C31 Call Out Her Bluff

Avoiding his sharp eyes, Moo Nuannuan turned to the side. "It's none of your business," she said coldly. There was a sense of trepidation wrapped around her voice with every move he made. Her hands closed into fists, and she held her breath. No matter how evasive she seemed, he still didn't back down–using this time to stare at the blemishes on her face. It was as if he was seeing them in a new light.

"Shouldn't it be since you're married to my cousin? Because all of this..." He motioned to her waxy features. The yellow color had started to look faded ever since he had wiped it, and the dark brown spots dotting across her nose looked more like smudged blotches. It was a weird sight. "Seems a little sketchy, don't you think?"

Mu Tingxiao stared at her for a long time. His broad shoulders and tall body towered over her, not giving her any chance to escape. She was trapped here, whether she liked it or not. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck...' she thought, wanting nothing more than for the ground to swallow her right up. How could she have been so careless?

Even if he was a mile away from her, she could practically sense the menacing aura seeping right out of him. What more if he was practically centimeters away from her? She resisted the urge to tremble, trying to stare at him right in the eye. But the moment she tried, she found herself turning away almost immediately.

Her heartbeat raced in her chest, like a drum thumping erratically. It was as if he was analyzing every word she said and every move that she made. It was impossible to get past him!

Unlike her other family members, Mu Jiachen wasn't just an ordinary young master who take things at face value. He was smart and observant, more so than what she had first expected from him. Was he trying to get her to admit it? Her fingers twitched towards her face, but she quickly stopped herself–unsure as to what he'd try.

"You're not talking anymore?" He finally took a step back.

Was he going to let her go? Her heartbeat slowed down, and her shoulders slowly relaxed.

However, just a few seconds had passed when he motioned her towards the bathroom. "Go wash your face."

Guess she had thought too soon. Moo Nuannuan bit her lips and suddenly glanced at the entrance to the dining room, looking as if she had just seen someone. "Dad," she immediately greeted, bowing her head.

Mu Tingxiao rolled his eyes. "Do you really think I'll fall for that trick?"

No matter how strong the incredulity of his voice was, Moo Nuannuan didn't budge, and her face showed no embarrassment with her latest stunt. Instead, she kept her gaze on the floor, and her eyebrows furrowed over. Her skin had turned so pale, that it was almost as if she had really seen a ghost.

What the hell was she looking at? It had taken a few seconds before Mu Tingxiao finally turned around, only to see that he was right–there really was nothing behind him.

Taking advantage of this distraction, she turned around and raced in the other direction. 'Didn't fall for it, my ass.' She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes as she covered the sides of her face. Despite having escaped his grasp, she still didn't bother slowing down as she headed straight to her bedroom.

Mu Tingxiao was stunned for two seconds, surprised that someone had actually managed to trick him. However, just as he was about to run after her, he paused.

There really was no hurry for him to call her out on her bluff. There was still a long way to go. After all, they were practically bound for life as husband and wife.

A smirk played on his face, and he sat back on his chair. Ever since this young woman had strode into his villa, his life had just gotten a whole lot more interesting. Not only had he been intrigued by her looks and feistiness, but there was just something about the way she acted around him that made him feel she was hiding something. And he was determined to find out what. But before all that, he might as well get some food first.

He picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks. These dishes were much better than the food cooked by his subordinates. "I might need to make her cook more," he noted to himself, taking another bite.

Moo Nuannuan ran back into her room, pressing her back against the door. Sweat dribbled down her forehead, dropping onto her shoulders, but she didn't look like she cared. All she could think about was Mu Jiachen's curious and narrowed eyes as he stared at the waxy foundation that had coated his fingertips.

Fuck! She thought she was going to die right then and there.

Although she didn't deliberately pretend to be ugly, she'd have some unnecessary explaining left to do if he found out about all of this.

He may not know of her secret just yet given her escape, but he must have an idea of what she had done. Thinking back to the way he had stared at her, she knew that this wouldn't be the last time they'd bring this issue up. Unless he'd move away, she had to find some reason to move out of this villa–as to avoid any more questions from him.

Moo Nuannuan had been too busy with her thoughts. Even as she washed up and lay on her bed, she still couldn't get her mind off of that waxy powder that had coated her face her entire life. For so long, she had kept this secret to herself, and now, it was being torn apart one by one. Just as she was about to reach for her phone, she received a call from Shen Liang.

"Nuannuan, the executives at Moo's have stated that they'll be having a public conference about the video tomorrow morning," she quickly said. "What are they trying to prove?"

"What do you think?" She sneered. "They want me to explain how all of this is just some 'misunderstanding'."

"Misunderstanding? That video was the real deal! Not only did it expose your living situation, but it also showed how terrible your family is," her friend snapped, having enough of the Moo family drama. "Why the hell do they want you to explain it? Do they want you to act as some scapegoat for them? To take all of the blame?"

"That's what they plan, yes," she responded indifferently.

After she had pacified Shen Liang with words of comfort and assurance, she turned on her Weibo and saw that the Moo Group had indeed posted an announcement. Guan Wei–one of their executive directors–had stated that he would be clarifying the issues regarding the video. Hm...Interesting.

