Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ah Mo did not say anything and just silently stared at Gu Qiwu, his reserved and imposing manner not giving in to Gu Qiwu's.
While as Ah Mo was sizing him up, Gu Qiwu also fixed his gaze on him while his dark eyes refracted a shifting light. His stern face was a little tense, but you could not quite read his expression.
The two of them seemed to confront each other for quite a while before Gu Qiwu spoke up, "Nice to meet you, Ah Mo! Looks like you still remember me." His deep voice contained a hint of amusement, but it sounded cold to Ah Mo.
"Mr. Gu of the Hui Gu Corporation, you were quite popular a while back. It'd be quite hard to not remember you." Ah Mo's face was calm as he responded calmly.
The curve on the corner of Gu Qiwu's lips widened. Then, he pointed at the seat across him. "Have a seat!"
Ah Mo looked at him thoughtfully, then walked over and sat down.
"I remember the last time we sat across each other like was a few years ago when Mu Yinan came to City B to talk business. I made an appointment with him, but he didn't come and sent you instead. He regards you quite high, and you have quite a status in the Mu family."
Gu Qiwu's inquisitive gaze paused on Ah Mo's face. Although his tone seemed a little meaningful, Ah Mo could hear a hint of disdain. Still, he was used to these things because he had seen such tricks before.
"Mr. Gu, you're wrong. There's no such thing as a hierarchy in our Mu family, just the elders and those who come after them," Ah Mo replied.
Gu Qiwu suddenly laughed. His calm tone was filled with a hint of disdain as he taunted, "No hierarchy? Our Mu family? Are you already part of the Mu family? I heard that you were just an orphan that Mu Yinan adopted from the orphanage."
Even if that were hard to hear, Ah Mo's expression did not change at all. He looked at Gu Qiwu calmly, "I think you don't want to see me today just to discuss my background, do you?"
"You're quite a hard one. I heard about you from Ah Yong. You used to be Mu Yinan's expert help, and now you're a capable subordinate of Mu Yuchen's. Even Ah Yong was praising your capabilities. However, these things cannot cover up the truth of your background."
When Gu Qiwu said this, he paused and examined Ah Mo again before continuing, "You should have a better chance, and not lower yourself to just be Mu Yuchen's subordinate as Glory World Corporation's common project manager, don't you think?"
In the end, Gu Qiwu's tone seemed to sound like he was probing. His dark brows were slightly raised as he looked at Ah Mo with amusement.
Ah Mo slowly lowered his gaze, hiding the shadow that flashed in his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know what I mean! But I won't point it out either."
A sneer flashed across Ah Mo's lips. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gu. I don't understand what you mean."
"You and I understand each other. I personally admire your capabilities and think you're very responsible. You've stayed at the Mu family for so many years, and done so much for them. Mu Yuchen should at least arrange for a better position for you, shouldn't he? Do you need me to make it any clearer? I accidentally found out a while back that your wife's pregnant too. As a man, don't you think that you should give your child a better life?" Gu Qiwu's voice continued to drone on.
"Let my woman and child have a better life? Mr. Gu, do you know this logic too?"
When he heard this, Ah Mo found it even more ironic. This man did not mention Lingshi at all, and instead, talked at length about these things.
As Ah Mo finished, Gu Qiwu's profound gaze took in all of Ah Mo's disdain. However, he did not answer him and his expression did not seem calm.
He thought to himself that Mu Lingmo definitely knew about his relationship with Mu Lingshi. However, Gu Qiwu did not plan on pointing it out bluntly.
"You should consider my words. With your capabilities, you shouldn't just be a little project manager. Besides, don't they say that they see Mu Lingshi as a Mu family's daughter too?"
Upon hearing this, Ah Mo's expression began to shift from dark to light as he glanced uncertainly at Gu Qiwu, "Can you give me a better deal?"
Gu Qiwu instantly smiled, seeming to be satisfied with the changes on Ah Mo's face. "At least, I won't be stingy with my own people."
