September 25th, 2:00 pm.

At the highly anticipated Yaosing Hotel, the red carpet ceremony officially began.

One by one, fashion icons, popular celebrities, top idols, and top designers all dressed in MU clothing and jewelry, walked on the red carpet, releasing their own charm and style under the beautiful lights.

Outside the red carpet, there were countless media and entertainment reporters.

A small part of them were well-known fashion magazines invited by MU Company, while the rest came uninvited to get first-hand news and picture materials.

Most importantly, many media received insider information the night before that this MU brand autumn launch would have a big reveal, which could cause the brand’s image to collapse.

As Li Ze, a tabloid entertainment reporter, took photos and asked his colleague, Yu Fei, “Big brother, have you heard? There’s a big scoop at this autumn launch.”

“Of course, I’m here for that,” Yu Fei said.

Li Ze put down his camera and leaned in to whisper to Yu Fei, “Do you know how to enter the venue at the Diamond Hall on the sixth floor?”

Yu Fei flashed his pass on his chest, “Our magazine has already made arrangements with MU Company, so we can enter the venue at three o’clock directly.”

“Big magazines are the best…” Li Ze envied him and asked, “Do you know any other ways to enter the Diamond Hall or take pictures there?”

Yu Fei shook his head, “MU Company has booked the entire Yaosing Hotel since yesterday, and uninvited attendees cannot enter. Hundreds of security guards patrol every floor, and there is 360-degree surveillance. If you don’t have MU Company’s permission, you can’t even enter the lobby.”

After speaking, Yu Fei continued to take pictures of the stars on the red carpet, leaving Li Ze feeling disheartened.

For an hour, the red carpet fashion show featured popular celebrities and fashion icons showcasing MU’s products, which were very eye-catching. The final act was the brand’s spokesperson, Sun Xinyao.

She wore a high-end MU designer dress worth millions, appearing like a goddess, stunning and captivating.

At that moment, Sun Xinyao became the most eye-catching focal point of the entire event.

She also became the envy of all the high society socialites and celebrities, idols who regretted not finding ways to become MU’s spokesperson. Otherwise, they could have been the ones in the limelight, gaining millions of fans overnight, and becoming the darling of fashion magazines.

On the seventh floor of Yaosing Hotel, Mu Qingyan was confirming the final list of attendees for the autumn launch with the event manager, Qiao Lengnan.

Qiao Lengnan circled on the list and said, “Except for Mr. Du, who is hospitalized due to illness, everyone else has arrived at the venue on the sixth floor.”

“Okay.”

Mu Qingyan noticed Qiao Lengnan’s hesitation and asked, “What do you want to say?”

Qiao Lengnan knew that asking about the leader’s personal matters was inappropriate, but he couldn’t help but feel worried. After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally asked, “Mr. Mu, ever since that incident, everyone knows that you and Xing Hao have been at odds. Why did you agree to let Xing participate in the autumn release conference this time?”

“What if he does something sneaky or causes trouble at the venue?”

“Not what if, it’s certain.”

Mu Qingyan smiled and seemed unconcerned, saying, “I’ve already guessed a few ways he might cause trouble. I’m curious to see if his methods are more sophisticated than I imagine.”

Seeing that Qiao Lengnan still seemed uneasy, Mu Qingyan comforted him, “Don’t worry. Whether he’s here for MU or for me, I won’t let this autumn release conference be ruined.”

Qiao Lengnan still felt uncertain, as this autumn release conference was important for his reputation in the industry and for his promotion and salary increase. However, seeing Mu Qingyan so confident and spirited, he was completely inspired and said, “Okay, I’ll do my best to make sure there are no flaws in this release conference!”

“It’s ten minutes to three now. Go to the venue and have Xiao Lu play the new long video ad for MU brand. We’ll start at exactly three.”

“Okay.”

After Qiao Lengnan left, Mu Qingyan leisurely ate oranges while watching the monitor.

On the screen, Xing Hao was sitting in the seat arranged by the event team. Unlike others who were chatting and greeting each other, he was looking at his phone with no expression on his face.

“Old Yan!”

The door of this temporary office was slammed open, and a tall, flashy young man walked in, his arm resting on Mu Qingyan’s shoulder as he leaned in and said, “My busy man, I finally caught you.”

After searching through his memory, Mu Qingyan remembered that Shen Huai was his childhood friend who was born with a golden key in his mouth but insisted on opening a bar and becoming a bartender, instead of taking over his family’s business as a young master from a wealthy family in C country. Perhaps everyone in the MU company knew about their close relationship, so no one dared to stop him when he ran around the Yaoxing Hotel.

Mu Qingyan joked, “Why isn’t Master Shen sitting in the conference hall and came here instead?”

“To find you, of course!” Shen Huai pretended to roll his eyes and kept teasing, “You’ve changed so much since your divorce. Every time I invite you to my bar, you always come up with different excuses to avoid me. I’m afraid you only know how to work and have become bored and lonely!”

In the original novel, Shen Huai was always by the side of the main character, even when the main character was rumored to be a crazy mental patient by the outside world. Shen Huai continued to support the main character. Unfortunately, a week before the main character jumped off the building, Shen Huai was assassinated by his own brother due to the infighting within their family.

While other friends may come and go, he was a true friend who was loyal and sincere to Mu Qingyan, and Mu Qingyan was willing to be friends with him.

“After the banquet tonight, I’ll go to your bar,” Mu Qingyan agreed.

Shen Huai raised his eyebrows in satisfaction. “That sounds about right.”

Then he started to talk again, “Seriously, this press conference of yours is so grand. Uncle Mu must be so happy that his son has made it. But why did you invite that scumbag Xing Hao? He’s so unpleasant to see. Some people say that you purposely transformed yourself into a successful person in your career to show Xing Hao after your divorce. But they are so blind, Xing Hao is not even close to your level. In my opinion, only someone as high-end and sophisticated as President Ji is worthy of you. Xing Hao is just a small fry.”

“Stop it,” Mu Qingyan forced Shen Huai to stop talking. He was afraid that if he didn’t, he would keep talking all day. “It’s time for me to go to the conference.”

As he turned to leave, Shen Huai immediately followed him. “I’ll go with you… Hey, don’t you have the script for the press conference?”

Mu Qingyan pointed to his head. “It’s all in here.”

“Really? I never knew you were so smart when we were in school.”

After leaving the temporary office, Shen Huai gestured for his bodyguards to follow him, then said, “I just saw Ye Qiqi. She used to look like a little black pig when she was a child, but now she’s grown up and become more beautiful and hotter.”

Mu Qingyan joked seriously, “I’ll help you match up with her. After all, neither of you are married.”

“No way!” Shen Huai immediately refused. “Ye Qiqi has always been very fierce since we were kids. Sitting next to her was my childhood trauma. I’m scared of her.”

Mu Qingyan smiled and didn’t say anything more.

The Diamond Hall of the Yao Xing Grand Hotel was as luxurious as its name suggested. The latest video ads and promotional films for the various series of MU brand products had already been played on the big screen on the stage.

It was now time for the autumn new products and limited edition products to be showcased.

After returning to his seat obediently, Shen Huai patiently waited below the stage as Mu Qingyan went on stage after the fashion show ended, and opened the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the MU brand’s autumn release! Next, I will introduce in detail the MU brand’s new products and limited edition products for this year.”

As the central figure of the autumn release, Mu Qingyan’s opening was concise and clear, and he spent more time introducing each new product and limited edition.

Models dressed in various products cooperated with Mu Qingyan in a very professional manner.

“Wow…”

The people attending the release event below the stage were amazed by the high appearance value of each new product. Reporters frantically captured the moment, while socialites and celebrities calculated which new products they wanted to snatch up.

Only Shen Huai and Xing Hao were not attracted by the new products.

Shen Huai’s attention was drawn to Mu Qingyan, and he did not expect Mu Qingyan to personally come on stage to release the products. After all, in the previous autumn releases in recent years, Mu Qingyan had always delegated the task of introducing new products to his subordinates.

Now seeing Mu Qingyan release the products, he found that he was completely different from the past carefree young master Mu.

Moreover, Mu Qingyan went through the entire presentation without a script, his language was fluent without any stutters, as if he had personally designed and produced every item.

In fact, Mu Qingyan was indeed very familiar with each product and knew every detail. Some of the new products’ details he recognized without the need for a script.

Xing Hao looked at Mu Qingyan gloomily, and the radiance emanating from him seemed like countless sharp thorns deeply stabbing into his body.

It made him hurt, made him angry; made him unwilling, made him resentful.

After the introduction of the new products and limited editions was finished, the official website immediately opened the purchase channels for all new products and limited editions. In just a few seconds, all limited editions were sold out, and the number of orders for new products had already exceeded six figures.

The release event then entered the Q&A session, where entertainment journalists and fashion magazine journalists vied to ask questions, and Mu Qingyan gave perfect answers one by one.

At this point, Xing Hao did not raise his hand, but stood up directly.

The news media naturally knew that he was the ex-husband of the President of MU, and all cameras turned towards him, wanting to know what he wanted to say.

They even secretly hoped that he would create a scene, as it would make for sensational news material.

Seeing that all the journalists’ eyes were on him, Xíng Hào raised his voice and uttered a shocking sentence.

“In the MU autumn release, twelve of the clothing items are plagiarized!”

---

Author’s Note:

Mu Qingyan: As expected, I’m starting to act mischievous.

---

“Action!”

On the dark stage, the lights turn on. Mu Qingyan, wearing home clothes, sits on the bed, hugging his bent knees and burying his head in them.

At this moment, the barking of a small dog and the laughter of a child can be heard from outside the window. Mu Qingyan slowly raises his head and gazes blankly outside the window.

Downstairs, children and a pet dog are playing and chasing each other.

Listening to the sounds of laughter, he remembers the past. His eyes and nose turn slightly red, and his shoulders tremble slightly.

Mu Qingyan bites his lip tightly. Finally, unable to restrain himself any longer, he sheds crystal tears.

At this moment, he exudes a fragility and vulnerability like that of glass, making people feel sorry for him.

The background sound fades away, and his phone vibrates on the bedside table.

As Mu Qingyan is about to pick up the phone, he happens to see a photo frame standing beside it. It is a picture of a big dog that had accompanied him throughout his childhood, smiling at him with its tongue out.

“Dolly…”

He trembles slightly as he reaches for the photo of his beloved dog. But at the moment his fingertips touch the photo frame, he hesitates.

He curls his fingers and finally turns the photo frame upside down, covering his face and crying.

At this moment, the tear-jerking BGM in the movie begins, and the live audience and viewers watching the live broadcast are completely moved by Mu Qingyan, shedding tears one after another.

As the performance ends, the judges, audience, host, and program staff at the scene all applaud.

Ji Liyun’s heart finally settles. He stands beside the director’s seat, watching Mu Qingyan walk to the front of the stage and bow to the judges and audience, with a look of admiration and admiration in his eyes.

The number of bullet comments in the live broadcast skyrocketed, densely packed.

[“I’m in tears.”]

[“Mu Qingyan cried and my heart aches.”]

[“I really want to hug him.”]

[“This performance is too awesome, I voluntarily retract my previous comment for Xie Ming.”]

[“No comparison, no harm. Xie Ming is far behind.”]

The host walked over to Mu Qingyan’s side and admired him before continuing to host, “Thank you very much for Mu Qingyan’s performance. Next, we ask the judges for their comments.”

Previously, only one or two judges would give comments after each performance, but this time all four directors raised their hands. So the host asked the directors to comment in order from left to right.

Sure enough, the first three directors all praised Mu Qingyan’s outstanding acting skills, surpassing many actors who had received professional training. Two directors even offered him roles on their next projects on the spot.

Ironically, these three directors completely ignored the original contestant, Xie Ming, and didn’t mention him at all.

The other actors backstage who saw Mu Qingyan’s performance also admired him for delivering such a wonderful performance as someone who had not received professional training.

The actors who had performed the first five tasks were secretly glad they hadn’t crossed swords with Mu Qingyan, otherwise they would have made a fool of themselves now.

Actor Mai Lean, who had always been at odds with Xie Ming, walked up to Xie Ming and chuckled, “Who would have thought that someone would end up in a bad situation. Some people had hoped to become famous on this variety show, right?”

“You haven’t even appeared yet, don’t be too happy too early,” Xie Ming said coldly.

“Yes, but I’m not that stupid to argue with the guests. Besides, it’s the President of the Ji Group who personally invited him, using 5 million square meters of land in the development zone to exchange for the guest appearance.”

Mai Lean looked disdainfully at Xie Ming. “Having mediocre acting skills is better than being ridiculed and losing your audience.”

It was no wonder the program team treated Mu Qingyan so well, given that he was personally invited by the President of the Ji Group.

