cynicism

"Miss Mu, I'm really sorry to ask you to come here during your busy schedule. Please come in."

"You're too polite, Vice President. A lot has happened these past few days, so I can take a break from my busy schedule. Shen's can continue to consider cooperation matters, but I'm afraid they'll be under even greater pressure."

After hanging up the phone with a certain "business tycoon", Mu Qingyan found ways to rest for a few days and finally recovered his mental state.

Although she knew that sending the resignation letter would definitely cause an uproar, if she wanted to disappear, naturally no one would be able to find her, so she was able to arrive at the Shen's Manor smoothly today.

"Mr. Mu...Qingyan, we're at home, can I just call you that? We'll have many opportunities to meet in the future, so let's not be so polite, okay?"

Shen Chuxuan no longer looked like the elite she was when they last met at the company. The light-colored knitted long skirt made her look gentle and charming, and her playful wink made her look even more lively. I'm afraid no one would be able to say no to her.

Mu Qingyan nodded, followed suit and changed the address, then followed this new friend through the simple and elegant living room of the main house.

"Brother and other guests are waiting for you in the back garden. Today——"

"Other guests?"

Mu Qingyan paused.

She thought that only Shen You and Shen Chuxuan were involved in this negotiation.

Just as he was about to ask, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure walking down the stairs not far away.

A voice then rang out in the quiet living room:

"Sister, are you here? Didn't I tell you to call me? Look, I'm almost late for my date..."

Is it true that he is a top star with millions of fans? Even with a complaining tone, his voice remains gorgeous.

However, Mu Qingyan didn't know whether the other party was doing it on purpose or had a cold, but he could hear a strange hoarseness in his voice, unlike the clear voice before.

"I told you we have guests today, why are you still dressed so indecently? Go change!"

"I just woke up. Sister, you know I slept late last night..."

Mu Qingyan took a look when she heard this, and her eyes happened to fall on someone's casually open collar.

The silver chain was flashing with a cold light, slowly extending from the collarbone to the half-covered chest. As the arm was raised due to yawning, the muscles in that area were exposed more.

With this disheveled look and a voice that can almost be considered coquettish, it's no wonder she's a top star. Even Mu Qingyan has to admit that she really knows how to "seduce" to the extreme.

Beside him, Chen Chuxuan cast a slightly apologetic look. Mu Qingyan withdrew her gaze, shook her head to indicate that it was okay, and consciously stood back to avoid affecting the interaction between the two siblings.

Unfortunately, no matter how much she tried to reduce her presence, she couldn't avoid being brought up in the conversation.

"Ms. Mu, you've rarely seen me lately."

The footsteps were steady and powerful, and a tall figure without the assistance of crutches or wheelchair stopped not far from him. Mu Qingyan thought to himself that young people's injuries really healed quickly, then looked up and prepared to say hello.

In front of her, the big star had a messy hair but still looked handsome, with a faint smile on his lips. But for some reason, she always felt a little bit out of place. Later she realized that the other party's words just now were very similar to hers last time.

Considering what has happened recently, the phrase “rare” must be sarcastic.

“Master Shen’s injury seems to have recovered, congratulations.”

"That's fine, it's all thanks to your company."

As the man spoke, he pulled up his trousers to reveal a mechanical assistive device wrapped around his calf, with the logo of Yan's Company clearly visible on it.

"Miss Mu's fiancé is so young and promising. I heard that Yan's R&D department is so prosperous now thanks to him. No wonder Miss Mu is willing to do anything to get it—"

"A Yin, don't be rude!" Chen Chuxuan didn't know what his brother had suddenly done, and quickly pulled him away. "Those things on the Internet are obviously deliberate frame-ups. Aren't you usually the most opinionated? How could you really believe it-"

"Framed?"

Chen Yin looked surprised, raised his hand and touched his chin seriously, and took a few steps closer to Mu Qingyan.

"Ms. Mu, was that really a frame-up? They said you've always been deeply in love with Mr. Yan, and they have a basis for that! Ms. Mu, if it was just a rumor, why didn't you clarify it? That's too cool!"

At such a close distance, Shen Yin did not use his height advantage to be aggressive. Instead, he supported himself with his knees, lowered his upper body, and leaned closer with his head tilted.

There was a joking tone in his voice at the end, but Mu Qingyan could still sense other emotions in it.

"Mr. Shen——"

"Oh, you're welcome! Miss Mu, just call me Kinsley. After all, my brother and sister are about to cooperate with you. Miss Mu is really a hidden talent. You can still make them continue to listen to you at this time. No wonder Xiao Yan always gave up Bai Yue for you——"

“Master Shen, you’re worrying too much. I’ve already resigned from Yan’s.”

Mu Qingyan interrupted Shen Yin directly, took out his mobile phone and pulled out the resignation letter.

"Although it hasn't been announced publicly yet, the relevant handover will begin soon, so don't worry, I am indeed cooperating with Miss Chu Yan with sincerity."

