Qiao Xia was speechless, but silently gave a thumbs up. It was clear that this was truly her mother.
On the deserted island, Mu Xiaozhe did not encounter any life-threatening danger; he was simply locked in a small dark room as soon as he arrived on the island.
The island wasn't large, probably only a little over a thousand square meters. There wasn't a single person on the island except him, but he couldn't escape either, because it was surrounded by the sea, and jumping in would only mean certain death.
This troubled him greatly; he should have stayed in the old house instead of wandering around aimlessly.
That evening, a figure appeared at the door. Mu Xiaozhe hurriedly went to greet him, "Brother, I know I was wrong. Please let me go back. I promise I'll stay at home and not go anywhere."
Mu San chuckled and patted his head. "What's wrong? You can't stand it after only half a day out?"
Mu Xiaozhe muttered under his breath, "There's nothing here, it's not good at all. Brother, please let me go back."
Mu San sized up his foolish younger brother in front of him. With such a spoiled and pampered appearance, how could the old man entrust such a huge family business to him?
"Brother~" Mu Xiaozhe clasped his hands together and said in a coquettish voice.
Mu San smiled slightly. "No."
Sensing the undeniable refusal in his words, Mu Xiaozhe lowered his head in disappointment. His brother had never so bluntly rejected his request before.
After a brief moment of sadness, he became a little worried again, "Is Xingyao's matter very troublesome?"
To be frank, Young Master Mu's mother was the legal wife whom Old Master Mu married into the family through proper channels, and he grew up being pampered and spoiled in the Mu family since childhood.
He had never suffered any hardship, either materially or spiritually, and life did not require him to work hard. Participating in the talent show was the first time he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to doing something.
Choosing to terminate his contract before even starting his idol career shows that Young Master Mu's inner thoughts are far from as carefree as he appears. But since his brother needs him to leave and cause some turmoil for Xingyao Media, there's nothing to regret.
He was just afraid he wouldn't be able to help his brother.
Mu San paused upon hearing his concern, "It's alright, it will all pass."
Young Master Mu, however, sensed something different in his words. For some reason, he suddenly remembered his mother's constant murmurs about his father's serious illness.
"Is it for the shares in my mother's hands?" Young Master Mu was quick-witted, and without thinking, he blurted it out.
Faced with Mu San's meaningful gaze, Young Master Mu belatedly felt afraid.
On the other side
A group of people followed the bearded man into a limousine and, after a half-hour drive, arrived at a luxuriously decorated showroom.
Unlike previous auctions, only a few seats were set up inside.
As soon as Qiao Xia appeared, everyone's eyes turned to her.
Qiao Xia looked around and saw that the people sitting there were dressed in different ways, but without exception, the people standing behind them were all burly men with large tattoos. Each of them had at least two pistols on their waists, making them look very professional.
Zeng Manwen swallowed nervously and whispered in Qiao Xia's ear, "Did we come to the wrong place?"
"Don't speak, we've probably run into something serious." Qiao Xia forced out a breathy voice. As soon as she said this, not only Zeng Manwen, but also Uncle Niu standing on her other side trembled with fear.
Qiao Xia quickly reassured her, "Don't be afraid, just show your professionalism as actors."
After saying that, Qiao Xia pretended to be calm and walked forward, and Zeng Manwen quickly followed, raising her chin.
Just as they were about to step down the last step, a bald man behind a Southeast Asian tycoon opened fire on their feet with a machine gun.
He then launched into a tirade in the local language that Qiao Xia couldn't understand, but his body language and expressions clearly conveyed a sense of insult.
Everyone, including Uncle Niu, was seeing this scene for the first time, and they were still in shock from the aftershocks of the bullets.
In fact, Qiao Xia was already relieved that they weren't so scared that they fell to the ground.
Qiao Xia ignored the man's provocation and sat down in the middle, where she had the best view. When Uncle Niu and the others came to their senses and their legs started to tremble, Qiao Xia drew her pistol with lightning speed and fired a bullet at the Southeast Asian tycoon without hesitation.
No one present expected her to suddenly attack. By the time everyone reacted, the bullet was already embedded in the wall of the auditorium, and the Southeast Asian tycoon and the bald man both had abrasions at the same spot near their eyes.
Qiao Xia smiled with satisfaction. The men brought by the Southeast Asian tycoon all pointed their guns at Qiao Xia. Uncle Niu and the others followed suit and pointed their guns at them. At this moment, the person in charge of the auction finally arrived late.
He stood between the two groups, bringing Qiao Xia a translator, while also warning her, "Killing with guns is not allowed at the auction. We hope you won't violate our rules."
“Of course.” Qiao Xia handed over a black card in a gentlemanly manner. “There is an old Chinese saying that ignorance is no excuse. This is just a small gift. I hope you don’t mind.”
Upon seeing this, the bearded man's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he said, "Of course."
With some time still before the auction officially began, the people from the Southeast Asian tycoon's side had clearly received a warning from the bearded man and dared not fire their guns again, but they were not willing to back down verbally.
Although Qiao Xia couldn't understand what he was saying, she could tell from the translator's expression that he was swearing very rudely, to the point that he was shaking all over.
Qiao Xia patted his back reassuringly and said calmly, "Tell him that being quick-witted is no skill; leaving wounds on the enemy is the real humiliation."
After the young man finished translating, Qiao Xia provocatively raised her gun and pointed it at their wounds, "piu~"
Having successfully provoked another barrage of attacks from the opponent, Qiao Xia nonchalantly looked away.
Taking advantage of the moment, Zeng Manwen, whose legs were weak, bent down to hold onto the table and whispered in Qiao Xia's ear, "Aren't we being too arrogant by doing this?"
“The more arrogant you are in a place like this, the better.” Qiao Xia looked around and, apart from the Southeast Asian bigwigs, no one else was giving her that scrutinizing look anymore.
After the translation, Qiao Xia felt even more certain that her actions were correct.
The seating arrangement at this auction was also carefully planned. The bearded man misunderstood something and gave the best seat to Qiao Xia.
However, this move is bound to cause dissatisfaction among others. The bald man's show of force is inevitable. If Qiao Xia is not mistaken, the bald man's actions were also instructed by the bearded man.
Otherwise, with his men surrounding the auction venue, he wouldn't need to wait until she clashed with the Southeast Asian tycoon before entering.
If she had been scared or hadn't fought back, they would probably all have been dragged out by now.
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