Night fell upon Magic City.
In the Yang family's CBD building,
Yang Jingying once again failed to extract any useful information from Liu Yong.
Different industries have their own rules, and even a powerful family like the Yangs couldn’t bend them.
Even if they applied subtle pressure, the other party simply didn’t budge.
It was all for naught.
“Is that movie even decent?”
Yang Jingying paced back and forth in her office.
She had wanted to invite Lin An'an out for dinner,
but Lin An'an declined, citing her filming schedule for the evening.
Yang Jingying had tried to subtly inquire about the movie’s content,
asking about Xu Mo’s role.
She stopped just short of directly asking if there were any intimate scenes, like kissing!
If there were, she’d make sure the production wouldn’t continue!
Lin An'an, of course, couldn’t divulge such details to Yang Jingying.
It was an awkward situation for her too,
and she skillfully avoided the topic several times.
This only made Yang Jingying even more curious.
“Should I visit the set tomorrow?”
“To see what they’re really up to.”
If she could just meet Xu Mo,
she could read his thoughts and get the answers she wanted.
All it would take was a little prodding,
and Xu Mo would inevitably reveal his thoughts in his mind.
Everything was ready; she just needed the right moment.
Yang Jingying wasn’t about to let any other woman take advantage of this opportunity.
Not even a little bit.
“Yes, that’s what I’ll do…” Yang Jingying murmured softly, her delicate brows furrowed.
She had to move forward while guarding against any sneaky moves from others.
It was exhausting!
Meanwhile, at the Shen Family Villa,
Shen Manni sat on the edge of her bed, dressed in a white lace nightgown.
Xu Mo hadn’t reached out to her these past few days,
so she had returned to her usual routine.
The monotonous cycle of work, home, and repeat.
In the past, she wouldn’t have thought much of it.
Life was supposed to be this way.
But after everything that had happened between her and Xu Mo,
a subtle change had taken root in her heart.
Over time, it had grown into something more significant.
“It’s probably about time. Yang Jingying should have some news about him by now…” Shen Manni’s icy expression softened slightly, though it still felt unnatural.
She had already prepared her excuse:
to collaborate with Yang Jingying and gain access to the Yang family’s resources.
It certainly wasn’t because she missed Xu Mo’s cooking!
Or the way he lingered around her.
People could be so fickle.
When they had something,
they took it for granted,
even treating it as dispensable.
But once it was gone,
they longed to have it back.
That’s exactly how Shen Manni felt now.
Perhaps it was because, after spending time with Xu Mo,
she realized he wasn’t as bad as she had imagined.
Unlike other men who only wanted her for her looks,
Xu Mo was different.
After all, Shen Manni could hear his thoughts.
Over time, her guard had lowered.
The more she interacted with him,
the more she found herself secretly acknowledging his good qualities.
“I’ll ask Yang Jingying for an update,” Shen Manni thought to herself.
Speak of the devil.
A message popped up on her WeChat chat window.
Yang Jingying: I’m planning to visit Lin An'an’s set tomorrow. Want to come?
Want to come?
It sounded like she was planning to catch someone red-handed.
Even though there was nothing between her and Xu Mo,
she didn’t want him causing trouble with other women!
Shen Manni thought for a moment before typing a reply, “What time?”
“In the morning. I’ll send you the exact time and location once I confirm them. Or I’ll let you know once I’m there,” Yang Jingying replied.
Shen Manni: So you didn’t manage to get any details about the movie’s content?
Yang Jingying: It’s industry confidentiality. I couldn’t do anything about it.
Shen Manni: Alright then. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to go.
Yang Jingying: Actually, I’ve changed my mind. You don’t need to come. This is my personal matter.
Shen Manni’s face turned frosty with anger. She tossed her phone to the other side of the bed, gritting her teeth.
“Yang Jingying, are you messing with me?”
“Do you think I can’t find the set location without you?”
“It’ll just be a bit more trouble, that’s all.”
“And what about our alliance? Was it all a joke?”
Speaking of the alliance,
Shen Manni’s brows furrowed.
She leaned over, picked up her phone,
and sent another message to Yang Jingying.
“What about our alliance? Is it meaningless now?”
There was a minute of silence on the other end.
Yang Jingying: Of course not.
Yang Jingying knew Zhou Qiaoqiao wasn’t an easy opponent.
This wasn’t just about family power.
If it were, Xu Mo would already be hers.
But Zhou Qiaoqiao had the advantage of a marriage contract.
If they didn’t work together to break that,
Yang Jingying wouldn’t be able to get close to Xu Mo.
A second marriage?
Who would want that?
No normal person would give up a first marriage
to settle for a second one,
unless there was a huge disparity in family backgrounds
or the two were deeply in love.
But given the choice,
no one would willingly choose a “second-hand” partner!
Seeing this message,
Shen Manni breathed a sigh of relief.
She proposed that they visit the set together first.
After that,
they could discuss how to deal with Zhou Qiaoqiao!
Yang Jingying agreed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city,
a similar scene was unfolding.
Xu Shi: Qiaoqiao, do you really not know what my brother is up to?
Zhou Qiaoqiao: I know he’s filming, but the details are tightly guarded. But if you really want to know, it’s simple. Come with me to visit the set tomorrow. We’ll listen to his thoughts and see what he’s been up to.
Xu Shi: Sounds good! It’s a deal. See you tomorrow!
Zhou Qiaoqiao: I’m almost done with some things here anyway.
Xu Shi: Qiaoqiao, you’ve been busy too?
Zhou Qiaoqiao: Haha… just wrapping up a small business deal. I can leave it as is for now. What about you? Have you been busy lately?
Xu Shi: A little~ Not too much, though.
Zhou Qiaoqiao: Alright, see you tomorrow. Let’s grab a meal together.
Xu Shi: Goodnight, Qiaoqiao. See you tomorrow~
At the Xu Family Villa,
Xu Shi sat on the couch in the living room,
her phone resting beside her.
Her mind was a mess.
She had a bad feeling about this.
“I hope it’s just my imagination, and Qiaoqiao isn’t really that confident.”
“Why have I become so paranoid after being reborn?”
“Did she really leave such a big shadow on me?”
Xu Shi made a gesture with her hand.
Pfft!
She’s not that great.
Ahem…
Anyway,
no matter how hard Zhou Qiaoqiao tried in this life,
she couldn’t possibly beat Xu Shi, who had the advantage of being reborn with knowledge of the future.
Xu Shi held all the good cards.
If she still ended up losing to Zhou Qiaoqiao,
she might as well throw in the towel.
Game over.