Xie Ming clenched his fists tightly, feeling jealous and resentful.

He had nowhere to vent, so he only whispered provocatively to Mai Lean beside him, “If it weren’t for this variety show, I would have other opportunities.”

“Yeah, opportunities to poach roles. Just like how you used tricks three times to snatch my roles and resources before,” Mai Lean looked at Mu Qingyan on stage, smiling. “As the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold. Looks like it’s time.”

The last commentator was director Cui Yu.

He was over sixty years old and looked very amiable, but whenever he spoke, his expression was extremely serious, often giving people a feeling of authority without anger.

Cui Yu opened the microphone and asked Mu Qingyan a question first, “Was your performance just now improvised?”

Mu Qingyan nodded, “Yes, Director Cui. Before the performance, I told the program team’s director about the content I wanted to perform and the kind of cooperation I hoped to receive.”

“Very thoughtful, very good.”

This is the first time Cui Yu praised someone on the show. He blinked at Mu Qingyan and said, “Mr. Mu’s way of expressing this scene is different from that in the movie. He has his own personal aesthetic, and I think it is very worthy of encouragement.”

“<The Life of Dolly> was a movie I directed when I was young. I was under 30 years old at the time and lacked experience. My ideas were also relatively simple. After seeing Mr. Mu’s performance, I felt that although you are about the same age as I was when I directed the movie, you are more logical than I was back then.”

“If we talk about acting, Mr. Mu’s performance has a strong sense of hierarchy and is very infectious. In comparison, Mr. Xie’s performance is indeed much inferior and monotonous.”

This was the first time Xie Ming was evaluated in <Acting PK Battle>, and the result was used as a control group for Mu Qingyan. Standing backstage, he glared at Mu Qingyan with anger.

After the evaluation was over, Cui Yu took out a business card from his body and handed it to Mu Qingyan, “I hope to work with you.”

The actors backstage were suddenly boiling.

[“Wow! Director Cui personally gave him a business card!”]

[“This is the first time Director Cui has made an invitation in so many variety shows he has participated in.”]

[“Envious.”]

However, some actors were more jealous of Mu Qingyan than envious.

“He is not a professional actor. How can he receive the attention and invitation of three directors?”

“That’s right, it must be relying on backstage connections.”

“Hmph, he will fall sooner or later.”

Host: “Thank you again for Mu Qingyan’s performance. Please return to the guest seat. Next, the judges will evaluate Xie Ming.”

Xie Ming took a deep breath, put on a professional smile, and returned to the stage.

The four directors looked at each other and no one raised their hand.

To avoid embarrassment, one of the directors opened the microphone: “Xie Ming’s crying scene is indeed very professional, I pity him. However, in the movie<The Life of Dolly> the scene where the owner learns that his dog has died and cries sadly only lasts for about a minute, so this question gives the actors a lot of creative space.”

“In the ten-minute performance interval, you almost cried all the time, which lacks creativity and can only prove your crying skills. Please continue to work hard.”

Xie Ming pursed his lips, pretended to be calm, and said softly, “Thank you, director.”

Mu Qingyan stayed at the scene to watch the performance, then returned to his own independent dressing room satisfactorily and changed back into his MU high-end suit.

Ye Qiqi looked at him admiringly and asked curiously, “Boss, when did you secretly learn acting? It’s so amazing! I looked at the comments online, and they all praised you!”

“Innate talent,” Mu Qingyan said lightly.

“Boss, you’re bragging again.” Ye Qiqi opened her phone and asked again, “Just now, several reporters contacted me and said they want an exclusive interview with you.”

Mu Qingyan walked towards the guest seat while saying, “Decline all interviews and push them all away.”

After nearly two and a half hours of live broadcast, all the actors finally finished their performances. According to the preliminary rules, the four directors needed to have 10 votes in hand to give to the ten actors they wanted to advance.

The audience below used their electronic voting devices to vote for their five favorite actors.

Voting time was fifteen minutes, and the ten actors chosen by the directors and each actor’s specific number of votes were announced on the spot.

The top ten actors in terms of votes could advance directly, and two actors could be resurrected due to online voting.

Mu Qingyan laughed lightly. It was a competition like flowing water, and the resurrection was ironclad.

During the ten-minute voting period, the four directors discussed with each other while fans below shouted the names of the actors they loved, cheering and encouraging their idols.

On the live screen, one barrage followed another, all guessing which actors could advance.

When the voting channel closed and the host announced the final voting results, Mu Qingyan didn’t actually care. He just wanted to know how many votes Xie Ming got.

First, the four directors each revealed the ten actors they chose, and sure enough, none of them had chosen Xie Ming.

Looking at the final vote count, Xie Ming was third from the bottom.

Mu Qingyan was satisfied.

“Do you want me to teach you acting? I’ll teach you how to be a person.”

The live broadcast of <Acting PK Battle> ended, and everyone gradually left the photography location.

Outside the studio, many entertainment journalists had already gathered, intercepting popular actors who were coming out one by one for interviews.

When Mu Qingyan, wearing sunglasses, walked out of the building, all the entertainment journalists crowded around him, surrounding him with their cameras and video cameras. He only politely answered a few questions.

Just as his bodyguard stepped forward to disperse the reporters and escort him to the nanny car, a reporter took the opportunity to rush to the front and loudly asked, “After seeing your wonderful performance, may I ask what you think the standard for good acting is?”

“There’s no fixed standard. When you’re strong enough, you are the standard.” Mu Qingyan replied before getting into the nanny car.

The reporter secretly praised his insightfulness!

After this variety show, Mu Qingyan’s popularity reached new heights, gaining three million more fans, and he even had his own fan club.

After returning home, Xie Ming became more and more angry, throwing things all over the house.

At this moment, Xing Hao opened the door, saw the mess in the living room, and asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Mingming?”

When Xie Ming saw Xing Hao, he immediately threw himself into his arms and sobbed, “Mu Qingyan bullied me, deliberately targeted me in the show, embarrassed me, and even prevented me from advancing.”

“Hey, don’t cry,” Xing Hao looked at his beloved’s pitiful appearance, feeling very distressed. He comforted him, “Don’t worry, he’ll be the one crying in a couple of days.”

“Really?” Xie Ming wiped away his tears and looked at him pitifully.

“Of course. Everything is within my grasp. Just wait and see.”

---

When Xie Ming saw Mu Qingyan, he was also taken aback.

The last time they had a close face-to-face encounter was last year, the day before Mu Qingyan and Xing Hao’s engagement.

At that time, although the original owner had no feelings for Xing Hao, they were possessive and liked to interfere. When they discovered that their usually attentive fiancé hadn’t messaged them in two whole days, they had the idea to “check in” on him.

That afternoon, the original owner barged into Xing Hao’s office and happened to see Xie Ming sitting on the couch, looking pitiful and tearful.

Although Xie Ming and Xing Hao were only standing close to each other and not hugging, the original owner still sensed a strange atmosphere.

Seeing that the original owner was suspicious, Xing Hao afraid that the original owner would overthink things, sent Xie Ming away and explained that he was just a small actor who wanted to collaborate on endorsement deals and was upset at being rejected.

The original owner had never met Xie Ming before, and combined with Xing Hao’s coaxing, accepted his explanation.

From then on, the original owner and Xie Ming never met again until the former’s death.

In Xie Ming’s eyes, the former Mu Qingyan was manipulative and arrogant, but also easy to fool and control, like many people said, “an embroidered pillow filled with grass.”

Now, it seemed that Mu Qingyan’s temperament and aura had improved by several levels compared to a year ago, giving off an oppressive and untouchable aura.

Xie Ming knew that his interference in Mu Qingyan and Xing Hao’s marriage led to Mu Qingyan’s insistence on divorce. But he didn’t think he was wrong, after all, he and Xing Hao had a pure love, while Mu Qingyan and Xing Hao were only driven by commercial interests.

Morally, he always felt that he was not inferior to Mu Qingyan.

After a few seconds of internal struggle, Xie Ming decided to take the initiative to greet Mu Qingyan, after all, Mu Qingyan was a guest invited by the program group.

He had pulled a lot of strings through Xing Hao just to participate in this expensive variety show, hoping to use it as a stepping stone to fame.

He made up his mind not to let Mu Qingyan become his stumbling block.

Mu Qingyan coldly glanced at Xie Ming who had rashly barged into the dressing room, finding him irritating as he stood there fidgeting and unsure of what to do.

As a personal secretary, Ye Qiqi naturally sensed Mu Qingyan’s displeasure. She was about to come forward and drive Xie Ming away when she saw him approaching with a smile and hesitantly saying, “Hello, Brother Mu.”

Mu Qingyan looked incredulously at Xie Ming. If he were drinking water at the moment, he would have surely spat it out.

Where did he get such thick skin to actually call him Brother Mu?

Mu Qingyan seriously doubted whether the protagonist of the original book had a problem with his brain. He knew he was the other man, yet he dared to greet the original wife?

Was he really that stupid?

Mu Qingyan completely ignored Xie Ming and closed his eyes, feeling that even looking at the other person would dirty his eyes.

Ye Qiqi stood between Mu Qingyan and Xie Ming, blocking Xie Ming’s seemingly innocent and friendly gaze. She politely but coldly said, “I’m sorry, President Mu needs to do his makeup now, please leave.”

“I’m an actor participating in the variety show, and I need to do makeup too,” Xie Ming looked at Ye Qiqi innocently and pointed to the several empty makeup tables around, “There are still several makeup tables available here.”

After speaking, Xie Ming secretly nudged his assistant next to him.

The assistant was always afraid of this seemingly harmless boss and hesitantly replied, “Yes, it’s normal to share the makeup room.”

Ye Qiqi didn’t waste any more time on Xie Ming and his assistant, and picked up her phone to send a message to the program director.

In less than half a minute, a staff member entered the makeup room.

Seeing Xie Ming standing in front of Mu Qingyan and refusing to leave, the staff member was shocked and asked, “What are you doing here, Xie Ming?”

Xie Ming replied naturally, “I’m here to do my makeup.”

“Oh no! Director Ji has instructed that this makeup room is only for President Mu’s use.” The staff member urged Xie Ming while pushing him towards the door, “You have to leave now and go to the makeup room across the hall.”

Xie Ming thought to himself, no wonder this makeup room is more spacious and luxurious than the others. Why does he have it while I don’t?

Xie Ming felt resentful, but helplessly followed the staff member to the door. At that moment, his phone rang.

“Ah, Brother Hao,” Xie Ming answered the phone and slowed down, pitifully saying, “I…I seem to have done something wrong again… Yeah, I made President Mu angry…”

Listening to his voice, he sounded like he was about to cry, but in reality, he didn’t even have red eyes.

When they reached the door, Xie Ming turned around and looked at Mu Qingyan, who still had his eyes closed, letting the top makeup artist in the country do his makeup. He didn’t care who he was talking to on the phone.

Xie Ming squeezed his phone tightly and felt malicious.

It was 7:40 pm, and the countdown to the live broadcast began in 20 minutes.

Mu Qingyan arrived at the live broadcasting site on time and prepared for the show according to the arrangement of the program group director.

His phone vibrated.

Ji Liyun sent a message: “Look to your right rear.”

Mu Qingyan turned his head and saw Ji Liyun sitting in the audience with a mask on, waving to him.

He replied, “Why did you come?”

“Because it’s the first episode, I wanted to see the effect live and cheer you on,” Ji Liyun replied.

Mu Qingyan thought to himself that he was a top male star before transmigrating, and had participated in countless types of variety shows.

He sent a smiling face and did not reply further.

At exactly eight o’clock, the director commanded, “Action!”

The stage lights came on and the live audience fell silent.

After the host’s opening remarks, the four judges for this variety show were introduced. They were all internationally renowned directors with numerous works and a plethora of awards.

In particular, Director Cui Yu was so famous that anyone who appeared in his films, even as a supporting actor, would surely become very popular and highly respected. Therefore, from minor actors to top celebrities, no one did not want to work with Cui Yu.

After introducing the well-known directors and the eighteen actors who participated in the preliminary selection PK, the camera turned to Mu Qingyan.

The host introduced, “Our guest for the first episode of<‘Acting PK Battle> is Mu Qingyan, the heir of the Mu Group, the general manager of the MU company, and this year’s king of popularity!”

Perhaps due to his truly outstanding appearance, which could be described as the beauty of the world, or perhaps due to the recent intense public attention she received, Mu Qingyan only said, “Hello everyone, I am Mu Qingyan,” and the audience erupted into cheers.

The screams were even more excited than when their idols were introduced.

The live screen was filled with barrage comments.

[“Oh my god, Mu Qingyan is so handsome!”]

[“What a divine appearance and devilish figure, I’m licking the screen!”]

[“I’m a grown man and I think Mu Qingyan looks good.”]