Upon hearing that, Ah Mo had a mixed expression. He looked quietly at Gu Qiwu and pursed his lips tightly without uttering a word.
"You can go back and consider it, Glory World can only be Mu Yuchen's. Although you think of him as one of your own, he might not. Six years ago, after that tragedy, is that not enough to show what the problem is? After going through that, you should understand it very well. In fact, it was Mu Yuchen who asked you to arrange for the people. I heard that you hesitated then, didn't you?" Gu Qiwu went on with a lower voice though Ah Mo could hear a hint of strangeness.
Ah Mo quickly looked up and met with Gu Qiwu's to catch a hint of coldness from his dark eyes!
It looks like this Gu Qiwu's resentment towards Brother runs deep.
"Alright, you can go back and think about it. I'm looking forward to your answers. If you're willing to become part of my people, I'll allocate an even vaster space for you."
...
Afterwards, Ah Mo did not answer Gu Qiwu's question.
When he left the clubhouse, it was already very late at night, and Maple Residence had already fallen into silence. Xi Xiaye had just coaxed Mu Xiaocheng to sleep and bathe, while Mu Yuchen was browsing through some documents in the study room.
When the phone rang, Mu Yuchen answered without even looking.
"Brother, it was really as you said! On the way home earlier, I was stopped by Gu Qiwu's people who brought me to meet him!" Ah Mo's voice sounded solemn as he spoke softly.
Mu Yuchen reacted calmly. "Hmm? What did he talk to you about?" As he answered, he closed the thick book he was holding and put it back onto the shelf.
"He wanted me to be one of his chess pieces. I think it was meant to go against you. He even brought up that thing with Lingtian, but his move of trying to drive a wedge between us doesn't seem very clever," Ah Mo said, unfazed.
Upon hearing that, Mu Yuchen's expression froze slightly, then he answered coldly, "Whether it's clever or not depends on who it was targetting. If it were really someone, this might actually be a good trick."
Ah Mo chuckled. "Unfortunately he used it on the wrong person."
Worried, he continued, "I thought he would bring Lingshi up, but he didn't. I think he's not going to acknowledge Lingshi's identity at all. Are you sure you still want to meet him? I could sense his deep hatred for you"
Mu Yuchen smirked slightly. "He's not the only one who harbors great hatred towards me. A lot of people would be glad to attend my funeral. I won't last so long, I'm afraid. Ah Mo, if you ever feel that I'm mistreating you, you can leave anytime. I won't stop you. I've told you this a long time ago."
"I'm willing to follow you forever. I'll never regret this decision!" Ah Mo voiced out before Mu Yuchen even finished his sentence.
Mu Yuchen replied with a smile, "Initially, I couldn't believe Lingtian's reason for betraying me, but hearing your words make me feel like it might be true. If someday, something happens between Gu Qiwu and I...if that day ever comes, you and Lingshi shouldn't get involved. Then, the two of you don't have to be burdened. You don't have to be bothered about anything related to Gu Qiwu anymore. Just focus on living your own life."
He then hung up without waiting for Ah Mo's reply. Mu Yuchen's eyes darkened along with the screen of his phone before he dialed another number.
He was calling Su Chen who had already been back for a week. Right after his honeymoon trip, he jumped right back into intense work since a lot had piled up, so he frequently worked till late at night. He still had not found the time to meet Zhou Zimo and Mu Yuchen yet.
Half an hour later, at the rest area by the small plaza in front of Su Chen's station.
When Mu Yuchen arrived with several bottles of wine, Su Chen and Zhou Zimo were already done setting up the barbeque pit. Zhou Zimo was putting some sauce onto the meat while Su Chen was preparing something else. The smell in the air was very tempting.
"You guys sure are quick!"
Qi Lei's voice reached them first before Mu Yuchen got to say anything yet. Mu Yuchen turned around and noticed him twirling his car keys on his finger as he sauntered over. "I was just nearby when Su Chen called me. It was a great reason for me to leave early though preparing these things is easy!"
