Chapter 115 (Updated 1152)

115:

Mu Shaowu hung up the phone, and only then did his anger subside a little.

He recalled how Ye Qingxi had shown him the wound on her hand, looking obedient and soft, as if she were perfectly fine.

Other children their age would cry their hearts out if they fell even slightly, even if they weren't seriously injured, just to express their grievances.

But their child, despite suffering such a great injustice, still smiled, as if afraid of worrying his parents.

Thinking of this, Mu Shaowu couldn't help but feel even more heartbroken.

His son is so well-behaved, he's such a little angel!

If it weren't for the fact that the production crew is rushing to meet the deadline, and he's filming every day from morning till night without a break, Mu Shaowu would really want to fly home right now so he can hug his son and comfort him.

But he is the male lead of this drama, and even the main male lead with 70% of the screen time. If he leaves at this time, the progress of the production will inevitably be affected, and the entire crew may not be able to go home for the New Year.

Mu Shaowu didn't want to hold others back because of himself, and he didn't want to spend his first New Year with Ye Qingxi in different places, so he could only stay on the set.

He sent Mu Shaoting a red envelope, telling her to stay home and keep Ye Qingxi company, and to buy him more food and toys.

She also ordered a lot of children's toys, two sets each, one for Ye Qingxi to comfort him, and one for Qin Cheng to thank him.

After doing all this, Mu Shaowu finally had time to take a shower and rest.

It was very late when Mu Feng got home, close to midnight.

Ye Qingxi was already asleep.

He originally intended to wait for Mu Feng to return and tell him about Qiu Lu before going to sleep.

But thinking of Mu Feng's personality, and fearing that he would think Qiu Lu deserved to die, and now that he had disturbed his grandson's sleep, he deserved to die even more, he went to bed early as usual.

Mu Feng entered the room, turned on the light, and hung his coat on the hanger.

He walked to the bedside and saw Ye Qingxi lying on his bed.

The room was warm, and his little face was rosy from sleeping. His soft, white hands rested on the blanket, like a little swan at rest.

For some reason, Mu Feng's heart, which had been bored all day, suddenly softened and calmed down.

He silently covered Ye Qingxi with the blanket without disturbing her, then went to the bathroom to take a shower and went to bed.

It wasn't until the next morning that Mu Feng heard Mu Shaoyan talk about Ye Qingxi and Qiu Lu at the dinner table.

Mu Shaoting was sleeping, and Ye Qingxi did not get up.

Of the entire Mu family, only Mu Feng, who was used to waking up early, and Mu Shaoyan, a senior high school student, sat together to have breakfast.

Mu Shaoyan asked his father, "Dad, you know about Xiao Xi, right?"

"What is it?" Mu Feng looked up at him.

"Xiao Xi didn't tell you?" Mu Shaoyan asked in surprise.

Mu Feng said calmly, "He was already asleep when I got back."

Mu Shaoyan nodded and told Mu Feng the truth.

He opened a picture on his WeChat and showed it to Mu Feng, "Look, Xiao Xi's hand is injured!"

Mu Feng took the phone and stared at it intently.

While eating, Mu Shaoyan continued, "So I beat him up."

Just one meal.

Mu Shaoyan: ? ? ?

Was it because I didn't hit him hard enough?

"Then... give him another beating?"

"Do as you please." Mu Feng handed the phone back to him. "Just don't kill him."

Mu Shaoyan: ...

Looking at his father, Mu Shaoyan thought, "You're really ruthless."

“My older brother said he would handle the rest.”

"Of course," Mu Feng said calmly.

His own son and nephew almost got into trouble. If he doesn't handle it, who else can he expect to?

Mu Feng ate his meal calmly and composedly.

After finishing his meal, he went to the study and called Mu Zheng.

Mu Zheng was not surprised at all by his call.

“Dad,” he said gently.

Mu Feng responded and asked, "How is Xiao Cheng?"

“He’s fine,” Mu Zheng said. “He’s just angry that Qiu Lu bullied Xiao Xi.”

"It's alright. Tell him that Qiu Lu will regret it soon."

He said, "Xiao Cheng did a great job in this matter. He was responsible, took charge, and reacted quickly. Remember to praise him."

"I've already praised him."

"That's good."

After explaining Qin Cheng's situation, Mu Feng began to talk about Qiu Lu's matter.

“Since you’ve decided to target the Qiu family and make Qiu Lu apologize, then this matter can’t be taken lightly.”

He stood by the window of his study, looking at the wintersweet tree outside with a cold gaze, as if he were looking at a dead tree.

"Whether he apologizes or not is irrelevant. Who does Qiu Lu think he is? What's the use of his apology? He didn't apologize when the incident happened, nor did he apologize immediately afterward. Shao Yan hit him, making it clear that our Mu family is dissatisfied with this matter, but he didn't come to apologize overnight. So this apology is unnecessary."

