He sounded so serious that Mingxia choked on her spit. Her amazement could not be hidden, and at the same time, she was starting to reconsider asking him for help.
… What if he meant every word he said?
Mingxia did some rethinking about it and promised to get back to him before the next day ended. Lixin laughed out loud, threw a black premium business card on the bed, and said
"I was only teasing you. There are over a million dollars and approximately four hundred million yuan there too. You can take it as a starting fund and make good use of it. His voice was so cool, and Mingxia did not hold herself back from running up to him and hugging him. He was very pleased by her actions, held onto her shoulders, and pinned her down on the bed. His gaze firmed on her, he lowered his head, and he whispered into her ears. "You should honestly reevaluate my desire for you. I promise I am always faithful to my mistresses."
Shivers moved directly through Mingxia's spine. She pushed him off with all her strength and sat up, fanning her blushing cheeks. Was this man so good at teasing people? She pretended to ignore him, but her imagination was shattered immediately when he laughed out loud. His smile was so beautiful, and his lips were glossy pink. Mingxia gulped in her saliva and gazed at the perfect definition of beauty. And then the scar came.
She froze, wondering if he had deliberately let her see his face without the mask or if it was a mistake. Guilt ate her beneath, and she looked into his eyes. His eyes were full of unspeakable emotions. Emotions she knew she had before.
"Go to bed. I will take you somewhere tomorrow. Lixin's words took her out of her daydreams. Mingxia nodded her head and lay down on the bed. Her arms wrapped around the soft pillow. She could feel him, but she did not know how. Just when he had blacklisted Zaizai, she saw right through him. He was protecting the poor child the same way he sent Carol away.
His actions were often misunderstood as being ruthless. Before she wandered off to sleep, she silently said, clutching the pillow.
"You are the nicest person to me, with or without the mask. I believe you are nothing like how people describe you. Mu Lixin, give me a chance—only a chance—to understand you. I promise I will not disappoint. Somehow, her heart felt a lot better, and soon she fell asleep. The morning of the next day came pretty fast, with its rays penetrating through the glass window. A knock on the door woke her from sleep. Yuming, alongside a glass of warm milk, approached her bed.
"Morning, young miss. That was all she said, and she handed her the glass of warm milk. She had not mentioned where Lixin was and hoped the young woman would not ask herself. Yuming did not fathom why Lixin walked out of the mansion angrily this morning. Did he and Mingxia fight?
There was an ugly growl on his face; hence, Yuming did not have the nerve to ask him if he had plans with Mingxia. "Let us get you dressed. We will hang out later on. Yuming uttered something, attempting to divert Mingxia's attention from Lixin.
Oh," Mingxia replied sadly, wondering whether Lixin ditched her again. He was always off early in the morning and got back late at night. It was difficult to understand him at times. He was the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, had so many assistants, yet still preferred to stay up late at night. She exhaled, cleared her mind, and got off the bed.
She had better things on her plate than to worry about Lixin's affairs. She got dressed and booked an appointment with Su Mei when she was on her lunch break. They both took turns exchanging ideas on how to rebuild their company while also destroying the corrupt one. Mingxia read the lawsuits Icy Co had not been able to cater for, marked them, and decided to give it a try. Her afternoon was so busy that she had less time to think about Lixin.
Mingxia skimmed through the lawsuit, and a very special one caught her attention. She carefully scrutinized the documents one after another and concluded.
"Get me her contact details. It appears that we have gotten a case!"
......…
In the Mu Group.
The bothered footsteps echoed in the hallway as the owner kept going forward and backward. His fingers crossed against each other, Skyler peeked at the boss, holding a cigarette in his right hand and a wine bottle in the left. His face stiffened, and the air got a lot more uncomfortable for Skyler. It was as if he had been choked to death by an unnecessary arm. He stood awaiting his judgment.
"This is what you found? Only these? Do I need to remind you that you are only a moron? His reply came as a slap to Skyler, who had a tough time swallowing and digesting the insult thrown at him. Soon, a file of paper came crashing down on his body. He fell on his knees, begging. "You are fired if you do not get me who is responsible for this! His eyes were full of bloodthirsty actions. He furiously examined the pictures on his desk, all filled with blood.
These drawings were reported by Butler Ke to have been drawn by the young master of the Mu, Mu Luyang. It was not a surprise that he had a shock from his past, something he wanted to shun from Luyang. He tightly held the papers and tore them into pieces. On his way to work, he received a text alongside a photo of a happy family: a boy and his parents. Then, red paint covered the parent's face, and drops of faint blue paint flowed down the child's cheeks. It was a description of how Luyang felt in his heart.
Those were his memories—memories he dared not open up until now. What had provoked him to do this? His mind went straight to Mu Zaizai's words and Luyang's expression before Mingxia's swiftly covered his ears. So he had heard everything? Why did he pretend not to hear? Lixin became cold instantly; he gripped his coat and proceeded to the exit, where he halted, his brows furrowing together.
"Burn those paintings before I get back." Skyler shook his head in agreement, took the lighter, and burned it into ashes. He followed the boss into the car and drove. On his way to the Mu main mansion, he got a phone call from someone he least expected. His fingers rubbed his chin, and he sighed. "Mr. Zhou suddenly has my number; should I be worried or happy? His tune was emotionless and icy. He was not interested in entertaining any enemy of his until Suyin's name was mentioned.
He ordered Skyler to drive to Muchen's destination.
In a café.
Two powerful men sat opposite each other, each with an intense gaze on the other, attempting to figure out what the other had in mind. The restaurant's atmosphere became choky and uncomfortable. Still gazing at Lixin, Muchen popped open the wine glass.
"Do you want some? His smirks were very callous while he was pouring the slick red wine into the glass cup. He clicked glasses and gulped all of its contents into his system at once. "You seem like you hold a grudge against me. He kicked off their conversation in a calm tone. Lixin, relaxed and less tense, picked up the glass and drank it up. As far as his bodyguards were concerned, there was no harm Muchen could do to him. Why not play along with him?
"If I said you guessed right, would you be angry? He retorted, refraining from emptying him another glass of wine. His slender legs crossed over each other, his smile broadening to the fullest. He was enjoying the perfect show.
"You are no better than me. Drop your fake façade and tell me what you want. Lixin's bluntness was face-slapping to Muchen. Muchen felt very insulted by his remarks and, nonetheless, shoved them aside. He had better things to settle than a mere insult. He picked up his glass cup, emptied it, and began to speak.
"I heard your family is in chaos."