Zhou Zimo handed each of them a skewer with meat on it.
Mu Yuchen handed his bag to Su Chen, then tried the skewer before turning towards Zhou Zimo. "It's alright now. Don't overcook it."
Qi Lei enjoyed the meat thoroughly. He spoke before he finished swallowing the meat, "More sauce, please!"
They cooked some more meat before sitting down.
"You're really busy working on the weekends. Salute to you and your colleagues. Here, eat some more! I was having trouble finding something to do. It's been a week since I drank!" Qi Lei said as he grabbed a bottle of wine.
Clink!
They all took their fill right after they raised their wine glasses.
"This reminds me of the night before we left the military. It was so many years ago! It's been a long time since I've done this! Why did you think of coming out drinking with us now? Aren't you worried that Xiaye will be looking for you everywhere?" Zhou Zimo started teasing Mu Yuchen.
Mu Yuchen stared at him coldly as he took a sip of his wine. "Didn't you say we were ignoring you just a few days ago?"
Zhou Zimo coughed lightly and touched his nose before he turned towards Qi Lei. "How're things on your end? Can my subordinates return to me yet?"
"The system is still in operation. I'm worried that there will be maintenance work. Anyway, you don't need to worry about losing one or two people from your company! Too bad, I won't be returning them. I don't mind paying for this dinner tonight!" Qi Lei said shamelessly.
"Dinner? Is my service only worth one dinner? Dream on! Are you trying to humiliate me!?" Zhou Zimo ate the last piece of meat on a toothpick and threw the toothpick at Qi Lei.
Qi Lei managed to catch it with a grin. "You're only worth this toothpick here. I'm buying your workers' equipment with a piece of meat on it!"
"You're becoming more and more like Ah Chen! Such an evil businessman!"
"If you can crack some jokes, then you'll have the same value as the piece of meat!"
"You little—" Zhou Zimo grabbed a glass and was about to throw it at Qi Lei.
"That's enough now. Let's talk business!" Su Chen gave them a warning stare and they both kept quiet.
"Ah Chen, Zimo briefed me on what happened. I don't think we can completely trust what Qi Feng says. By the way, I have some new information. Remember Wang Qin's incident on the cruise?"
Mu Yuchen squinted and glanced at Su Chen, then he quickly averted his gaze to Qi Lei who seemed a little startled.
"What's the matter?" Zhou Zimo asked.
"We couldn't find the perpetrator. The best we could do back then was help Ah Chen be removed from the suspect list, so the actual murderer is still on the loose, but from what I know, Uncle Mu requested a thorough investigation. He even got so angry that he criticized the police force's ability. After some time, the police actually found some leads!"
"What leads? Are we going to find out who killed my mother soon? Who is it? Is it Qi Qiming? Or someone else?" Qi Lei asked frantically as he stared at Su Chen.
"We still haven't found out who, but we grasped the murderer's identity. He was an inmate before, and is someone from City B. Plus, he's related to Gu Qiwu's assistant, Ah Yong."
Su Chen's tone sounded grim and hesitant. "Gu Qiwu? Are you saying it was Gu Qiwu's subordinate?"
Qi Lei's eyes darkened in disbelief. "That's impossible! Gu Qiwu never had any conflict with my mother before. There's no need for him to go against her!"
"That's exactly the concern. With the evidence now, we can't say for sure that Gu Qiwu is behind this. It might just be a coincidence. The problem is that the perpetrator fled abroad, so no one knows where he is now!"
As a higher-up, Su Chen had bumped into someone following the case, so he had received some valuable information after a light probe.
"Abroad? We can't get him just because he ran away abroad?" Qi Lei asked.
Su Chen shook his head helplessly. "You'll have to ask the police for that. However, I think the whole thing is not that simple, we might be able to find out something if we get ahold of that perpetrator."
