Mu Feichi glared condescendingly at the woman on the ground, a dark haze gradually gathering in his eyes.
His thin lips were pursed, and his bold eyebrows were creased into a frown. Like an arrogant god, he exuded an air of aloofness, as if he regarded Han Wanling as an ant.
Han Wanling felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck as she watched him, and she trembled as she crawled toward his feet.
Even though she was humiliated, because of pressure being applied on her from her family, she couldn't worry about her pride anymore.
"Young Marshal Mu, it was my fault for trying to drug you. It was all my fault... Please show mercy on the Han family."
One word from him was enough to make all the other three distinguished families shun the Han family, and all businesses would shut their doors to them by withdrawing their investments.
Her actions had caused her entire family to suffer.
All three ongoing projects of the Han Corporation had gone down the drain. For this reason, her father had nearly broken her leg.
It was all because that wretched girl had messed things up for her and made her offend the one person she shouldn't have offended.
With these thoughts racing through her mind, she raised her head upon hearing footsteps, and she saw Yun Xi's familiar youthful face.
Upon thinking about how her credit card had been frozen and she had become a laughingstock among the upper-class ladies, rage immediately made her lose her sense of reason.
"Wretched girl, it's you again!"
Getting up from the ground quickly, Han Wanling raised her hand to greet Yun Xi with a slap in the face.
"Bitch!"
Before her hand had managed to reach Yun Xi's face, Yun Xi had already clasped her wrist and blocked it.
"Miss Han, what a big temper you have."
Clasping Han Wanling's wrists tightly, Yun Xi sneered playfully, her narrowed eyes filled with coldness.
Whether it was in her previous life or in this life, Han Wanling always seemed to be uncomfortable in her own shoes.
The Han family was one of the four major distinguished families, but, above her, there were ladies from the Qi family and other wealthy socialites who were socially more worthy of marrying Mu Feichi.
Han Wanling could only be regarded as a backup in an emergency.
Not to mention, there were always those women who were extremely eager to social climb.
"Wretched girl! Let me go!"
"I'm very confused. You failed in your conspiracy against Young Marshal Mu, but now you hold it against me. Even if I ruined your fun, did you really have to kidnap me for it?"
"You...what are you talking about?"
Upon hearing the word kidnapping, Han Wanling's facial expression suddenly changed. She turned her head abruptly to look at Mu Feichi, who was wearing a grave expression. Han Wanling refused to admit that she'd had anything to do with the kidnapping.
Of all the things that Young Marshal Mu hated, scheming women was number one on the list. Han Wanling wasn't stupid enough to admit her private agenda.
"It's okay if you won't admit it. But next time you try to pick a fight with me, remember to have an alibi."
Yun Xi suddenly let go of her, and Han Wanling staggered back a few steps.
Wearing seven-inch heels, she accidentally fell back onto the ground.
It was autumn, and a cold day, so wearing a mini skirt with bare legs, she appeared unsightly after falling down.
Yun Xi didn't bother to look at her, and instead she turned to look at the man who was standing by the car with a gloomy expression. In terms of this rotten apple, it wasn't quite appropriate for an outsider like her to intervene.
"Young Marshal Mu, I'm going home now."
Without waiting for him to answer, she turned around and went down the mountain.
Mu Feichi looked at her disappearing figure, then he waved his hand, and the guard who had been waiting on the sidelines ran over.
"Throw her out for me, and inform the guards at the villa complex and the gate to the mountain, no one dare let her in ever again."
"Yes, sir."
The guard saluted, then picked up Han Wanling and headed down the mountain.
"Young Marshal Mu...Young Marshal Mu, I know what I did was wrong. Please forgive me..."
As two guards were carrying her away, Han Wanling couldn't escape, so she turned her head and shouted.
The only response she received was Mu Feichi's silent back.
As he was about to get back into the car, Mu Feichi saw a brown medicine bottle with a sticky note attached on the driver's seat.
"Medicine for bruises. Just rub it in."
The handwriting was neat and strong and demonstrated the earnestness of the writer.
Mu Feichi shook the bottle in his hand, and he couldn't help but smile. There was a hint of tenderness on his cold yet handsome face.
Back at the Mu family mansion...as soon as Feng Rui and Qi Yuan had heard the news about what had occurred at the foot of the mountain, they'd hurried back from training in the forest.
Han Wanling, that brazen, foolish rascal, had actually had the guts to run down to the foot of the mountain and cause trouble. It seemed as if she wasn't going to shed tears until she saw her coffin.
"Boss, do you need me to take care of the Han family?"
Upon seeing Young Marshal Mu get out of the car with a gloomy expression, Qi Yuan asked nervously.
Mu Feichi snorted in reply. "No, I've already warned her. Whoever doesn't heed my warnings will suffer the consequences."