If the conference was tomorrow, then her family members would definitely ask her to attend.

Sure enough, the next morning, Moo Liyan gave her a call.

"The company will be conducting a press conference today," he stated. "You're requested to attend with us to explain the video's contents."

"Okay, Dad."

When Moo Nuannuan went down the stairs, she had to glance around to see if there were any suspicious-looking man around the vicinity by the name of Mu Jiachen. It was only when she was sure that he had already gone to work did she sigh in relief and head out of the villa. At least there was one less problem she had to deal with today.

On the way, she casually grabbed a snack before going to the Moo's press conference. Although on the outside, she looked scared and worried–like the meek little mouse everyone assumed she was–on the inside, she was calm and assured.

Xiao Chuhee stood by the entrance of the building. She was probably waiting for her to arrive.

As soon as she spotted Moo Nuannuan from the crowd, she immediately walked up to her. "Why did it take you so long?" The older woman shook her head and complained. "And why are you wearing that face mask?"

"I...I have a cold," she responded hoarsely.

Not bothering to ask her any questions, they quickly headed to the conference room.

Moo Liyan and Moo Wanqi were already present, and they didn't look too happy about her appearance.

Moo Wanqi didn't waste any time as she tossed the speech she had prepared for her sister into Moo Nuannuan's hands, rolling her eyes. "The reporters will be asking you a few questions," she said as if she was speaking to an annoying little five-year-old. "The papers include what to say and what not to say. Hopefully, your brain damage wouldn't ruin it."

She flipped through the pages, and a flash of mockery shone in her eyes.

Although the speech was incredibly long, it held one thought alone–that all this was Moo Nuannuan's fault and no one else's. Not only would she take the blame for the 'Ugly Gold Digger' rumor, but she would also take the fall for the video incident. All of it was to show that she was simply hyping everything up to put her name in the spotlight.

Actually, everything made sense on paper. Given that she wanted to be a scriptwriter in the future, she would want to be further recognized in the entertainment circle. And bad press always equaled to good press either way. It would explain why she wanted to draw all attention to her, and it also made the media paint her as the villain she was.

A few seconds had passed when Moo Liyan's assistant knocked on the door. "Director Mu," he called out as soon as he came in. "Everything is ready."

"Okay." Moo Liyan glanced at his youngest daughter in disdain. "Have you memorized the contents of the speech? You know, nevermind that–it's obvious you wouldn't be able to remember all of it. Just remember this, everything is your fault, and it's your time to take responsibility for your actions. All right?"

"I understand."

Soon, the entrance of the conference room was pushed open, and dozens of reporters rushed in.

Needless to say, she knew that all of these reports had been bribed by Moo Liyan. If not him, then the other directors of the Moo Group. No matter what she'd say, or how she'd phrase her words, if anything were noted to be against the Moo family–they would not be broadcasted. However, there was an exception.

As she scanned through the crowd, she saw that one of the logos on the microphones looked incredibly familiar. If Moo Nuannuan remembered correctly, it was a company under the Shengding Media. Having studied in one of the best film academies in China, she was pretty avid when it came to memorizing different media companies.

Shengding Media was one of the largest companies in the industry. It was filled with top film producers and great scriptwriters. Not only were its founders known to have a sharp eye for talent, but their employees were known to be very unbiased and straight to the point. they couldn't be bought that easily.

As soon as the interview started, the few microphones that held Shengding Media's logo squeezed its way towards her.

"May I ask, Miss Moo, if the video was true? Were you really forced to marry into the Mu family?"

Moo Nuannuan didn't take off her mask. Instead, she stared at the reporter for a few seconds before slowly saying, "No, I married into the Mu family on my own volition."

All the reporters couldn't help but feel a little bit confused by her reaction. Although they had heard that the Third Lady of the Moo family was particularly slow when it came to processing conversations and the like, they didn't think it was this serious. It seemed that there really was something wrong with her.

Moo Liyan and the other two simply smiled in satisfaction.

"You want to marry into a wealthy family, so you replaced your sister?"

"She's your biological sister! How could you treat her like this? With you looking like this," one of the reporters snapped. "I bet Young Master Mu hated you from the start, right?"

"No wonder your mother doesn't care about you!"

"Have you really been this twisted ever since you were young?"

The reporters threw question after question, and it was obvious that they were making this a personal attack rather than focusing on the real deal. Even then, she didn't show the annoyance in her features.

Suddenly, one of the reporters finally had the courage to ask her a more personal question, "Is Young Master Mu as disabled as the rumors have stated?" As if that wasn't enough, he continued, "Do you plan on cheating on him and taking up another man in the future?"

Ugh, these people would just do anything for the views, don't they?

Moo Nuannuan stared at the reporter. The face mask only covered half her face, and her thick bangs covered her entire forehead. Only her eyes were shown. There was something about her clear gaze that could intimidate anyone in the room.

The reporter froze.

"Even if you're fascinated in listening to other people's marriage affairs because of your lack of," she started snidely. "I don't think it's right for me to bring up our sex life under public view. After all, we all have to keep our secrets, don't we?"

The other reporters couldn't help but chuckle at her words.