[“He’s like a clay figure made by Nuwa, and I’m the mud that was thrown out with a whip.”]

[“Please show more shots of Mu Qingyan.”]

After introducing the directors, actors, and guests, the host began to explain the rules of <Acting PK Battle>

Each actor would first draw a performance topic. These topics could be a verbatim script and lines from the original play, or a completely different adaptation, such as changing a comedy into a tragedy, or a tragedy into a drama.

Some of the acts are solo performances, performed independently by the contestants. Others are cooperative performances, completed by two or three actors who draw the same topic.

After drawing the topics, the actors who draw solo performances and one of the actors who draw cooperative performances will go on stage to draw the performance order.

Almost all of the participating actors hope to draw solo performances, so that the audience and director’s attention will be focused on them.

If they draw cooperative performances, they are likely to be outperformed or held back.

Xie Ming was visibly relieved when he found out that he had drawn a solo performance.

Before the actors perform, the program group will play a video of the original work of the topic to allow the audience to compare.

The actors will take advantage of this time to change clothes, take props, and prepare for the performance.

The first three performers to appear on stage are solo performances, and because of their extensive performance experience, the audience is completely immersed in their roles, and the directors give them good comments.

The fourth and fifth performers to appear are cooperative performances, and it is clear that some actors have very high acting skills while others are just ornaments.

The sixth performer’s acting skills are awkward, and he can’t even read the prompter smoothly. He made several embarrassing mistakes, causing the audience to burst into laughter and the directors to shake their heads. The actor was embarrassed and left in tears.

As a guest, Mu Qingyan occasionally is asked by the host to comment on the performances. He has a unique vision and can find the strengths and weaknesses of each actor accurately. If their acting is very poor, he will directly point it out without mercy.

Sharp and individualistic comments have become his label as a judge.

Many viewers watching the live broadcast have said: “This variety show is too real! Mu Qingyan is too daring!”

The seventh performer to appear is Xie Ming, and the topic he drew comes from the tear-jerking movie <The Life of Dolly>

<The Life of Dolly> tells the story of a dog named Dolly who grows up with his visually impaired little owner and eventually dies trying to save him.

The scene that the actor needs to perform is when the owner wakes up in the hospital and learns that his beloved dog has died trying to save him. He recalls the past and is so sad that he cannot control himself.

Xie Ming’s best performance is crying scenes, and his fans have praised him as the most good-looking male actor when crying.

Therefore, when he drew this topic, he was very happy and confident. He felt that God was helping him. As long as he performed this play, he would definitely advance and become popular.

The screen switches to the hospital ward, and there is a hospital bed and a bedside table on the stage. On the bedside table, there is a cup of water and a photo frame with Hachi’s picture.

Xie Ming lies on the bed, and the host shouts, “Action!”

The background music of <The Life of Dolly> played, and Xie Ming sat up from the bed, his eyes red with tears. He picked up the picture frame on the bedside and held it in his arms, crying in pain.

His crying scene is indeed capable of touching people’s hearts. The on-site audience couldn’t help but feel heartbroken, looking forward to his upcoming performance.

However, he cried for a full ten minutes.

As the performance ended, the four directors, who were initially moved by his crying scene, now exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly.

Mu Qingyan couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Upon hearing this laughter, Xie Ming became extremely annoyed.

However, he didn’t show his displeasure on his face. Instead, he wiped away the tears from his face and pitifully said, “I don’t know why Teacher Mu is mocking my performance. Is it because I accidentally intruded into your private dressing room while preparing backstage?”

As if I were a petty person deliberately targeting him.

Mu Qingyan saw through his intentions. He wanted to trap himself and make the incident go viral.

“Mr. Xie, you’re overthinking it. Even if you smashed my dressing room, I wouldn’t mind,” Mu Qingyan replied politely, countering, “I laughed because I found your performance monotonous, wasting the audience’s precious ten minutes.”

Xie Ming naturally wouldn’t back down; he deliberately pretended to be surprised and wronged, trembling as he said, “Although Teacher Mu is a distinguished guest, does he really understand acting? Why would he target me like this?”

A pot of strong green tea.

Although the audience watching the live stream also felt that Xie Ming’s acting skills were mediocre, his emotional manipulation led them to comment in the chat, defending Mu Qingyan, saying that he was just a businessman and didn’t understand acting, and that he shouldn’t make things difficult for Xie Ming.

The host watched the tense atmosphere on the stage and, although he knew it was a good thing for generating attention, he couldn’t just let it go on. He wanted to mediate the situation.

Unexpectedly, before he could speak, Xie Ming interrupted him, saying, “Since Teacher Mu thinks my acting is bad, I would like to invite Teacher Mu to come on stage and perform, so I can learn from you live.”

Everyone present was caught off guard by Xie Ming’s words. He clearly didn’t want to give Mu Qingyan any face and instead wanted to push the inexperienced businessman onto the stage to make a fool of himself.

Ji Liyun furrowed his eyebrows and walked to the director’s side, wanting to stop the situation.

However, Mu Qingyan remained calm and stood up, disdainfully curling his lips, “Sure, I’ll show you how it’s done.”

---

Author’s note:

Ji Liyun: I’m too familiar with this expression! My wife is about to show his skills!

---

Unexpectedly, Xing Hao retaliated by targeting MU Company’s autumn launch event. After some thought, Mu Qingyan felt it was normal since the event was the most important thing to him now.

Mu Qingyan asked, “Did Fang Yiming and Yuan You get poached?”

“Yes,” Ye Qiqi answered.

Half an hour later, Mu Qingyan returned to the 16th floor of MU Company. Outside the President’s office, the head of the Autumn Launch event preparation team, Qiao Lengnan, was rubbing his hands repeatedly and pacing back and forth.

Ye Qiqi comforted him, “Don’t worry, the boss must have a solution.”

When Qiao Lengnan saw Mu Qingyan, he hurried over with red eyes as if about to cry, “President Mu, Fang Yiming and Yuan You have both been poached. What do we do? The Autumn Launch event is next week.”

Mu Qingyan entered the office and took out the final version of the Autumn Launch event plan, asking, “Of the new products to be launched, did we already inform them to stop the production of the six clothing items designed by Fang Yiming and the five shoe items designed by Yuan You?”

“I have already informed them to temporarily stop the production of these eleven items,” Ye Qiqi replied.

Qiao Lengnan wiped the sweat off his forehead and whispered, “So, do we need to replace a few new products for the launch event?”

“Of course,” Mu Qingyan flipped through the selected new product catalog handed to him by Ye Qiqi, ticked a few with a pen, and handed them to Qiao Lengnan. “We don’t have time to discuss this now. You should inform the designers of these products to submit the complete drafts and detailed drawings within three hours.”

Qiao Lengnan nodded repeatedly while holding the catalog, “Yes, yes.”

Mu Qingyan waved his hand at Qiao Lengnan, “You can go now. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

“Okay,” Qiao Lengnan held the catalog and ran down the elevator as if flying.

Ye Qiqi put the vanilla latte made by the barista on Mu Qingyan’s desk and said, “Drink something sweet, it will make you feel better.”

“I already knew that Xing Hao wouldn’t give up easily and would try his best to retaliate against me. He just delayed it for a few days longer than I expected,” Mu Qingyan took a sip of coffee and praised, “Hmm, it tastes good. I’ll have this tomorrow.”

Ye Qiqi looked at him and blinked, “Aren’t you angry?”

“What is there to be angry about? If he dares to poach my people, I will make him cry and let him know the consequences of provoking me,” Mu Qingyan leaned against the window and smiled brilliantly, looking as if he had encountered something fun.

In the real world, he was recognized as a ruthless black-hearted person with many tricks up his sleeve. No one dared to provoke him, let alone confront him directly.

Mu Qingyan asked Ye Qiqi, “Did they submit their resignations today?”

“Not really,” Ye Qiqi explained. “Although they have met with Xing Hao separately, they haven’t decided whether or not to leave MU. After all, the clothing company that Xing Hao recently acquired is far inferior to MU. This morning, Xing Hao deliberately leaked the news of their departure to me, making them sound like heartless and unfaithful betrayers.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingyan knew Xing Hao’s tactics and lazily said, “Fang Yiming and Yuan You thought I would be angry and fire them, causing them embarrassment, so they resigned while I was at the company meeting.”

Ye Qiqi let out a sigh. “Yes.”

After a moment of silence, she asked, “Should I try to persuade Fang Yiming and Yuan You to come back? After all, they are the backbone of the autumn release.”

“If they are determined to leave, why bother persuading them to come back?” Mu Qingyan looked at Ye Qiqi inexplicably, sat back in his leather chair, opened the browser and said, “Have Fang Yiming and Yuan You’s apprentices count all the works they have designed for MU, including finished products, candidates, and drafts.”

“Okay.”

After Ye Qiqi left the office, Mu Qingyan started looking for a replacement for Fang Yiming and Yuan You as the chief designer. In the world of books, the fashion design industry holds a global designer competition every year, and a few unique new designers always stand out.

Mu Qingyan carefully looked at the award-winning works and gold medalist designers of the past five years’ design competitions and quickly found two designers whose style matched that of MU – Fei Zhe and Lucas.

He sent their information to the design department supervisor, Sun Qian. Within five minutes, Sun Qian appeared in his office.

Sun Qian’s eyes sparkled with excitement, “Mr. Mu! You have such great insight! I’ve seen Fei Zhe’s designs a long time ago, and they have such great taste, perfect for our MU brand. Although Lucas’s style is slightly different from MU’s, he has lots of ideas and spirit. If we let him design a separate product line, it would definitely be a hit!”

“I have been wanting them to join MU for a long time, but we already have a full team of designers, and you aren’t interested in design, so I didn’t dare to mention it to you. I didn’t expect that you would send me their information. I’m really excited!”

“Stop! You’re shouting in my ear.” Mu Qingyan thought that Sun Qian’s speech pattern, without punctuation, was just fast-paced. He didn’t expect that Sun Qian would become so excited that he would speak without taking a breath.

Upon hearing this, Sun Qian immediately closed his mouth.

Mu Qingyan rubbed his ears and laughed at Sun Qian, who was trying to suppress his excitement, “Okay, since you like Fei Zhe and Lucas so much, I’ll leave the task of inviting them to MU to you. Remember, keep it a secret until the end of the press conference.”

“No problem, I’ll make sure to complete the task!” Sun Qian excitedly made a gesture.

Although they had found better clothing designers than Fang Yiming and Yuan You, it was too late to involve them in the design of the new products for the autumn release. After some thought, Mu Qingyan dialed Qiao Lengnan’s phone.

Qiao Lengnan’s voice sounded a bit tired, “Mr. Mu.”

Mu Qingyan forwarded the new designer’s information to Qiao Lengnan and said, “Fei Zhe and Lucas will be the new clothing designers. I plan to give them a grand opening at the autumn press conference.”

From the moment Qiao Lengnan learned that Fang Yiming and Yuan You had resigned to now, which was only a short two hours, he could hardly believe it. “Have they agreed to come to MU?”

“Not yet.”

Qiao Lengnan paused for a moment and cautiously asked, “What if they refuse?”

Mu Qingyan said with certainty, “They will come. I have confidence in Sun Qian.”

With Sun Qian’s strong passion for design, he would definitely try every possible way to get the designers he admired into MU. So Mu Qingyan trusted him.

Furthermore, Mu Qingyan had always adhered to the principle of “not doubting people, not using people who are doubtful.”

When Qiao Lengnan heard his confident tone, his doubts disappeared, and he quickly revised the plan for the autumn press conference according to the new requirements.

Ding ding.

Ji Liyun sent a message, “I heard your designer was poached?”

Mu Qingyan smiled, “Mr. Ji, you are well-informed.”

Ji Liyun asked again, “Have you figured out a solution?”

Mu Qingyan thought to himself that Ji Liyun was quite enthusiastic. Maybe he was afraid that Mu Qingyan would not be able to come up with a solution and had come to help?

He replied, “It’s been resolved.”

Mu Qingyan was just about to politely send a “thank you for your concern” message, but Ji Liyun had already replied, “That’s good. I just wanted to remind you that you have a variety show to attend tomorrow.”

Oh, it turned out that he was just afraid that I would forget to attend the variety show because I was too busy.

The evils of capitalism.

No, I am also a capitalist.

---

“Acting PK Battle” officially airs at 8 pm on Wednesday night. According to the program group’s requirements, all judges, guests, and participating actors must arrive at the filming location before the afternoon.

Mu Qingyan did not spend any time preparing for the variety show, from selecting clothes to preparing transportation, he handed everything over to Ye Qiqi.

Just after five o’clock, Ye Qiqi knocked three times on the door of the office.

“Come in.”

