Lee Byung-seung waited silently for Mu Yi-ran's answer, his slightly wrinkled eyes showing impatience.
Mu Yiran secretly took a breath, her gaze drifting, "...Uncle Cheng, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else? I was in the studio yesterday, how could I be—"
“The bureau chief there was my former subordinate. He saw you getting a marriage certificate with a man,” Li Bingcheng said bluntly, directly exposing her lie.
"...How could your subordinates still recognize me? Hahaha, maybe it's just someone with the same name and face." Mu Yiran still wanted to struggle a bit.
“I asked my acquaintances back home to look after you while I was away. There wasn’t a single person with the same name or face who looked like you, Ranran…” Li Bingcheng sighed, lowering his head slightly to relax his expression, but when he looked up again, his worry was undisguised.
“I know that I don’t have the right to interfere in your marriage, but as a friend of your parents, I feel it is my responsibility to care about you. You don’t need to treat this relationship as a burden. Caring for you is entirely my own choice, and I am happy to do so.”
“If I’ve offended you, then I’m sorry, Uncle Cheng. But you’ve had so many troubles in the last six months. If I don’t take good care of you, how will I face your parents in the future?”
He watched Mu Yiran drooping her head and blowing air into her water glass, and he vaguely felt that blood ties were a special thing. Even when the mother and daughter were unwilling, their expressions and actions were so similar.
"You went back to the Wen residence the day before yesterday because something happened, right? And the next day you went to get your marriage certificate with Shi Youxi because he and your uncle... threatened you?"
Mu Yiran looked up sharply: "No!"
Meeting Li Bingcheng's sharp gaze, she suddenly felt guilty. "It was the Wen family who wanted me to marry into the family... Shi Youxi saved me... The marriage was a marriage of convenience, he didn't threaten me."
To receive those inheritances and Wen's shares, the condition is to marry Shi Youxi, or you could say it's a marriage of convenience.
She thought it was simple, but Lee Byung-sung thought it was not so simple.
"You knew him before? You can't just agree to get married so quickly after meeting him for the first time, can you?"
Mu Yiran stammered, "I guess so. We met once when we were little. It was all fate back then, Uncle Cheng. These days, the most popular thing is 'childhood sweetheart falling from the sky,' right? He is my childhood sweetheart falling from the sky!"
One lie requires countless more to cover it up.
Mu Yiran didn't believe Li Bingcheng, so she went to check Shi Youxi's childhood.
Besides, she wasn't lying. They knew each other when they were little, which means they met when Shi Youxi was young! In a way, they were childhood sweethearts.
"I know him, which is why I agreed to the marriage of convenience. We'll get divorced sooner or later anyway, which is why I didn't want to tell you... Uncle Cheng contacted me about this, so don't worry! I'll take good care of myself and won't let myself suffer!"
Ultimately, I just didn't want him to interfere.
Li Bingcheng sighed inwardly. He knew that Mu Yiran had finally gotten a little closer to him, but she only treated him as an elder. It was just that she had a title that was somewhat related to her but not really related to him.
Oh well... Anyway, he's patient, and as long as Ranran's safety is guaranteed.
Thinking of this, Li Bingcheng took out a document from the side. "I came to you for this matter, but it's not exactly that. This is the usage record of the British number that called my cell phone before. When you were 16 years old, you were kidnapped. At that time, this call was also made from the London Palace. It was also two months ago. I checked, and Shi Youxi also had an accident two months ago and was recuperating at the London Palace."
Mu Yiran was completely confused. It took her a few seconds to realize what was going on: "You don't think my kidnapping was related to Shi Youxi, do you...? That's impossible! Uncle Cheng, back then he was still—"
Lee Byung-seung narrowed his eyes: "Give back what?"
...I don't remember her yet.
Mu Yiran silently thought to herself.
When Mu Yiran was kidnapped at the age of 16, Shi Youxi, who was 18 years old, had already forgotten who she was. Not to mention that Shi Youxi did not know her true identity, how could he have kidnapped her?
Moreover, she didn't disappear two months ago at all; she time-traveled. She couldn't possibly say that, and Lee Byung-sung wouldn't believe it either.
“I didn’t suspect him without reason; it’s just too coincidental. In the past six months, you’ve been robbed, disappeared, and injured… Ranran, Uncle Cheng just wants to find out the truth to prevent future troubles. Luckily, you’re alright. If you hadn’t been so lucky, you might have ended up like your parents!”
Lee Byung-seung realized he had been too agitated. He closed his eyes briefly and said, "I'm sorry, Ranran, Uncle Seung is just... too afraid that something will happen to you again."
"...You still think that the car accident that year wasn't an accident, is that right?" Mu Yiran asked softly.
It's no wonder that Lee Byung-seung would make the connection. The day her parents had the car accident, they were actually taking the car in for repairs because the brakes had failed once before.
If it weren't for the fact that she was in a hurry to eat those so-called candied chestnuts that day, her parents wouldn't have detoured back to bring her food when they were about to arrive at the 4S store, and from then on, they were separated forever.
“I do think that year wasn’t an accident, but I’m more afraid that something might happen to you again. I will stay in China from now on. I will continue to investigate the kidnapping incident. Ranran, no matter what, your parents and I hope that you live a safe and happy life. No matter what conditions Shi Youxi offers to make you marry him, no matter what means he uses to force you, if you feel unwilling, just tell me. Uncle Cheng will do everything I can to help you get everything you want.”
"......"
