Yuan Xing and Yuan Chang were dining at a famous restaurant in Imperial that specialized in seafood. The Head Chef was once the reputable Italian 5-star chef, Flavio Colombo, who set up shop in different countries to experience cultures. Usually, people would have to make reservations however, Yuan Chang happened to know of a chef under Colombo, and the reservations were easily taken care of. The restaurant had awesome scenery to look out from as it was located near an aquarium, where a wide landscape window captured the beauty of the marine life.
The two women sat down and waited for their orders to arrive. In the meantime, Yuan Chang released a breath and rolled her shoulders. "How tiring. This mission you've given me is the toughest one yet. You know how bad I am at acting."
Yuan Xing glanced at her over the rim of the glass and cracked a genuine smile. "You're doing well so far. Just keep up the good work, Sister Chang."
Yuan Chang cringed and pursed her lips, "Please don't call me that. It's weird coming from you."
She rolled her eyes and looked out to observe the occasional fish or two, swim beyond the window. Imperial was where the main branch of the top 3 elite families resided. The Yuans, Songs, and Wangs were on friendly terms on the surface, but a storm was brewing. While the Yuans and Songs currently enjoyed a pleasant relationship, the Wangs' intense rivalry with the Songs led them to gather the support of much smaller elite families to compete against the Songs' influence. The Songs thought lowly of the Wangs because of their underhanded tactics, they didn't bother with them though. Not to mention that the Wangs probably did not like the alliance between the Yuans and Songs and would do anything to break their ties.
Yuan Xing thought back to when she first met Wang Da, who kept pestering her to go on a date with him. Aside from the blatant lust in his eyes, there was also a hint of something else. A calculative gleam. A cold smile appeared on her face. Did the Wangs think that she was easy game and more susceptible to love, unlike the educated Yuan Chang? That she'd fall in love with that idiot Wang Da and cause a rift between the Yuans and Songs? They were most likely chagrined at the fact that they'd have settle for a fake young miss, what more a mixed blood, to accomplish their plans.
Logically speaking, their plan was not too terrible, they just forgot to take her into consideration. If it was any other girl, Wang Da would have a 90% chance of succeeding. He was a handsome rich man with a 'gentlemanly' attitude and heir to one of China's famous entertainment companies. Girls threw themselves at him on a daily basis. Too bad that no one knew he was a sociopathic egomaniac. No doubt Yuan Xing suffered rumors because of his pestering. All she had to do was reveal Wang Da's secret affair with his younger cousin-in-law, and that was that.
Yuan Xing remembered one particular day when she was visiting a random nightclub, it was then that she spotted Wang Da and a petite silhouette cozied up in an intimate position. They were in a dark corner and unrecognizable if not for Yuan Xing's continued close observation of Wang Da over the course of his pathetic attempts at courting her. She could identify him from a crowd, so it wasn't too difficult to see him. She had someone bring her a report on any females close to Wang Da, and voila! The scandal was huge; there were tensions rising within the Wang household and their shares took a hit. For the next few months, the Wangs lay low.
Yuan Chang and Yuan Xing ate some Chinese seafood dishes and talked about nonsensical things before exiting the restaurant. They were walking down the steps when Yuan Xing happened to see a familiar figure from the corner of her eye. She signaled for Yuan Chang to stop and sat on a nearby platform. She felt that she knew the person, but the name kept escaping her. The male was of average height and looked to be in his twenties with a plain face. She searched through her memories to identify him. Yuan Xing zeroed in on his crooked nose and a light bulb went off in her head.
Li Jing! Some B-list actress' manager. Why would he be here? Yuan Xing narrowed her eyes at the suspicious figure standing next to him. Li Jing said something, it was too far to lip read so Yuan Xing settled for watching them, and the person nodded. Yuan Xing thought for a moment and recalled a small titbit. Li Jing was the manager of Tang Mei, in the same agency as Jing Fei. They weren't friendly per se, they weren't enemies either, just neutral.
That didn't explain why Li Jing was in a dark corner, doing shady business with a suspicious person. He was looking over his shoulder every so often, and when you've been to more than enough back alleys and nightclubs, you knew it was a sign of trouble. Yuan Xing tapped her fingers on the table. She made a mental note to find out what was going on.