I saw Ye Qiqi in a black outfit, her low-cut top and tight leather pants and jacket highlighting her hot figure. Looking at her chestnut-colored waves, Mu Qingyan was surprised and asked if she had done her hair specially. Ye Qiqi replied with a toss of her hair and donning black sunglasses, “Yes, boss, let’s go.”

Outside the MU company building, there was a black luxury limousine, five accompanying Maybachs, six tall and handsome bodyguards standing in formation, a makeup artist, and five assistants, all waiting for Mu Qingyan. He couldn’t help but sweat at how extravagant it all was. Ye Qiqi handed him another pair of sunglasses and explained that they had originally planned for a limo, three bodyguards, and three assistants, but after Mr. Ji found out, he instructed her and the production team to give Mu Qingyan a good facade.

She knew that in this variety show, there was someone he disliked: Xie Ming, the original protagonist of the book. So, she wanted to make sure that his entrance was more eye-catching than Xie Ming’s. Mu Qingyan accepted Mr. Ji’s arrangement happily after considering it.

Upon arrival at the filming location for “Acting PK Battle,” Mu Qingyan saw two actors, one in front and one behind, each accompanied by no less than ten bodyguards and assistants. The most affected one was Xie Ming. Mu Qingyan couldn’t help but hum coldly, feeling that they were already enemies.

Ye Qiqi gave three assistants the MU brand’s specially customized clothing and limited edition shoes. When all the bodyguards were in position, they escorted Mu Qingyan out of the car. He stood at 1.8 meters tall, slim, like a walking clothes hanger, with both his looks and figure incredibly attractive. The fans outside the photography building, who were waiting for their idol, immediately boiled over upon seeing Mu Qingyan.

“Wow! Mu Qingyan!”

“Xiao Mu is so handsome!”

“I used to think that the photos were photoshopped, but I never thought that he was even more handsome in person! Xing Hao is blind to have cheated on him!”

“Big brother is so handsome!”

“Xiao Mu is so handsome!”

As a top actor before entering the book, Mu Qingyan was already accustomed to being surrounded and shouted at by countless fans. He walked into the photography building without looking back after greeting the production team and changing into the required outfit.

As luck would have it, when he was just about to put on his makeup, Xie Ming and his makeup artist and assistants walked in.

---

“Have I ever rejected you?” Mu Qingyan raised his water glass, as if lost in thought, and took a sip. “I remember rejecting your dinner invitation three times, but nothing else.”

Ji Liyun replied, “It’s not about dinner.”

Mu Qingyan thought for a long time but couldn’t recall, so he asked, “Then what is it about?”

Ji Liyun didn’t answer directly but took out a navy blue folder from his briefcase.

Mu Qingyan accidentally glanced at it and found that there were three or four different colored folders in his briefcase. He thought to himself that his briefcase looked small but it could really hold a lot.

“Take a look at this,” Ji Liyun handed his the folder.

Mu Qingyan opened it and said, “Acting PK Battle? Is this a variety show invested by your company? The producer of this show invited me to be a guest last week, and I did reject it.”

Ji Liyun corrected him, “It’s not an investment, but a production exclusively launched by the Ji Group’s film and television company.”

“So, in a way, I indirectly rejected you,” Mu Qingyan shrugged.

“Take a look at the program plan for this show. You might be interested,” Ji Liyun felt the night air getting cooler and signaled the waiter to bring a blanket for Mu Qingyan. Then he explained, “The reason why the production team wanted to invite you is actually very simple. Your popularity has been very high in the past half month, even higher than that of top-tier celebrities.”

Mu Qingyan felt that this reason was indeed straightforward and rough. He smiled and said, “As long as I sit in front of the camera, I can bring in traffic, right?”

Ji Liyun didn’t deny it and smiled, “Indeed.”

After briefly browsing through the program plan for <Acting PK Battle> Mu Qingyan learned that the show’s characteristic was live broadcasting. Besides camera work, there was no post-production or editing. The audience who watched the live broadcast could see the actors’ performances on the spot, with no NG, no redo, and no splicing.

It was quite interesting. Live PKs would showcase the actors’ acting skills.

Mu Qingyan looked at the rules of the show and asked, “Do I just need to participate in the first episode?”

“At the moment, yes. Different guests will be invited for each episode. Coincidentally, the second episode’s guest happens to be Sun Xinyao, the spokesperson for your MU brand,” Ji Liyun said.

After hearing what Ji Liyun said, Mu Qingyan suddenly had an idea, “Can we get MU brand to sponsor the show? If there are aristocratic roles, MU can provide costumes and styling.”

“We can,” Ji Liyun agreed without hesitation and added a few more benefits, “The beginning of each episode will feature an advertisement for MU, and the judges and guests can wear one or two MU products.”

“Great,” in this way, Mu Qingyan participating in this variety show was a win-win situation. He said, “The first live broadcast is next Wednesday. Please have the production team send me the guest script in advance.”

However, Ji Liyun said, “There are no scripts for the judges and guests. The core of our show is authenticity.”

Mu Qingyan was very satisfied and extended his hand, “Happy cooperation!”

They shook hands and reached an agreement.

Upon returning home, Mu Qingyan was immediately greeted by Li, the butler: “Young master, Ji sent six cases of champagne this afternoon. I have put them in the cellar.”

“What did you say?” Mu Qingyan almost thought he heard wrong and asked again, “Six cases?”

Li nodded, “Yes, six cases. Twelve bottles per case, all of them top-quality. Ji is as extravagant as ever.”

This was more than just extravagant.

Mu Qingyan was curious how Ji Liyun managed to bring so many cases of wine back from France.

---

After the transfer of the land use rights in the new development zone was negotiated with the Ji Group, Mu Yuchen, as the chairman of the Mu Group, began to look at his only son Mu Qingyan in a new light.

He had heard from the people at the MU company that “Young Master Mu has started to focus on his career after his divorce,” and he thought his son was just going through a phase and putting up a front.

But now, his son not only stopped being a playboy but also showed great promise.

It wasn’t a divorce, it was clearly a transformation.

If Mu Qingyan hadn’t been able to reveal some small secrets between them, he would have suspected that his son had been replaced by someone else.

Although Mu Yuchen was pleased to see his son take on a bigger role in the Mu Group, he was still uncertain if Mu Qingyan had really grown up. So, he let him participate in the Mu Group’s shareholder meeting next Tuesday.

As the son of the chairman, the previous owner of the body held 15% of the shares of the Mu Group and used to attend the shareholder meetings regularly. However, due to his frequent embarrassing behavior, he had caused dissatisfaction among the other shareholders and had made Mu Yuchen embarrassed and angry.

Later, the previous owner became too lazy to attend the shareholder meetings, and Mu Yuchen left him alone.

On Tuesday, many shareholders arrived early at the meeting room, as they had received news that Mu Qingyan, who had not attended the shareholder meetings for four years, would also be there.

Vice Chairman Guo Rong took a puff of his cigarette and sneered, “Why did young master Mu suddenly want to attend the shareholder meeting? I still remember four or five years ago, he fell asleep and snored during the meeting.”

Another vice chairman, Qiu Congbai, said, “Don’t say that. He was only eighteen or nineteen years old then. Kids grow up, you know.”

“Humph, kids,” Guo Rong sneered contemptuously, “Mu Qingyan is so frivolous. He’s not even as good as my son. I bet that once Mu Yuchen dies, the Mu Group will change its name sooner or later.”

“Is that so?”

Mu Qingyan walked up to Guo Rong from behind, with a cold smile on his face. “I don’t know about other things, but your precious son lost fifty million at the Las Vegas casino last week. Tsk tsk tsk, I really can’t compare.”

Seeing Guo Rong’s potato-like chubby face turning red and white with anger, Mu Qingyan was very happy. He was about to leave when he coldly added, “The Mu Group will never change its surname. Besides, whether or not to change the surname is not up to you, surnamed Guo, to decide.”

Qiu Congbai looked at Mu Qingyan’s elegant figure as he left and was somewhat surprised. The former President Xiao Mu would have definitely screamed and fought back if he heard someone badmouthing him behind his back, and would not hesitate to use physical violence.

However, the current President Mu was completely different. He would directly ridicule back, and do so mercilessly.

Guo Rong was so angry that he gritted his teeth, “This little bastard, I wonder if he can still be so arrogant at the meeting later!”

“Change your habit of speaking foul language,” Qiu Congbai shook his head helplessly.

There were three main topics for discussion at this shareholder meeting. The first two were about issues that needed to be carefully considered in the Mu Group’s key projects for this year, while the third was about the newly established Mu Real Estate Company and the new development land that Mu Qingyan had acquired at a low price from Ji Liyun.

After the vice president in charge of the real estate company spoke, Chairman Mu Yuchen specially asked Mu Qingyan to talk about his plans for the new development land.

Mu Qingyan had already conducted market research, written a plan, conducted on-site inspections, and made a PPT when his father signed the land use rights transfer agreement. Therefore, he was well-prepared.

Facing the questions from the vice presidents and other major shareholders, he remained calm and responded with ease.

Mu Yuchen was very satisfied with this, and the shareholders who had originally wanted to see Mu Qingyan make a fool of himself were dumbfounded.

Guo Rong persisted, “Is it really okay to purchase this land at such a low price below market value? Don’t let us get sued when the construction of the nursing home is halfway through.”

Mu Qingyan opened a few documents and projected them onto the screen, “From the price, to the transfer agreement, to the land itself, I have had a professional lawyer review them and there are no issues whatsoever. Moreover, I consulted with the relevant government departments, and this land can be fully developed into a nursing home.”

“It turns out that Young Master Mu has some ability,” Guo Rong changed the subject, leaning back in his chair and deliberately looking worried. “I heard that Young Master Mu promised the Ji Group to make an appearance in the entertainment industry, so he was able to get such a low price. Alas, this could damage the image of the Mu Group.”

“Ah, is there such a thing?”

“Is Young Master Mu selling himself out?”

“Don’t speak so harshly, but that’s pretty much the meaning, right.”

In the conference room, there was a lot of discussion going on.

Mu Yuchen tightly pursed his lips, his face looking extremely unpleasant.

At this moment, Mu Qingyan cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the attendees back to him, and then casually said, “Yes, I promised Ji Liyun to participate in the new variety show launched by Mu’s film and television company.”

The shareholders were in an uproar.

“But, I am participating in the variety show to promote the MU brand, which can drive product sales, and also buy endorsements to promote the Autumn Release Conference,” Mu Qingyan continued.

Mu Qingyan’s gaze suddenly turned to Guo Rong, who was sitting diagonally across from him, smiling enigmatically. “Unlike some children who fool around in the entertainment industry, hooking up with countless little stars and even getting an 18th-tier star pregnant. Vice Chairman Guo, don’t you think so?”

The “child” he was referring to was Guo Rong’s son.

Guo Rong was so angry that he could hardly restrain himself from lashing out. However, due to his “Vice Chairman” image, he could only swallow his anger.

The shareholders present either laughed to themselves, pondered over the matter, or began to fear this little Mu CEO whose personality had changed drastically after his divorce.

Qiu Congbai’s impression of Mu Qingyan changed from surprise two hours ago to satisfaction. Only a little lion who is not afraid to fight and gets sharper as they fight can become a lion king.

Mu Yuchen, seeing that his son knew how to retaliate appropriately, did not stop him. He just laughed faintly after he had finished, and arranged, “After Mu’s real estate company is established, Mu Qingyan will be in charge.”

The shareholders present, except for the still sulking Guo Rong, did not object. They were all very interested in this President Xiao Mu, and wanted to know what the real estate company and the new development zone project would be like.

They were more interested in whether this successor of the Mu Group, a real black lotus, could bring them more benefits.

After the meeting, Mu Qingyan received a call from Ye Qiqi.

“Boss, there’s some bad news.” Ye Qiqi’s voice sounded a little trembling, but she was very restrained, trying to keep herself calm.

Mu Qingyan asked, “What is it?”

Ye Qiqi took a deep breath and said, “Xing Hao poached the two most important designers for the Autumn Release Conference.”

---

According to the location sent by Ji Liyun, Mu Qingyan arrived five minutes earlier than the agreed time at the restaurant.

This is a restaurant hidden in a high-end residential area. From the outside, it looks like a standalone villa and nothing particularly special.

When Mu Qingyan received the location, he was very curious about why this restaurant had no sign and could not be found on the map. He even suspected that Ji Liyun had invited him to someone’s home for dinner.

It was not until he asked Ye Qiqi that he found out that the owner and chef of this restaurant used to be a three-star Michelin chef, and they only serve one table for lunch and one table for dinner each day. Also, they do not open every day, and reservations must be made in advance.

The owner has a quirk and only serves regular customers he approves of, so he does not want to make his restaurant public.

