Chapter 42 "She's just too clean..."

The main characters of this engagement party made their appearance one after another.

The guests tonight had all heard some inside stories, and Mu Fengyue and her young boyfriend became the focus of the entire event.

More attention also fell on Mu Fenglin.

Mu Fenglin had been standing next to Pei Shuwen since he entered, which made her quite conspicuous, so she didn't want to linger there any longer.

Mu Fenglin still wore a bright smile, appearing poised and elegant.

He spoke deliberately, avoiding any appearance of rudeness: "Pei Lu, I hope you will seriously consider what I just said."

Pei Shuwen, however, maintained the same attitude, keeping everyone at arm's length.

Pei Shuwen: "President Mu thinks too highly of me. I don't have that much power to influence Madam Mu's decision."

Mu Fenglin, however, disagreed.

It's just a pity that the once dazzling young man has also learned to hide his talents.

Mu Fenglin calculated the time; there was still a while before her sister's chosen 'auspicious time'.

Then she elaborated on it.

Mu Fenglin: "Six months ago, we received inside information that the Jin Cong Bay project in Ningcheng was about to start bidding, and it was expected to generate huge profits. I personally assembled a team. At the time, my idea was that even if we didn't have the funds to take over the whole project, we could at least get some exposure and get a share of the profits."

"Unfortunately, we spent a lot of time and money, but the project was snatched away by an unknown small company. Everyone said that the Zhou family of Yuntai was behind this small company, but I checked privately and found no connection with the Zhou family. Instead, I found a dance charity association called Yusi."

Pei Shuwen narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, "And then? What did you find out?"

Mu Fenglin frankly shrugged: "I didn't find anything."

Apart from one perfectly normal exchange, everything else was spotless.

Many people might stop here and not delve any further.

But many years ago, she learned by chance that Pei Shuwen's mother was a well-known dancer in Ningcheng, and her name happened to contain the character "Yu".

It's hard for her not to overthink.

Pei Shuwen re-examined the flamboyant woman in front of him.

He had known Xiang Chen'an for many years, and Xiang Chen'an could guess that it was his doing, so he wasn't surprised.

But Mu Fenglin was able to guess, proving that she was far smarter than she appeared.

Pei Shuwen hadn't touched a drop of alcohol all night, but at this moment he took a small sip: "Has anyone ever told you that you're very smart?"

Mu Fenglin shrugged and drank a glass with him: "Of course, but it seems you don't really like smart women."

During the short time Pei Shuwen was talking to her, he had glanced at his female companion more than once, including when she brought up the matter just now.

Pei Shuwen knew what she was talking about.

However, she denied her unspoken judgment about Lin Chaoyue: "She's not stupid, she's just too pure, like a blank sheet of paper."

"Really? But in my opinion, a blank slate isn't right for you. Consider me, and I'll give you a different kind of surprise."

She's greedy; she wants everything—money, a company, and the man she'll be most satisfied with.

Pei Shuwen just happened to meet her standards for a man.

"Here, this is for you. It's your turn to go on stage later." Pei Shuwen didn't respond to her words, but simply tossed the USB drive to her.

"Since you sent Zhu Qian to see me yesterday, you should have let him inspect the goods first."

Mu Fenglin's eyes crinkled with laughter as her red-stained fingertips scraped against the metal USB drive. Her voice was somewhat grating: "Of course, the fewer people who know, the better. If word gets out, there won't be any good show to watch today."

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave later, otherwise I'll have to go to the company tomorrow to review things with you. It'll be a pleasure working with you, Brother Pei."

--

This was already Lin Chaoyue's sixth cup.

She realized that Xue Jia was trying to get her drunk, and she definitely wouldn't have given anyone else that chance.

But Xue Jia's stories kept coming out, and they were all related to Pei Shuwen.

Xue Jia saw through her scheme and used Pei Shuwen as bait to lure her in, so she drank one cup after another.

After drinking her seventh glass, she put down her glass.

Xue Jia held up the wine bottle halfway: "Little sister, aren't you going to drink anymore? I haven't finished my story yet."