This approach obviously worked, and the stunned superstar in front of us was the best proof.

After a long while, the other party finally came back to his senses. He didn't seem to pay attention to his sister's urging. He stared at Mu Qingyan and asked again:

"That...that deep love, what's the point of an engagement, you..."

The coldness and sarcasm in his tone were gone, leaving only a full sense of accusation.

The superstar's aura weakened visibly, and her pretty face suddenly showed a hint of tentative caution.

Mu Qingyan didn’t know if she was seeing things, but she always felt that his lips were pouting.

Such a quick change of mood was beyond her expectations.

Over there, Shen Chuxuan finally couldn't stand it anymore, stepped forward and pulled the naughty kid's ear:

"What does this brat have to do with you? You're getting more and more nagging at such a young age. Aren't you going on a date? Why don't you hurry up and leave?"

"Who wants to date? I'm just going for a ride, okay? Oh, it hurts! Sis, be gentle—"

The big star wailed in pain, but he did not forget to warn:

"...Sister Mu, if you need any help, please let me know. My fans are all seasoned and will definitely help you win back your spot in less than a day!"

Mu Qingyan didn't know if that name was a slip of the tongue or what, but it did sound much more pleasant, so she smiled and nodded:

"I'll trouble you later."

“…”

“Master Shen?”

"Oh...oh, sorry..." The big star was distracted for some reason, scratching his earlobe and smiling sheepishly, "I told you not to call me that...Call me Kinsley or call me sister like me-"

"Yeah." Mu Qingyan said first, "Kinsley, thank you."

…

After seeing off the big star, Mu Qingyan followed Shen Chuxuan to the back garden.

It was indeed old money that had accumulated wealth for generations. The garden was as big as a sports field, and even the lawn was covered with extremely expensive varieties, not to mention the countless neatly trimmed flowers and trees around.

only…

There are indeed a lot of people here.

"Qingyan, I'm sorry I didn't greet you in advance. These are all the heads of some of BI's branches, and some of them are good friends of my father and my siblings. It's okay for us to talk about things while eating. Just treat it as a family gathering, okay?"

Shen Chuxuan was a little evasive, it seemed that this was indeed not her idea.

"Miss Mu is here! Come in, come in!"

"Mr. Shen, long time no see."

Mu Qingyan held Chen You's hand, looked around, and continued:

“No wonder Mr. Shen didn’t let me go to the company to find you yesterday. It seems that he arranged a Hongmen Banquet at his own home?”

"It's just a misunderstanding!" Shen You waved his hand. "Please don't wrongly accuse me, Mr. Mu. This is also to show Shen's sincerity. From now on, Mr. Mu and I will be family. Let's chat together! Come on, let me introduce you!"

Mu Qingyan sneered in her heart. She knew that with the public opinion being so big this time, there was no way the Shen family would let it go.

"Mr. Mu, this is Chu Xin's and my uncle, Terrence. He's in poor health and has been recuperating in Country E. He only recently came back... Mr. Mu?"

Mu Qingyan stood there, looking at the face that was taken in by her visual cells.

The brain consciously began to refine and reconstruct the pale skin, deep eye sockets, light pupils, high cheekbones, and typical British middle-aged appearance, slowly overlapping with a younger face.

——Exactly…

Her brain felt like it was hit by a blunt object. The tattoo on her left rib suddenly felt a burning sensation, and her throat was also stinging, choking on the words she was about to say.

"Qingyan, what's wrong with you?"

"without…"

Mu Qingyan gently broke free from Shen Chuxuan's hand and reached out in another direction:

"Mr. Bedford, you and your brother are so alike."

How could I forget?

This face was the source of all her pain.

Terrence Bedford seemed unaccustomed to such small talk. He nodded indifferently and walked away without saying anything.

Mu Qingyan took a deep breath and felt her consciousness slowly returning before she followed Shen Chuxuan to meet the other guests.

The atmosphere at the table was harmonious. Mu Qingyan could see that Chen You had no intention of discussing cooperation today, so she took her wine glass and found a corner to send a message to York.

Coincidentally, these days, her old friend specially added a few more protection ropes for her safety.

Because of this, she was still enjoying herself, but York brought her some bad news -

"Yan, I checked the surveillance cameras around the Shen's Manor. Several reporters are heading there and are expected to arrive in 10 minutes. I don't know where they got the courage to go there, but it's best if you don't run into them."

--Um?

Mu Qingyan thought she had read it wrong and read the sentence again.

But she soon realized what the problem was.

It’s not a question of whether the reporters have the courage or not, but why do they know that they are here?

She didn't think anyone except York could find her.

She typed in a few commands, and the originally blurry video instantly became crystal clear.

The leading car caught her attention first. It had a cool color and was the same car she had seen at the amusement park that night.

——Kinsley?

What is this for?