C25 An Enraged Close Friend

In an attempt to compose himself, he sat up straight and cleared his voice. He said in a calm voice, “Miss Alice is right. Our company is driven to produce only the best. If it proves not to be the optimal design, then it should be discarded. I now announce from this day forward, the design department should be reorganized and Miss Alice will be managing it. All the design plans will be given to her for approval. Things will only move forward once she agrees to it. I hope that we will be able to come up with a design that meets our standards before the deadline of the press conference approaches.”

Everyone sat there slightly stunned after hearing his announcement. Director Ruan was actually leaving such an important design project in the hands of the newly arrived Miss Alice? Could such a young woman handle such an important task? The car model design was an important business secret of a company that mainly produced cars. Would this even work out in the end?

In addition, Miss Alice was his ex-wife and at one point in time had been the designer of the Jingrui Group. The obvious affection the CEO of the Jingrui Group had for her spoke vastly of their intimate relationship.

Did Director Ruan have feelings for her, Qian Anrou, or was he divided between the two of them?

This placed everyone at a loss for words, but they did not dare challenge Ruan Hanyu’s decision.

Qian Anrou was not taking things too well. Her face did not look too good.

It seemed that Ruan Hanyu and Mu Qingzhu had forged a deep connection during the course of the meeting. Something that she had no part in. When did they become so intimate? Was there something she missed?

This woman’s appearance in their lives had caused Ruan Hanyu to completely change.

She had to do everything in her power to get rid of this looming threat.

The sun was setting in the west, dying the skies a blood-orange. The colors bathed the walls of the city buildings and from its light emitted waves of heat.

Six o’clock in the afternoon.

After the meeting, Mu Qingzhu walked out of the office’s main door.

As she was driving her Beetle, she picked up the phone to call home.

“Aunt Lee, how is my mom doing?”

Aunt Lee was a relation from Mu Qingzhu’s mother’s side. Aunt Lee had come to the Mu family when Mu Qingzhu was very young and she had a hand in bringing Mu Qingzhu up. Mu Qingzhu and her shared a very deep relationship.

After Wu Xiuping’s accident, although Mu Qingzhu did not ask her to, she did not hesitate to stay and help out. Her gesture left Mu Qingzhu very touched. But of course, she will be very well compensated. Ruan Hanyu’s 50 million will help in that regard.

“Miss, you don’t need to worry. Madam is doing much better now. Aside from being unable to walk without assistance, she is doing good.” Aunt Lee answered in an amicable manner from the other side of the line.

“Okay. Thank you, Aunt Lee. I appreciate all that you have done for my family. I will be back later tonight. You don’t need to wait up for me.”

“Miss, remember to be careful outside. And don’t forget to go home early.” Aunt Lee quickly listed her instructions.

“Yes, alright.” Mu Qingzhu had just hung up the phone when she was notified of another phone call. When she saw Tang Wanwan’s name show up on the screen, the corner of her mouth could not help but move into a smile.

Ever since her return to China, she had not had a moment to catch her breath. Today, she should take out some time to relax!

At the same time, the orange and red sunlight from the setting sun painted the buildings of the bustling city with its rich and golden hues.

“Wanyou Coffee House” was the most romantic and sweetest coffee shop in A City.

The coffee beans here originated from Brazil. The authentic quality of the coffee left no room for counterfeits, making the price also very expensive.

So of course, the only people to grace such an establishment would be only rich young masters, upper-class socialites, and politicians.

Everyone with money within the upper-class of A City knew of “Wanyou Coffee House.” But no one knew that the owner of the popular coffee house was none other than the beautiful Tang Wanwan of Wenwan.

Though already 26 years old, Tang Wanwan was not married. She did not even have a boyfriend. The man accompanying her at that time would not be considered an official boyfriend.

Her coffee shop was the hotspot for all the young masters of the upper-class of A City. Not many people could say they were personally received by Tang Wanwan. Mu Qingzhu was one such exception.

Throughout her life, Tang Wanwan only had one good friend that she could agree with and that was Mu Qingzhu.

They were so close that the two of them shared everything with each other.

Although Mu Qingzhu did not admire many women, Tang Wanwan was a woman with such a high moral character that she could not help but appreciate these qualities in her friend. She regarded her as a close friend.