“Xiao Xi is not our child, nor does he share Shao Wu’s surname. Many people are watching him, trying to see where he stands. If you raise your voice now and then lower it with an apology, some people will inevitably think he is unimportant and that bullying him can be resolved with an apology. In that case, others will naturally not be wary of him or take him seriously.”

"Since Qiu Lu dared to make a move, he should bear the consequences. Anyway, our family is not short of money. Go ahead and do it. Even if you don't die, you'll make the Qiu family lose half their lives. That way, others will know that the Mu family is not to be trifled with, and Ye Qingxi is not to be bullied."

"His good temper doesn't mean his parents have good tempers."

"If you want to bully him, you should consider whether you are qualified and whether you have the means."

"Okay," Mu Zheng replied.

Upon hearing this, Mu Feng hung up the phone.

When Ye Qingxi woke up, washed up, and went to find Mu Feng, she discovered that he already knew about what happened yesterday.

“Your uncle told me,” Mu Feng said, pulling his hand and looking at the book.

Ye Qingxi: !!

His uncle?!

Is what his uncle said credible?

"My uncle probably said that I only have this little injury, and it was an accident, right?" Ye Qingxi said softly.

He didn't exaggerate or make subjective assumptions, did he?

"Yes." Mu Feng said gently, "He said you're fine elsewhere; he's already checked you."

Ye Qingxi breathed a sigh of relief. It was truly rare; the most pragmatic person in their family was actually his uncle!

As expected, it still has to be a high school student with clear eyes!

"Do you want him to apologize to you?" Mu Feng asked him.

Ye Qingxi shook her head.

“He definitely doesn’t genuinely think he’s wrong or truly want to apologize to me, so I don’t want him to.”

Mu Feng laughed. He felt that Ye Qingxi was very much like him at this moment.

He took his hand and made him sit down next to him.

“You’re right, that’s what Grandpa thinks too. So Grandpa told you that you don’t need your uncle’s apology, and you don’t need him to apologize to you. Even if he wanted to, you wouldn’t see him.”

Ye Qingxi: ...It’s over.

Judging from his grandfather's calm tone, as if the other party were already dead, and his attitude that he didn't even need an apology, the situation was clearly more serious.

However, his original intention was to use this incident to bring the Qiu family into Mu Zheng's sights, thereby suppressing him and preventing him from making any discoveries.

The Qiu family has now suffered a severe blow, which, although not in line with his original plan, is not entirely unacceptable.

I wonder if Qiu Yue will feel bad.

After all, the whole thing started because they knew each other, and he wanted to bring him a cake.

Ye Qingxi felt a pang of sympathy when he thought of Qiu Yue, but then he hardened his heart again when he thought of the Mu family's fate in the original book.

No matter what, he couldn't let that outcome happen again.

Therefore, the more severely the Qiu family falls, the more advantageous it will be for him.

However, Ye Qingxi looked at Mu Feng.

He truly hadn't expected that all he'd done was get a few harsh words, and the injuries on his hands were accidental and insignificant, yet they could cause such a huge upheaval in the Qiu family.

His family really... cares about him a lot.

Thinking of this, Ye Qingxi couldn't help but feel a little happy.

He unusually leaned into Mu Feng's arms and hugged him affectionately.

Looking at his soft and adorable appearance, Mu Feng hugged him and coaxed him, "Don't worry, even though he doesn't have to apologize to you, he will be punished more severely than if he had apologized. He will know that he shouldn't have dared to bully you, and no one else will dare to bully you in the future."

Ye Qingxi: ...This is an example to scare the monkeys!

Ye Qingxi looked at her grandfather. Even though she knew he wasn't a good person and could become a lawless madman in certain situations, he did give her a strong sense of security and reliability.

Ye Qingxi couldn't help but hug him tightly. It was so wonderful to be his grandfather's grandson.

Rongsheng's mornings begin in chaos and turmoil.

The brand department was the first to fall into disarray.

Jian Xuan's agent called at 10:30 a.m. to say, "I'm sorry, this endorsement may have to be canceled. I'm really sorry."

The brand manager was shocked. "Why are you canceling it? Weren't we supposed to sign the contract tomorrow?"

"Yes, it hasn't been signed yet, has it?"

"But didn't we already reach an agreement?" the brand manager asked, puzzled.

However, Jian Xuan's agent only politely said, "I'm really sorry, we'll work together again next time when there's a suitable opportunity."

After saying that, the agent hung up the phone.

The brand manager was completely bewildered.

