C40 A Banquet

Moo Nuannuan allowed herself to be pulled aside, even taking a step back to allow some distance between her and Shen Chuhan. Her body shook in makeshift fear as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I really didn't do it," she stuttered out, feigning confusion.

"Chuhan, what are you trying to say?" If looks could kill, the other two would've already been ten feet into the ground. Her manicured fingernails waved around her as she glared at them. "Are you trying to protect this ugly bitch!"

"What the hell are you talking about? She's your sister." Now, he was starting to see her true colors. Gone was the prim and proper lady who had always gotten her way. Replacing her was a monster with bared teeth and glowing eyes. If the public were to see her now, they would be aghast by how such a lady had acted.

Moo Wanqi, however, still didn't back down. She had been spoiled ever since she was young, always getting what she wanted when she asked for it. "Stop pretending to be such an angel," she said, snorting. "Wasn't it your idea to frame her? To get her to admit that she stole my fiancé? If anything, you played a part in this too!"

"Even if I did, it's because I believed in all your nonsense," he said tightly. "But now I've finally seen how the real monster is here."

"Real monster? Oh, you haven't seen nothing yet!" Her older sister gripped her bag close to her sides. Moo Nuannuan could only watch in the sidelines, glancing at Shen Chuhen from time to time. It seemed that she had also underestimated what he was capable of.

He had always been a man of integrity, a man who had always had her back when all the cards were drawn. Back then, he never really cared how she looked or acted, and it was for this exact reason that his betrayal caught her off guard.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late to act.

"Stop talking," Moo Nuannuan finally said, walking out from his shadow and gazing up at him. She was unflinching as she did so, but her voice was still filled with weariness. "Do you mind leaving first? I need to say something to my sister. It's private."

Shen Chuhan softened upon seeing her distraught features. Back then, he had been so devoted to Moo Wanqi that he readily believed what she had to say, and now that her true colors were revealed, he was starting to side with Moo Nuannuan. After all, as of late, she was the least troublesome sibling in the Moo family.

In his eyes, the two were still blood-related siblings. Even if they were to have any conflicts, they would have the mind to do it behind closed doors. Perhaps that was why Moo Nuannuan wanted to be left alone with her. With one last nod, he left. "Take care," he said.

As soon as he walked away, Moo Wanqi didn't waste any time as she pounced towards her. "You slut!" She gnashed her teeth, swinging her nails around like a cat with claws. "You're the one who did it! You're the one who ruined everything for me!"

Moo Nuannuan had already expected that she'd do something like this. Before the woman could even jump, she stepped to the side, causing Moo Wanqi to stumble onto the ground. Her hands were flayed out as her forehead smashed against the tiled floor. She groaned.

Unaffected by her pain, she squatted down and grabbed ahold of Moo Wanqi's hair. Her once fearful eyes were as hard as diamonds. "Oh please, it's what you deserve," she said ruthlessly. "If you would've been a lot nicer, perhaps you wouldn't have forced me to take part in all of this."

"Ah!" Before she could react, Moo Nuannuan had already pulled her hair up. No matter how much she struggled out of her sister's grip, it only encouraged her to grip her hair even tighter. The tension in the air had risen as the two sisters finally saw each other for what they're capable of.

"Are you crazy?" Moo Wanqi screamed. Her face had turned sheet white from the pain. "How dare you treat me like this? Just wait till I get to Xiao Ch–"

Slap!

The crisp sound echoed across the room as Moo Nuannuan slapped her from left to right. So much resentment rose to her chest as she glared down at the woman beneath her. At this point, she already had enough of her threats!

"I won't let Xiao Chuhee get away with this," she spat.

Moo Wanqi's face was already swollen, and she stared at Moo Nuannuan in disbelief. This was the first time she had seen her younger sister in such a violent light. Fear flashed in her eyes as she struggled to finish her threat.

The younger woman appeared unfazed as a gentle smile appeared on her lips. "The slaps you just got? That was all on you," she said, her voice filled with spite. "If you're still really adamant about using Xiao Chuhee as a way to threaten me, then I say go for it. Do whatever you want to her. I dare you to."

She knew for a fact that Moo Wanqi wouldn't be that cruel as to hurt her stepmother.

If she really was, then she would've taken advantage of her stepmother the moment Moo Nuannuan had already married into the Mu family. Perhaps there were barriers that even the oldest daughter of the Moo family couldn't cross.

If they hadn't been this cruel to her, by forcing her hand and by framing her, perhaps Moo Nuannuan would've let it all go. After all, she had planned to live a more peaceful life the moment she had been married off, but it seemed that it was no longer a viable option for her.

"I suggest you keep quiet in the future. You might never know what skeletons I have dug out of your closet." Moo Nuannuan finally let go of her sister's hair. Throwing her one last look of disdain, she walked past her and headed straight out of the restaurant.

After a few seconds, Moo Wanqi slowly got up from the ground. Her cheek was so swollen that she almost didn't look human. Her bloodshot eyes were filled with malice as she glared at her sister's retreating figure. "You bitch," she said through gritted teeth.

"You'll pay ten times for what you've done to me today."

Some might say that paying back for one's sins would grant a feeling of satisfaction, but Moo Nuannuan couldn't really say the same. Even as she had walked out of the restaurant, she still didn't feel happy with their predicament.

After all, no matter what she had done, Moo Wanqi was still her step-sister. They had the same father and had shared the same lives all these years. Although this was true, it seemed that the fates had only destined them to be enemies. "If only it could've been different," she mused to herself as she headed straight to her next and last interview for the day.

However, as her condition wasn't good, the interview didn't go as well as she'd thought.