"Speaking of Gu Qiwu, I don't think he has an obvious motive. Could he have killed her so that either Qi Qiming or Qi Feng could take over Qi Kai? Knowing how selfish he is, I bet he won't bear the risk for them, will he? I doubt Qi Feng is of any importance to him! He's disabled now, so he probably can't prove much value!" Zhou Zimo expressed his thoughts straightforwardly.
"Zimo has a point. I can't make sense of this whole thing at all. It's obvious that the perpetrator is trying to frame Ah Chen. We might be able to find something surprising if we find this guy!" Su Chen squinted and looked into Mu Yuchen's calm, cold eyes.
Qi Lei's eyes darkened, then he spoke resentfully, "Whoever that is, I'll never forgive him!"
"Wait until the police find evidence. This is just our speculation at the current stage." Mu Yuchen was surprised, but he knew very well what Mu Tangchuan was trying to do! He wanted to rat out the person behind this and eliminate that threat.
"I'll try to get something out from Gu Qiwu if the chance ever arises. I have something to discuss with him as well." Mu Yuchen glanced at Qi Lei. "You need to pick your pace up. I might not be able to help you if something happens on my end. I'm just doing my best to delay it."
"Don't worry. Everything is going well. I'll go to City B in a few days. Only the filming is left outstanding since we've signed the contract, so I'll be able to sneak away with this excuse. I'll still be able to stand my ground if you can't cover me then."
"I won't interfere with your business and I'll leave it to you guys! I have no idea how it works after all." Su Chen shrugged helplessly. "I do think you guys ought to be jealous of me. There are no tricks or schemes. I just sit at my office desk comfortably and do whatever I want."
"You wouldn't have it easy if you're always dreaming to be at the top!" Qi Lei said.
"Su Chen, just keep an eye on the immigration. Tell me if you find anything. Besides, Qi Feng and Gu Lingsha's wedding is coming soon, but their marriage has never been approved by Gu Lingsha's mother, Doris. I suppose she'll be coming here very soon. Lingshi's matter can't be hidden any longer by then, so do what you can," Mu Yuchen reminded them.
"Don't worry. We got it."
Su Chen and Zhou Zimo traded glances with each other. Qi Lei was a little confused but refrained from asking any questions.
"I'll be keeping an eye on Qi Feng for you. While my position in the company is not too bad at the moment, I've been restricted from being involved in a lot of projects, so I may not see him very often too. I'll just do my best," Qi Lei said.
They chatted as they drank, and only went home around 2 a.m.
Xi Xiaye had already fallen asleep when he arrived back in Maple Residence. Slightly tipsy, Mu Yuchen lay down on the bed the moment he got into the room.
Xi Xiaye could smell the strong alcohol stench even while she was asleep. The man was hugging her from behind and she could not move at all.
"Why did you drink so much? Where have you been? Get up—" Xi Xiaye tried to push him away, but her effort was futile. As she was about to kick him off, he got on top of her and whispered beside her ear, "Had a few drinks with Su Chen and the others. I'm not drunk..."
His voice was getting softer and softer until she could only hear his snoring...
She managed to get away from him in the end, and she quickly switched the bedside lamp on!
He did not even change out of his clothes. She could smell alcohol and barbeque smoke from him, but he was already sound asleep at the moment. With a sigh, she got out of bed to get him a warm towel and wipe his body after taking off his coat.
She was finally done after half an hour. It was already 4 a.m. and her sleepiness had totally gone away, so she cleaned up a little and was about to head to the study room, but before she could walk out, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back onto the bed, embracing her once again.
"Where are you going?" He looked at her half-awake, his eyes seeming dissatisfied.
"I just wanted to look through some documents, but now..." Xi Xiaye lowered her head and looked at her man. "Alright, go to sleep. I'll leave it for tomorrow."
"When I wake up, I want you to always be sleeping by my side. Do you hear that?" His tone left her no room for negotiation, taking her by surprise.