Their cooperation plan was all written, and they officially announced it two days after signing the contract. Then, before the Chinese New Year, they released a special Jianxuan product, which Jianxuan posted on his Weibo account with a link to the official website for fans to purchase.

Despite being advertised as a benefit, the price actually goes up rather than down. Instead, it comes with a free canvas bag with Jian Xuan's signature and a few cheap gifts to make the price increase seem less blatant.

But now, Jian Xuan says he's not signing the contract!

The brand manager immediately went to the general manager's office, only to be told that General Manager Qiu Yue had not come to work today.

"Mr. Qiu said he's on vacation."

"Taking a vacation?!" The brand manager was shocked. Taking a vacation at this time?!

The brand manager didn't dare delay and immediately called Qiu Yue to report the matter.

Qiu Yue was somewhat surprised.

Jian Xuan's collaboration went relatively smoothly. Initially, the other party was not very satisfied with the endorsement fee, but after several rounds of negotiations, he agreed.

Rongsheng's fourth-quarter financial report was not good, so when the brand department proposed this scheme to fleece customers, Qiu Yue did not reject it. Unexpectedly, Jian Xuan said he would not sign the contract now.

He did almost nothing but post a Weibo and made five million for free. If this wasn't attractive to Jian Xuan, he wouldn't have agreed before. But now he's changed his mind. What's going on?

Qiu Yue suddenly thought of the beating Mu Shaoyan gave Qiu Lu yesterday.

If Mu Shaoyan, as the uncle, gets angry because his nephew is injured, how could Mu Shaowu, Ye Qingxi's nominal father, possibly sit idly by?

He and Jian Xuan were in the same circle, so he naturally knew what a star like Jian Xuan cared about most. It wouldn't be difficult for him not to sign the contract, especially since he had the Mu family backing him up.

Qiu Yue sighed, vaguely sensing that Ye Qingxi's situation was probably more serious than the worst-case scenario he had anticipated.

He has already tried to persuade his parents, but they won't listen.

Now, karma has caught up with them.

“Go see General Manager Qiu,” Qiu Yue said calmly. “I’m on vacation. You don’t need to tell me about company matters for now. Just report directly to General Manager Qiu.”

Brand Manager: ? ? ?

No, what does this mean?

What do you mean by "you don't need to tell me for now"?

Why did he find those words so subtle?

The brand manager's heart skipped a beat. Could there be some hidden reason behind their CEO Qiu's vacation at this time?

It seems their company is facing a precarious situation, with external threats yet to be eliminated and internal troubles arising.

The brand manager hurriedly reported the matter to Qiu's father.

Mr. Qiu frowned as he listened. He clearly didn't know much about this kind of thing and blurted out, "What's the big deal? If Jian Xuan isn't signing, can't you find someone else? There are so many celebrities in the entertainment industry, what's the difference?"

Brand Manager: ...The problem is, Jianxuan is currently the only company that can meet their requirements!

He could only try his best to explain things to Qiu's father.

Mr. Qiu was furious. "If that's the case, why didn't you sign with him sooner?"

“We had been negotiating with him for a long time, and we finally reached an agreement a few days ago. We started to draft the contract and prepare to sign it, but who would have thought that he would go back on his word now.”

"That means you've failed in your job!" Mr. Qiu said angrily. "You have to figure this out yourself. If you can't, you can forget about your year-end bonus."

Brand Manager: ...

The brand manager was at a loss for words.

What can he possibly do?

Can he conjure up a new, suitable star?

The brand manager left the president's office with a headache.

However, not long after, the sales manager knocked on Qiu's father's office and said that the two companies that had previously agreed to cooperate would no longer cooperate.

"They didn't say why, they just said we'd like to work together again next time."

"How can there be no reason for this?" Mr. Qiu glared at him. "How could you lose two ready-made orders?!"

However, before he could calm down, the finance manager came to report again.

"Leaderway said their payment might not arrive for several months."

"Didn't we agree that the payment would be made before the New Year?!" Mr. Qiu was so angry that he had a headache.

"That's what I told them too, but they said there was nothing they could do. The Mu Group suddenly tightened the deadline, saying that if they didn't transfer the money within this week, they would terminate the cooperation next year. They had no choice but to transfer the money to the Mu Group first. That's all the liquid funds they have on hand. Mr. Zhang said that if you don't agree, then they will have no choice but to terminate the cooperation with us next year."

Qiu's father: ...

When Qiu's father heard about the Mu Group, he immediately understood.

He said, "Why are there so many things happening today? It turns out the Mu family is behind it all."

This is outrageous!

Mr. Qiu slammed his fist on the table. All he did was scold his grandson a few times; was it really worth it?!

Especially since Ye Qingxi isn't even the Mu family's biological grandson!

Why would Mu Feng go to such lengths for an outsider?!