“Why even ask?” Mo Xuan shrugged. “You drove Grandma away back then, and now you blame her? Isn’t that a bit much?”
Grandpa Mo glared at Mo Xuan, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of guilt in his eyes, but Mo Xuan seemed indifferent.
“Grandpa, you know very well why Grandma insisted on leaving back then. They do too,” Mo Xuan pointed at Mo Changshan and Qin Ni. “At your age, acting indecent and getting a girl pregnant outside—only for the child not to be yours. Mo Chairman, what a pity, you almost had a younger brother.”
“How dare you!”
Grandpa Mo grabbed a teacup from the coffee table and hurled it at Mo Xuan. Mo Xuan dodged effortlessly, and the cup shattered on the floor without even grazing him.
“I told you, I was drunk back then! How long is Grandma going to harp on this trivial matter?” Grandpa Mo’s fingers trembled as he pointed at Mo Xuan, shouting in anger. “And is this something a junior like you can bring up casually?”
“You don’t have the decency, so you blame me for speaking up?” Mo Xuan’s eyes turned cold. “Grandpa, you know it’s more than just a trivial matter, so let’s not pretend it’s meaningless…”
“Mo Xuan!” Qin Ni stood up, her tone displeased as she interrupted him. “Grandpa’s right—he can say what he wants about Grandma, but you can’t. Apologize to Grandpa right now!”
“Sorry, I don’t feel like apologizing.” Mo Xuan clenched the bag in his hand tightly. “If you don’t fork over the money, I’ll sell the shares elsewhere. I knew your family had no shame, but… you never disappoint me, do you?”
“You’re still part of the Mo family!” Mo Changshan said through gritted teeth. “Do you really think a piece of paper severing ties can completely cut you off from us? This isn’t a negotiation—hand over the shares, and the family is still willing to take you back! I heard from Jinpeng that you’re involved in Rongxing’s new product. If you return the shares, I can arrange for you to work at a company that suits your expertise…”
After a pause, Mo Changshan added with hidden meaning, “No matter what, your family is tied to you by blood. It’s better than being a temporary fling with outsiders, isn’t it?”
Mo Xuan understood what he meant. It seemed the Mo family now believed he was being kept by a wealthy older woman.
In reality, though, they weren’t entirely wrong. Except it wasn’t just one wealthy woman—it was two, and they’d even had kids…
“Blood ties can be pretty fragile,” Mo Xuan sighed, shaking his head. “Let’s skip the emotional appeal, shall we? Just now, when I walked in, wasn’t it you who told me to get out as soon as I showed the authorization?”
“I’ll stick to my stance: either you pay up, or I sell the shares to someone else. Anything else is off the table.”
Mo Xuan knew all too well what this family was capable of. Their promises had never been kept, not once. Besides, in his heart, his real family was Grandma, Luo Shiya, and Luo Muqi, along with his two precious daughters.
This so-called “original family” disgusted him.
“Brother, why make things so ugly?”
Mo Qingqing suddenly spoke up, her usual cold expression replaced by a smile—though her eyes remained devoid of warmth.
“The family can’t come up with that much money right now. Let’s meet halfway—you give up the shares, and Father will offer 300 million. That’ll settle this.” Mo Qingqing leaned back slowly into the sofa. “I have a large apartment in the city center of Capital. I can transfer it to your name as compensation.”
Mo Xuan couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Would the viper Mo Qingqing really be so kind? Compared to Mo Jinpeng, Mo Qingqing was not only more capable but also far more cunning.
Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi had once sent someone to investigate the Mo family, and it was then that Mo Xuan learned just how deep Mo Qingqing’s ambitions ran. She wanted the entire Mo Corporation, and even Qin’s Jewelry.
Currently, Mo Qingqing was the CEO of Mo Corporation, but that position would eventually be taken by Mo Changshan and given to Mo Jinpeng. Mo Qingqing, meanwhile, let her parents and Mo Jinpeng believe she could be easily replaced, all while secretly plotting, transferring assets, and cultivating her own loyalists.
She allowed Mo Jinpeng to bully Mo Xuan because, compared to the most accomplished of the Mo siblings, Mo Jinpeng was far easier to manipulate. Looking back, all those years of pampering and indulging Mo Jinpeng were likely just a calculated strategy to set him up for failure.
Mo Jinpeng had some abilities, but his arrogance and recklessness were why Mo Changshan had yet to force Mo Qingqing out of her position.
If not for the in-depth investigation by the Luo family, Mo Xuan wouldn’t have known just how deeply cunning his elder sister truly was.
“I didn’t bring the authorization, and Grandma didn’t intend to ask for that much,” Mo Xuan said, his gaze lingering on Mo Qingqing. “Since Big Sister has spoken, I’m willing to compromise.”
“Dad, shall we settle this then?” Mo Qingqing turned to Mo Changshan. “If this drags on and the shares end up outside the family, it won’t be good for the company. How about this, Mo Xuan? I’ll buy you a car, and I’ll personally add another 10 million as compensation. Deal?”
Before Mo Xuan could respond, Mo Jinpeng’s face was already twitching with anger. Mo Qingqing’s apartment in the city center was in a prime location, and he had asked for it twice, only to be turned down.
Now, not only was she giving it to Mo Xuan, but she was also spending her own money and even offering to buy him a car? Why should he get anything?
Everything in the Mo family should be his, and Mo Xuan shouldn’t get a single cent! But recalling the threat he’d faced in the company parking garage and how the surveillance footage had mysteriously disappeared, Mo Jinpeng could only glare venomously at Mo Xuan, too afraid to speak.
He wasn’t that stupid. It was clear that Mo Xuan’s “sugar mamas” were behind this. Whoever they were, they were powerful enough to make the Mo family tremble. Moreover, they held secrets Mo Jinpeng didn’t want exposed.
He kept silent, terrified that Mo Xuan might have something on him too.
“Wait until you’re willing to cough up the 300 million, then we’ll talk,” Mo Xuan said, relaxing his grip on his bag. It seemed he wouldn’t need it today. With that, he turned and walked away, not wanting to waste another second with the Mo family.
“Hmph, your Grandma always prided herself on being an intellectual, but now she’s threatening me for money?” Grandpa Mo sneered. “What’s the point of pretending to be noble? I should’ve never given her those shares in the first place!”
Mo Xuan stopped in his tracks, turning back to look at Grandpa Mo with cold disdain. “Grandma said you never understood her, and it seems she was right. Grandpa, the one thing I’m most grateful for is that you sent me to live with Grandma. Otherwise…”
He glanced at Mo Jinpeng with clear contempt. “I wouldn’t want to end up like him—a complete idiot.”
Mo Jinpeng exploded with rage, standing up and roaring, “Who are you calling an idiot?”
“Whoever responds,” Mo Xuan said dismissively, then turned and left without another word.
Mo Qingqing stood up and said to her grandfather and parents, “I’ll see him out and try to persuade him.”
“Why bother with him?” Mo Changshan glared at his eldest daughter. “And why did you agree to his demands? And even offer your own money?”
“There’s no other way, Dad. The company will eventually be Jinpeng’s, and as his older sister, I’ve pampered him for so long. It’s only right that I make these sacrifices to pave the way for him.”
Mo Qingqing left, and Mo Jinpeng, feeling smug, thought his older sister truly cared for him.
What he didn’t see was the look of disgust and coldness in Mo Qingqing’s eyes as she turned away…