For example, even though there were many men in the upper-class who had made it known that they would love to sleep with Tang Wanwan, Tang Wanwan never slept around. She was very strict with men and made it clear that she wouldn’t just sleep with just about anyone.

Mu Qingzhu remembered that when she married Ruan Hanyu, Tang Wanwan had shook her head and sighed. She said that the fate of a lotus flower will be destroyed from this day forward.

As expected, her marriage with Ruan Hanyu proved unhappy. She was like a small flower who had no protection under the face of wind and rain. Before it could bloom fully, the delicate flower was already destroyed.

Tang Wanwan never had a good impression of Ruan Hanyu. She believed him to be a domineering, overbearing, and self-righteous guy, who because he thought he had talent and money, didn’t value anyone else’s opinion.

“Friend, if I had not reached out to you, would you have thought to come and see me?” Tang Wanwan of Wenwan tossed her ladylike image out the door when she saw Mu Qingzhu. She could not keep the scolding tone from out of her voice.

Mu Qingzhu’s eyes immediately turned red upon seeing her. She embraced Tang Wanwan in a warm hug and said with an aggrieved tone, “Boss Tang, you must comfort me. My life has been a series of injustices lately.”

Upon hearing Mu Qingzhu say this, Tang Wanwan held her face in her hands and gave her a long look. She then tossed her into a private room behind the coffee shop and threw her on the imported wool carpet. Placing her hands on her hips, she could not help but scold loudly, “Mu Qingzhu, you are looking for trouble. I can’t believe you actually returned to the Ruan Group to work. What were you thinking? Isn’t this asking for more trouble?”

Tang Wanwan could only act this way in front of Mu Qingzhu. When it was just the two of them, she could relax and release all pretenses in her heart. In front of Mu Qingzhu, she was only Tang Wanwan. Only in front of her close friend could she be her true self. Her attitude right then was like a shrew cursing in the wind.

This was a habit between the two of them. Once they were alone together, there was no reason to continue pretending. Out flew the disguises and they were at home, sharing their straightforward and simple emotions. Nothing was too out-of-line to share and they could say whatever they wanted with no censorship!

Mu Qingzhu found herself enjoying this simple and pure friendship. This kind of friend only came once in a lifetime, and she found herself cherishing this rare and warm friendship.

“It’s so comfortable here!” Mu Qingzhu took the opportunity to stretch out her body on the blanket and relax. She smiled happily at Tang Wanwan.

“Have you gone stupid? Why get yourself entangled further in their matters? There is nothing good in the Ruan family. Take Ruan Hanyu as an example. He is not only proud and arrogant but in terms of feelings, he’s an idiot. It’s okay to be his lover and play with him, but you don’t want to marry him unless it is without a doubt you can control him. Otherwise, being with him would be insufferable! And that mother-in-law of yours is another thing. She’d sit on that throne of hers like she was the noblest person in the world all day long. She acts like she likes no one and treats them that way. Only someone as vulgar as Qian Anrou would suck up to her and make her happy.”

Tang Wanwan named her family’s atrocities one by one. She continued ranting about Ruan Hanyu’s situation again, “And just look at that fool. His arrogance is such that he actually treats Qian Anrou like a treasure. That woman is pure venom with a vicious heart like a vixen. He is so intoxicated by her ways that soon his insides will grow green with rot. In such a situation, you still want to jump right into that kind fire pit? Tell me, what exactly is going on in that little head of yours? Is there something going on that I don’t know about?”

Tang Wanwan was greatly disappointed by Mu Qingzhu’s situation. She let Mu Qingzhu know that she was let down by her friend. In her eyes, only a few women out there would be smart enough to not let their emotions be toyed with by men. But these women were far and few in-between. Although Mu Qingzhu was smart, she was rendered a complete fool the moment she set eyes on Ruan Hanyu. Seeing her like this, showed her IQ was at a negative.

“Don’t say these words to me.” Mu Qingzhu hugged Tang Wanwan’s legs from her position on the floor and said pitifully, “I came here for comfort. Quickly bring me some of your good coffee. Otherwise, if something were to happen to me, you will be missing one good friend.”