This made Mu Qingyan very interested in this restaurant.

When he entered the seemingly ordinary villa, he found that the inside was magnificent, decorated and furnished in a medieval European noble style.

A tall and handsome waiter walked over and bowed slightly, “Excuse me, are you Mr. Mu?”

Mu Qingyan replied, “Yes, I am.”

The waiter led him to the spiral staircase while politely saying, “Mr. Ji is waiting for you on the second floor.”

The red carpeted staircase wound up, and the handrails were carefully carved and entwined with flower vines.

The restaurant was in the middle of the second floor, and Ji Liyun was already sitting at the table, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking at a document.

The owner and chef, who looked no more than forty years old, was standing next to him preparing the appetizer.

Hearing footsteps, Ji Liyun looked up and saw that it was Mu Qingyan. He smiled and said, “Ah Yan, you’re here.”

The waiter pulled out the chair for Mu Qingyan and arranged the tableware.

Perhaps because Ji Liyun had instructed that only two people would dine, the table was not large, and even sitting face to face, there was no sense of distance.

After the chef placed the prepared appetizer on the table, he went downstairs to the first-floor kitchen to prepare the main course.

The waiter took out a bottle of champagne from the ice bucket, elegantly opened it, and poured a glass for Mu Qingyan and Ji Liyun.

Ji Liyun said, “I remember you like this champagne. I brought some back from France the day before yesterday when I flew there. Apart from the one we’re drinking today, I had my assistant deliver the others to your house and hand them over to Lao Li.”

Old Li is the butler named Li.

“Thank you.” Mu Qingyan took a sip of champagne and found that the taste was indeed very good.

This also proves that the original owner was indeed a picky eater.

Mu Qingyan and Ji Liyun clinked glasses, ate their appetizers, and exchanged a few polite words.

Fortunately, Ji Liyun didn’t often bring up their childhood memories. After all, with the original owner’s forgetfulness, there were few memories left before the age of twenty.

The waiter served the main dishes one by one, and the rhythm was just right.

Whether it was because Ji Liyun understood Mu Qingyan or because the Michelin chef was skillful, every dish was very much to Mu Qingyan’s taste.

Ji Liyun watched him eat with relish and didn’t mention work, only talking about some interesting anecdotes and encounters he had heard in his free time.

It wasn’t until Mu Qingyan swallowed the last bite of dessert and rubbed his slightly bulging belly that Ji Liyun said, “Ah Yan, you’re so thin. I didn’t expect you to have a small appetite.”

Mu Qingyan took a sip of champagne and waved his hand, “I can’t get fat, but I have a big appetite.”

Ji Liyun looked at his handsome face flushed with redness and laughed, “Well, you just have a poor alcohol tolerance.”

After speaking, he took Mu Qingyan to the rooftop terrace and had the waiter pour two glasses of water.

The terrace was like a small garden, with wooden tables and chairs in the middle and a high flower stand hanging with strings of warm yellow lights, like stars.

The warm summer breeze blew gently on their bodies, making them feel extremely comfortable.

Ji Liyun looked at Mu Qingyan and felt like he had changed, yet he hadn’t changed. Mu Qingyan still had unparalleled beauty and a model-like figure, but he wasn’t as warm as he was in his youth. He had become cold and smart.

He felt that he used to like Mu Qingyan because of their childhood friendship, but now he was attracted to him because of his unique, familiar yet strange temperament.

And Mu Qingyan’s series of actions after his divorce had indeed made Ji Liyun more interested in him.

Mu Qingyan closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened his eyes again, he found Ji Liyun looking at him. He didn’t say anything and just sat on the chair, drinking a sip of ice water.

Ji Liyun took out a file from his briefcase and handed it to him, “After dinner, let’s talk business.”

“Okay.” Mu Qingyan had this intention, and he put his water glass back on the table and opened the folder.

It was a stack of information about a piece of land covering 500,000 square meters in S city’s new development zone.

Ji Liyun went straight to the point, “During the TOP5 group summit a few days ago, Uncle Mu mentioned that the five-year plan is to expand the Mu Group’s industry and enter the real estate industry. Coincidentally, I have a piece of land in the new development zone.”

“Do you want to transfer the land of this development zone to us?” Mu Qingyan asked.

“I have this plan,” Ji Liyun adjusted his glasses and said, “but before that, I want to hear the thoughts of the heir of the Mu Group. If you were given this land, how would you use it?”

Mu Qingyan knew that good things don’t just fall from the sky, and Ji Liyun was an excellent businessman who naturally didn’t want this good land to be ruined, so he wanted to see if the Mu Group had both the ability and vision.

So he didn’t answer immediately, but carefully looked through the information in his hands, occasionally frowning slightly.

In Ji Liyun’s eyes, Mu Qingyan now exuded a strong, fatally attractive charm for no reason, but it was inexplicable and impossible to shake off.

After reading the information, Mu Qingyan closed the folder: “I think we can make an international elderly apartment with a complete set of infrastructure.”

Ji Liyun thought he would say a high-end residential area, central park, or a super-large mall, but he didn’t expect it to be an elderly apartment.

He looked at Mu Qingyan with interest and asked, “Why an elderly apartment?”

Mu Qingyan opened the folder and flipped to the page with the map, explaining, “The location of this land is very good, right next to the subway and bus stations, and there is a public hospital to the north, a large commercial plaza to the south, a park under construction to the west, and a vegetable market a hundred meters away to the east. The only thing missing is a school.”

“If I were an elderly person, it would be very convenient to live here. Medical care, grocery shopping, shopping, and strolling are all very close. For developers, they can save the construction of large-scale infrastructure and just focus on building smart buildings suitable for the elderly.”

Mu Qingyan asked the waiter for a pen and drew on the flat map of the 50,000 square meters of land: “Elderly apartments can be divided into two types. One is an affordable small unit suitable for ordinary elderly people, and the other is a large unit of about 200 square meters suitable for elderly people who like spaciousness and have better economic strength. There is no need for too many buildings. Half of the remaining space can be used to design gardens for the elderly to stroll in, as well as home service centers, hotels, cultural activity centers, canteens, and banks. As for specific planning, whether to include international kindergartens, snack shops, and the like, more detailed market research is needed to adjust according to the actual situation of S City and the development zone.”

After finishing the drawing, Mu Qingyan turned the pen and said, “As the first independent real estate project of the Mu Group, fame is more important than fortune. Making elderly apartments will definitely not have as high profits as making high-end residential areas, and it will require a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources for later maintenance. However, if it is done well, it can establish the reputation of the Mu Group’s real estate company.”

Ji Liyun clapped his hands satisfactorily. “Not bad.”

He thought Mu Qingyan had vision and was very smart, and was very professional in real estate planning. He was no longer the empty-headed vase he knew before he went abroad, who only knew how to be pretty.

Although Mu Qingyan talked incessantly, appearing very confident, he actually lacked confidence because, after all, he had never been involved in real estate; these were just fleeting thoughts. However, when looking at Ji Liyun, it seemed like his ideas were feasible, not merely casual remarks.

Ji Liyun immediately dialed his assistant’s phone and said, “Wen Ye, bring the contract up here.”

Wen Ye was the CEO’s assistant and Ji Liyun’s personal secretary. He had followed Ji Liyun in developing Ji’s Group’s markets abroad and had now returned with him.

Upon careful consideration, Wen Ye and the original host could be considered old acquaintances.

“Has Wen Ye been waiting downstairs all this time?” Mu Qingyan asked.

Upon hearing this, Ji Liyun felt like rolling his eyes. “Am I such a heartless boss? Should I let my subordinates go hungry outside while I enjoy my meal?”

But isn’t your character supposed to be a tyrant CEO? Isn’t that what a CEO like you would do?” the other person responded.

“I messaged him half an hour ago to send me the second version of the contract, and he just messaged me back saying it has arrived,” Ji Liyun explained.

“Oh,” Mu Qingyan replied.

Wen Ye, who was two years younger than Ji Liyun but looked mature and composed, handed the contract to Ji Liyun and politely greeted Mu Qingyan before leaving.

Ji Liyun handed over the contract for transferring land use rights to Mu Qingyan. “Ah Yan, do you see any clauses that need to be changed?”

Mu Qingyan carefully examined the contract, which was succinct but contained all the key elements. However, the transfer price surprised him. “Is the amount written correctly?” he asked.

“Yes, it’s 150,000 yuan per square meter,” Ji Liyun confirmed.

“150,000 yuan?” Mu Qingyan felt either Ji Liyun had gone crazy or he himself had traveled through time and space like the protagonist of a novel. He reminded him, “Even ordinary residential properties in the city center cost 150,000 yuan per square meter, and this is a piece of land in a development zone with excellent future prospects. According to market prices, even if it is sold for 500,000 yuan per square meter, it would not be excessive.”

“I know,” Ji Liyun said, almost saying, “I’m happy to do it.”

Mu Qingyan felt that President Ji was like a spendthrift, and hesitated whether he should take advantage of him.

“Don’t worry, it’s not illegal to transfer it at a low price,” Ji Liyun signed the transfer agreement and handed it to Mu Qingyan. “Although you have full authorization from Uncle Mu, you can show him the agreement before signing and stamping it.”

Mu Qingyan understood that Ji Liyun wanted to help him secure new projects and maximize the interests of the Mu Group, and help him establish the image of a qualified successor in front of Chairman Mu Yuchen.

After all, the original owner was not at all like the successor of the Mu Group from top to bottom. He was carefree, neglected his duties, and liked to write novels at any time, which was not well received by the group’s board of directors, a group of old men.

Seeing that Mu Qingyan accepted the agreement, Ji Liyun also gave him some constructive suggestions and introduced him to a professional team with extensive experience in developing nursing homes.

Mu Qingyan felt he had not earned his keep and said, “I have received so much from you and taken advantage of you greatly. Is there anything I can do for you? Just tell me.”

“Actually, there is,” Ji Liyun smiled and adjusted his glasses, “It’s the matter of you rejecting me before.”

---

The man dragging Lu Xiaofei freed one hand and slapped her hard twice, growling in a low voice, “Shut up! Come home with me! I’ll show you how to behave!”

Lu Xiaofei became even more scared and began to grab around with her hands, but she caught nothing.

She wanted to run away and break free from the man’s control, but she was too weak and could only be dragged by the man by her hair towards a dark car.

As Lu Xiaofei was dragged towards the car door, she grabbed onto the door frame with all her might and cried out in fear, “I’m not going back! I’m not!”

The man, seeing that she refused to comply, grabbed her long hair and tried to slam her head against the car door frame.

But as he lifted his arm, a lean but powerful hand grabbed his arm tightly.

“Who the hell are you?” the person asked.

The man turned his head and saw that it was the young master of the Mu Corporation who had grabbed his arm.

Behind Mu Qingyan were five burly bodyguards who were quickly approaching.

The man’s fierce expression immediately turned into one of fear and evasion.

Mu Qingyan said coldly, “Let her go.”

The man immediately cowered and quickly released his grip on Lu Xiaofei’s hair.

When Lu Xiaofei saw that Mu Qingyan had come to her rescue, she trembled and cried out in a quivering voice, “Thank you, President Mu, I…”

The man glared at Lu Xiaofei with hatred and shouted, “Shut up!”

Terrified by his outburst, Lu Xiaofei backed away against the wall and couldn’t stop sobbing.

Although the man was wearing a baseball cap and a black mask, Mu Qingyan guessed who he was from his slender eyes and deep voice.

He withdrew his hand and wiped it disdainfully with a tissue, sneering, “Yi Sen, you’ve got some nerve to come and cause trouble on my turf.”

Yi Sen was taken aback and lowered his cap with his hand.

Clearly, he knew the principle of ‘a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him,’ and turned to run away.

But Mu Qingyan’s bodyguards were not to be trifled with.

With just one person, they easily caught Yi Sen and brought him back.

Yi Sen, with his arm twisted behind him and pinned to the ground by the bodyguards, began to panic and begged in a low voice, “It’s a misunderstanding. It’s all a misunderstanding. President Mu, please let me go.”

“Heh, a misunderstanding?” Mu Qingyan sneered.

The bodyguard beside him gave a signal with his eyes, and the bodyguard understood and stepped forward to take Ethan’s duckbill cap and mask off.

Ethan’s gloomy face was exposed.

Originally, it was because of this gloomy style that he attracted countless fans. Now it seems that appearance reflects the heart.

“What do you want to do? Call the police on me?” Ethan looked at Mu Qingyan, although he was very uneasy in his heart, he still deliberately pretended to be fearless and said, “Xiaofei is my wife, she won’t identify me. We just had a fight between husband and wife, you were just meddling!”

“Is that so?”

Mu Qingyan gestured with his finger, and a security guard who was standing nearby hurriedly ran over and handed over a large-sized tablet with a screen lit up.