Lin Chaoyue has a high alcohol tolerance. Apart from her cheeks feeling a little hot, she wasn't actually very drunk, but she still said, "The stories aren't very interesting. If it's still the same old stories, I won't drink anymore."

"No, little sister."

Xue Jia's competitive spirit is also reflected in her inability to hear any criticism of her.

She had previously realized that Lin Chaoyue was not just a female companion, and she knew Mu Fenglin's thoughts, so she wanted to help Mu Fenglin persuade the girl to leave.

But now she's really into it.

Xue Jia changed her mind and offered an even more tempting bait: "I not only have stories, but also photos. Do you want to see them? Many of them were taken secretly. I guarantee that only I have them."

Back when Mu Fenglin was pursuing Pei Shuwen, she acted as his wingman for a long time. Later, when she couldn't win him over, Mu Fenglin fell for someone else and stuffed all the tokens of their unrequited love into her hands. Not just Pei Shuwen, but she had materials about every single one of Mu Fenglin's trashy ex-boyfriends afterward.

"Best friend" is just a common term; a more accurate description is that she is a human-shaped transit point.

It's time to clear out the inventory.

The more Lin Chaoyue drank, the sharper her mind became. She made a deal: "Send me one, and I'll drink a glass."

"I have a lot of these here. Are you sure you'll drink a glass if I send you one?"

Lin Chaoyue knew her own alcohol tolerance; she could drink four glasses of that kind of wine glass.

She rephrased it: "I'll drink a glass, and you send me a picture."

"make a deal."

Transactions between women are often more straightforward than those between men.

The group of girls around them, who were all gossiping about their own things, gathered around when they saw the two of them exchanging pleasantries.

When Xue Jia was flipping through the photo album, the other members of her group of girlfriends even helped to appraise it.

"I don't want this, I don't want this, this photo is too blurry."

"This one's great, it's so handsome it's blinding! Jiajia, can you send me one too?"

Xue Jia: "I want to drink too."

"Tch, so stingy... Little sister, you can do it! I see you can hold your liquor pretty well. Let's scan each other's WeChat later, and we'll invite you to join us for drinking parties in the future."

Lin Chaoyue was drinking the last of four cups.

After drinking it all in one gulp, she put down her glass completely: "I can only drink this much, so I'm not a big drinker."

Xue Jia, however, was still not satisfied: "That's a pity. I have another one here. I think you'll definitely like this one. How about we change the game? You answer three questions for me, and I'll give you this photo."

Lin Chaoyue instinctively refused.

But Xue Jia had already held up the photo on her phone and brought it close to her face.

It's a profile picture of a sleeping person, completely unprepared. The photographer was cautious, manually focusing, resulting in a blurry image, but adding a filter of time to the photo.

Xue Jia saved the best for last; the trapper always had a way of gradually making the prey addicted.

“Two questions,” Lin Chaoyue bargained. “And I can’t guarantee I know all of them or can answer them all.”

Xue Jia caught a glimpse of the scumbag and bitch who had entered the room that night. She had more important things to do, so she decided to finish quickly.

Xue Jia: "I'll give you all the photos in a package, and I have three questions for you."

"make a deal."

Xue Jia quickly asked, "Did Pei Shuwen mention President Mu to you? Mu Fenglin?"

Fearing the question might not be clear to him, Xue Jia added a sentence.

Lin Chaoyue: "No."

Xue Jia: "Does Pei Shuwen have a girlfriend now?"

Lin Chaoyue: "No."

Xue Jia: "So you're just his female companion?"

Lin Chaoyue: "Not just female companions."

Xue Jia: "Besides female companion, what else is she? A bed partner?"

The questions gradually became more and more "explosive," and everyone listened intently.

Lin Chaoyue blinked and said, "I've finished asking the three questions."

Xue Jia realized in a second that she had been 'fooled'.

She hadn't touched a drop of alcohol all night, yet she never expected to be tricked by such an innocent-looking girl.

After so much roundabout and tactful probing, I still haven't been able to ask the question I most wanted to ask.

She was unwilling to accept it.

But seeing Pei Shuwen striding towards her, she had no choice but to accept her fate.

"I've packed up the photos and will send them to you. I have to go now."

