C23 A Clumsy Excuse

Still frustrated from his previous phone call, Mu Tingxiao didn't have time to register who was calling him. He slammed his pen against his desk and squeezed his eyes shut, wanting nothing more than to wallow under the shadows of his study. "Get lost!" He yelled through gritted teeth, running his hands through his hair. His twin always had a knack for pissing him off even if she was a thousand miles away. As if that wasn't enough, she had to bring their mother up too!

Moo Nuannuan had been standing outside the study this entire time, but as soon as she heard him roaring for her to get out, she didn't waste another second. She turned around and scurried away; although, a part of her did wonder what could've pissed him off that badly. Thinking about it, she shook her head. There was no need for her to interfere anyway.

After a long while, his temper had wavered, and he sighed. Taking the pen between his fingertips, he stared at the ceiling. There were still so many questions left unanswered when it came to the kidnapping that had happened years ago, and after what had happened to his mother, he promised to himself that he'd be able to avenge her–no matter what.

Shi Ye knocked on the door, coming in with a stack of documents in his hands. His face was impassive as if he didn't hear the clatter from the study a few minutes ago. "Here are the documents you've asked for. They're ready for signing," he stated in monotone, bowing his head.

As he was perusing through the pages, a thought occurred to him. "Is Moo Nuannuan back?"

"Young Madame has returned about an hour ago." He cleared his throat. "She was looking for you."

Mu Tingxiao flashed back to the woman who had knocked on his door to look for him. He had turned her away that time, too consumed by his thoughts that he had assumed she was nothing more than a stranger. The events that had transpired in the last few days had been lost to him. He stared at his pale fingertips. Right. He was already married...

And the only woman who lived here was Moo Nuannuan.

She had actually taken the initiative to look for him!

Had she come to beg him to help her? Couldn't she handle the news on the Internet any longer? Was that the reason why she tried to find him?

A trace of interest flashed across his dark eyes, and he leaned back on his seat. All the frustration and anger bubbling up inside of him had promptly fainted, and all that was left of him was anticipation for what the woman was about to say. "Is that so?" He smirked. "Call her over."

Shi Ye didn't hesitate to question his boss as he walked out of the study. Within a few seconds, he knocked on the door once again–this time, Moo Nuannuan was standing right beside him. "Boss," he called out. "Young Madame has arrived." A harsh noise sounded from the other end of the room, and he used this as permission to lead her into the study.

She stared at the leather seat that was facing her. All she could see were his broad shoulders and a dark tuff of hair on top of his head. Despite the dim lighting, the little rays of sunlight that were allowed to seep into the thick curtains granted her a chance to make out his pale hands and dark suit. It was just like before.

He was still unwilling to show her his face.

"What do you want from me?" His cool voice echoed across the room, and she reeled back in surprise.

Shouldn't she be the one asking him that?

When Moo Nuannuan had knocked on his door an hour back, he had yelled at her to scram. Now, it seemed that he had gotten over his anger and called her over. It was like she was dealing with a man suffering from mood swings! Was that a part of his disability as well? She resisted the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance. If anything, he had treated her quite decently all this time. Perhaps he was just having a bad day.

Not bothering to beat around the bush, she stated her purpose, "I want to move out of this house."

Seeing as he still didn't react, she quickly explained, "I'll be finding a job soon, so it would be inconvenient for me to go up and down the mountains for work."

"Ah."

Ah?

Was he agreeing or not?

What she didn't see was how Mu Tingxiao's face had twisted after hearing her explanation. The grip he had on his armrest tightened. If he didn't have enough self-control, he would've already turned his chair around to face the ugly woman and demanded where she had gotten the audacity to ask him such a question. 'Nothing but a hypocrite,' he thought.

Yesterday, this woman had sincerely promised that she didn't mind being with him. Today, she had requested that she be able to move out of the villa.

Dream on!

Seeing as he still hadn't spoken for a long time, she hesitated, "Are you–"

"Do you think this is a hotel?" He tilted his head. "Something that you can come in and out as you please?"

There was viciousness tied around his voice. It held a warning that could make her blood run cold.

What did she say for her to provoke him?

Forget it! If he didn't like the idea, then she wouldn't move! Simple as that!

Maybe requesting to move out might have struck a nerve with Mu Tingxiao.

After all, his disabilities might make him feel very sensitive when it came to topics like these. Maybe he thought that she was leaving him because she thought that he was ugly? That was probably why he was acting this way. 'Should I reassure him?' The thought crossed her mind as her hand slowly reached out to his seat, only to pull back immediately.

Her face softened. "I know," she said slowly, like a mother reassuring her toddler. "If there's nothing else, I'll be heading out first."

It was the first time he had ever heard her be so gentle towards him.

Even then, he remained unmoved.

"Get out!"

It seemed that her softness didn't work at all. His temper was really bad. Knowing that she should piss him off any further, she didn't bother asking him any questions as she headed out of the study. It was useless to convince him otherwise today, and she might be signing her own death wish if she further disagreed with him. "Sometimes, I just don't get him," she murmured to herself in frustration.

Once the door was closed behind her, Mu Tingxiao finally turned his seat and slamming the documents back onto the desk. Dark green veins throbbed at the top of his forehead, and he exhaled deeply.

Shi Ye could only watch his reaction with furrowed eyebrows. This was the first time he had ever seen his boss getting angry out of nowhere. Usually, he was more collected than this.

