Ten minutes ago
Ren Muchen played with the champagne flute. The drink had already gone flat, and he popped the last of the bubbles that clung to the rim of the glass.
His phone dinged. "Be careful of your aunt," Shao sent a message again. Rolling his eyes, Muchen placed the glass down.
He leaned down and checked under the table. There were no suspicious devices. Even the walls and the ceilings were clear.
It was safe to say there were no monitoring devices in the private room. His aunt probably did not have the time to make such arrangements, as he had chosen this place to meet.
"Do you think I'll be stupid enough to fall for the trick again?" he sent a voice message.
"But she doesn't know that you found out about it. She might try to poison you again. Collect evidence."
He was too lazy to reply to this. He placed the phone down on the table and waited patiently.
I wonder what she is planning to do? He was quite curious. His aunt had been trying every single way to get rid of him and steal his inheritance.
At first, he had taken it as a joke and played around with her. But that annoying woman had decided to get rid of him once and for all. She had used his personal assistant to poison him.
It was when he saw the blood dripping down his mouth that he realized the severity of the situation.
Muchen's eyes went cold as he gazed at the champagne. What will she do if she realizes I know… will she tremble and apologize, or will she hauntingly scoff?
His aunt had been painting a kind face in front of him. That fake smile irked him more than anything in the world. He wanted nothing more than to tear that face apart and see the disgusting truth underneath.
Muchen closed his eyes and calmed his breathing.
Right then, the door opened, and the devil walked in, dressed in green. She still had that kind smile on her face as she touched his shoulder. "You have slimmed down, my child. How was your day? Did you have any difficulties in your shoots?"
You banned me from the industry, yet you have the audacity to ask? He maintained a very kind smile on his face, just as she did. This stupid woman still thought he was the ten-year-old child she was so used to deceiving.
Too bad he had grown up.
In the poisonous swamp, even a small frog can turn venomous.
It was his turn to retaliate.
But it was not time yet.
He needed to wait.
"Your brother has been asking about you. You guys haven't met in a long time. Why don't I arrange a party for you young folks? It's better to socialize with people with business backgrounds. I'm just saying it for your own future."
"I know, Aunty. I'll see my cousin when I have time," he emphasized the word cousin.
His aunt's smile faltered slightly. "When did you start addressing your brother as cousin? You used to call him gege when you were young."
Muchen smiled and nodded. "But he is not my brother, is he? Oh, by the way, how is he doing in the company? I heard it's not doing well. I think it's high time I step up. After all, my acting career is not going so well."
He visibly saw his aunt's face change. "I… I'll head to the powder room. Make sure to order our food." She stood up and left the room.
Muchen laughed loudly. "Did you hear that?"
"You're stupid. Why did you startle the sneaky snake?" Shao's voice came from the phone.
"Nah, I was edging her on. I'm pretty sure she is going to poison my food." He rang the bell to call the waiter. He intentionally ordered soup and other dishes the poison could be hidden in.
"You're really playing with fire, man," his manager sighed loudly.
"Yep, I love living on the edge."
Ten minutes later, his aunt returned with a bright smile on her face. "Did you order our food?"
"Yes, I ordered your favorite—ribeye steak, shrimp pasta, French onion soup, and some chocolate cake." He kindly smiled at her.
Her expression changed minutely when he mentioned the onion soup. "It has been your favorite since you were young. Why don't you have it? I'm not in the mood for soup today."
Muchen grinned. So, it's in the soup… good one, my dear aunt.
He waited excitedly for the food to come. As minutes passed, he noticed his aunt getting nervous and anxious. Come on, squirm… I want you to squirm more… He watched the entertaining sight.
Their food came right then.
The young waiter placed the soup in front of him.
Muchen gazed up, meeting a pair of doe-like eyes. They shone with a slight hint of curiosity and innocence. Like a young doe… He will really suffer in the entertainment industry. The moment the waiter noticed his gaze, his eyes went wide, and he almost dropped the plate.
Curious. Does he work for my aunt? I hope not. He cast a smile his way.
"Muchen ah, looks like this little boy is a fan of yours." His aunt patted the young boy's hand. "Oh, look at him blushing. You can get his autograph if you want."
So, the waiter is also her man. Muchen's eyes went cold. He signed the tissue with his fake name and handed it to him.
The waiter dropped it by mistake. "Oh, sorry."
Suddenly, Muchen felt a hand grope his own, and something was shoved into his palm. He hurriedly tried to drop it, but the presumptuous man grabbed his hand tightly, forcing his fingers into a fist around the object.
The waiter shot up with a smile and left the room.
Muchen subtly gritted his teeth. Fuck. He dropped the paper and wiped his hands with a tissue. "Aunty, about what I said earlier—I want to take over my father's company. Can you arrange a position for me?"
His aunt's patience was waning. "I'll get you a position. Eat while it's hot. Cold soups don't taste good."
"Yes, they won't." He secretly spilled a bit of the soup on his sleeve and continued to eat it, even though he knew it was poisoned.
Having just the soup was not enough. He wanted to gain a bit of attention to this matter. And for that, he needed to collapse.
His existing fans would start panicking.
And when things were at the peak of disarray, he would secretly let someone release the information he had collected about his aunt's family.
Oh, what a drama it would be. He sweetly smiled as he drank the last spoonful of the delicious soup.
His aunt contentedly left the restaurant after talking more nonsense.
Muchen laughed out loud, crazily, all alone in the room. "The soup was delicious. Hahaha!"
"Gods, you are crazy," his manager whispered softly.
"What can I do? I was born crazy." Muchen collected his phone and was ready to head to the hospital.
A small paper crane on the ground caught his eye.
Just looking at it gave him goosebumps.
"Shao, I need you to get a waiter fired. I'll send you the picture of that guy." He checked the secret cameras he had placed on the side.
"What happened? Did he offend you?"
"He groped me," he whispered, wiping his hand.
Shao took a deep breath. "He is so dead."
As he was walking away, he curiously glanced back at the paper crane. Something in him urged him to pick it up.
Grunting, he walked back and opened it. Inside was only a single sentence.
"Soup is poisoned."
Muchen's eyes widened ever so slightly. "I think we might have an eyewitness." He ran into the kitchen to search for him, but that familiar figure was not there.
He called a blond-haired waiter nearby. "Where is the guy who served me food? Room five."
The waiter nodded softly. "He no longer works here, sir. Is there any problem?"
"Can you give me his details?" He frowned deeply.
"Sorry, sir, we can't."
Muchen sighed loudly. "I'll find him myself." He rushed out of the kitchen.
Just as he exited, Yunfeng walked out with a tray of food.
Everyone gazed at him.
Liang, especially, gave him a pitiful look. "I told you not to smile." He shook his head in disappointment and took the tray from him. "Wait for a while before you start serving."
Yunfeng confusedly nodded.