The screen of the tablet showed a four-grid surveillance video, reproducing the scene from a few minutes ago from four different angles: Ethan hitting and dragging Lu Xiaofei.

Ethan panicked.

When he came to the underground garage of the MU company, he had checked carefully, fearing that there would be surveillance – he didn’t expect that they were using hidden cameras, no wonder he couldn’t find them.

“So what? I just had a bad temper, my actions were a bit too much, it’s normal for couples to argue. If you don’t believe me, ask Xiaofei!” Ethan pointed to Lu Xiaofei and even gave her a threatening look.

Lu Xiaofei was frightened by his gaze and lowered her head, still crying.

Mu Qingyan smiled.

For some reason, Ethan felt that the young master Mu in front of him had changed.

In his memory, the silly rich young master who liked to act recklessly used to smile foolishly. However, the smile on the current Mu Qingyan made him feel a chill, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

Mu Qingyan hooked the corner of his left lip, smiling in a non-smiling way, “Why should Lu Xiaofei identify you? As long as I send you to the police station, the police will naturally investigate objectively, much more objectively than anyone between us, right?”

Ethan realized he was not joking and became anxious, “President Mu, please don’t do this, consider the fact that I worked for MU.”

“President Mu…”

Lu Xiaofei obviously did not want to see her husband go to jail and tried to plead for Ethan, but was interrupted by Mu Qingyan, “Do you want to save him and then be beaten to death by him?”

“…” Lu Xiaofei didn’t want to.

Yi Sen continued to plead: “President Mu, I swear I will never make the same mistake again, I won’t cause any trouble at your place, and I won’t have any complaints about not renewing the endorsement contract. President Mu, please don’t send me to the police station…”

“Tsk, so noisy.” Mu Qingyan used his little finger to clean his ear and looked at the bodyguard restraining Yi Sen. “Leave the rest to you.”

“Yes,” the bodyguard replied.

“President Mu!” Yi Sen was dragged away by the bodyguard, with no resistance. He could only turn his head and shout at Mu Qingyan, “President Mu, you like Xiaofei, don’t you? I’ll give her to you! I’ll file for divorce tomorrow.”

Mu Qingyan looked at him, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes, like a sharp blade ready to cut him into pieces.

The other bodyguard noticed that Young Master Mu was clearly angry and immediately stepped forward and knocked Yi Sen unconscious with a chop to the neck.

Mu Qingyan said to the security guard who was watching the show with his tablet: “You go to the police station too and hand over the surveillance footage to the police.”

“Okay, President Mu,” the security guard said, running away.

Lu Xiaofei, who was standing by the wall, had gone from being scared to disappointed. She had known Yi Sen since she was a child and was willing to be his secret wife and endure his domestic violence.

But she never thought that this person she had loved for over ten years was unworthy of being a human being and would casually offer her to someone else.

Mu Qingyan looked at Lu Xiaofei, who was pale, and had no patience to comfort her. He simply said, “I’m not interested in you because you’re my employee. I can’t bear to see you being bullied here. If you persist in being stubborn and want to stay with him, I have nothing to say.”

“I don’t want to…” Lu Xiaofei shook her head weakly and leaned against the wall, tears streaming down her face. She looked into the distance with empty eyes and whispered, “I want to say goodbye to the past.”

With the surveillance footage and witness testimony, the police immediately launched an investigation into Yi Sen. As expected, he had been physically abusing Lu Xiaofei for many years, and she had been hospitalized several times due to his beatings.

The surveillance cameras in the residential area where Yi Sen and Lu Xiaofei lived had captured scenes of Yi Sen’s domestic violence. Their neighbors also reported to the police that they often heard fighting and screaming from Lu Xiaofei’s home. Although they had complained to the property management many times, nothing was ever done.

Soon after, the police investigation results and photos and videos of Yi Sen’s domestic violence were exposed online, and he was completely blacklisted.

Netizens recalled a week ago when Mu Qingyan had refused to renew Yi Sen’s endorsement contract for MU Fashion, despite public pressure. They applauded his decision as the right one.

In the video, Mu Qingyan had defended his subordinates and berated the scumbag, earning him praise from netizens who called him the model of an excellent boss.

Some netizens even speculated that Mu Qingyan must have a lot of gossip in the entertainment industry and left comments asking for insider information.

Mu Qingyan’s fan base grew by another million.

Taking advantage of this trend, MU Company announced the new spokesperson for the entire MU brand, Sun Xinyao.

Sun Xinyao has been in the industry for many years despite being only 23 years old. Although not a top-tier celebrity, she has a good reputation in the industry due to her excellent acting skills and unique temperament.

On more than ten posters, Sun Xinyao and MU brand clothing, bags, or jewelry complement each other, as if MU brand products highlight Sun Xinyao’s beauty while she brings the products to life.

Mu Qingyan kept the selection of the spokesperson confidential because Yi Sen was not yet in trouble. If Sun Xinyao was announced as the new spokesperson for the entire brand at the time, there would surely be people who would attack her with hate comments.

But now it’s different.

Yi Sen brought it upon himself and unintentionally attracted a large wave of attention to the new spokesperson, gaining countless followers.

Everyone who has seen the new posters praises Mu Qingyan’s good eye.

[“I didn’t think Xinyao’s appearance was anything special before, but now that I see her, I realize how blind I was.”]

[“Seriously, these posters are amazing!”]

[“After seeing them, I really want to buy MU clothes, bags, and jewelry right away! (star eyes)”]

Through a series of events such as divorce, exposing a scumbag ex, kicking out a disgraced artist, and signing the most suitable spokesperson, Mu Qingyan’s popularity has skyrocketed both online and offline.

Unknowingly, he has become the new traffic code, attracting the attention of many online and offline programs.

As a good secretary to Mu Qingyan, Ye Qiqi turns down invitations for various entertainment and interview programs for him every day with various reasons.

After all, Mu Qingyan has stated that he will not participate in any activities unrelated to promoting MU Company and the Autumn Conference until it is successfully completed.

Even the new variety show “Acting PK Battle” personally invited by the gold producer was directly rejected by Mu Qingyan.

It is rumored that “Acting PK Battle” has gathered well-known directors and actors from China and abroad, as well as newcomers with the most potential in the industry. Therefore, the audience has high expectations for this program and has been ranked first on the “Variety Show To-be-aired” list since it was announced.

After learning that Mu Qingyan refused to attend <Acting PK Battle> some said that he was arrogant and looked down on entertainment variety shows, while others speculated that he knew he was not a person in the entertainment industry and lacked acting skills, so he did not dare to be a guest on the show.

In fact, it was not the case, but Mu Qingyan was too lazy to dispel such unimportant rumors.

That day, he received a message from Ji Liyun inviting him to have dinner together on the weekend.

In the original book, Ji Liyun was from a top-notch wealthy family and was a dominant CEO who was passionate about his career. Why is he so idle lately, constantly inviting him to dinner to catch up?

He had already refused three times.

Everyone says that third time’s the charm, so why is Ji Liyun so persistent?

Mu Qingyan patiently replied, “The company has too much to do recently, and I’m really too busy.

---

In the afternoon, Mu Qingyan attended the MU Autumn Product Launch Conference. He was very serious throughout the entire event, carefully listening to his colleagues from the design department as they introduced new products. From time to time, he would raise questions, share his opinions, and offer suggestions on certain products.

The twenty or so members of the design department who attended the meeting were on edge the entire time and dared not slack off.

They had assumed that Mu Qingyan would just go through the motions like he had in the past, and would sign off on everything at the end of the meeting to complete the task. After all, the old Mu Qingyan never took meetings seriously, didn’t ask questions or engage in discussions, and just played on his phone to brush things off.

But now, the new Mu Qingyan was completely different.

Before he transmigrated, Mu Qingyan was not only an actor who won the Best Actor award but also a fashion expert who set the global fashion trend.

Combining his own insights with the design department’s analysis and presentation, Mu Qingyan made final decisions on the new products and limited edition products to be released at the autumn product launch conference before the meeting ended.

After the meeting, the head of the design department, Sun Qian, called out to Ye Qiqi, who was about to leave, and asked in a low voice, “What’s up with President Mu? Did he have a sudden awakening overnight?”

Ye Qiqi rolled her eyes and replied, “What sudden awakening? This is Mu Qingyan’s normal behavior now.”

“Right, right,” Sun Qian knew that Ye Qiqi was loyal and would never bad-mouth the boss. So, he didn’t tease her anymore and instead speculated, “Was Mu Qingyan pretending to be stupid and not caring before? He didn’t want Xing Hao to take advantage of the company, so he deliberately let the company lose money. Now that he’s divorced, he’s ready to run the company well?”

Ye Qiqi couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Manager Sun, you’re being too conspiratorial.”

Sun Qian’s eyes rolled over, although Ye Qiqi didn’t admit it, he felt that his guess was definitely accurate. In his heart, Xiaomu had already transformed from a playful and irresponsible person to a mysterious and cunning boss.

He spoke very objectively, “To be honest, Xiao Mu has a good eye and his suggestions and ideas are very professional. If he can maintain this state, it would be a good thing for MU company.”

“We can’t always rely on Mu’s old funds,” Sun Qian blinked.

After the meeting, Mu Qingyan returned to his office to continue reviewing the materials for the autumn launch event. He planned to take advantage of the large number of attendees to promote MU company and make the autumn launch event a creative annual fashion feast.

He called the head of the autumn launch event preparation team, Qiao Lengnan, and asked him to come to his office.

Ten minutes ago, the entire building of MU company, from the lobby on the first floor to the offices on the twentieth floor, had heard that Xiaomu was very dedicated to the autumn launch event this time.

Therefore, Qiao Lengnan dared not slack off and immediately rushed to the sixteenth floor with the materials as soon as he received the call.

Mu Qingyan got straight to the point, “I have reviewed the proposal for the autumn launch event, and it is similar to previous years.”

“Yes.”

Qiao Lengnan muttered in his heart: Didn’t you find it troublesome before and said that there was no need to change the fixed format every year?

Mu Qingyan guessed that this might be what the original owner meant from his expression and said, “This time I have a new idea. Since more people are participating this year than in previous years, we will hold the launch event at the Yuxing Grand Hotel.”

The Yuxing Grand Hotel is a seven-star luxury hotel under the Mu Group, with one in each first-tier city in country C. There are also Yuxing Grand Hotels in international metropolises and famous tourist cities overseas.

In previous years, because MU was just a subsidiary of the Mu Group, and Mu Qingyan didn’t take the autumn launch event too seriously, it was always held in ordinary five-star hotels.

When Qiao Lengnan heard that this year’s launch event would be held at the Yuxing Grand Hotel, the level had been raised several levels. If he could do a good job, he would definitely become well-known in the industry. So he immediately became energetic.

He was full of enthusiasm, “Then I’ll write a new proposal! I can submit it to you tonight!”

“No rush,” Mu Qingyan beckoned him over to his desk, and handed him his handwritten notes. “One hour before the launch event, arrange for the attendees to walk on the red carpet, and let them wear MU brand clothing, bags, and jewelry.”

“The launch event will be held in the largest hall of the Yuxing Grand Hotel – the Diamond Hall. You need to design a specific process according to the actual situation. After the launch event, a banquet will be held on the eighth floor, which is a new element that was not included before, and you need to plan it as well.”

Qiao Lengnan looked forward to it and nodded repeatedly, “Okay.”

Mu Qingyan said, “Send me the plan for the new autumn launch event before 8 pm tomorrow night.”

As soon as Qiao Lengnan left, Ye Qiqi walked in.

“In a month, MU Fashion’s spokesperson contract will expire. Should we renew it with Yi Sen?” Ye Qiqi asked.

Mu Qingyan, through the memories of the original owner, knew that although Yi Sen had a large number of fans and was a popular star, he slept around and had a very decadent private life.

Moreover, Yi Sen was already married and his wife was Mu Qingyan’s subordinate, Lu Xiaofei.

If Yi Sen’s affairs were exposed, it would cause great damage to the MU brand.

Mu Qingyan shook his head, “No need to renew the contract.”

“The marketing department has researched a few candidates for spokesperson, please take a look.” Ye Qiqi handed the candidate information to Mu Qingyan.

There were five candidates, with the original protagonist Xie Ming in the top spot.

In the original book, Xie Ming climbed from a small actor on the 18th line to become a movie emperor, thanks in part to Xing Hao’s investment, which was largely from Mu Qingyan’s inheritance.

Mu Qingyan picked up Xie Ming’s paper and handed it to Ye Qiqi with a look of disdain.

Ye Qiqi remembered the morning’s exposure and guessed that the “woman who looked like Xie Ming” might really be Xie Ming.

