"It's about time, I should get going." Mo Qingqing glanced at the clock. "I promised the Ye Family, but my company still needs some arrangements. I'll hand everything over to them before the New Year. Ye Ning and I will be getting married soon, and I'll send you an invitation when the time comes."
With that, Mo Qingqing stood up and left. Her female assistant, carrying some items, hurriedly bowed to Luo Shiya before following her out of the café.
"Do you believe it?" Mo Xuan looked at Luo Shiya. "I feel like something's off."
Are there no other women in the world? Why is the Ye Family going to such lengths to keep Mo Qingqing tied to them?
And it's Mo Qingqing, who even sold her own family’s company. Doesn’t Ye Grandmother fear that Mo Qingqing might turn against the Ye Family, or even... take action against her?
"I can't say for sure, but I can guess a bit." Luo Shiya smiled. "Ye Ning doesn’t have the best reputation. Those with matching family backgrounds and capabilities aren’t interested in him. Those with lesser backgrounds or insufficient capabilities aren’t good enough for the Ye Family, and Ye Ning insists on the woman being attractive."
"As for your sister, she’s practically a perfect match for the Ye Family. She’s capable, and Ye Ning likes her. As for her so-called ruthlessness and ambition, those aren’t issues for the Ye Family."
"They’ve cut off all her escape routes, though, to be fair, she did go too far herself... Once she’s married, she won’t have any real power in the Ye Family’s company, and she might not even get any shares."
"What Ye Grandmother wants is for her to handle Ye Ning’s troubles. If she can have children, great; if not, it doesn’t matter. Did you notice how the assistant tried to stop her from smoking, but Mo Qingqing still did it? She must have seen it. And if she’s preparing for pregnancy, why would she still have cigarettes in her bag?"
Mo Xuan couldn’t help but laugh. After all her scheming, his sister might end up less respected than she was in the Mo Family.
Mo Xuan suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Mo Qingqing had plotted so much, and now the Mo Family was completely ruined. Qin Ni’s situation was likely just a matter of time. After all her efforts, the Ye Family had suddenly betrayed her.
But who could she blame? Perhaps it was greed, or perhaps it was her resentment toward Mo Changshan for giving the family business to Mo Jinpeng instead of her. But in the end, she had chosen this path herself.
"Ye Grandmother wouldn’t dare do this unless she had considered everything, even the possibility of Mo Qingqing lashing out in desperation. But..." Luo Shiya leaned on Mo Xuan’s shoulder. "You’ll see, the Ye Family’s future might not be as peaceful as they think."
Mo Qingqing’s goal has always been to climb higher. How could she let the Ye Family trap her?
The Mo Family was once her obstacle, and she didn’t hesitate to sell them out, even if it was her own family. She might have felt pain and resentment, but she still did it.
Ye Grandmother might seem to have everything under control, but human nature is unpredictable, especially with someone like Mo Qingqing.
"Maybe she’s already planning how to deal with the Ye Family," Luo Shiya thought aloud. "It’s just a matter of who’s more cunning—her or Ye Grandmother... But let’s not talk about this anymore, Xuan. You’re not worried about her, are you?"
"Of course not. What does she have to do with me?" Mo Xuan pulled Luo Shiya into his arms. "I just didn’t expect to run into her and have her vent at me like that."
In truth, Mo Qingqing hadn’t expected to run into Mo Xuan and Luo Shiya either.
"I thought your brother had cut ties with the family," the assistant said, glancing at Mo Qingqing through the rearview mirror as she drove. "It seems he’s still on good terms with you."
Mo Qingqing looked at her but didn’t respond. Instead, she turned to gaze out the window. After a long silence, she suddenly smiled and said, "Don’t expect me to put in a good word for my brother. We’re just keeping up appearances. If you’re hoping I’ll help you connect with Luo Shiya through him, it might backfire."
The assistant’s lips twitched, but she didn’t say anything more. Mo Qingqing couldn’t help but sneer. She knew exactly what the assistant was thinking. The Ye Family was already tying her down, and now they wanted to make full use of her by leveraging her relationship with Mo Xuan to get to Luo Shiya?
Wishful thinking, wasn’t it?
Mo Qingqing didn’t say anything else and closed her eyes, pretending to rest. The assistant had no idea what she was thinking. Ever since the Ye Family had laid their cards on the table, she had been assigned to Mo Qingqing’s side.
It was supposed to be for assistance, but it was really just surveillance. Mo Qingqing had always acted obediently, occasionally making some sharp remarks, but nothing too out of line.
"Don’t think Ye Grandmother is being too harsh. You’ve been so ruthless yourself that even if she likes you, she has to be cautious..." the assistant sighed. "Just focus on marrying the young master. The Ye Family will eventually be yours."
Mo Qingqing couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Did the Ye Family not benefit from acquiring the Mo Family? Now they’re pinning all the blame on me?
Eventually? How long is "eventually"? Wait for the old hag to die, and then Ye Ning’s parents?
She didn’t have that kind of patience...
Although Mo Qingqing’s sudden appearance didn’t affect Mo Xuan and Luo Shiya’s mood, Mo Xuan noticed something strange: Luo Shiya didn’t seem very enthusiastic about shopping. After buying some clothes, she wanted to leave the mall immediately.
Not just this time. He had been out with Luo Muqi a few times, and she was the same—buy what she needed and leave without lingering.
He couldn’t help but compare it to the past when he went shopping with Su Yanran. That was pure torture, both physically and mentally. They’d enter the mall after lunch and wouldn’t leave until it was time to think about dinner.
"Why do you and Muqi seem so uninterested in shopping?" Mo Xuan couldn’t help but ask. "It’s almost like how I shop..."
"It’s a waste of time," Luo Shiya said nonchalantly. "If it weren’t for spending time with you, I’d probably just call and have things delivered to the house."
Well, she had a point. He clearly didn’t understand the privilege of being a "chaebol princess."
Mo Xuan silently teased himself, but it was true. The latest and limited-edition items from luxury brands could be delivered straight to their homes without them ever needing to step out.
"By the way, Wei'er and Xue'er have been wanting a new doll," Mo Xuan thought aloud. "Why don’t we get them one now and take it back later?"
"No need. We’re not going home yet."
Mo Xuan dreaded hearing those words the most. Luo Shiya turned to look at him and suddenly smiled. "Muqi booked a mountain lodge. The girls are coming too. We’ll meet them there later. They say the hotpot there is amazing, so it’s better not to bring too much stuff."
Mo Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Luo Shiya noticed and asked with a meaningful smile, "What did you think I meant, Xuan? A hotel?"
Mo Xuan’s face turned red, and he stammered, "No, I... I was just asking..."
After they got into the car, Luo Shiya suddenly left the passenger seat and sat on Mo Xuan’s lap, wearing a mischievous smile. "We’ve got plenty of time. Going to a hotel isn’t out of the question..."
"Or... do you want to do it in the car, Xuan? The air conditioning works just fine..."
"Shiya, stop messing around. This is an underground parking lot..."
"Do you really care about that, Xuan? The only thing you need to care about right now is me..." Luo Shiya kissed Mo Xuan’s face passionately, her lips brushing against his ear. "So, here or the hotel, hmm?"
This was just too much!
"The hotel..."