C25 The Tables Have Turned 

Moo Nuannuan was still shaking her head in disbelief. If only she had seen through Moo Wanqi's mask a little earlier, she would've found a way to prevent all of this from happening. However, now that all of this had come to pass, it was like participating in a waiting game–no one could ever expect what would come next. Just as she had stepped out of the restaurant, she received a call from Shen Liang. "Hello?"

"Come over!" Her urgent voice sounded from the other end of the line. "There's a red car on the other side of the road."

"I..." She looked up to see a red convertible on the other side of the road. Its sleek painting was enough to catch anyone's eye as they walk down the street. However, its tinted windows were enough to hide the person beneath the shadows as well, which granted a sense of anonymity to the driver. As soon as she glanced over, the car honked twice.

Knowing that her friend was in a rush, she immediately walked to the other side of the road and into the vehicle. The cool air conditioning greeted her as she sat on the passenger seat, blocking her face from the sun's heat. The leather seat enveloped her back as Moo Nuannuan turned to the woman beside her. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"You don't expect a lot of things." Shen Liang started the car. "So? How did it go?"

Although her fanbase was still generally small, her prestige and social class made it faster for her to climb up the entertainment circle. Even with just a few movies out, Shen Liang could easily be recognized anywhere she went, so she tried her best to limit her interaction with the world to avoid getting publicized by the paparazzi.

"It went well."

Moo Wanqi had bullied her for so many years, and during these years, she hadn't lifted a finger to fight back. It's only natural for everyone to underestimate how smart she was, so it was to no surprise that her older sister had managed to let down her guard. Nobody would've expected it was a trap–especially one that was set up by their ugly and dull family member.

"But she has something else up her sleeve..." Moo Nuannuan gazed at the rearview mirror. "She isn't done yet."

"What do you mean?"

"She wants me to divorce Mu Tingxiao," she reiterated what Moo Wanqi had said half an hour back. "It will be enough to turn the public's eye on me. An insult like this is far greater than what Wanqi has done, so it would definitely take the attention off her now and put it all on me. That way, she'll be able to date Shen Chuhan in peace without angering anyone in their social circle."

"What the fuck?" Shen Liang punched the steering wheel, wincing in surprise as the loud horn echoed across the vehicle. Her jaw clenched. "Are they that shameless? Haven't they done enough to you already? Haven't they stopped low enough?"

"As long as it benefits them, I don't think any action counts as 'too much'." Moo Nuannuan snorted coldly, knowing her sister far too well.

She had originally planned to let the reporters post the video of her and Moo Wanqi tomorrow morning.

However, after everything that had happened, it seemed that she had to take another step forward.

Taking her time, Moo Nuannuan scrolled down her Weibo page. The articles of her being the 'Ugly Gold Digger' had finally subsided, and soon enough, another topic emerged–if they would be divorced before the celebration of the Chinese New Year. The corners of her lips twitched as she glanced at the vast number of people commenting on the subject. Her plan was already set into motion.

"According to the rumors," lamented one reporter. "Moo Nuannuan has discussed divorce with Mu Tingxiao due to the pressure she had faced from her family members."

It was vague and casual, but it was enough to get many of them to push back.

"Pressured? The bitch just feels guilty!"

"Please, we all know why she's discussing the divorce. Isn't that her plan all along? Nuannuan knows that the young master of the Mu family is nothing but a cripple, so she marries him with thoughts of divorcing him in the first place! She never really loved him!" That comment gained around a thousand likes and shares. Many had agreed with her statement.

"Bitch just want to have fun. What's so wrong with that?"

Soon enough, all the posts had pushed her back to the top trending list. Everyone was speculating how Mu Tingxiao would react. Some had even gone to great lengths to find a way to tie him into this, with many of them bringing up the kidnapping incident that had happened years back. However, it didn't take a second for all of them to be taken down.

It must've been removed by someone from the Mu family.

After all, a renowned family like them would not allow their own successor to be the subject of scrutiny and discussion on the Internet. Although Tingxiao was a cripple, that still didn't erase that he was the heir to the Mu fortune, and he still held great importance to the city. None of them would dare to piss them off, especially if they valued their lives.

Around 2 AM in the morning, a famous reporter posted a video with one sentence, "I won't stand in the sidelines anymore. It's time to speak up."

It was one of the reporters who had been so openly against Moo Nuannuan on Weibo. Not only had he posted and shared many articles that were against her, but he also slandered her amongst many things–even drawing up theories about how she was nothing more than a slut out for men's pockets. Seeing him post a video with such a caption was enough to gather everyone's interest.

A lot of them opened the video curiously. Their voices were clear, and the video showed none other than Moo Wanqi and Moo Nuannuan. While the former had looked domineering and despicable, the latter looked meek and afraid. It was like watching a showdown between predator and prey, and the audience's hearts were suddenly moved by the sight.

"I've already apologized. Please don't make things difficult for my mother." Her words echoed across the screen followed by a string of insults that showed how 'pathetic and cheap' she was. Within a few minutes, the truth was revealed, and Moo Wanqi's colors were finally posted on screen for everyone to see.

The people who had insulted and scolded Moo Nuannuan earlier all learned to shut up after this unexpected turn of events.