She immediately threw the paper into the shredder and said, “Sorry, my mistake.”

Mu Qingyan watched the shredder cut the paper with Xie Ming’s photo and information into pieces and casually said, “I don’t like Xie Ming. Not only will he not be the spokesperson for MU, but he will also not be the spokesperson for the entire Mu Group in the future.”

After saying that, he smiled wickedly at Ye Qiqi and said, “You can accidentally let my words slip out.”

The sentence from the heir of the Mu Group may seem light and casual, but it is actually telling other companies that have good relationships with or want to climb up the Mu Group not to give any endorsements to Xie Ming. Otherwise, it would be going against the Mu Group. This also means that Xie Ming has lost at least half of his high-end endorsement resources.

Ye Qiqi understood, “I see.”

Mu Qingyan carefully looked through the information of the remaining four candidate endorsers, picked out one sheet of paper, and pointed to the photo on it, “Sign a contract with her. Keep it confidential for now, and we’ll announce it after the poster is done.”

Ye Qiqi was a bit curious as to why the signing had to be kept confidential, but after seeing the other party’s information, she understood, “I see, I will keep an eye on the poster production and promotion.”

As expected, after Xie Ming found out he had been blacklisted by Mu Qingyan, he felt very wronged. He cried to Xing Hao and played the victim to his fans.

Some of his fans were indeed moved by his pitiful appearance and defended him online.

However, another group of fans obviously smelled the gossip related to “Xing Hao’s mistress” and assumed that the mistress who looked like Xie Ming was actually Xie Ming himself. They turned from fans to haters.

Xie Ming posted on Weibo, claiming that he must have made some mistakes in his work and offended the young master of the Mu Group, or there must have been some misunderstanding. He hoped that Mu Qingyan would not be angry.

He spoke a lot of nonsense, as if Young Master Mu was deliberately bullying him.

Mu Qingyan couldn’t stand this kind of person, so he posted on Weibo, “Affected.”

The netizens who were watching the drama knew that Mu Qingyan was talking about Xie Ming and left comments under his post.

[“Yes, I’ve always thought he’s very affected!”]

[“Hahaha, brother is so cool, I like him a lot.”]

[“Becoming a fan now!”]

After a few days, everyone in the MU company had gotten used to the young master Mu turning into a career-oriented youth.

On this day, Mu Qingyan was reading the planning book for the third edition of the autumn release conference when Lu Xiaofei knocked on the door of his office.

Lu Xiaofei looked like a frightened bird, her originally beautiful face now haggard and slightly trembling.

Ye Qiqi followed her in and soothed Lu Xiaofei by rubbing her shoulder, then said to Mu Qingyan, “Mr. Mu, Lu Xiaofei has some private matters to discuss with you. I intended to inform you first, but it seems she couldn’t wait for you to finish your work.”

After all, Mu Qingyan had been working late these days.

Lu Xiaofei lowered her head, her lips tightly pursed, and she nervously twisted the hem of her clothes with both hands, looking both nervous and scared.

Due to the hot weather and thin clothing, the bruises on Lu Xiaofei’s upper arms and collarbone were clearly visible.

Mu Qingyan frowned and asked, “What is it that you want to talk to me about?”

Lu Xiaofei looked at President Xiao Mu and quickly averted her gaze, lowered her head and whispered, “I want to ask if it’s possible for Eason to renew his contract with MU Fashion.”

As she spoke, she nervously rubbed the hem of her clothes.

“No, it’s not possible,” Mu Qingyan said bluntly.

Upon hearing President Xiao Mu’s refusal, Lu Xiaofei nearly fainted. She stumbled back two steps, then ran out of the general manager’s office.

Mu Qingyan asked Ye Qiqi, “Has she been abused by someone at home?”

“Yes,” Ye Qiqi nodded and added, “But she doesn’t want to admit it.”

From the looks of it, Lu Xiaofei must have been threatened to come and plead with Mu Qingyan for Eason, likely because of the domestic abuse she had suffered from him. Otherwise, given Lu Xiaofei’s character, she wouldn’t have dared to even say hello to Mu Qingyan, let alone make such a request.

Mu Qingyan didn’t say anything more.

On this day, he was dealing with company affairs until after 10 pm, and because he wanted to drive home himself, he let the driver leave early.

As he arrived in the underground parking lot, he heard a woman screaming in terror, begging, “Let me go… Please let me go…”

Mu Qingyan walked toward the direction of the scream and called the company’s security.

In the west side of the underground parking lot, a man wearing a black T-shirt, a black mask, and a duckbill hat was grabbing a woman’s hair and dragging her forcefully.

The woman was none other than Lu Xiaofei.

---

Before twelve o’clock, the onlookers had already set up their chairs and were refreshing Weibo, waiting for Mu Qingyan’s “Weibo post at 12 o’clock”. They all wanted to see what kind of bombshell Young Master Mu was going to drop.

Ye Qiqi contacted Lu Wei: “Brother Lu, we can now reveal all of Xing Hao’s secrets.”

Lu Wei exclaimed, “I’ve already written several drafts of the article, just waiting for your signal!”

“I’ll post on Weibo now, and also post it on all the channels of Entertainment Weekly. We can get it done within ten minutes.”

After speaking, he added, “The effect will definitely be…stimulating!”

Ye Qiqi politely said, “Thank you for your hard work.”

Lu Wei said bluntly, “Ha, it’s not hard work at all. Besides, this is a task entrusted by the boss’s boss’s boss. I definitely take it seriously!”

The boss’s boss’s boss?

Ye Qiqi’s phone was not well-insulated, and Mu Qingyan could hear Lu Wei’s words clearly. He was a bit confused. Who was Lu Wei’s boss’s boss’s boss? Why did they care about his gossip?

After a brief explanation, Ye Qiqi hung up the phone.

She found the paparazzo interesting and said with a smile, “Lu Wei sounds even more excited than we are.”

“Who is his boss’s boss’s boss?” Mu Qingyan asked.

Ye Qiqi thought for a moment and said, “His boss is the editor-in-chief of Entertainment Weekly, his boss’s boss is the person in charge of Sheng Guang Entertainment, Zhou Xihang, and his boss’s boss’s boss…that would be the CEO and president of the Ji Group, Ji Liyun.”

“Got it, you can go ahead and work now.”

“Okay.” Ye Qiqi walked out of his office.

Mu Qingyan walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the bustling cityscape outside. The warm sun shone through the glass and warmed his body.

In the original novel, there was little description of CEO Ji, and Mu Qingyan’s impression of him was quite rigid, ranging from “other people’s kids” to “domineering CEO obsessed with his career.”

In his memory, Mu Qingyan’s parents often mentioned Ji Liyun, but only as an example for Mu Qingyan to learn from and become a qualified heir to their company. He never expected that the domineering CEO would also like to gossip and be interested in scandalous news.

However, Ji Liyun did care about him and went out of his way to find Lu Wei to discuss the leak, probably due to their long-standing relationship.

It was quite considerate of him.

Ding ding-

Ye Qiqi sent a message: “Boss, Lu Wei has already leaked the information on Weibo and other channels. I’ve read through it all, and there are no issues.”

Mu Qingyan replied: “Okay, thank you for your hard work.”

Ye Qiqi sent another message: “You can also take a look, it’s really exciting.”

Mu Qingyan opened his phone’s notifications and found that the most popular, reposted, and commented Weibo post was the one that Lu Wei had leaked.

Although the text of the Weibo post was not long, every sentence hit the nail on the head.

First, it pointed out that Xing Hao spent the night with his mistress on the night he and Mu Qingyan got their marriage certificate, and only left the next day at noon. Then, it exposed that Xing Hao and his mistress had been having an affair for two years, frequently going on dates and booking hotel rooms.

Furthermore, each of his revelations was backed up by photos.

At the end of the Weibo post, Lu Wei also included a video of Xing Hao passionately kissing his mistress in her bedroom on the night of their marriage certificate.

They kissed for five or six minutes before they remembered to close the curtains.

After that, what they will do is up to the imagination of the netizens watching the show.

Mu Qingyan sneered in satisfaction and shared Lu Wei’s Weibo post, adding an exaggerated caption: “I thought I had found the right person, but it turned out that I had been deceived and betrayed for two years. It wasn’t until the night we got married that I realized that all of his promises were lies.”

Not only that, he also included a recording of Xing Hao’s lies on the night of their divorce, claiming that he had stayed out all night because of work and missed the gift-giving ceremony.

He clicked send.

Seeing the post and the reposts, the netizens were shocked!

[What the hell! So Xing Hao is a huge scumbag!]

[Tsk tsk, he has no right to cry about being abandoned.]

[Xing Hao is always spouting nonsense, unlike this expose, which has evidence and the truth!]

As expected, public opinion turned against Xing Hao. Those who had criticized Mu Qingyan for being too demanding and irresponsible yesterday were now cursing Xing Hao as a liar and a scumbag.

[Xing Hao cheated on him for two years, and Mu Qingyan was deceived into marriage] became the top trending topic.

However, the new second trending topic, “Xing Hao has multiple women,” and the third trending topic, “Internet celebrity Grapefruit was once kept by Xing Hao,” were also eye-catching.

Mu Qingyan, who had revealed everything, became one of the spectators.

The novel didn’t say that Xing Hao was a sea king, but he seems to have been hiding it well. Who leaked the information? Or was it someone who deliberately wanted to capitalize on the buzz?

Mu Qingyan opened the second trending topic and found that the evidence of Xing Hao having multiple women was collected by Lu Wei from other paparazzi before Xing Hao and Xie Ming became official.

Looking at the third trending topic, internet celebrity Grapefruit posted photos, videos, and chat logs of her and Xing Hao’s interactions. She accused him of promising to marry her, but in the end, he defined her as a kept woman.

All three trending topics were almost simultaneously exposed, plus the army of water army and marketing accounts constantly fanning the flames. Xing Hao was unable to counterattack even though he was pushed to the edge of the storm because all the allegations were true.

Mu Qingyan called Ye Qiqi: “Help me check who leaked all of this information?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Qiqi replied, “I just saw the Weibo post and looked it up. The information about Xing Hao having multiple women was collected by Lu Wei from other paparazzi at the request of President Ji. He said it would be released when you made your expose.”

“Yuzu wanted to piggyback on the hype himself, but President. Ji [Ji Liyun] gave him a push when he found out.”

Mu Qingyan thought to himself that the original host was empty-headed, loved to create drama rather than work, but her personal secretary was very clever and had a strong sense of initiative.

Ji Liyun had already been defined by Mu Qingyan as a “helpful childhood friend,” so he didn’t think too much about it.

After a series of exposures, Xing Hao was crazily criticized and the stock price of his company plummeted.

The spectators found that Mu Qingyan was the real victim of this “one-day marriage,” but he was calm and collected. He immediately fought back and beat Xinghao up without feeling inferior, which was so cool!

[That’s it, divorce!]

[Brother, keep fighting, we’ll always be with you!]

[Brother, you’re so handsome, we support you!]

Mu Qingyan only wanted to teach Xing Hao a lesson and let him get what he deserved, but unexpectedly, this also boosted the image of himself, the MU company, and the Mu Group.

Many netizens expressed that although they could not afford luxury goods, they would definitely follow the MU company’s autumn release conference and wish it success.

The stock price of the Mu Group rose by the limit.

Mu Qingyan’s Weibo followers surged by five million, which surprised him.

Lu Wei’s exposure did not name the third party who had an affair with Xinghao, and the third party was very cautious, always wearing a mask and a duckbill hat when going out.

Only in the photo of their street kiss and the video of their kiss on the night of their marriage registration did the third party not wear a mask.

Sharp-eyed netizens found that the third party looked a lot like the newly rising flowery small fresh meat Xie Ming.

As a result, many gossip-loving netizens left comments under Mu Qingyan and Lu Wei’s Weibo posts, asking if the third party was Xie Ming.

Mu Qingyan did not respond and asked Lu Wei not to answer either.

After all, he had not directly confronted Xie Ming after his rebirth, and he needed to keep some leverage over him.

---

Xing Hao sat on the sofa, looking at the abusive comments from netizens on his phone, trembling with anger.

A few minutes ago, Xing Hao saw a message from his father Xing Xin, who had called him and scolded him, which scared Xing Hao into thinking he would be kicked out of the house. Fortunately, his mother intervened in time, but due to the divorce and affair, his father took back 10% of his shares in the company.

Now, he has fallen from grace in both the company and at home.

Xing Hao’s half-brother, Xing Yi, watched the drama unfold and was quite happy. He knew his brother was at home and returned from the company to take this opportunity to humiliate him.

As soon as Xing Yi arrived home, he walked up to Xing Hao with a smile on his face and said, “Oh, our Xiao Xing is at home.”

Xing Hao squeezed his phone tightly and said nothing.

