Phase Four, Begin

Cheng Wenxin seemed to still be in shock, his mouth slightly agape from the sheer surprise, until the red wine flowed from his head into his mouth, prompting him to roar in anger and attempt to stand up.

But then, Luo Muqi slammed a wine bottle hard against his head.

"Ah!"

Cheng Wenxin let out a pained scream. Luo Muqi then kicked out with her high heels, the several-centimeter stiletto striking Cheng Wenxin's chest and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"I poured the wine, so you forgive your brother now, right?" Luo Muqi's face was wreathed in a smile, but in this context, it came across as unsettlingly eerie. "Young Master Cheng, you... forgive... your brother... now... right?"

"Manqing, Manqing!"

Cheng Wenxin, his head bleeding profusely as the red wine mixed with his blood, struggled to his feet while shouting for help at the door.

The door to the private room opened, and a female bodyguard yanked Li Manqing by the hair into the room. Once a stunning beauty in her qipao, she now had disheveled hair and a swollen cheek, clearly having just been slapped.

"Stop yelling. The few people you brought are all lying in the trash cans out back," Luo Muqi said, tossing the shards of the broken wine bottle onto the floor and disdainfully shaking her hands. "Cousin, do you want to step out for a bit?"

"…Go ahead, just don't ruin the food," Luo Tian replied, continuing to eat his meal. He had known something was up when this troublesome girl showed up today, which was why he had only invited Cheng Wenxin.

Even Luo Tian couldn't help but indulge in a bit of schadenfreude, wondering if the sisters' precious Mo Xuan even knew how capable they were.

"Luo Muqi, are you really trying to completely cut ties with the Cheng family?!" Cheng Wenxin staggered to his feet, his eyes filled with venom as he glared at Luo Muqi. "All for that reject who was kicked out of his own family, you…"

His voice suddenly cut off, his body trembling uncontrollably as his pupils dilated. A lewd sound emanated from Luo Muqi's phone, the screen displaying a vulgar video.

"You know, if I release this, how much do you think your family's stock will drop?" Luo Muqi exited the video playback, calmly observing Cheng Wenxin's ashen face. "Young Master Cheng, known for his devotion to Buddhism on the surface, but behind closed doors… tsk tsk tsk. Should I say more, or show you more?"

"Wenxin, what's the point of this?"

Luo Tian wiped his mouth with a napkin, poured himself a glass of wine, and then, in a tone that seemed to be offering sage advice, said, "We've known each other for so many years. Just apologize to my sister, and this will all blow over. Oh, and maybe buy something for Mo Xuan—a car, a limited-edition watch, whatever. We're not picky."

"My sister cares most about Mo Xuan. As long as you keep him happy, none of this will ever see the light of day."

Cheng Wenxin felt dizzy, his head already throbbing from the wine bottle blow. Seeing his most shameful secret exposed to the Luo family with evidence, he knew that if it went public, the Cheng family might not go bankrupt, but his position as the future heir would be in jeopardy!

There were three children in his family: him, Cheng Yuno, and a younger brother still in middle school. He wasn't the only option. If the "big account" was ruined, there was always the "small account," not to mention the illegitimate children his father had abroad who were also eyeing his position.

"As for your request to keep Mo Xuan out of Rongxing, I can agree to that," Luo Muqi said.

Hearing this, Luo Tian nearly dropped his wine glass. Mo Xuan's entry into Rongxing had been decided when he was still in his doctoral program. Luo Shiya had once planned to trade some of her assets and funds with Luo Tian for Rongxing shares, which she would then gift to Mo Xuan.

But Luo Tian didn't mind; he just took ownership of a hotel under Luo Shiya's name as a token gesture, giving her a 10% stake in Rongxing. Both were 10%, but in value, Rongxing was far more valuable than the Mo family.

Now Luo Muqi was directly telling him that Mo Xuan didn't have to go to Rongxing?

Cheng Wenxin didn't respond, only glaring angrily at the Luo siblings before turning and leaving the room in a humiliating retreat. The female bodyguard, upon seeing Luo Muqi nod, released Li Manqing, allowing her to leave as well.

"Cousin, where's the recording pen?" Luo Muqi turned to look at Luo Tian. "Did you record Cheng Wenxin's threats just now?"

Luo Tian had no idea what these sisters were up to, but he still took out a recording pen from his suit pocket and handed it to Luo Muqi.

"Muqi, what are you and Shiya up to now?" Luo Tian couldn't help but ask. "Forget about your relationship with Mo Xuan—with his talent, the higher-ups at Rongxing are extremely optimistic about him, but…"

"Oh, I just mentioned that Mo Xuan doesn't have to go to Rongxing, not that he can't work there. It's just… my sister and I have changed our minds," Luo Muqi said with a sly smile. "Cousin, could you arrange a work-from-home position for Mo Xuan? Would that be feasible?"

"It's not impossible. After all, programmers can work anywhere… but I was planning to groom him as a technical director," Luo Tian replied.

Upon hearing this, Luo Muqi smiled faintly, her eyes glinting with a chilling madness: "No need. He just needs to stay at home with us. He doesn't need to go anywhere, and if he does, it has to be with us!"

Luo Tian instinctively leaned back, and if not for the wall behind him, he might have turned and run.

"Cousin, you'd better not interfere," Luo Muqi glanced at Luo Tian. "Just arrange the job for Mo Xuan. And tell the family not to meddle either…"

"Including my parents!"

With that, Luo Muqi turned and left, leaving Luo Tian sighing as he stared at his wine glass. How could they control them?

With their sisters' temperament, who knew what kind of madness they might unleash for Mo Xuan? Even their formidable grandmother couldn't rein them in, let alone him.

Luo Tian knew it might be unfair to Mo Xuan, but for the sake of the Luo family, they had no choice but to acquiesce to this.

"Cheng Wenxin, you probably don't realize that if these sisters want to, the entire Capital's elite circle could be shaken to its core," Luo Tian muttered to himself, his voice carrying a weariness that belied his mere thirty years.

After dinner, Luo Shiya let Mo Xuan go to the garage to wait for her, while she returned to the study. She gently pressed a book on relativity on the bookshelf, and a hidden door slowly opened.

In the cramped room, walls were covered with photos of Mo Xuan from various times, with a large group photo in the center of the wall facing the door.

It depicted a younger Luo Shiya and a naive Luo Muqi, one with her arms around him, the other clinging to his chest, both tightly embracing a helpless Mo Xuan who looked about the same age as Luo Muqi.

Looking at the photo, Luo Shiya's lips curled into a faint smile. She then walked to the desk below the photo, picked up a pen, and slowly wrote a few lines on a blank A4 sheet of paper:

"Originally, I wanted to wait until my daughters were a bit older, but Muqi and I can't wait any longer."

"The mere thought of him possibly leaving, of him possibly coming into contact with other women, makes me feel like I might lose control and kill."

"Psychological suggestion needs to be more frequent, and I wouldn't mind using medication in appropriate situations."

"The third phase can end now; we're preparing to slowly enter the fourth phase…"

After writing these, Luo Shiya looked up and gently caressed Mo Xuan's face in the photo, her eyes filled with a pathological possessiveness.

She seemed to go mad, furiously writing Mo Xuan's name on the A4 paper, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

"Right, Xuan is still waiting for me…" Luo Shiya smiled. "I have to hold on a little longer, can't let him see through the cracks…"

As if her mood had suddenly improved, Luo Shiya even hummed a tune as she walked lightly out of the hidden room. The hidden door closed, the lights dimmed, and Mo Xuan's image in the photo slowly faded into the darkness…