Xue Jia slipped away very quickly.

When Pei Shuwen arrived, Lin Chaoyue had already put away her phone and was slowly pouring apple juice into her empty glass.

The juice really looked like wine.

Only half of it was poured out before Pei Shuwen grabbed it and took it away.

"How much did you drink?" Pei Shuwen's attitude was far from pleasant.

Lin Chaoyue wanted to drink some juice to soothe her throat, so she reached out to grab it, but Pei Shuwen stopped her again, preventing her from even touching the glass.

I'm thirsty.

Mu Fenglin was right; he had indeed been keeping a close eye on Lin Chaoyue's movements.

He counted every time Lin Chaoyue raised her glass, and he was more inclined to believe she was drunk than that she said she was 'thirsty'.

Lin Chaoyue didn't get to drink that sip of apple juice after all.

She was pulled away early and taken back to the presidential suite upstairs.

She was fine while walking; apart from her steps being a little unsteady, she was still able to stand steadily. But when she leaned back on the sofa, Lin Chaoyue realized that she had indeed drunk quite a lot tonight, and she had no strength left.

Lin Chaoyue thought about the reason, it couldn't be that her alcohol tolerance had decreased.

She was more inclined to believe that the alcohol at tonight's banquet was of poor quality, not as good as the alcohol she had collected.

After she said she was thirsty twice.

Pei Shuwen poured her a glass of water and squatted down in front of her to look at her: "Is there anything else that's bothering you? Do you want to go to the hospital?"

Lin Chaoyue shook her head, holding her water glass: "I don't feel unwell."

Pei Shuwen: "Why did you drink so much? Did they force you? Why didn't you refuse?"

He didn't go over because he thought she could handle such a small matter.

Lin Chaoyue's phone kept ringing; she knew without looking that it was a photo sent by Xue Jia.

She closed her phone, trying to cover up her mistake, and said in a very soft voice, "I did it voluntarily."

Lin Chaoyue had too many past records of being deceived. Even though it was Mu Fenglin's person, Pei Shuwen still had some reservations. When he took Lin Chaoyue's empty water glass, he also took her phone.

Xue Jia kept getting pop-up messages, but the message details only showed pictures, and the specific content was not visible.

"What is your phone password?"

"No." Her head was already a little dizzy, but when Pei Shuwen lit up her phone screen, Lin Chaoyue became half awake.

Pei Shuwen adopted a scrutinizing gaze, and Lin Chaoyue, feeling guilty, hid her phone behind her back.

"This is my personal privacy."

"I don't want to show it to you."

After a five-second eye contact, Pei Shuwen gave up and went to the study.

Lin Chaoyue slumped back onto the sofa, and as her body and mind relaxed, the effects of the alcohol washed over her completely.

She fell asleep quickly and slept very soundly.

She didn't hear the doorbell ring four or five times, but every time it rang, she was still tightly holding her phone in her sleep.

Pei Shuwen went to open the door, where Mu Fenglin was waiting with her arms crossed. She was still dressed charmingly, but her eyes and brows were full of smugness.

The USB drive was returned to Pei Shuwen.

Mu Fenglin's gaze fell on Lin Chaoyue, who was sleeping on the sofa.

"Xue Jia is being unreasonable. She got your people drunk. I apologize on her behalf."

"Is there anything else?"

"Things went smoothly tonight, but I heard you left early. It's a pity you didn't see it. How about coming to my company tomorrow morning to review things and resolve the remaining issues?"

"Can."

Mu Fenglin raised an eyebrow: "I heard from the hotel manager that the Grand Hyatt has quite a few rooms available tonight. Shall we give you another one?"

Pei Shuwen: "No need."

Mu Fenglin guessed it. After witnessing the true colors of Mu Fengyue's fiancé that night, she suddenly felt that men weren't so great after all, and she might as well not have them.

In their circle, scheming old men are everywhere; to find a clean partner is like finding a treasure.

Mu Fenglin was very generous: "Then I'll give you another piece of information. That girl got drunk because she wanted your photo."

"What's the meaning?"

"If you just open up a little more, you two will definitely have a chance."