A few minutes had passed, and he looked up. "I remember from Moo Nuannuan's profile that she graduated from a film academy?"

"Yes, Sir. Young Madame majored in Drama, Film, and Literature."

"Ah." A smile flashed across his features. There was a wild glint in his eyes, and it looked similar to a wild predator finally catching up to his prey. "In other words, she works as a scriptwriter."

"I...yes, Sir."

A lot of people had assumed that Mu Tingxiao was nothing more than cripple lavishing in his father's fortune. No one knew that he was actually the boss behind the biggest entertainment group in the country–Shengding. In fact, Mu Tingxiao had never really borrowed a dime from his father to pave a way for himself as one of the most successful entrepreneurs of his time. It was a shame that no one knew of his capabilities.

Within a short span of eight years, the Shengding Group became the global leader in the movie industry. It had created award-winning films and Grammy winners, and there was no way that this company is stopping now. It was a company that everyone wanted to enter–from actresses, producers, directors, and even scriptwriters. As long as they had the opportunity to enter the company, their success was already promised.

If Moo Nuannuan really wanted to become a successful screenwriter, she'd definitely submit her resume to Shengding.

Understanding the meaning behind his boss's words, Shi Ye nodded. "I'll do it right now."

Moo Nuannuan had already submitted her resume to almost every film company in Huyang City.

However, contrary to what Mu Tingxiao had believed, she deliberately skipped over Shengding Group.

Although some may call her crazy for skipping such a large company, she didn't think so.

Shen Liang's film company and Shengding Group were sworn rivals. Although she had sworn to herself that she wouldn't like a man like Shen Liang anymore, that didn't mean that she'd immediately side with his competitor. And besides, there still remained a bloom of hope in her heart that they could still remain friends someday...Biting her lips, she shook her head.

Besides, even if she had applied, it wasn't as if she'd be hired.

The corporations would take a few hours, and some even a few days to reply, so for now, she could concentrate on getting back at Moo Wanqi.

Taking a deep breath, she dialed her sister's number.

"What is it?" Her voice was still as arrogant as it had been a few hours earlier. "This better be important, because if you called me just 'cuz you have nothing better to do, then I swear I'll block your number."

Bitch. Even then, Moo Nuannuan didn't break character. She pinched her nose and sniffled, sounding as if she had just cried a few minutes ago. "Sis, I–I wasn't thinking straight when I was calling you a while ago," she stuttered. "Please don't be angry with me. I–Please don't hurt my Mom. Let's meet up, okay? Just the two of us. I really don't want our fight to end like this."

"Who do you think you are to meet up with me?" She snorted. "You think I have all the time in the world?"

"I...Please..." Moo Wanqi was prideful, and Moo Nuannuan knew her enough to know that she wanted her to beg.

"Louder. I can't hear you."

"I–I'm begging you."

"Ha!" Moo Wanqi snorted. "Guess you're still as meek as before. Fine, I'll meet up with you."

"Thank you so much," she whispered, hanging up. However, once she did, her face suddenly turned cold and her eyes darkened immensely.

Ah...Moo Wanqi–so prideful and arrogant...

After this, your name will be ruined.

Moo Nuannuan clutched her phone, scanning over the numbers that belonged to various reporters and cameramen. It would be interesting to see how all of this would turn out. Her thumb hovered over the numerous phone numbers, picking a few of them randomly before sending them a message, "Will you be interested in getting the first scoop of that Gold Digging drama?"

Since the Moo family drama was in the top trending lists, everyone wanted in on the details.

Upon seeing all of their hurried and eager replies, a smile slid into her lips. She quickly sent them the following address and time before heading out for their next appointment. "Oh, just you wait, sister," she whispered. "You don't know what's going to hit you."

As soon as she headed out of the villa, Shi Ye immediately rushed into the study. "Young Madame has gone out."

Mu Tingxiao simply raised his eyebrows in reply.

"I..." He swallowed.

"I believe Young Madame will be meeting up with Moo Wanqi." After everything that had happened a few hours back, even Shi Ye was curious as to how his boss's wife would deal with this troublesome woman. And seeing how invested his boss was with what's happening, he believed that Mu Tingxiao must be feeling as intrigued as he was with what's going to happen.

What he didn't expect was for him to shrug. "Ah."

Had he guessed wrong then?

However, just as he was about to walk away, Mu Tingxiao stood up and grabbed his coat. "I haven't seen one of my cousins in a long time," he stated. "I should go and have a meal with him."

If Shi Ye remembered correctly, none of his cousins had come back from overseas.

That was such a rotten excuse.

Even then, Shi Ye didn't expose him. "Yes, Sir. I'll have the car ready."

Mu Tingxiao drove his car, following Moo Nuannuan to a small restaurant down the street. There weren't many customers coming in and out, so it was the perfect place for a subtle meetup.

He leaned against the driver's seat, narrowing his eyes as the scrawny woman entered the restaurant. After twenty minutes, Moo Wanqi finally arrived. Her head was held up high, and she held her signature bag close to her chest as if she was about to enter a dump. Although she was beautiful, Mu Tingxiao couldn't help but sneer at the sight. She was just another fake socialite.

Just as she had entered, another man with a camera in his pockets had entered the restaurant.

A reporter.

Hm. He smirked. It seemed that a show was about to unfold right before his eyes.