chapter 9

“All of you know my elder brother?” Moo Jiachen was surprised. He knew his brother was an actor but did not expect him to be this famous in the country.

“Of course, we do! Si Chengyu’s a senior in the industry. He has good acting skills and is nice. On top of that, he has tons of fans!” Shen Liang took out her phone and asked Si Chengyu, “Could I have a photo with you?”

“Yes, of course.” Si Chengyu wore a gentle smile. “But please keep this between us.”

“We will!” Shen Liang switched on her phone camera and pulled Mu Nuannuan over. “Let’s have a wefie.”

“No, no, I’ll leave you to it…” Mu Nuannuan was not a fangirl; she just liked Si Chengyu movies and that was all. She was not really into wefies.

Si Chengyu looked at her, his voice gentle. “Ms. Mu, please join us.”

He said it so gently that Mu Nuannuan thought it would be impolite to decline. The three of them stood together, and Moo Jiachen became the cameraman. Si Chengyu was standing in the middle with Shen Liang and Mu Nuannuan on either side. After the photo session, Sheng Liang got a call from her manager. Without hanging up, she turned to look at Mu Nuannuan. “My manager just called, I have to go.”

“Then I’ll let you go.” Mu Nuannuan nodded at her.

“See ya!” Shen Liang waved at Si Chengyu before she ran out of the restaurant in a whirlwind.

Mu Nuannuan turned to look at Moo Jiachen and Si Chengyu, surprised at how similar they looked. Maybe, since Si Chengyu and Moo Tingxiao were also close cousins, they looked alike to some extent. She thought about the time Si Chengyu met them in the Golden Cauldron; he did not even talk with Moo Tingxiao. It was likely because he knew about the things going on between her and Moo Tingxiao. However, being Moo Tingxiao’s elder cousin, it was only natural that he was Moo Tingxiao’s accomplice. That man had gone to great lengths to lie to her.

The corners of her mouth curled up, her smile filled with ridicule.

Si Chengyu knew what she was thinking. He was very restrained and sincere. “I’ve helped Tingxiao lie to you. I’m sorry.”

She pursed her lips, then said, “Mr. Si, please don’t. We were just not on the same side.”

Mr. Si? Si Chengyu forced a smile. “Are you guys planning to go home now? I can send you back.”

Mu Nuannuan glanced over at Moo Jiachen curiously. Under Moo Tingxiao’s strict discipline, he may have to go home with his elder brother, she thought. Yet, judging from Si Chengyu’s tone of voice, he would still have to return to Moo Tingxiao’s place.

Again, Si Chengyu could see the doubt on Mu Nuannuan’s face. “I’m too busy to look after Jiachen. It’s better for him to stay with Tingxiao.”

…

With Si Chengyu at the wheel, they arrived at the mansion. Mu Nuannuan and Moo Jiachen walked in front, while Si Chengyu was only half a pace behind them.

As Mu Nuannuan stepped through the doorway, she saw Moo Tingxiao coming down the stairs.

He glanced at Mu Nuannuan, looking natural. But when he saw Si Chengyu behind her, he squinted with a mysterious expression on his face.

“Tingxiao,” Si Chengyu said before he opened his mouth. “I bumped into them during dinner earlier, so I thought I may as well send them home.”

“Mm.” As Moo Tingxiao sat down, he instructed his bodyguard to pour them some tea.

The two men sat down, apparently having some business to discuss. Thus, Mu Nuannuan and Moo Jiachen went back to their respective rooms upstairs. Moo Jiachen started to work on homework—not his but the primary school children’s—and Mu Nuannuan washed up. After that, she received a message from Shen Liang on Wechat.

“Have you slept with Moo Tingxiao? Is he ‘okay’?”

“Since he isn’t like what the rumors say, I think he should be ‘okay’?”

Mu Nuannuan forced a smile, then replied, “Go to bed. Stop talking nonsense.”

Not only did Shen Liang not go to bed, but she also sent Mu Nuannuan a voice message.

“What nonsense? I’m serious. What Moo Tingxiao did was detestable, but you have to conquer him. Otherwise, Mu Wanqi the b*tch will fall over backward to get him if she finds out ‘Moo Jiachen’ is Moo Tingxiao.”

The words struck home as she listened to what Shen Liang said. Mu Wanqi had been eyeing “Moo Jiachen” all this while. If she discovered that “Moo Jiachen” was Moo Tingxiao, she would not give up.

“So what if she falls over backward? It’s not like Moo Tingxiao will care.” She was not so sure about “Moo Jiachen” last time but looking at Moo Tingxiao now, there was no way he would be interested in Mu Wanqi. As soon as she sent out the voice message, Moo Tingxiao’s voice traveled from the doorway.

“Really? It looks like you know me well.”

Mu Nuannuan froze, then looked in his direction, her mind a muddle. When did he come? Did he hear her conversation with Shen Liang?

Shen Liang replied instantaneously, but Mu Nuannuan locked her phone screen, not bothering to check the message.

“When did you—”

“I’ve heard everything I should hear.”

Moo Tingxiao did not answer her question directly, but his reply told her everything. While Mu Nuannuan got hot under the collar, he smirked and smiled with pleasure.

“I’m going for a shower now. Think about it.”

“Think about what?”

“Think about how to conquer me.”

Ever since Moo Tingxiao’s intervention, Mu Corporation had escaped the scandalous quagmire and was back on their feet with proposals of financing as well as cooperation knocking on their door. Mu Liyan was starting to think that Mu Corporation was on the crest of a wave. He was busy hopping from one meeting to the next, raring to go. He even wanted to bring Mu Nuannuan along so she could get to know their business partners, but Mu Nuannuan rejected it.

“No, Dad. You should bring Wanqi along instead. Moo Tingxiao won’t be too happy if I attend such a business dinner.”

She would use Moo Tingxiao as her excuse whenever she did not feel like doing anything or going anywhere. The best part of it was that it worked every time. She and Mu Liyan did not share the same way of thinking. She knew Moo Tingxiao well; he may have helped Mu Corporation, but she somehow felt that things were not what they seemed.

“That’s fine.” Mu Liyan nodded. “Maybe you can bring Tingxiao home for dinner someday.”

Tingxiao? Wow, how affectionate he suddenly became! She sneered quietly. He really wanted to butter up his son-in-law. She was not going to bring Moo Tingxiao back to the Mu Family. “Sure.”

On her way back, Mu Nuannuan had the chauffeur stop the car somewhere so she could do some grocery shopping. In the household section of the hypermarket, most of the products were of Mu Corporation brands. As she headed over there, she overheard a conversation.

“I’m surprised Mu Corporation hasn’t gone out of business. They still have the nerve to sell their things here!”

“Well, for all I know, they have some powerful backing, who can cover up all the bad things they’ve done. Disgusting!”

Mu Nuannuan stood at a nearby shelf for a few moments, listening in. She then grabbed whatever she wanted and left. She began to figure out what Moo Tingxiao was up to. Since the toxic factory exposure, Mu Corporation had never gotten its punishment aside from an insincere public apology. In addition, Mu Corporation had also put a lid on every news piece that talked negatively about them. That would only create an even bigger public resentment.