“Tsk tsk, you got involved with Young Master Mu, and I thought you would fly up the ranks like a phoenix on a tree branch. But who would have thought that you would cheat,” Xing Yi sneered and sat on the sofa next to Xing Hao. “This time, you have made Dad lose face, and even I feel ashamed.”

“…”

Xing Yi’s eyes were smiling, but his gaze was like a sharp knife. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Wasn’t your mother always boasting that you and she held three percent more shares than me and that you would eventually become the CEO of the Star Company?”

“Now, your father took back ten percent, and it must feel terrible for you.”

Xing Hao lifted his head, which had been drooping, and waited angrily for his half-brother, who had been fighting him for the inheritance position for years.

“If it weren’t for your mother interfering, trying to become a mistress to gain power, my mother wouldn’t have been so angry that she would take pills to end her life,” Xing Yi stood up, looked coldly at Xing Hao, and said, “A cheap person gives birth to another cheap person.”

Seeing Xing Hao’s humiliated and powerless appearance, Xing Yi was very satisfied. Before he left, he left a sarcastic remark, “Dad asked me to take over the two companies you own. So, just be a good employee for me, Xing Little Master.”

Xing Hao watched Xing Yi humiliate him, humming a tune and leaving, his hatred trembling through his entire body. His knuckles turned white as he squeezed his phone, and his teeth chattered.

However, the butlers and servants of the Xing family were always opportunistic. They knew that the old master and the eldest young master were both looking down on the little young master, so they naturally wouldn’t care about him and silently walked away.

Xing Hao hated his father for favoring his older brother since childhood, hated his mother for trying to find him a well-connected spouse, and hated Xing Yi for suppressing and bullying him in various ways since childhood.

He hated Mu Qingyan even more.

Because it was Mu Qingyan who caused him to lose 10% of his shares now, and made him be looked down upon by his father and humiliated by Xing Yi.

He hated him deeply, and his mind was full of thoughts of revenge.

Trembling, Xing Hao dialed a number on his phone and, after it was connected, gritted his teeth and said, “Do something for me.”

---

After reading the book, Mu Qingyan always felt that the original owner’s body was too lazy and weak to be motivated. That night, he decided to adjust his schedule and go to bed early and wake up early.

So, before going to bed, he specifically instructed the butler Li to have breakfast two hours earlier from now on.

Butler Li thought that Young Master Mu was just impulsive and casually talking. After all, the original owner had never woken up before 10 o’clock, and in most cases, slept until 11 or 12 noon.

After the head chef received the news to prepare breakfast earlier, he felt that the sun had risen from the west and laughed, “Our young master Mu can’t even get up before 10 o’clock even if he gets married or divorced. He probably won’t be able to wake up tomorrow.”

“Don’t mention the marriage and divorce thing,” the sous chef glanced towards the kitchen door and found that there was no one else around. He lowered his voice and said, “I heard that Young Master Mu was severely criticized by netizens. If he hears us discussing his marriage and divorce behind his back, he will definitely take revenge on us.”

After speaking, the sous chef made a throat-slitting gesture on his neck.

The head chef nodded foolishly, “You’re right! We can’t mess with money and our lives.”

“But I think Young Master Mu is quite unusual today. Maybe he will really wake up early tomorrow,” said one of the chef’s assistants.

Another sous chef assistant also said, “Yeah, Young Master Mu may have changed his personality due to being severely impacted.”

However, the head chef raised his right hand and shook his index finger, very determinedly saying, “From my understanding of our young master, besides being idle and not doing anything productive, he doesn’t have any other problems. He is very open-minded and won’t be impacted by being criticized by others.”

Seeing that the assistants and kitchen staff were half-believing, he said, “I’ll bet with you guys! If the young master wakes up at □□ o’clock tomorrow morning to have breakfast, I’ll give each of you a 600 yuan red envelope!”

The next morning at 8:30, the head chef lost 6,000 yuan.

The head chef cried out, “I’ve been impacted!”

After finishing breakfast, Mu Qingyan instructed the driver to take him directly to the MU company. According to the original novel’s setting, the MU company is owned by the Mu family group and mainly deals in the self-created brand “MU” for clothing, bags, and jewelry, positioning itself as a luxury brand.

The main purpose of Mu Yuchen, the chairman of the Mu family group, in establishing this MU company was not to make money but to provide his underachieving son with a learning and training opportunity.

When Mu Qingyan arrived at the MU company, all the employees in the building were shocked.

“I just saw Young Master Mu!”

“What? Young Master Mu came to work?!”

“Young Master Mu actually came to the company to work?!”

“It’s been over three months since he last came to the company…”

“Could it be that he was stimulated by the divorce and decided to start working seriously?”

“Young Master Mu is unpredictable.”

Just normal work behavior, but for Mu Qingyan, who was known for being a slacker, it was enough to spark discussions among the employees in the company.

As they chatted, this group of gossip-loving employees began to speculate on the reason for Mu Qingyan’s divorce.

“Our Young Master Mu is so handsome, he outshines those popular celebrities by miles, and he’s super rich too. I’ve always said Xing Hao is just reaching too high.”

“Yeah, no matter how you look at it, Xing Hao is far inferior.”

“But why did Young Master Mu rush to get a divorce? Could it be true, like the rumors online, that he had a secret relationship with a young model?”

“Sister, you’re new here, right? With Xiao Mu’s personality, if he likes someone, it would have been well-known to everyone. There’s no way to keep it a secret.”

“Yeah, these made-up rumors are only believed by those who don’t know Xiao Mu.”

At that moment, Ye Qiqi happened to pass by and clapped her hands, reminding them, “Alright, stop gossiping and focus on your work! Don’t let Xiao Mu catch any mistakes and kick you out of MU.”

In MU Company, Ye Qiqi was not only the most beautiful and graceful female employee, but also someone who stood above everyone else.

As soon as these gossiping employees saw her, they scattered back to their own workstations like mice running from a cat.

One of the employees smiled flatteringly at Ye Qiqi, muttering to himself in a low voice, “It wasn’t easy to get this high-paying, prestigious, envy-inducing job. I don’t want to be fired.”

Ye Qiqi shook her head helplessly and walked away.

In the CEO’s office, Mu Qingyan had the company’s barista make a cup of fragrant hand-drip coffee and was seriously studying the data of the Mu Group and MU Company.

Knock knock knock-

Hearing the knocking sound, Mu Qingyan put down the materials in his hand and said, “Come in.”

Ye Qiqi walked into the office with a stack of documents and saw the empty coffee cup on the table. She laughed and said, “Boss, you really love coffee. No matter what time you come to the company, you always have a cup of hand-drip coffee.”

Mu Qingyan was already addicted to coffee and it seemed that the original owner was too, which was why he had hired top baristas for both the company and his home.

He looked through the documents Ye Qiqi had placed on the table and asked, “Is the company’s key work plan for September all here?”

Ye Qiqi: “Yes, the most important event is the Autumn New Product Launch on September 25th. The number of social elites and celebrities attending the event is twice as many as last year. All the invited fashion celebrities, designers, and fashion magazine editors have replied that they will attend on time.”

In the novel, although the original owner didn’t care much about his job, he would still prepare seriously for the MU brand’s Autumn Product Launch every year to make his grandfather happy.

The Autumn Product Launch is different from the other three seasons, as it not only releases new products but also launches limited-edition clothing, bags, and jewelry with different themes.

Therefore, the MU brand’s Autumn Product Launch is held very grandly every year, and over time, it has become a fashion feast.

But Mu Qingyan knew clearly that the number of people attending this year’s Autumn Product Launch had increased instead of decreased. Half of them were there to give Mu Yuchen face, and the other half were there to see Mu Qingyan’s jokes.

Because at the previous year’s Autumn Product Launch, the original owner had acted out of line due to his bad mood, which made the elites and celebrities at the scene laugh at him.

It was also used as a comparison group by the author for the protagonist Xie Ming.

After browsing through the files about the Autumn Product Launch, Mu Qingyan asked, “Have the new products and limited editions for this launch been finalized?”

Ye Qiqi replied, “Not yet. The design department has tentatively planned 26 new products and 12 limited editions, but the final products for the launch have not been confirmed.”

Mu Qingyan lightly tapped the table with his fingertips and thought for a few seconds before saying, “Notify the design department to have a meeting at 3 pm this afternoon. I want to hear their introduction of the main products and backup products for this launch, as well as see any finished products or design drafts they have.”

Ye Qiqi looked at him in surprise and thought, “Has the boss really changed his ways? He’s starting to care about the company’s affairs?” She immediately replied, “I will inform them right away.”

“Wait, there’s one more thing,” Mu Qingyan stopped Ye Qiqi who was about to leave and said, “Let me see the materials collected yesterday.”

“Oh right, I almost forgot about this important matter,” Ye Qiqi took out her phone and started to operate it, while also complaining, “This Xing Hao is really shameless. He’s been with a little celebrity for so many years and still has the audacity to turn around and smear you, splashing dirty water on you.”

Mu Qingyan’s phone vibrated, and Ye Qiqi had sent him the photos taken by paparazzo Lu Wei.

Lu Wei was an experienced paparazzo, and although his photos were slightly blurry due to the distance, the angles were accurate enough to identify the people in the photos.

Ye Qiqi said, “The first ten photos and three videos I sent were taken by Lu Wei the night before yesterday… the night you got your marriage certificate.”

The photos and videos were enough to prove that Xing Hao entered someone else’s home on the night of their marriage registration and didn’t leave until the next afternoon, reluctant to part.

Four of the photos and a video were particularly conclusive, capturing Xing Hao and Xie Ming in a scene at the window.

Ye Qiqi looked at Mu Qingyan and found that he wasn’t angry or ashamed, but rather looked like an unrelated bystander reading celebrity gossip, without any ripple on his face.

He didn’t even fly into a rage or make a scene.

Could it be that the boss didn’t care about Xing Hao at all?

Ye Qiqi continued, “Yesterday, Lu Wei also gave me some private collections, including interactions between Xing Hao and Xie Ming from two years ago, such as staying out all night and kissing in public…”

“He said that he used to think Xing Hao was a nobody, even if he exposed him, it wouldn’t be valuable, so he kept these photos and videos collecting dust in his computer. It wasn’t until he knew that you two really got your marriage certificate that he was glad he didn’t delete these materials.”

Mu Qingyan continued to watch over 20 more photos and a few videos, nodding satisfactorily at his capable secretary, “Well done.”

“So, how did you know he had the goods? He said he never told anyone,” asked Ye Qiqi curiously.

Mu Qingyan knew about this entertainment magazine paparazzo because he had read the novel.

In the original book, this paparazzo had a lot of material on Xing Hao and Xie Ming, so he went to negotiate with Xing Hao just one or two months after he got married to the protagonist with this material.

Lu Wei’s goal was simple, he wanted money.

Faced with extortion, Xing Hao’s choice was also simple – he spent a lot of money buying all the photos and videos.

From then on, Xing Hao began to pay attention to the movements of entertainment magazine paparazzi. Whenever a paparazzo had any material related to himself and Xie Ming, he immediately bought it.

Therefore, the original owner did not know that Xing Hao was having an affair in the first year of their marriage. He only thought he was busy with work, either on business trips or socializing, and rarely returned to their villa.

Mu Qingyan sighed almost imperceptibly. The original owner was really miserable.

Ye Qiqi noticed that his expression had changed ever so slightly and said hastily, “I’m just asking casually. You have great abilities, so naturally, you have ways of knowing these little things.”

Mu Qingyan smiled lightly at her. “Yes, I have great abilities.”

Seeing this beautiful face finally no longer cold, but just slightly curving his lips like a warm breeze in spring, Ye Qiqi silently sighed in her heart, “The boss is really handsome, can’t stop looking.” But she praised him, “Boss, you’re amazing!”

“Don’t flatter me.”

Ye Qiqi made a face and asked again, “Xing Hao’s bought marketing accounts and water armies have been setting the pace on the internet for a whole day. Why aren’t you worried at all? You got these materials yesterday afternoon. Why not just release them directly?”

Mu Qingyan didn’t answer directly, but instead asked, “When someone deceives you, are you angry at once when you find out you’ve been deceived, or are you even more angry when you’ve been fooled all day and then find out you’ve been deceived?”

“Of course, I’m even more angry when I’ve been fooled all day and then find out I’ve been deceived,” Ye Qiqi answered without hesitation.

“That’s it.”

Ye Qiqi looked at Mu Qingyan’s stunning face and suddenly felt that he was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Mu Qingyan glanced at the special custom-made Patek Philippe on his right wrist, and his smile carried a hint of coldness. “It’s time. Let’s release the materials.”

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Author’s Note:

Mu Qingyan: It’s time, let Xing Hao cool down.

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