Liang saw Moo Jiachen, she asked Mu Nuannuan, “Who’s this kid? I didn’t know anyone in the Mu Family has such outstanding genes.”

Indeed, Moo Jiachen was a good-looking kid. He had curly hair and fair skin. Even though he still looked kiddish, he also had that cute smile on his face. Plus, he was never shy. “My name is Moo Jiachen.”

When she heard the name, water spluttered out of Shen Liang's mouth.