Just as she was heading back, her phone vibrated. It was a phone call from Shen Liang. "You've called?" Moo Nuannuan asked, answering the call.

"What's this I'm hearing about you receiving an invitation for an interview from Shengding Media?"

"I...how did you know?" She blinked in surprise.

Flashing back to the time that Shen Liang and Gu Zhiyan had addressed each other, she pursed her lips. Was he the one who told her? But they were enemies, weren't they? Or was that really how other celebrities greeted each other in the show business.

Even then, Gu Zhiyan was the CEO of one of the largest media enterprises in the country! There was no way that he'd care about such a small matter, especially if it was about hiring new employees. "And he would've mentioned it to me too," she mused to herself.

"Don't worry about how I know," Shen Liang quickly said. "Do you even know how big of a company that is? And you've chosen not to go? Are you stupid?"

"Haven't you done the same thing?" Moo Nuannuan countered.

There was silence before she conceded, "The only reason I didn't sign with them was that I didn't like Gu Zhiyan. I mean, you saw how he was! But you don't have any grudges against him! It would be a waste of time if you didn't at least try it out."

Moo Nuannuan was about to say something else when she heard someone calling Shen Liang's name from the other end of the line. It was soon followed by a loud chatter in the background, something about choosing a dress for the party.

"I have to go now," she hurriedly said. "There's a banquet tonight, so I'm in a middle of a dress fitting as we speak. I'll call you later, okay? If not, tomorrow."

Ding!

Before she could even react, Shen Liang had already hung up.

"Great, just great," Moo Nuannuan murmured to herself as she shoved her phone back into her pockets. Just when she had kept a straight face in telling Mu Jiachen that she wasn't willing to work with Shengding Media, this happened.

She didn't expect to eat her words this quickly!

In truth, the only reason why she had chosen to major in drama and literature , was because of Shen Liang. At least, that was half the reason.

Her friend had always dreamt to be an actress on the big screen and to support her, Moo Nuannuan was invested in writing out a script that would not only showcase her talents but also her wide range of emotions. In such a way, she had always thought that they'd be partners in the entertainment industry–trading thoughts and secrets now and then.

But now that Shen Liang was working for Shengding's competitor, it wouldn't be easy for Moo Nuannuan to write a good script for her if she were accepted to Shengding Media. In fact, it was totally impossible! She sighed.

Now that her friend already knew of this, she'd only beat herself up if Moo Nuannuan didn't take the opportunity right in front of her.

Perhaps, Shengding Media was really her future after all.

The best she could do was not to let Mu Jiachen know of this arrangement.

When Moo Nuannuan had already arrived at the entrance of the villa, she saw a black car slowly driving towards the entrance as well. Her eyes narrowed at the sleek finish and the tinted windows. Even from afar, the car was enough to catch anyone's attention.

It was a Bentley–a limited edition. The car model was very rare, especially in this City. In fact, it was the first time she had really spotted such a customized design.

It wasn't flashy as the other sports cars she had seen driving in and out of various nightclubs, but it wafted off an air of classiness and elegance. The car's owner must be a man who's incredibly low profile. Not only that, but he should be calm and steady.

Just then, the car door opened, revealing Mu Jiachen.

He turned to her and smiled. "Sister-in-law."

Shi Ye also got out of the car. When he heard his boss calling for her, his scalp tightened in anxiety.

"I...yes..." Nodding hurriedly, Moo Nuannuan raced into the living room. The last thing she needed was to be with him again, and lucky for her, he didn't follow suit. With a sigh of relief, she headed to the kitchen to look at the different ingredients.

As the two men walked into the premises, she couldn't help but wonder why Mu Jiachen was frequently with Shi Ye. As he was Mu Tingxiao's assistant, shouldn't he be with him instead of his cousin? Or was this another one of their arrangements?

However, the question didn't eat her thoughts for too long as she quickly readied for dinner. If Shi Ye was here, that meant Mu Tingxiao was here as well. It was time to make some dinner. "Hmm..." she hummed to herself.

Once she was finished, she headed back to her room and used the remaining time to surf the web.

Suddenly, she came across a popular Weibo post.

"My friend gave me an invitation to a banquet. I decided to attend because I had nothing better to do, thinking that it was just a proper dinner. But I didn't know it was going to be like this!"

There was a video below.

There were hundreds of rich kids partying around, and at one part of the video, Moo Nuannuan could see Shen Liang's figure. The camera flashed around her back. If they hadn't been friends for so long, she also wouldn't have recognized her. Her jaw clenched.

Shen Liang had said that there would be a banquet tonight. Was she still there?

Moo Nuannuan hurriedly took out her phone and called her friend, but no one would pick up.

Anxiety and terror shot down her spine as millions of thoughts rushed through her mind. What the hell had happened to her? Gazing around her empty surroundings, she couldn't find it in herself to sit down and wait any longer! She picked up her bag and rushed out of the bedroom.

Not bothering to think much, she went straight to the place the banquet was held and tried her best to sneak in. There was an ambiguous feeling around the banquet hall, and the loud music was enough to ward anyone off. It was definitely not a proper sit-down. Trying her best to blend into the ground, she scanned the vicinity only to see that her friend still couldn't be found.

"Fuck, where is she?" Moo Nuannuan whispered as she narrowed her eyes, but just as she was about to move any farther into the bar, she felt someone grab her arm. Another man grabbed her other pair of limbs to prevent her from moving. "Wha–" Before she could react, they poured a glass of wine down her throat.

Her vision immediately blurred around her, and her body turned limp. With a satisfied nod, the two men carried her into a more secluded area.