Watching the girl's departing figure, Li Bingcheng sat quietly on the sofa. After a long while, he lit a cigarette, and smoke swirled around him. His secretary, Gu Jue, who had just entered, was surprised to see the man puffing away: "Chairman Li, you haven't smoked in a long time. Did you and Miss Mu not reach an agreement?"
Have they reached an agreement?
Originally, Li Bingcheng wanted to directly get Mu Yiran and Shi Youxi divorced, as he had the means to do so. However, when facing the girl, his tone softened. Firstly, he genuinely lacked status, and secondly, Ranran and Shi Youxi's relationship was closer than he had imagined.
She even spoke up for Shi Youxi, even though they were just acquaintances...
Li Bingcheng took out another file from under the table, which contained only a few lines of information about Shi Youxi.
Shi Youxi... This wasn't the first time Li Bingcheng had heard this name. Seven years ago, when he was still the deputy mayor, he had contact with the Shi family. At that time, the Shi family had a new wife named Cheng Ran.
Because of her name and appearance, Lee Byung-sung had a deep memory of this woman, but unfortunately, she died young.
How could it be such a coincidence that Shi Youxi would appear at the Wen residence? Ranran thought it was a coincidence, and that Shi Youxi had saved her?
Lee Byung-seong, however, disagreed.
Rumor has it that Shi Youxi has always had unusual feelings for his stepmother... and Cheng Ran just happens to look a lot like her, could this kid be...?
He stubbed out his cigarette, his voice hoarse: "Continue to investigate Shi Youxi. What kind of dealings has Shi Ye had with the Wen family in the past six months? What is the current situation of the Wen family? Also, arrest those two thieves who broke into the Mu residence last time and continue to interrogate them. I don't believe they were just robbing people."
"I understand. I'll have someone do it right away."
Lost in thought amidst the mist, Lee Byung-seong realized that his past hesitation and cowardice, stemming from his humility, had cost him too much. But from now on, he would never allow anyone he cherished to suffer any harm again!
…
After leaving Li Bingcheng's place, Mu Yiran kept looking at her phone with worry. No matter how good Li Bingcheng's attitude was, Mu Yiran could sense that Li Bingcheng was extremely dissatisfied with her whirlwind marriage.
Even Li Bingcheng has this attitude, so what if Grandpa and Mo Mumu knew...?
She was still figuring out who to talk to first so she wouldn't die too late when Mo Mumu's call came in like a death knell.
Mu Yiran was shocked!
Damn! Have we been discovered?!
The phone rang again after it stopped ringing. Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Mu Yiran steeled her heart, answered, and shouted, "I'm sorry, Miss! I didn't mean to hide it from you—"
"Hey, did you receive my gift? If not, never mind, I brought you another one. I went back to China today and am currently in Wenxin..." Mo Mumu rattled off a string of words, then suddenly stopped, pondering, "...What were you hiding from me?"
Mu Yiran: "..."
"Hmm? Tell me, what are you hiding from me, Mu Yiran?" Thinking of something, Mo Mumu's voice sharpened: "You didn't secretly run off to some godforsaken place to play hide-and-seek again, did you?!"
"No! How could that be! I've been staying at home just fine!" Mu Yiran said with an awkward laugh.
Mo Mumu sneered: "Then why did you say you were hiding something from me? Don't try to deny it, I heard everything!"
Mu Yiran had a sudden inspiration: "I secretly went to see the movie you've always wanted to see... I couldn't resist watching it yesterday."
Mo Mumu was silent for a few seconds on the other end: "I thought it was something else. You've already seen it, so what? Anyway, I'm back now, so you have to come with me to see it again."
"Look, look!" Mu Yiran said with a smile, quickly changing the subject before the other party noticed anything amiss. "But I have to pick you up from the airport first. What time will you arrive?"
Mo Mumu seemed to be talking to someone on the other end, and casually replied, "I've arrived."
"...ah?"
"I've arrived. I'm with Wenxin now. I was looking for someone to invest in me a while ago, and now that my sugar daddy is here, I just flew over to meet him."
Mu Yiran had heard her mention this before. Wenxin Film Creation is a listed film and television production company, and it is considered one of the top companies in the domestic film and television industry. It is a business of the Mo family. It was given to Mo Mumu by Old Master Mo in the early years and is managed by her. The company is preparing to launch a program and recently plans to invite domestic designers to participate in the filming. Mu Yiran was also invited, and the contract has been completed.
But recently, Mo Mumu's new stepmother has been constantly whispering in Mo Mumu's father's ear, telling her to focus on her medical research and not to worry about these trivial matters. This whispering has really blown Mo Mumu's mind out of control, and Mo Mumu actually wants Mo Mumu to hand over Wenxin's shares and become a spoiled brat who receives dividends.
Mo Mumu was furious and had no choice but to quickly sell half of her shares. She would rather sell them to someone else than to that woman who was "older than her sister but chose to be her mother." At least the money had to go into her own pocket!
Mu Yiran knew this was supposed to be good news for her best friend, but she sensed something was off. What exactly was wrong...?
Mo Mumu was still saying:
"This sugar daddy seems to have some influence. My offer was already quite high, but he didn't hesitate at all. He just said there was one condition, which he would add to the contract and sign later. And he's a handsome guy too. I heard he just came back from abroad. The capital city fashion industry is also one of their businesses. His name is Shi...wait, I suddenly remembered, didn't you ask me before if I knew anyone with the surname Shi?"
…
…
[Li Bingcheng: You brat, how dare you treat my Ranran as a substitute for your stepmother?!]
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