"Indeed." Qi Yuan glanced at the medicine bottle in Mu Feichi's hand and realized that it looked familiar.
Feng Rui, who was oblivious to subtleties and tactless, also realized that the glass bottle was Yun Xi's and shouted out immediately.
"Young Marshal Mu, that seems to be Yun Xi's medicine bottle. Why do you have it? That girl had bruises all over her body because of that devil. How pitiful..."
Before Feng Rui could finish speaking, Qi Yuan kicked him.
Realizing that he had said too much, Feng Rui coughed and scratched his head, not daring to continue.
"Notify Grey Wolf. Ask him to send me copies of all the public and hidden information on all the wealthy families in Jingdu."
"Huh? Boss, what do you want that for?"
Probably no one knew the situations and inside stories of the wealthy families in Jingdu better than Grey Wolf.
This was all insider confidential information. A special-level firewall had been set up by Grey Wolf, and even top hackers wouldn't be able to hack into it.
This was also their source of information on the battlefields.
"Send it to that girl. Han Wanling had asked someone to kidnap her. She acted as if she didn't care on the surface, but I could see that she was already thinking about a plan to deal with Han Wanling. Yun Xi has just returned from the countryside and doesn't know much about Jingdu yet. Only by knowing her enemies well enough, as well as knowing herself, will she win the battle."
Feng Rui couldn't help but quip, "Boss, you simply want to see how Yun Xi will deal with Han Wanling and her no-good fiance, right?"
After he spoke, Qi Yuan kicked him again.
"Don't rub it in!"
Sure enough, Mu Feichi's cold eyes shot daggers at him.
Feng Rui shivered and stepped back toward the door of the car behind him. He said nonchalantly, "I didn't mean anything...forget it. I'm going to notify Grey Wolf."
Mu Feichi turned his head coldly and issued further instructions to Qi Yuan, "Tell him to bring an encrypted laptop with him also."
"Will do."
...
As soon as Yun Xi got home, she saw Liang Xiuqin and Yun Ziling unpacking things in the living room. There were a lot of paper bags and paper boxes stacked on the sofa.
As soon as they saw her return, Yun Ziling couldn't resist the urge to show off.
Probably because she was afraid that Yun Xi wouldn't pay attention to her, she rushed forward to block Yun Xi's way.
"You've returned, eldest sister. Today, the second young master accompanied us on a shopping trip, and we bought a lot of clothes, all of which are brand-name goods. Would you like me to give you a set of clothes?"
Yun Xi gave Yun Ziling a withering glance and said nothing. Knowing Yun Ziling's selfish temperament, not to mention their difference in body shape, even if she was able to fit in them, there was no way Yun Ziling would be willing to give her any.
"Yun Ziling, before you say such silly things, you should look at your figure and then look at my figure."
Since Yun Ziling had wanted to show off so desperately, Yun Xi couldn't be blamed her for firing back without mercy.
When Yun Ziling heard this, her face immediately darkened.
Her eyes burned with spiteful fury as she glowered at Yun Xi, and she could hardly resist the urge to rip her apart.
Her figure had always been one of her major shortcomings.
After so many years of pampering, plus the lack of exercise, not only did she have a bad complexion, but she was also rather chubby.
Calling her chubby was simply a euphemism. In reality, she was practically obese.
Liang Xiuqin couldn't bear to see Yun Ziling being bullied, especially by Yun Xi, that wretched girl. As soon as Yun Xi fired back at Yun Ziling, Liang Xiuqin immediately jumped up.
"Wretched girl! Watch your mouth! Your sister asked you a nice question, yet you answer with a mean attitude. How characteristic of you bumpkins from the countryside. And someone like you thinks you're going to be able to marry into the Jiang family? Dream on! I say you'd better cancel the marriage contract as soon as possible, lest you embarrass yourself. Not only will the Jiang family lose face, but we also will as well."
Yun Xi slowly turned her head, her cool gaze falling on her mother's aggressive face.
Sometimes, she really couldn't understand her mother's way of thinking.
Didn't she herself also come from the countryside? Did she really think that just because she'd been living in the prosperous Jingdu for many years, she was all high and mighty just because she was the wife of a company vice president?
Compared to the four major distinguished families and even the many other wealthy wives, wasn't she forced to kiss up to them all the time?
Her deep-rooted inferiority associated with her countryside upbringing was never going to leave her throughout her entire lifetime. Her petty mannerisms that she was demonstrating at this moment were truly unsightly.
Every time she saw her mother like this, she constantly reminded herself not to end up like her.
If Yun Ziling wanted to dig her own grave, she was happy to oblige.
Moreover, this was also part of her overall scheme.
Liang Xiuqin had always been partial toward Yun Ziling, and using Jiang Henglin to social climb was only a part of her scheme.
Greed will expand little by little like a sponge...
