(This chapter begins with Mo Qingqing's side story, explaining her transformation and ending.)
"Have you heard of the beauty snake?"
"I think Mo Qingqing is a beauty snake."
"Back in school, I always felt she was different—calculating and skilled at deception. So many boys chased after her, but she looked down on them and played them like fools!"
"Of course, she's beautiful enough."
At a high school reunion, two girls whispered about Mo Qingqing while touching up their makeup in the restroom.
After murmuring a few more words, they left together. Not long after, Mo Qingqing walked out of the restroom holding a slender cigarette, her face wearing an enigmatic smile.
The next day, the companies where these two classmates worked fired them. At that time, the Mo family hadn't yet begun to collapse, and Mo Qingqing was still the glamorous CEO of Mo Corporation.
Such things only required a word from her—no need for any exchange of benefits. Some people were more than willing to curry favor with her by doing these things.
Mo Qingqing never denied or cared about being talked about like this. As for retaliating against them, it was simply because, moments ago, they had been begging her for an opportunity.
She despised such behavior, just like her father—using her while being insincere.
Once, when she followed her parents to her grandmother's house, Mo Xuan wasn't home. No one knew where he had gone; he was 14 at the time.
Her grandmother looked at her eldest granddaughter and suddenly smiled, saying, "Your parents have succeeded, after all. You've surpassed them."
Her grandmother had seen right through her. Though Mo Qingqing felt uncomfortable, she didn't care.
Mo Qingqing had never planned to do anything from the start. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she would even resent herself for seeing things so clearly.
Would it have been better to be a little more oblivious, like her sister, or to be as indifferent as Mo Xuan?
But Mo Qingqing knew that, given another chance, she might still do the same. After all, she was Mo Qingqing.
Mo Qingqing had told countless lies in her life, but there was one thing she had never deceived anyone about: if her parents were willing to hand over the family business to Mo Xuan, she would truly be willing to assist him.
It wasn't that she had deep feelings for Mo Xuan, but even if they were going to favor a son over a daughter, they should have chosen Mo Xuan over Mo Jinpeng.
But she knew it was impossible. Her grandfather inexplicably feared and rejected Mo Xuan, and her parents had never been close to him, so they naturally didn't trust him.
In fact, Mo Qingqing might have been the first in the Mo family to sense something was off. Mo Jinpeng resembled their father but shared no similarities with their mother.
Bloodlines are fascinating. For someone as perceptive as Mo Qingqing, she had never found Mo Jinpeng as likable as Mo Xuan.
Even as a child, when she saw the spoiled Mo Jinpeng throwing tantrums, she wished she could throw him out and never let him return.
But Mo Qingqing didn't do that. She knew her parents doted on Mo Jinpeng, so she played along, pretending to care for him deeply.
At that time, Mo Qingqing hadn't yet thought of the concept of "spoiling to destroy." It was only when she gradually realized how unruly Mo Jinpeng had become that she first considered the idea.
Initially, Mo Qingqing only wanted to deal with Mo Jinpeng. As for Mo Xuan's return, she indulged Mo Jinpeng to continue spoiling him while also suppressing Mo Xuan.
"In truth, I don't have much of a relationship with him. If anything, he might stab Mo Jinpeng to death, but he'd probably never speak to me again."
After a few drinks, Mo Qingqing brought up this topic with her assistant, speaking in a calm tone.
"Or perhaps we'd be at odds, and neither of us would hold back. After all, I was also one of his tormentors, and to me, he became an obstacle."
Her assistant stared at Mo Qingqing in shock. Since graduating from university, working at Mo Corporation, and being chosen by Mo Qingqing, she had been by her side all these years. Even when Mo Qingqing plotted against the Mo family and struck out on her own, she had followed her.
"Surprised?" Mo Qingqing glanced at her, a hint of drunkenness in her eyes. "But I can't compete with him anymore. He has the Luo family backing him, and..."
Mo Qingqing didn't finish her thought. Later, she had gone to Capital University to inquire about Mo Xuan.
Unlike others who were shocked to learn that Mo Xuan was involved with the Luo sisters, Mo Qingqing remained calm. While she wasn't overly confident in her brother, since it had happened, no matter how outrageous, it was now a fact.
"President, why don't you..."
The assistant hesitated for a long time, unsure whether to voice her suggestion. But Mo Qingqing seemed to understand her thoughts and smiled, saying, "You want me to beg Mo Xuan, right?"
The assistant nodded. In her view, Mo Qingqing was now cornered by Ye Grandmother, with no options left except relying on the Ye family and following their arrangements.
Her position had also been taken over by a woman sent by Ye Grandmother. Aside from handling matters at Mo Qingqing's new company, she had no involvement in anything else.
She had never seen Mo Qingqing in such a dire situation, but facing the Ye family, this seemed inevitable.
If she begged Mo Xuan, the Luo family—Capital's top financial powerhouse—could exert pressure, and she didn't believe the Ye family wouldn't yield.
However, Mo Qingqing waved her hand with a smile. "I won't beg him. Besides, it would be a miracle if he didn't take advantage of my situation."
Mo Qingqing was well aware that, at most, she and Mo Xuan had only cooperated once. She had also been involved in Su Yanran's matter, and she had deliberately sided with Mo Jinpeng during his reckless episodes.
Her relationship with Mo Xuan was already strained. After he learned that his elder sister not only knew about Mo Jinpeng's despicable behavior but had also condoned it for her own purposes, their already fractured relationship became irreparable.
"The current situation is of my own making. I wanted to leverage the Ye family's influence, and they wanted me to obediently serve as their tool. They won't let me go so easily." Mo Qingqing took another sip from her glass. "I can't rely on anyone, so it's up to me to turn this losing game around."
Mo Qingqing had anticipated this outcome, but she hadn't expected the Ye family to turn on her so quickly. She was caught off guard, but she quickly regained her composure.
After hiding her true intentions within her family for so long, Mo Qingqing knew some things couldn't be rushed.
She had slowly infiltrated, waiting until the Mo family was at its most chaotic before making her move. The Ye family would be even harder to deal with than the Mo family, but there was one condition—Ye Grandmother was still alive.
"President, please stop drinking." The assistant stopped Mo Qingqing from raising her glass again. "The Ye family still wants you to prepare for pregnancy and have a child with Ye Ning. Maybe once you're pregnant, you could gain status through your child..."
Mo Qingqing coldly pushed her away. Gain status through a child? Ye Grandmother did want her to have a child with Ye Ning, but that was all.
A legitimate wife bearing a rightful heir would be ideal, but it wasn't necessary.
Ye Ning was no different from any other playboy, with a string of romantic entanglements. The Ye family had always cleaned up after him, but Ye Ning was clearly no match for Mo Qingqing.
After a few drinks and some pillow talk, he had carelessly revealed the truth: he had three sons outside, all products of his reckless affairs.
The Ye family didn't acknowledge the mothers, but they couldn't ignore the children, as they were of Ye blood. However, Ye Grandmother was cautious, only recognizing them after paternity tests and arranging for their care.
Ye Ning, who always needed his family to clean up his messes and was mediocre at managing the company, was far easier to deal with than the shrewd Ye Grandmother.
Downing the last of her drink, Mo Qingqing played with a lighter, a confident smile on her face. "Don't worry, there's always a way..."
After all, as people age, who knows if they'll wake up to see another sunrise?