Tang Wanwan took that moment to look at Mu Qingzhu’s pale face and thin body. After a sigh, she said, “I know that a lot has happened in your family and I sympathize with your loss. So I have kept my mouth shut throughout all this.” At this moment, her eyes turned red. She squatted down and hugged her friend and patted her shoulder. After a bit of this, she said softly, “The matter is over. Everything will look better in the future. I promise.”

Hearing Tang Wanwan’s words of comfort made Mu Qingzhu’s heart ache as involuntary tears flowed freely from out of her eyes.

“Wanwan, Ruan Hanyu and I are officially divorced,” her eyes carried a light within them as she said this in a low voice, unable to contain her sobs.

“It’s nothing. I always thought this day would come sooner or later. That Ruan Hanyu is a bastard. It’s good you’re leaving the relationship.” Tang Wanwan was not surprised, rather her reaction was like she had expected this outcome all along. She patted Mu Qingzhu’s shoulder and said in an indifferent tone, “And you, don’t be so stubborn. There are tons of men out there in this world. Who knows? There might be one who is your perfect match. You can always count on me if you need the help.”

“But Wanwan, my father’s death is premature. And he died for no reason. I can’t accept this loss,” Mu Qingzhu said after a pause.

Tang Wanwan’s expression was urgent. Her face appeared frightened right then. While holding Mu Qingzhu’s hand, she said, “Could it be that you returned to the Ruan Group to work because of your father? Who do you suspect? Is it Ruan Hanyu?”

Mu Qingzhu’s vision was blurred from her tears. She could only look at Tang Wanwan in a daze.

“Qingzhu, let me tell you this is very unlikely.” Feeling more pity surge in her heart, she said while sighing, “Qingzhu, can you give me a better picture of what happened in the Ruan family three years ago? I want to know why you abruptly left A City to go to America. When I called you that one time, you only knew how to cry. Tell me, what happened?”

Memories of the events three years ago dulled Mu Qingzhu’s expression and she could only shake her head blankly.

“Wanwan, I want to learn more about what is going on. Until then, I will not return to America. Ruan Hanyu does not believe me. I have no words to explain my current situation. At that time, I could only run away. And the divorce was not my idea. I did not want it,” Mu Qingzhu muttered loathingly to herself.

Seeing her sorry state, Tang Wanwan shook her head and sighed before saying, “Qingzhu, just let it rest. Heed my advice. Don’t continue working for the Ruan Group. The situation is too complicated and you don’t want to get entangled further into matters that is over your head. Ruan Hanyu is such a jerk and his actions are unpredictable. It could become very dangerous!”

As she continued speaking, she reached out to select the best coffee beans and personally made a cup of coffee for Mu Qingzhu.

Mu Qingzhu always took her coffee black, straight without any sugar or milk. She found she enjoyed her coffee better this way. She did not mind the bitterness and even thought that when the taste was strong, this allowed a certain sweetness to be drawn from the aroma. The sensations coming from a good cup of coffee were incomparable. She found herself looking forward to such pleasures in life.

The fragrant aroma of coffee coming out of the coffee pot intoxicated Mu Qingzhu and left her swooning!

All her previous worries and pains flew out the door the moment the coffee aroma hit her senses.

“Qingzhu.” Tang Wanwan made them both a cup of coffee and sat on the sofa next to Mu Qingzhu with her mug in her hands. She continued chatting while taking sips intermittently, “Your father’s death also felt strange to me, so I took care to pay extra special attention around the coffee house. This place is swarming with people from the upper-class. A lot of news came down the grapevine, but I heard nothing related to your father. Maybe you’re thinking too deeply into this.”

Tang Wanwan gave this some further thought. “Ruan Hanyu may be a bit of a bully, but he would never sacrifice his career and noble status to commit such a crime. He couldn’t have possibly killed your father. I see no clear motive for this.”

“But he’s always hated me. The divorce was his idea all along. He thinks I ruined his life and continues to hold that against me to this very day,” Mu Qingzhu said with great pain in her voice.

“Even so, he won’t kill your father. Ruan Hanyu is evil and ruthless towards his enemies but by the end of the day, he is just a businessman. He is very smart and draws a clear line between love and hate. As long as he isn’t facing his enemy, there is no reason for him to be heartless.” Tang Wanwan's eyes were fierce as she logically analyzed.

But he only sees me as his enemy! Mu Qingzhu thought sadly and could not keep the remorse from spilling forth in her heart.