Only after they got what they wanted, and then lost it all, would her punishment truly sting.
It wasn't that she was doing nothing. She was simply waiting for the right moment. The higher they climbed, the more it would sting when they fell.
She wanted to push those who hurt her into the abyss step by step, including her own kin.
To live her life again, besides the desire to become stronger, there was also an intense hatred deeply rooted inside her.
Yun Ziling was still young, and her sexual desires were still immature.
What Yun Xi had to do now was to nurture her sexual desires and cultivate her greed.
If one wanted to destroy a person, simply letting them die would be the most unwise way to do it.
The best way to carry out vengeance was to make someone's life a living hell so that they wished they were dead.
"Do you think that if I cancel my engagement to Jiang Henglin, he will get engaged to Yun Ziling?"
"Of course! The Jiang family's second young master accompanied us on a shopping trip for the entire day today and gave so many gifts to Ziling. He was gentle and considerate toward her. Isn't it obvious how much he likes Ziling? You should realize what's going on and give Ziling her rightful place. You've already jinxed six relatives, so who would dare to marry you? They're afraid of being jinxed by you."
As she was insulting and debasing Yun Xi, Liang Xiuqin didn't forget to put Yun Ziling on an even higher pedestal.
"Furthermore, our Ziling has been trained as a high-society lady ever since she was young. When she is ready to come out, she will be attending Jingdu's most prestigious debutante ball. Although she has a heart ailment, she is more qualified than you are, and only she is worthy of Young Master Jiang. Who do you think you are?"
Yun Xi raised her eyebrows and couldn't help but snicker.
She really didn't want to bruise her mother's ego, and she was too apathetic to bother to remind her mother not to dig her own grave.
Established jointly by the three major distinguished and four wealthiest families in Jingdu, Jingdu's prestigious debutante ball was held once every three years in the name of charity. Celebrities and socialites from all over the country were invited.
Not only must one be from a distinguished and wealthy family, but one also needed to possess special skills. The process was extremely selective and very few people got invitations.
With Yun Ziling's appearance and grades, as well as their family background, she could only dream of getting an invitation letter.
Her mother wanted it to be an opportunity for her to climb socially, but her wishful thinking was simply too unrealistic.
"It's true that I'm a nobody, but as long as I don't call off the engagement, you don't have the right to make me, even if you are my mother. Old man Jiang has always been fond of me, and he definitely won't let Jiang Henglin go rogue, so..."
She turned her head and glanced at Yun Ziling, who had that same arrogant expression on her face as her mother did.
"It's a pity that Yun Ziling will have to settle for being a mistress."
As she was saying this, Yun Xi couldn't help but think of the slogan of the advertisement for Dior lipstick that was around in her last life: As long as I live, you all will always be concubines.
If she didn't call it off, Yun Ziling would have to bear the ignominy of being a mistress for her entire life.
Yun Xi chuckled lightly and glanced at Yun Ziling, who had a menacing look on her face, with an innocent expression. Then she turned around and headed upstairs.
"Wretched girl! Stop right there! I'm warning you, you'd better get to know your place, or else..."
"Or else, what? Mom, do you think you are in a position to threaten me now? I am more important to Dad than Yun Ziling. If you dare lay hands on me, I'm betting Dad would use Grandpa's whip to punish you."
After that farce at the parents' meeting, Yun Yuanfeng had almost taken a whip to discipline her, and her mother was still apprehensive about it.
However, due to her intense love for Yun Ziling, she would resort to any means to get Yun Ziling what she wanted.
It was only a matter of time before her mother would meet her demise, and Yun Xi wasn't in a hurry.
"You..." Liang Xiuqin was so enraged that her entire face became distorted.
Yun Xi didn't bother paying any more attention to her, and she went upstairs with a sneer.
She felt honored to be able to work her mother up into such a fury.
...
After eating and having a shower, Yun Xi went back to her room to study.
After she'd gotten first place in her class, Yun Yuanfeng would not allow anyone to disturb her studying.
Her room was at the end of the hall, and Liang Xinyi was practically in Yun Ziling's room every day, asking her for advice on how to dress, etc.
As soon as Yun Xi returned to her room, she saw the figure sitting on her sofa. She froze and quickly closed the door.
She lowered her head and glanced at the infrared shield behind the door. She dared not speak until she was sure it was working.
"Young Master Mu, can you please come in without climbing the wall? If you are seen, how would I be able to plead my innocence?"
Yun Xi glanced at the man on the sofa angrily. "Even if you are bored and have nothing to do, you can't just come all the way here to make trouble for me, all right?"
"I didn't come to make trouble. I brought you what you wanted."
As he said this, Mu Feichi patted the laptop beside him. "I've copied all the information about the four major distinguished families and other business industry social circles you might want to know about into this computer."