Within a few hours, everyone started to switch their stance on the issue and apologized to Nuannuan all over Weibo. "We didn't know...Please forgive us...Protect Nuannuan..." Many of them shared the same sentiments as they posted their apologies. There were still a few who had ignored the video's contents and continued to insult her, but they were easily ignored by the majority.

In just seven hours, her account had grown up to fifty thousand fans.

Moo Wanqi had no idea what was happening. After successfully threatening her sister, she had gone out with Shen Chuhan that night and stayed over at his house. There wasn't any time to scroll through her Weibo account or to check all the entertainment media that she had followed, so she was none the wiser with the recent update of their sisterly feud.

From her understanding, the 'Ugly Gold Digger' was still trending all over Weibo.

That was, until she received a call from Moo Liyan the next day.

Snuggling under Shen Chuhan's arms and embracing his warmth, she eyed the phone irritatedly. Wrenching it from her bedside table, her eyes were half-closed when she answered, "Dad, what is it?" Even her voice was still a bit dull after the long night she had with him. "Do you need any papers or anything? Why did you call me this early in the morning?"

"Go to your Weibo and see how big of a mess you've caused!" She could hear a loud crash from the other end of the line. "Come back immediately!"

Moo Liyan had never been this furious with her before. Normally, there had been instances wherein she had messed up in the past, but he had always forgiven her. If not, she found a way to turn the blame to Moo Nuannuan instead, leaving her unscathed. However, this time... Her heart stirred as her dad hung up the phone. Why did she have a bad feeling about this?

Going online, she glanced at all the trending list to see her name being continually bashed by the netizens. It was only then when she realized that her conversation with Moo Nuannuan was secretly being filmed by the paparazzi this entire time.

Her lips curled. "That bitch!"

"What's wrong?" Shen Chuhan kissed her on the cheek, rubbing his eyes.

Immediately putting away her phone, Moo Wanqi shook her head. "Dad called me," she said softly. "Something happened at home, so I'll be going out first, okay?"

On the way back to the Moo Estate, she couldn't help but think about that time in the restaurant. Although Moo Nuannuan still appeared weak and spineless, there was something about her that seemed different. Was that because they were filming all along? It should have something to do with her. Otherwise, why would the reporter be in such a dingy restaurant in the first place?

Was she deliberately making things difficult for her?

Moo Wanqi's face turned gloomy. She tried dialing Moo Nuannuan's number, but her sister still wouldn't pick up.

On the other side of the city, Moo Nuannuan could see 'Older Sister' flashing on her phone screen, and she sneered in response. Oh, how the tables have turned. Instead of answering her, she simply placed her phone on the counter and poured herself a cup of water. This was going to be a long day for the both of them indeed.

When she returned, her phone was still ringing. "Ha!"

Moo Wanqi must be so furious right now!

"You look happy."

The smile on her face suddenly fell, and her eyebrows immediately furrowed over. She didn't need to turn to know that the person who had spoken was Mu Jiachen. It was like the man knew just how and when to piss her off! 'And here I thought my day's already perfect,' she thought, suppressing a sigh of disbelief. The only thing she wanted now for her life to get better was for him to go back to wherever he had come from.

Muting her phone in her pockets, Moo Nuannuan was about to head up the stairs.

Just as she was about to walk, he stood on the staircase.

Moo Nuannuan moved to the right to allow herself easy access up the stairs, but it seemed Mu Jiachen had other plans. When she moved to the right, he had also moved to the right. When she tried moving to the left, he did the same thing. It was like the man was automated to go against her every move! She could bet right now that if she headed right out the door, he'd find a way to block her there too.

In an instant, her good mood was ruined. "Mu Jiachen, what the hell do you want?"

"Do you know that the incident you caused on the Internet has alerted the entire family?" Mu Jiachen leaned against the wall. A faint smile threaded across his lips, but his eyes held a sense of seriousness as well.

"Ah." She appeared indifferent as she pushed past him.

His eyes narrowed. "You don't look afraid."

"I did nothing wrong." She shrugged. "What's there to be afraid of?"

Ah. Mu Tingxiao didn't expect her to bite back at him, nor did he expect her to be this calm, especially in these kinds of situations. Most women would've panicked. In fact, many men would've cowered at his glare, but Moo Nuannuan not only walked away from him, but she also remained impassive. As if she had already dealt with him before.

It seemed that she wasn't playing dumb anymore.

Returning to her bedroom, Moo Nuannuan exhaled as different thoughts rushed into her mind.

So she was right. The Mu family had suppressed the news about Mu Tingxiao. Ever since it had started trending, many had commented how some of their posts were removed and the others had their accounts shut down. A part of her couldn't help but think of Mu Tingxiao. Even at this point, she still couldn't tell what they were thinking–if they were satisfied or upset by the outcome.

Glancing at her phone, she saw that the Moo family had also left her a ton of missed calls.

Her lips curled, and she quickly dialed Xiao Chuhee's number.

"Come back immediately," her mother said as soon as the phone was answered.

"I will." Moo Nuannuan tried her best to make her voice sound uneasy.

Of course she had to head back, even if it was just to savor their furious faces.

The corners of her lips twitched up at the thought of seeing Moo Wanqi again.

Although she had succeeded now, she knew for a fact that the Mu family wouldn't admit defeat that easily.