Mo Xuan didn’t respond, merely staring at Cheng Yuno with an expressionless face.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, “So why are you so certain that what you’ve seen is the real them?”
“I…”
Cheng Yuno hadn’t expected Mo Xuan to ask such a question and was momentarily at a loss for words. Seeing her hesitation, Mo Xuan couldn’t help but smile. “You know, the most deceptive thing in this world is our eyes. Often, we only see what we want to see.”
“Shiya did tell me that she had done many things back then, and I’ve wondered more than once what exactly she did.”
“But honestly, it doesn’t matter to me. All I care about is them, nothing else. Miss Cheng, I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve by telling me all this. Someone once asked me a very similar question, and my answer was that I accept them, whether they’re good or bad.”
“What happens between me and them is our own business, so there’s no need for you to concern yourself with it.”
After saying this, Mo Xuan turned and walked to the door. Before leaving, he glanced back at Cheng Yuno. “Some things are clear to both of us. If, as you say, Shiya and Mu Qi are already notorious, why is your brother coming after me? Are there no other women in the world?”
“Even now, there are plenty of people still vying for a marriage alliance with them. I’m sure the Luo Corporation is still receiving gifts from suitors, right?”
“And don’t you find it ridiculous? If I didn’t have some skills and the Luo Family’s protection, your brother might have beaten me up, and I wouldn’t even have a place to stay in the hospital.”
“How do you manage to justify your brother’s coercion while telling me what Shiya and Mu Qi have done?”
Mo Xuan placed his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave, when Cheng Yuno’s voice softly came from behind him. “Are you sure you don’t want to see how they treat others?”
Mo Xuan turned back, and Cheng Yuno waved her phone with a faint smile. “Take a look for yourself. I hope you can still say what you just did after seeing this.”
The phone played a video. Luo Shiya sat on the sofa, her arms crossed, her face devoid of any expression. Beside her, Luo Muqi, dressed in casual clothes, had taken off her sneakers and was curled up on the sofa, typing on her phone with a sweet smile on her face.
A man knelt on the floor, pleading for something, but Luo Shiya didn’t utter a single word. After a moment, several female bodyguards suddenly appeared, wielding retractable batons, and began brutally beating the man.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Luo Shiya’s gaze never once fell on the man, while Luo Muqi acted as if she hadn’t heard anything, still smiling as she continued texting.
Only when the man was on the verge of collapse did Luo Shiya seem to signal the bodyguards to stop. She walked over, her 10-centimeter high heels stomping hard on the man’s face, and appeared to say something before the video ended.
“Do you know when that man offended them?” Cheng Yuno asked with a sly smile. “It was earlier this year, before my brother offended you. I spent quite a bit of money to get this video…”
“Then go report it to the police,” Mo Xuan said, tossing the phone back to Cheng Yuno. “Don’t waste such good evidence.”
“Are you pretending to be clueless?” Cheng Yuno was both amused and frustrated by Mo Xuan’s attitude. “Can you really tolerate the people you love doing such things?”
“I’ve made it clear—I accept them, good or bad,” Mo Xuan shrugged. “Besides, even after all this, your brother still clings to Mu Qi. Isn’t that pathetic?”
Cheng Yuno’s tactics were crude but not entirely wrong. However, she had underestimated the importance of Luo Shiya and Luo Mu Qi to Mo Xuan, or rather, she had underestimated the effort the two sisters had invested in him.
It was like the description of those two paintings—the man’s chains were tied to the two women, and even when everything was over, even without the chains, masks, or anything blocking his vision, he would still willingly stay with them.
Cheng Yuno’s intentions were good. Any normal person would have second thoughts after seeing such things. But Mo Xuan, strictly speaking, was no longer a normal person.
He did have doubts, but they weren’t because of Cheng Yuno’s words or what he had seen. Even if there were doubts, they were about other issues between him and the two sisters.
Outside the school gates, in a white Bentley, Luo Shiya gently tapped the car window, wearing headphones through which Mo Xuan’s voice could be heard: “Miss Cheng, don’t you find yourself ridiculous? You’re desperately trying to show me and describe what they’ve done, but if you knew all along, why didn’t you tell your brother?”
Luo Shiya suddenly turned to Sister Hui, who was in the driver’s seat. “At the end of the year, make sure the tech department gets double bonuses.”
“Understood, Miss Luo.”
They deserved the extra money—the built-in listening device had excellent sound quality.
She had only wanted to check in on what Mo Xuan was doing and hadn’t expected to overhear this. Luo Shiya had originally come to take Mo Xuan shopping for clothes, but after hearing this, she decided to wait outside the school.
She had indeed been covering up these matters. On one hand, she didn’t want to ruin the good impression Mo Xuan had of her and Luo Muqi before she had complete control over him. On the other hand, it was better if such things weren’t exposed.
But now, it didn’t matter anymore. The plan was almost complete, except for the final step.
She didn’t harbor any resentment toward Cheng Yuno for stirring up trouble. In fact, she was grateful for the interference, as it had inadvertently helped her. Mo Xuan’s reaction had pleased her, and more importantly, he would have found out about these things eventually. She already had a way to handle it.
She was confident that after her explanation, Mo Xuan would only be more tightly bound to her.
“Sister Hui, have I ever offended Cheng Yuno?” Luo Shiya seemed to recall something. “I don’t think we’ve had much interaction, have we?”
“Miss Luo, don’t you remember? There were a few investment projects where she chose the same products as you, just different brands,” Sister Hui patiently explained. “But every time, she lost, and you won. Also, she’s a painter, but with Second Miss around, she’s always been overshadowed.”
“Is that all?”
“And since childhood, she’s always been compared to you and Second Miss. Didn’t you know?”
Luo Shiya truly hadn’t known. She had never cared about such things. The only person worth her attention in this world was Mo Xuan. Even managing the family business was just a means to ensure she could be with him without any distractions.
As for what Cheng Yuno thought, it meant absolutely nothing to her.
Who would care about the thoughts of a passerby?
“Our family’s marriage alliance is purely for profit,” Cheng Yuno said, unbothered by Mo Xuan’s words. “Not just us, but aside from the Xiao Family’s second son, who among those chasing the sisters isn’t after the benefits the Luo Corporation can bring?”
“Speaking of which, aren’t you the same?” Cheng Yuno’s tone took on a hint of mockery. “Don’t tell me it’s not about money?”
“I won’t deny it,” Mo Xuan shrugged. “But it’s not what you think, and it’s none of your business.”
If it weren’t for Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi, his grandmother might not have had those final moments. Before their relationship had deepened, he had been able to focus on his studies because of the financial support from the sisters.
To say it wasn’t about money would be dishonest, but to claim it was entirely for personal gain—Mo Xuan had never thought that way.
“Miss Cheng, I think we’ve wasted enough time.”
Mo Xuan opened the door, then paused and smiled back at her. “Actually, I’m grateful to you. I’ll go back and ask Shiya and Mu Qi what they’ve done, but not because of your clumsy attempts to sow discord.”
“I have to admit, I don’t know them as well as I thought. I don’t know what they’ve done in the past. After talking to you today, I’m genuinely curious.”
“Not for any other reason, but because you’ve solidified my choice.”
With that, Mo Xuan ignored Cheng Yuno’s displeased expression and pushed the door open, only to run straight into Luo Shiya and Sister Hui.
“Shiya, why are you…”
Before he could finish, Luo Shiya threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly and refusing to let go.
However, Mo Xuan didn’t notice that she exchanged a glance with Sister Hui beside her. Sister Hui nodded subtly and, taking advantage of Mo Xuan’s distraction, quietly slipped into the meeting room…