Yun Xi glanced at the laptop beside him and felt somewhat surprised. "You're giving it to me?"
"Why not? This is an encrypted computer. All you want is confidential information. Don't worry about being hacked or being copied by other people."
"That's great!" She stepped forward, but just as she was about to reach for the laptop, her wrist was clasped.
She was caught off guard, but then she quickly flipped her hand and was about to smack his big hand with her left hand when...
It seemed that he had expected her to fight back, and Mu Feichi quickly dragged her forward just as she was about to strike back.
Caught by surprise, Yun Xi was pulled into his arms and stumbled onto his strong thighs.
The more she struggled, the more his hands clasped her waist tightly. He breathed onto her neck as his mellow voice sounded.
"Don't move! If I accidentally lose control, don't blame me for laying my hands on a juvenile like you."
After listening to his gentle warning, Yun Xi couldn't help but shiver. Not daring to move, she sat there obediently.
She was no longer a little girl, so of course she understood what he meant.
She was now the meat on the cutting board, and she might get eaten at any moment, so she wasn't in a position to resist or negotiate the terms.
After taking a deep breath, Yun Xi said helplessly, "Young Marshal Mu, what do you plan to do?"
Underneath her crown of wet black hair, there was an oval face with delicate features and clear bright eyes.
She gave off the faint fragrance of rose. It was refreshing and aromatic.
The fragrance was soft and subtle, just like her, and she seemed so tender that he couldn't bear to use any force, for fear that even the slightest force could hurt her.
Yet, in contrast to this fragile appearance, he knew she was extremely resilient and strong-willed.
Such an adorable little creature was really irresistible to him.
"Don't do what? Your hand got hurt, so just let me rub the medicine on it for you."
Then she took out the bottle of medicine that she'd given him from where she could see it poking out of his pocket and used her soft little hands to rub it in.
She flipped over his injured hand and placed it on her knees.
"..."
Yun Xi stared at the medicine bottle in her hand and at the hand resting on her knees.
It seemed as if his hand had probably gotten extremely hurt, because she could see a dark red bruise that had spread all over the back of his hand.
"You came all the way here and even climbed over the wall just to let me rub in the medicine for you?"
Even thinking about this baffled Yun Xi. Why did Young Marshal Mu have such an unorthodox way of thinking?
"What other reason do you think I came here for?"
Mu Feichi chuckled lightly, and, gazing at her delicate earlobes, he felt stirred inside.
"Okay, okay! I can rub it in for you even if I'm standing up."
"No, no, just rub it in while you sit where you are."
Rejecting her suggestion in a domineering fashion, she was left with no choice.
Yun Xi felt a little stymied. Didn't he know that there was a difference between men and women?
Moreover, she wasn't a child anymore, so he couldn't treat her the same way as if he was treating a daughter or a child.
"Why, are you uncomfortable sitting on my lap like I'm your human cushion?"
Yun Xi rolled her eyes. "If I say I feel uncomfortable, will Master Mu let me get up?"
"No."
"..." It was practically pointless to say anything, and she had no power to resist his dominating presence.
Rather than wasting time quarreling with him, it was better to just rub in the medicine for him and let him go.
Holding his big rough hand, Yun Xi poured the medicine onto the palm and then rubbed it onto the back of his hand after it had become warm.
It would take about two days for the bruises to heal. At the moment, however, she was thinking about how starting tomorrow she would have to lock her windows.
Otherwise, if he came in like this every day, she felt that she would get really infuriated with him.
With a touch of warmth, her tender little hand covered the back of his hand. The bruise on the back of his hand was still a bit painful, but when she rubbed it so softly, he felt that his heart was about to melt.
There was a saying that women were made of water.
And the little creature in front of him was sometimes as soft as water, soft enough to melt his heart.
Yet sometimes she was as tough as ice, with amazing courage and fighting spirit.
Sometimes soft and sometimes tough, she was unpredictable.
"Okay, put your hand away and let me get up."
After twisting the cap of the medicine bottle back on, Yun Xi pushed his hand away.
His legs were so rigid that instead of a human cushion it felt as if she was sitting on an iron plate instead.
Mu Feichi looked at the red bruise on the back of his hand, then smiled and removed the hand that had been clasped around her waist.
As soon as she was freed, Yun Xi stood up, but her legs felt numb.
Even her feet felt numb. She definitely wouldn't choose this kind of "cushion".
"You can set the password for the laptop yourself. I also put a safe under your bed. You can put your valuable things in there."
"What? You...?"
Yun Xi rushed toward her bed to take a look. Sure enough, there was an aqua-green safe under the bed. It wasn't very large, and it could easily be concealed.
When she raised her head, Mu Feichi was no longer on the sofa.
She went to the open window and looked at the figure waving at her from below. She let out a sigh of relief.